ALEEYA. design studio has completed The Architect’s Home. Located in an up-scale neighborhood of Karachi, The Architect’s Home is situated on a south-west facing 2,000 square yard lot measuring 116’-6” wide by 149’-9” deep. As a city, Karachi is infamous for it’s affluent housing societies juxtaposed with underprivileged village-like communities. The defense housing authority, where The Architect’s Home has been built consists of several neighborhoods that follow strict, antiquated by-laws created by officials several decades ago, most importantly, a 30-foot set back from the front and 10 feet from all three sides of the boundary wall, which automatically dictate the design constraints. The Architect’s Home echoes a play of light and shadows with strong structural elements and soft materials.
The Architect’s Home Echoes A Play Of Light And Shadows With Strong Structural Elements And Soft Materials | ALEEYA. design studio
Visit : ALEEYA. design studio
“With a strong affinity for minimalism,’ The Architect’s Home’ is approached with a deep affinity for crisp sciographies and intimate color dialect. The rawness of whites, wooden finishes, and exposed concrete is paired with beige shades, which spotlight each space’s individual character.” – Nishal Sevak(Co-Editor)
In a world where change is the only constant, ALEEYA. design studio is a firm driven by evolution – evolution in spaces, in materials, in objects, and in light.
The studio wants not to follow any norm, but carve its journey through thoughts, emotions, and diverse experiences.
Using design to evoke the senses, A. creates atmospheres, continuously experimenting with solid and void – a design ethos that is continuously echoed in The Architect’s Home, occupied by her and her family.
When the architect is both the client and the designer, the manifestation is an authentic, untainted vision; it is exactly what is felt in that moment of design, which gives life to something rather organic. It allows for an untethered experimentation that other creative endeavors may not allow.
Providing two entrances to the home, one experiences distinct atmospheres – the calm, silent pool patio giving way through a large glass pivot door; the other a 16’-0” wide by 16’-0” deep double height entrance foyer under a 16’-0” wide by 28’-0” long skylight behind a heavy 9-foot mahogany wood double door, which immediately floods the center of the house with ever-transforming light from sunrise to sunset.
The careful placement of all window openings invites the warm Karachi sun to strike through the house directly hitting structural elements and the soft materials within.
In a city like Karachi, cultural norms and traditional values somewhat dictate the design of homes, but in this case, the architect was keen to introduce a new aesthetic to her hometown.
Unlike the design of other houses on the street, the facade consists of slanting protruding masses cladded with French crema limestone with 7’-0” wide by 8’-0” high windows embedded in between, creating a heavy exterior structure.
This provides a level of privacy from the street and aptly conceals a 95-foot-long driveway inside the boundary wall and main gate. The idea was to screen a large, spacious and light-filled space of living behind an all-imposing concrete structure echoing a Swiss facade.
It is a common misconception that complex edges and unique curves give structures life. Nature and light can unravel feelings and create atmospheres that awaken our senses. Through the simplest form, the most beautiful experience can emerge.
The structure of this house was designed with this thought in mind, with the intentionally large circulation spaces that create a meaningful flow throughout the house, which initiates movement within. The Architect’s Home reveals the soul of the Architect, creating a space that is in constant evolution as the seasons change.
Designed by : ALEEYA. design studio
Project Type : Residential Architecture Design
Project Name : The Architect’s Home
Location : Karachi, Pakistan
Year Built : 2022
Duration of the project : 2 years
Project Size : 22,500 Sq.ft
Principal Architect : Ar. Aleeya Khan
Project Managers : Anum Rashid Khan
Quantity Surveyors : Azeem Khalid , Umair Tufail
Photograph Courtesy : Matt Harrington & ALEEYA. design studio
Products / Materials / Vendors : Finishes – Bespoke Textured Paint / Wallcovering / Cladding – Crema Limestone / Construction Materials – – Amreli Steels, Falcon Cement / Lighting – Flos, Linea / Sanitaryware – Grohe / Facade Systems – Tostem / Windows -Tostem / Furniture – B & B Italia, Flexform, Molteni & C, Paola Lenti / Flooring – Pietra Futura; Bespoke Pillow Finch Portland Limestone / Kitchen – Dada S.p.A, SCIC / Paint – Dulux Paints, Nepon Paint / Hardware – Hettich.
Firm’s Website Link : ALEEYA. design studio
Firm’s Instagram Link : ALEEYA. design studio
Firm’s Facebook Link : ALEEYA. design studio
For Similar Project >> Veeram Shah’s Latest Architectural Masterpiece “Enclosure”, A Courtyard House
Editor’s Note: Some places feel rooted because they belong to their surroundings rather than trying to stand apart from them. Coffee Sangam in Andhra Pradesh takes this approach through a raw, tactile palette of brick, stone, teak, and mild steel. The random rubble compound wall extends the landscape into the architecture, while the Corten steel […]
Envisioned as a contemporary home rooted in Indian sensibilities, this residence sits on a south-facing urban plot. The design accommodates the evolving lifestyle of a multi-generational family. The project integrates architecture and interiors to create functional, climate-responsive, and emotionally connected spaces. Each level balances privacy with interaction. The design also allows flexibility for changing family […]
Editorial Note: Some homes are shaped by the memories, objects, and stories their residents carry with them. Ungana in Chennai, meaning “merge” in Swahili, brings together a well-travelled family’s collection of antiques and everyday rituals within a narrow urban plot. A double-height living space becomes the heart of the home, connecting the kitchen and dining […]
House of the Framed Atrium explores how a contemporary home can revolve around light, connection, and shared experiences. The design follows the ideas of a Living Atrium, Living with Nature, Framed Volumes, Vertical Living, and Timeless Materiality. The residence connects a sequence of interconnected spaces around a dramatic triple-height atrium. The atrium forms the heart […]
A Mock-up That Became a Home – For an architecture practice, a mock-up often helps test an idea before the team translates it into a larger project. It allows architects to work at full scale, examine materials and construction techniques, and understand their limitations. The process also gives them room to test different brick bonds and […]
The house began not with a formal brief, but with a conversation about the kind of life the clients hoped to build within it. Set between the denser urban fabric of Kannur and the quieter residential landscapes of North Kerala, the project responds to a desire for openness and connection. At the same time, the […]
“Pravah” — A House That Breathes is envisioned as the main concept of this home revolves around a fluid, light-filled home where architecture becomes a continuous experience of movement, air, and connection. Located in Pal Gamtal, Surat, the project is a residential redevelopment on a 1,850 sq.ft. plot within a dense urban fabric. The site, […]
Timeless architectural features, such as courtyards, are always associated with bringing the naturally public forms to the world’s heart, building the most peaceful, secluded outdoor areas. These outdoor spaces maximize the living experience with their private space feature, which gives one the option for leisurely relaxation, recreation, or gardening. Furthermore, it has also been a […]
Architecture font choices go beyond style—they shape how your work is perceived. From portfolios to presentations, the right architecture font instantly communicates clarity, precision, and personality. As architects, we design not just with space but with every detail, including typography. Selecting a strong architecture font shows your commitment to visual storytelling and design consistency. In […]
The Indian farmhouse accommodation goes on to capitalize on a mature evolutionary synthesis of ancestral aesthetics and contemporary features. With this, the outside and the inside of farmhouses became places of comfort with nature. In this blog, we delve into 15 incredible farmhouse designs that entail a harmonious blending. While they exhibit different spaces in […]