We set out to design something ‘CONTEMPORARY’.
Contemporary FORM with Boxes and Frames using Contemporary MATERIAL grappling with Contemporary as a ‘STYLE’.
Contemporary is of our times. Busy times when we want things to get made quickly, without too much fuss. For a villa project, it meant something safe (not edgy) and replicable, easy to build, allowing speedy construction, economy, and ease of maintenance. It also meant visually of our times meeting the aspirations of ‘an average middle-aged Indian’, using technology, detail, and material often driven by global markets, with increased access to the imagery on the internet.
Evolving an authentic contemporary, brought in responses to busy work-centric lifestyles and a hot arid setting with shade, daylight, landscape, and ventilation requirements. These factors together with Salability and Vaastu determined the design. With a little pushing and squeezing, we managed to bring in an east-facing courtyard, a double-height volume, and suitable North Lighting, all within a rectangular Vaastu-compliant box.
Series 1 - The above images show the various explorations of form during the process. All are based on the same floor plan layout with minor modifications / a little poetic liberty. We explored Boxes, frames, fins, louvers/shades, and varying push in and pull out to soften the box.
Series 2 - The next set of images shows further development of the initial ideas shortlisted, primarily focused on material possibilities for the same overall form.
Series 3 - This final set shows the brochure stage renders with one added room on the terrace floor and the constraints of a water tank on the South West (the road is on the west so this ended up changing the proportions of the entire elevation) as per Vaastu requirements.
The process played a role in the giving and taking and evolving, with various ways of bringing together, holding on to, and occasionally shaking off constraints of space, Vaastu, and stylistic requirements. The process also helped push and understand what is palatable to our client (Builder) and in turn notions and variations of popular taste or the flavor of our times.
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