0
00:00:10,005 --> 00:00:13,325
I think it’s time, Caroline,
to go and see how the other half live.
1
00:00:13,405 --> 00:00:15,365
Talk about welcome to my humble abode!
2
00:00:15,485 --> 00:00:19,485
Cor, that is a whole lot of house!
3
00:00:22,005 --> 00:00:25,445
He's Piers Taylor,
an award-winning architect.
4
00:00:25,685 --> 00:00:29,085
I mean, the depth of this wall
it’s four foot thick.
5
00:00:29,645 --> 00:00:31,005
After you, my Lord.
6
00:00:31,365 --> 00:00:32,805
And she’s Caroline Quentin,
7
00:00:33,365 --> 00:00:36,125
acclaimed actress
and passionate property developer.
8
00:00:36,645 --> 00:00:42,165
This house has the perfect ratio
of bedrooms to swimming pools.
9
00:00:42,245 --> 00:00:46,045
We’ve been given the keys
to some of the most incredible houses
10
00:00:46,125 --> 00:00:47,405
in the world.
11
00:00:47,565 --> 00:00:50,605
If we were left alone here
for any amount of time I have a feeling--
12
00:00:50,685 --> 00:00:52,445
-We would ruin this house.
-[laughs]
13
00:00:52,925 --> 00:00:55,565
To discover the design innovation, passion
14
00:00:55,645 --> 00:00:59,085
and endurance needed
to transform architectural vision
15
00:00:59,165 --> 00:01:00,965
into an extraordinary home.
16
00:01:01,285 --> 00:01:02,125
Look!
17
00:01:02,525 --> 00:01:03,805
I’m dumbstruck.
18
00:01:04,565 --> 00:01:06,445
We’re traveling the globe.
19
00:01:06,525 --> 00:01:07,565
[laughs]
20
00:01:07,645 --> 00:01:09,325
Meeting architects and owners
21
00:01:09,405 --> 00:01:13,525
to explore how their daring homes
respond uniquely to local landscape,
22
00:01:13,605 --> 00:01:15,645
climate, and culture.
23
00:01:15,725 --> 00:01:18,765
I think this is probably
the greatest house I’ve ever been in.
24
00:01:19,085 --> 00:01:20,925
Whether it’s battling the elements
25
00:01:21,005 --> 00:01:22,325
to construct a dream home
26
00:01:22,405 --> 00:01:25,485
on dramatic
Scandinavian terrain...
27
00:01:25,565 --> 00:01:28,565
The architect was nervous
that things would go wrong.
28
00:01:28,645 --> 00:01:29,885
He couldn’t bear to look at it.
29
00:01:30,485 --> 00:01:33,765
Pushing the boundaries
of European experimentation.
30
00:01:34,205 --> 00:01:35,965
-I think that’s it.
-I think it is.
31
00:01:36,365 --> 00:01:40,205
When I looked at the proposal,
in the beginning I was almost shocked.
32
00:01:40,805 --> 00:01:44,285
...celebrating craftsmanship
and beauty in Asia...
33
00:01:44,725 --> 00:01:48,005
We’ve likened this house
to dripping chocolate sauce
34
00:01:48,085 --> 00:01:49,525
all over vanilla ice cream.
35
00:01:49,765 --> 00:01:52,005
Or going all out for glamour in America.
36
00:01:52,645 --> 00:01:56,565
You just do what you do best,
is to create a masterpiece.
37
00:01:56,965 --> 00:01:59,885
Piers! Is this too Miami?
38
00:02:08,245 --> 00:02:12,165
We’ve arrived in Mumbai,
India’s most popular city.
39
00:02:12,245 --> 00:02:13,285
It's crazy.
40
00:02:14,765 --> 00:02:17,885
There are more billionaires here
than there are in Los Angeles,
41
00:02:17,965 --> 00:02:20,045
and a booming economy is
driving a passion
42
00:02:20,125 --> 00:02:21,765
for modern architecture.
43
00:02:23,245 --> 00:02:24,445
This looks like it.
44
00:02:25,605 --> 00:02:26,485
Hello.
45
00:02:26,845 --> 00:02:28,125
-Hi Ma'am!
-Hi.
46
00:02:28,765 --> 00:02:30,285
But we’re leaving the city...
47
00:02:30,365 --> 00:02:33,205
[horns blaring]
48
00:02:33,285 --> 00:02:36,165
because we’re following the smart money
out of Mumbai
49
00:02:36,245 --> 00:02:39,525
to the peaceful and dramatic landscapes
beyond.
50
00:02:39,605 --> 00:02:43,165
Where a new generation of architects
are running wild.
51
00:02:43,645 --> 00:02:46,365
I think this is thrilling
and I didn’t expect it.
52
00:02:46,925 --> 00:02:49,925
From a concrete fortress
that blends ancient form
53
00:02:50,005 --> 00:02:51,285
with modern design...
54
00:02:52,365 --> 00:02:56,765
...to a feat of architectural daring,
with a visionary approach to landscape.
55
00:02:57,365 --> 00:03:00,325
The experience here
is identical in many ways
56
00:03:00,405 --> 00:03:02,605
just to being under the trees outside.
57
00:03:03,245 --> 00:03:06,205
And an idyllic riverside hideaway
that makes you feel,
58
00:03:06,285 --> 00:03:08,165
well, majestic.
59
00:03:08,605 --> 00:03:10,205
I know this is really bad,
60
00:03:10,645 --> 00:03:12,005
but I’ve got to do it.
61
00:03:13,325 --> 00:03:14,485
Maharani Quentin.
62
00:03:15,645 --> 00:03:16,485
that’s me.
63
00:03:17,685 --> 00:03:20,085
We’ll also be finding out
how Indian architects
64
00:03:20,205 --> 00:03:23,325
have drawn on their nation’s history
and craftsmanship,
65
00:03:24,005 --> 00:03:26,525
to blaze a trail into the future.
66
00:03:30,845 --> 00:03:32,685
[horns blaring]
67
00:03:32,765 --> 00:03:35,565
Gosh, you can see why people need
to get out of Mumbai, can’t you?
68
00:03:36,085 --> 00:03:39,925
Well, hopefully we’re heading away
from this chaos and into the countryside.
69
00:03:40,005 --> 00:03:41,725
We’re heading
into the countryside;
70
00:03:41,805 --> 00:03:44,325
I’m not convinced
we’re heading away from the chaos.
71
00:03:44,485 --> 00:03:46,485
[horns blaring]
72
00:03:47,885 --> 00:03:50,245
One thing we are escaping is the weather.
73
00:03:51,085 --> 00:03:53,045
We’ve chosen to come in the dry season
74
00:03:53,125 --> 00:03:56,165
because from June to September
it’s monsoon time.
75
00:03:57,925 --> 00:03:59,285
When the heavens open,
76
00:03:59,365 --> 00:04:02,525
up to a meter of rain
can fall in a single day,
77
00:04:02,605 --> 00:04:05,325
bringing cities to a halt
and flooding the land.
78
00:04:06,165 --> 00:04:08,405
And if that’s not intense enough,
79
00:04:08,485 --> 00:04:13,165
in the summer, temperatures can soar
to a scorching 40 degrees or higher.
80
00:04:13,805 --> 00:04:17,325
I’m intrigued to find out
how architects here respond passively
81
00:04:17,405 --> 00:04:19,245
to such extremes of climate.
82
00:04:20,085 --> 00:04:21,645
We’re traveling to see a home
83
00:04:21,725 --> 00:04:24,525
that has to deal
with some of the worst weather in India.
84
00:04:25,285 --> 00:04:26,805
It’s in a mountainous region,
85
00:04:26,885 --> 00:04:29,085
...70 kilometers southeast of Mumbai.
86
00:04:30,325 --> 00:04:32,325
We’re arriving by the scenic route
87
00:04:32,725 --> 00:04:33,565
[ooh!]
88
00:04:33,645 --> 00:04:34,805
It’s quite a climb.
89
00:04:37,525 --> 00:04:38,405
Gosh.
90
00:04:40,445 --> 00:04:42,085
I wasn’t expecting that.
91
00:04:47,645 --> 00:04:50,605
This imposing house
is built like a fortress
92
00:04:50,685 --> 00:04:54,325
partly because the monsoon
breaks right overhead.
93
00:04:56,085 --> 00:04:58,485
And that tough outer shell
doubles as a way
94
00:04:58,565 --> 00:05:01,925
to protect light and airy interiors
from the baking heat.
95
00:05:04,085 --> 00:05:05,845
Perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop,
96
00:05:05,925 --> 00:05:09,845
it commands views across the flat-lands
to the mountains beyond.
97
00:05:11,365 --> 00:05:13,445
But this is no military bunker.
98
00:05:13,925 --> 00:05:16,725
It’s been created
as a relaxing weekend home
99
00:05:16,925 --> 00:05:19,485
for a Mumbai businessman and his family.
100
00:05:21,685 --> 00:05:22,845
That’s pretty.
101
00:05:23,885 --> 00:05:26,045
-It’s beautiful.
-Marigolds.
