Anil Kush residence

The site is a part of a gated community, located on the outskirts of Bangalore close to one of the industrial and technology hub called the Electronic city. It is a flat piece of land measuring 120 ft x 80ft with lot of existing plantation and is bound by a road along the eastern edge. The sub urban setting is idyllic in a way as it creates the feel of being away from the hostilities of the city and being in a paradise when one considers the rampant development which signifies the notion of city. These communities though being on the edge are desirable places for luxury lifestyles which demand a strong relationship with the outdoors, nature.

The attempt is to reflect these aspects directly where the notion of a shelter as a safe haven is complemented by the need to harmoniously coexist with nature. In doing so it takes on the notion of multiple “pavilions in landscape” which explore the extent of the 10,000 square feet plot and its surroundings. These pavilions accommodate living spaces which mediate with the immediate surroundings through envelopes of dynamic and static planes. The dynamic planes are sliding panels which when open literally to bring the outside in converting the house into an open pavilion blurring the boundaries between outside and inside.

The programmatic needs initially were accommodated into an anticipated volume. The process was to take into account the familial need for a distinction between public and private spheres. The idea of distinct volumes OR PAVILIONS for various activities supported this possibility. This also helped us to develop the built around existing trees enmeshing the house and the landscape. The volume is divided into the public and private zones which take on the form of two horizontal bars along the north south separated by large open space in-between. The public zone includes drawing, dining and kitchen areas whereas the private zone largely caters to bedroom spaces. Each of these volumetric bars is modulated to accommodate necessities. The two zones are connected by a movement spine which flows to become the family pavilion in the private part of the house. One of the spaces is taken to the upper level to explore the surroundings and also bring in a sense of personal space considering the requirements of his son. We considered lifting it above the conventional height of 3 meter to a height of 5meter to explore the surroundings and in the process generating multidimensional space which serves as studio library and also a store over the spine connecting the two zones. The idea of the landscape becoming a part of the structure is not only about the experience along the horizontal plane but also along the vertical. Water is introduced as a thermal regulator to cool the house naturally during the hot summers and also to accentuate the outside inside experience, as in three fourth of the house sits on a plate of water which weaves into the spaces and lends to the quality of experience

The experience of moving through the structure is heightened by the tactility of the spaces and the overlapping sequences of built and unbuilt. One is greeted by the water body before entering the house along the central spine. The spine is a space that forms the back bone of the experience where one has to pass through it to get to any other space. The drawing room is seen as an independent pavilion which is connected to main spine through a glass enclosed bridge over the water body. Dining, kitchen store forms the other edge to the public sphere of the house. Here the dining space opens out to the garden and the water body. Water flows into the spine subtly rendering privacy to the personal and family spaces. The TV room sits as pavilion across the dining separated by water enhancing the layered experience. The western side is edged by bedrooms which are sited to have their own pieces of the large garden spaces. Straight flight leads one to the multifunctional space wrapped in glass on top of the spine and further continues to the upper level family which frames the distant landscape with large picture windows. The multifunctional space opens on to the terrace is edged by water body which connects to water at the lower level as a water fall. The bedroom at the uppermost level also works as an extension of the family space at this level by the virtue of the sliding partition system.

Material palette is limited to materials like wood, natural stone concrete which are complemented with plastered walls. Natural light streams through wooden screens which serve as doors and windows and also strategically placed picture windows and sky lights. This lends a quality of lightness and airiness complementing the intended pavilion qualities. This house expresses the essence of living amidst gardens in a rapidly developing place like Bangalore which is on the verge of losing its sobriquet “the garden city”.