Anil Laul

The site with its beautiful landscape rich in building material and good ground water re-charge became an ideal location for the project with the use of appropriate technologies. In keeping with the traditional habitat, a courtyard as the central feature was the obvious starting point. All the walls run with the existing contours and twin and turn thereby attaining self-stability. Minimum intervention by way of sourcing materials had to be the mainstay. RCC (today’s wonder material) was to be used judiciously and not discarded as is the case with most practitioners of appropriate technologies. The apt place for the home was the quarried pit at the south eastern end of the site, which had a depression that could accommodate a large sized courtyard with rooms all around, so that there is good ventilation and morning sunshine. The residence is broadly segregated into two main zones, the formal and the informal. -the formal areas are at a level of -3.0m from ground and the private family space is at -1.6m from the existing ground level. In this case, the natural split level of the depression defined the family and formal areas. The kitchen and the formal living and dining rooms went to the lower levels, linked up through the central courtyard to the personal areas. This addressed the issue of privacy as well as easy living and day to day maintenance. The lower level also accommodates the son’s and daughter-in-law’s room considering the importance to make the other generation feel they have their own space that’s not just an offshoot of the main home. The patio linking the bedroom allows them to have breakfast by themselves, warm up some leftovers or have a snack on their own schedule with their guests entertained privately. The location of the master bedroom ensures what is a woman centric home. Between this bedroom, the inviting casual family living area and the children’s rooms, the core of the home would be complete. Spaces flow with ease because of the contiguous use of similar material inside and outside, blending the different levels seamlessly. Following the natural contours of the site and using local stone has added to the integration of the house. No RCC has been used for retaining walls as the folds generate stability. A drain all around the house works as a natural waterproofing feature, keeping water as well as snakes and creepy crawlies out. The entire furniture, built of masonry adds to the unison of the whole house, besides cutting down on the cost of furniture and flooring. The entry into the residence is defined by the twisted columns. And another twisted column in the courtyard adds a dramatic touch to this space. The existing rocks on the site were left undisturbed in certain parts of the house.