Sleeping with the fishes

Architecture firm Matharoo associates, built 'House with balls' outside Ahmedabad (India), for an aquarium shop owner to function as a place to breed fish as well as a weekend retreat.

The concrete balls were used as inexpensive counterweights for the continuous row of push-up shutters on either side of the linear living area give the house its name. These counterweights hold the shutters in place at any angle, but when the shutters are fully opened they totally disappear from view as they are submerged into the pond or lie upon the grass, both of which lie adjacent to the house on either side.

A clever design solution that combines functionality with aesthetic beauty.