PLANTATION RETREAT

Architecture Brio’s Agricultural Farm stands out with its ocean view, unique landscape and architecture in harmony with its surroundings.The architects describe the construction process of the building, located on a hillside overlooking the sea in Mumbai, as “both exciting and terrifying”. The hermitage farm, where panoramic ocean views accompany the visitors on a deserted and nature-infused plot, has a design that manages to adapt to its surroundings when compared to other structures in its vicinity.

In terms of its architectural features, the farm bears a striking resemblance to the chapels scattered along the undulating hills of the nearby Goa coast. While the chapels, with their pronounced orientation, form silhouettes that dominate their surroundings, the farm similarly blends into the landscape around it. The linear structure, resembling a two-tiered pavilion with its facade facing the landscape, also reveals the character of the farm. With its white limestone walls called “Dhrangadhra” and white-painted wooden shutters, the pavilions evoke an aesthetic feeling that draws the seascape into the structure.

The architects tried different ways to plan the building in harmony with the terrain; they designed some of the rooms in the form of “hooks” to be embedded into the stone base. The stone base of the building acts as a retaining wall and supports the green roof terrace covered with vegetation due to the sloping texture of the land. The stone base allows for a semi-open courtyard on the lower levels. The courtyard, designed at the height of the elevation, directs the building towards the view. Intermediate landscape elements such as stepped plinths and platforms support the architectural influence of the site along the slope. The curved infinity pool surrounds the patio-like lounge and living areas. The soft, curving lines of the pool mirror the coastline a few kilometers away.