Exterior view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
The facades respond to nature with integrated porosity and a blend of locally sourced materials. All villas have a unique story; however, all facades embed the language of multiple screens, floating verandahs and decks, accessible terraces, and frames that ribbon the walls. The rustic aluminum screens alleviate the bold elevations and narrate the dance of sunlight indoors. In contrast, the concrete screens perform as buffers between services like parking and interiors, espionage into green screens.
PK house forms the center of the villas and enjoys a courtyard on each side of its massing. The courtyards are a statement of all homes; the courtyard as a gathering space is the layout identity of PK house. All villas’ courtyards offer multiple entry points, connecting the parking and corridor. In the case of DK and KK house, a trickling water court leads the way within while the water feature in the rest three houses decors the backyards.
Exterior view of PV House of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Exterior view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Exterior view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Exterior view of AP House of Green Abode by VPA Architects
An open-plan design is adopted for all homes on the ground floor for visual permeability to offer great views. It is planned in three modular grids, including kitchen and dining, living, and drawing areas connected to decks, courtyards, and skylit staircases. The tropical climate of Kenya promotes the integration of the landscape and the built. In these villas, the extended decks become living spaces that confluence with the floorplans. The contoured plinths intensify these interactions between residents and the surrounding ecology.
While discussing spatial design within, all homes reflect their owners' choices through amusing design takes. The PV and AP house’s mirroring layouts brew conversations from the dining space transitioned into elongated decks. In KK and DK houses on the lowest plinth, the indoor courtyards are illusioned refreshments of landscape that blur the exterior from the interiors. An open-to-sky plantation porch frames the entrances of these two homes. The back porches, each accessible via a pedestrian path, serve distinct purposes: one transforms into a lively sandpit, while the other leads to a tranquil seating area.
Lawn view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Lawn view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Lawn view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Car Porch of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Formal Living of Green Abode by VPA Architects
The site's natural contouring and clients need minimized soil excavation, while sustainable design efforts like using local materials shaped the project. Courtyards, skylights, and screens provide regulated daylight, and all interior spaces have been cross-ventilated with bedrooms on the edges for two-sided windows while the services are centralized. Parking areas feature a tensile shade installed for cooling. Reed ponds, installed in every house, use reed species for wastewater irrigation and support energy efficient stormwater management, reducing runoff.
This project was envisioned experimentally, fostering an unusual site response synthesizing resident interaction with the surrounding nature. It became a toolkit of storytelling elements -- screens and shadows, water features and their distinct placements, extensive skylights for regulated sunlight, verandahs, and courtyards responding to the plinth levels. The five villas thus became one green abode.
Living room of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Courtyard of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Terrace of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Night exterior view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Aerial view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Aerial view of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Plan 1 of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Plan 2 of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Plan 3 of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Plan 4 of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Plan 5 of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Plan 6 of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Section AA' of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Section BB' of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Section CC' of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Section DD' of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Section EE' of Green Abode by VPA Architects
Section FF' of Green Abode by VPA Architects
