Sited on the outskirts of a port city, Tuticorin, the 5000 sq.ft house offers solace reflecting the relentless shoreline. The house, The Billy O’ Tea,” is personified as a docked ship over the parcel, homing the residents to balance the synergy between the East Indian cultural background and the coast.

Editor’s Note: “This residence in Tuticorin is personified as a docked ship over the parcel. With a delicate balance between East Indian culture and the coast, the abode unveils magical realism. Each design element, from the rustic bricks and stunning Kota stone to the exquisite Udaipur pink marble and delicate fenestrations, is thoughtfully integrated to enhance the overall concept. This thoughtful blend crafts a holistic living experience, enveloping the residents in an enchanting fusion of tradition and coastal allure.”~ Simran Khare

This 5000 sq.ft House Offers a Solace Reflecting The relentless shoreline of Tuticorin | STO.M.P

Design Philosophy

The core intent of the 5000 sq.ft house cascades throughout the spaces, symbolising magical realism as an extension of its personality, delineated through seashell inlays on the rustic slabs, a flooring pattern impersonating the waves and the rippling water, and an amphitheatre personified as a rowing vessel with a seat for the oarsman. 

The cladding bricks on the facade add antiquity to its rustic personification. The creepers are flowing jewels up as weeds to the abandoned vessel. The metal canopy with a water spout ensembles the overflow drain of the ship. 

Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre, shut from its immediate atmosphere, evokes the mood of the sea with a boundless sky. Sailing into the space, we sang the shanty (a traditional folk song of sailors) reflected through the material, detailing, patterns, and elements that sowed exuberating rhythm and energy.

The brief resonates maximum alignment with the exterior, unveiling the need for multiple spillover areas to cater for the seasonal themed parties the family hosts, thus unwinding the spaces with seamless flow into one another through extending the lawn, the front yard, and an open-air theatre.

Micro-Climate Enhancement

The site has an urban prairie over the north that contributes to the microclimate, enhancing the wind flow towards the plot. 

The planning is straightforward, with four bays of alternating widths. The composite configuration punctuates the paths of movement with multiple exits and entries to a single node, providing pause, rest, and reorientation. 

Courtyard

The heights of the floor plates are generous to dissipate heat. The courtyard is scooped out of the mass, which blurs the boundaries between the living and the den. All the private spaces are positioned around the core, with all their services allocated to the periphery.

Sprawling through, the kitchen extends to the front yard, quaint aesthetics of erstwhile. The court space exudes warmth and sophistication, acquitting the adjacent spaces with light and ventilation.

Sunlight envelopes the entire environ through the east-facing courtyard lighting up with palpable energy. Tall punctures positioned on all edges facilitate constant wind movement through the spaces.

Curated Design Interventions

The design intervention briefs the architectural narrative by creating a space where no detail is small or inconsequential. Sleek lines, bold hues, and an exquisite material palette with calcium-based stones, Kota, Udaipur pink marble, Indian Arna marble, Jaisalmer yellow marble, terrazzo on the floor, and fenestrations create a holistic living space that muses the mood and spectrum of sea-serene and mischievous. Sunlight shimmers on the windows and doors, featuring wood and Indian marble.

The Indian marble on the intricate wooden joineries glorifies the twilight. The shimmering Indian marble on the wooden joineries glorifies light and life.

Stacking over the habitable spaces of diverse functions, the living and the amphitheatre, aligned with a parallel thought, establish cohesiveness where their volumes mutually complement each other. 

During rain, water cascades through the seaters, channelling the runoff into the floor drain. The amphitheatre accommodates different ergonomic flexibilities while screening movies and stargazing.

The house depicts a ship in remembrance of the city’s Horcrux. Manifesting “The Billy O’ Tea” to sail into the sea. Yes, it sails. 

Fact File

Designed by: STO.M.P

Project Type: Residential Architecture Design

Project Name: Billy O’Tea

Location: Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu

Year Built: 2023

Built-up Area: 5000 Sq.ft

Principal Architect: Vignesh Sekar

Project Architect: Karthik Vasuki

Team Design Credits: Karthik Vasuki, Shamini Vignesh & Abishek

Photograph Courtesy: studio.f8

Text: Abinaya Somasundharam

The Firm’s Website Link: STO.M.P

Firm’s Instagram Link: STO.M.P

Firm’s Facebook Link: STO.M.P

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