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Arul's Residence

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

: © Maya Architects

Project details

Project name: Arul's Residence
Location: Banaswadi, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Program: Single family house
Area: Built-up Area: 1800 sf
Year: Completion: 2007
More details: Cost: INR 1.8 Million
Client: Mr. Arul
Project by: Maya Architects
Team: Design Team: Naveen Deshpande, Dev Kumar

Project images

Designer's statement

When design is spontaneous and coupled with experience, it gives one the momentum to experiment with different concepts, methods and approaches. Arul’s residence was one such opportunity where the design process began to germinate on site and the outcome was a straightforward intelligible structure that would reflect the context.

A purely logical and practical outlook was adopted towards the design process in order to find new solutions to conventional issues of space, light and air; at the same time experimenting with materials and techniques to overcome the constraints of the site.

The design of Arul’s residence is predominantly sensitized by the site. The site measuring 20’x30’ is enclosed on three sides leaving it entirely dependent upon the west facing side abutting the road for light and ventilation. The design strategy adopted was to make the skin permeable, allowing constant interaction between light, air and the construction.

The entire building was constructed with elementary drawings as most of the designing and detailing was done on site. A basic functional layout was conceived underlined with the principles of vastu, the planning being introverted. The double height living area overlooks the street and organizes all other spaces around it. Essentially, the living area is the heart of the house as it not only serves to distribute light and air to the other areas, but also brings together the inmates of the house.

Since the program brief required a residence coupled with an office, spatial hierarchy in terms of varying the degree of privacy has been resolved vertically. While the office is located at the ground level and common spaces such as living and dining in the first level, the more private bedrooms are located on the second floor. The corridor is bound by a glazed wall on one side and a stone wall on the other. The idea is that glazing which is the first skin allows ventilation while the buffer wall cuts out the radiation. Thus the interiors are kept cool.

Two structural walls define the residence as a loosely bound entity - a deliberation to make it appear light within the small plot.

Innovative space-saving ideas have been explored while designing the interiors. For instance, the staircase in the living room doubles up as a storage unit besides being the connecting link. Hence, the space usually required for storage could be made available for circulation and other activities of the house. A sober and sophisticated look is attributed to the interiors by exploring the material aesthetics of stone and wood in combination. The absence of any other color enables the interiors to stand true to the materials.