102
00:05:26,125 --> 00:05:28,645
You could almost lie on top
of that surface couldn’t you?
103
00:05:28,725 --> 00:05:29,725
Aren’t they lovely?
104
00:05:29,805 --> 00:05:31,845
-Aren’t they beautiful?
-What a color.
105
00:05:31,925 --> 00:05:34,605
Gosh, that against that blue
is phenomenal.
106
00:05:35,125 --> 00:05:37,365
I think this splash of floral color
107
00:05:37,445 --> 00:05:40,445
is a clue that behind this tough exterior,
108
00:05:40,525 --> 00:05:42,725
lies a house with real warmth.
109
00:05:42,805 --> 00:05:45,805
I’ve just got to get a sense
of where we are, what the context is.
110
00:05:46,605 --> 00:05:50,205
I’m just curious to see
how the house sits.
111
00:05:50,845 --> 00:05:53,685
And I think it sits right on the edge
of this escarpment
112
00:05:53,765 --> 00:05:56,685
and somewhere out there
is a fantastic view.
113
00:05:57,365 --> 00:05:59,685
But I have to say I’m really excited
about this house
114
00:05:59,765 --> 00:06:04,165
because this house might marry
a real sense of the ancient...
115
00:06:04,245 --> 00:06:06,445
with modernity.
116
00:06:08,725 --> 00:06:10,165
The challenge here was to build
117
00:06:10,245 --> 00:06:13,685
the house of liquid stone
on the edge of a steep cliff,
118
00:06:13,765 --> 00:06:15,405
exposed to the elements.
119
00:06:16,045 --> 00:06:19,485
The entrance is formed
by a huge cantilevered canopy
120
00:06:19,645 --> 00:06:23,565
to protect cars and visitors
from the monsoon deluge.
121
00:06:23,645 --> 00:06:24,485
CANOPY
122
00:06:24,565 --> 00:06:28,445
The architect built the house
around two existing mango trees.
123
00:06:28,525 --> 00:06:30,125
MANGO TREES
124
00:06:30,205 --> 00:06:32,845
Three open courtyards bring air and light
125
00:06:32,925 --> 00:06:35,045
into a large sitting-dining area...
126
00:06:35,125 --> 00:06:36,085
SITTING/DINING
127
00:06:36,165 --> 00:06:38,645
...three en-suite bedrooms, and a kitchen.
128
00:06:38,725 --> 00:06:40,325
EN-SUITE BEDROOMS, KITCHEN
129
00:06:40,405 --> 00:06:42,725
A second floor with bedroom and bathroom
130
00:06:42,805 --> 00:06:45,085
burrows down into the cliff face.
131
00:06:45,165 --> 00:06:46,525
BEDROOM AND BATHROOM
132
00:06:49,125 --> 00:06:52,805
This house looks quite monolithic
and singular on the outside.
133
00:06:55,485 --> 00:06:57,525
But on the inside,
it’s not like that at all.
134
00:06:57,605 --> 00:07:00,365
It’s an almost
labyrinth-like set of spaces
135
00:07:00,525 --> 00:07:02,445
where there’s this ambiguity
136
00:07:02,525 --> 00:07:05,925
around what’s actually inside
and what’s outside.
137
00:07:08,245 --> 00:07:10,925
The forest has been allowed
to creep indoors.
138
00:07:11,965 --> 00:07:14,125
Grasses were woven into living areas
139
00:07:14,205 --> 00:07:16,965
and trees grow freely in the courtyards.
140
00:07:17,765 --> 00:07:20,765
In some parts,
nature is even taking over the concrete.
141
00:07:23,045 --> 00:07:25,485
And those boundaries
between inside and outside
142
00:07:25,565 --> 00:07:27,645
are blurred in the most everyday spaces.
143
00:07:29,125 --> 00:07:32,565
Bathrooms are often talked about
in terms of the fittings they have,
144
00:07:32,645 --> 00:07:34,125
you know, the taps and so on.
145
00:07:34,485 --> 00:07:36,565
I’m not really interested in all of that.
146
00:07:36,645 --> 00:07:40,605
What I’m interested in is atmosphere,
the experience of bathing.
147
00:07:41,045 --> 00:07:44,925
But, because I’m busy, I usually shower.
You know, I don’t have time to bathe.
148
00:07:45,005 --> 00:07:46,085
But I think if I did,
149
00:07:46,165 --> 00:07:48,725
it would have to be under a mango tree,
150
00:07:48,805 --> 00:07:50,845
surrounded by marigolds.
151
00:07:51,885 --> 00:07:55,445
It makes the interior atmosphere
visceral and sensual,
152
00:07:55,885 --> 00:07:57,445
but these open spaces and trees
153
00:07:57,525 --> 00:08:00,445
aren’t the only connection
to that outside environment.
154
00:08:04,365 --> 00:08:07,885
This house is called the House
of Liquid Stone for a couple of reasons.
155
00:08:07,965 --> 00:08:12,245
Mainly because it sits on basalt,
a rock that is this escarpment
156
00:08:12,325 --> 00:08:14,325
and that same rock is ground up
157
00:08:14,405 --> 00:08:16,325
and put into the concrete as aggregate
158
00:08:16,405 --> 00:08:19,085
and it gives it this fantastic patina.
159
00:08:19,165 --> 00:08:22,085
But it’s also because
the accommodation of this house
160
00:08:22,165 --> 00:08:24,085
literally steps down the hill.
161
00:08:24,165 --> 00:08:26,605
The rooms flow down the hill.
162
00:08:28,245 --> 00:08:32,085
This local rock has been used
alongside stone from across India
163
00:08:32,165 --> 00:08:34,965
to create striking contrasts of texture
164
00:08:35,045 --> 00:08:37,365
that take you on a journey
through the house.
165
00:08:38,085 --> 00:08:40,085
From the rough gravel entrances,
166
00:08:41,165 --> 00:08:43,645
through hallways of mapped flagstones...
167
00:08:44,725 --> 00:08:48,045
to the polished stone floors
of the living rooms.
168
00:08:49,125 --> 00:08:52,605
And here to the courtyard
where the high basalt concrete walls
169
00:08:52,685 --> 00:08:55,805
frame the view out towards the mountain.
170
00:09:02,005 --> 00:09:04,725
-It’s quite a view, isn’t it?
-Oh, Piers, it’s lovely, isn’t it?
171
00:09:05,445 --> 00:09:07,005
It’s a nice pool
172
00:09:07,085 --> 00:09:10,805
and I know you’ve heard this before,
but I will be swimming in that later.
173
00:09:11,085 --> 00:09:14,445
Like that enticing pool,
the rooms on this side of the house
174
00:09:14,525 --> 00:09:17,325
feel like they're hanging onto
the edge of the cliff-side,
175
00:09:17,405 --> 00:09:19,245
with nothing but fresh air below.
176
00:09:22,565 --> 00:09:25,245
I’m just having a little snoop
around the bedrooms.
177
00:09:26,325 --> 00:09:30,045
And this is
a very simple, quite large bedroom.
178
00:09:30,125 --> 00:09:32,365
I just want to have
a look out of the window.
179
00:09:34,485 --> 00:09:36,165
Well, that’s very pleasing.
180
00:09:37,485 --> 00:09:41,365
It’s a sash mechanism, but it’s, yes,
181
00:09:41,445 --> 00:09:44,445
-using a counterweight,
-[slaps the stone]
182
00:09:44,525 --> 00:09:46,885
and the weight is visible.
183
00:09:47,245 --> 00:09:48,405
[window shuts]
184
00:09:48,485 --> 00:09:50,085
I think that’s really beautiful.
185
00:09:51,965 --> 00:09:53,405
It’s a shame about the view.
186
00:10:01,645 --> 00:10:03,485
The surprise of this house
187
00:10:03,565 --> 00:10:07,885
is how much lies behind
this very blank elevation.
188
00:10:08,445 --> 00:10:10,085
It gives nothing away.
189
00:10:10,525 --> 00:10:13,045
But behind that blank concrete wall
190
00:10:13,125 --> 00:10:18,005
is a rich and complex house
that is as deep as it is wide...
191
00:10:19,165 --> 00:10:20,085
but curiously,
192
00:10:20,165 --> 00:10:23,085
that presents a problem,
because in deep plan buildings,
193
00:10:23,525 --> 00:10:26,405
you have no light or ventilation
in the middle.
194
00:10:26,485 --> 00:10:27,405
So what he’s done
195
00:10:27,485 --> 00:10:29,485
is introduce a series of courtyards
196
00:10:29,565 --> 00:10:32,085
that run right the way through the house.
197
00:10:32,165 --> 00:10:36,205
Then these courtyards vent
and light everything else.
198
00:10:36,285 --> 00:10:39,445
And then around that are the bedrooms.
199
00:10:39,605 --> 00:10:43,685
This is, in some ways,
a traditional Indian courtyard house
200
00:10:43,765 --> 00:10:48,205
hiding behind this 30 meter long
concrete elevation.
201
00:10:50,485 --> 00:10:53,005
And it’s in those quiet courtyard spaces
202
00:10:53,085 --> 00:10:56,005
that the cares of the world
just drift away.
