Contextual architecture

Miranda Palmeto is a productive house through the mixed-use of neighborhood-scale. It is part of a series of architectural interventions aimed at enhancing the Palmeto (a collection of palms) at the Cholul Nursery, a 2.5-hectare green space with several decades of history dedicated to the production and sale of tropical plants. Located in the heart of Cholul, a Mayan / Colonial community within the municipality of Merida in southeastern Mexico, this project seeks to bring value to the site and integrate it within its cultural and environmental context. Manolo R. Solís Manolo R. Solís Manolo R. Solís The goal of the project is to create a way of life where the house can generate income through the fragmen... More

In 1973, the Gujarat United School of Theology embarked on the construction of a modest library and cultural centre spanning two hundred and sixty square meters. Originally intended to house a specialized book collection and serve as a communal space for small gatherings, the project took an unexpected turn during its development. It was eventually repurposed to accommodate the Alliance Française, a move that would lead to the creation of a striking architectural statement. Caption Situated within the confines of a late nineteenth-century institution characterized by brick and stone accents, the Alliance Française at Ahmedabad stands as a testament to modernist design principles. Every element of its construction underwe... More

Ribbon House is a residence with two adjoining units for a brother and sister, built on a tiny plot of 92 sqm located in a tight residential context close to the 16th-century royal mausoleum complex, the Qutb Shahi Tombs, in Hyderabad, India. The plot is at the top of a steeply-sloping lane, surrounded by neighboring houses with shared walls on three sides with a narrow lane in the front. This posed a challenge to the spatial layout, natural ventilation, and privacy of the house. The beauty of the site was an existing pair of neem trees towards the center, and views of the Tombs from a height. TurtleArts Photography TurtleArts Photography Being located in the Heritage Zone, it was important to pay homage to vernacular architectur... More

Design and materials in Architecture always evolve althrough the passage of time but are still rooted from the  context of the place. Re-embrace elements and principles of houses in Nusantara. Nusantara in English means Archipelago, but the term itself was to draw the islands across from Sumatra to Papua. Built by the reaction of the tropical climate in Nusantara, the roof typically becomes the dominant element for a house. Celvin Leowardi The roof is the dominant shelter element of the house. The solid plates slit open and change into the transparent plate from tempered glass to get enough sunlight through the window. Filtered by the grid lines create a patterned shadow that adds another texture to the exterior wall.  Eave... More

Sadra library design initiated by the fundamental researches in order to illustrating the strengths and the weaknesses of the project context.As the result, two main goals were considered: Caption 1-In association with city:Creating an interactive form in relation with nature. 2-In association with function:Rethinking og conventional and traditional library design concept and creating new spatial quality In order to reach the first aim and because the site location has dual view into city and nature, in first step the position of the form was determined.In fact,we related the shape in south-north direction in consistency with adjacent texture and for using natural light and view… Caption At first,due to the limited budg... More

Perched on a bluff overlooking the water, this house on Long Island’s East End is a serene year-round retreat. Living spaces open outward toward the landscape, catching cool breezes and lapping waves in summer, and in winter orient inwards toward a cozy two-sided fireplace and warm wood paneling. Broad cantilevered overhangs create dramatic external rooms while providing additional shade from the summer sun. Albert Vecerka/Esto Albert Vecerka/Esto Albert Vecerka/Esto The house is contemporary but makes distinct reference to the modest early-modern dwellings that inspired the client. It settles into its natural environment, prioritizing new and old growth trees, outdoor living spaces, and views while using its low profi... More

The neighbourhood in which THE EPIC is located was originally characterised only by single-family homes. Today, the building is surrounded by an urban density of residential buildings. The scales of the existing houses and the new buildings collide. THE EPIC, although it provides 9 units of different sizes, contrasts with this problem in its villa-like appearance. With its articulated volumes and differentiated window openings, the building gives more the image of a family house rather than an apartment building. The refinement of the architecture is continued in the outer skin, from the detail of the window to the materiality of the brickwork. Again, the scale has been refined by the texture and colour of the thin tile. The resul... More

Looking to return to their homeland, this elderly couple based out of the Middle East wanted to build a comfortable retirement home near their ancestral home located in the Ayroor district of Kerala. The 0.5 acre plot, situated at the banks of Chalakudy river at the time was being used to cultivate indigenous vegetables, a practise the couple wished to continue even after their move. The couple was looking for a traditional, pitched-roof ‘tharavadu’-like home with ample verandahs that employed locally available craftsmen, contractors & construction methods and encouraged use of natural materials such as terracotta, laterite, kota stone etc. The client had a very clear programmatic requirement and a finite budget to achieve i... More

Title:House for an architectDesign Team: Deniz Ebrahimi Azar-Yasaman ForoutanClient : Mrs.DehghanLocation:Yazd,Iran. More

The site is a hide away, embraced by the Aravali Range with its greenery punctuated by quarried Rock, Kota village and the ITC golf course.The client being a golf enthusiast and having farming as a hobby, desired to use the place as a weekend getaway from his city life. Client’s brief was to create a farmhouse which would merge with its surroundings. Finishes were to have minimum required maintenance as the place would be used only once in a week. The vocabulary of the place was identified to resonate with the client’s personality - a symphony of contemporary and rustic. The site is of 3 acres, zoning of the which has been done in three parts, Main House, Servant Quarters and the Fields. 1.5 acres allocated to the fields and... More

A project of its own challenge and uniqueness that prompted us to shape the very definition of a government school. The main focus was to sculpt the school from an existing plan and dimension into a vibrant zone of learning, a place where kids can finally feel that the school is indeed built for them. Light, color, gathering spaces, greenery, scale, and most importantly, the kids have made this government school as what it is. The design breaks free of the typical rigid composition of a school through the use of Jaalis and height variations in the roof slabs which bring in daylight and ventilation, thus making it a breathing structure More

The Yahvi Residence is located in Coimbatore amidst three built forms. The design emphasis was on open spaces to facilitate abundant lighting and proper ventilation. This is achieved through a  central courtyard and skylight that forms the core of the house. The courtyard is the beating heart of the house in bringing the family together, connecting the various rooms, and serves as the perfect backdrop for family celebrations and events. Handmade Moroccan tiles accentuate the vertical wall of the courtyard, in stark contrast with the textural ochre.  The planning ensures that all rooms in the house from the bedrooms to common areas, such as the living and dining, connect to a semi-open/open space. The building's elevation has a str... More

This holiday home is designed on the hills of Sirumalai, Tamil Nadu to employ its sloped context, the incredible valley views, and the wilderness that surrounds it, blurring the line between man and nature. It was built on an existing foundation to minimize impact and cantilevers slightly over the edge. Large terrace and deck areas ensure the experiential fixity of nature. Building finishes are an amalgamation of rubble masonry, straw, thatch, terracotta, hand plaster, and laterite, all of which are sourced within close proximity of the site. Interiors are a cohesion of raw aesthetic, natural materials, and finishes that are contextually sensitive. Repurposed stems of old guava trees act as natural safety markers around the house. Apart fro... More

Client: The municipality of HamadanArchitent: NDA StudioArchitect in charge: Notash DadjooDesign Team: Notash Dadjoo, Mohammad Gerami, Naiem Nakhaie, Mehdi KhalafiSite area: 44500 Project area: 11800 The municipality of Hamadan intended to build a cultural complex on a small hill with a special visibility to the city. Consideration of building as a new urban sign, site topography, climate of the region, city’s architectural heritage, night sight with lighting, a platform with a proper view to the city, visibility from urban area to the project and providing given mixed functions was the fundamental need in architectural design which have been declared by the client. According to these needs, three approaches were adopt... More