THE INDIAN DESIGN MAGAZINE www.insideoutside.in ISSUE 344 FEBRUARY 2014 ` 100

RNI No. 31940/77 Reg. No.MH/MR/South-83/2012-14 Date of Publication: 1st of every month. Posted at Patrika Channel Sorting office, Mumbai-400001 on 8th & 9th of every month

FEATURING

Archventure DD ArchitectsAbraham John ArchitectsSaga Design ArchitectsRavi VaziraniReddymade DesignAnnsley InteriorsLotus

A tribute to Nari Gandhi, the man who initiated theinteraction between builtand unbuilt spaces

COVER STORY FREDDY BIRDY LETS THE OUTDOORS

REIGN SUPREME IN HIS HIGHLY PERSONALISED DELHI HOME

RETROSPECTIVE

A four-storey 10,000 sq ft bungalow in Bengaluru by Archventure pays

heed to Zen principles to introduce a sense of calm, while providing ample entertainment spaces for the clients.

TEXT: APURVA BOSE DUTTA

PICTURES: COURTESY ARCHVENTURE

Zen

&entertainment,

anyone?

bungalow

Wood – the only

hint of colour here

– silently makes its

presence felt.

Critics of archi-

tecture often have to respect the

fact that single dwellings are reflec-

tive of an individual’s preferences,

desires and how he/she routinely

lives life. When an architect steps

in, translating these dreams into

reality becomes the paramount

goal. The residence of business-

man Dr Vasu Reddy designed by

architect-duo Prashanth Raj and

Shilpa Patel, is located in one of the

upscale locations in Bengaluru.

On a longitudinal west-facing

50 ft x 100 ft plot, the residence

designed in early 2013 has a

built-up area of 10,000 sq ft and

is spread on four levels. One does

end up questioning the plan-

ning of the bedrooms – one on

each floor (barring the second

floor), that of the guest room on

the parking floor, the bedroom of

aged parents on the entry level

and the forced walk that gets dic-

tated by vastu to access the north

oriented main entrance (facing

barren land). But then, in residen-

tial architecture the client does

become the guiding voice.

Nevertheless, one does enjoy

the huge parking level, which

is convertible into a multipur-

pose space (for social gather-

ings) from where steps lead to

the entry level – most easily the

best designed level of the house.

The clients – a couple and their

two small kids required entertain-

ment spaces due to the proxim-

ity of their extended family and

wanted ‘multiple, affluent, clutter-

free spaces without losing con-

nections, yet maintaining privacy’.

The additional brief included a

Artefacts throughout the house induce a very serene and tranquil effect. A reclining, custom designed Buddha (symbolic of

peace and the resting phase of life) on a pebbled path with a magni" cent seashell in the background, resting under the soft

fabric chandeliers, sets the tone for the Zen ambience.

The touch of materials

lends the texture in this

house and the minimalist

furniture holds on to the

Zen theme.

‘very designer home’ which led

the architects to follow a Zen kind

of approach to attain this ambi-

ence, a practice that they have a

close affinity with, as seen in their

many villa developments, a typol-

ogy their specialise in.

Today’s stressful times do call

for a home that brings with it

an inherent sense of peace and

relaxation. Zen principles thus

find their way in much interior

design and bring about balance,

harmony and relaxation. Natu-

ral colours, placing softness at

the feet (wooden flooring/car-

pets), playing with soft and natu-

ral light and greenery, avoiding

ostentatious ornamentations and

complicated details…keeping

it simple is the ideal way to go

Zen. This residence takes care of

these aspects.

The Zen approach in the resi-

dence is accentuated by the

minimalist design, earthy colours,

expansive flowing spaces, huge

doses of greenery (the private

gardens in the two living rooms

on the entry level, courts in the

master and children’s bath, the

landscaped terrace on the sec-

ond level), use of wood (hard-

wood in the entry level and lami-

nates in the upper levels), straight

line furniture, and the custom-

designed drapes.