203
00:10:57,445 --> 00:10:59,325
Gosh, you’re making yourself at home.
204
00:10:59,725 --> 00:11:02,565
It’s funny you should say that.
I feel so at home here.
205
00:11:02,805 --> 00:11:04,965
I feel here that this is a place
206
00:11:05,045 --> 00:11:06,205
where kids are welcome,
207
00:11:06,285 --> 00:11:08,125
where you can make
as much mess as you like,
208
00:11:08,205 --> 00:11:10,605
you can really enjoy yourselves and relax.
209
00:11:10,685 --> 00:11:14,405
-You planning on making a big mess?
-[laughing] Yeah.
210
00:11:16,325 --> 00:11:19,085
Relaxation is at the heart of this house,
211
00:11:20,445 --> 00:11:23,485
from the swing benches
to the spa-like bathrooms
212
00:11:23,565 --> 00:11:26,165
and nature quietly growing around you.
213
00:11:28,125 --> 00:11:30,885
It’s there too,
in the contrast of materials.
214
00:11:30,965 --> 00:11:32,925
Hard stone and concrete are softened
215
00:11:33,005 --> 00:11:35,445
by wooden furniture
and brightly colored fabrics.
216
00:11:37,565 --> 00:11:40,165
Concrete has a reputation for austerity,
217
00:11:40,245 --> 00:11:42,885
but this house is so warm and tactile.
218
00:11:43,925 --> 00:11:47,125
Architect Sangeeta Merchant
and Sanjeev Panjabi
219
00:11:47,205 --> 00:11:49,925
have agreed to talk me through
their approach.
220
00:11:50,085 --> 00:11:52,645
Is this house particularly Indian,
do you feel?
221
00:11:52,805 --> 00:11:55,605
We’ve tried to bring in
a sort of Indian-ness
222
00:11:55,685 --> 00:11:57,565
through spaces, not through the form.
223
00:11:57,925 --> 00:12:00,765
Indian families generally
come together in the courtyard.
224
00:12:01,285 --> 00:12:05,565
Courtyard homes have always been
the kind of homes we’ve lived in.
225
00:12:05,725 --> 00:12:07,485
Indian families are generally big
226
00:12:07,565 --> 00:12:09,445
and they would bring ten more people.
227
00:12:09,525 --> 00:12:12,845
You know, there’s always friends
and cousins and extended family,
228
00:12:12,925 --> 00:12:16,405
so the courtyard just becomes
that room for expansion.
229
00:12:16,845 --> 00:12:18,565
We’ve likened this house
230
00:12:18,685 --> 00:12:21,365
to dripping chocolate sauce
over vanilla ice cream.
231
00:12:21,445 --> 00:12:25,845
You know, the idea was to have a flat top
and just drip it like a rivers building.
232
00:12:25,925 --> 00:12:27,885
That’s why it’s called liquid stone.
233
00:12:28,005 --> 00:12:31,765
And when you first showed your clients
the model or the scheme for this,
234
00:12:31,925 --> 00:12:33,405
-what did they say?
-Shock.
235
00:12:33,485 --> 00:12:34,685
-Shock?
-Yeah.
236
00:12:34,765 --> 00:12:37,845
We like that, we like that shock value.
237
00:12:37,925 --> 00:12:40,565
Unless it’s something new
and bang smack in the face,
238
00:12:41,085 --> 00:12:43,365
you’ve not done anything,
you’ve not broken new ground.
239
00:12:45,925 --> 00:12:50,245
I want to ask owner Gaurav
if he also likes the shock value.
240
00:12:50,325 --> 00:12:54,245
Presumably the choice of concrete was,
you were pleased with that, were you?
241
00:12:55,405 --> 00:12:59,085
I was pleased initially,
and once the house was being built
242
00:12:59,165 --> 00:13:02,765
and we saw the concrete and then
we had second thoughts and doubts.
243
00:13:02,845 --> 00:13:05,525
We were always concerned
that my grandparents,
244
00:13:05,605 --> 00:13:07,805
when they came in,
they would love the place and say,
245
00:13:07,885 --> 00:13:10,365
-"Well, it’s lovely until you paint it."
-[laughs]
246
00:13:10,445 --> 00:13:13,365
That concrete will be gorgeous
once it’s a different color.
247
00:13:13,445 --> 00:13:16,525
Yeah, so it was a leap of faith,
248
00:13:16,605 --> 00:13:18,245
and I’m glad we took it.
249
00:13:19,165 --> 00:13:21,845
And the location of the site didn’t help.
250
00:13:22,445 --> 00:13:24,725
And how was this,
building this house here
251
00:13:24,805 --> 00:13:25,965
in this very rural…
252
00:13:26,045 --> 00:13:28,005
Oh, man. Not easy.
253
00:13:28,285 --> 00:13:30,805
So this was a crazy slope and…
254
00:13:31,005 --> 00:13:33,365
The rain is like four or five months,
255
00:13:33,445 --> 00:13:36,645
so during that time
you can’t even stand here.
256
00:13:36,725 --> 00:13:38,845
The first time we came,
we had an umbrella.
257
00:13:38,925 --> 00:13:40,685
The umbrella flew away, and we’re like,
258
00:13:40,765 --> 00:13:43,565
"We better build something solid here,
or it’s not gonna last."
259
00:13:45,325 --> 00:13:47,285
Because they were using local basalt,
260
00:13:47,605 --> 00:13:50,165
all of the concrete was prepared onsite.
261
00:13:50,325 --> 00:13:52,045
So when the monsoon rains hit,
262
00:13:52,125 --> 00:13:54,365
construction work ground to a halt.
263
00:13:56,005 --> 00:13:57,605
Progress was slow...
264
00:13:58,245 --> 00:14:00,885
and it took two and a half years
to build the house.
265
00:14:02,365 --> 00:14:06,285
-It’s very easy to be in, isn’t it?
-Yes.
266
00:14:06,365 --> 00:14:09,325
-Was that part of the joy for you?
-That’s actually,
267
00:14:09,405 --> 00:14:12,325
I think unanimously what all my guests say
268
00:14:12,405 --> 00:14:15,205
when they come here
and they feel at home instantly and--
269
00:14:15,285 --> 00:14:16,845
Because the impact it has is immediate,
270
00:14:16,925 --> 00:14:18,005
-isn’t it?
-Absolutely.
271
00:14:18,085 --> 00:14:20,805
The way it is now I couldn’t imagine it
being any other way.
272
00:14:22,485 --> 00:14:23,925
And nor can we.
273
00:14:25,765 --> 00:14:29,645
This house is a great example of clients
and architects coming together
274
00:14:29,725 --> 00:14:31,765
to create something really unusual.
275
00:14:33,165 --> 00:14:34,925
By interweaving traditional spaces
276
00:14:35,005 --> 00:14:37,605
and the natural world
into a modern building,
277
00:14:38,685 --> 00:14:42,965
they’ve created a warm, relaxed,
and intimate piece of architecture.
278
00:14:48,765 --> 00:14:51,725
Finally the moment I’ve been waiting for.
279
00:15:11,765 --> 00:15:14,805
Our next stop is a few miles southwest,
280
00:15:14,885 --> 00:15:17,405
at a home where the architects
have decided to work
281
00:15:17,485 --> 00:15:20,365
with the landscape
in a completely different way.
282
00:15:22,605 --> 00:15:25,965
To get there, we’re traveling deep
into the Western Ghats,
283
00:15:26,045 --> 00:15:29,685
a beautiful mountainous region
that straddles the west of India.
284
00:15:30,885 --> 00:15:35,285
There are 160,000 square kilometers
of rugged wilderness
285
00:15:35,365 --> 00:15:38,765
packed with dense rain forests,
lakes, and rivers,
286
00:15:38,925 --> 00:15:41,685
with ancient forts clinging to the peaks
287
00:15:41,765 --> 00:15:44,445
and wild panthers still roaming the hills.
288
00:15:47,045 --> 00:15:50,365
And we’re curious to know
how you make architecture
289
00:15:50,445 --> 00:15:53,125
that deals with surroundings
as epic as this.
290
00:15:54,925 --> 00:15:55,925
Piers, look.
291
00:15:58,285 --> 00:15:59,325
I think this is us.
292
00:16:08,965 --> 00:16:10,645
The House of Three Streams
293
00:16:10,725 --> 00:16:13,125
has been very much shaped
by the landscape.
294
00:16:16,245 --> 00:16:19,165
The result is a fluid, enigmatic house
295
00:16:19,245 --> 00:16:21,645
that almost tiptoes down the hillside,
296
00:16:21,725 --> 00:16:26,405
through a series of origami-like
roofed verandas and open spaces.
297
00:16:31,005 --> 00:16:35,325
It takes its name from the waterways that
flow around and even through the house
298
00:16:35,405 --> 00:16:37,605
during the heavy monsoon rains;
299
00:16:38,325 --> 00:16:43,085
because this is architecture that’s
all about letting nature do the talking.
300
00:16:47,205 --> 00:16:48,445
My first impressions...
