A visually connected house

By Marina Correa

Photography: Baalakrishnan; courtesy the firm

Read Time: 2 mins

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Balancing traditional practices with a modern form, Collage Architecture designs and builds a home in Bengaluru that blends into the landscape, as interweaving spaces evoke a ‘level play’…

Since the clients sought a serene living space far removed from city life, the architects merged the three-level residence into the surroundings by way of a central courtyard, green pockets, skylights, fenestrations and an uninterrupted visual connect with the outdoors. 

 

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Set within a residential area, the decision for its orientation was mainly guided by capturing and framing views of an agricultural institute that lay ahead and beyond. This resulted in creating a floating cube on the façade, which facilitates seamlessness.

 

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Building further on this theme, physically obstructing walls have been eschewed in favour of a play of levels - subtly demarcating different functions/ rooms and maintaining privacy, whilst ensuring a 2,800 sq. ft. see-through home that enhances interaction from all angles.

 

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Flexibility of function adds another dimension, where for instance, a floating cube above the entrance provides a column-free parking space below, which can transform into a gathering area, when required. Similarly, low shelving in the family room doubles up as a seating arrangement. 

 

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Another forte of the project is the diligent interweaving of spaces, where for example the living opens into the courtyard; the dining stretches into the rear garden; a large skylight and grassy floor are integrated into a ground-floor bathroom… blurring indoor-outdoor boundaries.  

Besides fostering nature via every corner, skylights are additionally layered with stained glass leaf motifs, colourfully animating spaces with chiaroscuro elements.

 

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The same simple philosophy is followed through in the material and colour palettes, where exposed concrete, black granite, Jaisalmer stone and wooden flooring bring out an earthiness viz. grey, black, brown that blend into the scenic greens – allowing the well-grounded personalities of its homeowners to shine though.