in the development of the ‘house inside a rock,’ amey kandalgaonkar took influence from the rock-cut tomb architecture of saudi arabia’s madain saleh. this ancient archaeological site expresses classical facades carved into a mass of sandstone, rationalizing the organic geometry. the shanghai-based architect develops a more contemporary reading through an investigation of this subtractive method, introducing a second material to cut through the original rock. rather than through a flattening of the organic surface, the formal dichotomy is generated with the insertion of clean concrete slabs. the designer continues to develop fictional reinterpretations of historical precedents with his modernist pagoda.
all images by amey kandalgaonkar | @ameyzing_architect
shanghai-based architect amey kandalgaonkar elaborates: ‘considering the visual complexity of the rocks at madain saleh, it was imperative to use simple planes and cubes in order to achieve a visual balance. I started out creating the rock in 3D software which in itself was a sculpting process. later when inserting the house into this rock, I tried to keep its visual impact from eye level as minimum as possible and only when observed from a bird eye, the real extent of the intervention is revealed.‘
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This is fantastic..you did a beyond great job. I would love to see the inside.my hubby an I have been married 45yrs an we were taking about people who if could live inside the rocks the ones that are hooked like mountains to were you dig down see with solid rock above you if nuclear war came you would be perfected all tucked with in rock I bet you had ways to get water from the rocks another level you’d have a garden an fruit trees.maybe even spring for swimming.with your ideas an intelligent it could be amazing.you could have arranged who went with you Doctor…chemist…maybe same age group kids so they grew up an populate in case. Your down there 15 to20years safe to come out you already have your ..EDEN
The rock was much more beautiful before!
A beautiful design for sure. The renderings are quite compelling. I wonder if the design team used ray tracing when computing the visual output.
the green marble wall is a great (and sophisticated) touch
A great energy efficient design! Interesting conceptual that requires a ground main entry & garage with rooftop solar panels. Interior living level graphics would be a helpful addition.
i think that; no, the rock was not more beautiful before. it was pretty, sure. all nature is, in a way, at least. this piece was aesthetic in some general sense. but now its WAY more than just a rock. but the same concept could be executed “better”, imho, with a subtler touch. my 2 cents.
a whole new world.
Can we start shaming every architect that uses concrete? 40% of greenhouse gas emissions comes from concrete. Horrific habitat destruction from both the mining if sand and other components and the constant expansion of our built environment. It needs to stop now. Just as desperately as we need to stop fossil fuel use. @Designboom and other design media sites have a Responsibility to future generations to encourage ecological design and boycott damaging ones.
I agree with Brendon. If we don’t build responsibly with sustainable materials, with or without cool architecture designs, there will be no ‘us and the planet’ to consider.
The house looks interesting with a lot of pizazz. But it’s so assertive with its rectangular planes that, in my opinion, it overpowers the rock. Couldn’t you have achieved the result you wanted and still let the rock dominate instead of the house?
Architecture should blend with nature – not overtake it.