301
00:16:50,005 --> 00:16:53,005
of this home are that
302
00:16:53,085 --> 00:16:56,565
it’s so delicately placed.
303
00:16:56,645 --> 00:17:00,405
The house isn’t interfering with
the beauty of the landscape.
304
00:17:00,845 --> 00:17:02,965
There’s also real ambiguity
in terms of how you get in.
305
00:17:03,045 --> 00:17:05,445
I mean, there’s no obvious front door;
306
00:17:05,525 --> 00:17:08,445
you can just slide into the building
from wherever you want.
307
00:17:08,845 --> 00:17:11,525
There’s hardly a house here at all really,
Piers.
308
00:17:11,605 --> 00:17:12,885
-Is there?
-Just shade.
309
00:17:12,965 --> 00:17:14,085
A roof and a floor.
310
00:17:15,325 --> 00:17:19,365
There are more than 1000 square meters
of house that's not a house here,
311
00:17:20,165 --> 00:17:21,125
all flowing out
312
00:17:21,205 --> 00:17:23,205
from a fort style wall and tower,
313
00:17:23,365 --> 00:17:25,525
which forms the spine of the building.
314
00:17:26,165 --> 00:17:28,725
It’s an incredibly steep site,
315
00:17:28,805 --> 00:17:30,965
framed by seasonal waterways.
316
00:17:31,605 --> 00:17:34,605
The house is a series
of asymmetrical zinc roofed verandas...
317
00:17:34,685 --> 00:17:35,685
ZINC-TOPPED VERANDAS
318
00:17:35,765 --> 00:17:37,045
...scattered down the hillside,
319
00:17:37,125 --> 00:17:39,765
providing outdoor
and indoor dining spaces.
320
00:17:39,845 --> 00:17:40,805
DINING, KITCHEN
321
00:17:40,885 --> 00:17:43,765
A kitchen, living space
and viewing platform.
322
00:17:43,845 --> 00:17:45,325
LIVING ROOM, VIEWING PLATFORM
323
00:17:45,405 --> 00:17:49,045
En-suite bedrooms are tucked out of sight,
placed on top of each other...
324
00:17:49,125 --> 00:17:50,045
BEDROOMS 1 & 2
325
00:17:50,125 --> 00:17:51,725
...to allow uninterrupted views.
326
00:17:51,805 --> 00:17:53,085
At the lowest level,
327
00:17:53,165 --> 00:17:55,845
a swimming pool forms
the roof of two more bedrooms.
328
00:17:55,925 --> 00:17:56,765
SWIMMING POOL
329
00:17:56,845 --> 00:17:58,405
BEDROOMS 3 & 4
330
00:17:59,245 --> 00:18:03,925
Wow! Suddenly,
we’re underneath a really exciting space.
331
00:18:04,005 --> 00:18:06,765
I think this is thrilling
and I didn’t expect it.
332
00:18:06,845 --> 00:18:12,885
I didn’t expect it to have
all these wonderful crisscross of beams,
333
00:18:12,965 --> 00:18:15,125
and on just that metal on top.
334
00:18:15,205 --> 00:18:17,765
But actually in this landscapes
and in this context,
335
00:18:17,845 --> 00:18:21,485
what you need above all else
is shade from the sun
336
00:18:21,565 --> 00:18:22,845
or shelter from the rain,
337
00:18:22,925 --> 00:18:26,805
and you need as big a roof as possible
and actually not much else.
338
00:18:26,885 --> 00:18:31,005
I like the idea of, Piers,
being up here during the monsoon
339
00:18:31,085 --> 00:18:35,205
and hearing the rain thundering
on this metal roof
340
00:18:35,285 --> 00:18:38,845
and being inside this space
with the glass looking outside.
341
00:18:38,925 --> 00:18:41,125
I mean, it must be virtually impossible
342
00:18:41,205 --> 00:18:44,365
to see your hand in front of your face
when the monsoons come here.
343
00:18:44,445 --> 00:18:47,405
Here we are now,
when there isn’t a monsoon,
344
00:18:47,485 --> 00:18:49,565
but we’re equally immersed in nature.
345
00:18:49,645 --> 00:18:52,485
The experience here is identical,
in many ways,
346
00:18:52,565 --> 00:18:54,645
just to being under the trees outside.
347
00:18:56,205 --> 00:18:59,845
In fact, trees inspired
one of the key pieces of design.
348
00:19:00,765 --> 00:19:02,525
These unusual beam structures
349
00:19:02,605 --> 00:19:05,725
unlock the underlying philosophy
of the architecture.
350
00:19:06,885 --> 00:19:09,765
So instead of there being
regular repetitive columns,
351
00:19:09,845 --> 00:19:14,445
there’s this beautifully complex series
of trusses that come down to the ground
352
00:19:14,525 --> 00:19:17,805
as trees pulling back
all the structure from the edge.
353
00:19:18,405 --> 00:19:22,565
And what it means is that the house
provides uninterrupted panoramic views
354
00:19:22,645 --> 00:19:25,125
of the landscape from wherever you look.
355
00:19:27,125 --> 00:19:29,845
The wilderness
has also been embraced by the architects
356
00:19:29,925 --> 00:19:32,565
to shape every aspect of their approach.
357
00:19:33,485 --> 00:19:37,205
This house is all about landscape
in plan and in section.
358
00:19:38,845 --> 00:19:42,525
The site is a steeply sloping site
that steps down the hill
359
00:19:42,605 --> 00:19:47,085
and what these architects have done
is then to look at the contours
360
00:19:47,165 --> 00:19:49,565
and work out where the hollows are
361
00:19:49,645 --> 00:19:53,725
and then where on the flat pieces
they can either place
362
00:19:54,445 --> 00:19:57,365
pieces of building or bridges
363
00:19:57,765 --> 00:20:00,045
to get across
from one building to another.
364
00:20:02,525 --> 00:20:06,045
Once the architects
have identified the flat pieces of land,
365
00:20:06,125 --> 00:20:09,045
they then decided what part of the house
they would become.
366
00:20:09,645 --> 00:20:12,965
And with such a steep site
dictating where they could build,
367
00:20:13,045 --> 00:20:15,445
the house ended up
being split across six levels.
368
00:20:17,925 --> 00:20:21,245
And it’s the experience of stepping down
through the site,
369
00:20:21,325 --> 00:20:24,165
through the natural trees
and through the man-made trees,
370
00:20:24,245 --> 00:20:26,965
that makes the experience of this house
so exciting.
371
00:20:29,325 --> 00:20:32,365
That immersive feeling
of living amongst the trees
372
00:20:32,485 --> 00:20:34,365
even follows you indoors.
373
00:20:37,885 --> 00:20:41,045
There’s a suite here
with an en-suite bathroom.
374
00:20:42,845 --> 00:20:46,005
If you listen very carefully,
you can hear all the birds.
375
00:20:49,365 --> 00:20:52,285
I imagine in here is-- ah!
376
00:20:53,485 --> 00:20:55,725
There's a bathroom here
and it’s a good one.
377
00:21:00,045 --> 00:21:02,725
This stone that is used
throughout the house
378
00:21:03,445 --> 00:21:06,925
is used in here, and it’s called Kota.
379
00:21:08,005 --> 00:21:11,605
And it’s from southern India,
and it is so beautiful.
380
00:21:11,685 --> 00:21:14,165
It’s a soft slatey green,
381
00:21:14,245 --> 00:21:16,565
and it gives everywhere you go
382
00:21:16,965 --> 00:21:19,685
a sort of feeling of being under water.
383
00:21:19,765 --> 00:21:21,365
And here, in the shower room,
384
00:21:21,805 --> 00:21:23,765
you could open up these shutters
385
00:21:23,845 --> 00:21:27,045
and be showering
with the birds in the trees.
386
00:21:28,205 --> 00:21:31,245
What’s incredible is that I’ve been
387
00:21:31,325 --> 00:21:35,165
into lots and lots of bathrooms
in my life,
388
00:21:35,645 --> 00:21:36,685
but I realize,
389
00:21:37,765 --> 00:21:41,925
this is one
of the all-time great bathrooms.
390
00:21:46,765 --> 00:21:48,845
There is a real sense of the architecture
391
00:21:48,925 --> 00:21:52,405
being in an intimate relationship
with its natural environment.
392
00:21:54,325 --> 00:21:58,365
Owner and architect Kamal Malik
is going to take me through its story.
393
00:22:00,165 --> 00:22:03,205
Why did you build a house in this region?
394
00:22:03,285 --> 00:22:05,565
I was born and brought up
395
00:22:06,045 --> 00:22:07,405
and did my entire schooling
396
00:22:08,365 --> 00:22:10,445
in the Himalayas, and they are mountains.
397
00:22:11,285 --> 00:22:14,045
And here was an opportunity
close to Mumbai,
398
00:22:14,125 --> 00:22:15,645
and you can get into the hills
399
00:22:15,725 --> 00:22:18,965
and you have a kind of setting in a way,
400
00:22:19,645 --> 00:22:21,205
that I spent my childhood in.
