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This Is Epic

A curation of our design ideas and inspirations for houses in Goa, contemporary art and architecture.

 

 

 

 

Posts in Architecture
The Charms of South Goa - Part I
 
 
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South Goa is paradise on earth with its lush paddy fields, old Portuguese mansions, numerous forests and sanctuaries, pristine beaches and rivers, quaint churches and magnificent forts. The streets of South Goa speak to a different era with a distinctive old world charm. In the first part of this two part blog post, we have selected a few of the quintessential South Goan charms from a long list of abundant natural and man-made wonders.

Cabo de Rama

Cabo de Rama is a relic left from times bygone. Once a magnificent fort that housed an entire community, it remains one of the oldest and largest forts of South Goa and offers a fantastic view of the Canacona Beach below.

Chandor & Loutolim

The villages of Chandor and Loutolim give you the giddy feeling of opening an old book. The Portuguese style sweeps elegantly across the villagescape, evident in the beautiful old world architecture and the laid back lifestyle. Both villages are famous for their centuries old colonial mansions that stand tall even today. We will be looking at these beautiful palatial homes in Part II of our blog post.

Netravali Lake

The Netravali Bubbling Lake in the Sanguem district is one of the lesser known beauties of South Goa. This one of a kind natural lake is known for its mysterious and continuous bubbling water surface throughout the year.

Galgibaga

The Galgibaga Beach is home to silver sands, endless rows of coconut trees and the charming Olive Ridley turtles which come onto the shores every year between November and February to nest and hatch. A ferry ride crossing the picturesque Galgibaga river is the best way to get to the beach.

Naval Aviation Museum

Established in 1947, Naval Aviation Museum offers a glimpse into military history. The museum is designed to look like the interior of a naval aircraft carrier with galleries displaying naval equipment and prominent battles, including a simulation room. It also has an outdoor aircraft park with an exhibition of old aircrafts and engines.The museum is set on a plateau and overlooks the scenic Bogmalo beach.

Mollem National Park

The Mollem National Park is set in a humble 240 sqkm belt nestled in the Western Ghats and houses a wide array of tropical flora and fauna with over 200 unique Indian species. Recognised as one of 36 most crucial biodiversity hotspots in the world, the sanctuary is now threatened by 3 infrastructure projects, announced by the state government. The alarming proposal resulted in widespread dissent with thousands of people coming together for the ‘Save Mollem’ campaign.

 

To know more about the hidden gems of South Goa, read The Charms of South Goa - Part II



 
20 Questions with India Design ID
 
 

I speak to India Design ID, sharing my dream alternate profession in Auroville, and reminiscing a cherished memory involving Anupama Kundoo from her summer internship there. Also watch her expound the charm of New York City, and deliver a powerful message for change, directed at women.
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DESIGNING A HOUSE IN GOA: SERIES PART 13: Green Certification
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As our company policy, we certify all our development projects with green certification from the Indian Green Building Council.

Green Certification often gets a bad reputation as it is a standardized platform of measuring sustainability across various cultures and geographies. We follow the system as we find it to be a good way to keep ourselves accountable to the various aspects of sustainability from the very start of the design process. Certification forces us to keep detailed accounts, and make accurate calculations such that our sustainable efforts are not only in name but are real with measurable impact.

That said, certification is usually the starting point for us in our journey into sustainability. I firmly believe that ‘sustainability is common sense’. In architecture, it involves following sound design principles, respecting the land while planning new buildings and responding to the local climate and conditions.

To pursue sustainability,

  • we must try to conserve the natural resources within our own site (through rain water harvesting, renewable energy use and grey water recycling),

  • use materials and employ design ideas that keep the building interiors cool or warm (and reduce the use of air-conditioning and heating),

  • allow for ample daylight (to reduce the energy use for lighting during the day),

  • use half flushes in bathrooms along with aerators to reduce the water flow in bath and kitchen fittings (to reduce water-use),

  • maximize the use of materials that are produced locally, and

  • use materials with a high recycled content.

These strategies for me are the low-hanging fruit that are easy to achieve with minimal cost escalation in the process. It’s also key to understand the lifespan of materials (regardless of their green features). If they have to be replaced in a short period of time, then they fail the test of sustainability. Finally, to achieve actual impact, we have to think about sustainability at every stage and factor it in every decision during the design and construction process.

LINKS TO PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS:

WHY BUILD GREEN

GREAT ONLINE RESOURCE FOR GREEN BUILDINGS IN INDIA

GREEN FEATURES AT NIVIM

DESIGNING A HOUSE IN GOA: SERIES PART 11: RAINWATER HARVESTING

I recently read an article on how the wettest place on earth, Cherapunji in the east of India is experiencing water shortages. The news was not overly shocking, as we have all heard about the water woes in Bangalore (where it is believed that the city would have to be evacuated by 2025), Delhi, and all other major cities in India. The slightly shocking part with the Cherapunji story is that it has an abundant source of water in the form of rain, and the reason for its water shortage is simply the ignorant management of resources on the ground.

