Ksaraah is a weekend retreat in rural Bengaluru, India that reimagines living in the embrace of nature. It aims to foster a direct connection with the outdoors, sans boundaries, while still sheltering its inhabitants–a creative professional and her family.
The two-storeyed primary residence, an interplay of volumes and voids, is perched atop the site’s highest level, framing views of the farms that lie on the horizon. Resting weightlessly on a set of two lofts, bevelled arches, it creates expansive column-and wall-free spans with deep overhangs. The ground floor hosts communal spaces like the living, the dining, and a sit-out area seamlessly entwined with nature; the master bedroom and its ensuite bathing chamber and a private study lounge occupy the first floor.
On the first floor, arched elements punctuate the space complementing the starklinearity of the structure. Tall, louvred windows in oak wood traverse the floor’s perimeter, creating a permeable envelope that invites trees and plants indoors while allowing the users to control ventilation and daylighting.
A sleek exterior staircase connects the two levels next to a pool–the epicentre of the residential quarters–its backdrop marked by a feature stone wall. The wall creates a three-dimensional site partition and marks the transition between the private and public functions of the house while unifying the visual narrative. At the heart of the site stands the eighty-foot-long Pavilion composed of rhythmic modules that are orderly and aesthetic. The spatial arrangement is specifically directed to traverse amidst the landscape, blurring the boundaries between the built and the unbuilt.
