The Mango House- “Form follows Function”
The Mango house is the physical manifestation of a quest to connect with the natural environment. The house is a reflection of the architect's creative sensibilities; its essence being simplicity in thought and expression - taking shape through the form, its spaces and building materials.
The site has been defined by the coordinates of several existing majestic mango trees. Hence, the ‘function’ is the conservation of these 100-odd-year-old inhabitants; while the ‘form’ of the structure is governed by their location. Their integral presence warranted the design approach to accommodate the roots of the trees, thus embodying the basic values of being organic. Having established this, the aim was to …show more content…
Therefore, the very aspect of having to find your balance between the existing feature, the landscape and your house became the tone of the design. This can be seen in the way the spaces responded, the way those spaces were placed initially; for instance the small and humble entrance porch on the north façade, nestled in between the branches of the huge tree, forgoing the tradition of having a majestic entrance.
To ensure the balance between the open and covered spaces, and owing to the narrowness of the plot, the house was taken to the second level. Its form reflects an azonic flow of spaces across both levels without losing proportion in design. A majestically suspended steel staircase and its dominance of the interiors is the raison d'être of the house. The testament to the tactile nature of architecture is that the birds, and butterflies that inhabited the plot, can be seen flying in front of the house, perching on the railings, using the house pretty much as another prop which is the …show more content…
There are two things here in terms of perception: the feel is visual and textural and the touch is textural and tactile, that you can sense, as a guide for your material selection. In this project, you have the experiential feel of natural stone flooring and the warmth of wood in juxtaposition to the concrete, the naked feel of any surface whether it is the walls, beams, columns is something very primal. The material used in The Mango house are mostly locally sources, the bricks from the local mills, recycled wood from old Bungalows, terracotta Mangalore tiles from the Konkan Belt and Shahabad stone for the floor.
Concrete happened to be one of the materials, which were used for the basic construction, as the structural main frame, the entire concrete experience became the skeleton of the superstructure. As the structure was coming up, we were constantly contemplating, if we needed to cover or mask it. I must admit that concrete as exposed surface, was not a conscious decision, it just came along the way, with its flaws and blemishes, and an instinct to let it retain its own boldness, a show of strength and pride as a material, provided it did not look
The Mango house is the physical manifestation of a quest to connect with the natural environment. The house is a reflection of the architect's creative sensibilities; its essence being simplicity in thought and expression - taking shape through the form, its spaces and building materials.
The site has been defined by the coordinates of several existing majestic mango trees. Hence, the ‘function’ is the conservation of these 100-odd-year-old inhabitants; while the ‘form’ of the structure is governed by their location. Their integral presence warranted the design approach to accommodate the roots of the trees, thus embodying the basic values of being organic. Having established this, the aim was to …show more content…
Therefore, the very aspect of having to find your balance between the existing feature, the landscape and your house became the tone of the design. This can be seen in the way the spaces responded, the way those spaces were placed initially; for instance the small and humble entrance porch on the north façade, nestled in between the branches of the huge tree, forgoing the tradition of having a majestic entrance.
To ensure the balance between the open and covered spaces, and owing to the narrowness of the plot, the house was taken to the second level. Its form reflects an azonic flow of spaces across both levels without losing proportion in design. A majestically suspended steel staircase and its dominance of the interiors is the raison d'être of the house. The testament to the tactile nature of architecture is that the birds, and butterflies that inhabited the plot, can be seen flying in front of the house, perching on the railings, using the house pretty much as another prop which is the …show more content…
There are two things here in terms of perception: the feel is visual and textural and the touch is textural and tactile, that you can sense, as a guide for your material selection. In this project, you have the experiential feel of natural stone flooring and the warmth of wood in juxtaposition to the concrete, the naked feel of any surface whether it is the walls, beams, columns is something very primal. The material used in The Mango house are mostly locally sources, the bricks from the local mills, recycled wood from old Bungalows, terracotta Mangalore tiles from the Konkan Belt and Shahabad stone for the floor.
Concrete happened to be one of the materials, which were used for the basic construction, as the structural main frame, the entire concrete experience became the skeleton of the superstructure. As the structure was coming up, we were constantly contemplating, if we needed to cover or mask it. I must admit that concrete as exposed surface, was not a conscious decision, it just came along the way, with its flaws and blemishes, and an instinct to let it retain its own boldness, a show of strength and pride as a material, provided it did not look