This, largely open air, house and pavilion complex is a family’s summer retreat in India. Conceived by local architecture and interiors firm Taliesyn, the rural Bengaluru home was designed to be at one with its surrounding nature and the picturesque setting beyond.
The house sits in a generous plot, overlooking Savandurga Hill, Asia’s largest monolith hill and a known spot for nature trekking and climbing. The architects created the house so that it feels open, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside, in order to help residence commune with nature and relax, enjoying the long views of the landscape. Farming activity on the estate means that homegrown food can be easily sourced, further strengthening the connection between place and this new build home.
Contrasting the green and undulating landscape, the residence is designed using clean, sharp lines, and modernist inspired forms. Concrete and wood alternate balancing softness and roughness inside and out. The material palette also includes locally-sourced stones, such as Sadarahalli and Pink Magadi, oakwood and bricks made in-situ with soil from the surrounding land.
The two storey main house features an entirely open air ground level of living spaces and a more enclosed – yet still easily openable – upper that hosts bedrooms and a study. The Bengaluru home’s grounds include a slender swimming pool and a light-looking pavilion, defined by its slim concrete columns, which can be used as a multi-functional space by the owners – for private parties, formal events and even performances.
‘At the Summer House, the architectural impetus has been to tap into the 360-degree experience of the environment,’ say the architects. ‘It has been an exercise in disengaging with the bustle of urban living, creating a sanctum of rejuvenation where one lives ‘with’ and not merely ‘in’ nature’s guardianship!’ §
