A Place to Pause

Located in Noghanvadar, in the Palitana region of Gujarat, this house was conceived as a simple retreat for a family based in Mumbai, while also allowing the home to serve a larger purpose. Its proximity to Palitana, one of Jainism’s important pilgrimage centres, informed an essential part of the brief: the house could, when required, offer a place of rest and stay to Jain monks travelling through the region.

This duality shaped the architecture. Rather than designing the house as a conventional weekend home, the proposal sought to create a quiet, adaptable and uncomplicated environment that could accommodate both the family and visiting monks. The architecture therefore remains deliberately restrained, with an emphasis on openness, shade, natural materials and spaces that can be used flexibly.

The hot, semi arid climate of the region became another important consideration. A central courtyard forms the heart of the house, bringing daylight and ventilation into the plan while creating a shaded pause within the built mass. A tree at its centre introduces a layer of landscape and shade, helping create a more temperate microclimate around the courtyard.

The material palette follows the same logic of simplicity. Kota stone flooring was proposed throughout the house, offering a durable, low maintenance surface that remains relatively cool underfoot, particularly suited to a house where resting and sleeping directly on the floor may be required. The choice also connects the project to the familiar material language of Indian homes and courtyards.

Jali screens are introduced selectively to filter sunlight while allowing air to move through the house. The open kitchen further contributes to visual and physical continuity, allowing the spaces around it to remain connected rather than enclosed. Together, these elements create a house that relies less on visual excess and more on passive responses to climate, including shade, ventilation, thermal mass and landscape.

At its core, the project is an exploration of hospitality. It is a private family home designed with the capacity to temporarily become a place of refuge for others. The architecture does not announce this second function; instead, it is embedded quietly within the planning, materiality and simplicity of the house.

A modest intervention in a rural setting, the proposal sought to make the everyday comfortable while leaving room for a deeper sense of community, movement and welcome.