The brick wall patterns create an inward-looking oasis for a multigenerational family at this Chandigarh residence. Located in Chandigarh, on a site facing a busy sector road on one side and an arterial road on another, Residence 91 by Charged Voids houses a nine-member family spanning three generations. The client desired a humble, meditative sanctuary—a sacred space that prioritizes wellness and tranquility and sparks joy. The architecture responds to this brief by celebrating nature and the elements, harnessing a powerful combination of light, materials, and familial warmth.
Editor’s Note: With perforated artistic patterns in brick facades and an airy oasis inside, this residence in Chandigarh fosters comfort living. Keeping the meditative aura as the core of design, the architect creates a personal sanctuary for its dwellers. By carefully crafting the voids and incorporating traditional design methods, this house is a meditative hub in the form of a residence. ~ Rajvi Dedakiya
The Brick Wall Patterns Creates An Oasis For Multigenerational Family | Charged Voids
Owing to the bustling location, the project takes shape as an inward-looking dwelling with carefully planned recesses. Additionally, it ensures privacy and noise reduction. The voids in the building interconnect the various spatial volumes. Henceforth, it responds to the tradition of maintaining close ties within large Indian families.
The layout of the 7-bedroom home is structured around a central courtyard. The common areas on each floor spill directly onto the courtyard—an intervention that reinvigorates the traditional verandah. Thus, evoking fond memories of celebrating life in the aangan for the homeowner.
The ground floor houses the public spaces- the living and dining areas, a double-height kitchen featuring a lightwell, a separate spice kitchen, and the elderly parents’ bedroom.
The first floor holds the bedrooms for the younger couple and their child, along with a family lounge and kitchen, while the second floor has three bedrooms, each with its individual outdoor recreational space. The basement dedicates itself to gatherings. Additionally, it features a lounge and entertainment area accompanied by a guest bedroom.
The courtyard transforms into a sunken court in the basement. Moreover, it incorporates volumetric shifts with height to interact with the interior spaces on the upper floors and effectively invite greenery indoors. On the ground floor, it is a semi-covered verandah with a water feature that extends from the living room.
On the second and third stories, it extends into an outdoor jacuzzi and covered terraces and gardens. As a result, the volumetric expansions on each floor have dynamic transitional spaces that simultaneously mediate openness. Additionally, it allows for more effective interactions between the older and younger family generations.
The exterior openings—especially on the upper levels—strategically puncture the facade to achieve a sense of visual and acoustic seclusion. The vistas framed by these openings were also not left up to chance.
The first-floor windows align with the top of the tree line around the home, while other punctures in the cuboidal structure frame the nearby Gurudwara and the distant hills.
The larger openings face north while the smaller ones face south. The home, in addition, features deep verandahs working in tandem with the openings to lower the home’s cooling loads.
Composite RCC and locally available brick have been employed to build the home, with an emphasis on regional construction practices. Additionally, the exposed brickwork has been laid using an improvised rat-trap bond to create cavity walls. Thus, ensuring thermal insulation as well as minimizing traffic noise. The traditional brick bond is modified by repositioning singular brick units, thereby resulting in rhythmic patterns on the facades.
The use of controlled apertures in its envelope and liberal internal open spaces allows Residence 91 to experiment with the versatility of the courtyard and the dynamic relationship between the occupants and the outdoors. Moreover, the design’s inward-looking character aims to catalyze familial relationships with an exterior that quietly breaks rank with its surroundings.
Fact File
Designed by: Charged Voids
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: Residence 91
Location: Chandigarh
Year Built: 2021
Built-up Area: 8500 Sq.ft
Principal Architect: Aman Aggarwal
Team Design Credits: Swati Agarwal, Akash Purshit & Dushyant Singh
Photograph Courtesy: Niveditaa Gupta
Manufacturers: Grohe, ALCOI India Private Limited, Ambiance Furniture, Aquaint, Asian Paints, Bharat Bricks, Daikan, Gagan Handloom, MANISH, Osram, PANCHKULA, Rohit Sehgal
Structural Engineer: Pankaj Nanda
Lighting Designers: Ruchika Singhal
Electrical: Rajinder Singh
Civil Engineers: Consort Builders
HVAC: AV Engineers
Source: Archdaily
Firm’s Instagram Link: Charged Voids
For Similar Project>>The Liquescent House is a Testament to Organic Architecture
The way we design spaces that people inhabit goes beyond mere functionality. It requires an intentional sensitivity to how each detail shapes the overall experience and interaction with the surrounding ecological context. Nestled in the suburban periphery of Nashik, the project occupies a 3700 sq. ft. plot located at the dead-end of a street, adjacent […]
Kerala style homes have courtyards surrounded by rooms on each side. Traditional Kerala-style homes have a central courtyard known as Nadumuttam surrounded by rooms. These homes promote natural light and ventilation according to the region’s climate. These homes, due to the feature of courtyards as their core spaces, offer beautiful opportunities for social gatherings. This […]
In a time when design is often reduced to trends, Yaahvi’s light design stands as a reminder of tactility, tradition, and craftsmanship. Founded by Nikita Bansal, who journeyed from Assam to the global design stage, champions a philosophy where contemporary aesthetics meet age-old Indian craftsmanship. In this exclusive interview, Nikita reflects on her early influences, […]
India, a nation bustling with innovation and a constant drive for progress, is increasingly embracing an unconventional yet incredibly promising architectural trend: container architecture. We are witnessing a fascinating transformation, as discarded shipping containers, once traversing the high seas laden with goods, now find new life as dynamic, sustainable, and surprisingly sophisticated living and working […]
This bungalow style house influences the site context and can be visualised in multiple facades of sharp edges & cuboidal form. Her,e salient features like U-Projection are an expression of the bench on a level one. The house divides itself into three bays. On the ground floor, where first bay acquire all public activities like […]
Imagine yourself on the terrace of your hidden mountain retreat, drinking a fresh cup of coffee as you admire the sunrise emerging from behind the rolling hills across the valley. This serene atmosphere is exactly what Hello Wood’s latest project, the Console House, is designed to offer. The Console House showcases modern architecture design while […]
As cities continue to grow and evolve, there is a growing desire to incorporate elements of rural living into urban design. By embracing rural living principles, cities can create more eco-friendly and sustainable spaces. Rural living is not just about wide-open spaces and rolling hills. It’s also about community, sustainability, and a connection to nature. […]
Located in the thriving city of Ichalkaranji, this is an example of luxury residences is a seamless blend of timeless elegance and modern sophistication. The striking exterior, adorned with brick and natural stone cladding, exudes warmth, character, and permanence. These rich textures create a visually captivating façade, harmonizing tradition with contemporary design while making a […]
Throughout history, stone has embodied permanence, artistry, and raw beauty in architecture. From the grandeur of Roman amphitheaters to the earthy elegance of modern villas, stone remains a beloved material for its strength, sustainability, and aesthetic richness. As design trends evolve toward natural materials, eco-conscious decisions, and biophilic design, stone has found new expressions — […]
The space adopts a biophilic office design and climate-responsive approach, creating a workspace that reimagines urban interiors by deeply embedding them with nature. The style is earthy, minimal, and modern with a strong contextual sensitivity to its location. Also, a lush canopy surrounds the bare-shell site on the first floor, allowing for abundant daylight and […]