Pune is a city that was once famous for Wada House. The gardens and courtyards of these wada house once functioned as interaction spaces. 100 Ants has rekindled the essence of these spaces in a contemporary design considering the aspects of the urban settings, surroundings, climate, and clients’ needs.
This Home Has Rekindled The Essence of Pune’s Wada House | 100 Ants Design Studio
The Garden House stands as a testament to simplicity, with its earthy color palette blending seamlessly from exterior to interior. Furthermore, the carved-out masses feature a mix of closed, semi-open, and open spaces, while the balcony introduces a subtle vibrancy to the structure.
Surrounded by tall buildings on three sides and a vacant plot to the west, the architects designed inward-looking spaces to avoid compromising the views. Moreover, they ensured that the design maintained privacy while enhancing the overall experience.
Considering future developments for the adjoining plot, the site is raised from the ground level with a height of one floor. As a result, the ground floor serves as both a parking area and the entrance to the bungalow. Consequently, the habitable spaces commence from the first level upwards.
As you enter the house, its seemingly simple structure reveals meticulous planning. The bungalow, organized into three distinct bays, uses a structured grid layout to achieve this design.
The central bay features a floating staircase and a courtyard—the spine of the house.
The living area seamlessly merges with the courtyard on the first floor. It fosters a visual connection between the two floors, making the spaces interactive.
The brick wall and flooring establish the earthy tone of the courtyard. Moreover, the same material is used differently: while the flooring features a herringbone pattern, the intricately designed vertical wall adds just the right amount of visual texture.
The other two bays accommodate the living, dining, and kitchen areas on the east. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are situated on the west side of the first floor. Additionally, the second floor features more bedrooms, each with attached terraces.
The house is designed combining function with aesthetics and well-thought-out passive strategies that considerably reduce heat and provide ample light and ventilation.
Toilets on the southern side shield bedrooms from heat gain from the harsh southern sun. Additionally, proposed fins on the East and West facades mitigate low-angle sunlight, contributing to a climate-responsive design that reduces reliance on air conditioning.
Apart from the elevational treatment, designers have ensured the intimate green pockets adjoining each room are effective heat buffers. Moreover, a fenestration with brick blocks and jali at the entrance is a feature that ensures ventilation throughout the staircase block using the stack effect.
Daylight floods the house through diffused light from the sides and top of the staircase, as well as from the courtyard. The staircase, an important feature, serves as the focal point of the design. Each mid-landing, functioning as a deck, opens out to a wall that will feature a single large painting by a local artist. Additionally, the central bay acts as a light well, illuminating the inward-looking spaces around the staircase and courtyard.
Fact File
Designed by: 100 Ants Design Studio
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: The Garden House
Location: Baner, Pune
Year Built: 2023
Duration of the project: 2 Years
Built-up Area: 2185.07 Sq.ft
Plot Area: 3196.88 Sq.ft
Project Cost: 2 Crore
Principal Architect: Ar. Chaitanya Padhye & Ar. Swarali Sathaye
Team Design Credits: Ar. Aniket Kulkarni & ID. Shravani Kathwate
Writeup: Ar. Shruti Deshpande
Photograph Courtesy: Ar. Atul Kanetkar
Products / Materials / Vendors: Sanitaryware – Asian Paints / Windows – Aluminum windows (non branded) / Furniture – made on site / Flooring – Kota and Basalt stone- Eolith / Kitchen – Livspace Paint – Asian Paints
Consultants for the Project: Civil – GD Infrastructure / Structure Engineers – Mayur Pise / Environmental & Sustainability Consultants – Jalashree Shrikhande / Contractors – GD Infrastructure / Project Managers – GD Infrastructure
The Firm’s Website Link: 100 Ants Design Studio
Firm’s Instagram Link: 100 Ants Design Studio
Firm’s Facebook Link: 100 Ants Design Studio
For Similar Project >>> Seamless Fusion of Light Grey Wall Textures And An Overarching Wooden Touch
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 […]