“Just because the weather is gloomy outside doesn’t mean it has to be the same inside.” — Chaithra M.

FACT FILE

SITE CONTEXT

In the dense urban fabric of the city of Pondicherri, lies Le Tranquil, a minimally designed contemporary home. Located optimally, the plot lies in the vicinity of the closeby railway colony, the French colony and the beach.

The clients, who live in the USA, desired a house that was in the proximity of their relatives. The brief was to create a home that would be exciting for not just their kids but also their future generation.

PLANNING PROCESS

A challenge of this plot was to build in a tight space on a plot facing north in a line of row houses — a type of house that struggles to build in natural light and ventilation. The design resolution included providing a narrow setback on either side of the house, which was treated to be green courtyards with the top being open to the sky.

The house has a pedestrian entry featuring a series of cantilevered concrete platforms inlaid with black granite that lead you up to a concrete-framed door opening into the living area of the house.

To facilitate privacy between the formal living zone and the central waterbody and the kitchen, a multi-purpose space has been crafted out of a concrete cube and hidden from sight using openable jaalis.

COURT OF WATER AND PATCH OF GREEN

The water body at the centre of the house has been designed to appear as if the platform is floating over it. It has a planter box towards one side that makes it appear that one is sitting beneath a tree. It is a space of relaxation, differentiated from the main house by a line of dry, white pebbles. One can sit and dip their feet in this pond or laze around with the oculus on top flooding natural light downwards.

Everywhere possible, the walls have huge openings that open up and offer a view of the green side pockets that the house uses as its setback. Thus, one gets a clear view of the flourishing greenery from the water court and the kitchen.

UP AND UP

On the upper floor, a wooden floored common area greets you. This area has a visual connection with the water court below. This floor holds the master bedroom, the son’s and the daughter’s bedrooms and the multi-purpose room.

The master bedroom has its own separate court created with its own skylight apart from the green setbacks running around the house. Similarly, in the daughter’s bedroom, a small part of the slab has been dedicated to integrating more greenery into the space.

The son’s bedroom further has a different treatment. The room has a platform bed with the platform on which the mattress is laid, flowing out into the garden area towards the front of the house. The garden is shuttered with collapsible doors, which when opened, dramatically increase the size of the bed and change the ambience of the room.

Continuing onto the next floor, one is welcomed into a terrace area that is engulfed with more trees that completely isolate one from the surroundings and the noises of the street.

MATERIALITY

Throughout the house, the spaces have black marble flooring which has been complemented with exposed concrete and wooden textures. The headboards in the guest bedroom are finished in exposed concrete.

The facade of the house is an installation of timber. On the lower floor, the facade comprises large windows with clean wooden frames, while on the upper floor, it is collapsible shutters made out of wooden slats.

To find the complete set of drawings from the architect’s desk or to watch the complete detailed home tour, visit Buildofy. Browse our themes for more innovative and stunning home architecture from across India.