When faced with the challenge of blending the bucolic ways of living with the inescapable modern grind, Dinterplay Architects had a creative solution in mind. They designed the Zarukha House from the ground up with an open-roof central court and impeccable latticework on the facade, two elements nearly impossible to find in architectural projects of the modern times.
The design
At a first glimpse, the facade of the Zarukha House chimes in with a uniqueness, giving an appeal that two houses are stacked one upon the other. This represents the two families living together in the building– two brothers who requested a structure that would balance privacy and social time.
The meticulous design details take over your senses when you step in, marked by a thoughtful play of light and innovative use of space. The four floors feature an ultra-modern design of the interiors with the luxury of comfort, ventilation, and plenty of privacy. The fifth and ground floors, on the other hand, are built to promote cohesion and make social time among the families effortless.
In all, this project showcases innovative architectural design amplified by sustainable solutions, simplistic structures, and a profound balance brought together by each corner of the building.
Innovative planning for sunlight and ventilation
The south-facing and linear plot offered plenty of opportunity to invite sunlight, but came with the challenge of gaining satisfactory cross-ventilation due to shared walls on both sides. To combat this complication, the facade of the house is perforated on the first and third floors. This innovative design helped on multiple fronts– in blocking harsh sunlight, offering privacy whenever required, and extending the area of the living room. Furthermore, the latticework builds pressure for an air tunnel to form within the building’s horizontal cross section. In harmony, all the floors are aided with front and back openings, to let the air flow through a natural tunnel without any blockages. The design also amplifies vertical connection using a vertical service core, wherein all the functional spaces are on the west and the service and utility areas of the house are towards the east end. The service core strategy further helped in bringing more stability to the structure, while also cutting building costs due to the synchronisation among floors.
The rural central court, redefined
The clients are deeply fond of their bucolic roots, so the architects ideated an upgrade of the central court, a space still found only in traditional houses. While the families’ individual floors (1st and 2nd floor for one family, 3rd and 4th for another) are internally connected, all four floors find a common connection through the central court in this linear plot. The idea behind the central court was to aid skylight and allow direct communication between floors. The ground and fifth floors are shared.
An ode to Gujarat’s latticework
The house façade is embellished by floor-length windows that follow a lattice structure with a sliding and folding treatment, inspired by the jharukhas of archaic households of the region. This design offers ample privacy and helps cut down on the harsh sunlight. Thus bringing a hint of nostalgia and weaving it effortlessly with an upcoming design aesthetic unique to Dinterplay Architects, this house is a stellar project backed with the latest technology and high-end user requirements.
The Zarukha House, a project led by architects Shreya Bhavsar and Krunal Patel, thus takes a fresh approach to modernisation of a region’s roots, while bringing a spark of innovation to the skyline of Surat.
