Function Of The Mango House

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The Mango House- “Form follows Function”

The Mango house is the physical manifestation of a quest to connect with the natural environment. The house is a reflection of the architect 's creative sensibilities; its essence being simplicity in thought and expression - taking shape through the form, its spaces and building materials.

The site has been defined by the coordinates of several existing majestic mango trees. Hence, the ‘function’ is the conservation of these 100-odd-year-old inhabitants; while the ‘form’ of the structure is governed by their location. Their integral presence warranted the design approach to accommodate the roots of the trees, thus embodying the basic values of being organic. Having established this, the aim was to be able to view the surrounding landscape from any point in the house - along both North-South and East-West axes. Entrance on all four sides helped meet this aim and present an uninterrupted view of the verdant environ.

There are two design aspects here: one is its universal target and the second is its very orientation towards the exteriors and the green, the whole metamorphosis. Therefore, the very aspect of having to find your balance between the existing feature, the landscape and your house became the tone of the design. This can be seen in the way the spaces responded, the way those spaces were placed initially; for instance the small and humble entrance porch on the north façade, nestled in between the branches of the huge tree,