Reinterpreting one’s Roots

By Marina Correa

Photography: Courtesy the architects

A one-storeyed residential structure erected on 2,400 sq ft plot in Gundlupet, near Mysore, comes across as an evolved insert into the rural landscape; albeit in a reinterpreted format…

Familiar materials like brick, cuddapah, terracotta tiles, plastered and paved cement surfaces and wood are used in unfamiliar ways in a bid to explore a new vocabulary so that the built maintains a tactile link to the place. 

.

Anchoring the home around an open-to-sky courtyard, located towards the rear, spaces are thus oriented away from the street edge, underscoring the introverted nature of the house. “This thinking acknowledges the changing structure of the town and the loss of vibrancy generated in the earlier tightly-knit streets,” remarks Sandeep J, principal architect, Architecture Paradigm. 

.

.

The movement through the house is orchestrated through subtle manipulation of levels; double heights in the living and dining rooms maintain links with the upper level, while master bedroom, family room, bedrooms, kitchen, terrace and staircase are a balanced geometry.  

.

Spatial volumes are animated by the interplay of light changing through the day and seasons. Taking off from traditional methods of controlling light and ventilation viz. pergolas, jaali, passive strategies etc, the architects have adapted their approach through strategically located openings and shading devices created out of weatherproofing clay tiles engineered as baffles.

.

.

This in turn lends texture to the façade, while maintaining privacy. Sustainability principles rule as rainwater harvesting and solar heating strategies cuts down on fresh water and energy needs. Seen as an extension of the simple exterior, the interiors radiate clarity, lightness and flexibility. 

.

“Projects for us are not just about seeking solutions to a problem, but are about creating experiences that celebrate the essence of being human and, a means to engage and nourish our senses,” says Sandeep. The project is a thorough justification of this thought process.