Awas, Alibaug · 2024
Alibaug Farmhouse
Built for 40 days of occupancy a year, and for the 325 days it stands empty.
Specification
- Area
- 4,200 sq ft
- Typology
- Weekend house
- Duration
- 14 months
- Year
- 2024
- Location
- Awas, Alibaug
01 The brief
A weekend house on a coconut plot 400m from the water, used roughly 40 days a year by an extended family of up to fourteen.
02 The constraint
Salt air, monsoon humidity above 90%, and long unoccupied periods. Anything mechanical or sealed would fail unattended.
03 The decision
No air conditioning in the main volume. Deep verandahs on three sides, a 1.8m roof overhang, cross-ventilation on every axis, and only materials that improve when neglected — Athangudi tile, unsealed teak, unlacquered brass.
04 The result
Interior temperatures run 6–8°C below ambient through May without mechanical cooling. Two monsoons in, there has been no maintenance call.