This contemporary house in Chennai is grounded in traditional South-Indian architecture

The architecture of this home is a marriage of South-Indian vernacular planning with modern-day aesthetics: Urban Courtyard House by Studio Context

Huddled in the urban fabric of Chennai, a lean lane sneaks one a peak of this house. Approaching the house down this alleyway, one comes face-to-face with a minimal yet impressionistic play of masses. In contrast with the bare concrete walls, a pocket of greens leads to a staircase ascending beneath a floating volume.

"This home provides a great sense of communication but also acts as a sanctuary that provides warmth and love to its residents."
- Ar. Raghuveer Ramesh

This large volume opens up into a light-filled courtyard as we enter the house. This allows one to see the house in a new light (literally), taking everyone by surprise.

SITE CONTEXT AND RESPONSE

Since the site is circumjacent to neighbouring structures on all four sides and also lies in a relatively low-lying area which makes it prone to flooding, architects Raghuveer Ramesh and Sharanya Srinivasan had to conquer these challenges artfully. Their solution to this was to take an introverted planning approach, with the building being designed on stilts, accommodating the parking on the ground floor. An aerial view gives us an idea of its lack of privacy along its periphery.

CONCEPTUAL PLANNING

In order to maintain the privacy of family members while also facilitating natural ventilation in the house, the courtyard becomes the point of convergence. With a play of levels around it, the courtyard is sunken to avoid the backsplash of water into adjacent spaces during monsoons. The kitchen and the dining spaces are more elevated as compared to the rest of the floor, adding dynamism to the planning of the house.

FOCAL POINT: COURTYARD

In traditional South Indian houses, the 'mutram' (courtyard) is a common space-making element. This would act as a social gathering spot and would help render the microclimate. Analogous to a 'mutram', this courtyard acts as the lungs and heart of the house. Designed on the concept of ‘stack-effect’, it helps the hot air escape the house with the support of terracotta jaali and punctiliously placed fenestrations. Not only does it welcome natural sunlight and rainfall into the house, but it also plays a crucial role by acting as the epicentre of all the activities that the family members engage in. On some days the space gets filled with the daughter’s giggles while she plays, and on some others, it gets flooded with the jingle of ghungroos and rhythmic footwork.

EXPANDABLE SPACES

Various spaces and elements have been meticulously designed to serve more than one purpose. The pooja room is tactfully tucked to on the East of the living room, behind a white-coloured laser-cut foldable screen. During celebrations and festivities, this screen can be opened up for the pooja space to permeate into the living space. By the same token, the family lounge pervades into a semi-open deck area which could come in handy amid social gatherings.

INTERCONNECTION

The strategic location of the courtyard renders its association throughout the entirety of this house. While the public spaces, like the living and dining, seamlessly diffuse, the semi-private spaces, such as the family lounge and the deck, look into this light-washed courtyard. A series of shutters with vertical wooden slats encompasses the master bedroom. With these shutters furled up, this space acts as a vantage point and interacts with the deck space on a slightly lower level as well as the courtyard and living space on the floor below.

MATERIAL PALETTE

The interiors of the house follow a minimal palette with sterile white walls and grey vitrified floor tiles. Warmth and a splash of quirk have been introduced with extensive use of wood and pops of colour in the furniture. Strategically placed paintings compliment different spaces. A local and vernacular sense of being is created by introducing the terracotta jaali and hand-plastered walls. Highlights of brass by the means of fixtures and artefacts are interpolated in the house to accentuate the interior mood board.

To watch the full video of The Urban Courtyard House and access a detailed e-Book of the project, visit here.

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