Highgrove House, Yercaud: A Prefabricated Retreat in Harmony with Nature| Art and Architecture Studio

On a pine-wooded slope in Yercaud, Tamil Nadu, Art and Architecture Studio crafts Highgrove House — a residence that rethinks how prefabrication can respond to ecology, topography, and climate. The 1600-square-feet home stands on a 20-degree incline, surrounded by 84 pine trees of which only eight were carefully relocated. The architects’ sensitivity to the site is evident in their approach: rather than cut into the terrain, the structure rises lightly above it. Steel I-sections and cement boards form the prefabricated framework, enabling precision, speed, and minimal disruption. By elevating the house on stilts, rainwater flow is left unimpeded, and the […]