Nari Gandhi was an Indian architect known for his innovative organic architecture works. He designed the Gobhai Mountain Lodge in 1964-1965 in Lonavala, Maharashtra for client Jal Gobhai. The lodge is located on an inaccessible cliff top near a reservoir. Gandhi used local stone and a triangular plan to take advantage of sunlight and views. He employed Frank Lloyd Wright's "desert masonry" technique of forming stone walls within wooden frames then pouring concrete.

1. GOBHAI
MOUNTAIN
LODGE
PRESENTED BY
UMA MULLAPUDI

2. NARI GANDHI
❖NARI GANDHI[1934-1993]
WAS AN INDIAN
ARCHITECT KNOWN FOR
HIS HIGHLY INNOVATIVE
WORKS IN ORGANIC
ARCHITECTURE.

3. ❖WHILE WORKING IN INDIA NARI CONTINUED TO WORK ON
WRIGHT’S IDEALOGY OF ORGANIC ARCHITECTURE AND
FURTHER DEVELOPED HIS OWN UNIQUE STYLE WITH A
SUBTLE INFLUENCE OF LOCAL CLIMATE AND CULTURE.
❖HE CEASELESSELY CONTINUED TO WORK ON WRIGHT’S IDEA
OF ‘FLOWING SPACE’.
❖HE WAS ALSO KNOWN AS HOWARD ROARK OF INDIA.
❖MOST OF HIS BUILDINGS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE EXERCISES IN
BALANCING ,ACTS TO HOLD ROOFS UP AND UNIQUE WAYS
IN FERRYING LOADS TO THE GROUND.

4. • IN HIS WORKS THE FUSION OF INTERIOR SPACES CREATE
TRANSPARENCY WITHIN A STRUCTURE IS OBTAINED BY THE
MEANS OF GEOMETRY.
• GEOMETRY WAS USED TO GIVE DYNAMISM TO FORM AND
TENSION OF THE SPACE.
• HE BELIEVED THAT GEOMETRY WAS THE UNDERLYING
DISCIPLINE OF STRUCTURE , A PRIMARY TOOL FOR
ORDERING AN ARCHITECTURAL FORM.

5. GOBHAI MOUNTAIN LODGE
❖CONSTRUCTED BETWEEN 1964-1965.
❖LOCATION; NEAR TUNGARLI DAM, LONAVALA,MAHARASTRA.
❖ARCHITECT ; NARI GANDHI.
❖CLIENT ; JAL GOBHAI.
❖BUILDING TYPE ; RESIDENTIAL.
❖BUILDING USAGE ; PRIVATE RESIDENCE.

7. • IT WAS THE FIRST PROJECT BY THE ARCHITECT NARI GANDHI.
• AND WAS ARGUABLY THE FIRST TIME F.L.WRIGHT’S TALIESIAN
WEST ‘’DESERT MASONRY’’ METHOD WAS UTILIZED IN INDIA.
• THE LODGE IS LOCATED ON AN INACCESSIBLE CLIFF TOP; IT’S
A VERY REMOTE LOCATION NEAR AN ELEVATED DAM
RESERVOIR.
• ACCESSIBILITY; THE LODGE REMAINS DIFFICULT TO
ACCESS EVEN WITH A HEAVY VEHICLE.
• ITS DESIGN RESPONDS TO THE SPECIFIC CONDITIONS OF
SITE.

8. • THE FORM OF NARI’S BUILDINGS WAS ALWAYS DETERMINED
BY THE GEOMETRY OF HIS SITES.
• HERE TOO HE DEVELOPS HIS GEOMETRY FROM THE NATURE
OF TWO DISTANT VIEWS- THE RAJMACHI HILLTOP FORT AND
THE VALVAN LAKE BELOW.

9. PLAN
• THE MOST STRIKING DESIGN ELEMENT IN THIS BUILDING IS ITS
PLAN.
• THE ARCHITECT USED THE EAST-WEST MERIDIAN AS A CENTRAL
DIVISOR OF THE SITE , AND USED A 30/60 TRAINGLE AS THE FORM
GENERATOR FOR THE HOUSE ALONG THIS MERIDIAN.
• THE CONTOURS OF THE SITE PLAYED A MINOR ROLE,BUT THIS
TRAINGULAR LAYOUT WAS INTENDED TO MAXIMIZE THE HEAT
AND, LIGHT OF THE SUN ALONG THE SITE.

11. WALLS
• THE WALLS OF THE HOUSE WERE BUILT WITH WRIGHT’S
METHOD , LARGE STONE WERE PLACED WITHIN
WOODEN FORMWORK,WITH THE MORE FLAT/FINISHED
SIDES OF THE STONES FACING OUTWARDS.
• AFTER THIS CONCRETE IS POURED FROM THE TOP AND
SETTING ,THE FORMWORK IS REMOVED LEAVING A
ROUGH RUBBLE OUTER FINISH TO THE BUILDING.
• FOR THIS LOCALLY QUARRIED STONES WERE USED.
STRUCTURE

13. ROOF
• ITS ROOF COSISTS OF WOODEN TRUSSES AND STEEL.
• A LARGE ROOF WITHDEEP OVERHANGS [ INCLUDING LONG
PROJECTIONS AT THE GABLE ENDS] AND EAVES WHICH TOUCH THE
GROUND ,WAS BUILT IN SHEETS OF ASBESTOS CEMENT.
• THESE DEEP ROOF OVERHANGS PROTECTED FROM THE REGIONAL
HEAVY RAINS.
• THE ROOF BEAMS ARE SET AT 30 DEGREES WHILE THE ROOF PANELS
ARE PLACED PERPENDICULAR TO THE WALLS.

16. ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS
• FLOORING:THE FLOORING OF THE LODGE IS SIMPLE CONCRETE ,WITH
GROOVES THAT FOLLOW THE TRAINGULAR GEOMETRY OF THE ROOF.
• OPENINGS :WITHIN THE ANGLES OF THE TRAINGULAR PLAN, OPENINGS WERE
ALIGNED TO VIEWS OF THE THE NEARBY RESERVOIR AND VALLEY, AND DISTANT
RAJMACHI FORT.
• LIGHT AND VENTILATION: THE DESIGN ALLOWS MAXIMUM SUNLIGHT INTO THE
INTERIOR SPACES……WITHIN THE LODGE ,THE MAIN LIVING AREAS WERE
EXPOSED TO MAXIMUM SUNLIGHT .
• WIND :THE ROOF ON THE EAST FACE IS PRESSED DOWN TO REDIRECT THE AIR
FLOW TO THE PREVAILING SOUTHWEST WINDS.
• VERANDAS:THE VERANDAHS OF THE LODGE OVERLOOK THE FORT AND THE
LAKE, A CONSTANT SOURCE OF JOY FOR THE INHABITANTS.

17. THE MAIN TECHNIQUE ADAPTED FOR CONSTRUCTION IS
TALIESIAN WEST ‘’DESERT MASONRY’’.

18. MATERIALS
• LOCALLY QUARRIED STONE FOR WALLS .
• WOODEN TRUSSES AND STEEL FOR ROOF.
• CONCRETE FOR FLOORING.