Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Batmanabane House

This is a project by C&M Architects and it is located at Molakulam, Puducherry, India. Project's program: Private residence. There are twenty two images for Batmanabane House.

: © Pino Marchese

Project details

Project name: Batmanabane House
Location: Molakulam, Puducherry, India
Program: Private residence
Area: Site area: 600 m2 • Built-up area: 500 m2
Year: Completion: 2009
More details: Cost of construction: 7,000,000 INR
Client: Dr. Batbanabane
Project by: C&M Architects
Team: Principal designer: Pino Marchese, Sheril Castelino
Others: Contractor: Desire Design

Project images

Designer's statement

Client brief:

‘Understated elegance’, vastu compliance, eco-friendly principles, sustainable architecture, well-lit, ventilated and transparency as some of the elements of the house.

Unique points about this project:

Essentially the dominant element of the house is a square double-storied volume, pure, sleek, geometric envelope lifted buoyantly above slender pilotis on the tight site. The open to sky garden on the first floor reclaims the area of the building for green space inside.

Since the house was only for two people, a couple, maximum transparency and visual access within the interiors of the house was tried to be achieved.

The architecture design features include:

modular design
no ornamentation
pure colour on the façades
a very open interior plan
interior garden on the first level
3-car integral garage (the curve on ground floor based on turning radius of the cars)

Challenges:

The plot was square shaped and the client area requirement was nearly covering the entire plot. So light and cross ventilation was to be achieved in a such a block which was a challenge. Providing a large open garden on the first floor resolved this aspect around which all the rooms on the two floors opened into with glass walls that provided transparency, ample light and cross ventilation, at the same time a sense of green and garden which is hard to have around in a city location.

Appropriateness, local availability, after sales service,reliability, and costs were the factors for choosing the various materials.