A HABITAT FOR ALL

30 Apr 2025

This community space in India demonstrates that public infrastructure doesn't need to look ordinary. Habitat 0 uses curving lines and expansive green spaces to exude luxury that encourages all to join.

Text description provided by the architects.

The design of Habitat 0 begins with the central concept of a vacation home community organised around a circular form. This layout places individual spaces radially around a central circular courtyard, creating an environment where every space has access to expansive views of the surrounding greenery. The circular design is essential in fostering a deep connection between the spaces and the landscape, ensuring that nature is a constant presence throughout the journey. The arrangement of spaces around the courtyard facilitates a natural flow, allowing residents and visitors to experience both privacy and openness simultaneously.

At the heart of the community, the amphitheatre functions as both a circulation path and a multifunctional gathering space. This non-programmatic area serves as a flexible space for events, where the community can come together. The steps leading to the terrace garden not only act as a passage but also serve as a social space, seamlessly blending architecture with the surrounding landscape. This integration blurs the boundaries between built form and nature, encouraging interaction and engagement among residents and fostering a lively, dynamic atmosphere. The amphitheatre introduces a versatile space for community activities, offering opportunities for both informal gatherings and organised events.

The building itself features a dual-skin design that combines architectural functionality with aesthetic appeal. The outer skin consists of arches that act as a protective weather shield. These arches cast dramatic shadows inside, adding depth and interest to the interior spaces. The play of light and shadow changes throughout the day, with the arches sometimes creating fish-like shapes on the surfaces. Meanwhile, the inner glass skin offers transparency, allowing natural light to flood the spaces and creating a sense of openness. This glass façade enables the interior to be flexible and adaptable to various activities, enhancing the livability of the spaces.

The relationship between the built environment and the landscape is emphasised by the design's integration with nature. From the external garden, the journey continues into the central courtyard and upward to the terrace garden. The landscape creates a seamless connection between outdoor and indoor spaces, making the transition between them feel natural and immersive.

A significant feature of the design is the semi-open swimming pool area, which is integrated into the circular form of the building. The pool is divided into two parts, and its design is enhanced by cutouts in the roof, allowing natural light to filter in and create a sense of openness. The sloping walls surrounding the pool create a dynamic atmosphere, making it an inviting and accessible space. In the evenings, soft lighting around the pool area adds a dramatic effect, further enhancing the experience of the space.

The construction of Habitat 0 emphasises local materials and craftsmanship, with the building utilising materials sourced from the surrounding area and labor from local artisans. This not only helps integrate the community into its environment but also supports the local economy by providing jobs to nearby workers. The use of locally available materials ensures that the building is in harmony with its surroundings, both in terms of aesthetics and environmental sustainability.

Finally, the micro-elements of the design, such as the shadows cast by the arches, the glass panels, the sky cutouts, and the carefully considered lighting design, contribute to the overall experience of the space. The arches' shadows create dynamic patterns inside the building, while the glass skin blurs the line between inside and outside. The sky cutouts above the pool and terrace garden enhance the feeling of openness, bringing the sky into the experience of the spaces. Evening lighting around the pool and amphitheatre creates an inviting atmosphere, adding to the sense of tranquillity and beauty throughout the site.

In essence, the design of Habitat 0 is a thoughtful integration of architecture, landscape, and community, from the macro concepts of the circular layout and journey through the space to the micro details of lighting, shadow, and material use. This balance between the grand and the intricate ensures that the vacation homes provide both functional and aesthetic value, creating a harmonious environment for residents and visitors alike.

HABITAT 0

ARCHITECT RA Design Studio

LOCATION Guyarat, India

PHOTOGRAPHY Vinay Panjvani

A HABITAT FOR ALL

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