Coonoor, TN
6 Acres
Residential
House 55
rests on top of a hill, overlooking expansive views of a valley in Coonoor, a hill station in Southern India. Formerly part of a tea plantation, one of the key decisions was to preserve the steep slope of the land. The home is conceived of as transparent volumes suspended on columns, to have minimum impact on the ground and open up to its surroundings.
Composite construction of steel and concrete allow for a slender structure which frames 6×6 metre grids that can be adapted based on programme. What emerges is a house that which can be opened up and expanded when necessary or condensed into a compact block, saving on energy and maintenance.
In this retreat from city life, walls hug the ground, columns merge into tree trunks and boxes nestle into the vegetation to create an environment that becomes a permanent interweaving of man and nature.
