This 500 Sq.m Urban plot is programmed as a sustainable live-work unit with the lower two levels as the studio space and the upper two as their family residence. The most fundamental ambition that generated this live-work typology was to pull the Sky into the lower work floors and to push the Earth upwards to the upper levels of habitation. The urban residence is defined by the three voids that punctuate built mass to varying depths. These courts help carve out highly private open spaces and yet deeply connect the residents with the rhythm of the sun and wind outside.

The east and west facing courts straddle the center of the house and fill up the heart of the home with dramatically and constantly shifting light and shade.

A lantern like, steel and glass stair hall, connects the first floor residence with the street level entrance. As one ascends through the concrete and brick clad sculptural volume and towards the upper foyer, it reveals the north facing prayer space. A precarious hanging cast-in-situ concrete 'cross' anchors this nebulous space. The family lounge and dining are flanked on either side by the screened east and west court. The west court, is designed as an earth-filled concrete vessel. This raised court complete with a mature Gulmohar tree, connects the upper level residence with the terra-firma. 

The second floor holds the master bedroom, children’s bedrooms, and the upper family lounge with large windows opening out to the east and west courts. All three bedrooms are positioned along either of the courts and the outer face as well, allowing for ample light and cross ventilation.

The design took the early modernist brick and concrete design vocabulary and adorned it with a metal tectonic to get to a more contemporary and lighter tectonic. Throughout the residence and the office, the bespoke detailing of elements such as staircase, metal railing, concrete panel walls, brick patterns, Kota flooring with brass inlay, are focused in reviving the craftsmanship and detailing. The most commonly used finishing materials end up evoking a higher sensory experience.

The use of unpretentious early modernist material and the oscillation sun created a constantly changing scenery inside the house and momentary drama unfold in ordinary spaces otherwise designed for daily life.

Material Used:
1. ALCOI Building Systems: Exterior Aluminium Door window
2. Sollfege: Home Automation System
3. TOTO: Sanitary ware
4. ThyssenKrupp: Elevator
5. Dorma: Office partitions

The House of Courts located in Gurugram, NCR, is a two-level urban residential unit housed above a two-level office space for a non-hierarchical design studio, Lopez Design Studio, that creates a sustainable live-work setup for the users. Strong integration between the two spaces was imperative for the design with the need to pull the sky into the lower work floors and to push the Earth to the upper levels of habitation. This has been seamlessly achieved using different voids that punctuate the built mass to varying depths and by creating private open spaces that connect the residents to nature and the outside world.

This 6000 sq. ft project has an extensive usage of aluminium doors and windows by ALCOI India. The design is earthy in nature and uses a brick and concrete design vocabulary. This is adorned with AluFIT and AluLITE range of Aluminium doors and windows to get to a more contemporary and lighter design. The bespoke detailing of elements adds to the aesthetic nature of the space, while also creating a permeable skin that brings in natural elements from the outside.

The east and west facing courts straddle the centre of the house and fill up the heart of the home with dramatically and constantly shifting light and shade. The built threshold along these courts is exploited to maximise the connection of the inside with the outside. Aluminium-clad deep bay windows — most of which open towards the inside with views of the landscape, and few, which allow outdoor seating and look back in — act as devices that allow for immediacy in the connection. The second floor holds the master bedroom, children’s bedrooms, and the upper family lounge with large windows opening out to the east and west courts. Ample light and cross ventilation are allowed within these rooms through these windows.

The design of the modular door and window systems with no architectural barriers ensures the optimisation of spaces and maximum transparency. They are developed with an ergonomic design with flat profiles. An innovative monorail system, of fixed and sliding nature, allows for a covered fixed outer frame profile and the option of integrating a retractable mesh against the sliding shutter on the inner track. The outer tracks have a unique condensation profile for collecting and draining water through hidden weep holes and slots. Additionally, the sliding tracks enable smooth sliding movement while the shutters have been fitted with self-adjusting rollers and theft guards. The use of wraparound glazing gaskets guarantees protection of glazing edges, and minimal use of plastic parts result in better aesthetics and maintenance.

The sections of the fenestration systems are all extruded from aluminium alloy. Aluminium extrusions are optimally designed to meet various requirements of functionality and strength. In addition, the system is assembled with accessories and hardware of anti-corrosive materials and special EPDM gaskets for air and water tightness of the system. Apart from being structurally and functionally viable, the door and window system provides absolute security and is completely environment friendly as well. Being weatherproof, fire-proof and termite-proof, the system is not only long-lasting and aesthetically sound, but is also value for money. 

The fenestration system by ALCOI also provides absolute security, making it completely reliable. The major essence of the House of Courts, that of inviting the outdoor environment inside and naturally illuminating the interior spaces, has been successfully achieved through the use of ALCOI systems, by positioning the doors and windows in a manner that helps in transcending the spaces to create a direct connection with nature.