A Place of Belonging - Shriharinivas by Masonry of Architects-Marq

The project  “ இயலிடம்”-The place of belonging revolved around a idea that the villa we are designing has to create a lingering sense of belonging. The context of the site is such that it is located at a area which was once a coconut grove with lot of peacocks which in future was evolved into suburbs. The microclimatic study suggested that the plot receives a good amount of wind from the north east quadrant and the western quadrant. The plot abuts a couple of villas on north and south  .The road width is 30 feet and the plot opposite to the site is another villa which verticals at a height of 20 feet ,so technically the site is facing the west and had a good amount of north west and south western harsh light entering the house in one fourth of the day. 

Framing all these factors we programmed a space planning such that western part of the design comprises open , semi open and semi public spaces like a buffer zone and beside that we planned the semi private spaces and at the end we had the utility areas. The second thought we had was to use bio filtering option to diffuse light & reduce the western heat and also to create a cushion against the bedroom spaces. other aspect is such that we were inspired by the subtleness of the context of site with which we ought to play around .The entry will animate us through the walkway to the main door .Through the main door we enter inside the foyer and living space which changed the dimension from the rigid to angular geometry and the access to the other spaces were designed at a different floor level from the sunken living portion to create a sense of delight while going through the spaces. once we level up to the semi enclosed dining area it combines itself with the stairwell of the house which enlightens the spaces throughout the day. The dining area looks out to the greenery on the periphery which vertically and visually connects the bedrooms at the upper tier. The house is incorporated with the idea of “thinnai” – a structure used in the heritage homes of India for congregation and trade in front of the dwellings. Inbuilt concrete seating called thinnai were created all along the villa to instill the idea of leisure talking and social gatherings that we pace faster in our millennial lives.

The house is designed in terms of its volume to create the venturi effect and stack out the hot air. Curvilinear  fillets were created at the corners and junctions to use the space effectively and to create an even dispersion of light. The villa is majorly done with plastered surfaces and encompassed the usage of porotherm walls in the area of harsh heat conduction. The filler slabs with pots ,hurudies and concrete rings were used to create the dynamics of the design .The main load bearing column outside the building is done with the steel pipes to conceal the conventional concrete jungle. The foyer is designed with the RR masonry which creates a dramatic entry to the veranda. The flooring is done with the polished Kota stones which is a good thermal effective material. The grill patterns were done to abstract the coconut leaves in the context and have secret signage of the design elements used inside the house. The thinnai were capped with the jaisalmer stones .The villa gives an ambiguity to the clients in their own way .A rain watching area was created with a concrete diwan to enjoy the small wonders of the locality from where one can witness the peacocks dancing in rain. The curves and asymmetrical spines were inspired from the peacocks around the villa.