Salient features of the project

Inward looking courtyard house …

It was opportunity for us to design a bungalow within densely
populated area
With homes nestling cheek by jowl, within such neighborhood often people are searching for individually for their houses. The carving for
individuality often tending towards loud architectural statements, it has to matched with the street context at the same time, the residence
should act in resistance to the Neighborhood around in some extendAnd it’s become interesting task to design a bungalow The site is closed from three sides, with the fourth ‘free’ road-facing side to the north. This brought to the fore the challenge of reconciling the requirements of privacy. The approach of the design was pragmatic focusing on creating a mass structure, carved with interesting spaces and volume within. The staggered internal spaces, double height volumes, fenestration and visual links further glorify the design. Use of the strategically placed courtyard and Landscaped areas and its texture make it a fascinating space. Often the simplest space leaves the most profound of impacts
A somewhat same thing happens with the inward looking courtyard house

Location and brief

The site is located in a densely-populated residential neighborhood, with homes nestling cheek by jowl. The footprint of the plot is a
compact 1100 sq ft, with laws capping built-up at twice the plot area *creation, had to be done sensitively: projecting affluence through
architectural form or material usage were anathema, as that would result in a certain disassociation from the social fabric of the locality.

Spatial programme

The site is closed from three sides, with the fourth ‘free’ road-facing side to the north. This brought to the fore the challenge of reconciling
the requirements of privacy (the distance to the house across the street is hardly 9′), ventilation and daylight penetration. This, and the
compact size of the plot, together birthed the design concept: a staggered section concept instead of a continuum of spaces, placed at
every half-level. This arrangement saved circulation areas, and, consequently, facilitated the creation of terraces at various levels. For
natural light penetration, a courtyard was a design root. This multifarious space performs the functions of dining areas, a pooja area
and a circulation space. Around the courtyard are arranged the living room, the kitchen, the children’s study areas (on the lower level) and
three master suites (one on every consecutive level, not stacked above each other but in a zigzag fashion). The skylight crowns the well of the courtyard.

The doing away of circulation areas also facilitated the creation of a terrace above the kitchen, which gives natural light to kitchen and
natural ventilation to all toilets. Placement of toilet one above other effectively reduces the duct distribution. The spatial programme that
pivoted around a central hollow volume resulted in enhanced connectivity and interactivity. Visual linkages have been established
on and across levels, creating a feeling of expanse and, at the same time, lending an explorative quality to the space. The staircase block
is located on the north, and shielded for privacy by granite louvers that give a filtered view of the person using it.

Front facade

The one-sidedness of the facade is alleviated by creating tiny, and shallow, offsets on either side of the building so that it appears to be
free of its neighbors. The offsets themselves hold lights so enhance this illusion at night. The frontage is set back by about 4 feet (contrary
to other structures that lie flush along the street) to accommodate plantation. The elevated main entrance faces north west to afford
some privacy. The stair near the door extends outwards to create an Ota, a gathering place, to keep the cultural connect alive. Directly
above the entrance lies the white protruding cube, whichaccommodates the bedroom on the first level (whose windows are positioned on the north west, again, in a bid to allow it some privacy). The terrace on the first level also enables the creation of a compact
parking space on the ground storey, a rarity in the locality where buildings stake their claim right to the road, without thought to private
parking. The staircase block is also located on the road-facing side, and shielded for privacy by granite louvers that give a filtered view of
the person using it.

Material and colour palettes

The material selection consciously veers towards familiar, comfortable choices — even humble ones — to prevent alienating the home from the society both architecturally and psychologically. Of course, the strict budget, too, played a role in shaping the material selection. It was also filtered by colours shahbad, kadappa, vitrified tiles, granite, and cement sheets the idea being to create a monochromatic play.
Internally, expanses of walls deliberately shun cosmetic overlays, and in themselves become contributors to the almost stark aesthetic. The
focus is on the way the materials could be used to create textural plays, and how large expanses of flat-painted walls would become a
canvas for the dynamic choreography between sunlight and shadows. The palette also ropes in the contrast between the animate and the
inanimate: a flourishing frangipani marks the plantation area at the edge of the plot, while its lifeless version paradoxically lends life to the
central courtyard, and participates in the ever-changing play of light and shade. Cement sheets have been used as wardrobe shutters;
internal shelving system has been fabricated out of MS frames and cement sheets; interesting textiles have been transformed into artworks.