401
00:22:21,725 --> 00:22:24,565
And we had these wonderful streams,
402
00:22:24,645 --> 00:22:26,725
three of them, that flowed from the site,
403
00:22:26,925 --> 00:22:29,565
and we saw it during the monsoon
and it was quite amazing.
404
00:22:30,885 --> 00:22:35,525
The other thing which happened here
was the inspiration of the tree.
405
00:22:35,765 --> 00:22:37,325
So you see the trunk,
406
00:22:38,005 --> 00:22:40,285
and you see the branches,
and if you look back
407
00:22:40,405 --> 00:22:43,685
you will see
the actual support of the roof
408
00:22:44,285 --> 00:22:46,725
is an echo of an understanding of that.
409
00:22:46,805 --> 00:22:48,925
Curiously that was my first impression,
410
00:22:49,005 --> 00:22:51,485
coming in and actually feeling like
I was under a tree.
411
00:22:51,565 --> 00:22:54,045
So you never have
that sense of there being
412
00:22:54,125 --> 00:22:56,645
something between you and landscape,
413
00:22:56,725 --> 00:23:00,085
So in the tropics, you would spend
most of your time in the veranda,
414
00:23:01,005 --> 00:23:03,765
because this is
where you experience the breeze,
415
00:23:03,845 --> 00:23:05,245
you experience nature,
416
00:23:05,325 --> 00:23:08,885
and you even enjoy the rain
and so on, so forth, sitting in there.
417
00:23:08,965 --> 00:23:12,205
I think it’s only to sleep
that you’re going to go inside a room.
418
00:23:12,285 --> 00:23:14,245
Every room has been designed basically
419
00:23:14,325 --> 00:23:16,565
for both a natural ventilation,
420
00:23:16,645 --> 00:23:19,325
the ability to look out,
to be in union with nature,
421
00:23:21,005 --> 00:23:23,205
you know, and be able to see.
422
00:23:24,325 --> 00:23:26,285
This house was a family affair,
423
00:23:26,365 --> 00:23:31,005
and Kamal worked closely
with his son, fellow architect, Arjun.
424
00:23:31,085 --> 00:23:34,965
The views from here, Arjun,
are second to none.
425
00:23:35,045 --> 00:23:37,365
They’re extraordinarily beautiful,
aren’t they?
426
00:23:37,445 --> 00:23:38,285
Mm-hm.
427
00:23:38,365 --> 00:23:42,045
Because of course you have designed
and built this house with your father.
428
00:23:42,125 --> 00:23:43,965
-Mm-hm.
-And I have to ask you,
429
00:23:45,005 --> 00:23:47,885
what’s it like working with your dad?
430
00:23:48,205 --> 00:23:50,405
The process
has been wonderful and rewarding.
431
00:23:50,485 --> 00:23:53,085
It has had its impact in this house,
for example,
432
00:23:53,325 --> 00:23:56,405
my parents don’t enjoy being in the water,
433
00:23:56,485 --> 00:23:59,725
so therefore we separated
the veranda spaces,
434
00:23:59,805 --> 00:24:02,565
where he and his friends could be
in a particular place.
435
00:24:03,365 --> 00:24:06,205
My family and our friends
could be closer to the pool
436
00:24:06,285 --> 00:24:09,605
and have our own kind of privacy and space
and yet be connected.
437
00:24:09,685 --> 00:24:14,005
Everyone has their own favorite place,
and that’s the whole point.
438
00:24:14,085 --> 00:24:15,685
It’s choice, it’s openness.
439
00:24:15,765 --> 00:24:19,285
When you spend time here,
what do you end up doing?
440
00:24:20,405 --> 00:24:21,405
Pretty much nothing.
441
00:24:21,485 --> 00:24:22,365
-Really?
-Yeah.
442
00:24:22,445 --> 00:24:24,445
Swimming, talking, listening to music.
443
00:24:24,565 --> 00:24:25,405
And what a pool.
444
00:24:25,485 --> 00:24:27,965
I mean,
it’s an extraordinarily beautiful thing
445
00:24:28,445 --> 00:24:29,725
in and of itself.
446
00:24:30,125 --> 00:24:32,965
So why did you decide
to raise the pool up,
447
00:24:33,045 --> 00:24:35,005
sort of into the view almost?
448
00:24:35,645 --> 00:24:38,365
When it gets really warm,
all the water sources dry up,
449
00:24:38,605 --> 00:24:42,125
and the rats and frogs start to gravitate
to any potential water source
450
00:24:42,205 --> 00:24:43,325
and the snakes follow.
451
00:24:43,405 --> 00:24:44,885
That’s not particularly safe.
452
00:24:44,965 --> 00:24:47,525
To avoid that, we lifted up the pool
to restrict access.
453
00:24:47,685 --> 00:24:49,485
It’s got the sense of infinity.
454
00:24:49,565 --> 00:24:53,325
You’re swimming in the tree line
with the mountains in the horizon.
455
00:24:53,645 --> 00:24:56,205
Your father’s an architect.
You are an architect.
456
00:24:56,285 --> 00:24:59,205
At any point did it cross your mind
to become a Bollywood star?
457
00:24:59,285 --> 00:25:01,285
because you’re so stupidly handsome!
458
00:25:02,245 --> 00:25:06,205
No, it didn’t. It actually didn’t,
but thank you. That’s very flattering.
459
00:25:06,285 --> 00:25:08,765
You’re welcome.
I think you missed an opportunity.
460
00:25:10,325 --> 00:25:13,405
Well, Bollywood's loss
is definitely architecture's gain.
461
00:25:14,085 --> 00:25:15,765
The whole place is beautiful.
462
00:25:24,285 --> 00:25:27,245
For our third house,
we’ve come a few miles north,
463
00:25:27,325 --> 00:25:29,205
near the rural town of Karjat.
464
00:25:29,285 --> 00:25:30,325
KARJAT
465
00:25:30,405 --> 00:25:32,805
We’ve been given the keys
to a weekend house
466
00:25:32,885 --> 00:25:35,005
designed as a highly discreet addition
467
00:25:35,085 --> 00:25:38,125
into a scene of bucolic natural beauty.
468
00:25:38,765 --> 00:25:41,445
It’s been built
by two award-winning architects,
469
00:25:41,525 --> 00:25:44,605
but it’s so well-hidden,
we don’t know exactly where it is.
470
00:25:47,485 --> 00:25:49,605
I think this one looks like a walk,
don't you?
471
00:25:49,685 --> 00:25:51,325
-Yeah.
-It’s a lovely spot, isn’t it?
472
00:26:00,085 --> 00:26:01,165
Still no house.
473
00:26:02,645 --> 00:26:03,525
Ah, here we are.
474
00:26:04,205 --> 00:26:06,045
It’s a sign of something, look.
475
00:26:06,125 --> 00:26:07,045
There’s something
476
00:26:08,045 --> 00:26:09,165
strange about finding
477
00:26:09,245 --> 00:26:12,925
this perfect pocket-handkerchief size
of manicured lawn.
478
00:26:13,005 --> 00:26:14,285
It’s about the only clue
479
00:26:14,725 --> 00:26:18,325
I can see that there is
a building underneath us.
480
00:26:28,685 --> 00:26:32,925
Riparian is nestled
into the Bank of the Patalganga River.
481
00:26:35,085 --> 00:26:39,485
The building is half buried in the earth,
rising out of the landscape.
482
00:26:40,925 --> 00:26:42,805
With its camouflage turf roof,
483
00:26:42,965 --> 00:26:45,245
this house shuns the limelight,
484
00:26:46,245 --> 00:26:49,685
but immerses its occupants
in a rural paradise,
485
00:26:49,845 --> 00:26:53,005
creating
the most tranquil family hideaway.
486
00:26:55,445 --> 00:26:58,085
It’s a terrific bit of land, isn’t it?
487
00:27:00,045 --> 00:27:02,325
This house is a piece of landscape and
488
00:27:02,405 --> 00:27:05,565
what I’m enjoying so far is that the house
is indistinguishable from the landscape.
489
00:27:05,645 --> 00:27:07,325
And I love that about it.
490
00:27:08,325 --> 00:27:10,845
Earth-sheltered houses are rare in India,
491
00:27:10,925 --> 00:27:14,605
but they’re the perfect way to make
a house blend into its surroundings.
492
00:27:15,685 --> 00:27:18,845
The turf roof
makes it invisible from the east
493
00:27:18,925 --> 00:27:20,485
while keeping out the heat
494
00:27:20,565 --> 00:27:24,365
and providing an extra outdoor platform
to admire the view.
495
00:27:25,965 --> 00:27:29,085
And Riparian makes the most
of its riverside location.
496
00:27:29,885 --> 00:27:33,205
A courtyard hewn out of the bedrock
leads to the kitchen,
497
00:27:34,205 --> 00:27:36,125
which is flanked by a guest bedroom,
498
00:27:36,205 --> 00:27:37,565
staff areas,
499
00:27:37,645 --> 00:27:39,605
and a child’s bedroom.
500
00:27:39,685 --> 00:27:40,765
CHILDREN'S BEDROOM
501
00:27:40,925 --> 00:27:43,045
On the front of the house,
facing the river
502
00:27:43,125 --> 00:27:45,325
is the main bedroom and the dining room,
503
00:27:45,765 --> 00:27:49,125
which open out
onto an expansive teak veranda.
