The Floating Frame House designed by Rushi Shah Architects is located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city amidst dense green rural area. The house belongs to an architect, landscape architect and a structural engineer. The concept was to design a built mass in a manner that one could delight in the scenic, undivided lawn space and the sky together from major parts of the house. Since the members are nature lovers, the material palate is exposed brick, exposed concrete, exposed steel structure with lots of creepers, plants covering the house, retaining all the existing trees.
The rustic brick paving and brick screen covering existing bamboo clusters create a welcoming gesture. It leads to a lawn area with existing trees in and around, along with the backdrop of fully bloomed Delonix regia. The floating plinth functions as a threshold to the built form which sprawls in two different axes. Semi-private zone with living area, dining space, kitchen and powder toilet is aligned on one axis. The integral part of this zone is the volume of 12 ft height built mass that provides the immense view of the garden along with steel canopy, with creepers drooping from above and blue sky peeking through the full-height glass shutters.
The perpendicular axis consists of private areas which comprise all bedrooms of 10 ft height designed with private courts, which allows evening sunlight. The master bedroom is designed with a view of the lawn and a court with morning and evening filtered sunlight, and a shower court with banana plants creating a tropical aura.
The cantilevered slab and a steel canopy over the living and dining area cuts off harsh sunlight in summers and allows its penetration in winters, which also acts as a climbing element for creepers. The wooden bridge over the lotus pond connects the dining and veranda area.
Mirror polished Kota stone as an indigenous flooring material provides a cool effect in hot and dry climates. Exposed concrete ceiling subtly counterpoises the flooring along with exposed brick walls, which stands behind the bed forming a backdrop. Each court is cladded with local Dhangadhra stone, reflecting an earthy feel of a farmhouse.
The whole site experience braces the ecosystem through its carefully chosen plants. In winters, Sunbirds nectars on Bauhinia, while in summers, butterfly flutters around bloomed flowers of Stachytarpheta, and rains brings the frogs hoping on floating leaves of lotus. Squirrels run along the fragrant Quisqualis creeper and rest there in the noon time, Indian koels fight to have a juicy bite of palm fruits. Altogether, these tiny activities around the house surpass the dynamic experience of living.
