The East River Residence by Omar Gandhi Architects sits along the Atlantic shoreline of Nova Scotia, a long, low house set lightly across a rocky depression that faces the open water. Designed for a couple relocating from Montreal, the home supports a slower routine tied to the rugged coastline. Approached through dense coastal forest, the project appears gradually between granite boulders and scrub. The building stretches between two raised banks, touching the ground with a small footprint while the terrain passes beneath.
Set on the outskirts of Bharuch, this weekend retreat grows out of the land as much as it rests upon it. The plot came with mature fruit-bearing trees like mango (Mangifera indica), chickoo (Manilkara zapota), and jamun (Syzygium cumini), whose presence defined the layout from the very beginning. Rather than clearing the site, the house was conceived as a curving form that gently weaves around the existing canopy, allowing architecture and landscape to remain in dialogue.
"The house conveys a sense of calm and simplicity, while also providing shelter and warmth," the team at OAM says to describe Ca'n Gallineta, a Mallorca house that, despite being a new build, blends in completely with its Mediterranean surroundings. It appears as if it had always been there, set amid the reddish earth and the yellow grass. It was important to the studio to reduce its visual impact on a "delicate natural environment."
