Grid House can be summed up in one phrase: “A contemporary style and achieving so in low-end specifications.” The result of sectional space combinations and permutations is this house. Overlooking areas of the house assert their adaptability. Spaces appear expansive because of the visual continuity that runs through them. Landscape elements in the adjacent courts add to the locus of the spaces.
Project Name: Grid House
Studio Name: studio_VDGA
Location: Pune, India
Lead Architect: Ar. Deepak Guggari
Social Media: Instagram – @studio_vdga
Spaces display their true colours as one traverses through the house. An alley marks the primary entrance to the house. The sleeper wood pergolas shading the alley offer a lot of depth and intrigues one to follow the path by letting in just the proper amount of light to create awe-striking sciographies. While allowing a glimpse into the Zen Buddha court, the narrow tiny slits over the alley wall kept the real character of the Zen court hidden. In the entrance court, the long bamboo shoots provide a warm greeting to guests and, in a symbolic sense, bind the vertical volume. The shadows cast by its leaves on the walls make for excellent wall embellishments. The soft sound of the rustling bamboo leaves calms the glitz and adds subtlety. The bamboo court breathes life into the entire house and gives it a tranquil atmosphere.
The living area is now surrounded on two sides by distinct landscape components with distinct personalities, and the Buddha court can be fully experienced and enjoyed. Across one of the openings in the living room, one can see the Puja room across the reflections of the water body. The cuddapah steppers in the water body leading to the Puja room create the appropriate atmosphere in front of the Puja room. This area of the home adds to the home’s modern atmosphere while brimming with sanctity and holiness. Each corner of the house is so oriented that it enjoys a piece of this sanctity and one can overlook this water body from every room of the house.
The dining room visually opens into the east lawn and enjoys its view. As one climbs the stairway, their reflections are captured in the small pool next to it.
It is an attempt to splash all the public spaces with plenty of natural light to make them more appealing and inviting while the private spaces are kept cosier and intact. The pergolas cast stuning sciography and turn the house into a timepiece. The ageless spirit of nature—the rich, golden natural light—is the wellspring of beauty and splendour that adorns the dwelling. The static area is given a new appeal by this light, which changes how it appears throughout the day. This feature being free of cost has been used abundantly and profusely. The shadows traveling on the walls and floors compensate for any static art installation.
The master bedroom achieves potential spaces, courtesy the small court in the room. The court opens up an interesting vista and introduces a lot of freshness and natural light into the room. The court becomes an important interior element negating the need for any superficial adornment. The toilet walls were removed and the glass walls opened up the whole space visually. The master bedroom overlooks the living below thus figuratively and literally keeping a watch over the whole house. Liveliness creeps in through use of simple furniture coupled with colorful fabrics for soft furnishings.
Other rooms also display a similar feel of liveliness together with minimalism.
The family room on the upper level exhibits a rather modern look. The traditional camel cart has been converted into a table. Use of lesser lights and giving a dark look to the space compliments its ambience and provides a perfect backdrop for the small family theater. The furniture here consists of either loose cushions or bean bags spread across the wooden floor.
All the interior walls are devoid of any color and color enters the house through furnishings and artifacts. There has been use of only one veneer in the house which accentuates the dash of simplicity. The flooring has been adorned with low-cost marble and rough hammer tone cuddapah thus successfully meeting its goal.
