Bay Hills, a dynamic house embraced by an arched shell

Located near Panaji, the capital of Goa, the site is a sloping triangular plot that culminates at the sea. The planning was conceived minimize rock cutting and capturing the magnificent views of the Arabian Sea. Rather than only rising over the existing road level, the private family quarters are both above and below the entertaining level. The house is planned with a core, the decks and the arched shell around it that keep on twisting to create a dynamic movement and formal tension. Crisp volumes, semi open decks are planned for formal, informal gathering while catching the evening breeze and gorgeous ocean views. The grand arched entrance and the staircase core enjoys plenty indirect light as it is placed on the north side of the plot. The private bedrooms and semi-private entertainment lounges are all towards the south where they enjoy the sea breeze and its view but are shielded from the direct strong sun with the placement of decks and pergolas. Each floor has multiple outdoor seating options for formal and informal gatherings on the deck and a swimming pool on the entertaining level. Going one step beyond just staggering the floor plates on a contoured site, the outdoor decks are alternately angled as well. This ensures each internal area receives abundant ventilation and indirect sunlight through the arched shells and pergolas covering the upper floor decks. The main structure itself is twisted to avoid flat surfaces heating up through the day The ratio of the footprint to the carpet is such that the outdoors make it physically and visually much larger. The staircase is multilevel cutout carved along the hill side to allow light to stream all the way to the bottom. The entrance level is for entertaining the guests with large living and dining spaces and larger deck with swimming pool. The bedrooms are placed such that each bedroom has an outdoor deck with glorious sunset views along the ocean. The gym and home theatre on the lowest level are partly subterranean to avoid large excavation and disturbing the indigenous flora of the site yet have natural light and ventilation. The villa is designed as a holiday home along the sea for a family that enjoys being surrounded by nature and entertain their guests. While the site is set amidst the most generous natural setting, it is also a south facing plot with ample strong sunlight. The house is constructed in RCC and cladded with a stronger local basalt stone as opposed to the more commonly used laterite stone for the inner shell to keep the home cooler. The arched frame is plastered with a tough cement finish keeping color palette subtle.