A Small Garden | Ahmedabad | Landscape India

A SMALL GARDEN

“A garden is a refuge; a haven; a paradise. It has the ability to innocently, yet unquestionably, put into perspective one’s relationship with nature. Domestic gardens, then, become the most immediate representations of these interactions. This relationship is intensified by the gardener’s devotion to the plot that he invests in cultivating - nurturing it with care, love, and empathy.”

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Location
Ahmedabad

Typology
Home Garden

Site area
600 m2

Not very long ago, the studio was invited by the daughter of an old family friend to undertake the imagination of a small private garden for a free-spirited family, with young children.

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The home that the garden was attached to was just being completed with a higher plinth, and a pavilion at the lower end.

Creating multiple forms of order the landform, then, was envisioned as sloping down from the house - yielding many pathways, with the sense of movement responding to the form. These pathways were held by central greens, graded to match the changing levels.

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The material that has been used in the garden brings together ideas of wilderness, formality, and productivity. Shrubs used within the palette create enclosures, with more sculptural plants standing tall - occupying the spaces within.

Tall grasses and palms have been used around the shed, with the backyard of the home being dedicated to the planting of vegetables. The front of the home has been planted with a lawn for the children to play in.

Swings and waterbodies have taken on the role of reviving childhood memories - imbibing within them ideas of innocence, and the pure joy that ensues from the simplicity of such spaces.

In the creation of these spaces, intentional and otherwise, a sense of organic geometry has been arrived at - with the usable spaces being located closest to the home.

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Ultimately, the space has become almost a tangible representation of the relationship that the family shares with the garden. It is a simple space that, with each interaction, has the ability to create new narratives; each time allowing for a new sense of joy, and humility - revealing new expressions and connections with every turn.

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