Client: Mr. Sagar Reddy & Mrs. Vatsala Singh

Team: Shravan Pradeep, Megha Nanaiah

Structural Engineer: B L Manjunath & Co.

 

The client’s brief had 3 key non-negotiable criteria:

• A flexible 2 bedroom house for which could occasionally accommodate upto 15 people

• A water tight budget 

• No cutting of any trees; the house was to be nestled between 2 jamun trees and the edge of the mango orchard.

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The site had a beautiful view of the surrounding hills as a result of which the house itself was located such that it was along one of the site boundaries overlooking the orchard and the hills beyond. This 2000 sqft farmhouse, built on the principle of a courtyard house to ensure ample light and ventilation in all spaces, was nestled into the 4 acre mango orchard on which is sits. A u-shaped courtyard layout was opted for with a 6 feet wide corridor running along the inner edge binding all the spaces and providing sufficient gathering spaces for friends and family.. The open to sky courtyard were paved with the stones available on site. The courtyard has been envisioned to perform as a heat sink at night and a catalyst during the day when it gets heated and instigates an air current ensuring sufficient ventilation throughout the day.

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The concept for the farmhouse was to have maximum interaction with the outdoors minimizing the barriers between the inside and outside. The project also explored the use of different locally available materials for construction such as cuddapah sinks for walls addressing the shortage of water on site apart from the locally procured conventional buildings materials such as bricks and stones.