The house therefore had to find a place between the trees. This was no easy matter as the foot-print is almost 12,000 sq ft. One more factor that added to the complexity was the introduction of the ‘vastu’ mandala’ by the client that became the starting point of the entire planning exercise.

The plan that emerged was thus a filtrate of a fairly intensive dissemination process. The only difference being that we never let this process get too clinical: instead the issues of sensitivity, tranquility and matters of the spirit predominantly held sway. For example, the meditation place as per ‘vastu’ is located in the north-east corner, so is the ‘kund’ or water-body. The reason for this setup is that in the ancient context waking up in the early hours of the morning, the act of bathing, followed by a period of meditation was meant to be a daily ritual. The north-east provides the best orientation to experience the sunrise during the process of meditation. The place for meditation has been located inside the ‘kund’ and connected by a stone bridge. This arrangement is symbolic of the act of ‘renunciation’ that is integral to the meditation process.