Ar. Malaksingh Gill


L'Attitude



Farmhouse of Armaity Mevawalla



Perched atop a beautiful site overlooking the Andra river and its valley,

L'Attitude is a majestic 3BHK bungalow that serves as a retirement home.

Built in the local stone, brick and mud, it is now known as

the "Maaticha ghar" or "the mud house" in the area.


Area: 4391 sq.ft.



entrance porch view



east side view



living & dining area



LIVING area



east side VERANDA



ViEW FROM VERANDA



With the backdrop of Andra dam, Kamshet



master bedroom internal view



bathroom



bathroom



attic room



ATTIC BALCONY



Location



Phalane village, Off Kanhe phata,

Old Mumbai - Pune highway,

Kamshet, Maharashtra.



Macro Climate



Hot and dry summers

Cold and dry winters

​Heavy monsons



Site context



Farm that is away from the main village

Eastward facing slope

Overlooking Andra reservoir on the east




Micro climate



High wind speeds

​Heavy rain and wind from West and South during monsoons



INSPIRATION - The vernacular



Before starting to design, we conduct a survey of the vernacular architecture of the area and use certain time-tested elements after analysing the same


External stone walls upto lintel height and brick above.This ensures a balance between using the locally abundant material - stone, providing optimum thermal insulation along with ease of construction. Added benefit is reduced loading of the lintel members.

External stone walls in Stone (18" thick)
Internal walls in brick (9" thick)

Attic located under the ridge, in the central portion of the house. Along with optimising the volume under the roof, it also helps to keep the ground floor thermally insulated.


SOME FEATURES



BAY WINDOWs



A built-in feature that optimises space and lends a unique architectural quality to the space.



PONDS



Two ditches were dug on the site, from which mud and stones were used for construction. These were then developed into ponds that are now used for irrigating the plantations on site.



ARCHES



Used to frame the porch that acts as a drop-off for the drive way. It lends a special character to the entry to the house.



BRICK JALI wall and lime plaster



A mechanism for good cross ventilation in the spaces.
The walls are plastered with lime, which is much efficient in terms of cost and health for the users as compared to paints and cement plasters.



Malaksingh Gill | Architect



04-Ground Floor, Mahim House Building, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg, New Moghul lane, Mahim (W), Mumbai - 400016 | Tel: 9820442390 | architectmalaksingh@gmail.com