Excerpt: Advait House by Bhoomiti Alternatives is a deeply personal residence that embodies the practice’s design ethos—rooted in tradition, ecology, and simplicity. Built around an existing tree and shaped by the site’s natural slope, it merges vernacular materials with passive design strategies. The house reflects a deliberate duality: traditional from the front, contemporary at the back—blending past and present in harmony.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] Advait House is the inaugural project of Bhoomiti Alternatives—a deeply personal home designed and built by the founder for his parents in his native village, Devda, located along the west coast of Gujarat in the Porbandar district. More than just a house, Advait represents Bhoomiti’s foundational values: rootedness in tradition, reverence for the Earth, and a thoughtful integration of natural materials and geometry into everyday living.
The site is compact—measuring 65′ x 30’—facing the village road to the west and opening toward farmland on the east. It also came with a natural 6-foot slope and a single existing tree near the road, which became central to the design approach. Instead of removing the tree, it was celebrated. The entrance verandah was designed around it, with inward-facing steps that move gently alongside its trunk. Today, this tree not only welcomes visitors but also offers shade and has become home to many birds, especially during the region’s intense summer heat—adding life and character to the threshold of the home.
Built on a 1200 sq. ft. ground floor and a 500 sq. ft. first floor, the house embraces the traditional while exploring the contemporary. The region’s abundant lime and limestone became primary building materials. A traditional load-bearing system forms the core structural strategy, enriched by a composite design that includes modern RCC filler slabs and a timber–terracotta tiled roof. This combination offers strength, cost-efficiency, thermal performance, and aesthetic continuity with local building language.
One of the significant passive design elements used in Advait House is the rat-trap stone wall on the southern facade. Unlike standard stone walls, this cavity construction offers better thermal insulation while reducing material consumption—a thoughtful nod to both sustainability and local craft.
The site’s slope was seen as an opportunity rather than a challenge. Instead of flattening the land completely, the lower rear side was used to create an integrated rainwater harvesting tank, fed by runoff from the sloping tiled roof. This not only manages water sustainably but anchors the house further into its ecological setting.
Visually, the house reflects a deliberate duality. From the village road, it appears as a familiar, traditional home—with lime-plastered walls, modest forms, and a shaded verandah. However, when viewed from the back—facing the farmland—it subtly transforms into a more modern, layered form. This intentional blend makes Advait House a quiet statement: not of contrast, but of continuity between past and present.
Advait House is more than a residence—it is Bhoomiti’s first step in demonstrating how architecture can be both a personal offering and a broader reflection of philosophy, culture, and care.
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