Packing a punch, I have found a tiny old Portuguese house for sale in Goa from around the 1860’s that I have snapped up to house my young family and my studio. For anyone moving to Goa or looking to live in Goa, finding an old house and restoring it is a dream. It may be tiny but is full of character, the simple character of space and light, not any opulent details. The land is only 600 sq.m. but has two full grown Mango trees, one Chikoo tree, two Coconut trees and one Bimbli tree.

The idea of the house is mainly for my two young daughters to connect with the land. For them to pick fruits from trees, watch birds, count butterflies and pet snails. We will be restoring this home as simply as possible. The design will be focused on creating ‘play’ opportunities for my kids. There will be a slide inside the house for my kids (an idea that has stuck with me when I saw a slide at Nisha’s Playschool designed by Gerard de Cunha some 25 years ago). There will be swings hung on the mango tree. The house will also have a tunnel and a crow’s nest.

Restoring an old house in Goa is a fun project. Keep an eye out for further updates.

Indoor-Outdoor Spaces at Terracotta House

Towards the end of last year, we launched two villas for sale in North Goa. The two villas are located adjacent to each other and are yet independent and unique in their design.

Both villas are 3.5 BHK with a separate study on an approx. 500 sq.m. piece of land. One villa is sold and one villa, the Terracotta House is currently available for sale.

Below are some renderings of the same. Contact us for more details.

An expansive verandah at Terracotta House in Goa

Dining at Terracotta House in Goa

Open Shower at Terracotta House in Goa

The House with Three Pavilions is a sustainable house in Goa, designed and developed by GROUNDED.

The house explores the intimate relationship between the land, its people, water, and the biodiversity that exists in Goa in India. It is designed as a cluster of three pavilions that gently weave around existing trees in an attempt to coexist with nature and to minimize the impact of new construction on virgin land.  

The architecture of the house takes inspiration from the surrounding Goan village houses. Mostly constructed as ground-floor structures, each pavilion attempts to match the volumetrics of its village peers. Throughout, a simple sweeping roof form is used in red terracotta tile that is ubiquitous to the Goan village built-landscape. Proportions are borrowed from doors, windows, and plaster bands of vernacular Goan structures even as a distinct contemporary style is articulated in the design.

With a focus on connection with nature, the materials used in the house are kept subtle and natural. All floors are finished with a natural Indian ‘kota’ stone in a blue-green color that merges with the landscape. Pigmented cement and exposed local ‘laterite’ are used extensively to mirror the rustic countryside character. ‘Teak’ is used for doors and windows to add warmth and rich texture to the interiors. Antique wood columns and stone pedestals are also incorporated to bring a sense of luxury and timelessness throughout.  

The project also prioritises the enhancement of the site’s resources and biodiversity through a comprehensive water-management system which includes a natural seasonal pond connected to a newly planned system of bioswales. This on-site wetland feature harvests rainwater, recharges depleted underground aquifers, and offsets the load on the public drain system. Furthermore, it preserves the pre-existing site habitat. It is a win to see that insects, birds, and animals continue to find the site a safe space even as they come in close contact with the human life around, making this truly a space for all seasons and species.

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We have some much-awaited news!

Grounded will soon be launching 2 new luxury villas for sale in North Goa. Set within beautiful Aldona, the house is surrounded by peaceful green vistas and the rustic charm of the Goan countryside. With expansive living spaces, intimate pockets that look out to the pool, and nearly 3500 sqft of open space, the house seeks to offer seamless indoor-outdoor living. Like all our other residential projects, the villas will be sustainable, architecturally relevant, and closely connected to nature.

To know more about the villas,

We love designs that at once marry form and function and do so with panache. As we design our houses in Goa, we are constantly on the lookout for products that elevate a spatial experience through colour, texture, and shape - all without compromising on functional capabilities. The Rio lamp by designer Harshita Jhamtani delivers all this and more.

The Rio shines in different natural stone finishes ranging from White Travertine, Bheslana stone, Green Forest Marble, and Sandstone, among others. In each case, the designer says, “All the lamps are carved out of a single block and have a fluting detail complimenting the properties of each stone.” The diverse options available ensure that there’s a Rio that works for every design style and every kind of space.

Furthermore, the Rio is built to last. In interpreting sustainability, Harshita Jhamtani qualifies, “As a studio, we believe that the most sustainable practice for a designer to adapt, is to create products that their patrons can buy once and cherish for a longtime. We bring this very dream to life by creating long-lasting unique pieces that shall take a small step towards accelerating the low carbon economy.”

