Pune is a city that was once famous for Wada House. The gardens and courtyards of these wada house once functioned as interaction spaces. 100 Ants has rekindled the essence of these spaces in a contemporary design considering the aspects of the urban settings, surroundings, climate, and clients’ needs.
This Home Has Rekindled The Essence of Pune’s Wada House | 100 Ants Design Studio
The Garden House stands as a testament to simplicity, with its earthy color palette blending seamlessly from exterior to interior. Furthermore, the carved-out masses feature a mix of closed, semi-open, and open spaces, while the balcony introduces a subtle vibrancy to the structure.
Surrounded by tall buildings on three sides and a vacant plot to the west, the architects designed inward-looking spaces to avoid compromising the views. Moreover, they ensured that the design maintained privacy while enhancing the overall experience.
Considering future developments for the adjoining plot, the site is raised from the ground level with a height of one floor. As a result, the ground floor serves as both a parking area and the entrance to the bungalow. Consequently, the habitable spaces commence from the first level upwards.
As you enter the house, its seemingly simple structure reveals meticulous planning. The bungalow, organized into three distinct bays, uses a structured grid layout to achieve this design.
The central bay features a floating staircase and a courtyard—the spine of the house.
The living area seamlessly merges with the courtyard on the first floor. It fosters a visual connection between the two floors, making the spaces interactive.
The brick wall and flooring establish the earthy tone of the courtyard. Moreover, the same material is used differently: while the flooring features a herringbone pattern, the intricately designed vertical wall adds just the right amount of visual texture.
The other two bays accommodate the living, dining, and kitchen areas on the east. Meanwhile, the bedrooms are situated on the west side of the first floor. Additionally, the second floor features more bedrooms, each with attached terraces.
The house is designed combining function with aesthetics and well-thought-out passive strategies that considerably reduce heat and provide ample light and ventilation.
Toilets on the southern side shield bedrooms from heat gain from the harsh southern sun. Additionally, proposed fins on the East and West facades mitigate low-angle sunlight, contributing to a climate-responsive design that reduces reliance on air conditioning.
Apart from the elevational treatment, designers have ensured the intimate green pockets adjoining each room are effective heat buffers. Moreover, a fenestration with brick blocks and jali at the entrance is a feature that ensures ventilation throughout the staircase block using the stack effect.
Daylight floods the house through diffused light from the sides and top of the staircase, as well as from the courtyard. The staircase, an important feature, serves as the focal point of the design. Each mid-landing, functioning as a deck, opens out to a wall that will feature a single large painting by a local artist. Additionally, the central bay acts as a light well, illuminating the inward-looking spaces around the staircase and courtyard.
Fact File
Designed by: 100 Ants Design Studio
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: The Garden House
Location: Baner, Pune
Year Built: 2023
Duration of the project: 2 Years
Built-up Area: 2185.07 Sq.ft
Plot Area: 3196.88 Sq.ft
Project Cost: 2 Crore
Principal Architect: Ar. Chaitanya Padhye & Ar. Swarali Sathaye
Team Design Credits: Ar. Aniket Kulkarni & ID. Shravani Kathwate
Writeup: Ar. Shruti Deshpande
Photograph Courtesy: Ar. Atul Kanetkar
Products / Materials / Vendors: Sanitaryware – Asian Paints / Windows – Aluminum windows (non branded) / Furniture – made on site / Flooring – Kota and Basalt stone- Eolith / Kitchen – Livspace Paint – Asian Paints
Consultants for the Project: Civil – GD Infrastructure / Structure Engineers – Mayur Pise / Environmental & Sustainability Consultants – Jalashree Shrikhande / Contractors – GD Infrastructure / Project Managers – GD Infrastructure
The Firm’s Website Link: 100 Ants Design Studio
Firm’s Instagram Link: 100 Ants Design Studio
Firm’s Facebook Link: 100 Ants Design Studio
For Similar Project >>> Seamless Fusion of Light Grey Wall Textures And An Overarching Wooden Touch
This North Facing villa opens towards the East to always soak in the cool and diffused light. Its orientation is mindful of the adjoining clubhouse and its expansive garden. The planning allows the villa’s private lawn to visually merge with it, creating a larger and cohesive space. With a connection to the open space at […]
An Urban Sanctuary Woven with Craft, Warmth, and Light Explicitly tucked into a quiet residential pocket, this home with a jaali facade is a thoughtfully layered expression of calm, character, and craftsmanship. Every surface and corner is rooted in intention — where light, material, and memory meet. The Jaali Design in this Layered Home Exudes […]
The design of the house prioritises connectivity to nature by incorporating green elements like vertical gardens or landscaped courtyards. This is achieved through various means, such as large windows framing scenic views, outdoor living spaces seamlessly merging with the surrounding landscape. The emphasis on connectivity to nature creates a serene and harmonious environment, fostering a […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]