HOUSE IN ARAVALIS

The House is situated in Faridabad, adjoining Delhi on a plot of 350 sq yards. The house has a basement & two floors with total floor area of three thousand five hundred sqft. The inhabitants consist of two brothers mid 30’s and their family consisting of a wife and two kids each and parents in the sixties.

NOTIONAL CONCEPT

There are three aspects to every human being, they are represented by Body, Mind & Soul. While body requires physical comforts, mind requires knowledge and the soul requires freedom. Harmony and balance between all three aspects are required to attain harmony & happiness in life. To achieve this harmony is also required between the house and its inhabitants. The notion behind the design of this house was provide this harmony & balance by following:

1. Providing physical comforts by carefully analyzing and fulfilling the space requirements based on the lifestyle of the inhabitant and providing climatic comforts.

2. Providing an environment conducive to the mental growth by carefully analyzing the various aspects like aesthetic values, the journey in life, the fondest memories, the achievements etc. of each and every inhabitant and transposing those in their personal spaces.

3. Provide opportunities for freedom of soul by analyzing various aspects of the nature & personality traits of each and every inhabitant. Various opportunities have been created within spaces and design elements which establish dialogues with the inhabitants.

RESPONSE TO SITE

The plot is situated on Aravali Hills and the terrain was consisted of big rocks of Quartzite. The contours of the site had a variation as great as 3 meters between highest and the lowest levels. 

The house has been designed so that minimum cutting & filling was required, keeping the natural contours of the site intact. The split levels in floors, the form of the structure is a response to the natural levels of the site.

It’s like a jigsaw puzzle that fits perfectly on the natural rocky terrain, thus establishing a connection to the site. The form of the house reflects the pointed edges of the rocks. To keep the focus on the form and to draw the distinction between the nature and the man made, plain textures (surfaces and materials) have been used. The use of earthy colors and stone cladding is again intended to establish a connection with the surroundings.

RESPONSE TO CLIMATIC CONDITIONS

To avoid excessive heat gain in summers, areas like bathroom & kitchen etc. have been placed in south and south western zone, habitable rooms in this zone if any have been protected by deep verandahs, pergolas and louvered screens. Also present are cavity walls & sunshades. The roof areas have been insulated. The glazing areas have been minimized.

The verandahs and pergolas etc are so designed that while they prevent sun from penetrating in summers, they allow sun in winters from south side.

There is cross ventilation throughout the house. The triple height staircase lobby placed in the centre of the house sucks the cool air from lower floors and circulate it throughout the house.

SPACES

After entering the plot through the main gate, one has to go through a series of spaces to reach the main entrance door of the house. These spaces include a series of spiral steps with sloping walls on both sides leading to the main entrance porch which is covered with a pergola on top. 

The entrance lobby is a double height vestibule also housing the staircase. This core forms the centre of activity in the house. This connects as well as separates the formal and informal areas in the house. The mid landing of the staircase at two levels is used for various activities like leisure, study, music etc. 

It has big glazings on three sides offering the panoramic view of the hills, grounds and sky.

The floors have been broken into various levels. 

Semi covered spaces in form of verandahs are provided which forms a link between the interior and the exterior. All the areas open into semi covered spaces which in turn open into the lawns or terrace garden.

All spaces that have been generated are fluid in nature, flowing and merging into each other. Corners, nooks, skylights, platforms, levels etc. have been created throughout the house, helping the inhabitants to create experiences & establish dialogue with the building.

The house has open ended design. It’s like a tree growing and transforming with time. All the spaces are flexible and have ability to be transformed with the needs.

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