Name & Location: Residence for Dr. Cijo and Dr. Thushara at Thrissur, Kerala

Built-up area: 2823.91 Sqft.

Description of the project:

Thinking of a residence in Kerala, the image that comes to anyone’s mind is that of slope roofed traditional house. This residence was a deliberate attempt at moving away from such romantic existent imageries of architecture by addressing issues such as change in the climate, use of contemporary materials, lifestyle of the clients, size and condition of available land etc. But utmost care was taken to imbibe the essence of the age old architectural system than blindly borrowing the visual appeal of the past.

Having no thread to pick up from the context in which it stands (architecture around) this unique three bedroom residence that spreads on a 10 cent corner plot, to an area of 2823.91 sq ft, in a residential colony quite close to the City Center, makes a bold statement as a silent protest against the pseudo traditionalism that has been plaguing the architectural scenario in Kerala.

The entire site with the landscape, compound wall, and the house, are all integrated mildly into one another. The design is purely a reflection of the lifestyle of the clients as well as their attitude towards life. This let the project be designed as nothing short of a celebration of light and openness.

(We sincerely hope the images attached would do the rest of the explanations. Apart from the regular Architectural Photographs, we have also deliberately included a few candid images of the clients (borrowed from them); we’d like to call “the slice of life”)

Materials of construction details:

Conventional building materials were used skillfully to create an ambience demanded by the project. Mostly locally available materials were used except for tiles and accessories.

The skylight, which is the most prominent feature of the design, uses two types of glass. The skylight is designed with inclined vertical face and horizontal faces. The vertical face is that of toughened frost glass for privacy and the horizontal face that which comes at the top is that of toughened reflective glass, to reduce the heat at the same time to help view the changing moods of the sky (it’s a treat on a full moon night as well as all through the monsoon.).

For the doors locally available hard wood is used and is painted with a specific light grey to go with the ambience of the house (the natural dark shade would have otherwise made the spaces look smaller). The main flooring material used is granite (a variety that which is relatively cheap and available in plenty). It is laid in a way to reflect the changing profile of the ceiling. Textured stone waste directly from the quarry (personally picked by the architects) adorn the courtyards as sculptures and as abstract patterns, both inside and outside the house, (in the court yards and in the landscape). The car porch is laid with Kota and the drive way is that of rough granite paving tiles woven into the lawn that covers the front yard. Locally available baby jelly is used to cover the rest of the site.

All handrails and grills are of painted mild steel. And only a few namesake interior decorative accessories are used, as the design doesn’t support heavy interior embellishments.

Special features:

Skylights as Light and Heat Controllers – The topmost part of the skylights are the highest points in the house. The unobstructed air passage all through the house accommodates collected hot air in these skylights that which escapes through the full length air vents.

…designed at the junction of the vertical and horizontal faces. An exhaust fan is positioned on the opposite vertical face to facilitate forced ventilation if necessary. Unmistakably the two skylights flood in ample light during the day and moon light during the nights, creating a breath taking ambience.

Split Ceiling Levels to reduce Heat – the ceilings in most of the areas split to form various levels to trap hot air and dispel them either naturally or by force by means of critically positioned air vents and exhaust fans respectively. The electric fans are hung from the lower level of these split levels so that they propel down relatively cooler air. Stack effect keeps the room cool otherwise.

Built in Furniture and Storage – The conventionally found clutter of loose furniture is altogether avoided in many areas by providing simple in-built furniture like the platform cot, multifunctional seating in the foyer, other seating in the dining and the kitchen. Storage spaces provided under most of these seating as well as the in-built cot avoid visual clutter as well. The other wardrobes, cabinets and storage racks do not protrude in to the internal space.

Interconnected Spaces – on entering the house one is taken a back by the large volume of space due to the deliberate attempt to connect spaces. This connecting of spaces is maintained all through the residence. The central volume consists of the living area, the dining, the 8m height sky light court, the stair core and the family deck above. This facilitates multi-level viewing, helping to create a larger special feel. Similar attempt is made by introducing a multi functional foyer for the bedrooms. The same essence is carried on to the toilet where the dress is placed in side the toilet.