The Breathing Quadrant / PMA madhushala

A series of three houses intending to redefine traditional house forms, more or less from similar eras aligning to a contemporary wish list, were being envisioned simultaneously. The first one, set in an open rural context resembling ‘gadi’(land fortress), was completed in 2020; the second project, wrapped in a tight urban situation, is being addressed here, and the third one grows sensitively with succeeding generations, is under construction. The tale begins with the division of half an acre of ancestral land among four relative families willing to build a cluster of their dwellings located in Pune, Maharashtra. Apparently, due to variable mindsets, only one of the families, consisting of old parents living with two sons and their respective families, who had to settle for an odd-shaped plot, agreed to experiment with us. A modern, breathable abode with a traditional setting of generations living under one roof in the given dense urban fabric was a challenge. To ensure the most relevant response, we drew inspiration from regional houses called ‘wadas’, especially the once situated in towns flourishing as tightly-knit neighborhoods.