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46 Samira Rathod Design Associates Tectonic and delightful, the work of Samira Rathod displays an exacting sense of materiality, tactility and crafting combined with playful experimentation and innovation. Rathod joins a new group of Indian architects who do not lean towards the representational repertoire of signs and symbols, but rather towards the sheer delight of presence where material juxtaposition and phenomenal fabrication speak for themselves. Deeply involved in the design and production of furniture (she once ran a furniture store called Tranceforme), Rathod carries that sensibility into architecture in an instrumental and conceptual manner. Site and the affective conditions of the landscape are also important progenitors of her architecture. Whether it is a tree house made of canvas and gunny bags, a maze in a forest made of wooden logs, a high-end store whose spaces are continuously re-created by repositionable panels of rich fabric hung from steel tracks, or a door of 2- tonne concrete, Rathod is a consummate materialist in the most poetic sense. On each occasion there is always a subtle turn towards what she describes as ‘a trance, a mood that brings sheer delight’. Karjat Farmhouse, Karjat, Maharashtra, 2001 On a site that attracts migratory birds, it was important that the house blend into the environment so as to keep the birds from leaving. As a result, an existing row of trees was left undisturbed and the spaces of the understated house conceived around them, on top of a large mound resting 4.2 metres (14 feet) above a man-made lake.

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Page 1: Samira Rathod Design Associates

46

Samira Rathod Design AssociatesTectonic and delightful, the work of Samira Rathod displays an exacting sense of materiality, tactility and crafting combinedwith playful experimentation and innovation. Rathod joins a new group of Indian architects who do not lean towards therepresentational repertoire of signs and symbols, but rather towards the sheer delight of presence where materialjuxtaposition and phenomenal fabrication speak for themselves. Deeply involved in the design and production of furniture(she once ran a furniture store called Tranceforme), Rathod carries that sensibility into architecture in an instrumental andconceptual manner. Site and the affective conditions of the landscape are also important progenitors of her architecture.

Whether it is a tree house made of canvas and gunny bags, a maze in a forest made of wooden logs, a high-end storewhose spaces are continuously re-created by repositionable panels of rich fabric hung from steel tracks, or a door of 2-tonne concrete, Rathod is a consummate materialist in the most poetic sense. On each occasion there is always a subtleturn towards what she describes as ‘a trance, a mood that brings sheer delight’.

Karjat Farmhouse, Karjat, Maharashtra, 2001

On a site that attracts migratory birds, it was important that thehouse blend into the environment so as to keep the birds fromleaving. As a result, an existing row of trees was left undisturbedand the spaces of the understated house conceived around them,on top of a large mound resting 4.2 metres (14 feet) above a man-made lake.

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Interactive Maze, Colaba Woods, Mumbai, 2002

This installation for the city of Mumbai, designed in the city’s wooded area, was inspired by the wood itself. Amaze made out of red and blue wooden logs challenges children to find their way to its core, and back out again.

Palete, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai, 2004

Designed as a highly flexible fabric and lifestyle store of 650 square metres (7,000 square feet),the ceiling is marked with a steel grid of tracks that allows about 150 panels to be moved andpositioned to create different kinds of areas within the overall space. Another special feature isthe 2-tonne concrete entrance door.

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Office interiors for Asian Age, Mumbai, 2002

This modern office environment for a newspaper agency is literallyinserted into an existing printing shed. The intervention lies withinthe first 3 metres (10 feet) of space, allowing the old shed to bevisible in the new office space. An interesting play of new andconventional materials is juxtaposed with the existing old brick and trusses above.

Tree House, Bharuch, Gujarat, 2000

Created for young teenagers to see in the new millennium atop atree, this playhouse is made from canvas, gunny bags andeucalyptus-tree logs. At 56 square metres (600 square feet), it isperched as three boxes under a large rain tree.

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Kishore Mariwala House, Alibag, 2006

The house was designed for a couple as the further evolution oftwo previous houses, and is a spatial narrative and materialensemble. Three forms are connected by a spine, with each formrepresenting a different mood and condition. The house exudesa sense of exuberance and fun in a coherent manner in whichthe three incongruous forms are amalgamated to create theliving spaces. Rathod’s idea of design as conducting a musicalcomposition is reflected in the symphonic (more jazz-like)nature of the whole ensemble.

Text © 2007 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Images: p 46 © SRDA, photos Rajeshwar; p 47(t) © SRDA, photo Samira Rathod; p47(b) SRDA, photos Sebastian Zachariah; p 48(t) © SRDA, photos Mr Nrupen Madhvani; p 48(b) © SRDA, photosSamira Rathod; p 49 © SRDA, photos David D’Souza