Housetypes
THE COURTYARD HOME
These houses are oriented inwards, designed around an open courtyard. Landscaped and open to sky, they are well suited to Bangalore’s moderate weather. The living and dining spaces overlook this court, making this intimate garden space part of the home. The bedrooms and kitchen overlook spacious backyards, while the front garden is minimal or absent.
This design is a contemporary adaptation of the traditional courtyard home, allowing for the courtyard to be sealed off temporarily from the living spaces against the weather or for safety. There is room for personal expression in the rendering of its finishes, and it often creates a unique identity for each house. Some of the smaller units have interesting open stairs in the courtyard space, while the larger ones have study spaces integrated within them.
THE OPEN PLAN HOME
The spaces within this house flow seamlessly – from the entrance verandah through the living and dining areas, to the rear verandah and out into the rear garden. This creates a sense of spaciousness in otherwise compact plans. The spaces are interconnected with minimal walls, and a staircase leads to the first floor. Larger houses have a study, and/or a puja-room added to them. The position of the plot in the cluster or community layout, and proximity and orientation to the parks decides the emphasis on the front or rear garden.
THE SKY-LIT COURTYARD HOME
These homes are designed around an inner courtyard. The courtyard is covered by a skylight and enhances the quality of light and air within the home, apart from being a visual focus. The living and dining overlook this court, making this intimate garden space a part of the home. The rendering of its finishes can be used to create a unique identity for each house.
THE CORNER HOME
These houses, as the name suggests, occupy the corners of the clusters. Affording more privacy than the others, they have larger open spaces within the plot; either an L shaped yard, or a spacious backyard, or an entrance court with a large backyard. Some of them respond to the profile of the site and are unique in character.
THE TERRACED HOME
The apartments have a receding form to break the mass of the structure, allowing it to blend with the surrounding forms, as the only G+5 building on the campus. The units are designed along a singly loaded corridor which ensures that every apartment has adequate light and cross ventilation. The car parks are situated in two basements which are naturally lit and ventilated, but not experienced from the road. The triangular atrium is a focal point and orients the navigation through the various blocks.
Built using a composite of mud blocks and hollow terracotta blocks, the proportion of the brick renders an elegance to the structure. Almost every apartment has a terrace garden or a balcony, extending the space within and giving everyone a connection to the outdoors.
