architecture brio rebuilds a beach house in alibag, india

architecture brio has completed a residential project in alibag, a coastal town in india just south of mumbai. the scheme involved transforming a three-decade old home by utilizing its existing foundation and footprint. as a tall boundary wall separated the ‘house in a beach garden’ from the seafront, a key part of the project was establishing a relationship between the home and the water. this was done by elevating the garden by 1.5 meters (5ft) so that at the house, the garden, and the top of the boundary wall were aligned at the same level.

image © edmund sumner (also main image)

a gentle set of stairs leads to the top level of the garden, which separates the dwelling from the beach. the garden is bound by the house and a 20 meter (66ft) long swimming pool, which stretches out towards the sea. a row of palm trees — carefully retained by architecture brio — flanks the pool, creating a shady, breezy spot to relax. the other side of the pool has a different character. here, the landscape is covered with wild grassy vegetation.

image © edmund sumner

one enters the house from a generous verandah that faces the garden and ocean. the living and dining rooms on the ground floor open up to this verandah with glazed amber double doors. from the center of the house, a double-height space contains a staircase that leads to the upper floor. here, a skylight, which is exactly the same size as the ten rooftop solar panels that electrify the house, brings light into the heart of the home.

image © edmund sumner

in order to make the most of the scenic views from the site, the bedrooms on the upper floor have panoramic windows. on the west side, they open out towards the sea, the beach, and the pool. acting as a second skin, sliding screens made of aluminum strips wrap around the upper storey providing privacy when required.

image © edmund sumner

although the damaged framework of the house had to be demolished, the architects based the outline of the new dwelling on the previously existing structure. this meant that the team could reuse the building’s original foundation. additionally, all waste material was used to raise the garden, meaning that nothing ended up in landfill.

image © edmund sumner

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architecture brio house in a beach garden alibaug india designboom

project info:

name: house in a beach garden
location: alibaug, maharashtra, india
year: 2019
type: residential
status: completed
architect: architecture brio
design team: shefali balwani + robert verrijt + sakshi minocha + neethi dorairaju + shivani mehta
size: 320 sqm / 3,444 sqf
program: 4 bedroom house 
photography: edmund sumner and randhir singh