A pathway at the entry level

amidst lush landscaping and

garden leads you to the glass

wall which opens on to the 22

ft high entry court connecting

the formal and informal living. A

reclining custom-designed Bud-

dha (symbolic of peace and the

resting phase of life) on a pebbled

path with a magnificent seashell

in the background resting under

the soft fabric chandeliers, sets

the tone for the Zen ambience.

A strategic horizontal cut out in

the FRP vertical wall between

the entry court and the informal

living offers views of the informal

living and the green spill over,

at the same time inviting natural

illumination.

White dominates and Prashanth

adds, ‘White is natural for us but

when used too much it becomes

cold, hence a bit of wood is used to

subdue the effect’. The wood (the

only hint of colour) silently makes

its presence felt in the entry court

and formal living in the flooring and

the ceiling; meandering between

the vertical wall and veneer slats

partition (camouflaging the stair-

case and the lift). A rustic stone

wall in white quartzite stone in the

formal living (as also in the master

bath and informal living) lends tex-

ture to the entire space and initi-

ates a sense of curiosity.

The family hub consisting of the

double height informal living, puja

space, dining and kitchen cel-

ebrates the absence of walls and

has its own segregation with the

Italian marble flooring; however

the wood on the ceiling main-

tains its continuity from the for-

mal living area. Even without the

necessary ‘demarcations’ these

functional spaces retain their indi-

vidual identity – through elements

that double as space dividers –

the engineered granite breakfast

counter in a curved profile, creat-

ing an interesting contrast with the

other straight lines and a similar

curved seating ledge (in flexible

acrylic countertop) segregating

the kitchen and dining space.

Natural light trickles in from the

horizontal kitchen windows, and

seems adequate as in the entire

house. While it is admitted in the

master bath through the fixed FRP

louvre system opening into the

court, even artificial light makes

a statement at many places – the

kitchen ceiling lights giving the

illusion of skylights, the fabric light

chandeliers in the entry court and

the copper lamp fittings in the bar.

Taking cognisance of the orienta-

tion, the architects have kept the

larger openings towards the north

while providing ample overhangs

on the western facade. The kid’s

Soft fabric chandeliers set the tone

for the Zen ambience.

The engineered granite breakfast

counter has a curved pro" le, creating

an interesting contrast with the other

straight lines. Natural light trickles in

from the horizontal kitchen windows.

bedroom balcony on the second

level faces west and with a large

overhang, is converted into a large

play terrace.

Having taken care of the basic

elements of Vastu, Prashanth

admits, ‘More than treating vastu

as a constraint while designing, we

transformed it into an opportunity

to make the clients agree to a few

unique ideas. For example, in vastu

the northeast needs to be kept

open, so we planted a small green

court with a water body – a spill

over from the informal living which

became the surprise element of

the family hub’.

Artefacts throughout the house

induce a very serene and tran-

quil effect. The touch of materials

lends the texture in this house and

the minimalist furniture holds on

to the Zen theme. In the exterior

façade, there is a continuity of the

sandstone broken by glass and

FRP panels. As architects who

‘create buildings that are honest

in their structural expression’, the

designers have created a con-

ventional RCC framed structure

with solid block masonry, with

steel pergolas.

The master bedroom has a

light brown flooring, a striking

headboard and a jacuzzi (an ele-

ment typical of Zen architecture).

The bedrooms of the daughters

in purple and pink on the upper

floors support interesting wallpa-

pers. Amongst other programme

requirements, there is a media

room and lounge on the second

floor and a gym, billiards and two

terraces on the third floor.

One somehow misses the

visual connectivity throughout the

other portions of the house as

felt in the informal living. The 4 ft

6 in high railings on the first level

made to ensure the safety of the

kids, somehow makes this more

conspicuous.

Prashanth fondly mentions that

training under architect Sharukh

Mistry and studying the works of

architect Jaisim have inspired him,

other than Zen and Balinese archi-

tecture. He adds, ‘In Bali, there is

no concept of rooms – there is a

cooking pavilion, a kitchen pavil-

ion and so on. There exists a

beautiful weave of the open and

built, which is very inspiring’.

The Zen approach in the residence is accentuated by the minimalist design,

earthy colours, expansive flowing spaces

and huge doses of greenery.

bungalow

IO