In the dense residential fabric of Vadodara, urban constraints often limit access to light and ventilation. This residence reimagines everyday living for an urban family within those limitations. Designed for a family of four, the home balances openness with privacy. A dedicated worship space and an airy, spacious environment become the guiding principles of the design.
Rather than simply accommodating these needs, the design allows them to shape the very DNA of the architecture.
This Vadodara Home Reimagines Life for an Urban Family | Studio Reform
Surrounded by neighbouring buildings on three sides, the design turns inward to create privacy and openness. The south is the only open face of the site, making daylight both an opportunity and a challenge. The design invites the sky into the home while carefully moderating the harsh southern sun. This response takes shape through a central puja space positioned at the heart of the residence. More than a place of worship, it becomes the spiritual and spatial core that organizes the home.
This courtyard does not just organize the plan; it breathes life into it, acting as a vertical lung that pulls light and ventilation into the deepest corners of the site.
Two primary axes organize the ground floor, connecting the living spaces with the courtyard while establishing a clear link to the staircase.
This floor houses the public zones and a bedroom; all focused around the central void. A bridge passage marks the transition to the first floor. This architectural element acts as a physical and visual link, overlooking the courtyard below and reinforcing the sense of familial connectivity.
The private quarters—the master bedroom and son’s room on the first floor, are strategically placed to maintain both privacy and a relationship with the central void. The journey culminates on the second floor with a daughter’s room and a covered terrace, a “closed sanctuary” that remains open to the elements yet shielded from the sun, providing an ideal microclimate for family gatherings.
The massing of the urban family house strictly follows this planning concept, keeping the courtyard axis as the primary focus. This axis is translated onto the exterior elevation, where it is highlighted as a striking double-height frame stretching from the first to the second floor.
Light is treated as a dynamic inhabitant of the house rather than a passive element. Long, slender slit windows on the east and west facades orchestrate a “hide-and-seek” with the sun, casting dramatic, shifting streaks across the double-height walls of the courtyard.
The south facade, traditionally the most vulnerable to heat, is articulated with a terracotta block screen. This functional skin serves as a thermal buffer for the master bedroom, transforming the midday glare into a soft, dappled tapestry of shadows. Above, the terrace is crowned with a pergola, which acts as a rhythmic filter, marking the passage of time through its changing shadow patterns on the floor.
Through clean lines and a disciplined approach to massing, the house transcends its physical boundaries. It is a project where the “void” is as important as the “solid.” By elevating the worship space to the centre of the architectural experience, the home becomes more than a shelter; it becomes a serene, light-filled vessel for the spirit, proving that even the most restricted urban plots can yield expansive, airy sanctuaries.
Fact File
Designed by: Studio Reform
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: The Void of Faith
Location: Manjalpur, Vadodara
Year Built: 2026
Duration of the project: 18 Months
Plot Area: 2000 sq.ft.
Built-up Area: 3500 sq.ft.
Principal Architects: Ar. Supriya Karkare & Ar. Harshang Kale
Photograph Courtesy: pixellusphotography
Project Managers: Krunal Rana
Firm’s Website Link: Studio Reform
Firm’s Instagram Link: Studio Reform
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