Elastica

With a distinct client’s brief of a residence that was like no other, the design approach commenced with the challenge to conceptualise and execute a unique abode on a limited budget over 7 years. The south facing plot measures 40’x70’ flanking a conservancy on the east side in a typical dense urban setting. The house was conceived as an open fluid event space, that would imbibe a sensual, viscous quality in its form. The section of the house is therefore conceptualized to enable this choreography of spaces, and it is the section that generates the plan and the form of the house.

The movement in a conventional residential plan happens across the site and through the various programs in a circuitous manner. The functions in this residence are arranged in a centripetal manner, opening up the spaces into a triple height atrium which lets the user appreciate the expanse of the site. Conceived as a continuous loop that sectionallyrises up from the ground, the plan is carved out of the whole. The looping concrete slab not only demarcates the plan along a split section, but also manifests itself as a staircase to connect the various levels into one continuous folding surface. The folding slab animates the space around it and renders it fluid, almost like thick viscous liquid. One experiences this gelatinous space while walkingalong the loop through the house. The constantly changing section of the house further animates the house formally and spatially.

Facts:
Architects: Cadence Architects
Location: Bangalore, India
Built Up Area: 7450 sqft
Site Area: 2800 sqft
Project Completion: July 2016
Photo Credit: SergioGhetti.com & Cadence
Structural Consultant: B.M. Manjunath

Programmatically, the dwelling has the living room at an elevated level overlooking an open kitchen and dining across a Zen garden. The four bedrooms and the home theater are organized along the folding loop at various levels in section. The home theater in the basement is at one end of the loop and the open-air amphitheater on the terrace forms the other end. 

The interiors of the residence are dispersed with fluidic forms that accentuate the sinuous language of the house. Further accentuating the fluidity of the space and form; elements such as cabinets, beds, ledges etc drape the existing fluid shell in a way to erase the difference between architecture and interior design. Malleable materials such as Ferro-concrete,which is more commonly seen in exterior elements, is used for furniture, thus bringing about a connection between the architecture and interior design. Ply and solid surface acrylic are used to create the fluid objects that melt into the existing structure to create a cohesive sensuous whole. Digital media and physical models were an integral part of the design process, with these sculptures used as a reference prototype for the execution on site.

Since the shorter side of the house faces the south, the traditional “brisesoleil” has been re-conceived in a more fluid avatar to constitute the elevation and thereby cut the heat. As the longer side faces the east with a conservancy, the edge is detailed as being porous, so that the distinction between the inside and outside is blurred. This also enables ample east light into the house. The bottom transparent base also tantalizingly holds up the heavy fluid mass on top which appears to be levitating.

The client worked in close collaboration with us for seven years, pushing us to redefine at every stage, what a house should be. He made us question norms of traditional plan making for a residence. Needless to say, it did not stop at the planning stage, there was a hunger to chase and realise bespoke design elements that cohesively bind the sinuous internal volume. The client not only endorsed us to build him his ‘dream house’ but also endorsed the studio to recognize and accomplish its own design ethos.