BEST OF GOA - Volume 1

Page 26

A typical Hindu home is low-scaled with a low plinth, a small seating porch with short bulbous columns and a loft like upper floor with windows.

While the lovingly preserved heritage houses are evocative of the rich culture of this period, ordinary houses in the village are charming too. Sloping roofs made of bright red Mangalore tiles are required by law and make a pretty picture framed against green trees and blue skies. The Houses of Goa Museum, structured like a ship, is architect Gerard D’cunha’s tribute to the unique architecture of the region.

Christian houses Porch (balcao), tall European style columns 26

Best of Goa

Hindu houses Internal courtyard with rooms built around it

A recipient of the Prime Minister’s National Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design (1998 - 99), D’cunha derives his design philosophy from Goa’s architecture. “Goa has through the ages been a melting point of different cultural and artistic influences. The spirit of experimentation displayed in the assimilation of these diverse trends has been my influence,” he says.

Materials Laterite stones Local bricks Mangalore tiles

Places to visit Braganza House - +91 832 2784227 Fernandes House - +91 832 2784245 Houses of Goa Museum - +91 832 2410711

Gerard D’cunha Photos: Assavri Kulkarni Portraits: Sonal Vaz


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