1 00:00:02,028 --> 00:00:05,024 I think it's time, Caroline, to go and see how the other half live. 2 00:00:05,024 --> 00:00:07,052 Talk about, "Welcome to my humble abode!" 3 00:00:07,052 --> 00:00:09,028 Cor. That is a whole lot of house! 4 00:00:11,092 --> 00:00:15,048 He's Piers Taylor, an award-winning architect. 5 00:00:15,048 --> 00:00:17,016 I mean, the depth of this wall! 6 00:00:17,016 --> 00:00:20,076 It's...four foot thick! After you, my lord. 7 00:00:20,076 --> 00:00:23,028 And she's Caroline Quentin, 8 00:00:23,028 --> 00:00:26,064 acclaimed actress and passionate property developer. 9 00:00:26,064 --> 00:00:32,040 This house has the perfect ratio of bedrooms to swimming pools. 10 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:36,044 We've been given the keys to some of the most incredible houses in the world. 11 00:00:36,044 --> 00:00:39,052 If we were left alone here for any amount of time, 12 00:00:39,052 --> 00:00:41,040 I have a feeling... We would ruin this house! 13 00:00:42,084 --> 00:00:45,056 To discover the design innovation, passion, 14 00:00:45,056 --> 00:00:51,048 and endurance needed to transform architectural vision into an extraordinary home. 15 00:00:51,048 --> 00:00:54,044 Look! I'm dumbstruck! 16 00:00:54,044 --> 00:00:56,044 We're travelling the globe! 17 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:01,076 Meeting architects and owners to explore how their daring homes respond 18 00:01:01,076 --> 00:01:05,068 uniquely to local landscape, climate and culture. 19 00:01:05,068 --> 00:01:09,000 I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in. 20 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:13,028 Whether it's battling the elements to construct a dream home on dramatic 21 00:01:13,028 --> 00:01:15,064 Scandinavian terrain... 22 00:01:15,064 --> 00:01:18,060 The architect was nervous that things would go wrong. 23 00:01:18,060 --> 00:01:20,040 He couldn't bear to look at it. 24 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:24,020 ..pushing the boundaries of European experimentation... 25 00:01:24,020 --> 00:01:26,032 I think that's it!I think it is. 26 00:01:26,032 --> 00:01:30,068 When I looked at the proposal in the beginning, I was almost shocked. 27 00:01:30,068 --> 00:01:34,076 ..celebrating craftsmanship and beauty in Asia... 28 00:01:34,076 --> 00:01:38,088 We've likened this house to dripping chocolate sauce over vanilla ice cream. 29 00:01:38,088 --> 00:01:42,056 ..or going all-out for glamour in America. 30 00:01:42,056 --> 00:01:46,088 You just do what you do best, is to create a masterpiece. 31 00:01:46,088 --> 00:01:50,016 Piers! AMERICAN ACCENT: Is this too Miami? 32 00:01:58,036 --> 00:02:01,088 We've arrived in Mumbai, India's most populous city. 33 00:02:01,088 --> 00:02:03,056 Crazy!Yeah! 34 00:02:04,072 --> 00:02:08,000 There are more billionaires here than there are in Los Angeles. 35 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,056 And a booming economy is driving a passion for modern architecture. 36 00:02:15,056 --> 00:02:17,004 Hello? 37 00:02:17,004 --> 00:02:21,020 Hi, ma'am!Hi, hi! I'm Caroline. This is Piers. 38 00:02:21,020 --> 00:02:23,004 What's your name?Salman. 39 00:02:23,004 --> 00:02:24,088 Salman, nice to meet you.Thank you. 40 00:02:24,088 --> 00:02:27,008 But we're leaving the city... 41 00:02:27,008 --> 00:02:29,072 HORNS BEEP 42 00:02:29,072 --> 00:02:33,044 Because were following the smart money out of Mumbai to the peaceful 43 00:02:33,044 --> 00:02:35,072 and dramatic landscapes beyond. 44 00:02:35,072 --> 00:02:39,092 Where a new generation of architects are running wild. 45 00:02:39,092 --> 00:02:43,004 I think this is thrilling! And I didn't expect it. 46 00:02:43,004 --> 00:02:47,016 From a concrete fortress that blends ancient form with modern design... 47 00:02:48,044 --> 00:02:53,080 ..to a feat of architectural daring, with a visionary approach to landscape. 48 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,032 Experience here is identical in many ways 49 00:02:56,032 --> 00:02:59,052 just to being under the trees outside. 50 00:02:59,052 --> 00:03:03,040 And an idyllic riverside hideaway that makes you feel, well... 51 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:04,060 majestic! 52 00:03:04,060 --> 00:03:08,004 I know this is really bad. But I've got to do it. 53 00:03:09,052 --> 00:03:11,088 Maharani Quentin. 54 00:03:11,088 --> 00:03:13,088 That's me. 55 00:03:13,088 --> 00:03:17,012 We'll also be finding out how Indian architects have drawn on their 56 00:03:17,012 --> 00:03:22,064 nation's history and craftsmanship to blaze a trail into the future. 57 00:03:27,044 --> 00:03:29,024 HORNS BEEP 58 00:03:29,024 --> 00:03:32,036 Gosh, I can see why people need to get out of Mumbai. 59 00:03:32,036 --> 00:03:35,016 Well, hopefully we are heading away from this chaos and into the 60 00:03:35,016 --> 00:03:37,084 countryside.I think we're heading into the countryside. 61 00:03:37,084 --> 00:03:40,056 I'm not convinced we're heading away from the chaos. 62 00:03:40,056 --> 00:03:43,000 HORNS BEEP 63 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:47,036 One thing we ARE escaping is the weather. 64 00:03:47,036 --> 00:03:51,012 We've chosen to come in the dry season, because from June to September, 65 00:03:51,012 --> 00:03:54,016 it's monsoon time. 66 00:03:54,016 --> 00:03:58,076 When the heavens open, up to a metre of rain can fall in a single day, 67 00:03:58,076 --> 00:04:01,036 bringing cities to a halt and flooding the land. 68 00:04:02,032 --> 00:04:05,036 And if that's not intense enough, in the summer, 69 00:04:05,036 --> 00:04:08,088 temperatures can soar to a scorching 40 degrees or higher. 70 00:04:09,092 --> 00:04:13,088 I'm intrigued to find out how architects here respond passively to 71 00:04:13,088 --> 00:04:16,028 such extremes of climate. 72 00:04:16,028 --> 00:04:19,052 We are travelling to see a home that has to deal with some of the worst 73 00:04:19,052 --> 00:04:21,056 weather in India. 74 00:04:21,056 --> 00:04:26,048 It's in a mountainous region 70 km southeast of Mumbai. 75 00:04:26,048 --> 00:04:30,048 We're arriving by the scenic route, and I'm not taking any chances. 76 00:04:30,048 --> 00:04:33,092 HACKING I'm doing this, Piers, 77 00:04:33,092 --> 00:04:37,068 because there is a danger of sleeping snakes under here and I 78 00:04:37,068 --> 00:04:38,096 want to wake any snakes up. 79 00:04:38,096 --> 00:04:42,080 I wondered why you brought that stick. You got your anti-venom in your backpack? 80 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,084 No, I wish I had, actually! 81 00:04:46,056 --> 00:04:48,076 Ooh! It's quite a climb. 82 00:04:48,076 --> 00:04:51,044 BIRDS CHIRP 83 00:04:51,044 --> 00:04:54,032 Gosh. 84 00:04:54,032 --> 00:04:56,056 I wasn't expecting that. 85 00:05:02,056 --> 00:05:05,052 This imposing house is built like a fortress, 86 00:05:05,052 --> 00:05:08,060 partly because the monsoon breaks right overhead. 87 00:05:10,072 --> 00:05:14,044 And that tough outer shell doubles as a way to protect light and airy 88 00:05:14,044 --> 00:05:16,056 interiors from the baking heat. 89 00:05:18,072 --> 00:05:20,072 Perched on the edge of a rocky outcrop, 90 00:05:20,072 --> 00:05:23,096 it commands views across the flatlands to the mountains beyond. 91 00:05:25,096 --> 00:05:28,056 But this is no military bunker. 92 00:05:28,056 --> 00:05:31,044 It's been created as a relaxing weekend home, 93 00:05:31,044 --> 00:05:33,084 for a Mumbai businessman and his family. 94 00:05:36,032 --> 00:05:38,052 That's pretty. 95 00:05:38,052 --> 00:05:40,060 It's beautiful.Marigolds! 96 00:05:40,060 --> 00:05:43,040 Wow, you could almost lie on top of that surface, couldn't you? 97 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,032 Aren't they lovely?Aren't they beautiful? 98 00:05:45,032 --> 00:05:49,072 What a colour! Gosh, that against that blue is phenomenal! 99 00:05:49,072 --> 00:05:54,004 I think this splash of floral colour is a clue that behind this tough 100 00:05:54,004 --> 00:05:57,044 exterior, lies a house with real warmth. 101 00:05:57,044 --> 00:06:00,040 I'm just going to get a sense of where we are, what the context is. 102 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,076 OK. I'm going to put the kettle on and make a cup of tea. 103 00:06:02,076 --> 00:06:06,000 Oh, please. I'll call you when I'm ready.Oh, do, yeah. 104 00:06:07,008 --> 00:06:10,072 I'm just curious to see how the house sits. 105 00:06:10,072 --> 00:06:14,028 I think it sits right on the edge of this escarpment and somewhere out 106 00:06:14,028 --> 00:06:17,016 there is a fantastic view. 107 00:06:17,016 --> 00:06:20,028 But I have to say, I'm really excited about this house because, 108 00:06:20,028 --> 00:06:26,016 this house might marry a real sense of the ancient with modernity. 109 00:06:28,044 --> 00:06:30,044 I already like the way this courtyard 110 00:06:30,044 --> 00:06:32,004 welcomes you into the house. 111 00:06:34,028 --> 00:06:36,056 Now, where's that tea? 112 00:06:40,056 --> 00:06:44,080 One of the great things about being allowed in other people's houses, 113 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:49,004 is if you arrive somewhere, and he can make yourself a quick cup of 114 00:06:49,004 --> 00:06:51,076 tea, you immediately feel at home. 115 00:06:51,076 --> 00:06:57,068 So, I'm officially now at home. 116 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,092 And what a home it is. 117 00:07:01,092 --> 00:07:05,072 The challenge here was to build The House Of Liquid Stone on the edge of 118 00:07:05,072 --> 00:07:09,024 a steep cliff. Exposed to the elements. 119 00:07:09,024 --> 00:07:12,092 The entrance is formed by a huge cantilevered canopy, 120 00:07:12,092 --> 00:07:16,064 to protect cars and visitors from the monsoon deluge. 