Project Description*
Nestled between the Aravalli hills of Jaipur, stands a simple house that blends in with the surrounding landscape. Amongst the tall trees one can see fragments of an earthy pastel structure quietly staring back at you. The clients weekend home has been designed keeping in mind its context and climatic conditions. North – south orientation has been kept for all major openings with slit windows opening in the east and west directions.
Project name : Owl House
Architect’s Firm : Delhi Collective
Website : www.delhicollective.com
E-mail : Sidharth.delhicollective@gmail.com
Project location : Achrol, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Completion Year : 2019
Gross Built Area (square meters or square foot) : 2050 sqft
Lead Architects : Sidharth Khatri, Mitali Kedia
Photo credits : Rohan Dayal
Photographer’s website : www.rohandayal.com
The layout of the house works on a simple grid with the front and rear elevation being symmetrical. The flat façade is broken by veranda niches on the front and rear with Dholpur Stone box windows cutting through the east and west walls. The key hole opening of the main entrance is symbolic of the vernacular haveli entrance design. We enter into a foyer which overlooks a small courtyard with the view of the forest.
The Living and dining space is situated towards the front of the house and the Main bedrooms towards the rear. Each space opens up onto the outside keeping the landscape connected with the interiors of the home. Exposed concrete takes over the interior ceilings with polished Kota stone flooring. All the materials used in the project have been sourced locally from a 20km radius keeping the house true to its natural surroundings. The terrace of the house has a small pergola feature made out bamboo for one to enjoy the surrounding views of the hills and forest.
The elevation of the house has been divided into 3 parts – the heavy base which sits above the plinth, an offsetted parapet wall that breaks the vertical massing and a floating pergola which accents the house. Rough plastering wraps around the base with a beige pink hue complementing the Dholpur stone box windows. A lighter paint of the same hue has been used on the parapet with smooth plastering. These small details bring out the simplistic nature of the owl house.
Brands / Products
1. Suryavaanshi Furniture
2. Greenply – Plywood
3. Sintex Water Tanks
4. Jaquar Fixtures
5. Asian Paints