For AD100 Akshat Bhatt of Architecture Discipline, designing this villa in Goa for the young techpreneur Sahil Barua (co-founder of India’s largest e-commerce logistics company) enabled him to experiment with materiality, for the brief only outlined a few functional requirements and nothing more. “New projects, especially residences, can play host to a range of small-scale experiments, with new materials and building technologies that optimise construction and carbon emissions,” he says. Barua’s childhood, spent in Louis Kahn’s renowned IIM campus of Ahmedabad, inculcated an intrinsic appreciation for an authentic expression of materiality. This planted the seed for Bhatt to explore unconventional and sustainable materials, a far cry from mainstream concrete construction that proliferated due to its strength, durability and cost-effectiveness but which has a negative carbon impact that cannot be ignored.
The Architecture
Bhatt believes “the way the building first touches the ground is important, as this is the level at which the user first establishes contact with the form”. So this is where the design process began. The site’s existing slope and vegetation was preserved, with the home gently perched on a minimally invasive foundation of stills and concrete retaining walls, raising the ground floor to minimise cut-and-fill onsite as well as protect the home from moisture and capillary action. Barua’s focused nature inspired the unidirectional, linear block while the pitched roofs are tailored for Goa’s heavy monsoons.
Christened the Timber Residence, the home’s superstructure comprises eleven glulam frames (glued laminated timber, a form of mass timber known for its structural integrity, low carbon footprint and a strength comparable to steel), entirely pre-fabricated in New Delhi and assembled onsite. Value-engineered to address both economic and environmental concerns, Bhatt’s profound understanding of the material enabled precise control over construction and consumption, simplified to rival the competitive degree of concrete construction. He explains, “A knowledge base is universal, while the resource base is regional. If one understands their resources and has studied the material thoroughly, they don’t face many challenges—aside from a few calculations and technical nuances.”
The home’s external expression—a composition of charred timber crafted using an age-old Japanese preservation technique called yakisugi—lends a stark character to the home. But more importantly, the treated timber panels with their enhanced durability and resistance to heat and moisture make them well suited for Goa’s tropical weather, while allowing the facade to morph and age gracefully with the elements as time passes.
The juxtaposition to this organic character comes in the form of the kitchen, which is not only clad in zinc, but breaks out from the primary linear geometry of the home with a deconstructed cantilever. One feels almost suspended in nature in this zone, flanked by the pool on one end and the kitchen garden on the other.
The Interiors
As one moves inside, an open-plan scheme with minimal walls and an untouched external envelope characterise the ground floor. The expansive, double-height living and spacious dining bathe in natural light through the large glazed opening, while extending onto a metal deck that almost floats above the landscape to frame stunning vistas of the sea. On the mezzanine, a gallery passageway connects back to the living room while leading to the master bedroom.
The lower level accommodates a private wood workshop (glass-lined and naturally lit by clerestory windows) leading onto a semi-open timber deck, all devoid of strong physical boundaries to allow the spaces to flow into one another and into the expansive outdoors: a wild, bohemian landscape punctuated with a 25-metre-long outdoor exercise pool that runs the length of the home. Existing retained trees mark a soft boundary from the public street.
For interior stylist Amrita Sandil, it was important to capture Barua’s true personality to add character to the home. “We were guided by three key elements: Sahil’s love for outdoor spaces, antiques and books,” says Sandil, who carefully inserted the homeowner’s extensive collections into the vast volumes of the architectural shell in a way that is aesthetic, accessible but most of all, adds a homely layer of warmth to the stark space. Barua’s minimal and frugal way of living reflects in the spartan furniture, clutter-free to allow materiality and context to shine.
The raw, authentic finish of the mass timber frames negates the need for cladding or finishes while lending a beautifully tactile and aged quality to the interiors, emphasised by the black granite flooring. This shares a boundary with the white-washed walls, envisioned as a bare canvas upon which one layers memories and prized possessions. Barua’s beloved collections of bright and colourful art line the walls, with a few original monochromatic paintings by Souza and Mario while volumes of books dot the space as far as the eye can see.
While offering a lesson in merging unconventional and experimental materiality with cutting-edge technology, this progressive villa in Goa makes sure to stay true to its contextual roots, decodes the homeowner’s personality while setting an admirable precedent for sustainable construction in India.