121 00:07:17,064 --> 00:07:21,048 The architects built the house around two existing mango trees. 122 00:07:23,028 --> 00:07:27,084 Three open courtyards bring air and light into a large sitting/dining 123 00:07:27,084 --> 00:07:31,072 area, three en-suite bedrooms and a kitchen. 124 00:07:33,044 --> 00:07:36,076 A second floor with bedroom and bathroom burrows down 125 00:07:36,076 --> 00:07:38,076 into the cliff face. 126 00:07:42,028 --> 00:07:46,012 This house looks quite monolithic and singular on the outside. 127 00:07:48,068 --> 00:07:50,076 But on the inside, it's not like that at all. 128 00:07:50,076 --> 00:07:55,068 It's an almost labyrinth-like set of spaces where there's this ambiguity 129 00:07:55,068 --> 00:07:58,088 around what's actually inside and what's outside. 130 00:08:01,036 --> 00:08:04,008 The forest has been allowed to creep indoors. 131 00:08:05,020 --> 00:08:10,096 Grasses were woven into living areas and trees grow freely in the courtyards. 132 00:08:10,096 --> 00:08:14,032 In some parts, nature's even taking over the concrete. 133 00:08:16,012 --> 00:08:19,084 And those boundaries between inside and outside are blurred in the most 134 00:08:19,084 --> 00:08:22,028 everyday spaces. 135 00:08:22,028 --> 00:08:25,088 Bathrooms are often talked about in terms of a fittings they have. 136 00:08:25,088 --> 00:08:27,088 The taps and so on. 137 00:08:27,088 --> 00:08:29,080 I'm not really interested in all of that. 138 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:34,028 What I'm interested in is, atmosphere, the experience of bathing. 139 00:08:34,028 --> 00:08:35,096 But because I'm busy, I usually shower. 140 00:08:35,096 --> 00:08:38,012 You know, I don't have time to bathe. 141 00:08:38,012 --> 00:08:41,092 But I think if I did, it would have to be under a mango tree, 142 00:08:41,092 --> 00:08:44,004 surrounded by marigolds. 143 00:08:45,028 --> 00:08:49,012 It makes the interior atmosphere visceral and sensual. 144 00:08:49,012 --> 00:08:53,056 But these open spaces and trees aren't the only connection to that outside environment. 145 00:08:57,072 --> 00:09:01,004 This house is called The House Of Liquid Stone for a couple of reasons. 146 00:09:01,004 --> 00:09:05,036 Mainly because it sits on basalt, a rock that is this escarpment. 147 00:09:05,036 --> 00:09:09,028 And that same rock is ground-up and put into the concrete as aggregate, 148 00:09:09,028 --> 00:09:12,028 and it gives of this fantastic patina. 149 00:09:12,028 --> 00:09:16,072 But it's also because the accommodation of this house literally steps down 150 00:09:16,072 --> 00:09:19,076 the hill. The rooms flow down the hill. 151 00:09:21,032 --> 00:09:25,096 This local rock has been used alongside stone from across India to create 152 00:09:25,096 --> 00:09:29,072 striking contrasts of texture that take you on a journey through the 153 00:09:29,072 --> 00:09:33,024 house. From the rough gravel entrances... 154 00:09:34,032 --> 00:09:36,068 ..through hallways of matt flagstones... 155 00:09:37,088 --> 00:09:40,064 ..to the polished stone floors of the living rooms. 156 00:09:42,024 --> 00:09:43,064 And here to the courtyard, 157 00:09:43,064 --> 00:09:48,036 where the high basalt concrete walls frame the view out towards the mountain. 158 00:09:55,032 --> 00:09:58,076 P! Yeah?Teas up. 159 00:09:58,076 --> 00:10:01,036 Oh, great. 160 00:10:01,036 --> 00:10:04,004 Builder's?No, it's Assam. 161 00:10:04,004 --> 00:10:06,060 Thank you.You're welcome. 162 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:14,072 It's quite a view, isn't it? Oh, Piers, it's lovely isn't it? 163 00:10:14,072 --> 00:10:17,092 I love a rural view, but this is kind of endlessly fascinating, 164 00:10:17,092 --> 00:10:19,096 isn't it? The factory and then the cars, 165 00:10:19,096 --> 00:10:22,064 like a little silver thread going across the hill. 166 00:10:22,064 --> 00:10:25,000 It has everything in it, though, doesn't it? 167 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:29,076 I mean, there's mountains, temples, industrial plants, and villages 168 00:10:29,076 --> 00:10:32,068 and fields that are being tended and worked. 169 00:10:32,068 --> 00:10:34,060 It's quite a tapestry. 170 00:10:37,028 --> 00:10:40,032 It's a nice pool. And I know you've heard this before, 171 00:10:40,032 --> 00:10:42,084 but I will be swimming in that later. 172 00:10:42,084 --> 00:10:45,084 I haven't brought my swimmers. I'm not planning on getting wet today. 173 00:10:45,084 --> 00:10:47,072 Go skinny-dipping. 174 00:10:47,072 --> 00:10:51,016 Like that enticing pool, the rooms on this side of the house, 175 00:10:51,016 --> 00:10:53,084 feel like they're hanging onto the edge of the cliff side, 176 00:10:53,084 --> 00:10:55,076 with nothing but fresh air below. 177 00:11:00,004 --> 00:11:03,012 Just having a little snoop around the bedrooms. 178 00:11:04,088 --> 00:11:09,036 And this is a very simple, quite large bedroom. 179 00:11:09,036 --> 00:11:12,036 Just want to have a quick look out of the window. 180 00:11:13,060 --> 00:11:16,052 Oh, hang on. How does this work? 181 00:11:20,044 --> 00:11:22,048 That's very pleasing. 182 00:11:23,064 --> 00:11:27,060 It's a sash mechanism, but it's, yeah, 183 00:11:27,060 --> 00:11:32,072 using a counterweight and the weight is visible. 184 00:11:34,044 --> 00:11:37,084 I think that's really beautiful. 185 00:11:37,084 --> 00:11:39,040 It's a shame about the view. 186 00:11:42,072 --> 00:11:45,024 I've just seen a butterfly. 187 00:11:45,024 --> 00:11:48,024 Hello! I might try and put this out. 188 00:11:48,024 --> 00:11:50,096 Come on, sweetie, come on sweetie, come on sweetie. 189 00:11:58,004 --> 00:12:00,048 That's my good deed for the day. 190 00:12:04,084 --> 00:12:10,040 The surprise of this house is how much lies behind this very blank 191 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:13,040 elevation. It gives nothing away. 192 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:16,084 And all you see is, 193 00:12:16,084 --> 00:12:21,076 a four metre high band of concrete that's about 30 metres long. 194 00:12:21,076 --> 00:12:27,024 And nothing else. But behind that blank concrete wall is a rich and 195 00:12:27,024 --> 00:12:31,012 complex house that is as deep as it is wide. 196 00:12:32,008 --> 00:12:34,048 But curiously, that presents a problem 197 00:12:34,048 --> 00:12:36,048 because in deep plan buildings, 198 00:12:36,048 --> 00:12:39,044 you have no light or ventilation in the middle. 199 00:12:39,044 --> 00:12:43,036 But the architect has solved that only ever making the accommodation 200 00:12:43,036 --> 00:12:45,084 in this house one room deep. 201 00:12:45,084 --> 00:12:49,044 So, what he's done is introduce a series of courtyards that run right 202 00:12:49,044 --> 00:12:52,076 the way through the house. They snaked through the house, 203 00:12:52,076 --> 00:12:58,052 so the middle is one big courtyard that goes from front to back. 204 00:12:58,052 --> 00:13:02,084 But then, these courtyards vent and light everything else, 205 00:13:02,084 --> 00:13:05,096 so there's another courtyard at the entrance. 206 00:13:05,096 --> 00:13:08,096 So there's another tree at the entrance that grows up through it. 207 00:13:08,096 --> 00:13:12,000 And then around that are the bedrooms. 208 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:15,032 So there's one bedroom here which has windows on two sides, 209 00:13:15,032 --> 00:13:19,088 another bedroom over here, which has windows on two sides, and then 210 00:13:19,088 --> 00:13:23,008 another bedroom here with a bathroom courtyard. 211 00:13:23,008 --> 00:13:26,092 So within this deep plan building, which is incredibly contemporary, 212 00:13:26,092 --> 00:13:30,044 there is an ancient way of making space. 213 00:13:30,044 --> 00:13:31,088 This is, in some ways, 214 00:13:31,088 --> 00:13:37,028 a traditional Indian courtyard house hiding behind this 30 metre long 215 00:13:37,028 --> 00:13:39,016 concrete elevation. 216 00:13:41,024 --> 00:13:45,040 And it's in those quiet courtyard spaces that the cares of the world 217 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:48,028 just drift away. 218 00:13:48,028 --> 00:13:50,072 Gosh, you're making yourself at home. 219 00:13:50,072 --> 00:13:54,096 It's funny you should say that, I feel so at home here. 220 00:13:54,096 --> 00:13:57,024 You know sometimes, and we're very privileged, 221 00:13:57,024 --> 00:14:00,040 but you go into a house and you're almost nervous to sit down or to use 222 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:04,032 anything. I feel here that this is a place where kids are welcome, 223 00:14:04,032 --> 00:14:06,060 where you can make as much mess as you like. 224 00:14:06,060 --> 00:14:09,012 You can really enjoy yourselves and relax. 225 00:14:09,012 --> 00:14:13,016 You planning on making a big mess? LAUGHING: Yeah! 226 00:14:13,016 --> 00:14:16,044 It's a very informal house and I think that contemporary architecture 227 00:14:16,044 --> 00:14:19,012 doesn't sit happily with informality, 228 00:14:19,012 --> 00:14:23,056 because most contemporary houses are very neat, very ordered. 229 00:14:23,056 --> 00:14:28,016 There's almost a desire by the architects to fix a house as it was 230 00:14:28,016 --> 00:14:30,076 in the photograph. This is the opposite. 231 00:14:32,016 --> 00:14:34,084 Relaxation is at the heart of this house. 232 00:14:36,012 --> 00:14:39,028 From the swing benches to the spa-like bathrooms 233 00:14:39,028 --> 00:14:41,072 and nature quietly growing around you. 234 00:14:43,084 --> 00:14:46,068 It's there, too, in the contrast of materials. 235 00:14:46,068 --> 00:14:50,052 Hard stone and concrete are softened by wooden furniture and brightly 236 00:14:50,052 --> 00:14:53,024 coloured fabrics. 237 00:14:53,024 --> 00:14:55,096 Concrete has a reputation for austerity, 238 00:14:55,096 --> 00:14:58,040 but this house is so warm and tactile. 