Tucked away in the paddy fields of Kodungallur in Thrissur, Kerala, Monsoon in Farmhouse sits lightly on the terrain. Perched at the highest contour of the site, the residence is designed by Kerala-based i2a Architects Studio to ensure uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape. The quiet retreat, conceived to be attuned to the rhythms of nature by the Indian architects, unfolds in the form of pavilion-like structures. The open, porous spaces of the residential architecture allow rain, wind and light to shape an ever-evolving experience within the home.

Unlike a singular mass, the house is structured as distinct yet interconnected volumes, each adapting to the contours of the site. The distinction of the volumes for the private residence, connected by a common deck, allows the designers to negotiate level differences while connecting the solidness of the architecture to the openness of the natural landscape. As the design team notes in a conversation with STIR, “The plot itself had a natural contour of two levels. The site had a lot of pre-existing vegetation. So we tried to make a concept of an inside-out home that reciprocates to nature.”

A deliberate lightness marks the architectural language. Large glass openings define much of the design, with the interiors set back from the plinth owing to large cantilevered roofs. Transparency is key—the walls dissolve into their surroundings, allowing the house to breathe with the shifting weather. The long, shaded verandahs become thresholds between inside and outside, mediating the intensity of Kerala’s sun and rain. The porosity of the house not only allows for the circulation of wind but also creates a sense of movement for residents. The fluidity in the spatial composition of the project implicitly guides one to freely move in and out of the residential spaces while simultaneously feeling like one is within nature. The i2a Architects’ team adds, “The plan was zoned in such a way that the public and semipublic spaces are aligned in the central axis with a double height volume and the private bedrooms are zoned on either side. Every space has direct access to the main deck except the master bedroom, which has its own private balcony.”

Upon entering, the living space opens up through a series of levels. While the upper level becomes a formal and more public living space for the residents to spend time together, the lower level consists of a dining and kitchen space, the place of communal interaction that opens out to the landscape design, extending towards the paddy fields just beyond the horizon. The public spaces of the house are flanked on either side by the bedrooms, each of which is complemented by large glazing that allows the residents to walk out onto the shared deck.

Concrete, steel, wood and local laterite stone shape the material palette of the minimal design—each chosen for its resilience against the tropical climate. The warmth of wood punctuates the interior design, bringing in moments of tactility. Earthy tones—warm browns, soft greys and deep greens blend with the surroundings, enhancing the feeling of being enveloped by nature. The interiors and colour choices again add to the lightness of the structure as the designers mention to STIR, “We used subtle colours and material palette in the interiors highlighting them with wooden finish, cement texture and white colour. The furniture is all wooden with nude or white shades of fabric. As nature has its own colours and the total livable area is open to it, we didn’t add anything extra [to ensure harmony in design].” The material choices were as much informed by the architects’ inclination towards traditional architecture as a deference to the natural.

“Monsoon in Farmhouse meets the vision of modern design with traditional taste. The idea was to collect traditional elements and integrate them with a contemporary lifestyle. The traditional pond is the main attraction of the landscape design [conceived] to align with the client's vision of preserving culture and sustainability while blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings. We drew inspiration from Kerala’s traditional temple ponds [and] chose the material to be laterite stone, renowned for its durability and natural appeal, which enhances the visual charm of the pond,” the architects explain. The use of the eaved silhouette for the house, along with the traditional rainwater channels and clay tiles for the roofs, further underscores the allusion to a vernacular language, albeit tempered by a modernist minimalism.

The manmade pond, the pivot of the project according to the architects, is more than just an aesthetic feature; it is a vital element of the farmhouse’s climatic strategy. The pond serves as a thermal regulator, absorbing heat during the day and cooling the air as evening sets in. As the monsoon arrives, the house transforms. The extended roofs channel rainwater into the pond, filling it up, while the scent of wet earth pervades the air. As the seasons shift, the water level fluctuates, making the pond an ever-changing presence—one that anchors the house both visually and experientially within its landscape.

In Monsoon in Farmhouse, lightness is a deeply embedded design philosophy—one that manifests in both material choices and spatial planning. At its core, the house presents a case study of permeability. Each pavilion-like volume is conceived as an extension of its natural surroundings rather than a barrier to them, inviting movement and interaction, ensuring that the house is constantly in dialogue with its environment. In the quiet hum of the falling monsoon, the farmhouse becomes not just a place to live but a space to listen—to the landscape, to the weather and to time itself.

(Text by Arryan S Siingh, Intern at STIR)