This terrace house design is located in Jubilee Hills, a hilly, up-market residential neighborhood in Hyderabad, India. It is filled with large, opulent residences, most of which are more vanity projects of its influential inhabitants than climate or context-sensitive structures. As such, every building, in an attempt to appear distinct and more striking in its immediate surroundings, made this neighborhood an amalgamation of a misfit mix of architectural styles from every when and where. Character, if any, comes from the undulating hilly roads, the rocky terrain, and the consistent presence of large trees, especially the Yellow flame trees (Peltophorum pterocarpum), compared to the other neighborhoods of Hyderabad.
Editor’s Note: “With a terraced landscape commanding the abode, this residence in Hyderabad embraces lush greens. Cascading like a waterfall, every level depicts the undulating paddy fields of India. Inside, grandeur reigns, where opulence meets purpose, crafting a harmonious blend of elegance and functionality.” ~Simran Khare
Terrace House Design Attempts to be Distinct in a Dense Neighbourhood | Spacefiction Studio
The site is 160 feet long with shorter sides of 60 feet facing north and south. The shorter sides have road access and a slope down 30 feet from south to north. On the north and south, just outside the site, are gigantic Yellow flame trees towering over four stories.
A large foyer with an overhanging garden punctured with skylights welcomes one into the lower two levels of the house through a colossal door. These levels accommodate all the recreational spaces centered around a large double-height volume that houses the pool.
The upper five levels stagger back to create north terraces echoing the undulating paddy fields of India. These terraces are shaded throughout the year by the floor preceding it, filled with a landscape that cascades onto the subsequent lower terraces.
The towering yellow flame trees along the northern and southern sides act as a natural visual barrier from the immediate surroundings, and their dramatic seasonal bloom adds a lush yellow foliage to the environmental palette.
Inside, in the heart of the house, is a large central volume with two connecting double-height areas. A large, blank, marble-cladding wall runs through the entirety of this volume, over which light washes through the skylights strategically placed above the indoor plantation areas.
A sculptural staircase bends sinuously in the chiaroscuro, whose shape-shifts with the skylights overhead, fanning out to the first-floor living room. There are three bedrooms, two on the first floor and a third on the second, all peeking into the central volume through introspective windows.
Usurping the third floor, a master bedroom finds itself graciously complemented by an attached study and a private verandah. The apex features a party room for al fresco entertaining conferred upon the family’s inner circle of friends and visitors.
Inert white marble forms the majority of the palette, with a few highlights of beige lime plaster and brass. Light becomes a building material, percolating through various skylights in large volumes.
Biophilic landscapes in the interiors and the exterior align over the contrasting marble interiors to create a sense of timelessness. A multiplicity of visual and sensory experiences is given importance over shifting luxury trends.
Fact File
Designed by: Spacefiction Studio
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: Jubilee Terraces Residence
Location: Hyderabad
Year: 2023
Built Up Area: 27500 Sq.ft
Principal Architects: Baba Sashank & Vindhya Guduru
Photography Credits: Vivek Eadara, The Fishy Project & Sohaib Ilyas
Design Team: Anusha Dasari
Manufacturers: Rabel Aluminium Systems, Blau Wardrobes, One Stone, Valueline, Water mark Tiles
Structural Engineering: Simon Peter Engineering Consultants
HVAC Consultants: Divine Air
Lighting Designers: Luminary Studio
Stone Cladding Contractor: Stone Life
Landscape Contractors: RRR Landscapers
Carpenters: Rambhajan and team
Plumbing Contractor: R. Ashwin Reddy
Swimming Pool Design Team: Olympia Pools
Furniture Design: The Reflect
Fabrication: Fab-Tech Fabricators
Firm’s Website Link: Spacefiction Studio
Firm’s Instagram Link: Spacefiction Studio
Source: Archdaily
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