504
00:27:49,205 --> 00:27:50,885
TEAK VERANDA
505
00:27:53,965 --> 00:27:57,485
This intriguing entrance into a house
506
00:27:57,605 --> 00:28:00,085
really brings out my inner badger,
507
00:28:00,205 --> 00:28:04,405
because it's like
a sort of route into a badger’s set.
508
00:28:04,645 --> 00:28:08,165
Let me go and find out what
this particular badger’s house is like.
509
00:28:13,005 --> 00:28:15,565
In fact, it’s light and colorful
510
00:28:15,645 --> 00:28:18,445
with a cooling breeze
running all the way through.
511
00:28:19,445 --> 00:28:22,125
You’d never guess
it was part of the riverbank.
512
00:28:25,005 --> 00:28:26,525
This house straddles the line
513
00:28:26,605 --> 00:28:29,485
between being a piece of ground,
a piece of landscape,
514
00:28:29,565 --> 00:28:31,405
something embedded in the earth,
515
00:28:31,605 --> 00:28:34,285
but also, at the same time,
a lightweight building,
516
00:28:34,365 --> 00:28:37,005
almost in the manner
of a tea plantation house
517
00:28:37,085 --> 00:28:39,845
that sits single story above the ground,
518
00:28:39,965 --> 00:28:44,285
with deep rooms shaded
by a veranda and screens.
519
00:28:45,645 --> 00:28:49,405
And refreshingly, for a modern house,
it’s really down to earth.
520
00:28:52,245 --> 00:28:54,565
It’s sweet.
It’s like a little cottage inside,
521
00:28:54,645 --> 00:28:57,125
both in the scale of the space,
522
00:28:57,205 --> 00:29:00,165
but also the familiarity of the stuff.
523
00:29:00,245 --> 00:29:04,405
Usually, in modern architecture,
everything gets reinvented.
524
00:29:04,725 --> 00:29:07,685
But it’s the little touches
that make it gorgeous.
525
00:29:08,045 --> 00:29:09,485
This is the master bedroom.
526
00:29:12,685 --> 00:29:14,925
And look at these fantastic windows.
527
00:29:15,765 --> 00:29:18,965
They’re Crittall windows.
They’re metal, steel windows.
528
00:29:19,045 --> 00:29:21,845
It’s very unusual.
I’ve not seen these before in India.
529
00:29:22,005 --> 00:29:26,205
They’re stunning,
but what I really, really love are these.
530
00:29:27,285 --> 00:29:31,005
These are fly screens, but they’re not
the usual sort of nylon fly screens,
531
00:29:31,085 --> 00:29:33,565
which are pretty grim, actually,
and you see them everywhere.
532
00:29:33,925 --> 00:29:36,525
These are made out of mesh,
metal mesh.
533
00:29:38,005 --> 00:29:39,805
Like a Victorian food cover.
534
00:29:40,525 --> 00:29:42,325
and they keep everything out,
535
00:29:42,405 --> 00:29:44,205
snakes and mosquitoes.
536
00:29:46,405 --> 00:29:49,765
Imagine lying in this huge bed
537
00:29:49,925 --> 00:29:55,325
and being able to look out
over this glorious river here,
538
00:29:55,405 --> 00:29:57,325
watching the cattle coming to drink.
539
00:29:59,445 --> 00:30:01,005
I’m sorry, I can’t resist this.
540
00:30:01,085 --> 00:30:02,485
I know this is really bad,
541
00:30:03,245 --> 00:30:04,685
but I’ve got to do it.
542
00:30:10,605 --> 00:30:11,885
Maharani Quentin.
543
00:30:13,125 --> 00:30:14,045
That’s me.
544
00:30:16,685 --> 00:30:17,765
It’s a lovely view.
545
00:30:20,965 --> 00:30:24,405
There is something incredibly familiar
about this house.
546
00:30:24,485 --> 00:30:27,405
And part of that reason is
that this house, in a way,
547
00:30:27,485 --> 00:30:30,925
is the traditional Indian bungalow
meets earth-sheltered house.
548
00:30:31,045 --> 00:30:33,165
But what’s clever is that, typically,
549
00:30:33,245 --> 00:30:36,925
most earth-sheltered houses are, in a way,
550
00:30:37,005 --> 00:30:39,805
dark and airless, but here,
551
00:30:40,485 --> 00:30:44,645
this architect has hollowed out
these courtyards at the back,
552
00:30:44,725 --> 00:30:46,565
which you can walk out into.
553
00:30:47,205 --> 00:30:50,565
And what happens is
that there’s a clear ventilation path
554
00:30:50,765 --> 00:30:52,885
that runs right through the way the house.
555
00:30:52,965 --> 00:30:55,725
So this is kind of warm air,
you know, rising up here.
556
00:30:56,685 --> 00:30:58,125
The cool air
557
00:30:58,205 --> 00:31:01,285
comes right the way through
and vents the house.
558
00:31:01,605 --> 00:31:03,205
It all seems so effortless,
559
00:31:03,325 --> 00:31:06,485
but I’ve a feeling that creating
this oasis of tranquility
560
00:31:06,565 --> 00:31:08,845
wasn’t quite as simple as it looks.
561
00:31:08,925 --> 00:31:12,085
The architects,
Robert Verrijt and Shefali Balwani,
562
00:31:12,165 --> 00:31:13,885
have agreed to talk me through it.
563
00:31:13,965 --> 00:31:16,365
-Welcome to my lovely house.
-Hi, Caroline.
564
00:31:16,445 --> 00:31:17,405
-Caroline.
-Shefali.
565
00:31:17,485 --> 00:31:19,405
-Lovely to meet you.
-Lovely to meet you too.
566
00:31:19,485 --> 00:31:22,045
-Hi, I’m Robert.
-Hello, Robert. Fantastic to meet you.
567
00:31:22,125 --> 00:31:28,325
The owners presumably chose this spot
because of its access to the river.
568
00:31:28,405 --> 00:31:31,725
Is that important for them,
the access to the countryside?
569
00:31:31,805 --> 00:31:35,085
Yeah, it’s very unusual to have
a house this close to the river.
570
00:31:35,165 --> 00:31:39,605
I think in most parts of India,
you are usually quite far away.
571
00:31:39,685 --> 00:31:44,405
They did want to swim in the river
and kayak, and they do all of that.
572
00:31:44,565 --> 00:31:50,645
It almost feels like it’s been part
of this rural landscape forever.
573
00:31:50,725 --> 00:31:53,245
-Forever, yeah.
-And was that part of your plan?
574
00:31:53,325 --> 00:31:57,805
Well, what’s interesting is
that the house was built
575
00:31:57,885 --> 00:32:00,605
and then very quickly
the landscape took over,
576
00:32:00,685 --> 00:32:02,565
and it was really with that intention
577
00:32:02,645 --> 00:32:05,365
that the landscapes grew over the roof
578
00:32:05,485 --> 00:32:07,005
and trees growing around it.
579
00:32:07,445 --> 00:32:10,245
Structurally, there must have
been challenges?
580
00:32:10,885 --> 00:32:13,725
Yeah, it’s meant to look very simple,
581
00:32:13,805 --> 00:32:18,245
but actually there are various forces
that come on this house.
582
00:32:18,325 --> 00:32:19,645
There’s the earth pressure
583
00:32:19,725 --> 00:32:22,965
from behind the house that tries to move
the building downwards,
584
00:32:23,045 --> 00:32:27,525
and there’s of course the weight
of the roof with this big layer of soil,
585
00:32:27,605 --> 00:32:30,485
and this made the structure quite heavy.
586
00:32:31,005 --> 00:32:33,565
Yeah, I think the construction
took over two years.
587
00:32:33,645 --> 00:32:35,005
It’s very labor intensive,
588
00:32:35,085 --> 00:32:38,125
and I think because of that,
the process took that long.
589
00:32:43,765 --> 00:32:48,005
The architects have created an homage
to the traditional tea plantation house,
590
00:32:48,085 --> 00:32:51,445
reinterpreted for this context
and the 21st century.
591
00:32:51,525 --> 00:32:54,005
And I love that they’ve refused
to build in such a way
592
00:32:54,085 --> 00:32:55,805
that dominates the landscape.
593
00:32:55,885 --> 00:32:58,405
And Riparian acts as a vessel,
in some ways,
594
00:32:58,485 --> 00:33:00,965
where you can experience this landscape.
595
00:33:07,525 --> 00:33:09,445
Salman, do you know where Caroline is?
596
00:33:10,005 --> 00:33:10,965
I don’t know, sir.
597
00:33:14,605 --> 00:33:16,765
It’s just too hard to resist.
598
00:33:18,365 --> 00:33:20,085
You know, sometimes in this life,
599
00:33:20,765 --> 00:33:22,685
you’re taken to see good houses,
600
00:33:23,605 --> 00:33:25,805
and then you’re taken to see great houses.
601
00:33:26,365 --> 00:33:28,365
But this house is like Mary Poppins.