Images courtesy Harshita Jhamtani designs

The Rio lamp is minimal, yet artful and robust with its material sensibilities. It is a beautiful way of bringing the elements of the outdoors, indoors. It is timeless in its rustic simplicity.

Life in Goa has a laid-back, luxurious simplicity that is hard to come by in most of our cities today. People who move here are typically looking to leave the rat race behind in pursuit of a slower lifestyle that offers infinite and diverse opportunities to live in harmony with the land, to embrace the local culture, to enjoy the natural abundance as well as savour the bounties brought by changing seasons.

While Goa is a small state, each of its neighbourhoods offer different and unique living experiences. For anyone who is considering moving to Goa or buying a house in Goa, here is a detailed analysis of what one can expect from the neighbourhoods of North Goa.

PANJIM & ITS SURROUNDINGS

Image sourced from The Culture Trip.

PROS:

As the capital city, Panjim is extremely well connected and relatively easier to access. It is a quaint and small town that bridges the old and the new - it offers modern residential amenities while also retaining historic neighbourhoods such as Fountainhas. Panjim, is at its core, a residential area primarily and therefore also has a robust presence of schools around. It is also close to the beach stretches of Miramar, Caranzalem, and Dona Paula.

CONS:

It may not be easy to get a large, spacious house with a backyard in Panjim. The houses available are largely present in apartments and the availability of outdoor space within a plot is hard to come by.

ALDONA, MOIRA & POMBURPA

Image sourced from Tripoto.com

PROS:

Located to the east of the highway, these are quaint villages in North Goa that are positioned at a distance from the beach belt and are therefore saved from Goa’s maddening tourist crowds. The villages offer a quiet lifestyle meant for people who want to coexist with locals and enjoy the real Goa. However, these areas have been gaining popularity over the last ten years as prime locations for countryside vacation homes. These areas typically contain vacation houses built by expats and Indians who live abroad.

CONS:

It is a bit of a trek to the beach from these areas. The closest beaches are about 40-45 minutes away. These areas are also sought after for their pristine and undisturbed natural habitats. Thus, one should expect to entertain the local flora and fauna in their home.

ASSAGAO & SIOLIM

Image sourced from Ghoomophiro.com

PROS:

These were traditionally well-to-do villages that today have some gorgeous and large heritage houses. These villages are closer in proximity to the beach belt and see a lot of local as well as tourist activity. The neighbourhood hosts multiple restaurants and stores of different kinds, so it is charged with buzz, life, and movement throughout the day.

CONS:

Unfortunately, the quintessential quietude of Goa is no longer to be found in these areas. Commercial activity has taken over and most parts of these villages are overbuilt in the name of development.

NERUL, BETHE & REIS MAGOS

Image sourced from Alvira-Ventures

PROS:

These are pictureque villages that are steeped in history. They are also strategically located. Positioned midway between the Candolim beach belt and Panjim, they make the beachside as well as the townside easily accessible.

CONS:

Gentrification has rapidly taken over these areas as well. It may be possible to get a beautiful row house in these areas, however, bigger houses and larger plots will not be easy to come by.

To compare North Goa and South Goa, visit our analysis here.

To know more about building a house in Goa, read our series: Designing a House in Goa

We have recently started work on a small house for a lovely young family in Talpona village in Goa. The focus will be on indoor-outdoor living and creating opportunities to connect with nature. The project site is contoured and verdant, with lush trees meeting the eye every side we turn. Our vision for the project is to bring land and life together, through timeless contemporary-vernacular architecture. As we explore the relationships between space and site, we ask ourselves repeatedly,

What are the views that we can frame? How can we create open, continuous and connected spaces? How much light and breeze comes through? How can we create pockets around different natural clusters? How will each space change with time to allow for multiple experiences?

If there is one market that truly embodies the spirit of Goa, it has to be Mapusa Market. Mapusa is an incredible medley of sight, sound and colour everyday but its Friday bazaars are a sight to behold. It comes alive with the swish of textile, the clang of metal and the aroma of fresh spices as local vendors from all over Goa flock together to sell their wares.

Mapusa Market has always been one of the primary centers for trade and shopping in Goa for many decades now. In fact, the story goes that the market grew to be so significant, that the town that developed around it was derived from the business conducted at the market. The Konkani words, “map” (meaning to measure) and “sa” (meaning to fill up) are combined to form the word mapusa.

