Name & Location: Natvarlal Nyalchand House, 2-Collegewadi, Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, Rajkot, Gujarat

Built-up area: 164 sq m
(In case of Public Building minimum built-up area should be 1000 sq. meter)

Description of Project:

The Site – “Collegewadi”

The site is a square wooded plot of land admeasuring 726 m² with an 18 m wide road to the east and 7.5 m wide streets on west and south sides. The north abuts a commercial plot in the busy commercial heart of Rajkot City. The area was once a peaceful residential district next to the Rajkumar College, one of the oldest K12 public schools in the country.
Brief – saving “The OLD”

The process of making residential studio spaces started with the preservation of natural elements originated over the years. Spaces created by trees and the existing outhouse foot print on the plot were a prime governing factor to design new premise. To explore local skills and resources were indeed a starting point to celebrate the traditional wealth of the region.

The Courts and the Traditional Type

The inherited site was uninhabited for almost 18 years. Over these years, the outhouse structure, made with Kaccha masonry went into decay and started falling apart. During the intervening period, couple of ‘Umro’ (Ficus racemosa) and a ‘Peepal’ (Ficus religiosa) trees grew in one of the room spaces. Respecting the trees and their existence, two courts were made replacing room spaces, to invite air, light and water for the existential.

This then resulted in a physical separation between the private and public parts. The builtform represents the typical old vadi house, with a long verandah space facing the arrival area locally known as Faliu and rooms locally known as Ordo. Due to by-law constraints and resisting the traditional type, the new design became linear where the two parts of the building are connected with a single east-west verandah and the spontaneous trees, one Peepal and Umro were accommodated in to two courts along the plan. The roof-scape evolved out of the necessity of using no concrete as required by the local authority, favouring the decision to make the building climate concerned.

Materials of Construction Details:

The material palette was brick load bearing walls with a single/limited band out of reinforced concrete. The pitch roof was supported with flitch plates and the traditional system of Morth tiles was used.

Wood: The wood used in the construction of principals, gates, doors and windows is recycled, it being sourced from houses pulled down in the region. Some wood used in the house are some from places as far as 100 km to Rajkot. The raw wooden gathered often sailed down memories of previous use, which is left as is to be seen and remembered.

Precast concrete frames: All doors and window frames are with pre-cast concrete frames, sourced from Gondal town, which is only 30km. from Rajkot. This makes the construction mix locally resourced and efficient but also greatly economical. Various positions and assemblies in the shuttered window was for different uses.

Local Stone – Kadmohil (black Trap) and Brick: Were used as they were readily available. Nets were not of a very good quality because of their available single quality, all the wall surfaces are lime plastered with lime paint finish. In special elements the material needed to be exposed, local stone is used in terms of random rubble masonry.

Pre-laminated boards: The timber portion of the roof is done with Pre-laminated ash boards. The same material used at structural system was kept as a fine way of replacing the surface of the traditional assembly.

Metal sheets: Joined above the west side as an additional light and rain proof and to create wind suction for its roof and aesthetics.

Details: The building details are predominantly governed by the wood sizes and availability of local materials and elements used. However, these constraints worked towards being innovative. The detail of the window shutters is done using the local rare joiners of Rajkot. The school next to the site had no sewer and to stabilise the new connection to city, the termination of random rubble masonry platform was extended up to Rajkot roof and a 2000 Ltr tank was added to handle the moments as used in regional traditional buildings.

Above all, all those things used in the house, the way in which they are used is extremely contemporary and apt with today’s context and time.

Climate: The building represents a compact typology built in the centre of the plot and has a conscious north south orientation, raised ceiling

height; provision and positioning of light and ventilators, an open sky court for water and the deep proportions of walls, built with natural materials. The louvres and opaque shutters of windows help maintain the temperature and control glare.

Economy: Economy plays a major role in every aspect of this building design. The very idea of making the building using same footprint and respecting the original configuration was the first step towards economy. Not only using the wood from the old demolished houses, helped saving a lot of natural resources, but also utilising material from near by region and local resources in terms of building and detail development was extremely useful in making the building economically sustainable.

Special Features:

Architectural Regeneration

Method of construction and Material Explorations

The building represents an amalgamation of contemporary modern techniques with traditional methods of space making as well as construction. The house demonstrates the potential for using used building material in a domestic building. In a way, it represents a clear thinking approach to the design of efficient, economic and comfortable building using the technology and materials that are local and “of the day”, and is not concerned with “style”.

The building was very fortunate to get the help of a contractor in his mid nineties, who built many old buildings of Rajkot. Care was taken to ensure speedy construction with minimum form of material and efforts to achieve a holistic space. Using modern techniques to lay out drainage and water supply even at the stage of foundation was first of its kind in the city. The use of twin chamber double soak septic tanks ensured that the waste water was sufficiently treated to be used in the sprawling garden of the plot.

For us Architectural Regeneration was a way of expressing hope and local wisdom, which makes the design wiser than the builders. This design was used to reflect the inner sensitivity to the space making exercises to suit the regional architecture. This residential studio is a backdrop to the trees long existed. A humble backdrop which sympathises with nature, talks to sky and invites air to meander into small openings. The arrival court slowly shifts its point of focus and celebrates the growth of the built. Movement of air and light washing the walls took shape of the courts and the still windows. Verandah became a place to be with and within. Outdoor spaces become places to share close moments. The fishes in the pond of a Peepal tree court, sing with rays of sun through the leaves of the tree and plays with the fallen fruits. It is a place to celebrate nature and time, at the same time having a nostalgic feeling of the history sang by the trees around.