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Architecture

Impressive vaulted home nestles sensitively into forest landscape

By Adam Williams
February 13, 2023
Impressive vaulted home nestles sensitively into forest landscape
The Wendy House is made up of two living areas that are situated either side of a central courtyard and water feature
The Wendy House is made up of two living areas that are situated either side of a central courtyard and water feature
View 9 Images
The Wendy House is made up of two living areas that are situated either side of a central courtyard and water feature
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The Wendy House is made up of two living areas that are situated either side of a central courtyard and water feature
The Wendy House is nestled into a forested area of India, on a large plot measuring 8 acres (roughly 3 hectares)
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The Wendy House is nestled into a forested area of India, on a large plot measuring 8 acres (roughly 3 hectares)
The Wendy House's interior is enclosed by glazing, maximizing natural light throughout
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The Wendy House's interior is enclosed by glazing, maximizing natural light throughout
The Wendy House's interior measures 1,100 sq ft (roughly 100 sq m), which is split between the two living areas
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The Wendy House's interior measures 1,100 sq ft (roughly 100 sq m), which is split between the two living areas
The Wendy House's furniture is made up of exposed concrete, which is softened by some wood and detailing
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The Wendy House's furniture is made up of exposed concrete, which is softened by some wood and detailing
The Wendy House's concrete furniture won't be to everyone's taste, though takes its place well with the brickwork
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The Wendy House's concrete furniture won't be to everyone's taste, though takes its place well with the brickwork
The Wendy House features one bedroom, which is on the opposite side of the courtyard to the main living area
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The Wendy House features one bedroom, which is on the opposite side of the courtyard to the main living area
The Wendy House's glazing means that there's not much in the way of privacy from other areas of the home, including the bathroom
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The Wendy House's glazing means that there's not much in the way of privacy from other areas of the home, including the bathroom
The Wendy House's exterior is made up of three layers of bricks, plus an additional layer of recycled tiles
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The Wendy House's exterior is made up of three layers of bricks, plus an additional layer of recycled tiles
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Situated on a forested plot in rural southwest India, the Wendy House showcases a sensitive approach to its forested location and is largely built from recycled and sustainable materials, and arranged so as to not disturb any of the trees on site. The remarkable residence promotes indoor/outdoor living and takes the form of two brickwork vaults placed either side of a central courtyard area.

The Wendy House, by Earthscape Studio, features a similar overall design to the Dune House and Edgeland Residence. Its two complex vault structures each consist of three layers of bricks. Recycled tiles were then added as a fourth layer to ensure waterproofing and a poured earth wall made up of mud encloses both house and courtyard.

"We wanted no steel or concrete structure and we do not want to disturb the existing natural environment so we proposed a timbrel vault structure," explained Earthscape Studio. "The vault form has been formed based on the position of the trees and natural surrounding which camouflages with the site. A beautiful courtyard with a small water body has been formed in between the twin vault where the spaces are transparent and open to the courtyard. This courtyard creates natural lighting inside the spaces. Different levels have been created in the building in accordance with the site contour."

The Wendy House's furniture is made up of exposed concrete, which is softened by some wood and detailing
The Wendy House's furniture is made up of exposed concrete, which is softened by some wood and detailing

The interior proper measures 1,100 sq ft (roughly 100 sq m), which is divided between the two areas. The interior decor will appeal to fans of exposed concrete but might be a little too austere for some, with its concrete furniture broken up by some wooden chairs and detailing, while the generous glazing ensures daylight permeates within.

One side of the home hosts the main living room, plus a kitchenette and dining area, while the opposite side contains a separate bedroom and bathroom. Judging from the photos at least, the bathroom is totally on view to anyone else in the home due to the expansive use of glass. Presumably it wouldn't be difficult to add privacy with some blinds if the owner desired, however.

The Wendy House was constructed over eight months, during which time the Earthscape Studio remained on site. We've no word on its budget.

Source: Earthscape Studio

View gallery - 9 images

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ArchitectureBuilding and ConstructionHouseHomeIndiasustainable design
8 comments
Adam Williams
Adam Williams
Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.

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8 comments
BlueOak
The liberal use of warm, comfortable concrete really makes the space inviting and a place we’d all like to call home.
Jinpa
How would it do in an eartquake?
WONKY KLERKY
Thank you for the snaps : I Note:
ref All Images of INTERNAL:
Vertical Stack Bond is NOT the way to construct any domed structure.
(For Explanatory: Talk to any Structural Engineer or Send 10/6d Postal Order to my usual Swiss Bank A/c and I 'll tell you why)
+
ref Images 2 + 9: ROOF CLADDING:
Tiling is CONDEMNED .
(For Explanatory: I don't know whether to laugh/cry - Just work it out for yourselves)
ArdisLille
After viewing the pictures, I had to put on a sweater.
White Rabbit
Dear Trolls,
From where do you derive the expectation that pleasing you should be the goal every architect and designer?
@BlueOak: There's no concrete other than the floors and some of the furniture, which the article notes "might be a little too austere for some." If you're in this group, so be it, but the home wasn't built to satisfy you, so your complaint does nothing more than reveal a personal prejudice.
@Jinpa: Not an unreasonable question, but note that the home is located in south west India where earthquakes are least likely.
@WONKY KLERKY: 1) The construction technique used is timbrel vaulting, also known as Catalan vaulting, which, according to Wikipedia is " is a technique for constructing robust, self-supporting arches and architectural vaults".
2) Tiled roofs may not be common where you live, but 2 things are worthy of note:
Building codes are extremely LOCAL, so your claim to tile's condemnation needs some factual support;
and your criticism suggests that Earthscape Studio failed to consult or follow these codes.
@ArdisLille: You're unlikely to need a sweater 1000 km north of the equator!! In fact, the construction provides protection from the heat, so emanating a sense of cool is big PLUS.
TpPa
yes but still wiped out a few acres of land unnecessarily moving into the forest.
ljaques
@BlueOak Perhaps warm in parts of India, but in most of the rest of the world, concrete is an ugly gray, and it's cold and hard as rock.
IE, everything BUT comfortable or inviting to many of us. It is also more dangerous to raise kids on concrete, or the elderly. Not something I'd choose.
BlueOak
@ljaques, apparently it was not obvious enough - I should have added “/s” at the end of my comment.