The House with Balls by Matharoo Associates

In a plot to twenty minutes from the city Ahmedabad, built this house for the owner of an aquarium shop, as a place to raise fish and as a weekend home. The design is centered around four rearing tanks and an observation room that can function as living. Every aspect of the design is based on avoid excessive costs, using standard thin concrete walls of 125 mm, a conduit for space only three bathrooms, windows and doors made of steel plates or bars bent to handle and thistles.

As they approached the house down the country road, is perceived access hidden among weeds. The required limit is used is used for tank space, while the enclosure walls are used as retention structure of the tanks. Those are closed windows that run the entire length of the house.

Upon entering the house receives a large hall which opens into a small room on the left where the bedroom. The longitudinal design of the house allows different views into bodies of water: in the bedroom, the seat is above the water level and look down the length of the pool, while living offers residents a uninterrupted view of the tanks and fish when they open the windows.

Sunk in the medium level, negating the need for foundations, the house divided the field into two distinct spaces: on one side opens onto the garden and the other toward the four fish tanks.

The living area can be opened to both spaces, using metal blinds hung. When closed, it creates a space of 13 mx 3.6 m illuminated by the reflection of the tanks. The blinds are controlled by concrete balls made by hand; cheapest possible counterweight. These sway in the wind when windows are partially open, or sink in the ponds when fully opened, making this home a animated space according to their uses.

The concrete frames around windows play multiple roles, as a seat to watch the garden, climate protection and rats and snakes, as an inn for the kitchen. Homeowners enjoy the feeling of floating on a bed of lily petals while being overwhelmed by the weight of concrete balls.