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Senthil’s Residence

This is a project by Maya Architects and it is located at Marathahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Project's program: Single family house. There are fourteen images for Senthil’s Residence.

: © Maya Architects

Project details

Project name: Senthil’s Residence
Location: Marathahalli, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Program: Single family house
Area: Built-up area: 2,800 sf
Year: Completion: 2006
More details: Cost: INR 2,100,000
Client: Mr. Senthil Kumar
Project by: Maya Architects
Team: Design team: Naveen Deshpande, Dev Kumar, Praveen, Geethapriya
Others: Contractor: Arul Associates • Structural consultant: Jinka Consultants

Project images

Designer's statement

An oxymoron in architecture...

This project saw us experimenting with the term “dynamic solid” and also playing with the idea of opposites - of the apparent and the real, of the present and the absent, and of the static and the dynamic. Working with such a concept gave us a lot of scope to experiment with form generation; to one that would intrigue the eye.

Just like one needs darkness to value light, dynamism is dependent on the static. A cube was the base with which we started. With due consideration to modifiers such as lighting and ventilation, the cube was scooped, pulled, tilted, and intersected (underwent a series of transformations), the objective being to effect dynamism to the static. Both the skin and the structure were resolved simultaneously to define meaningful spaces inside the house. Rather than looking at the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ individually, the design was developed by mediating between the both. Hence, the interior spaces are an outcome of the exterior form and vice versa.

The residence is planned purely on a utilitarian basis underlined with the principles of vasthu. Movement inside the house is directed along an axis from which functional areas are offset. Due to this offset, the linearity in movement inside the house is hardly felt. Fresh air is induced into the house by pressure differences caused by two open courts. These courts also serve to visually break the enclosure and thus become relief spaces. The family with dining was conceptualized as an informal space in between the two courts. With the careful play of light the spaces are made to look extravagant yet cozy.

The interiors are infused with vibrant colors that help in creating patterns that reinforce the idea of ‘apparent’. The walls move in and out of the structure for not just defining the space but also engage the mind on its origin and destination- the ‘actual’.

“Means to the end is more important than the end itself”. Even though the design was focused at the product, it was the process that made the effort worth while.