OBSERVATIONS & THOUGHTS
• Existing Ground floor house with dark central space occupied by toilets. Spaces in general were extremely dull and lacking in light with little cross ventilation.
• Single Staircase outside main door leading up to the Terrace.

AIM
• To adapt the House for a peaceful stay of a retired couple from Mumbai.
• To modify and extend it with Aim of making it a comfortable ‘Home’.
• To fill it up with light, greenery and breeze.

ANALYSIS & PROCESS
Analysis was done along different approaches –

• 1st – to understand and interpret the Client requirements and
• 2nd – to understand the Place, its Climate and how we could respond effectively to counter it.

Clients wanted a peaceful house with good light and ventilation + an upper floor with reading area / library-like space along with their bedroom.

On the Ground Floor (GF), the Main Living space with Kitchen-Dining & one Ground floor bedroom would be the primary day-time living zone while the Upper floor would be secondary zone with their Master bedroom and a Library cum Reading room, leading out to Terraces on both sides.

Clients had expressed their liking and fond memories for old-style ‘red floors’ ( IPS floor ) and tiled roofs found typically in traditional houses.

CONCEPT

  • Introduce Courtyard in middle of the House.

This would introduce the much needed ‘life’ into the House by

bringing Light into it. Possibility of Greenery being introduced also.

Create Double height Volume at Entrance.

Unexpected Experience at Entry with huge Vertical Space

versus horizontal expansion of house.

  • Use Materials and Construction Technology to create an inherently ‘insulated’ house from the extreme variations in temperatures.

Naturally ‘comfortable’ house with reduced power consumption.