239 00:14:59,076 --> 00:15:03,000 Architects Sangeeta Merchant and Sanjeev Panjabi 240 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,092 have agreed to talk me through their approach. 241 00:15:05,092 --> 00:15:08,072 Is this house particularly Indian, do you feel? 242 00:15:08,072 --> 00:15:12,040 We've tried to sort of bring in a sort of Indianness through spaces, 243 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,020 not through the form. 244 00:15:14,020 --> 00:15:17,008 Indian families generally come together in the courtyard. 245 00:15:17,008 --> 00:15:21,040 Courtyard homes have always been the kind of homes we've lived in. 246 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:23,044 Indian families are generally big. 247 00:15:23,044 --> 00:15:25,044 And they would bring ten more people, you know, 248 00:15:25,044 --> 00:15:28,060 it's always friends and cousins and extended family. 249 00:15:28,060 --> 00:15:32,076 So the courtyard just becomes that room for expansion. 250 00:15:32,076 --> 00:15:36,088 We've likened this house to dripping chocolate sauce all over vanilla ice 251 00:15:36,088 --> 00:15:40,076 cream. The idea was to have a flat top and just drip it like the river 252 00:15:40,076 --> 00:15:43,080 building. That's why it's called liquid stone. 253 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,092 And when you first showed your client's the model or the scheme for 254 00:15:46,092 --> 00:15:49,080 this, what did they say? Shock. Shock? 255 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,080 Yeah. It felt like living under a bridge. 256 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,096 That was the first comment that came to us. 257 00:15:54,096 --> 00:15:58,008 So they said that to you? Really? They said it's like living under a bridge? 258 00:15:58,008 --> 00:16:01,052 Yes. The second was that, suppose the quality of the concrete is not good, 259 00:16:01,052 --> 00:16:04,000 can we paint over it? 260 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,016 Third, the pool, the way it is, is too precarious, somebody could fall out. 261 00:16:08,016 --> 00:16:12,048 It was a facade which has nothing, like it doesn't even look like a house. 262 00:16:12,048 --> 00:16:15,096 We like that. We like that shock value. 263 00:16:15,096 --> 00:16:19,032 Unless it's something new and bang, smack in the face, 264 00:16:19,032 --> 00:16:21,072 you've not done anything, you've not broken new ground. 265 00:16:24,004 --> 00:16:28,044 I want to ask owner, Gurav, if he also likes the shock value. 266 00:16:28,044 --> 00:16:33,076 Presumably the choice of concrete was, you were pleased with that, were you? 267 00:16:33,076 --> 00:16:35,036 I was pleased initially. 268 00:16:35,036 --> 00:16:38,060 And once the house was being built, and we saw the concrete, 269 00:16:38,060 --> 00:16:40,096 and we had second thoughts and doubts... 270 00:16:40,096 --> 00:16:42,064 Did you panic when you saw the concrete? 271 00:16:42,064 --> 00:16:45,072 Oh, yes, the first time we did. Because there wasn't all the colour of the 272 00:16:45,072 --> 00:16:48,004 furniture. It was just black stone and concrete, 273 00:16:48,004 --> 00:16:51,052 and we were always concerned that my grandparents, when they came in, 274 00:16:51,052 --> 00:16:55,084 they would love the place and say, "Well, it's lovely until you paint it." 275 00:16:55,084 --> 00:17:00,072 Yeah, that concrete will be gorgeous once it's a different colour! 276 00:17:00,072 --> 00:17:03,004 So, it was a leap of faith and I'm glad we took it. 277 00:17:04,036 --> 00:17:06,060 And the location of the site didn't help. 278 00:17:07,064 --> 00:17:11,004 And how was this building, this house here, in this very rural...? 279 00:17:12,004 --> 00:17:15,084 Not easy, not easy. So this is a crazy slope and... 280 00:17:15,084 --> 00:17:18,052 The rain is like four or five months. 281 00:17:18,052 --> 00:17:22,000 So during that time, you can't even stand here. 282 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:23,092 The first time we came, we had an umbrella, 283 00:17:23,092 --> 00:17:25,092 the umbrella flew away and we were like... 284 00:17:25,092 --> 00:17:27,068 We better build something solid here! 285 00:17:27,068 --> 00:17:29,048 As long as it lasts! 286 00:17:30,060 --> 00:17:32,080 Because they were using local basalt, 287 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:35,052 all of the concrete was prepared on site. 288 00:17:35,052 --> 00:17:39,052 So when the monsoon rains hit, construction work ground to a halt. 289 00:17:41,012 --> 00:17:46,008 Progress was slow, and it took two and a half years to build the house. 290 00:17:47,056 --> 00:17:51,044 It's very, very easy to be in, isn't it? 291 00:17:51,044 --> 00:17:52,096 Was that part of the joy for you? 292 00:17:52,096 --> 00:17:57,044 That's actually, I think, unanimously, what all my guests say. 293 00:17:57,044 --> 00:18:00,044 When they come here, they feel at home instantly and... 294 00:18:00,044 --> 00:18:03,000 Because the impact it has is immediate, isn't it? 295 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:06,064 Absolutely. The way it is now, I couldn't imagine it being any other way. 296 00:18:07,064 --> 00:18:09,024 And nor can we. 297 00:18:10,092 --> 00:18:12,060 This house is a great example of 298 00:18:12,060 --> 00:18:14,096 clients and architects coming together to 299 00:18:14,096 --> 00:18:16,080 create something really unusual. 300 00:18:18,036 --> 00:18:22,008 By interweaving traditional spaces and the natural world into a modern 301 00:18:22,008 --> 00:18:25,032 building, they've created a warm, 302 00:18:25,032 --> 00:18:27,084 relaxed and intimate piece of architecture. 303 00:18:33,044 --> 00:18:37,056 Ah, finally the moment I've been waiting for. 304 00:18:41,048 --> 00:18:46,012 # I can see clearly now the rain has gone 305 00:18:49,020 --> 00:18:53,068 # I can see all obstacles in my way... # 306 00:18:59,084 --> 00:19:02,064 Our next stop is a few miles southwest, 307 00:19:02,064 --> 00:19:06,032 at a home where the architects have decided to work with the landscape, 308 00:19:06,032 --> 00:19:08,084 in a completely different way. 309 00:19:08,084 --> 00:19:13,004 This must be the clay region, because pots everywhere. 310 00:19:13,004 --> 00:19:15,044 People selling pots.Yeah, yeah. 311 00:19:15,044 --> 00:19:18,004 The earth is clearly brilliant for making things, isn't it? 312 00:19:18,004 --> 00:19:20,016 Yeah.They're hand-making bricks. 313 00:19:20,016 --> 00:19:23,056 They're just cutting the earth, aren't they? And moulding it. 314 00:19:23,056 --> 00:19:26,076 For centuries, bricks like this have been used to make buildings that are 315 00:19:26,076 --> 00:19:30,032 solid and robust, as a defence against the unforgiving weather. 316 00:19:31,088 --> 00:19:36,000 But the house we're heading to see takes a far more delicate approach. 317 00:19:38,036 --> 00:19:41,080 To get there, we're travelling deep into the Western Ghats, 318 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:47,036 a beautiful mountainous region that straddles the west of India. 319 00:19:47,036 --> 00:19:51,016 There are 160,000 square kilometres of rugged wilderness, 320 00:19:51,016 --> 00:19:54,072 packed with dense rain forests, lakes and rivers, 321 00:19:54,072 --> 00:19:57,032 with ancient forts clinging to the peaks 322 00:19:57,032 --> 00:20:00,044 and wild panthers still roaming the hills. 323 00:20:02,092 --> 00:20:06,088 And we're curious to know how you make architecture that deals with 324 00:20:06,088 --> 00:20:09,004 surroundings as epic as this. 325 00:20:09,004 --> 00:20:11,020 BIRDS WARBLE 326 00:20:11,020 --> 00:20:13,056 It's famous for its biodiversity. 327 00:20:13,056 --> 00:20:16,020 Here, the Western Ghats. That's right, yeah. 328 00:20:16,020 --> 00:20:18,068 I think we're hearing quite a lot of it now. 329 00:20:18,068 --> 00:20:20,084 We are.Piers. 330 00:20:22,064 --> 00:20:24,032 I think this is us. 331 00:20:33,044 --> 00:20:37,044 The House Of Three Streams has been very much shaped by the landscape. 332 00:20:40,072 --> 00:20:45,020 The result is a fluid, enigmatic house that almost tiptoes down the 333 00:20:45,020 --> 00:20:49,032 hillside, through series of origami-like roof verandas 334 00:20:49,032 --> 00:20:50,060 and open spaces. 335 00:20:55,048 --> 00:20:59,032 It takes its name from the waterways that flow around and even through 336 00:20:59,032 --> 00:21:01,052 the house during the heavy monsoon rains. 337 00:21:02,072 --> 00:21:07,072 Because this is architecture that's all about letting nature do the talking. 338 00:21:11,064 --> 00:21:16,012 My first impressions of this 339 00:21:16,012 --> 00:21:22,004 home are that, it's incredibly sensitive to its environment. 340 00:21:22,004 --> 00:21:24,008 And I'm actually finding get really moving, 341 00:21:24,008 --> 00:21:28,056 because his countryside here is so ancient and, brilliantly, 342 00:21:28,056 --> 00:21:33,016 the house isn't interfering with the beauty of the landscape. 343 00:21:33,016 --> 00:21:36,064 It's so delicately placed. 344 00:21:36,064 --> 00:21:40,056 I haven't arrived and thought, "Oh, look, there's a great big posh house..." 345 00:21:40,056 --> 00:21:42,096 There's also real ambiguity in terms of how you get in. 346 00:21:42,096 --> 00:21:45,000 I mean, there's no obvious front door, 347 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,044 you can just slide into the building from wherever you want. 348 00:21:48,044 --> 00:21:51,072 There's hardly house here at all, really, Piers. 349 00:21:51,072 --> 00:21:54,036 Is there? Just shade. A roof and floor. 350 00:21:54,036 --> 00:21:58,008 I think houses are ruined by being houselike. 