An Indian architecture studio has completed Ushas, a farmhouse set into a steep hillside in the Malabar hills near Kozhikode, Kerala. Designed for a retired couple who moved from Andhra Pradesh to work farmland, the home is arranged as three staggered volumes that step with the site’s natural contours.
For mason contractors and stone crews, the headline detail is the material choice and the way it is used. The house is built from locally sourced black granite set in thick masonry walls. The design team said the wall-making referenced cave building, aiming for a grounded feel while limiting disturbance to the hillside. Those heavy granite walls also help keep interior spaces cooler, pairing the performance of mass masonry with climate-responsive planning.
Above the stonework, the roof assembly combines corrugated galvanized steel sheets, slender steel rafters, and traditional Mangalore tiles. Deep overhangs extend outward to cover verandahs during Kerala’s monsoon season. High winds on the steep site raised concerns about tile damage, so a concealed layer of corrugated galvanized steel was placed beneath the tiles to reduce breakage and resist uplift. That hidden layer also directs rainwater toward the eaves for drainage.
A central passage runs between the stone volumes, linking living areas, bedrooms, and the working landscape. Along that route, the architects included shelters for farm workers, reinforcing that this is both a home and an active agricultural site. A separate room for reading and practicing the veena uses glazed walls that open directly to the landscape.
At the lower level, square-cut granite steps lead to an open-air temple set into a retaining wall. The living room projects over the shrine, creating a sheltered meditation space and a stone podium facing the mountains. Stepped planting beds and paths continue the site’s contour-driven approach as the owners add native trees and crops over time.
Read the full, original article from Dezeen here.