Client: Hardik Patel Location: Vadodara, Gujarat, India Plot Area: 4500 sqft Built-up Area: 4800 sqft Programme: Residence Status: Completed 2019 Photographer: Tejas Shah Photography
Size goes hand in hand with desires. Having a considerable size of plot, the client had equivalent number of requirements. They wanted the house to be outlined for a family of four. Having lived in a very utilitarian house until now, they desired a shift to a house closer to nature.
Set in a gated community in an upcoming urban realm, the site surrounded by bungalows on adjoining sides abuts access only on the south. Further the site is obliquely accessed from one side and faced by the common plot on the other. To develop a concept which responds to the context and the client brief has been a journey for us.
After leaving the regulation margins, an additional setback was planned on the front road facing side of the plot. A garden was conceptualized in this expanse. Living, dining and staircase forming the active core of the house, were designed with limited or no wall separation between them. Aligned to the client’s brief, landscaped pockets were planned in and around these spaces to keep them open, connected and in sync with nature. Spaces overlooking these green scopes were designed on the above floors.
The heart of the design is the triple storey courtyard strategically created to establish visual linkages in all the three dimensions. The staircase placed in this courtyard takes one to the above floor. Bedrooms on this floor are riveted by a common reading area. The staircase further takes one to the second level encompassing the entertainment room and a landscaped terrace.
The facade is flanked by balconies and terraces at different levels to cut the direct entry of sunlight thus acting as buffer for the main functional spaces. The elevation thus strikes a balance between solidity and transparency. Boxes are used as elements to add character to the climate responsive balcony of the master bedroom. A shift in material from brick to exposed grey plaster distinguishes this volume. Together brick and exposed plaster define the exterior material palette. The window seating then makes an appearance in the living room. Connecting the garden with the interior, it has been designed in sync with the box concept. This concept of boxes is then taken further while developing the overall design language.
The interior colour scheme is conceptualized to be neutral and the material palette minimal. All the furniture is either customized as per design or handcrafted on site as per details. Wood and metal became the key elements while developing the furniture. Used differently in different areas against the subtle backdrops of white and grey, these materials are then overlaid with pastel furnishings and accessories. The design process finishes with the addition of gentle hues of green in all the spaces.
