HOUSE OF COLOUR CONCRETE

Location:Vadodara
Plot Area:4500 SQ.FT
Built-up Area:5500 SQ.FT
Programme:Homes
Status:Completed
Completion Year:2023
Design Team:Urvi Shah
Photographer:Tejas Shah

House of Colour Concrete, as the name suggests celebrates and experiments with pigmented concrete that lends a poetic dimension to this otherwise simple abode.
It is hard to miss the warm, rustic, terracotta colour of this house. The striking contrast of the colour with the greys and whites of the surrounding houses contributes to its strong presence.

Design concept
While colour is an uncommon choice for a residential project, colour concrete is even more unconventional and challenging to work with. Reimagining a home through a playful exploration of its colour and material palette is what guided the design narrative of the House of Colour Concrete.
Located in a dense urban neighborhood, with an odd-shaped plot of 4500 square feet, Our immediate response was to orient the house along the longer side of the site that opens to a small triangle-shaped garden and the dense greenery of the adjacent plot.
The house is visually a product of two staked volumes with recessed terracotta volume creating a juxtaposition with the concrete finish volume above. To break the monotony, they are punctuated with openings of varying sizes with the upper level enveloped with folded panels of vertical grills, these grills server the purpose of security and can be opened and closed. The minimal material palette and the simple geometry of the structure is what gives it a unique character.

Spatial Organization
The internal layout of the house is defined by the parallelly placed coloured concrete walls that not only distinctly divide the areas but also provide a unique and holistic experience. Using colour in a residential project can be both exciting and daunting, therefore we were mindful of its usage. Contrary to the walls on the ground floor, the terracotta hue continues in the flooring of the first floor. To create a sense of continuity, the walls enclosing the staircase retain its terracotta colour all the way till the upper level. The stairwell is illuminated by light flooding in from the skylight above which creates a play of light and shadow on the walls.
To foster a connection with the outside and blur the boundary between the inside and the outside, a continuous standing balcony runs along the East and South façade. Almost like an extension of the interior space, this passage also acts as a buffer space that helps maintain a comfortable temperature inside. The house culminates at the top with a spacious deck and a terrace garden that overlooks the main road on one side and the green patch on the other side.

Material palette and furniture
The house with its unique and distinctive character employs a rustic material palette. The simple materiality is realized with concrete, wood, and terracotta coloured pigment. This muted colour palette lends a very warm quality to the house that harmoniously unifies the different spaces of the house. To compliment the earthy and bare interiors, the furniture pieces are custom-designed in wood.

A clear departure from a traditional-looking house, House of Colour Concrete stands for inventiveness and endless possibilities. Rooted in simplicity, the house is our attempt to experiment with a family abode that celebrates the nuances of daily life and emerges as a timeless entity. The harmony between the material usage, colour palette, green spaces, and connection with the outside all contribute to a calm and joyous living.