Located in a residential neighborhood and surrounded by conventional houses, this house on a large plot is configured with the idea of a front yard, a large private garden on the east and an internal courtyard. This construct is shielded by the neighboring houses that make a singular reading of the house impossible. High boundary walls further add to the idea of a hidden house that is jewel like in its crafting and elements.

Symbolizing the client’s lifestyle that is at once intensely public and fiercely private, the spaces in the ground floor opens up, connects and closes in a way that it has a multi-dimensional quality. Spaces flow on from one zone to another in a somewhat non hierarchical arrangement which has multiple ingress points and this creates a feeling of surprise and mystery. The hemmed in nature of the site is taken advantage of by the creation of discreet retreat spaces bounded by high walls and landscape that augments the fixed programs of the house like the living, dining and sleeping areas.

The sky-lit central courtyard area is a space of magical occurrences.  Light streams through the pergolas below the skylight and patters the ornamental internal walls, floors and the sculptural puja pod placed in the courtyard. This space connects sectionally the staircase and movement spaces throughout the house and is an area of pause, re orientation and celebration. The courtyard itself is a classic anchoring device that mediates between the outside and inside. Here it offers calm and comforting distance between the definitive programs associated with that of a house and permeates a sense of open plan. When large gatherings occur, this void invariably becomes the preferred space to congregate. The simple act of moving through a staircase, from level to another or perhaps viewing out from the gym across the house awakens an intangible experience due to the courtyard.    

The upper floors hosts the primary bedrooms of the house and has connections to the lower level through the courtyard and the double height living space. The assortment of bedrooms, dressing rooms and toilets are enclosed by a series of slender aluminum fins that provides for security as well as privacy from the prying neighboring windows. A 2 feet gap is maintained between the fin and the wall and landscape fills this space by way of potted plants. A large balcony to the north facing the front yard and a balcony to view the private gardens on the east are the anomalies to this arrangement. Viewed from outside, the fins present a permeable and neutral appearance from the road.  The idiosyncratic openings of the programmatic spaces associated with the bedrooms lies discreetly behind this constant layer of fins and the bustling landscape.

In the second floor, rooms are tucked in from the edges that give way to large balconies on the east and north. This naturally shields the house from the elements and provides ample privacy desired by the clients. The roof top level has a semi outdoor theatre pavilion and ancillary facilities that allows for the many gatherings that the family hosts. These features are again recessed from the edge that is lined with landscape. Therefore the overall generous internal volumes appear subdued from the outside.

The design of surfaces and textures resonates with the project brief of a bespoke house with rich interiors. This led to the idea of embellished walls alongside with large white walls that would be adorned with artwork and paintings. Architecture Paradigm designed several objects and surfaces specific to the spatial aesthetics needed for this particular project. The coherence of the various surfaces is maintained by the use of lines, modularity, repetition and geometry. Materials such as porcelain, metal, marble, wood and stone are intricately detailed to bring in a memorable sensory experience as one move through the house. These surfaces blend solid surfaces with doors, service ducts, storage spaces and windows in a way that adds to the discreetness and mystery to the internal workings of the house. The materials themselves find their expression on the exterior facades as well which make the house serenely nestled in between the bewildering complexity typical of an Indian city.