Inside out House
The owners wanted a house which was airy and with all the bedrooms which would overlook their backyard garden and yet address privacy and security concerns. With this a primary brief we first  started mapping the existing trees on site, some of which were mango trees and developed layouts which would retain and weave these trees. The layout also explored incorporating archetypal Indian courtyards which would then seamlessly blend into their internal spaces.
Photography by © Ishita Sitwala, Anar Gunjaria
The essence of this house is its openness, the boundaries between inside and outside gradually blurring and creating a dynamic dialogue with nature. The central bay comprises of three courtyards, the inner court, the outer court and third court which is an extension of the dining area and that has an existing mango tree. These series of courtyards allows the house to be inside out. The front bay is a single floor, while the mass at upper level gets built up on rear bay allowing a depth of form from front entry court. The inner and outer courtyard is the soul of the house and layout is organized around these. Introducing these dual courtyards which segregates the front and rear bay was challenging aspect of this layout due to security and climatic concerns. The inner court which is archetypal Indian space and where living, dining and formal drawing opens, had to address issues of security, rains and dust. This security and privacy concern is addressed throu...