Wellness Haven
Nestled within a dense neighbourhood, just off Carter road in Mumbai, an old house has been converted into a wellness space through adaptive reuse, as it stands as a testament to the ever-changing urban landscape that surrounds it. Over time, it has had permanent extensions and we have further created extensions by layering it with newer programs and material, almost like a palimpsest.
Completion Date
September 2023
Location
Bandra, Mumbai
Size
6500 sq.ft.
Project Team
Aashna Shah, Ruchir Jain, Raj Kachalia, Siddharth Bapna
Photography
Kuber Shah
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site
We were introduced to this house when it was chosen as the canvas for a wellness space, a sanctuary in the heart of the city’s chaos. We took the opportunity to continue the act of layering by building in and around the house. It was transformed from a paved parking area into a dense green oasis by safeguarding existing trees, planting new ones and replacing the hardscape with soil for groundwater recharge. We first reclaimed most of the paved plot area and converted it back to a soft-scape, as it would have been originally.
design
A stepping stone pathway leads you to the old building (core). On either side of the path is a dense plantation, layered in height to attract the fauna around. Anchored within, is a classroom, where we exposed the weathered brick walls of the structure. The classroom is the heart of the space, consisting also of two therapy rooms attached to it. Surrounding the core, we made extensions to this old structure using bamboo.
To the right of the stone path, lies the meeting cabins. One enters the cabins to find a low seating and a table for a brief consultation.
A seamless blend of different programs unfolds around the core – yoga studios, cabins, private yoga classrooms, a store and even a juice bar to nourish both body and spirit. The yoga studio is surrounded by openable doors that look directly into the dense plantation.
Natural stones and textures along with the presence of a water body envelop visitors in a sensory embrace while the translucent roof allows light to flood the space. The summer light is insulated by the use of jute mats that scallop under the roof and become blinds for the openable doors, in case of privacy requirements.
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