Brick, one of the most traditional building materials. For a long time, it was used in low-cost and poor buildings such as dormitories, factories and rural houses, and became synonymous with cheapness. But there is no shortage of architects who have interpreted brick differently from the mainstream - Laurie Baker, India's pioneer of sustainable architecture and the "Mahatma Gandhi of architecture," was fascinated by masonry, and in his view "This unique and distinctive material should not be covered in stucco." In Laurie Baker's vernacular architectural revival practice in India, masonry was often the main character of the building, and he suggested ways to reduce costs and conserve energy that influenced many subsequent architects in India, including Prasanna Morey, the lead architect of the PMA Madhushala Architecture Studio.

In the Gadi House in Pune, India, wavy mesh concrete brick walls and stone screens designed by PMA Madhushala Architecture Studio wrap the compact interior of the house and courtyard, and the creative use of masonry can be seen as a tribute and extension of Beck's architectural philosophy.

The Gadi Private House is a fortress-like residential building that blends harmoniously with the rural landscape of Maharashtra in western India. The project's most topical masonry façade is distinctive. The red brick façade is connected by a wavy pattern of air holes and irregular openings that provide ventilation, light, and shade over a "muscular" foundation of load-bearing gray stone. The design takes into account the growth of plants in the interior courtyard and brings the rain, light and temperature from the outside into the interior in an appropriate manner.

"Light is the force that awakens the life of a building." So says Murray.

In fact, the design of the air vents on the facade has its roots in traditional Indian architecture, which derives from the creative use of the Jali or jaali, an element of Indo-Islamic architecture. This geometric or patterned hole in the masonry wall has a long history, with the earliest surviving examples of jali architecture in India dating back to the early 12th century, and is a favorite of Laurie Baker. Today, this ancient construction method is gaining renewed popularity as a low-energy building solution, thanks to the increased robustness of concrete blocks and bridging media.

PMA Madhushala's presiding architect Prasanta More confesses that he has always valued the influence of traditional architecture. He sees houses as living entities that are closely linked to the lives and cultural traditions of the local people. "When doing design, it can be difficult for people from smaller places to communicate with architects what their real needs are." Murray said. So he spends a lot of time talking to the owners to find the "convenient space" that best fits their lifestyle.

Owners of private homes in Gadi have always lived in a home layout called a wada, where the home consists of a protective outer enclosure, an inner courtyard, a large inner open space, a home and even a ranch. In designing the new home, Murray explored the habits and traditions of the owners and tried to find a connection between traditional thinking and contemporary lifestyles. Inspired by the local Gadi traditional houses and wada layout, Gadi Private House blends the heaviness of stone and the lightness of red brick to create open, semi-open and closed multi-layered spaces of interest, including facades, balconies and common areas.

At the entrance, a stone bridge crosses the pool from the paved garden area to provide access to the interior residences. The residential spaces consist of a set of concrete block structures distributed in a cross shape, with the corners serving as open planted courtyards to help circulate air through the perforated skin of the house to the interior. On the first floor, the living and dining areas have the most direct connection to these courtyards, leading to a lounge area and a small swimming pool.

The spatial structure of the interior of the private house is derived from the "Khand", the basic functional module of single person living in traditional Indian architecture, which follows a certain grid system and proportional relationships that can be adapted and transformed according to different needs. Murray believes that a space with multi-functional usability will greatly increase the convenience of people's lives. For example, a corner courtyard is a social space for people to meet and relax, while at the same time providing a "breathing hole" for the house, bringing in daylight and providing a unique personal experience. These specific "Khand" modules also spill over from the horizontal dimension to the vertical, presenting themselves as an amorphous entity. The centerpiece of the Gardi residence is the central courtyard within, with a flowing blue curved staircase, a small pond that brings in daylight, and windows of varying sizes on the façade that seem to break the boundaries of the space and are reminiscent of Gaudi's artwork.

The middle steps and staircase of the private house are designed using the "Ferrogami" construction method to reduce the total weight of the main structure of the project. The multi-level treatment of vertical spaces allows one to enter different spatial areas in the overall open atrium with only three or four steps. The interior partitions are made of light wood or stone, following the Indian residential tradition; the interior walls are rendered in a traditional lime plaster technique, providing a subtle and smooth modern living experience; and the exterior walls are made of rustic and rough materials, intended to reflect the beauty of the material itself. The interior furnishings were custom designed by PMA Madhushala, a combination of wood-based furniture that was created by the architects in collaboration with local Indian artisans and designers. The building's rooftop is designed as another multi-level vertical space, providing the owners with an interesting place to meet and relax.

The Gadi Private House incorporates several energy recovery systems to achieve the sustainability and timelessness the owners' desire. The project maximizes the use of local natural resources for adequate indoor light and ventilation, as well as outstanding water and energy conservation. Photovoltaic solar panels on the sloped roof and parking shed supply the energy needed for the project. Water for the vegetable garden comes from rainwater harvesting and the corresponding wastewater treatment system. The garden even produces enough fruits and vegetables to meet the family's daily needs.

The Gadi private house is currently a finalist for the 2022 Dezeen Architecture Award in the Rural House category. According to Morey, the greatest success of the Gadi house is that the owners are happy to live in it and that the building has multifunctional spaces that facilitate their daily lives. And because of the building's popularity, the owner often receives friends to visit, each of whom is delighted and surprised by the space, which is perhaps the greatest achievement an architect can achieve.

Article Source:艺术与设计

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