Inside a unique light, metal-framed weekend home near Indore

The Green Gable started small, as a “one-bedroom shelter” on an eight-acre property on the outskirts of Indore. This was to be a “outhouse”—a weekend home—for an affluent, gregarious family who loved hosting and also needed to recharge periodically from urban burnout. But once construction commenced, their vision for a sanctuary unfurled its wings to encompass several additional spaces such as a second bedroom, a swimming pool, and decks that would allow the family to commune with nature. “The caveat was that these incorporations had to be stitched to the structural system that was already erected,” says Saumil Nagar of Indore-based Atelier X Architects who were commissioned this project.

Before we get on with the home tour, however, a quick word about the site itself. The piece of land, which is primarily used for farming, is fringed by large trees on all sides. Along the east and south boundaries lies a deep water channel that inundates seasonally.

The challenge in this project, the architect tell us, was to counter this annual flooding. To this end, soft, minimum-invasive techniques such as dykes and trenches were adapted to direct the overflow around the building, and, in the process, recharge groundwater levels as well. “This also opened up the possibility of keeping the farmland cattle out without constructing a compound wall,” points out Saumil. Dense tropical plantation, sprawled across almost an acre, also acts as an interface between the farmland and the home. This, with the evaporative cooling from the several water bodies created around the structure, has impacted the microclimate positively, and transformed the once-barren land into an oasis of rich biodiversity—something that makes Saumil feel particularly “content with the project.”

Architecturally, the 7,000-square-foot weekend home is formalised as a light-looking, much-glazed, metal-framed structure that sits gently within its surroundings. All spaces—two bedrooms and an open living-dining kitchen space—are accommodated under a single-linear gable roof. Generous outdoor decks at multiple levels allow the family to absorb the view of the landscape around the property.

Also read: An unusual Vadodara home for a family of three generations seeks sanctuary in nature