Situated in the urban outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, overlooking a temple and hilly side on the westside, the 3500sq.ft residence has all the charm of a traditional-tropical residence. Punarjani means rebirth and here it's the rebirth of an ancestral house ie. the 'tharavadu' to take up the whole of the previous house but in a modern way.
The initial idea emerged from the clients requirement that ‘it should be a tropical residence with traditional values’. The design brief includes the strong dominance of the function of the house. The clients had stories from childhood where the ancestoral home used to be a gathering place for the whole family during temple festivals and the client wanted to continue it.
To incorporate these requirements, the design began with the idea of providing active social spaces for which the house is split into two units; a formal and an Informal unit which were connected by a courtyard. The structure is designed in such a way that the sitout and formal living areas are detached from rest of the house which helps in maintaining privacy and helps the sitout-formal living space to act as an outhouse also. The courtyard between the two blocks also enacts as a gathering space, where the sitout acts as a stage for activities in family gatherings.
The open spaces are carefully designed such that it requires minimum maintenance, therefore the courtyard us provided outside the house but still with adhering both the building units.The green spaces and the landscape is adorned by natural vegetation with locally available plants and materials. The roof being the major element in the elevational treatment, is cladded with manglore tiles. Another peculiar feature about this house is its connection with the nearby temple. The house is designed keeping in mind the location of the temple. The balconies overlook the temple, from where the rituals and other temple activities can be viewed from the house, the elevation of the site also provides an easy visual connection to the temple precinct.
The whole concept of the house revolves around the traditional kerala architecture like the use of roofing tiles and 'Athanangudi' flooring. The specific requirement to fulfill the needs of the tharavadu activities as its regeneration gave the apt name Punarjani, which can be summarized as the traditional elements showcased in a modern way
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