351 00:21:58,008 --> 00:22:00,028 That's a very good thing to say, I like that idea. 352 00:22:00,028 --> 00:22:03,068 If you're going to build a house, don't build it like a house. 353 00:22:03,068 --> 00:22:05,064 I could be an architect. 354 00:22:05,064 --> 00:22:10,052 There are more than 1,000 square metres of house-that's-not-a-house here, 355 00:22:10,052 --> 00:22:13,064 all flowing out from a fort style wall and tower, 356 00:22:13,064 --> 00:22:15,056 Which forms the spine of the building. 357 00:22:16,072 --> 00:22:22,000 It's an incredibly steep site, framed by seasonal waterways. 358 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:25,056 The house is a series of asymmetrical zinc-roofed verandas, 359 00:22:25,056 --> 00:22:27,072 scattered down the hillside, 360 00:22:27,072 --> 00:22:31,008 providing outdoor and indoor dining spaces, 361 00:22:31,008 --> 00:22:35,048 a kitchen, living space and viewing platform. 362 00:22:35,048 --> 00:22:37,080 En-suite bedrooms are tucked out of sight, 363 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:42,016 placed on top of each other to allow uninterrupted views. 364 00:22:42,016 --> 00:22:46,048 At the lowest level, a swimming pool forms the roof of two more bedrooms. 365 00:22:50,004 --> 00:22:54,028 Ooh! Suddenly, we're underneath a really exciting space! 366 00:22:54,028 --> 00:22:57,012 I think this is thrilling and I didn't expect it. 367 00:22:57,012 --> 00:23:03,028 I didn't expect it to have all these wonderful crisscross of beams. 368 00:23:03,028 --> 00:23:05,064 And just that metal on top! 369 00:23:05,064 --> 00:23:08,020 But actually, in this landscape, and in this context, 370 00:23:08,020 --> 00:23:11,084 what you need above all else is shade from the sun, shade from the... 371 00:23:11,084 --> 00:23:13,048 Or shelter from the rain. 372 00:23:13,048 --> 00:23:15,056 And, you need as big a roof as possible, 373 00:23:15,056 --> 00:23:17,008 and actually not much else. 374 00:23:17,008 --> 00:23:22,060 And it allows you to have this panoramic view of the Western Ghats. 375 00:23:22,060 --> 00:23:25,016 One of the most beautiful sites in the world. 376 00:23:30,084 --> 00:23:32,096 And nothing is allowed to get in the way of that 377 00:23:32,096 --> 00:23:35,004 outdoor experience. 378 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:42,036 I like that there's and inversion here of how you typically make space, 379 00:23:42,036 --> 00:23:44,060 because the walls are completely transparent. 380 00:23:44,060 --> 00:23:47,008 They're glass, and the things that open are solid. 381 00:23:47,008 --> 00:23:50,012 But of course, that makes sense because you don't want a division between 382 00:23:50,012 --> 00:23:52,044 you and the landscape. What I like the idea of, Piers, 383 00:23:52,044 --> 00:23:57,080 is being up here during the monsoon and hearing the rain thundering on 384 00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:02,008 this metal roof and being inside the space with the glass, 385 00:24:02,008 --> 00:24:05,024 looking outside. I mean, it must be virtually impossible to see 386 00:24:05,024 --> 00:24:08,024 your hand in front of your face when the monsoons come here. 387 00:24:08,024 --> 00:24:11,020 Here we are now, when there isn't a monsoon, 388 00:24:11,020 --> 00:24:13,044 but we're equally immersed in nature. 389 00:24:13,044 --> 00:24:15,032 The experience here is 390 00:24:15,032 --> 00:24:18,056 identical in many ways just to being under the trees outside. 391 00:24:20,012 --> 00:24:23,048 In fact, trees inspired one of the key pieces of design. 392 00:24:24,064 --> 00:24:26,064 These unusual beam structures unlock 393 00:24:26,064 --> 00:24:30,060 the underlying philosophy of the architecture. 394 00:24:30,060 --> 00:24:33,060 So, instead of there being regular, repetitive columns, 395 00:24:33,060 --> 00:24:37,072 there's this beautifully complex series of trusses that come down to 396 00:24:37,072 --> 00:24:42,032 the ground as trees, pulling back all the structure from the edge. 397 00:24:42,032 --> 00:24:44,060 And what it means is that the house provides 398 00:24:44,060 --> 00:24:46,036 uninterrupted panoramic views 399 00:24:46,036 --> 00:24:48,028 of the landscape from wherever you look. 400 00:24:51,012 --> 00:24:54,052 The wilderness has also been embraced by the architects to shape 401 00:24:54,052 --> 00:24:56,028 every aspect of their approach. 402 00:24:57,028 --> 00:25:00,092 This house is all about landscape, in plan and in section. 403 00:25:02,024 --> 00:25:06,024 If I draw the contours of this piece of land, 404 00:25:06,024 --> 00:25:10,092 I think what the site is clearly is a steeply sloping site that steps 405 00:25:10,092 --> 00:25:15,044 down the hill. And what these architects have done is then 406 00:25:15,044 --> 00:25:19,060 to look at the contours and work out where the hollows are, 407 00:25:19,060 --> 00:25:22,072 and then where, on the flat pieces, 408 00:25:22,072 --> 00:25:26,008 they can either place pieces of building 409 00:25:26,008 --> 00:25:29,080 or bridges to get across from one building to another. 410 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,096 Once the architects had identified the flat pieces of land, 411 00:25:35,096 --> 00:25:39,048 they then decided what part of the house they would become. 412 00:25:39,048 --> 00:25:43,004 And with such a steep site dictating where they could build, 413 00:25:43,004 --> 00:25:45,080 the house ended up being split across six levels. 414 00:25:47,088 --> 00:25:50,088 And it's the experience of stepping down through the site, 415 00:25:50,088 --> 00:25:54,008 through the natural trees and through the man-made trees 416 00:25:54,008 --> 00:25:56,076 that makes the experience of this house so exciting. 417 00:25:59,028 --> 00:26:04,032 That immersive feeling of living amongst the trees even follows you indoors. 418 00:26:07,068 --> 00:26:10,084 There's a suite here with an en-suite bathroom. 419 00:26:12,072 --> 00:26:15,076 If you listen very carefully, you can hear all the birds... 420 00:26:15,076 --> 00:26:18,088 BIRDS CHIRP AND CALL 421 00:26:18,088 --> 00:26:20,048 Imagine waking up to that! 422 00:26:20,048 --> 00:26:24,044 You don't even have to draw the curtains, because you're entirely private here. 423 00:26:24,044 --> 00:26:26,064 I imagine in here is... 424 00:26:26,064 --> 00:26:28,044 SHE GASPS 425 00:26:28,044 --> 00:26:31,024 There's a bathroom here. And it's a good one. 426 00:26:35,028 --> 00:26:40,048 This stone that is used throughout the house is used in here. 427 00:26:40,048 --> 00:26:43,004 And it's called kota. 428 00:26:43,004 --> 00:26:45,000 And it's from southern India. 429 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,060 And it is so beautiful. 430 00:26:46,060 --> 00:26:52,084 It's a soft slatey green and it gives everywhere you go a sort of feeling 431 00:26:52,084 --> 00:26:54,076 of being underwater. 432 00:26:54,076 --> 00:26:56,092 And here, in the shower room, 433 00:26:56,092 --> 00:27:02,016 you could open up these shutters and be showering with the birds in the trees. 434 00:27:03,024 --> 00:27:05,032 What's incredible, 435 00:27:05,032 --> 00:27:10,060 is that I've been to lots and lots of bathrooms in my life. 436 00:27:10,060 --> 00:27:12,080 But I realise, 437 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:17,056 this is one of the all-time great bathrooms. 438 00:27:21,084 --> 00:27:24,092 There is a real sense of the architecture of being in an intimate 439 00:27:24,092 --> 00:27:27,028 relationship with its natural environment. 440 00:27:29,032 --> 00:27:33,044 Owner and architect, Kamal Malik, is going to take me through its story. 441 00:27:35,016 --> 00:27:38,024 Why did you build a house in this region? 442 00:27:38,024 --> 00:27:42,052 I was born and brought up and did my entire schooling 443 00:27:42,052 --> 00:27:45,088 in the Himalayas. Now, they are mountains. 444 00:27:45,088 --> 00:27:47,052 And here was an opportunity, 445 00:27:47,052 --> 00:27:51,072 close to Mumbai, and you can get into the hills, and you have... 446 00:27:51,072 --> 00:27:56,076 You have a kind of setting, in a way, that I spent my childhood in. 447 00:27:56,076 --> 00:27:59,056 And, we had these wonderful streams, 448 00:27:59,056 --> 00:28:02,000 three of them, that flowed through the site. 449 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,000 And we saw it during the monsoon, it was quite amazing. 450 00:28:06,000 --> 00:28:09,024 The other thing which happened here was, 451 00:28:09,024 --> 00:28:10,084 the inspiration of the tree, 452 00:28:10,084 --> 00:28:14,024 so you see the trunk and you see the branches. 453 00:28:14,024 --> 00:28:18,060 And if you look back, you will see the actual support of the roof 454 00:28:18,060 --> 00:28:21,092 is an echo of an understanding of that. 455 00:28:21,092 --> 00:28:23,084 Curiously, that was my first impression, 456 00:28:23,084 --> 00:28:26,068 was coming in and actually feeling like I was under a tree. 457 00:28:26,068 --> 00:28:30,092 So you never have that sense of there being something between you 458 00:28:30,092 --> 00:28:34,036 and landscape. You're always in landscape here. 459 00:28:34,036 --> 00:28:38,024 So, in the tropics, if you actually look at it, 460 00:28:38,024 --> 00:28:41,080 and you were here let's say for 72 hours, and just living here, 461 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,036 you would spend most of your time on the veranda. 462 00:28:44,036 --> 00:28:47,016 Because this is where you experience the breeze, 463 00:28:47,016 --> 00:28:50,064 you experience nature and you even enjoy the rain, 464 00:28:50,064 --> 00:28:52,028 and so on and so forth sitting in here. 465 00:28:52,028 --> 00:28:55,028 I think it's only to sleep that you're going to go inside a room. 466 00:28:55,028 --> 00:28:57,064 But every room has been designed basically, 467 00:28:57,064 --> 00:28:59,096 for both the natural ventilation, 468 00:28:59,096 --> 00:29:03,088 the ability to look out, to be in union with nature, 469 00:29:03,088 --> 00:29:06,012 and being able to see. 470 00:29:07,056 --> 00:29:12,012 This house was a family affair and Kamal worked closely with his son, 471 00:29:12,012 --> 00:29:14,024 fellow architect, Arjun. 