House Around a Central Courtyard | Charged Voids

To freeze emotion into architecture
To practice restraint of opening
To gain the strength of enclosure
To satiate spirit in the space
To celebrate life in dance

BRIEF. To design a house for a single old lady & her tenants for ensuring security.

CONCEPT. The concept was devised as a free plan around a central courtyard. The levels & accesses were carefully divided between the lady and the tenants to allow for comfort & privacy.

PLANNING.The overall plan was organized around a central courtyard that interacted differently with the interior spaces on different levels. It is open & accessible on the ground floor while the first floor has a ribbon ventilator to ensure the privacy of the ground floor.

The lower level housed the lady with a master bedroom in the front & guest room at the back. The public spaces like the living room, lobby, dining all flowed into one another along with an open kitchen. A separate spice kitchen along with all other amenities has been provided.

Since the ground level houses the primary occupant, the volumetric expansion was ensured by having a double height living area. Although, the lady wanted to rent the upper floors but she was very keen to have the terrace to herself. This is organized by a separate elevator access that opens directly on to terrace from her entrance foyer.

The first floor has a 3-bedroom unit & public areas that flow on to private terraces. The second floor houses a one-bedroom unit with an open pantry. It also has 2 separate units for the domestic helps of the lower floors. They too have been given separate private terraces that are not visible in the façade to ensure the pristine maintenance.

The parking & access for the lower floor is from the north eastern side of the site while a separate parking & an access to the upper levels is towards the south.

MATERIAL PALETTE. The overall material palette is limited to only white marble & sivakasi gold granite along with simple white painted surfaces. The flooring on the ground floor is white marble to ensure a luxurious feel while on the upper floors it is the same granite. The textures & finishes on the granite have been explored using a number of traditional techniques & craftsmen.