The Green Gable House Indore, Madhya Pradesh

The Green Gable started small, as a “one-bedroom shelter” on an eight-acre property on the outskirts of Indore. This was to be a “outhouse”a weekend home for an affluent, gregarious family who loved hosting and also needed to recharge periodically from urban burnout.

But once construction commenced, their vision for a sanctuary unfurled its wings to encompass several additional spaces such as a second bedroom, a swimming pool, and decks that would allow the family to commune with nature. “The caveat was that these incorporations had to be stitched to the structural system that was already erected,” says Saumil Nagar of Indore-based Atelier X Architects who were commissioned this project.

Before we get on with the home tour, however, a quick word about the site itself. The piece of land, which is primarily used for farming, is fringed by large trees on all sides. Along the east and south boundaries lies a deep water channel that inundates seasonally.

The challenge in this project, the architect tell us, was to counter this annual flooding. To this end, soft, minimum invasive techniques such as dykes and trenches were adapted to direct the overflow around the building, and, in the process, recharge groundwater levels as well. 

“This also opened up the possibility of keeping the farmland cattle out without constructing a compound wall,” points out Saumil. Dense tropical plantation, sprawled across almost an acre, also acts as an interface between the farmland and the home. This, with the evaporative cooling from the several water bodies created around the structure, has impacted the microclimate positively, and transformed the once barren land into an oasis of rich biodiversity—something that makes Saumil feel particularly “content with the project.”

Architecturally, the 7,000-square-foot weekend home is formalised as a light-looking, much-glazed, metal-framed structure that sits gently within its surroundings. All spaces—two bedrooms and an open living-dining kitchen space—are accommodated under a single-linear gable roof. Generous outdoor decks at multiple levels allow the family to absorb the view of the landscape around the property.

The building's materiality and aesthetics were a function of minimal intervention, speedy construction, and an emphasis on the landscape over the built structure, Saumil elucidates. “We opted for a fabricated superstructure to accentuate the delicacy of the linear roof. Using RCC for such expansive spans requires large structural member sizes, which would take away from the project's openness.” 

Locating the building on the southeast corner of the property, under the cool shade of a Gulmohar grove, allowed the extensive use of glass on the north façade and the opening up of space to the outdoors without any heat gain. "As a conceptual obligation and for spatial coherence, the larger part of the martial palette remains constant throughout the project,” states the architect. “A conscious effort has been made to present the same materials in alternative ways across spaces. Exposed concrete, Terracotta blocks, Neeru plastered walls, and green turquoise-coated metal are the primary materials used in the project.”

The Green Gable is a weekend home that allows contemplation of nature. In the true sense, it offers a green pick-me-up to much-frayed nerves battling city blues. 

Fact File

Project Name : The Green Gable House

Project Location : Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Architecture : Atelier Architects

Built Area : 700 m²

Year : 2022

Building Function : House

Project Architect : Pranav Kumar, Saumil Mevada

Design And Project  Management : Saumil Nagar, Prakhar Patle 

Photographer : Yadneysh Joshi