Nodecraft Studio designs poured-earth

Nodecraft Studio has completed a 279-square-metre weekend retreat named Aalok Farmhouse on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The architecture practice designed the farmhouse to serve as both a holiday home and a space for the clients' business meetings.

According to the studio, the project required a balance between privacy and collective interaction. This led to a departure from conventional farmhouse layouts. Instead of enclosed rooms linked by internal corridors, circulation is externalized. Movement becomes a sequence of shaded pathways, courtyards, and framed views.

Design and Layout

The independent volumes are described as pavilions. They are arranged in a staggered configuration around existing trees on the site. The studio aimed for a continuous exchange between architecture and nature.

Entry to the U-shaped main block is through its center, hugging a linear swimming pool set into the sloping terrain. This block houses the living, dining, kitchen, and worship areas in an open plan overlooking the pool. Each of the three bedrooms is a separate volume around the main block, featuring a private verandah that appears to float due to the slope.

Construction and Materials

Soil excavated from the site was mixed with lime, cement, and aggregates to form poured-earth walls. These structural walls are punctured with large glass openings. Nodecraft Studio used an inverted beam system to create an uninterrupted, cantilevering roof over the decks and courtyards.

The earthy material palette extends throughout the farmhouse. Leather-finished kota stone flooring is used indoors, transitioning to river-bed-finished granite in the semi-open spaces. Furniture includes wooden pieces with woven upholstery, complemented by jute rugs and locally sourced decorative objects.

Studio founder R Hemanth explained the approach to Dezeen. The transition from lush landscape to intimate covered space, and finally into an open courtyard, creates a deliberate sequence of compression and release. This makes the journey to the bedrooms an experience in itself.

Nodecraft Studio concluded that Aalok Farmhouse redefines contemporary farmhouse living. It replaces the idea of a singular enclosed residence with a sequence of pavilions shaped by the landscape. The studio is a Bengaluru-based practice founded by Hemanth in 2023.

The photography is by Naresh and Nayan.