472 00:29:14,024 --> 00:29:18,036 The views from here, Arjun, are second to none. 473 00:29:18,036 --> 00:29:21,024 They're extraordinarily beautiful, aren't they? 474 00:29:21,024 --> 00:29:24,012 Mm-hm.Because of course, you have designed and built this house with 475 00:29:24,012 --> 00:29:26,004 your father.Mm-hm. 476 00:29:26,004 --> 00:29:31,048 And I have to ask you, what's it like working with your dad? 477 00:29:31,048 --> 00:29:33,076 The process has been wonderful and rewarding. 478 00:29:33,076 --> 00:29:35,048 It has had its impacts in this house. 479 00:29:35,048 --> 00:29:37,048 For example, 480 00:29:37,048 --> 00:29:40,044 my parents don't enjoy being in the water, so, therefore, 481 00:29:40,044 --> 00:29:44,052 we separated the veranda spaces where he and his friends could be in 482 00:29:44,052 --> 00:29:46,072 a particular place, 483 00:29:46,072 --> 00:29:50,012 my family and our friends could be closer to the pool and have our own 484 00:29:50,012 --> 00:29:52,080 kind of privacy and space, and yet be connected. 485 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:56,092 Everyone has their own favourite place, and that's the whole point. 486 00:29:56,092 --> 00:29:58,096 It's choice, it's openness. 487 00:29:58,096 --> 00:30:02,040 When you spend time here, what do you end up doing? 488 00:30:03,076 --> 00:30:05,024 Pretty much nothing.Really? 489 00:30:05,024 --> 00:30:07,088 Yeah. Swimming, talking, listening to music. 490 00:30:07,088 --> 00:30:12,008 And what a pool, it's an extraordinarily beautiful thing 491 00:30:12,008 --> 00:30:13,092 in and of itself. 492 00:30:13,092 --> 00:30:16,084 So, why did you decide to raise the pool up, 493 00:30:16,084 --> 00:30:19,000 sort of into the view, almost? 494 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:22,004 When it gets really warm, all the water sources dry up, 495 00:30:22,004 --> 00:30:25,032 and the rats and frogs start to gravitate to any potential water source, 496 00:30:25,032 --> 00:30:28,020 and the snakes follow. That's not particularly safe. 497 00:30:28,020 --> 00:30:30,092 To avoid that, we lifted up the pool to restrict access. 498 00:30:30,092 --> 00:30:32,080 It's got the sense of infinity. 499 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:36,036 You are swimming in the tree-line, with the mountains in the horizon. 500 00:30:36,036 --> 00:30:39,076 And nice also to be gliding through the water in the full and certain 501 00:30:39,076 --> 00:30:42,000 knowledge that you won't be joined by a rat. 502 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:45,072 That always helps, yes.I like that in a swimming pool, don't you? 503 00:30:45,072 --> 00:30:48,052 Your father's an architect. You are an architect. 504 00:30:48,052 --> 00:30:51,028 At any point, did it cross your mind to become a Bollywood star, 505 00:30:51,028 --> 00:30:53,048 because you are so stupidly handsome! 506 00:30:54,060 --> 00:30:56,004 No, it didn't! 507 00:30:56,004 --> 00:30:58,068 It actually didn't, but thank you, that's very flattering. 508 00:30:58,068 --> 00:31:00,084 I think you've missed an opportunity. 509 00:31:02,064 --> 00:31:06,040 Well, Bollywood's loss is definitely architecture's gain. 510 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:08,012 The whole place is beautiful. 511 00:31:10,048 --> 00:31:15,068 Piers, just listening to the birds and looking out at the Western Ghats, 512 00:31:15,068 --> 00:31:18,008 at the forts, 513 00:31:18,008 --> 00:31:24,008 I really understand why this house is as it is. 514 00:31:24,008 --> 00:31:27,064 Because it's hardly a house, it's really a series of platforms and rooms. 515 00:31:27,064 --> 00:31:30,040 It's open to landscape, to nature. 516 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,080 And in a way, I think that's all you need. 517 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:39,012 The less the house is, in this context, the better it is. 518 00:31:39,012 --> 00:31:42,068 Maybe all we need is just a very delicate roof. 519 00:31:42,068 --> 00:31:44,080 Piers, Piers... 520 00:31:44,080 --> 00:31:49,036 I think you've just talked us out of a job because if there's no house, 521 00:31:49,036 --> 00:31:51,052 there's no programme. 522 00:32:03,076 --> 00:32:07,068 Luckily, we've got another home to see, a few miles north, 523 00:32:07,068 --> 00:32:10,068 near the rural town of Karjat. 524 00:32:10,068 --> 00:32:14,072 We've been given the keys to a weekend house designed as a highly discreet 525 00:32:14,072 --> 00:32:18,016 addition into a scene of bucolic natural beauty. 526 00:32:19,012 --> 00:32:22,072 It's been built by two award-winning architects, but it's so well hidden 527 00:32:22,072 --> 00:32:24,064 we don't know exactly where it is. 528 00:32:26,016 --> 00:32:29,000 Well, we've come to a sort of dead end.I'm not sure it is the way. 529 00:32:30,072 --> 00:32:32,096 I don't think we can go any further. 530 00:32:32,096 --> 00:32:34,040 Shall we get out and walk? 531 00:32:40,028 --> 00:32:42,024 I think this one looks like a walk, don't you? 532 00:32:42,024 --> 00:32:44,036 Yeah.It's a lovely spot, isn't it? 533 00:32:53,004 --> 00:32:54,008 There's still no house. 534 00:32:55,064 --> 00:32:59,016 Ah, here we are. There's a sign of something, look. 535 00:32:59,016 --> 00:33:02,052 There's something strange about finding this perfect 536 00:33:02,052 --> 00:33:05,068 pocket-handkerchief size of manicured lawn. 537 00:33:05,068 --> 00:33:11,032 It's about the only clue I can see that there is a building underneath us. 538 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:17,020 # Many rivers to cross 539 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:22,040 # And it's only my will... # 540 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:25,080 Riparian is nestled into the bank of the Patalganga River. 541 00:33:28,004 --> 00:33:32,004 The building is half buried in the earth, rising out of the landscape. 542 00:33:33,096 --> 00:33:37,096 With its camouflaged turf roof, this house shuns the limelight... 543 00:33:39,028 --> 00:33:42,096 ..but immerses its occupants in a rural paradise, 544 00:33:42,096 --> 00:33:45,084 creating the most tranquil family hideaway. 545 00:33:48,048 --> 00:33:51,004 It's a terrific bit of land, isn't it? 546 00:33:53,052 --> 00:33:59,012 There's vines, birds, the river, cows over there. 547 00:33:59,012 --> 00:34:01,004 It's an idyll, 548 00:34:01,004 --> 00:34:02,056 an Indian idyll. 549 00:34:04,072 --> 00:34:10,008 I mean, really, it's just, it's almost too relaxing to do any work at all. 550 00:34:10,008 --> 00:34:13,044 But in a way, I think, the serious thing is this house is about landscape, isn't it? 551 00:34:13,044 --> 00:34:16,012 I mean, this house... This house is a piece of landscape. 552 00:34:16,012 --> 00:34:21,072 And I think what I'm enjoying so far is that the house is indistinguishable from landscape. 553 00:34:21,072 --> 00:34:24,016 And I love that about it. 554 00:34:24,016 --> 00:34:27,008 I'm going to go and discover more, though, Piers. 555 00:34:27,008 --> 00:34:28,012 There must be more. 556 00:34:29,020 --> 00:34:31,020 Sounds good. 557 00:34:31,020 --> 00:34:34,092 Earth-sheltered houses are rare in India, but they're the perfect way to 558 00:34:34,092 --> 00:34:37,016 make a house blend into its surroundings. 559 00:34:38,056 --> 00:34:41,068 The turf roof makes it invisible from the east, 560 00:34:41,068 --> 00:34:46,080 while keeping out the heat and providing an extra outdoor platform to admire the view. 561 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:52,076 And Riparian makes the most of its riverside location. 562 00:34:52,076 --> 00:34:57,008 A courtyard hewn out of the bedrock leads to the kitchen, 563 00:34:57,008 --> 00:35:01,092 which is flanked by a guest bedroom, staff areas and a child's bedroom. 564 00:35:03,084 --> 00:35:05,084 On the front of the house, facing the river, 565 00:35:05,084 --> 00:35:08,048 is the main bedroom and the dining room, 566 00:35:08,048 --> 00:35:11,060 which open out on to an expansive teak veranda. 567 00:35:16,088 --> 00:35:22,092 This intriguing entrance into a house really brings out my inner badger, 568 00:35:22,092 --> 00:35:27,052 because it's like a sort of route into a badger's sett. 569 00:35:27,052 --> 00:35:30,076 Let me go and find out what this particular badger's house is like. 570 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:38,052 In fact, it's light and colourful, 571 00:35:38,052 --> 00:35:40,088 with a cooling breeze running all the way through. 572 00:35:42,028 --> 00:35:44,088 You'd never guess it was part of the river bank. 573 00:35:47,088 --> 00:35:51,032 This house straddles the line between being a piece of ground, 574 00:35:51,032 --> 00:35:54,036 a piece of landscape, something embedded in the earth, 575 00:35:54,036 --> 00:35:57,008 but also at the same time a lightweight building 576 00:35:57,008 --> 00:36:00,000 almost in the manner of a tea plantation house 577 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,080 that sits single-storey above the ground, 578 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:06,088 with deep rooms, shaded by a veranda and screens. 579 00:36:08,056 --> 00:36:12,016 And, refreshingly for a modern house, it's really down-to-earth. 580 00:36:15,012 --> 00:36:17,052 It's sweet, it's like a little cottage inside. 