The idea of this exceptional house arose from the client’s need to go back to their roots and live on a farm. To invoke the sense of nostalgia, the architects have used materials like exposed brick and cement plaster all through the house. With eco-conscious and vernacular elements, this house reinterprets the traditional courtyard in a modern context.

FACT FILE

EMBRACING NATURE

One of the key architectural concept in this house is the dual courtyard, which helps in a seamless connection between built and open spaces. The lawn on the outside is connected to the living courtyard through foldable shutters, making it an extension of the house. The connecting passage is purposefully made to be understated in order to blend with its surroundings.

To achieve a home that reminds the clients of their childhood and is connected with nature, an attempt has been made to create a perfect symbiosis between the surrounding nature, the built form and the interior spaces, creating a sense of belongingness to the farm.

INVERTING THE COURTYARD

The protagonist happens to be the dual courtyard, which rests in the heart of the house. It is a reinterpretation of the traditional central courtyard, dividing it into two parts and connecting the two halves of the house through a passage. The intention behind having two courtyards is to have more place and flexibility in terms of design and usage, providing the user with an additional space.

Named as the living courtyard and kitchen courtyard, the spaces are visible through large glass windows from their respective room. The courtyards on both the sides of the passage have metal grills on top, providing an interesting play of light and shadow throughout the day. The presence of courtyard helps in maintaining the temperature through a regulated airflow.

MINIMAL MATERIAL PALETTE

One of the most significant features of the house is the use of a minimal material palette. At first glance, the most striking materials are the exposed brick walls and cement plaster. Various other materials include: leather finish granite, oxide flooring with glass inlay, granite, wood and athangudi tiles.

Each room has its own distinct personality, yet a similar theme. For example, the master bedroom features a bay window with beautiful views of the surrounding lawn, making for a cosy book reading corner within the room. The guest bedroom is minimal, with a solid wood headrest and  the window overlooking the lawn. The connecting thread in both these rooms are the wardrobes, a solid wood and cane wardrobe, which has been made light by sandwiching cane between glass.

MOVEMENT IN WALL

The intriguing arrangement of the bricks at the entrance porch wall breaks the monotony of the brickwork done around the house. The projection of bricks increases gradually at each level, making the wall dynamic from both, outside and inside.

One wall in the kitchen courtyard is a parametric wall, which also acts as the backdrop of the dining area. The wave like pattern on the wall has been achieved through an interesting arrangement of the bricks gradually projecting out and recessing in. Breaking the west light, this wall has an engaging play of light and shadow throughout the day.

The idea behind having feature walls in the house was to create walls that stand out from the rest, to have interesting patterns and ever changing patterns of light.

In conclusion, this home is a perfect getaway from the rushed city life, around nature. It has a seamless flow between the spaces, with distinct public and private areas. It takes into consideration the site’s attributes and the design portrays an accurate balance between the built and open spaces.

The home is a calm sanctuary that not only complements, but celebrates the beauty of its surroundings. This home welcomes you to engage with the natural world around you.

To watch the complete home tour, peruse the drawings in detail and browse additional photographs, visit Buildofy. While there, don’t miss out on the other impressive sustainable homes in Tamil Nadu and across India.