On this International Day of Light, 2025, we celebrate architectural brilliance that goes beyond form, where daylight becomes the soul of the space. From dynamic skylights to thoughtfully oriented courtyards, these recent projects show how Indian architects incorporate natural light to elevate mood, enhance sustainability, and shape spatial narratives that evolve from sunrise to sunset. With 10 diverse projects across India, this blog features stories where the sun becomes the artist and shadows shape the space.
Skylights above pour sunlight into the heart of the Lecture Hall Complex, where beams drift and shadows shift across concrete planes. Light becomes a storyteller, tracing the movements of time and emotion through the day. The result is an architectural experience that transforms throughout the day, offering new perspectives and moods.
In The Monsoon Cabin, skylights dot the sleeping space to not only bring sunlight into the interior but also allow a feast of stargazing at dusk. The space remains minimal and restrained, embracing an almost ascetic aesthetic. While the daytime goes by without the need for artificial light, the night embraces mindful lighting, uplifted by mirrored metal.
Carapace House brilliantly uses natural light through a curved wall embracing the sun’s touch, paired with carefully positioned windows. These elements work to catch and reflect daylight, softly illuminating the interiors. The delicate interplay of light and shadow accentuates the curvature and textures of the space, enhancing its architectural elegance.
In the quiet depths of Namana’s basement, light wells act as carriers of the sun. With carefully carved basement windows, often with reflective linings, the sunlight is captured and directed downwards into the underground space. More than just making a dim space brighter, a direct link to the outside makes the space more functional.
Expansive floor-to-ceiling glazing invites daylight to cascade into the soaring double-height living space of The Other Side, creating a dynamic interplay of shadows. As the hours shift, the interior transforms—alive with luminous movement and mood. The inside and out forge an intimate dialogue between architecture and its natural surroundings.
The double-height courtyard of The Silhouette House features perforated metal screens with intricate patterns. While allowing dappled sunlight to dance through, the space creates a dynamic play of light and shadow throughout the day. Moreover, the metallic screens whisper privacy while cradling the air in a delicate balance of openness and breath.
An angled skylight poised above the shower in Shoonya House invites a cascade of sunlight to gently pour in, bathing the space in a soft glow. The light shifts across tiled surfaces, turning each shower into a memorable ritual. Here, the boundary between sky and solitude blurs, offering a moment of clarity, light, and calm connection to the world beyond.
Natural light in the Transformer House streams through a long, linear skylight that traces the hallway’s ceiling, while vertical fins along the wall catch sunlight. This design not only floods the corridor with diffused natural light from above but also creates dynamic patterns of light and shadow cast by the fins as the sun moves, adding visual interest and reducing harsh glare.
The slatted screen incorporated in Vidharth ingeniously filters sunlight, casting dappled patterns that animate the interior with light and shadow. Sunlight becomes a living texture, ever-shifting and rich, adding depth, softness, and intrigue to the space, all while preserving a gentle, diffused glow that envelops the room.
A circular cut in the floor of Diner Just Loaf becomes a poetic shaft of light, drawing the sun’s gaze into the depths below. Daylight pours through this aperture, illuminating what was once shadowed and forgotten. This direct channeling of daylight creates a bright, concentrated illumination in an otherwise potentially dark area, transforming it into a usable and visually interesting part of the building.
This International Day of Light is not just to illuminate, but to inspire, transform, and connect us more deeply to space and time. From poetic shafts of light to rhythmic skylights and sunlit courtyards, these 10 projects remind us that daylight is not so much a design element but an essential presence. It deepens architecture with emotion, clarity, and change. As the sun shifts across the sky, it carves space anew, making every corner a canvas of changing light and living design.
“Viraam,” a 4000 sq ft house design that embodies its literal translation: “a pause.” The vision is to create a sanctuary for relaxation, introspection, and to escape from the constant demands of daily life – an urban void for personal retreat. Editor’s Note: “Viraam is not just a house, it’s a pause. A place to […]
The facade of this Indian contemporary house design strikes a careful balance between solids and voids, with sculpted forms that reveal the inner workings of the space. The design plays with light and shadow, creating visual depth and intrigue from the exterior. The form resembles a cuboid that has been scooped out, while the outer […]
This 5 storey building takes inspiration from ancient haveli architecture. “Hailing from north India, the family held deep nostalgia for haveli, large residences with communal courtyards called chowks, projecting balconies called jharokhas and intricate brick or stone lattice screens called jaalis, vernacular to many western and northern regions of India,” said SJK Architects partner Vaishali […]
Set in the serene landscape of Nashik, the Dabholkar Residence by GDA is a home, embracing stone clad walls. Here, tradition and contemporary design exist in harmony. Designed to reflect the family’s deep connection to tradition and art while embracing the style of contemporary living, it is a space where architectural details, heritage furniture, artwork […]
This remodelling project aimed to revitalise a load-bearing house while respecting its original integrity and adapting it to contemporary needs. The design approach prioritised minimal structural intervention, allowing the existing framework to guide spatial reconfiguration. Careful consideration was given to preserving the load-bearing walls, which formed the backbone of the original construction. Openings were strategically […]
Redefining Indian temple architecture, the relocation of the existing shrine due to a new residential project presented an opportunity to design a space that seamlessly integrates tradition with contemporary needs. The given 400 sq. ft. site was envisioned not merely as a shrine to Lord Datta, a local deity, but as a vibrant community space, […]
Nestled within a 30×40 ft plot is the compact house design in Banashankari 6th Stage, Bengaluru. This residence for the Ellappans, reimagines traditional Indian living in a contemporary, spatially dynamic form. Designed for a family of three- Mr. Ellappan, his wife, and their teenage son- the house expresses a deep connection to vernacular roots while […]
This multi generational home is a testament to the ability of the design practice to blend aesthetic appeal with practical functionality. Keeping environmental sustainability and the welfare of the community at the forefront, Bhowal designed a home that was truly ahead of its time. His visionary approach and the Design Consortium’s expertise in providing a […]
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 […]
Pillar design is a cornerstone of architectural elegance, seamlessly blending structural support with aesthetic appeal. Our blog, “50 Best Pillar Design Inspirations,” celebrates this essential element, showcasing a variety of styles from classical Doric and Ionic to contemporary and avant-garde innovations. Whether you’re an architect, interior designer, or a design enthusiast, these pillar design inspirations […]