What was the brief?
The client had come to us after having visited another residence that we had completed. We presume that the client family interacted with the residents of that house, and was apparently impressed by our approach to architecture and our architectural vocabulary, and simply entrusted the project to us with no other specific demand than that the house should have five bedrooms. In this sense, it was a simple and straightforward project brief.
What were the key challenges?
Mandated thus with a carte blanche, our key challenge was to rise to the expectations of the client, as well as maintain the high standard of design and construction that we set for ourselves in all our projects. Consequently, we were faced with the task of identifying an architectural vocabulary that would be most appropriate to the context of the project, comprised of the topographic features of the site, its location in a semi-urban setting, and the tropical-monsoon climactic conditions. We were conscious also of the traditional (pre-modern) architecture of Kerala with its sober aesthetics, exquisite craftsmanship, solid construction techniques and harmonious proportions. It was by a careful deliberation of the above-mentioned factors that we arrived at the present architectural formand vocabulary for the project, which is a contemporary re-interpretation of their traditional precedents. To summarize, our main concern in the project was not to merely resolve the diverse functions taking place in the house, but to render its architecture with a dimension of appropriateness rather than arbitrariness by grounding it in the reality of its context.
What materials did you choose and why?
The choice of materials was also in accordance with the above considerations, upholding the basic values of sobriety and simplicity. The sober architectural vocabulary of the building offers a counter-point to the lush green tropical landscape in which it is set. The front facade has a contrast of grey cement-rendered concrete beam-column frame and exposed brick-clad walls, accentuating its solid-void composition. The treatment of the interior spaces was done with a view of offering a richer sensorial ambiance for its inhabitants. The fenestration is treated in wood shutters and louvers (especially the extensive double-height window facing the interior pool) and glass in order to effect a chiaroscuro, light-shadow interplay. The floor is of brushed granite material and finish, and in the more public areas of the house (living and dining rooms and passages), of blue-coloured glazed tiles with a geometric pattern, alluding to Persian and Saracenic decorative treatments. The internal, open-to-sky pool, the light that reflects on the water and the rain that falls into it add to the sensorial quality of the interior of the house.
Material Used :
1. Facade cladding: Brick.
2. Flooring: Bharath flooring.
3. Doors: Custom made teak wood doors.
4. Windows: Custom made teak wood windows.
5. Roofing: Mangalore tiles and Concrete.
6. Interior lighting: Custom made Light’s.
7. Interior furniture: Custom made wooden furniture’s.