602
00:33:29,125 --> 00:33:31,645
It’s practically perfect in every way.
603
00:33:34,925 --> 00:33:37,405
Reluctantly I’m going to have
to hang up my paddle
604
00:33:37,485 --> 00:33:39,565
and get to our next destination.
605
00:33:42,285 --> 00:33:44,845
We’re leaving behind
this oasis of tranquility
606
00:33:44,925 --> 00:33:46,725
for the craziness of the city.
607
00:33:49,405 --> 00:33:52,285
Mumbai has grown at such a rate
in recent decades
608
00:33:52,365 --> 00:33:55,805
that there are now satellite cities
to cope with the over-spill.
609
00:33:55,885 --> 00:33:59,085
And we’re heading to one called Navi,
or New Mumbai.
610
00:33:59,165 --> 00:34:00,205
NAVI MUMBAI
611
00:34:04,685 --> 00:34:06,885
We’re definitely back in the city now,
Piers.
612
00:34:06,965 --> 00:34:08,085
We certainly are.
613
00:34:10,005 --> 00:34:12,165
If we can just get there in one piece,
614
00:34:12,245 --> 00:34:15,205
we've heard there's house that combines
the latest contemporary design
615
00:34:15,285 --> 00:34:18,925
with a deep reverence
for India's architectural heritage.
616
00:34:19,445 --> 00:34:21,845
So I hope we’re gonna
get up the hill in this thing.
617
00:34:25,245 --> 00:34:26,245
We’re here.
618
00:34:26,325 --> 00:34:28,085
That’s great. Thank you.
619
00:34:32,045 --> 00:34:33,085
I’m in love already.
620
00:34:34,045 --> 00:34:35,685
This appeals to my sense
621
00:34:35,765 --> 00:34:38,485
of the ancient and the new
622
00:34:38,565 --> 00:34:40,365
being together like that.
623
00:34:42,125 --> 00:34:45,605
We’ve arrived at the fabulously eclectic
Collage House.
624
00:34:47,125 --> 00:34:50,645
The exterior is inspired by traditional
Indian house building
625
00:34:50,885 --> 00:34:53,245
with its resourceful use of materials.
626
00:34:53,765 --> 00:34:56,125
But it’s also a kind of memory box
627
00:34:56,205 --> 00:34:58,925
for the disappearing architecture
of the old Mumbai.
628
00:34:59,005 --> 00:35:03,165
From the hand crafted doors and windows
to antique columns...
629
00:35:03,245 --> 00:35:05,445
which have all been salvaged
from demolition
630
00:35:05,525 --> 00:35:08,685
and re-used here
to create something completely new.
631
00:35:14,525 --> 00:35:18,405
-I’m full of anticipation.
-Me too, I’m actually tingling all over.
632
00:35:18,485 --> 00:35:20,765
Genuinely, I have no idea
what’s around the corner,
633
00:35:20,845 --> 00:35:23,485
because already this is a house
that's surprising me.
634
00:35:24,165 --> 00:35:28,125
This is surprising me.
It’s a huge metal gate. It’s enormous!
635
00:35:28,205 --> 00:35:31,405
-Feel like you're in Gulliver’s Travels?
-Yeah, I do. It’s absolutely enormous!
636
00:35:36,085 --> 00:35:36,965
Look!
637
00:35:40,205 --> 00:35:41,285
I’m dumbstruck.
638
00:35:42,885 --> 00:35:45,205
-And that’s not often I hear you say that.
-No.
639
00:35:46,605 --> 00:35:49,365
I mean, so many ideas already.
640
00:35:49,445 --> 00:35:53,365
I mean, the sense of material richness
641
00:35:53,685 --> 00:35:56,245
from all of these things
that are re-purposed.
642
00:35:56,325 --> 00:35:58,645
The pipes, the tiles,
643
00:35:59,485 --> 00:36:00,565
this stone.
644
00:36:00,645 --> 00:36:03,605
This is an amazing tapestry of stuff.
645
00:36:03,725 --> 00:36:05,485
There’s fun everywhere.
646
00:36:05,645 --> 00:36:09,885
Everywhere my eye goes, I see something
I’m immediately fascinated by.
647
00:36:09,965 --> 00:36:14,565
And I-- It's so wonderful
to have this kind of hit of adrenaline
648
00:36:14,645 --> 00:36:16,445
as you arrive into a house.
649
00:36:16,525 --> 00:36:17,525
We’ve only just started.
650
00:36:17,605 --> 00:36:19,525
Exactly. We’ve only been here
a few moments.
651
00:36:21,165 --> 00:36:25,445
The architect’s challenge was to make
a family home for four generations,
652
00:36:25,605 --> 00:36:29,925
with a sense of space and privacy
on a relatively small plot,
653
00:36:30,005 --> 00:36:32,765
sandwiched
between two neighboring buildings.
654
00:36:33,685 --> 00:36:36,605
With no views
across epic landscapes available,
655
00:36:36,725 --> 00:36:40,605
they’ve turned the focus inwards
to a central courtyard on the first floor.
656
00:36:40,805 --> 00:36:41,765
CENTRAL COURTYARD
657
00:36:41,845 --> 00:36:43,885
Wrapped around this are the living area,
658
00:36:43,965 --> 00:36:45,885
master bedroom, and a small pool.
659
00:36:45,965 --> 00:36:47,725
MASTER BEDROOM, SWIMMING POOL
660
00:36:47,805 --> 00:36:50,605
On the floor above are two more bedrooms,
661
00:36:50,685 --> 00:36:52,765
and there’s a glass pavilion on the roof,
662
00:36:52,845 --> 00:36:55,325
supported by 100-year-old antique columns.
663
00:36:55,485 --> 00:36:57,245
GLASS PAVILION WITH ANTIQUE COLUMNS
664
00:36:59,085 --> 00:37:02,245
The many doors and windows on the facade
might look chaotic,
665
00:37:02,325 --> 00:37:05,285
but are actually carefully placed
within a concrete frame
666
00:37:05,365 --> 00:37:08,365
which connects all of the spaces
from front to back,
667
00:37:08,445 --> 00:37:10,045
across all three levels.
668
00:37:15,085 --> 00:37:16,165
I’m Caroline.
669
00:37:16,525 --> 00:37:18,925
The owners, Narayan and Dipti,
670
00:37:19,005 --> 00:37:20,725
are taking me on a tour
671
00:37:20,885 --> 00:37:25,325
to show me how they went about
reclaiming Mumbai’s architectural past.
672
00:37:26,885 --> 00:37:29,605
You know, this house is a blend of modern
673
00:37:29,685 --> 00:37:30,885
as well as old.
674
00:37:31,165 --> 00:37:32,005
Yes.
675
00:37:32,085 --> 00:37:33,645
So if you look at it,
676
00:37:33,725 --> 00:37:36,725
the floor on which you’re walking
is the modern architecture.
677
00:37:36,805 --> 00:37:39,245
-This is the modern, what’s it, granite?
-Yes.
678
00:37:39,605 --> 00:37:40,845
And as we move up,
679
00:37:41,445 --> 00:37:44,205
suddenly you'll find
that now you’re walking in a place
680
00:37:44,685 --> 00:37:47,405
where the wood is more than 125 years old.
681
00:37:47,485 --> 00:37:48,925
I love that.
682
00:37:49,005 --> 00:37:50,565
I will show you another marvel.
683
00:37:50,645 --> 00:37:53,205
-This is the hanging steps.
-Yes.
684
00:37:53,285 --> 00:37:55,365
It took lot of time making these steps.
685
00:37:55,685 --> 00:37:57,605
Yeah, they’re wonderfully made.
686
00:37:57,845 --> 00:38:00,645
When we decided to build this house,
we wanted
687
00:38:00,725 --> 00:38:03,245
everything to be a masterpiece.
688
00:38:03,325 --> 00:38:05,125
So we couldn’t overlook the steps.
689
00:38:05,645 --> 00:38:08,365
So we wanted our steps and railings
also to be a masterpiece.
690
00:38:08,525 --> 00:38:10,405
We told our architect
691
00:38:10,485 --> 00:38:13,485
that I’m not going
to make another house in my life,
692
00:38:13,565 --> 00:38:15,325
so whatever I’m making now
693
00:38:15,405 --> 00:38:16,925
is going to be the last house,
694
00:38:17,005 --> 00:38:18,965
so it has to be a very memorable house.
695
00:38:19,045 --> 00:38:22,405
It’s a home. There’s a difference
between a house and a home.
696
00:38:22,565 --> 00:38:26,845
And it’s so important that a house
isn’t just a house, that it is a home.
697
00:38:26,925 --> 00:38:31,845
And your house is clearly
full of fascinating objects
698
00:38:31,925 --> 00:38:34,045
and design features.
699
00:38:34,125 --> 00:38:37,325
I mean, this is wonderful!
700
00:38:37,405 --> 00:38:40,085
These are actually called printing blocks,
701
00:38:40,165 --> 00:38:43,525
which the artisans use it for printing on,
702
00:38:43,605 --> 00:38:45,885
making printing on saris, on fabric.
