Located in Ahmedabad, ANTAHA is envisioned as a holistic home for a family of six spanning three generations—grandparents, parents, a son, and a daughter. The residence reinterprets the essence of the traditional Indian courtyard house through a contemporary architectural language that responds sensitively to Gujarat’s harsh climate, dusty winds, and intense solar exposure.
At the heart of the home lies a shaded green courtyard, the environmental and emotional nucleus around which the entire residence is organized. Every primary space opens inward toward this landscaped core, allowing abundant natural light, cross ventilation, privacy, and visual connectivity while creating a comfortable microclimate. More than an architectural feature, the courtyard acts as the climatic lung of the house, enabling passive cooling and strengthening the relationship between built form and nature.
Skylights strategically integrated within the structure enhance stack ventilation and draw soft, diffused daylight deep into the interiors, reducing dependence on artificial lighting. The building orientation maximizes northern light while shielding the home from the harsh western sun. A living façade of cascading creepers wraps both levels, filtering dust, tempering hot winds, reducing heat gain, and transforming the residence into a breathable green envelope.
The material palette is rooted in regional craftsmanship and sustainability. Reclaimed exposed brickwork, thick compressed stabilized earth block (CSEB) walls, and locally sourced Kota stone seamlessly connect indoor and outdoor spaces while providing excellent thermal performance and durability. Passive cooling strategies—including thermal mass, shaded verandahs, evaporative cooling, night purging, and naturally ventilated spill-out spaces—form the technical foundation of the project.
Landscape is conceived as an extension of the architecture itself, incorporating native drought-resistant species, low-water planting systems, drip irrigation, and rainwater percolation techniques to establish a resilient ecosystem suited to Gujarat’s climate. Layered thresholds, verandahs, framed vistas, and semi-open transitional spaces blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, encouraging a lifestyle deeply connected to seasonal rhythms and vernacular traditions.
Water-sensitive planning through rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, greywater reuse, and efficient water fixtures further reinforces the residence’s low-energy philosophy. Combined with daylight optimization, reduced air-conditioning dependency, solar integration, and natural cooling systems, the project fosters environmental responsibility while enhancing wellbeing, sensory comfort, and a deeper connection with nature.
Ultimately, ANTAHA emerges as a breathable tropical habitat—a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional climatic wisdom where architecture, landscape, materiality, and ecology converge to create a restorative living environment rooted in the cultural and environmental realities of Gujarat.