We came across some brilliant visual documentation of Mapusa’s repair shops, fabric stores flower bazaars, and condiment outlets curated by the Mapping Mapusa Market project and this blogpost is an ode to the exhaustive research that they have done.

Stories of Repair and Recycle by Sahil Konkar

A series of videos by Sahil and Prashant that heroes the people that put our lives together. Read more about the famous repair points in Mapusa Market here and watch them in action using the playlist below.

Flower Power by Mythili Borkar

Flower Power immortalises the potent yet delicate imagery that make up Mapusa’s flower bazaar, as well as the aspirations tied to them. Find the seies in focus here.

Mapping Sugarcane by stanzinlosal

The story of 8 sugarcane juice shops spread across Mapusa Market, Goa has been mapped and developed into short films. Find this lovely story here.

Completed in 2014, these visual histories offer amazing perspective into the Mapusa and Goa of today and the many layers of their making. It helps develop a cohesive understanding of the relationships between place, space, activity, and community.

If you are ever in Goa, definitely pay a visit to witness the life and times of Mapusa Market.

To read about the different places and experiences Goa has in store for you, visit our map - Goa At A Glance.

To know more about North and South Goa, visit our blogpost on North Goa vs South Goa

To visit South Goa’s stunning bungalows, take a look at our top picks here.

Photograph of Nivim, by Bharath Ramamrutham

The opportunity to build on a contoured site can be both a challenge and a blessing. Even as it requires unique structural solutions, a contoured plot of land offers great design advantages. The sloping site automatically facilitates unobstructed views. It allows the building envelope to feel like a private sanctuary because there is no close visual connection with other neighbouring buildings beneath or above. The rolling site terrain also allows the architecture to cascade, creating multiple distinct ways of experiencing the space and its surroundings. For our houses in Goa, we use the following principles to build on terraced sites sensitively and sustainably.

• When we build on a contoured site, we refrain from cutting or filling excessively. As a principle, the land topography is retained as much as possible.

• Every contoured site speaks a unique story. The soil, water and vegetation indicate how the site fits into the regional topography. The natural paths created indicate how water flows through the site from higher to lower contours. While designing, we like to take a site positive approach and make minimum alterations to these existing natural systems. This ensures that we are not tampering with the natural water flows within the site, hence avoiding any unexpected flooding during the abundant monsoon in Goa.⠀

• We also like to keep the site land around these water channels permeable without any cement cover. The natural paving ensures that there is a simple but high functioning rain water harvesting system where water is allowed to percolate into the ground and does not flow down and away from the site, preventing any water deficits in the future.

• One of our first steps on any site is to understand everything there is to know about the greenery. The kind of vegetation usually indicates where the water collects on site and shows the different kinds of life forms within the site. It helps in developing a cohesive ecological response strategy while designing.

• Understanding the vegetation also helps us design and build with nature. Unlike flat sites, where one would typically only see the base or trunk of a tree from ground level, a contoured site allows one to interact with the dense foliage of a tree on a higher level and the woody bark of another tree on a lower level simultaneously. We try to find these vistas to celebrate and curate through architecture.

• We look for terrain and topo sheets to place the site inside its regional context. Most of these sheets are easy to access, available online, and are often on university websites. Once we have an initial understanding of the levels, we model the site in 3D using software such as Google Earth, SketchUp, and Rhino. Most of these software also allow us to geo-locate our contoured plot to check for accuracy.

• While proposing a design, we usually look at a maximum of a 1m level difference from one space to another. This is done to avoid cutting and filling as much as possible and to move with the land terrain.⠀

• We love to use a material palette that is either sourced locally or naturally and build using local construction techniques. We take cues from the surrounding sites and buildings around us to identify the most effective and least intrusive construction methods for every piece of land we build on.

Practicing these simple steps helps us to build sustainably and design houses that are gentle on the land they stand on. To know more about the methods, tips, tricks and processes we follow while designing, visit our blog series, Designing A House In Goa.

In this IG Live session, we speak to Monish Siripurapu, Founder of Ant Studio in Delhi, India. Studio Ant works at the intersection of art, nature, and technology. Through their research and development wing Coolant they have made strides in building sustainable innovations through their all natural air cooling products. In this conversation, we discuss the science and method behind building this cooling system. We understand the system of Evaporative Cooling and the opportunities it presents in different contexts. We also speak about the process of research behind building this product and explore the nuances of parametric design. Tune in to watch our entire conversation.