The Iridescent Bāgh | Aurangabad, India

In traditional Indian crafts, the iconography of the peacock was (and still is) used in the art of weaving exquisite Paithani sarees in a place called Paithan in Maharashtra, India. The iridescence of the peacock’s beautiful plumage is mirrored in the iridescence of these sarees, with the peacock graphics dominating its yard length. As a young Landscape design practice, we recently had the opportunity to design a landscape for clients who had their roots in this illustrious city of Paithan, and we automatically gravitated towards these two beautiful elements.

The Ghotankar Residence is located at the center of an urban neighborhood of Aurangabad city, built for a family of five. The site, being deeper than wide, allowed for a building orientation which sought to minimize frontage and maximize open space along the deeper side of the site. An open space 11 feet wide and 45 feet long centres the house. It is a garden room intended to accommodate frequent outdoor dinners, quiet reflections and the act of refuge.

The house is entered through a slight slope, up into a semi-shaded entrance portico, which directs the visitor towards a doorway. This doorway opens to a view of a terrazzo finished entry court and two other landscaped courts beyond. The rooms of the house look towards this garden room, and a great North wall forms the anchoring point for the garden. The house is a walled house, without a gate or even a door, and the garden too is bounded on all sides by walls. The design of the walls, floors, and vegetation makes for a garden room that is vibrant and sensitive to spatial and temporal dimensions. This small residential landscape space has now become the heart of the household, delighting the residents with its beauty. The colours of the landscape come alive at sunrise and sunset, making the garden a truly enjoyable space.