THREE SIXTY DEGREES

Shortlisted for the 2021 World Architecture Festival awards in Lisbon, Apoorva and Kunal Shroff ’s contemporary concrete and glass villa stands majestically at the apex of a foothill in the Western Ghats with spectacular views all around

- SONAL SHAH

The evening mist rises slowly from the valley as we make our way down the Old Khandala Road at dusk. An avenue of uplit trees and landscaped mounds lead us towards the edge of the cliff culminating in a wide, circular, stone porte cochere. As we alight, a softly lit lotus pond at the entrance makes us welcome after the long drive. Though the angular structure is partially visible along the driveway, nothing prepares us for the dramatic impact of the home—the voluminous expanse, the double height ceilings, huge swathes of glass opening directly into lawns that appear to extend to the cliff edge, and the ascending mist wafting gently through the interiors.

Hugging the natural contours of the hillside, the entrance is situated at the highest point, with the major part of the villa accommodated on different terraces at lower levels. Aptly named Airavat or home in the clouds, the project was a ‘dream come true’ for Apoorva Shroff, one of the partners of the Mumbai based architectural practice reD Architects.