In most of the residential layouts of the city, the smallest plot size available is about 200 sq yards or 170 sq mts. An outsized requirement on such a small plot called for an introverted solution with a garden at the center, around which the remainder of the spaces function. This garden was lifted up to accommodate parking, an area for the domestic help and a games room on the stilt floor. The terrace accommodates a guest bedroom. All services were pushed to the south as a buffer to the warmth. The living / dining areas have operable, sliding glass doors to contain the air condition surrounded by the garden . The full length of the house behaves as a single space connected by the garden when they are open. Corridor with a concrete bench connects two bedrooms placed on the subsequent level.
Project name: Soul garden
Architecture Firm: Spacefiction studio
Completion Year: 2019
Gross Built Area: 3900 sq.ft.
Project location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Client name: Mr. Suresh Boggaram
Photo credits: Monika Sathe Photography
Lead Architects: Baba Sashank, Vindhya Guduru
Design Team: Anusha Dasari
Engineering: Raghavendra (ALONUM Design)
To make privacy, the central double height court is roofed with mild steel, with laser cut perforations; parametrically designed. The building features a blank wall where the adjacent building has a gap looking into the court and larger, has the smaller perforations. As a protection from rain and insects , this system is covered with glass on top and stainless steel mesh on the side. A cutout allows light all the thanks to the games room in the basement below. A small water body of the garden brings out the tropical environment alive with its tripping sound. Wherever one is within the house they’re always aware of the elemental nature of the garden.
A certain amount of privacy from the tightly knit neighborhood is possible by the façade that has operable louvers made out of perforated low-carbon steel . During daytime they’re opaque from the outside and in the evening, they become transparent when the sunshine shines from within and shine like a yellow jewel.
The main bedroom has an attached balcony of which opens up inwards onto the garden below. Handmade cane work featured for the wardrobe, a quick vanishing craft practice. A balcony of the kid’s bedroom which opens onto the east. A play nook is integrated into the wardrobe which looks down onto the garden also. Under a slit skylight, the classroom attached has a planter which forms a focal point as one enters the room. The eastern sun within the mornings lits the study area through the perforated screen and hits the study desk.
The flooring of this building is a mixture of yellow & white cement oxide, handmade cement tiles, yellow tandoor and terracotta tiles, whereas the ceilings are left exposed after the de-shuttering of concrete slabs and walls are mostly white with an occasional yellow highlighter.