581 00:36:17,052 --> 00:36:23,000 Both in the scale of the space but also the familiarity of the stuff, 582 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,084 where a door is like a normal door, a window's like a normal window, 583 00:36:26,084 --> 00:36:29,008 and the furniture is like normal furniture 584 00:36:29,008 --> 00:36:31,012 and the lights are like normal lights. 585 00:36:31,012 --> 00:36:35,056 And usually in modern architecture everything gets reinvented. 586 00:36:36,076 --> 00:36:39,056 But it's the little touches that make it gorgeous. 587 00:36:46,032 --> 00:36:47,068 This is the master bedroom. 588 00:36:50,028 --> 00:36:52,096 And look at these fantastic windows. 589 00:36:54,004 --> 00:36:56,092 They're Crittall windows, they're metal, steel windows. 590 00:36:56,092 --> 00:37:00,012 It's very unusual, I've not seen these before in India. 591 00:37:00,012 --> 00:37:04,024 They're stunning. But what I really, really, really love are these. 592 00:37:05,056 --> 00:37:09,040 These are fly screens, but they're not the usual sort of nylon fly screens 593 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:12,008 which are pretty grim, actually, and you see them everywhere. 594 00:37:12,008 --> 00:37:14,060 These are made out of mesh, metal mesh. 595 00:37:16,024 --> 00:37:18,072 Like a Victorian food cover. 596 00:37:18,072 --> 00:37:22,024 And they keep everything out, snakes and mosquitoes. 597 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:30,036 Imagine lying in this huge bed and being able to look out over this 598 00:37:30,036 --> 00:37:36,016 glorious river here, watching the cattle coming to drink. 599 00:37:36,016 --> 00:37:37,036 And cue the cows. 600 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,080 I'm sorry, I can't resist this, I know this is really bad, 601 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:48,052 but I've got to do it, and see what it's actually like, 602 00:37:48,052 --> 00:37:49,080 sleeping in this bed. 603 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:01,000 Maharani Quentin, that's me. 604 00:38:03,076 --> 00:38:05,008 It's a lovely view. 605 00:38:09,028 --> 00:38:12,056 There is something incredibly familiar about this house, 606 00:38:12,056 --> 00:38:18,016 and part of that reason is that the scale of it is very much like that 607 00:38:18,016 --> 00:38:22,040 of a traditional tea plantation bungalow. 608 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:27,068 And if I draw that, there would be a tin roof on top, 609 00:38:27,068 --> 00:38:31,032 there would be a veranda that goes all the way along the front, 610 00:38:31,032 --> 00:38:34,072 and it would then be on stilts above the ground. 611 00:38:34,072 --> 00:38:37,028 This house does all of that up to a point, 612 00:38:37,028 --> 00:38:39,092 because it's that lightweight building. 613 00:38:39,092 --> 00:38:44,052 But how it's different is that the ground effectively crashes 614 00:38:44,052 --> 00:38:46,024 through this building, you know, 615 00:38:46,024 --> 00:38:47,080 and this house, in a way, is the 616 00:38:47,080 --> 00:38:51,016 traditional Indian bungalow meets earth-sheltered house. 617 00:38:51,016 --> 00:38:54,008 What's clever about this house is that, typically, 618 00:38:54,008 --> 00:38:57,084 most earth-sheltered houses are, in a way... 619 00:38:59,036 --> 00:39:04,032 ..dark and airless, because the air can't come through the house. 620 00:39:04,032 --> 00:39:06,060 But here, this architect has 621 00:39:06,060 --> 00:39:10,080 hollowed out these courtyards at the back 622 00:39:10,080 --> 00:39:14,064 which you can walk out into, and what happens is that there's 623 00:39:14,064 --> 00:39:17,028 a clear ventilation path that runs right 624 00:39:17,028 --> 00:39:18,068 the way through the house. 625 00:39:18,068 --> 00:39:22,008 So, this is kind of warm air, you know, rising up here. 626 00:39:22,008 --> 00:39:27,016 The cool air comes right the way through and vents the house. 627 00:39:27,016 --> 00:39:30,056 It all seems so effortless, but I've a feeling that creating 628 00:39:30,056 --> 00:39:34,016 this oasis of tranquillity wasn't quite as simple as it looks. 629 00:39:34,016 --> 00:39:39,044 The architects, Robert Verwright and Shefali Belwani, have agreed to talk me through it. 630 00:39:39,044 --> 00:39:42,048 Welcome to my lovely house! Hi, Caroline.Caroline. 631 00:39:42,048 --> 00:39:45,024 Shefali, hi. Lovely to meet you, Shefali. 632 00:39:45,024 --> 00:39:47,080 Hi, I'm Robert.Hello, Robert. Fantastic to meet you. 633 00:39:47,080 --> 00:39:53,076 The owners presumably chose this spot because of its access to the river. 634 00:39:53,076 --> 00:39:57,028 Is that important for them, the access to the countryside? 635 00:39:57,028 --> 00:40:00,060 Yeah, it's very unusual to have a house this close to the river. 636 00:40:00,060 --> 00:40:05,020 I think in most parts of India you are usually quite far away. 637 00:40:05,020 --> 00:40:10,012 They did want to swim in the river and kayak, and they do all of that. 638 00:40:10,012 --> 00:40:16,008 It almost feels like it's been part of this rural landscape forever. 639 00:40:16,008 --> 00:40:18,092 Forever, yeah.And was that part of your plan? 640 00:40:18,092 --> 00:40:23,024 Well, what's interesting is that the house was built, 641 00:40:23,024 --> 00:40:25,092 and then very quickly the landscape took over, 642 00:40:25,092 --> 00:40:29,084 and it was really with that intention that the landscape would grow over 643 00:40:29,084 --> 00:40:32,028 the roof, and trees growing around it. 644 00:40:34,072 --> 00:40:38,044 Some elements of the landscape became unexpected design features. 645 00:40:39,092 --> 00:40:43,096 The original plan specified a ramp running down to the kitchen courtyard. 646 00:40:44,096 --> 00:40:47,064 During the excavation, we almost found these rocks. 647 00:40:47,064 --> 00:40:52,008 Oh.And then we thought that carving these steps instead and eliminating 648 00:40:52,008 --> 00:40:55,024 the ramp was a more effective way of emerging from it. 649 00:40:57,092 --> 00:41:01,020 Structurally, there must have been challenges. 650 00:41:01,020 --> 00:41:06,052 Yeah, it's meant to look very simple, but actually there are various forces 651 00:41:06,052 --> 00:41:08,068 that come on this house. 652 00:41:08,068 --> 00:41:13,008 There's the earth pressure from behind the house that tries to move the building downwards. 653 00:41:13,008 --> 00:41:17,008 There's the settlement of earth underneath the foundation. 654 00:41:17,008 --> 00:41:22,020 And there is of course the weight of the roof with the big layer of soil, 655 00:41:22,020 --> 00:41:25,024 and this made the structure quite heavy. 656 00:41:25,024 --> 00:41:28,004 Yeah, I think the construction took over two years. 657 00:41:28,004 --> 00:41:32,060 It was very labour intensive and I think because of that the process took that long. 658 00:41:33,076 --> 00:41:38,056 And that sensitivity to the environment is present throughout the design, 659 00:41:38,056 --> 00:41:41,032 from the sunken rear living space 660 00:41:41,032 --> 00:41:43,036 to the delicate stilts 661 00:41:43,036 --> 00:41:47,076 and glass frontage that makes the house almost invisible. 662 00:41:47,076 --> 00:41:51,040 The architects have created an homage to the traditional tea plantation house, 663 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:55,060 reinterpreted in this context, in the 21st century. 664 00:41:55,060 --> 00:41:59,076 And I love that they've refused to build in such a way that dominates the landscape. 665 00:42:01,004 --> 00:42:05,036 Contemporary architecture has a lot to answer for in terms of buildings 666 00:42:05,036 --> 00:42:09,028 that often seem to be extravagant in how they present themselves to the world. 667 00:42:09,028 --> 00:42:11,064 They're often showing off. 668 00:42:11,064 --> 00:42:15,000 Contemporary architecture doesn't deal with the quiet and the understated. 669 00:42:16,004 --> 00:42:17,040 But this house does. 670 00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:20,080 This house is incredibly modest and simple and calm 671 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:22,032 and straightforward. 672 00:42:22,032 --> 00:42:24,016 It's really refreshing in that. 673 00:42:27,084 --> 00:42:31,000 This is some of the most beautiful landscape we've seen in India. 674 00:42:32,036 --> 00:42:37,028 And Riparian acts as a vessel, in some ways, where you can experience this landscape. 675 00:42:44,012 --> 00:42:46,052 Salman, do you know where Caroline is? 676 00:42:46,052 --> 00:42:47,056 Ah, I don't know, sir. 677 00:42:50,076 --> 00:42:52,092 It's just too hard to resist! 678 00:42:54,032 --> 00:42:59,096 You know, sometimes in this life, you're taken to see good houses, 679 00:42:59,096 --> 00:43:02,060 and then you're taken to see great houses. 680 00:43:02,060 --> 00:43:05,004 But this house is like Mary Poppins, 681 00:43:05,004 --> 00:43:07,076 it's practically perfect in every way. 682 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:16,024 Reluctantly, I'm going to have to hang up my paddle and get to our next destination. 683 00:43:18,092 --> 00:43:21,048 But it seems it's Piers' turn to get distracted. 684 00:43:22,092 --> 00:43:24,080 Wow, cricket, Caz! 685 00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:26,004 Oh, it's beautiful. 686 00:43:27,020 --> 00:43:28,052 SHOUTING 687 00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:33,088 Get your pads on, you're in. 688 00:43:33,088 --> 00:43:36,040 I actually don't have my whites with me today. 689 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:37,084 Do you play, or do you not want to? 690 00:43:37,084 --> 00:43:40,064 I'd like to, if they offered, I would play if I was... 691 00:43:40,064 --> 00:43:42,056 Oh, they'll ask you. 692 00:43:42,056 --> 00:43:44,008 Play this game? 693 00:43:44,008 --> 00:43:48,024 VOICEOVER:Oh, OK, a quick innings. I hope you're watching, England. 