“The structure is called Crystal Hall. When you see the building, the name is an inevitable fact.” – Thomas Abraham

Clear and white, the Crystal Hall takes on its name quite literally. While designed for the architect himself and his family, the place also resembles a modern gurukul, where students come to the place of their teacher’s residence for learning.

FACT FILE

ABOUT THE SITE

The site is surrounded by rich vegetation in the form of lush orchards and woods. Architect Thomas Abraham describes the design philosophy he chooses to follow as Paleo-modernism – to have modern elements that are embedded in history.

Situated in Angalapura, Bengaluru, the plot is about half an acre. The interior spaces are laid out in an open plan, in a bid to respond to the family members’ varied interests, and such that the spaces are all also multifunctional. From the get-go, Abraham had been adamant about providing clear visibility from the access road to the plot to the orchards beyond it. The initial plan was to not have a compound wall so nothing blocks the view, but the idea was subsequently altered to have a see-through compound wall fabricated in brick piers and glass instead of taking aspects like security into perspective.

ELEMENTAL PRINCIPLES

Building on the basic elements of nature – earth, wind, fire, water, and ether – much like how most traditional and vernacular architecture does, Crystal Hall takes its own approach to augment this ideology.

The entry to the site is flanked by two towering windmills making up the gateway – these have also been reportedly hailed as the world’s first residential windmill towers. They have been engineered to generate power during windy days. A fire bowl at the entrance and a sunken water pool add to the variety of elements incorporated in this design.

Additionally, the Tower of Souls adds the final stake into the mix by paying tribute to the element of ether.

A ‘CLEAR’ PLAN

The building welcomes you inside with its layered glass colonnade into the gigantic Hall of the Western Sun. This space is dominated by a white, double helical staircase rising upwards – inspired by the double helical shape of the DNA. Additional white columns are dispersed along the edges as a callback to classical architecture.

The ground level also has a sunken living area that is aimed to evoke cosiness and intimacy among friends and family. This level further has the dining area.

The upper levels, all keeping in theme with the crystal and white appearance, house the white bedrooms. The master bedroom on the first floor is finished in detail – in white – and it opens out to lush green views that imbibe the space with serenity and minimalism. On the topmost level is a white piano, drilled into the floor to keep it from rolling away, placed in position using a crane before the glass walls of the house were installed.

The monotony of white is broken only by the black in the washrooms – owing to the easy maintainability of the black decor in these areas.

VERTICAL GARDEN

The building is practically enclosed in glass. On the west side, there arose the concern of heat entering the building which needed to be tackled. The solution devised was to use a 'glass garden'. In principle, it builds upon the concept of double-glazing, but instead of a few inches of insulating space sandwiched between two panes of glass, the glass garden has 7-10 ft of rainforest trees interpolated between two layers of high-performance glazing. Abraham claims that about 66.2 to 80 per cent of the heat is eliminated using this strategy.

The rainforest also acts as a  visual curtain that provides the residents with privacy and as green gardens where the upper floor bedrooms windows open to.

THE EXO STRUCTURES

Other structures spread across the site include the Tower of Mind and Soul, which are both 50 ft high towers, similar to the minarets of a masjid.

The Tower of Mind houses a library with bookshelves going 20 ft high. A staircase is affixed to reach the upper levels and a stained glass oculus crowns this particular minaret on the top.

The Tower of Soul is a place of contemplation – acting as the prayer hall. This tower is quite minimalist – the highlight of this tower is its use of the pinhole camera principle. There is a small hole in the wall of this tower, which at certain times of the day, casts a shimmering cross of sunlight inside.

Also outside are the two outhouses. One hosts the formal working space for Abraham and his brother, while the other is a place of stay for the house helps.

As with everything, these are all white.

The Crystal Hall is an attempt, as the architect describes, to create a first of its kind – like a prototype of an idea to germinate upon by others. It is a material expression that aims to inspire other expressions in its form. Watch the complete house tour on Buildofy. Additionally, access the eBook which gives you an in-depth insight into the design process along with the plans and drawings for your perusal.

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