A Vertical Family Home in Mumbai | SARVASVA by SPASM
SARVASVA — Reinventing the Family Home in Vertical Mumbai | Architecture by SPASM
Located in Mumbai, India, this remarkable 15,000-square-foot residence, completed in 2024, was designed by SPASM as a new interpretation of the traditional Indian family home. Rather than accepting the apartment tower as the only solution to urban density, the project transforms a twelve-storey building into a single, interconnected home where multiple generations can continue living together while preserving the intimacy, rituals, and relationships that define family life.
Named SARVASVA, meaning "my precious world," the project reimagines one of the most enduring elements of Indian domestic architecture—the veranda. Instead of stretching horizontally across a house, it unfolds vertically through a continuous sequence of terraces, balconies, gardens, and semi-open living spaces, creating an architectural spine that connects every level of the home with light, air, vegetation, and one another.
Movement is at the heart of the experience. A series of sculptural black spiral staircases weave through the central void, offering alternative paths between floors and constantly changing perspectives of the house, the city, and the landscape. Rather than simply moving from one level to another, residents experience the home as a continuous journey shaped by architecture itself.
Wrapped in a carefully crafted terracotta rainscreen façade, SARVASVA introduces warmth and texture into Mumbai's predominantly concrete skyline. More than an aesthetic gesture, this protective second skin filters sunlight, improves natural ventilation, reduces heat gain, and allows the building to respond gracefully to both climate and time. Deeply recessed openings and perforated terracotta screens create a delicate balance between openness and privacy, framing views of the city while preserving the intimacy of domestic life.
Nature is woven throughout the project. Gardens, planted terraces, outdoor rooms, and even an herb garden are integrated across multiple levels, reinforcing the belief that urban living should never lose its relationship with landscape. Throughout the house, locally sourced materials, Indian stone, timber, and restrained detailing express a quieter vision of luxury—one grounded in craftsmanship, environmental performance, and longevity rather than excess.
In this film, we experience SARVASVA through a poetic and cinematic architectural journey. Rather than simply documenting the residence, the camera follows the rhythms of the house itself—moving through its terraces, gardens, staircases, and living spaces to reveal how architecture choreographs light, movement, climate, and family life.
More than a house tour, this film is an exploration of one of the most compelling residential projects in contemporary India, demonstrating how architecture can transform the challenges of density into opportunities for openness, connection, and everyday life. It invites viewers to experience the project as if they were walking through it themselves, discovering a home where tradition and modernity, privacy and community, architecture and nature exist in continuous dialogue.
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Project: Sarvasva
Architecture: SPASM Architects
Location: Mumbai, India
Film by: Sohaib Ilyas
Film Curatorship by: Architecture Hunter