House With Two Courts by Shuonya Nava Designs

The site is located in a quiet residential area close to Manyata Tech Park. The house sits on a corner site and abuts to main road on South side which has two guest houses. Towards East, it opens out  to a secondary road with residences. The Client’s requirement was fairly simple. They wanted a minimalistic, budget friendly house easy to maintain as they were an elderly couple whose kids have settled abroad. We focused on the fact that they are retired teachers and would be spending most their time at home. Having spent most of their working years as teachers in the rural areas of North Karnataka, they wanted a house which would reflect the same essence and would be interactive. 

Taking inspiration from the Wada houses of North Karnataka, we started our design for this house with two courtyards- one in the front near the road and the other one inside. The open courtyard in the front is mainly for the visitors and opens out to the quiet street towards east keeping the inhabitants interactive with their neighbours, while the courtyard inside is more private and is for the inhabitants of the house. This is a translation of the ‘katte’ concept which is a point of community interaction and the courtyard inside the house in front of the puja room is for interaction within and for ceremonial activities. A Temple tree is planted in the centre of the granite seating which adds an element of greenery.

Along with the courts, the house is designed to enable interaction between the floors. It has a lot of openings to maximize the air flow and to let light filter in throughout the day. The ground floor has living area opening into the courtyard which is double heighted. The projected seating area with window and skylight covered with glass on top allows immense light into this space. Overlooking this courtyard is a projection from the master bedroom on the first floor. It is finished with wood and glass creating an element of interest. The wooden louvered window provides visual connectivity with other areas. The Bedroom, kitchen and dining areas on the ground floor are designed around the courtyard. The folded metal staircase finished with wood leads you to the first floor which has two rooms and an open terrace. At the mezzanine level there is store room. Ample light and air in the house, the grey colour flooring and wood finishes add warmth to the interiors.

The façade is the rather simple with a combination of louvers and projections. The colour scheme used is plain whites with hints of pale blue. The surface of walls projected from the living area on two sides are highlighted in brown and have subtle grooves which adds to the character. The louvers draw your eyes upward creating a lengthening effect of the south elevation, they are also used for compound enclosure and the gates - continuing the same language throughout and simultaneously safeguarding the  privacy of the inhabitants.