The House of the 70s
A small house designed by Architects Collaborative has a central courtyard in a 100 sqm plot within a high-density urban precinct of New Delhi and uses material reminiscent of the 70s palette – distressed concrete to raw fly-ash brickwork.
The project, a small 100 sqm. the plot is nestled among similar-sized plotted residences. With a context defined by haphazard organic development and bare design intent, The House in 1970 advocates itself as an example denouncing both. What emerges is a house that doesn’t announce itself with its grandeur instead uses the materiality of a few years behind and brings in a sense of nostalgic design through its concrete structure and jallied brickwork. A well-planned house around a small courtyard that utilises all the spaces while drawing in the members of the family for a house that is cozy and connected.
A dual family home, the house is split into two similarly designed duplexes to cater to both families.
“The 3-side open plot with narrow front and back ends necessitated the third, longer face to introduce a sense of light-filled openness. An open-ended 3-bedroom floor layout, the small floor size compelled the individual duplexes to become intra active spaces converging into an internal courtyard. Bound on either side by shared function spaces, with the private spaces above overlooking, the double-height courtyard becomes an interaction pivot,” says Madhav Maini, the principal architect.
A permeable brick envelope wraps the length of the plot and all its functions into a cohesive whole. The wall, defined by a gradient brickwork weave, helps weather into all spaces of the house when required. Peaking at the courtyard in the center, and decreasing toward both the ends, the perforations in the wall ensure privacy in the bedrooms, while maintaining a consistent stream of natural light throughout. The brickwork designs that change in density always brings in varied streams of sunlight making the house more dynamic than the space it occupies.
Composed of a naked base palette, the distressed concrete of the structure formwork, and the raw fly-ash brick feature veiled behind glass define the entirety of the house.
With the use of terrazzo throughout to substitute stone or tiles, interspersed with simple natural wood and indoor greens, the house pays homage to the raw character of its materials and their timelessness.
The abundance of concrete, culminating at the coffered ceiling of the central double-height courtyard, the prevalent natural wood grains, the consistent terrazzo, and hints of wicker and clear glass, in the backdrop of a brick jali, help christen the house as an ode to the use of this similarly simple palette and design, and its innate Indian-ness, towards the 1960’s and 70’s.
Architecture Firm: Architects Collaborative
Firm Location: SDA, New Delhi
Completion Year: 2020
Site Area: 100 sq. m.
Gross Built Area: 550 sq.m.
Project location: Janak Puri, New Delhi
Lead Architects: Abhishek Saxena, Madhav Maini
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Photo credits: Vibhor Yadav
Photographer’s website: www.vibhoryadav.com
