Revdanda House

Revdanda, India

The Revdanda house was a remodelling project located in a coastal village near Mumbai. As late as the 1980s, the village of Revdanda was easier to reach by water than by road. Vernacular structures in the village employed deep roof overhangs, spacious verandas, and clerestory windows for ventilation. Building materials were typically mud and brick. The Revdanda house is located in the heart of a dense betel nut and coconut plantation, and this vegetation was retained on the site.

Based upon the local vernacular architecture and the local flora, the architect remodelled the house using brick and tree trunks as the main building elements. Local materials and local labor were used, as the original house walls facing the betel nut plantation were removed and replaced by large arched fenestrations that provided an unobstructed view of the landscape. The process of this renovation was similar to that undertaken in the Moon Dust residence, another renovation project carried out by the same architect for the same client. Similar elements, such as the profiles of circles and vertical tree shafts, appear in both projects.

During the renovation, a mezzanine serving as a sleeping area/deck was added. The older, multicolored windowpanes were retained, while clay murals were added to the walls. A new story in exposed brick was built above the original, plastered walls on the lower level, and the entire house was given a new external finish of the local geru paint. As of January, 2008, the house retains these elements.

It is speculated that the inspiration for the arches comes from the nearby Revdanda Fort (the Revdanda area is a former Portuguese colony).

Sources:

Hawker, Michael. 2007. "Celebrating the Works of Nari Gandhi." Friends of Kebyar: November 2007.