Editors’ Note – This colonial house in Delhi carries an ambience of grandeur, infused with the elegance of Victorian-style colonialism. Expansive living, dining, and kitchen areas open into light-filled spaces framed by large glazing that connect seamlessly to the surrounding landscape. Inside, tropical interiors with bold geometry add a contemporary layer of comfort. The residence stands as an epitome of long-lost luxury, reviving a sense of timeless sophistication while embracing the ease of modern living. – Yamini Patil
The new relaxed country-styled residence by groupDCA plays out its layered intent over 8000 square feet of area on an acre-sized plot of farmland in New Delhi, India. The decisive colonial house encompasses simple climate-conscious planning to sculpt a comfortable living experience. The ensuing design endows the home with generous spatial proportions. It also maintains a strong sense of understated charm in the grandeur of its overall appearance.
A Colonial House in Delhi Is Turning Heads For Its Country Style Grandeur | groupDCA
While designing for homes, architects have always looked for solutions that allow for intrinsically adaptive environments to flourish. Drawing references from the colonial antecedents of the subcontinent, old British bungalows showcase detailed outdoor spaces in their architectural repertoire. By successfully adopting and adapting the traditional Indian verandahs, the design is a form of respite from the unrelenting heat.
Similarly, in this dwelling, long shaded balconies reminiscent of Victorian ‘wrap-around’ porches, present a studied response to the client’s needs for combined luxury with unfettered openness. The adaptive site design positions the residential block closer to the property’s southwest corner.
A curved driveway brings visitors from around a lush landscaped garden, culminating at a roundabout ‘cul-de-sac’ near the entrance. At the entrance, users walk up a gentle slope to transcend a grey thin plinth that repeats formally on the facade. This denotes familiar floor divisions on the grand white colonial house structure.
This ensures that the shade from the large existing trees eschews the home of traditional heat pockets. All this, while the rooms face the north and the east, basking in the northern lights, and facing panoramic views of a well-designed, landscaped garden.
All through the length of the periphery, tapered white columns bind verandahs and windows together. They create a deliberate rhythm that augurs well with the gravitas of the extended roof overhang.
The vaulted east-facing entrance reinforces direction and flow in the morning when it radiates generous natural light through a double-height volume into the central living area.
A thinner section of the path leads to the rear end of the colonial house. Here the western light casts long shadows across the grand staircase by the end of the day.
Adjacent to the central transept, four symmetric zones divide themselves along preferential lines of views, function, and privacy. They help to instinctively proliferate the hierarchical intent of the design through a traditional symmetric arrangement.
Splitting the palatial house into two, the indented profile of the central living room seeks to include the vast outdoor garden within the building’s footprint.
On the other hand, by splitting the residence between the east and the west, the central transept on the ground floor doubles as a transitional space between the garden-facing living room and the dining area.
The vibrant interior design of every room responds to sharp and subtle tonal differences created serendipitously by the incident Indian sunlight filtering past the individual verandahs.
With a wealth of supple architectural features, the Victorian influences imbue the home with a valid sense of timeless warmth. Their consistent application lends a new softness to the majestic aura of the place with its large-scale rooms, fireplaces, vaults, and ornate cornices.
Characteristic rooms personalise space with custom wall paneling while chandeliers unite with modern lighting to illuminate bespoke furniture and upholstery.
Panels of purposeful wainscotting add to the overall grandeur while fulfilling specific functional needs in designated areas. Rich colours, parquet wooden flooring, and slender window sections fill the space with thoughtfulness and warmth while simultaneously regaling users of a bygone era.
In all of its endeavours, the robust design intent utilises classical planning tropes to promote adaptive spatial combinations that cater to the ever-changing postures of modern cosmopolitan living.
Nestled within the outdoor garden, the independent gym structure additionally houses a set of separate toilets that cater to the outdoor party requirements of the residence while tucking away subterranean servant quarters below.
In the larger context of the site, the country-house-styled design actualizes its landscaped gardens and strategic water bodies to improve upon time-tested microclimatic ideas that blend holistically with the derived typology of the structure.
Fact File
Designed by: groupDCA
Collaborators: Prêt-fab
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: House of Verandahs
Location: Bandh Road, Chhatarpur, Delhi
Year Built: 2023
Plot Area: 41322.65 Sq.ft
Light sourcing: Paras Decorative Light
Furniture: Gaurav Gambhir
HVAC Consultants: Vertex
Principal Architects: Amit Aurora & Rahul Bansal
Team Design Credits: Amit Aurora, Rahul Bansal, Ashish, Sudhanshu, Abhinav & Junaidh
Photograph Courtesy: jeetin Sharma
Firm’s Website Link: groupDCA
Firm’s Instagram Link: groupDCA
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