The design style followed could be called contextual regionalism, with the l shaped house blending with its closest settlement, staying low (one floor), and being nestled with the vegetation around. The project is set close to a remote village in Kanakapura district. The older houses often have unplaster brickwork or a cement plaster finish with a simple oxide floor and are laced with local Chapati stones.

Editor’s Note: “Designed in harmony with nature, this Karnataka residence draws inspiration from local craftsmanship and traditional construction techniques. Its raw beauty shines through exposed, unplastered walls and simple flooring, evoking simplicity and connectedness. The home’s spatial layout thoughtfully embraces climatic aspects, merging seamlessly with the natural surroundings.” ~Simran Khare

This L shaped House is an Exemplar of Contextual Regionalism | betweenlines

Simple and Humble

Many have tiled roofs too. The client, Madhuri Aggarwal, wanted to adapt this simple and humble material palette and contemporaries it in her house design. The l shaped house wanted to be an extension of its surroundings and not be loud.

It also wants to integrate the mango trees and foliage as a natural addition to the material palette. Light, shade, and the colour green are the additional layers of the house that were drawn out of the surroundings.

The entrance to the l shaped house is marked by a Mango tree and an inbuilt seating around. The house sits as a low horizontal bar, behind the tree, with a deep verandah, locally called Jagli.

Spatial Organisation

Jagli katte (Verandah/sitting area) was the inception point of the spatial organisation. With a beautiful mango farm around and a mountain view to the north, the house wanted to have as many semi-open spaces as indoor spaces. Hence, a deep Jagli runs around the house, except for the service end-east side.

The large living area nestled within the Jagli works as a rectangular bar. The bar has one end of the sitting space and the other end of the kitchen. The living length opens to the back into a L-shaped courtyard. Two large doorways spill the living into Jagli and then to the open lawn. The living room and its length, including the kitchen, service, and bathrooms has a characteristic leaning wall that flanks it from east to west. This 12-degree incline wall holds a perpendicular inclining roof and lifts the central living room volume up to receive north light (refer to Section). The quality of light is distinct in the space, thus.

The dining and kitchen are part of and extensions of the trapezoidal living room volume. The kitchen is the heart of the house. Because the client is a food photographer, stylist, and blogger, they always center conversations about spatial organization around the kitchen. The kitchen features simple cement counters, an in-built pantry with wooden shutters, and open niches. The cooking counter overlooks the entrance mango tree and the seating onto which kids take to play board games. 

Bedrooms

The north-south-oriented bedrooms form the shorter arm of the L-shaped plan. A roof lift repeats the system of north clerestory lighting here. The inclined roof is also a design host for solar panels and solar geysers facing south.

The bedrooms overlook the valley and back end of the Jagli and have an inbuilt cot and window seating. The finishes are similar to house interiors, with soft white walls, ferroconcrete furniture, wooden ledges, and shutters.

Accessories like the Antique switch board, handmade lampshades, paintings, mirrors and collectibles feature through the house.

Slow Living

The Jagli around and the house interiors were built with the idea of “slow living” as a main concept. Hence, sitting, reclining, resting, lounging, contemplating, and pausing are constant intangible forces that fabricate the house.

Considering that the view, elevation (altitude), and light were all the better towards the north, the spine wall of the house running east-west inclines 12 degrees, lifting the roof slab by the same angle perpendicularly, allowing for the north clerestory light condition.

Inclining Roof

The 12-degree angle also makes the inclining roof slab a suitable host for solar panels and solar geyser units. This geometrical shift defines the interior space as a trapezoidal extrusion, with light cutting in from the north-south side. Essentially, the house is this tube, flanked by the low Jagli roof all around.

Fact File

Designed by: betweenlines

Project Type: Residential Architecture Design

Project Name: Aamra

Location: Kanakapura, Karnataka

Year Built: 2023

Duration of the project: 2 Years

Plot Area: 44000 Sq.ft

Project Size: 3300 Sq.ft

Project Cost: 1 Crore

Principal Architect: Deepa Suriyaprakash & Guru Prasanna. C

Team Design Credits: Deepa Suriyaprakash, Dhivya Ganesan & Aswani Pulikkal

Photograph Courtesy: Vandana_ar

Interior Styling: Madhuri Aggarwal

Products / Materials / Vendors: Nuvocotto / Wallcovering / Cladding – Brick and concrete walls Construction Materials – Framed structure , concrete, concrete block walls, exposed brick wall, oxide, Kota stone , mud plaster, MS grill works, Terracotta tiles / Doors and Partitions – Upcycled doors / Sanitaryware – Jaquar, Ikea / Windows – Aluminium windows / Furniture – Inbuilt, or upcycled / Flooring – Kota stones pre polished. / Kitchen – Ikea sink and ferroconcrete counter top / Paint – Asian paints

Consultants for the Project: Civil – Guruprasad Kalkura Associates / Contractors – Ranga constructions / Interior Styling – Madhuri Aggarwal

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