The site for this weekend house in Baroda, India is adjacent to a stream that floods regularly. The landscape thus, gives both the stream and the house space for their occupation and mediates the terrain in between. The Bridge House, designed by Ahmedabad-based architect Aniket Bhagwat, is sited on two existing hillocks and connected with a bridge that becomes an extremely visible design element. The immediate manicured landscape and the larger landscape mingle below this bridge. The two natures are also echoes in the two water bodies on either side of the bridge; the pool and the lake.

The landscape moves from manicured land to fields and orchards towards the stream. The plant material adjacent to the stream is chosen specifically to reduce soil erosion due to the annual flooding in the rivulet. ‘If there is a central idea that holds the house together, it is perhaps the idea of movement and rest; which at all times explores the many stunning views of the surrounding landscape,’ says Bhagwat.

Visit the website of architect Aniket Bhagwat here.

The house’s entertaining areas are situated on the elevated site and the more private areas are located in a separate building on the lower ground.

The two volumes are connected by a bridge – hence the name.

The bridge extends beyond the property, leading down to the garden.

The design incorporates a well articulated material palette of stone, steel, glass and concrete.

Photos: Edmund Sumner