Our urban landscapes are undergoing rapid transformation. Burgeoning populations and increasing demands on city infrastructure continue to put pressure on urban areas. To address these challenges, urban planners regularly revise zoning regulations.
In Delhi, a significant regulatory change introduced mandatory stilt parking on small urban lots. These plots could have four habitable floors above. Gurugram, a satellite city, later adopted similar amendments. The underlying demand, however, differs between the two cities. Delhi faces genuine housing demand, while Gurugram’s demand is largely speculative, as evidenced by numerous vacant lots across its neighbourhoods.
Traditionally, Gurugram’s zoning followed the ‘Garden City’ concept. It permitted two-storey dwellings with ample setbacks from the main roads. These homes often overlooked lush parks, while tree-lined thoroughfares contributed to a human-scaled urban fabric. More recent developments stand in stark contrast. They create an urban environment that feels disorienting and out of place.
Transformation House Engages With Gurugram’s Evolving Urban Landscape And Zoning | Studio Juggernaut
When a speculative housing block began construction next to our clients’ residence, they sought our expertise to address the dilemma. They had lived in a duplex surrounded by gardens for over two decades. The home offered unobstructed outward views because no neighbouring structures existed. Now, a towering fifty-foot blank wall threatened to dominate their outlook. The renowned Delhi architect Mr. Rajeev Agarwal designed the original home twenty-five years ago. It already held significant architectural value. Although the clients could demolish and rebuild, we advocated preserving this piece of modern architectural heritage.
Our endeavour was to transform the outward-focused residence into an inward-looking courtyard house. The design redirects views towards the centre of the home and places the venerable ‘Champa’ (frangipani) tree at its heart. To define the courtyard, we extended the house’s existing geometries to the permissible front setback. This created a stepped courtyard with gardens at ground level and terraces on the upper floors. A one-and-a-half-storey volume bounds the open-ended courtyard on its western edge. A serene verandah sits beneath this volume. To the east, extended terraces with planters cover the driveway and carport below.
The main house sits to the north. Trees and the adjacent park frame the south. These spaces now benefit from intimate internal views of the courtyard and expansive views of the park. The courtyard house, a classic typology for tropical homes in the Indian subcontinent, allows occupants to move through spaces with the sun’s movement. It also offers respite from the sun’s intensity, depending on the season. The design responds to the site’s orientation by incorporating a range of indoor and outdoor spaces. These spaces remain adaptable for year-round use.
During summer, the ground-floor living areas offer a cool sanctuary from the sun’s heat. These spaces open onto the front garden and extend to a covered verandah beneath the multipurpose room. The multipurpose room shields the verandah from harsh sunlight and casts a cooling shadow over the courtyard. The verandah also serves as a breezeway, with a swing that allows occupants to enjoy the space. In winter, the first-floor family lounge becomes the primary gathering space. It opens onto a wrap-around terrace with pergolas and built-in benches, creating an ideal spot to enjoy the daytime warmth. A skylight further enhances the first-floor lounge by bringing natural light into the space.
The multipurpose room defines the western edge of the courtyard and can be accessed from the first-floor lounge. The room houses the clients’ study and exercise equipment. Its fifteen-foot ceiling enhances the sense of volume and draws the gaze upwards. A long skylight emerges from the cast-in-place exposed concrete ceiling and brings sunlight into the room. Sunlight filters through the slender opening and washes the wall with sharp bands of light. This adds dynamism to the otherwise plain surface and subtly marks the passage of time. A study table sits against the wall and receives intermittent sunlight throughout the day. An oversized window frames the courtyard and highlights the magnificent ‘Champa’ tree and terraced backdrop. The window sill also doubles as a comfortable seat for an afternoon read.
For a single-family dwelling, the house has a straightforward layout. The lower level accommodates public functions such as the living room, drawing room, dining room, kitchen, and guest bedroom. The upper level houses private spaces, including the bedrooms, family lounge, and multipurpose room. The rooftop terrace primarily serves service functions. Upon entering through the main door, one steps into a central atrium. A north-facing skylight illuminates the atrium and provides ambient light throughout the day. The atrium divides the house into two distinct volumes. The front houses the living areas, while the rear contains the bedrooms and service spaces. A porthole window with a stained-glass pane punctuates the atrium’s double-height volume. The window integrates into a window seat in the master bedroom. It allows northern light into the room while maintaining privacy.