The story is not much different in Goa as well. Goa receives 300 inches of rainfall during a 4-month monsoon season each year. Inspite of this abundance of rain, there are frequent water shortages in Goa, and the water level in village wells across Goa are dropping at an alarming rate. This makes the significance of rainwater harvesting in houses in Goa of paramount importance.

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In addition, I strongly believe that all new construction in Goa must manage its rain water discharge. We often experience that during the monsoon the excess run off from built areas result in flooding of low-lying areas. As responsible builders, we must accept that the public storm water drainage system is just not equipped to handle the pressure of new development and we must manage our rain water independently and ideally, use the rain water to recharge the underground water table. In Goa, the rain water drainage is closely linked to the cycles of paddy agriculture. These systems have been working for centuries and are the lifeline for paddy agriculture, an important source of livelihood and lifestyle for Goans that must be protected.

As a standard practice across all our projects, we harvest all the rain water from our site as well as from the roofs of the built structures and allow it to percolate back into the ground in an attempt to maintain the underground water table for our site and surroundings. This practice directly supports our larger design intent where we wish to minimize the impact of our building activity on our site and the environment.  

At the House with Three Pavilions in Goa, we have taken rainwater management many steps further by designing a comprehensive water management plan for the entire site. The objective is to retain most of the rain water within the site and to recharge the underground water table, minimizing the impact of the new construction on the land. All the roof rain water runoff is captured and along with the site surface runoff, it is directed into the central seasonal pond. The pond is connected to a newly planned system of bio swales that spread the collected runoff water over a larger site area increasing the rate and extent of percolation on the site. These beauties utilize no cement in their construction and can absorb water through the walls and the base. The bioswales are designed as gabion walls, stone walls within a GI frame, hence are perméable to water. 

The water management system furthers the connection of the home and its residents to nature as the water will ebb and flow with seasons, will encourage the growth of wild grasses and flowers, and retain the land as a home for the diverse insect, reptile and bird life that we encountered on the virgin land prior to construction.

(Water Management Plan in consultation with Pallavi Latkar and team at Grassroots Research Mumbai.) 

READ ON

REALTY MAGAZINE: Bridging the Gap between Sustainability & Execution

This article was written by me for World Environment Day and published on realty magazine website.

It feels like we are at war. At war with a virus that has caught the world off-guard. It spreads through air and we don’t have a cure for it, yet. We all recognize that this event will be life-changing and hope that the world can emerge from this only slightly bruised but overall resilient with a strong sense of solidarity, love and respect for humanity. While all our energies are focused on this crisis, there is a bigger elephant in the room where humanity has been on a war footing for some time now, that of climate change as a result of human activities. 

The past few years have seen unprecedented wild fires, droughts and storm cycles around the world. A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. In 2019, Okjokull became the first glacier in Iceland to disappear as a result of climate change. About 3.8 million hectares of primary rainforest was lost in 2019 alone. As per a report by Global Forest Watch, every 6 seconds, an area equivalent to the size of a football pitch of primary rainforest was destroyed in 2019. Entire islands have disappeared due to the rising sea levels in our oceans.

In March this year, while the world took a pause in an effort to contain COVID-19, we experienced and enjoyed cleaner air and cleaner waters- a definitive sign that humans are responsible for the environmental degradation that surrounds us. We have managed to pollute our glorious planet with poisonous gases and non-biodegradable waste, perhaps beyond repair. The silver lining is the speed with which the environment bounced back even with a temporary and short suspension of human activity. Pinning my hope on that, I wish that humankind can possibly mend our ways in an effort to bequeath a beautiful planet to our future generations. 

Architects are generally taught to believe that they have the power to change the world for the better. We do this through design and also through advocacy. So even while we, as consultants, would recommend best practices, the conversion of ideas to real impact was marginal. 

Many a times, Green Certification gets a bad reputation as it is a standardized platform of measuring sustainability across various cultures and geographies. The certification process forces us to keep detailed accounts, and make accurate calculations such that our sustainable efforts are not only in name but are real with measurable impact.

That said, certification is usually the starting point for us in our journey into sustainability. I firmly believe that ‘sustainability is common sense’. In architecture, it involves following sound design principles, respecting the land while planning new buildings and responding to the local climate and conditions.

To pursue sustainability, we must try to conserve the natural resources within our own site (through rain water harvesting, renewable energy use and grey water recycling), use materials and employ design ideas that keep the building interiors cool or warm (and reduce the use of air-conditioning and heating), allow for ample daylight (to reduce the energy use for lighting during the day), use half flushes in bathrooms along with aerators to reduce the water flow in bath and kitchen fittings (to reduce water-use), maximize the use of materials that are produced locally, and use materials with a high recycled content.

