Khwaab -The Terrace Garden by Naayaab [Co-Labs]

Design Details:

1. Have you designed the glass house, terrace garden and his residential property in the building, or only the former two?

A: The Project is located on the 5^th Floor [terrace] of a G+4 Existing Building at 13, Rowland Road, Kolkata and we have designed the Terrace Garden only, which includes the Glass House, which serves as a lounge space for the user. The Terrace is Privately owned by the client.

PROJECT NAME: Khwaab – the Terrace Garden
ARCHITECT/FIRM: Naayaab [Co-labs]

Kindly answer the following in brief pointers, so that the final article may be formulated from the same:

Fact File:

1. Location: Rowland Row, Kolkata
2. Site Area/Built-up Area: 1800
3. Typology: Terrace garden (private)
4. Design Team: Shubham Jaiswal and Ar. Rishav Chakravarty
5. Estimated completion date: March 13^Th ,2021

2. Considering the climate of Kolkata, how did you manage to temperature control the glass house, apart from using an air-conditioner?

A: Apart from using an air conditioner,we have used tinted films on the inside faces to reduce the temperature within the glass house by 40%.

3. What sort of lighting has been used in the garden and glass house?

A: Profile lighting has been used to light up the glass house from within. Spot lights have been used to bring the vertical garden, the pergola and some other focal points to life. Bollards have been used on the upper level of the terrace garden. COBs for pantry, washroom, wash basin and dining area on the lower level. Strip lights have been used under the granite in the dining area, under the large planters and under the treads of the steps leading to the service area of the terrace.

4. Were any special measures taken to maintain the privacy of the users of the glass house?

A: Parts of the terrace which demand privacy have been covered by dense vertical garden. Rest, has been kept open to fulfil the main purpose of a terrace garden, that is, “Star gazing!!!”

5. Any challenges faced in the process of designing?

A: Creating different spaces for different activities and different vibes within a very small site area. Also, if noticed very carefully, there are different design elements and languages that run across the entire space. A very subtle amalgamation has been achieved here to bring them all to unity.

6. What kind of plants and planters were used and why?

A: Plants used in the terrace garden are such which can sustain in the harsh climate of Kolkata. The Planters, both small and large, are custom designed and casted at site itself to make them unique and exclusive for the client. No commercial planters are used in the project.

7. Was the flooring made using real wood or laminated? Is the grass flooring natural or store-bought?

A: The flooring material used is WPC flooring and the grass used is artificial store-bought for easy maintenance.

8. How did you balance the colour palette of the garden and the house?

A: We have tried to maintain a very neutral colour palette of white and grey as the base. Natural green colour comes from the plants. Only the main plumbing pipeline running along the entire terrace parapet has been popped up with a bright yellow.

9. How long did it take to design and implement this?

A: The whole design process took around a month and the complete execution took around 7 months.

III. Any USP of the project that you would like to state.

A: The unique glass house design. None of the angles at the vertices are standard angles. Also, there are a total of 83 boxes that are created within the grid of this glass house structure, each of them is unique in its shape and size.

IV.  The Lead Designer’s quote on the created Structure.

A: The client briefed us that it’s a childhood dream of his that he wants to fulfil, a lavish terrace garden, and in it, he wanted a glass house as a lounge space to enjoy and flaunt his extravagant nightlife. As the name suggests and the motto of our firm, we wanted to create

something “Naayaab ” for the client, and thus, the unique, asymmetrical design of the glass house was conceived. Once that was done, all the other spaces then fell into place and created a whole out of many parts, in harmony