Building in mud

Nivaant, Bhor

The project is situated on top of a hillock, overlooking the Bhatghar dam backwater. It is a farmhouse and a weekend getaway for a family living in Pune.

The house consists of a large entrance veranda, a hall with an attached kitchen, a bedroom, a toilet / bath and a dry toilet - all on the ground floor. Above the hall is a spacious attic that doubles up as a second bedoom / family room - with a panaromic view of the river.

The structure is built using stone and mud that was obtained from site, and bricks, lime sourced from the local market.

All labour was from the village neighbouring the site. Traditional stone breakers (Beldaars) were employed to break the stones that were obtained from the site, for masonry.

Material palette

Foundation and plinth: Stone masonry in lime mortar

Walls: Bricks in mud mortar

Finishes: Lime plaster and pointing

Flooring: Terracotta floor tiles laid in lime mortar, ceramic tiles for wet areas

Roof: Timber frame with clay ceiling and roofing tiles

North elevation

Timber staircase going to the attic

Bedroom with built-in bed in kadappa stone

Bay windows in bedroom

Small living area with a bay window, and an arch separating the living and the pantry areas

Brick jali with glass bottles

Attic space that doubles up as a bedroom / hall

Built-in hot water chulha

Urine diversion dry toilet

Arch above bay window in hall

Project details

Design and execution team: Priyanka and Dhruvang

Built-up area: 1100 sq.ft.

Project cost: ₹20 lakhs

Year of completion: 2016-17

Client: Amogh and Kavita Paralikar

Masonry team: Ganesh and Sudam Jadhav

Carpentry team: Shivaji Sutar, Sonu Sutar, Raju sutar

Process photos

Stones from the site itself were broken by the skilled hands of Beldaar Sudambhau, for the masonry work

Making the built-in water heater, in the bathroom wall. Smoke from the chulha goes out, while hot water may be accessed from inside

Making the Urine diversion dry toilet (UDDT) with two chambers below - where the waste turns into compost, without emitting any foul odour.

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