Subterranean Ruins

Text description provided by architect.

Kaggalipura is a small town situated 40km south of Bengaluru city. The 3-acre farmland is a fruit orchard where trees such as mango, sapota, banana, coconut, butter fruit, and jackfruit are grown.

A steep four-meter drop preceded by flat land allowed the building to be tucked into the landscape with minimal cutting.

The rooftops are filled, lending a sense of continuity to the landscape, increasing thermal mass, keeping the spaces underneath cool, and offering opportunities for small-scale farming above.

The materials used are all locally sourced, with a minimal footprint. The larger boulders excavated from the site were used for the retaining wall, while the smaller rocks and pebbles were used as flooring material in the courtyards.

Local kiln brick was sourced from a nearby village in its unfinished form; the mortar joints were filled with a mixture of lime, site soil, and minimum use of concrete; intentions were made to keep the brick walls as a main load-bearing wall in its raw, robust and exposed form without any plaster over it, the entire structure is a load bearing form of structure.

The client’s initial requirements for a farmhouse, which would be used occasionally, did not warrant building such a scale, so suggestions were made to amend the brief.

The alternate built and unbuilt configuration allows functions to occur within the caves and spill out onto the open courts.

In addition, the open court can transition between the classroom and the open ground to the north, with the stairs becoming seating spaces to watch.

With its niches, the sunken passageway to the north could become displays of the artisans’ work, while the caves and open courts could become workshops for artisans to practice, teach, and sell their work.