studio course designs a peaceful veranda on a roof in maharashtra, india

indian-based studio course digs into the traditional structure of the country’s homes through its ‘veranda on a roof’ in maharashtra, india. located on the roof of a 12-story building, the veranda is a transitional space between a public and private area or, between a house and a street.

traditionally, verandas were always central elements to making our house into a home, an accidental space for long conversations, a place for one to relax and unwind. ‘the ‘veranda on the roof’ is no accidental space,’ explains studio course team. ‘it is a space designed keeping in mind the family and their clear understanding of a special place they wanted to add to their home. a space crafted out from their lifestyle which revolves around books, food, and plants.’

veranda on the roof houses a library and a pantry, which extend into a terrace, or in other words, parts of terrace which are covered to accommodate a reading nook and a pantry. the design intends a play on the senses as one approaches the place through a wooden staircase from the living room below. the existing walls of the staircase were broken down and the roof was created to open up the space and get a better connection. this has let the architects turn the veranda into an extension to the main house below while allowing the two levels to engage in a dialogue.

bold earthy undertones of the cement textured walls and teak wood furniture are used to set the tone of this space. the roof library overlooks the terrace garden through a wooden glass paneled façade, which gives a notion of an enclosure that can open up completely, blurring the boundaries of the inside from the outside. this uniformity of space is also accentuated by the use of natural materials like cement plaster, teak wood, granite stone and brass metal which span inside as well as outside. the hand movement imprints on the cement plaster constantly give a sense of tactility of the process that has undergone to make its architecture. the low-on-clutter, minimal furniture allows for easy movement.

the library unit is designed to be understated in its form so as to consciously reduce its visual impact. a metal staircase hung from stainless steel wires on one end and anchored to a wooden beam on the other leads to a storeroom above. here, the treads are designed in a way, so as to perfectly align with the shelves of the library unit. similarly, a lot of elements such as the door handle, door stopper, tower bolts, drawer handles are custom-designed to follow this language with the notion to fade away.

the fully equipped pantry on the terrace continues to have the same language where the thrilling idea of cooking outdoors is explored. walking on the gravel produces a sound which triggers the memory of being in the outdoors. the gravel floor is used in parts across the terrace to heighten this tangibility. a reading nook, which sits along the waterfall and a lotus pond within it, is a tranquil setting to indulge in a piece of literature with the garden partly screening it. the veranda on the roof can not only overlook the exotic view of a race course but also be able to create a world on its own. veranda on the roof turns as a refuge, where the shifting contexts have created new meanings.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: maria erman | designboom