Apartment At My-home Vihanga, Hyderabad.

CLIENT BRIEF-

A simple, hassle-free, easy-to-maintain home for a family of 4 who expressed their adoration for wood. They wanted their home ready for relocation from Bengaluru. They have 2 sons aged 7 and 10, and in-laws who would visit regularly and stay with them.

DESIGN INTENT-

We ideated to design and create a space that takes care of inter and intra-generational affiliations while being earthy, elegant, functional, airy, and convenient. Our design interpretation of the client’s storage requirements led us to design the storage as partition elements on both floors enabling clutter-free spaces. The family living (“chai time space”) is crafted exclusively to unwind during the continuous hours of work. We designed one of the rooms on the 14th floor exclusively for office work to prevent spillage of office work to other spaces. To sum it up, Metamorphosis of the space through earthy indigenous and locally available materials was the key.

SUMMARY –

The home can be summarised as the metamorphosis of a bare shell based on the pillars of sustainability, effectiveness, and aesthetics to achieve a warm, cosy, simple yet sophisticated home that gives spatial and sensorial.

What we did.

We worked with the clients and ensured that the entire structure is built from the bricks made out of the earth/soil excavated for the foundation. All the bricks compressed stabilised earth blocks used for this project were entirely cast in site, with med concrete for the joints and med plaster adding to the natural essence, creating a monolith without any compromise on structural capabilities (wet compressive strength/load bearing ability subscribing to and above the NBC standards and earthquake resistant building norms).

We had maximum natural lighting and ventilation owing to the centrally located courtyard and had to create spaces with ambient daylight factor and limited vertical sky components.

Innovations used here

CSEB blocks – compressed stabilised earth blocks, cast & used in-site. Wet compressive strength is above the standards prescribed by the National building code.

Arched footings – influenced by roman architecture, supports the structure, reducing the requirement of stone masonry for the foundation while adding to the aesthetic appeal of the building making it appear as if floating on arches.

Mud concrete & mud Plaster – It enhanced the natural aesthetics while allowing better integration of the CSEB, reduced joints, improved the effect of (SEB, and created a sort of a monolith due to homogeneity in materials used.

USP

Accepting and implementing in letter and spirit – “Prakruti Rakshati Rakshitah” – “Nature protects if she is protected”.

The touchstone of this project was Contextually blending the built form in the environment through environmentally sensitive and environmentally responsive architecture, design, and execution.

We tried to achieve inclusive architecture where the human and non-human residents can co-inhabit in a space where the built form merges with the natural environment in color, texture, and through the usage of materials. 

We aimed at achieving a harmonic balance between nature and the demands of modern living. 

The central theme of this project was to establish and build a structure that was Permanent yet Impermanent. The built form is non-invasive, grown and developed from the soil of the very land it stands on today, while also having the ability to easily merge with the same soil and land upon completion of its life and purpose with minimal polluting residues.

Summary:

Recognizing and reliving in harmony with the abundance that Mother Nature unconditionally offers us.