Located in a town of substantial historical and architectural significance, this house began when the client approached us with a plinth already constructed according to a layout given by a local Vasthu consultant. The family desired a space reminiscent of the old typologies present in the locale, but also wanted qualities in sync with their modern lifestyle.
The strategy thus, was to deviate as little as possible from the typological reference already embedded in the plinth, and yet bring about a modern spatial configuration as the core of the house.
The quintessential local elements of design – the roof and the horizontal ventilating devices such as the courtyards, verandas and screens – are deployed to this end, in tackling the hot wet climate of the region. The existing plan was examined through a detailed modelling exercise to arrive at a scheme of cascading roofs reminiscent of Classical Kerala Architecture.
Working backwards from there, the inner arrangement was to achieve a free plan appropriate for a modern nuclear family, with high levels of transparency and connectivity between separate zones of the house. Spatially, as the form evolved, a new mezzanine level was introduced to allow for this visual connection between spaces.
This interconnected void within was made to meet the outside through critically placed courtyards – one formed in the main living room by internalizing the offset from the boundary by a high compound wall, and another punctured into the dining room.
The masonry was with locally available laterite stone. Steel was chosen as the main building material for the roof to tackle the issue of large spans and to give the feel of lightness to the whole structure. The terracotta tile false ceiling also becomes a unique interior feature spreading like a large umbrella through the length and breadth of the house.