694 00:43:48,024 --> 00:43:50,076 It's like bowling at 100mph. 695 00:43:50,076 --> 00:43:52,092 This is actually a bit terrifying. 696 00:43:52,092 --> 00:43:55,060 So, here, I take my life... 697 00:43:55,060 --> 00:43:57,064 My life in my hands. 698 00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:00,044 Oh! 699 00:44:03,004 --> 00:44:06,008 I don't think they're aware of how competitive he is. 700 00:44:06,008 --> 00:44:09,000 I'm supposed to run now. 701 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:11,016 Oh! Leg before wicket. 702 00:44:11,016 --> 00:44:15,028 Salman.Yes, ma'am. Do you think Piers is any good at cricket?Yeah. 703 00:44:15,028 --> 00:44:16,060 You can bowl a bit faster. 704 00:44:16,060 --> 00:44:18,020 He's really bad, isn't he? 705 00:44:18,020 --> 00:44:19,068 No, ma'am, not bad. 706 00:44:19,068 --> 00:44:21,032 Oh! 707 00:44:21,032 --> 00:44:25,032 Hell.He's terrible at cricket, you know. Yeah! 708 00:44:25,032 --> 00:44:26,068 Do I just turn and run? 709 00:44:26,068 --> 00:44:29,052 England v India, I think India's going to win this, don't you? 710 00:44:29,052 --> 00:44:31,016 Of course, ma'am."Of course, ma'am!" 711 00:44:32,064 --> 00:44:36,040 It's... Oh! They really caught him out! 712 00:44:36,040 --> 00:44:37,080 LAUGHTER 713 00:44:37,080 --> 00:44:40,096 He's going to be quite bad-tempered for the rest of the journey, I think. Yes.Yeah. 714 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:50,060 We're leaving behind the gentle thwack of leather on willow, 715 00:44:50,060 --> 00:44:52,036 for the craziness of the city. 716 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:57,016 Mumbai has grown at such a rate in recent decades that there are now 717 00:44:57,016 --> 00:44:59,072 satellite cities to cope with the overspill. 718 00:45:01,028 --> 00:45:04,032 And we're heading to one called Navi, or New Mumbai. 719 00:45:09,092 --> 00:45:14,064 We're giving up the safety of Salman's taxi for something a little more adventurous. 720 00:45:22,060 --> 00:45:24,076 Did you ever want to be made into a sandwich! 721 00:45:24,076 --> 00:45:26,028 CAROLINE LAUGHS 722 00:45:26,028 --> 00:45:29,076 We're definitely back in the city now, Piers.Certainly are. 723 00:45:29,076 --> 00:45:32,024 I quite fancy one of these. Is that the M5? 724 00:45:32,024 --> 00:45:34,024 I think we're going onto the M5 now. 725 00:45:34,024 --> 00:45:37,040 Oh, no, we're doing a massive U-turn right in the middle of the M5. 726 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:40,076 Oh.We're going to T-bone that cyclist. 727 00:45:43,016 --> 00:45:45,024 VOICEOVER:If we can just get there in one piece, 728 00:45:45,024 --> 00:45:48,056 we've heard there's a house that combines the latest contemporary design 729 00:45:48,056 --> 00:45:51,092 with a deep reverence for India's architectural heritage. 730 00:45:53,036 --> 00:45:55,096 So, I hope we can get up the hill in this thing. 731 00:45:58,084 --> 00:46:01,032 We're here.That's great, thank you. 732 00:46:01,032 --> 00:46:04,044 Thank you so much. Yeah, that'll cover it. 733 00:46:04,044 --> 00:46:06,016 Thank you so much, namaste. 734 00:46:11,044 --> 00:46:13,040 I'm in love already. 735 00:46:13,040 --> 00:46:18,032 This appeals to my sense of the ancient and the new 736 00:46:18,032 --> 00:46:19,072 being together like that. 737 00:46:19,072 --> 00:46:22,040 Are you the ancient, I'm the new? Yeah. 738 00:46:23,064 --> 00:46:27,012 We've arrived at the fabulously eclectic Collage House. 739 00:46:28,076 --> 00:46:32,068 The exterior is inspired by traditional Indian house-building 740 00:46:32,068 --> 00:46:35,048 with its resourceful use of materials. 741 00:46:35,048 --> 00:46:38,096 But it's also a kind of memory box for the disappearing architecture of 742 00:46:38,096 --> 00:46:42,072 the old Mumbai, from the handcrafted doors and windows, 743 00:46:42,072 --> 00:46:45,088 to antique columns which have all been salvaged 744 00:46:45,088 --> 00:46:50,000 from demolition and reused here to create something completely new. 745 00:46:56,032 --> 00:46:58,020 I'm full of anticipation. 746 00:46:58,020 --> 00:47:00,016 Me too, I'm actually tingling all over. 747 00:47:00,016 --> 00:47:02,076 Genuinely, I have no idea what's around the corner, 748 00:47:02,076 --> 00:47:05,060 because already this is a house that's surprising me. 749 00:47:05,060 --> 00:47:06,088 This is surprising me. 750 00:47:06,088 --> 00:47:09,068 It's a huge metal gate, it's enormous. 751 00:47:09,068 --> 00:47:13,096 Do you feel like you're in Gulliver's Travels?Yeah, I do, it's absolutely enormous. 752 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:19,004 Look! 753 00:47:21,072 --> 00:47:22,076 I'm dumbstruck. 754 00:47:24,040 --> 00:47:26,080 And that's not often I hear you say that.No. 755 00:47:28,020 --> 00:47:30,080 I mean, so many ideas already. 756 00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:34,072 I mean, the sense of material richness, 757 00:47:34,072 --> 00:47:37,060 from all of these things that are repurposed. 758 00:47:37,060 --> 00:47:40,096 The pipes, the tiles, 759 00:47:40,096 --> 00:47:42,016 this stone. 760 00:47:42,016 --> 00:47:45,024 This is an amazing tapestry of stuff. 761 00:47:45,024 --> 00:47:47,016 There's fun everywhere. 762 00:47:47,016 --> 00:47:51,004 Everywhere my eye goes, I see something I'm immediately fascinated by, 763 00:47:51,004 --> 00:47:57,076 and it's so wonderful to have this kind of hit of adrenaline as you arrive into a house. 764 00:47:57,076 --> 00:48:00,084 And we've only just started. Exactly, we've only been here a few moments. 765 00:48:02,064 --> 00:48:07,020 The architects' challenge was to make a family home for four generations, 766 00:48:07,020 --> 00:48:11,056 with a sense of space and privacy, on a relatively small plot, 767 00:48:11,056 --> 00:48:13,084 sandwiched between two neighbouring buildings. 768 00:48:15,024 --> 00:48:18,024 With no views across epic landscapes available, 769 00:48:18,024 --> 00:48:19,084 they turned the focus inwards 770 00:48:19,084 --> 00:48:22,012 to a central courtyard on the first floor. 771 00:48:23,032 --> 00:48:25,044 Wrapped around this are the living area, 772 00:48:25,044 --> 00:48:27,020 master bedroom and a small pool. 773 00:48:29,036 --> 00:48:32,016 On the floor above are two more bedrooms. 774 00:48:32,016 --> 00:48:34,048 And there's a glass pavilion on the roof 775 00:48:34,048 --> 00:48:37,020 supported by 100-year-old antique columns. 776 00:48:40,064 --> 00:48:44,016 The many doors and windows on the facade might look chaotic 777 00:48:44,016 --> 00:48:45,084 but are actually carefully placed 778 00:48:45,084 --> 00:48:48,008 within a concrete frame which connects all of 779 00:48:48,008 --> 00:48:51,060 the spaces from front to back across all three levels. 780 00:48:57,000 --> 00:48:58,024 Caroline. 781 00:48:58,024 --> 00:49:00,084 VOICEOVER: The owners, Naryan and Dipti, 782 00:49:00,084 --> 00:49:03,004 are taking me on a tour to show me 783 00:49:03,004 --> 00:49:06,060 how they went about reclaiming Mumbai's architectural past. 784 00:49:08,016 --> 00:49:12,092 You know, this house is a blend of modern as well as old. 785 00:49:12,092 --> 00:49:16,076 Yes.So, if you look at it, the floor on which you are walking 786 00:49:16,076 --> 00:49:18,036 is the modern architecture. 787 00:49:18,036 --> 00:49:20,020 This is the modern, was it, granite? 788 00:49:20,020 --> 00:49:23,012 Yes. And as we move up, 789 00:49:23,012 --> 00:49:26,048 suddenly you find that now you are walking at a place 790 00:49:26,048 --> 00:49:29,016 where the wood is more than 125 years old. 791 00:49:29,016 --> 00:49:30,040 Oh, I love that. 792 00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:34,016 I will show you another marvel. This is the hanging steps. 793 00:49:34,016 --> 00:49:37,020 Yes.It took a lot of time in making these steps. 794 00:49:37,020 --> 00:49:39,044 Yeah, they are wonderfully made. 795 00:49:39,044 --> 00:49:41,060 When we decided to build this house, 796 00:49:41,060 --> 00:49:44,076 we wanted everything to be a masterpiece. 797 00:49:44,076 --> 00:49:47,024 So, we couldn't overlook the steps. 798 00:49:47,024 --> 00:49:50,012 So, we wanted our steps and railing also to be a masterpiece. 799 00:49:50,012 --> 00:49:53,068 We told our architect that I am not going to make another house in my 800 00:49:53,068 --> 00:49:58,048 life, so whatever I am making now is going to be the last house, 801 00:49:58,048 --> 00:50:00,052 so it has to be a very memorable house. 802 00:50:00,052 --> 00:50:04,012 It's a home, there's a difference between a house and a home. 803 00:50:04,012 --> 00:50:08,040 And it's so important that a house isn't just a house, that it is a home, 804 00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:11,048 and your house is clearly full of 805 00:50:11,048 --> 00:50:15,060 fascinating objects and design features. 806 00:50:15,060 --> 00:50:18,068 I mean, this is wonderful. 807 00:50:18,068 --> 00:50:24,008 These are actually called printing blocks, which the artisans used for 808 00:50:24,008 --> 00:50:27,044 printing on, making printing on saris, on fabric. 809 00:50:27,044 --> 00:50:32,000 There were about 600 pieces that I picked up and I brought them here. 810 00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:35,040 And then we made this lovely design. 811 00:50:35,040 --> 00:50:37,028 And these designs are of various times. 812 00:50:37,028 --> 00:50:39,076 Some designs could be... Like this particular design 813 00:50:39,076 --> 00:50:41,048 was something about 40 years back. 814 00:50:41,048 --> 00:50:43,072 So, these are also from various states. 815 00:50:43,072 --> 00:50:45,044 Like, this is from Rajasthan. 816 00:50:45,044 --> 00:50:48,052 Something would be like print blocks are used in Gujarat. 817 00:50:48,052 --> 00:50:52,056 That is Gujarati?Yes.States of India, all blocks. 