Preserving the house’s original shell supported environmental conservation. At the same time, we completely overhauled its internal systems. We installed new electrical and plumbing lines and integrated a more efficient VRV system for HVAC. We also added photovoltaic panels and solar water heaters connected to a heat pump system for hot water needs. All rainwater from the terraces flows into a recharge pit. To future-proof the house, we also incorporated an elevator.
Our selection of materials, both external and internal, prioritized locally available natural options whenever possible. Indian limestone was chosen for the flooring, with a rough finish for exterior areas and a polished one indoors. Bathrooms feature Indian marble for shower enclosures, countertops, and flooring, complemented by the subtle elegance of micro-concrete for dry area walls.The kitchen boasts a shot-blasted basalt floor, handmade tiles for the walls, and Indian granite for the counters. On the exterior, we retained the existing structure’s exposed brick facade.
Respecting the original design, all new additions and extensions were plastered in grey micro-concrete in harmony with the brickwork.Windows were framed with red sandstone jambs, and terracotta breeze blocks were introduced to provide shade and privacy, all while maintaining a cohesive material palette. All our slab extensions are cast in-situ, board-formed exposed concrete.The formwork for these was crafted from reclaimed industrial pallet wood planks, which were then repurposed to create planters distributed around the house.
We thoughtfully integrated many existing trees on site, such as ‘Chiku’ (Sapodilla), ‘Champa’ (Frangipani), Nolina palm, and Banana trees. Some were protected in their original locations, while others were carefully transplanted to strategically enhance the open spaces around the house. Collaborating with a horticulturist, new plants were introduced to thrive in areas of varying shade and sun exposure, contributing to a cohesive landscape design.The pergolas on the new winter terraces are now adorned with Petrea Volubilis, trained to eventually cover the top. For the rear garden, a patio extends from the ground-floor dining room, bordered by a dense planting of tropical species. Here, a custom-built barbecue grill anchors one end of the patio extension, facing a banana tree at the opposite end.
The interiors of the house maintain a simple and luminous aesthetic, reflecting the owners’ lifestyle.The design philosophy aimed to create a grounded, homelike atmosphere, fostering organic growth. Polished limestone floors and waxed micro-concrete walls imbue the ground-floor living spaces with an earthy feel.The drawing room features an exposed brick wall, serving as a striking backdrop awaiting a perfectly placed artwork.The first-floor lounge and multipurpose room boast engineered wood flooring, complementing the darker grey micro-concrete walls and adding warmth and softness to these areas.
We partnered with Iqrup and Ritz, a renowned international brand and local manufacturer, to supplement the clients’ existing furniture. Several pieces, such as a rattan and timber bar unit and a TV console crafted from the same materials, were collaboratively designed.We also conceived certain statement pieces, including the living room coffee table and the study table in the multipurpose room. Our decorative light fixtures were sourced from companies like Oorjaa, known for their work with natural materials such as banana fiber paper, and Lampshaper, which crafts exquisite pieces from brass and alabaster. All these lights are meticulously handmade by skilled artisans.
Ultimately, our decision to work with the existing structure rather than demolishing it yielded immense value in terms of environmental conservation.The lack of ethical disposal facilities in our region has made construction waste a serious problem, contributing to an impending environmental catastrophe. Moreover, by clearly defining spaces, we minimized the need for vast quantities of new construction materials, focusing instead on fulfilling genuine needs. By setting aside ego, one can indeed achieve exemplary architecture that inherently champions environmental preservation.
Fact File
Designed by: Studio Juggernaut
Project Type: Residential Architecture Design
Project Name: Transformation House
Location: Gurugram, India
Year Built: 2025
Duration of the project: 2 Years
Project Size: 7000 Sq.ft.
Principal Architect: Harsh Vardhan Jain, Saurabh Jain & Teppei Iizuka
Team Design Credits: Prabhjot Kaur, Ingit Dutta & Aman Sharma
Photograph Courtesy: Niveditaa Gupta
Firm’s Website Link: Studio Juggernaut
Firm’s Instagram Link: Studio Juggernaut
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