9 modernist homes in India that Le Corbusier and Geoffrey Bawa will approve of

Tucked into a verdant landscape on the outskirts of the city, this weekend home in Ahmedabad— a project by Rushi Shah and Vidisha Shah— centres the beauty of the abundant trees that encircle it. The project was made for the second generation of the Porecha family, who had a decidedly modern aesthetic in mind for their home. As the family and the architects began discussions on the project, the brief evolved from a simple home with the standard configuration of two bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room to a home that embraces open spaces and living in harmony with nature.

The home also invites nature indoors through its use of courtyards— a staple of Indian architecture. There are a total of five courtyards in the home, each serving as a transitional space between different sections of the home. The first courtyard is encountered at the entrance, with the exposed concrete walls serving as a backdrop to the Champa tree growing within. The second courtyard is placed between the entertainment room and the living room, and features red gravel flooring. The third courtyard, located near the dining room, also features gravel, minimal plants, and a large boulder for seating. The fourth courtyard is placed between the two bedrooms.

Original text by Khushi Sheth; edited by Harleen Kalsi

A Grandfather’s Home in Ahmedabad from the 1970S

Built in a modernist style with clean lines, spacious rooms, and adjoining bathrooms, this six-bedroom home in Ahmedabad, with verandas generously added on all sides to allow for cross-ventilation and light, has survived with its good bones for 50 years now. The owners were careful with their choice of architect—someone whose interventions would be minimal and sensitive. So Kunal Shah, a designer and a friend of the family, was invited. Shah’s journey, as he himself continues to discover over time, has been about the relationship between austerity and opulence.

There is a Gandhian austerity to the space, particularly in what used to be the grandmother’s room. All over the home, there are handwoven carpets in natural materials like hemp, old-fashioned palangs or high daybeds, as well as floor gaddis. Shah believes in a refined minimalism, in a modernism that was about simplicity and being rooted in domestic rituals. Spaces in the house allow for informal postures, as opposed to sitting formally on a table and chair.

Original text by Komal Sharma; edited by Harleen Kalsi

The Memory of Corbusian Ahmedabad