Set in a dense urban neighbourhood, this small family home is situated on a quiet street in the city of Ahmedabad. With neighbouring houses located very close, the client’s main concern was privacy. However, the outside had to be brought in too. This became the main challenge to accommodate the extensive requirement of five bedrooms, but also to provide the house with maximum possible privacy while also permitting natural light and ventilation.
To achieve this unique brief, skewed planes of reinforced cement concrete and glass were employed to envelop the building. One being opaque while the other transparent. Hence each of these external surfaces was strategically such that the opaque provided privacy while the transparent lead permitted natural light and ventilation.
The monolithic property of reinforced cement concrete was exploited to suspend skewed planes at
angles.
Slits of glass were created in between these skewed planes of RCC such that the interior had
natural light throughout the day.
Moreover, reinforced cement concrete planes comprising the exterior of the house were kept exposed
so that it doesn’t intrude with the monotonous urban fabric.
The façade was thus designed to not be intrusive to it’s surroundings but at the same time provide extreme privacy and avoid interaction.
The interior however has a very colorful palette creating a contrast to the grey exterior. These colours come to life slowly as the sunlight penetrates and fills up each of these spaces.
Several cardboard models were made to understand these surfaces and how its location and orientation will permit natural light throughout the day. Folds and half cuts of the cardboard became the exposed reinforced concrete surfaces, whereas the gap and punctures in between were where the glass was placed to allow natural light inside.
Moreover, the summers being extremely hot, the location of the glass in the exterior was key to providing openable windows for cross ventilation.
Additionally, the sun’s path was studied to understand the light penetrating inside the house during the day. This sun path determined where the exposed reinforced concrete surface was to be placed so that selective light would enter the house.
Drawings and Diagrams
Project Facts
Project Name: The Jagged House
Location: Ahmedabad
Completion Year: 2019
Gross Built Area: 3500 sq. ft.