703
00:38:45,965 --> 00:38:48,605
They were about 600 pieces
that I picked up
704
00:38:48,685 --> 00:38:50,525
and brought them here.
705
00:38:50,605 --> 00:38:53,285
And then we made this lovely design.
706
00:38:53,845 --> 00:38:55,765
-How amazing.
-With these blocks.
707
00:39:00,245 --> 00:39:02,965
Curiously for such a innovative house,
708
00:39:03,045 --> 00:39:05,925
the language of construction
is fairly familiar.
709
00:39:06,005 --> 00:39:09,125
There’s a steel frame,
there’s concrete slabs,
710
00:39:09,205 --> 00:39:14,765
but within that, there’s
a mind-blowing approach to recycling,
711
00:39:14,845 --> 00:39:18,525
upcycling, salvaging, reclaiming...
712
00:39:22,765 --> 00:39:25,565
Each one of these windows and doors
on this front elevation
713
00:39:25,645 --> 00:39:28,565
has been taken from a reclamation yard.
714
00:39:31,205 --> 00:39:34,845
There’s then a strategy for how
all of these are gonna fit together,
715
00:39:34,925 --> 00:39:38,325
and the whole becomes
an extraordinary patchwork,
716
00:39:38,405 --> 00:39:39,445
a composition
717
00:39:39,645 --> 00:39:42,725
that just makes this house truly original.
718
00:39:44,925 --> 00:39:45,765
Hello.
719
00:39:46,645 --> 00:39:47,645
[doors bang shut]
720
00:39:49,885 --> 00:39:52,565
These recycling solutions
are all over the house,
721
00:39:52,645 --> 00:39:56,725
with reclaimed materials
given imaginative new purposes.
722
00:39:59,965 --> 00:40:01,405
This is a bedhead and a cupboard
723
00:40:01,565 --> 00:40:05,285
made from salvaged
and recycled picture frames.
724
00:40:05,365 --> 00:40:08,045
It’s also, of course, highly decorative,
725
00:40:08,125 --> 00:40:11,725
and decoration has been banished
from architecture by architects
726
00:40:11,805 --> 00:40:13,285
for about 100 years or so.
727
00:40:13,365 --> 00:40:15,885
Architects are kinda fascists
about all that stuff.
728
00:40:16,085 --> 00:40:19,125
There’s this myth
that somehow less is more.
729
00:40:20,205 --> 00:40:22,645
But more is always more.
730
00:40:24,085 --> 00:40:26,525
And there’s more wherever you look.
731
00:40:29,845 --> 00:40:34,405
Pretty much every bathroom
I’ve ever been in, I know what to expect.
732
00:40:34,605 --> 00:40:38,925
But this is like
some brilliantly crazy hall of mirrors
733
00:40:39,005 --> 00:40:41,925
that you might find in a fairground,
734
00:40:42,165 --> 00:40:43,845
but it’s also really sensible.
735
00:40:43,925 --> 00:40:47,685
It isn’t just whimsy.
These are all salvaged mirrors,
736
00:40:48,125 --> 00:40:51,725
reused here, set out beautifully,
737
00:40:51,805 --> 00:40:55,245
but then the water pipe that comes down is
738
00:40:55,325 --> 00:40:58,045
painted pink and then it’s a light,
739
00:40:58,845 --> 00:41:00,405
becomes a towel rail,
740
00:41:00,485 --> 00:41:01,805
becomes a loo-roll holder.
741
00:41:01,965 --> 00:41:05,645
It’s so witty, so engaging,
and so purposeful.
742
00:41:10,805 --> 00:41:14,205
Bringing such anarchic fun
to the design of Collage House
743
00:41:14,285 --> 00:41:17,565
were project architects
Shilpa and Pinkish Shah.
744
00:41:18,485 --> 00:41:22,725
How did you begin to know
how to piece together...
745
00:41:23,805 --> 00:41:25,805
a hundred thousand different components?
746
00:41:26,245 --> 00:41:30,125
It had become a little bit like jazz
where you kind of improvise a little bit.
747
00:41:30,205 --> 00:41:32,165
There’s a kind of loose structure,
748
00:41:32,245 --> 00:41:34,805
but you’re playing around
and riffing in the middle.
749
00:41:34,885 --> 00:41:38,005
And it’s been a joyful journey
because of that, that you allow,
750
00:41:38,085 --> 00:41:40,805
let it take over a life of its own,
751
00:41:40,885 --> 00:41:44,085
but you are there to kind of pull it,
tweak it, you know?
752
00:41:44,165 --> 00:41:45,605
And put it in place.
753
00:41:45,685 --> 00:41:47,885
I mean it started with the windows,
for sure.
754
00:41:47,965 --> 00:41:50,365
And once that got into motion,
and other things,
755
00:41:50,445 --> 00:41:52,965
like now we know,
flows that are gonna be downtake pipes.
756
00:41:53,045 --> 00:41:54,845
And monsoons in Mumbai are gorgeous;
757
00:41:54,925 --> 00:41:59,405
I mean, it’s such heavy rain that
the downtake pipes are just gushing water.
758
00:41:59,485 --> 00:42:02,205
So then we said,
"Why not make it into a feature?"
759
00:42:02,285 --> 00:42:04,805
So that’s how if you see the pipes,
they come kind of down,
760
00:42:04,885 --> 00:42:08,445
and they allow the water to be seen
during-- it’s an event, you know?
761
00:42:08,525 --> 00:42:10,645
It's about finding,
capturing these moments
762
00:42:10,725 --> 00:42:11,885
about seasonal change
763
00:42:11,965 --> 00:42:15,245
and the acts of everyday life being made
764
00:42:15,325 --> 00:42:18,805
kind of dignified and joyous
in some sense, you know?
765
00:42:18,885 --> 00:42:21,725
And Mumbai is also gradually disappearing,
unfortunately.
766
00:42:21,805 --> 00:42:24,285
It’s being sanitized;
lots of buildings are coming down.
767
00:42:24,405 --> 00:42:27,565
So here’s an opportunity
to salvage a part of that memory
768
00:42:27,645 --> 00:42:28,725
and make it yours.
769
00:42:29,245 --> 00:42:33,525
And is there a wider applicability
of this approach
770
00:42:33,605 --> 00:42:38,445
in other buildings for other architects,
for other people, for other clients?
771
00:42:38,565 --> 00:42:42,485
I think the amount of waste
that we as a society
772
00:42:42,565 --> 00:42:45,605
are kind of producing is crazy,
773
00:42:45,685 --> 00:42:47,445
and I think, if anything,
774
00:42:47,645 --> 00:42:49,645
maybe this is like a wake-up call
775
00:42:49,725 --> 00:42:54,645
for all of us to just remind ourselves
again of, you know,
776
00:42:54,725 --> 00:42:59,125
where we can really use our resources
more carefully
777
00:42:59,205 --> 00:43:01,645
so that we don’t produce as much waste.
778
00:43:09,605 --> 00:43:13,445
I’ve been an architect for 20 years,
something like that,
779
00:43:13,565 --> 00:43:16,365
and very few buildings
really challenge us.
780
00:43:16,805 --> 00:43:18,365
But I think this building does,
781
00:43:18,445 --> 00:43:21,405
because it does so many things
at the same time.
782
00:43:22,125 --> 00:43:24,685
It’s witty and serious.
783
00:43:24,845 --> 00:43:28,205
It’s playful and stern.
784
00:43:28,565 --> 00:43:30,765
It’s controlled and loose.
785
00:43:30,925 --> 00:43:34,965
And all those other opposing things
that you never thought could sit together.
786
00:43:35,045 --> 00:43:36,485
And I think,
787
00:43:37,485 --> 00:43:39,125
you know, as you look forward,
788
00:43:39,605 --> 00:43:41,285
you sort of wonder,
789
00:43:41,765 --> 00:43:45,125
"Where is the road map for the future?"
790
00:43:45,925 --> 00:43:46,925
But for me...
791
00:43:48,685 --> 00:43:49,685
I think it’s here.
792
00:44:08,005 --> 00:44:09,925
Talk about being cranked up to eleven.
793
00:44:10,045 --> 00:44:11,525
I don’t think I'd ever imagined
794
00:44:11,605 --> 00:44:14,965
anywhere being as viscerally stimulating
as India.
795
00:44:15,765 --> 00:44:19,645
It’s true. It’s sometimes overwhelming
for all the senses, isn’t it?
796
00:44:20,085 --> 00:44:24,005
The colors, the sights, the sounds,
the smells, the people.
797
00:44:24,485 --> 00:44:27,685
But what’s been a real excitement for me
798
00:44:27,765 --> 00:44:31,325
is the fact that the houses
have lived up to all that.
799
00:44:31,445 --> 00:44:34,845
They've been so clever and so different
and so original and so witty.
800
00:44:34,925 --> 00:44:37,405
In a way, I think they've shown me
801
00:44:37,485 --> 00:44:39,565
I just need to raise my own game.
802
00:44:39,645 --> 00:44:41,725
They've challenged me like nothing.
803
00:44:44,885 --> 00:44:46,885
Subtitle translation by Metia Bethell