Sudha and Sukesh Gandhi’s farmhouse, Wakeshwar near Nagpur
2015
can an outer space with integral nature, positively influence our inner space?
To de-stress and rejuvenate the Gandhis, the architect chose to integrate the beautiful existing Banyan and the Behada trees in his design of their farmhouse. Thus, the house was designed around the main banyan tree as the central focus, allowing each space in the house to converse with it. A lap pool in the landscape further helps connect these two trees. You enter the house through a narrow covered passage onto the grand Banyan tree courtyard.
The house is rooted in the soil and grows out of it on the south and west side. Only the ochre skinned boulders obtained on this site were used for their maintenance free, organic quality and to reduce the embodied energy of the house.
Experiencing the organic, natural, rustic spaces of this house with these two trees is like bonding at a deeper level with nature and with one’s own inner self.