Design Team
Architecture by Rooshad Shroff, Interiors by Sussanne Roshan, Gauri Khan and Martin Waller
Photo Credit
Luxegon - Renders
Naira is a 6,000-square-metre heavily contoured plot in close proximity to the waterfront, one of the last sea-facing properties available in Bambolim, Goa. As Design Architect, our role was to launch the master plan, one which would allow for the equal division of plots and ensure each would benefit from the ocean frontage, as well as peripheral road access to their site. Toward that end, we were able to develop 12 individual plots of approximately 500 square metres each, all boasting spectacular sea views.
We then shifted focus to the construct and design of each villa. Given their close proximity to each other, the project seeks to readapt the vernacular inner courtyard synonymous with Goan architecture. Built for multi-generational families who seek a communal way of living, the properties also allow for an intimate space screened off from the surroundings, thus striking a perfect balance.
From street level, each house is approached via a flight of stairs that leads up to the courtyard, the new heart of a home. The public and private realms are layered in a spatial procession from the street; blurring the boundaries between the indoors and the outdoors, each floor of the villa circumambulates this inner core and each room opens up to it, thereby making the landscape an integral part of the architecture. The rooms on the first floor are screened off by wooden louvres for added privacy.
A large double-heighted staircase leads one from the villa's main foyer to the upper level, doubling as an extension of the living room, with large platforms that provide seating and an area to display art. Mid-landing, the staircase opens onto a garden terrace before moving higher, where the common areas open onto a deck with a lap pool boasting an infinity view of the sea. Water from the pool spills over into a jacuzzi on the lower floor, attached to the master bedroom.
