Nara Design Studio

Renovated home office

A sensible retreat...

Our First project, the cottage at Yelagiri, was a spontaneous design process which was both conceived and executed at the site with intense and expansive investigation. Situated on a hill, the site was a steep contoured pit with huge boulders. As these rocks provide a natural foundation, we planned not to disturb but to build on and around them. Our next objective was to integrate the existing trees and a seasonal stream running through the site, in the design. For this, we intentionally wrapped the building around the foliage forming pockets of open spaces and channeled the water through a swimming pool and then into a reservoir for harvesting water. Another conscious decision we made was the efficient use of materials that were gathered from the site and its surroundings. Blending with the natural landscape, an asymmetrical axis follows the contours of the site and forges all the living spaces into a continuum. On the whole, it was a profound exploration of bridging concepts and ideas to reality with minimal hindrance to nature.