These strategies for me are the low-hanging fruit that are easy to achieve with minimal cost escalation in the process. I also think that it is key to understand the lifespan of materials (regardless of their green features). If they have to be replaced in a short period of time, then they fail the test of sustainability. Finally, to achieve actual impact, we have to think about sustainability at every stage and factor it in every decision during the design and construction process. 

To make sustainability a norm, the industry and consumer outlook also must change. We have found that most industry and product vendors still lack awareness on the importance of sustainability and green features in their products. Our perceived association that virgin materials are of superior quality, and reused materials are inferior, needs to change.

Government policy has sadly not been able to keep up with industry efforts and consumer desire for sustainable development. In Goa, when we started our practice in 2010, there was a subsidy for using solar water heaters. That subsidy is now being re-evaluated and not available to users. The policy of net-metering has stayed as a draft and has not been implemented. This makes the use of solar panels for power production not economically feasible for users.

While we endeavor to pursue sustainability as a hallmark in our projects, it is a struggle to achieve cost efficiencies. This process would be easier if we could avail of some government subsidies and programs. I believe that will attract a larger section of the industry to follow the path of sustainability.

As consumers, we should also look for ways to reduce our impact on the environment. Every small step makes a difference. We must remember that simple things can make a big difference. Climate change is a cause where the entire community must come together and play their part. The COVID crisis has evoked a sense of solidarity amongst us to fight a common enemy, I hope we can continue to utilize this positive spirit to fight climate change as well.

JAPANESE MINIMALISM
 
 

I was invited by India Today Home to create a Masterclass for their readers during this lockdown. I recorded a session detailing how one can adapt the principles of Japanese Minimalism in the design of one’s home.

I chose two real-life examples by two contemporary architects I admire- Bijoy Jain and Kengo Kuma- to demonstrate how this has been achieved in their projects. Watch the video here, that has been reposted from India Today Home. This was something I really enjoyed making. 

 

Read On

Designing a house in Goa: Series part 4 : Loo With A View
Bathroom at Neemrana Fort Palace. Photography by Anjali Mangalgiri.

Bathroom at Neemrana Fort Palace. Photography by Anjali Mangalgiri.

The first picture is of the famous ‘Loo With a view' at the Neemrana Fort Palace. Some 25 years back, I had interned with an architect on a design job at the Neemrana Fort Palace. Along with the gorgeousness of the palace hotel, the super attention to every detail in design, construction and finishes, the 'loo with the view' left a deep impression on my mind. It illustrates the fun in architecture and represents the luxury of living away from the swarming crowds and making everyday moments grander, exciting, liberating and inspiring. The second and third picture is from Navovado and the fourth is the view from the bathroom at our ongoing project House with Three Pavilions.

 
The master bathroom in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

The master bathroom in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

 
 
A powder room in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

A powder room in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

An ongoing project in House with Three Pavilions. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

An ongoing project in House with Three Pavilions. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

 

Read On

Designing a House in Goa :Series Part 3: Bathrooms as Sanctuary Space
Bathroom at Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Bathroom at Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

Bathrooms are such a neglected subject in the design-build process. To view this space as a sanctuary, a place to retreat to after the chaos of the workday has passed, that has been the inspiration behind designing the bathrooms in all our projects. The above image is a bathroom from Nivim with sunlight pouring in.

A powder room in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

A powder room in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

A guest bathroom in Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

A guest bathroom in Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

The master bathroom in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

The master bathroom in Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

The master bathroom in Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

The master bathroom in Nivim. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

 

Read On

Designing a house in Goa :Series part 2: Live in the Verandah
 

Part 2 in ‘Designing a Home in Goa’ Series.

In my mind, the main reason for people from cities yearning for a house in Goa and the resort-style lifestyle it offers is to reconnect with nature, to be outdoors and breath the fresh air; to observe the subtleties of light during the day, changing of seasons, the evening breeze from the sea and the smell of rain; all the finer things in life that make us wannabe poets and bards.

A house in Goa hence must be designed to allow for outdoor living, where most of one’s daily activities can be carried out in verandahs. Verandahs are spectacular spaces that transition between the indoor and outdoor. We absolutely love incorporating verandahs in our houses in Goa. When verandahs wrap around rooms, they also offer weather protection to the openings in the rooms. When verandahs are planned in different parts of the house, they become spaces to enjoy at different times of the day and in different seasons. Deep long verandahs are the perfect venue for morning yoga practice, lazy afternoons, and cocktails and conversations with friends in the evenings.

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Verandahs at Nivim. Photography by Bharath Ramamrutham.

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Verandah at Navovado. Photography by Sanjeet Wahi.

This is the second post on our series on ‘Design house in Goa’. In the first part of the series, we spoke about designing spaces where the indoor and the outdoor blend seamlessly to offer a sublime living experience.

 
 

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