Mons Concinnus: panoramic-view house in India

Once in a while Studia 54 receives requests that may seem contradictory at first. For example, customers desire to build an archetypal fortress house with solid stone walls and an abundance of sunlight and panoramic glazing from floor to ceiling.
Such request might have become an unsolvable oxymoron. Yet the Studia`s architects perceive cases like that as an opportunity to come up with creative solutions.

Concept
Two key features served as a source of inspiration for the project in Gujarat: a land in the mountains with a scenic view and customers' dedication to simple clean forms. The result is a two-storey villa with an area of 1200 square meters, which combines a massive ground floor and an airy second floor with a glass-covered facade.

Architectural techniques
To lighten the second floor, the supporting columns were hidden behind glass, so it seems like the roof is floating in the air. The roof, by the way, is not flat, which is typical for projects from Studia 54. This shape makes the building look cozy despite the visual roughness of the materials, and it is also a traditional shape for India.

We experimented with an atmosphere of the house: it has high-tech elements, innovative techniques and solutions for cladding. For example, it features glass corners for a full panoramic view. The building also displays eternal values: comfort, beauty of the landscape, and reliability. This house evokes the feeling of safety, and you can admire the surrounding nature from almost anywhere without restrictions.

Terraces
Several terraces, in addition to the large glazed windows, provide an opportunity to contemplate nature. One of them is integrated with the swimming pool, which appears to flow into the horizon. This location of the water surface enhances the building's interplay with the surrounding space and gives the feeling of a journey from the safety of the valley to the tempting distance of the mountains.

The decor of the lounge area near the pool is based on the symphony of four elements: earth is represented by natural stone wall decoration, water - by the pool, and there is plenty of air thanks to the open panoramic view. The fire is represented by a hanging hearth: as a result, there is a fireplace framed with tinted glass, which is a source of warmth and can also serve as a table for al fresco dining.

Another eye-catching element of the decor is a bas-relief depicting a kiss frozen in stone. The elaborately carved sculpture looks expressive against the background of a rough stone block, creating another contrast between the elegance of the form and the roughness of the material.

Landscape design
The main task of a landscape design was to create the maximum mimicry of the house in the surrounding landscape. It seems as if Mons Concinnus has always been there along with mountain ranges and rocky cliffs. This feeling is achieved by natural stone finishing of the facade, which almost color-by-color repeats the shade of boulders in the valley.

The main design technique focuses on the relief. There are plenty of chances to play with it by creating waterfalls and embankments. Numerous ponds support the idea of the glass facade: nature, mountains, sky are reflected in them, and everything merges into a single whirl of elements. Meanwhile, sculptures placed right in the middle of the pond are reflected in the glass and the water. They refer to the ancient dolmens and remind that there are both transitory and eternal parts of the world.

The relief of the property allowed us to experiment with waterfalls and embankments. Numerous ponds harmonize with the glass facade of the house: they reflect nature, mountains, sky, and everything merges into a single vortex of elements. Sculptures in the middle of the pond also cast a reflection in the glass and in the water. They refer to ancient dolmens and remind us that the world has both the transient and the eternal.