818 00:50:52,056 --> 00:50:54,004 How amazing. 819 00:50:54,004 --> 00:50:56,076 So, these blocks represent various states of India. 820 00:50:56,076 --> 00:51:02,044 I have a real desire, standing here, to put on a long white dress, 821 00:51:02,044 --> 00:51:07,048 cover this in ink and dye, and to go... 822 00:51:09,000 --> 00:51:10,040 ..like that.Yes. 823 00:51:10,040 --> 00:51:13,024 And then like that. 824 00:51:13,024 --> 00:51:15,028 And then see what I've got on me. 825 00:51:15,028 --> 00:51:17,008 Because they're so beautiful. 826 00:51:17,008 --> 00:51:18,076 You know then what would happen?No. 827 00:51:18,076 --> 00:51:20,092 You would be representing all the states of India! 828 00:51:20,092 --> 00:51:22,016 THEY LAUGH 829 00:51:26,088 --> 00:51:29,064 Curiously, for such an innovative house, 830 00:51:29,064 --> 00:51:32,060 the language of construction is fairly familiar. 831 00:51:32,060 --> 00:51:35,072 There's a steel frame, there's concrete slabs. 832 00:51:35,072 --> 00:51:41,076 But within that, there's a mind-blowing approach to recycling, 833 00:51:41,076 --> 00:51:45,000 upcycling, salvaging, reclaiming. 834 00:51:49,056 --> 00:51:53,084 Each one of these windows and doors on this front elevation has been 835 00:51:53,084 --> 00:51:55,068 taken from a reclamation yard. 836 00:51:57,036 --> 00:52:01,064 There's then a strategy for how all of these are going to fit together. 837 00:52:01,064 --> 00:52:06,088 And each one is then placed next to another of a different size, 838 00:52:06,088 --> 00:52:11,016 then there's a little Juliet balcony made for each one. 839 00:52:11,016 --> 00:52:14,068 And the whole becomes an extraordinary patchwork, 840 00:52:14,068 --> 00:52:18,048 a composition that just makes this house truly original. 841 00:52:21,044 --> 00:52:22,076 Hello. 842 00:52:26,008 --> 00:52:28,088 These recycling solutions are all over the house, 843 00:52:28,088 --> 00:52:32,068 with reclaimed materials given imaginative new purposes. 844 00:52:36,096 --> 00:52:41,092 This is a bedhead and a cupboard made from salvaged and recycled picture frames. 845 00:52:41,092 --> 00:52:45,016 It's also, of course, highly decorative. 846 00:52:45,016 --> 00:52:48,096 And decoration has been banished from architecture by architects for about 847 00:52:48,096 --> 00:52:50,012 100 years or so. 848 00:52:50,012 --> 00:52:53,012 Architects are kind of fascists about all that stuff. 849 00:52:53,012 --> 00:52:56,012 There's this myth that somehow less is more. 850 00:52:57,024 --> 00:52:59,064 But more is always more. 851 00:53:01,012 --> 00:53:03,048 And there's more wherever you look. 852 00:53:06,084 --> 00:53:11,072 Pretty much every bathroom I've ever been in, I know what to expect. 853 00:53:11,072 --> 00:53:16,076 But this is like some brilliantly crazy hall of mirrors that you might 854 00:53:16,076 --> 00:53:19,028 find in a fairground. 855 00:53:19,028 --> 00:53:20,076 But it's also really sensible. 856 00:53:20,076 --> 00:53:22,020 It isn't just whimsy. 857 00:53:22,020 --> 00:53:26,068 These are all salvaged mirrors reused here, 858 00:53:26,068 --> 00:53:28,088 set out beautifully. 859 00:53:28,088 --> 00:53:33,024 But then the water pipe that comes down is painted pink, 860 00:53:33,024 --> 00:53:36,072 and then it's a light, becomes a towel rail, 861 00:53:36,072 --> 00:53:38,092 becomes a loo roll holder. 862 00:53:38,092 --> 00:53:42,056 It's so witty, so engaging, and so purposeful. 863 00:53:47,084 --> 00:53:51,088 Bringing such anarchic fun to the design of Collage House were project 864 00:53:51,088 --> 00:53:54,032 architects Shilpa and Pinkish Shah. 865 00:53:55,052 --> 00:54:00,004 How did you begin to know how to piece together 866 00:54:00,004 --> 00:54:03,032 100,000 different components? 867 00:54:03,032 --> 00:54:05,000 It became a little bit like jazz, 868 00:54:05,000 --> 00:54:07,012 where you kind of improvise a little bit. 869 00:54:07,012 --> 00:54:08,072 There's kind of a loose structure, 870 00:54:08,072 --> 00:54:11,064 but you're kind of playing around and riffing in the middle. 871 00:54:11,064 --> 00:54:14,036 And it's been a joyful journey because of that, 872 00:54:14,036 --> 00:54:17,088 that you allow, let it take over a life of its own. 873 00:54:17,088 --> 00:54:22,072 But you are there to kind of pull it, tweak it, you know, and put it in place. 874 00:54:22,072 --> 00:54:26,032 We could only loosely structure how the windows would happen, 875 00:54:26,032 --> 00:54:28,080 and then you actually take it aside and you discover, 876 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:32,096 "Oh, there's a gap there, or this window needs to be a little shorter, and what are you going to do?" 877 00:54:32,096 --> 00:54:36,016 A lot of things happened also as we are designing. Yeah. 878 00:54:36,016 --> 00:54:40,024 Because once it is set, I mean, it started with the windows, for sure. 879 00:54:40,024 --> 00:54:42,088 And once that got into motion and other things like, 880 00:54:42,088 --> 00:54:45,040 now we know, of course, there are going to be downtake pipes. 881 00:54:45,040 --> 00:54:46,096 And monsoons in Bombay are gorgeous. 882 00:54:46,096 --> 00:54:51,032 I mean, it's such a heavy rain that the downtake water pipes are just gushing water. 883 00:54:51,032 --> 00:54:54,024 So then we said, "Why not make it into a feature?" 884 00:54:54,024 --> 00:54:56,080 So, that's how, if you see the pipes, they come kind of down, 885 00:54:56,080 --> 00:55:01,000 and they allow the water to be seen during... It's an event, you know? 886 00:55:01,000 --> 00:55:04,056 It's about capturing these moments about seasonal change. 887 00:55:04,056 --> 00:55:10,052 And the acts of everyday life being made kind of dignified and joyous in some sense, you know? 888 00:55:10,052 --> 00:55:13,060 And Mumbai is also gradually disappearing, unfortunately. 889 00:55:13,060 --> 00:55:16,052 It's being sanitised, lots of buildings are coming down. 890 00:55:16,052 --> 00:55:21,000 So here was an opportunity to salvage a part of that memory and make it yours. 891 00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:26,072 And is there a wider applicability of this approach in other 892 00:55:26,072 --> 00:55:31,024 buildings, for other architects, for other people, for other clients? 893 00:55:31,024 --> 00:55:34,000 I think there is definitely something to take away from here. 894 00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:40,012 It may not be at such a scale, but definitely bits and pieces. 895 00:55:40,012 --> 00:55:43,084 I think the amount of waste that we as a society 896 00:55:43,084 --> 00:55:46,092 are kind of producing is crazy. 897 00:55:46,092 --> 00:55:49,012 And I think, if anything, 898 00:55:49,012 --> 00:55:52,032 maybe this is like a wake-up call for all of us, 899 00:55:52,032 --> 00:55:56,004 to just remind ourselves again of, you know, 900 00:55:56,004 --> 00:56:00,048 where we can really use our resources more carefully 901 00:56:00,048 --> 00:56:02,044 so that we don't produce as much waste. 902 00:56:11,008 --> 00:56:15,000 I've been an architect for 20 years, something like that, 903 00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:18,032 and very few buildings really challenge us. 904 00:56:18,032 --> 00:56:23,004 But I think this building does, because it does so many things at the same time. 905 00:56:23,004 --> 00:56:26,044 It's witty and serious. 906 00:56:26,044 --> 00:56:29,084 It's playful and stern. 907 00:56:29,084 --> 00:56:32,028 It's controlled and loose. 908 00:56:32,028 --> 00:56:36,052 And all those other opposing things that you never thought could sit together. 909 00:56:36,052 --> 00:56:41,000 And I think, you know, as you look forward, 910 00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:46,008 you sort of wonder, "Where is the road map for the future?" 911 00:56:47,032 --> 00:56:48,036 But, for me... 912 00:56:50,012 --> 00:56:51,016 ..I think it's here. 913 00:57:09,036 --> 00:57:11,056 Talk about being cranked up to 11. 914 00:57:11,056 --> 00:57:16,000 I don't think I could have ever imagined anywhere being as viscerally stimulating as India. 915 00:57:17,016 --> 00:57:21,052 It's true. It's sometimes overwhelming for all the senses, isn't it? 916 00:57:21,052 --> 00:57:25,088 The colours, the sights, the sounds, the smells, the people. 917 00:57:25,088 --> 00:57:31,004 But what's been a real excitement for me is the fact that the houses 918 00:57:31,004 --> 00:57:32,096 have lived up to all that. 919 00:57:32,096 --> 00:57:36,028 They've been so clever and so different and so original and so witty. 920 00:57:36,028 --> 00:57:40,012 They've each done a clever little juggle with elements I never thought 921 00:57:40,012 --> 00:57:42,016 could have been combined, and pulled it off. 922 00:57:43,024 --> 00:57:47,072 In a way, I think they've shown me I just need to raise my own game. 923 00:57:47,072 --> 00:57:49,072 They've challenged me like nothing. 924 00:57:51,032 --> 00:57:53,088 I love hearing that, Piers. 925 00:57:53,088 --> 00:57:55,012 That's really exciting. 926 00:57:57,092 --> 00:58:00,020 Next time, we're in Norway 927 00:58:00,020 --> 00:58:02,056 to see how an awe-inspiring landscape 928 00:58:02,056 --> 00:58:04,060 and extreme weather give rise to 929 00:58:04,060 --> 00:58:06,080 homes of perfect understatement... 930 00:58:06,080 --> 00:58:10,056 Oh! I really, really like this house. 931 00:58:10,056 --> 00:58:12,032 ..brazen assertiveness... 932 00:58:12,032 --> 00:58:14,084 Hospital is a word that springs to mind. 933 00:58:14,084 --> 00:58:16,080 ..and daredevil defiance... 934 00:58:16,080 --> 00:58:20,036 I think this is probably the greatest house I've ever been in. 935 00:58:20,036 --> 00:58:22,072 ..as, once again, we go in search of 936 00:58:22,072 --> 00:58:25,048 the world's most extraordinary homes.