A Balancing Act

In Vadodara, KN Associates design an Indian contemporary chic, climate-sensitive, vastu-compliant house, for a traditional joint-family. 

Curated by: Ambica Sharma
Photographs: Tejas Shah; courtesy KN Associates 

Architect Narendra Joshi

The site

A vast area of 8,000 sq ft anchors within itself, the R House. This three-storeyed home is surrounded by lush manicured lawns, and is delineated by a low-rise boundary wall.  

The brief

The client, a traditional Gujarati joint-family, wanted the home to be completely Vaastu-compliant. Additionally, the house-plan had to cater to all current and future needs of the multi-generational family. 

The design response

R House is a highly cohesive build, which integrates the principles of vastu and modern construction materials and methods. Sculptures and art installations, both traditional and contemporary, are enmeshed with the overall design. The use of local artforms, artists and craftspeople further roots the home into the longstanding, vibrant, local ethos of Gujarat and Vadodara, which in turn are much influenced by climate.

The living room on the ground floor looks out into the garden. A display of mask, on the brick wall adds to the contemporariness of the decor, even as it is juxtaposed with a traditional artwork on the adjacent wall.

The spatial flow

The residence’s three floors enjoy distinct identities — which are nevertheless tied together by the seamless design presence that rules R House. On the outside, a beautiful composition of exposed brick, RCC and wood, in the form of walls, columns, and pergolas, makes a clear impact. A low-rise brick and RCC wall surrounds the home and a C-shaped courtyard in its midst. Replete with semi-open spaces that provide relief to enclosed volumes, R House comes together to be a fulfilling environment. The clean lines of contemporary architecture are detailed with wood carved in flourishing curvaceous designs. The rise to the main entrance on the ground floor is over ‘floating’ stone steps, which lead to the puja room. Surrounded by lily ponds on three sides, the puja room leads to the family room and dining area. 

The puja room is surrounded by a waterbody on three sides. The reclaimed wood columns and the lily ponds heighten the traditionality and serenity of this space.

“According to Vaastu, there should be no construction above a puja room, so we topped the surrounding area with a glass roof,” says Narendra Joshi. The pièce de résistance is a 20-foot-diameter cut-out in the wall which visually connects the three floors of the home. It is set with textured glass in blue, yellow and green in a geometrical pattern, which carries through the diagonal lines of the pattern on the surrounding RCC wall. “The metal supports which bear the weight of the glass, have been clad in wood. I have to thank structural engineer Deepak Ambekar for achieving the technically-demanding staircase, which slants upwards in front of the fixed glass window without any support from the wall. Suspended from cables, it has a weightless appearance,” says Narendra. The first floor has three bedrooms, while the second floor houses the gym, a guest bedroom and the home theatre.  

The pièce de résistance of the R House is the large, round, 20-foot-diameter cut-out in the wall. Its geometrical pattern carries through to the pattern on the surrounding RCC wall. Dominating the space, it connects all the floors of the house.

The material and colour palettes

Although dominated by the reds of the exposed brick, the greys of the RCC, and frilled with carved wood, R House also boasts of wicker on ceilings, and green and yellow textured kota stone on its floors.  All materials and colours are integral to the traditions, culture and atmospheric conditions of the city. “The climate in Vadodara is not suitable for carpets. So, by using kota stone, we brought in the visual appeal without the impracticality,” elucidated the architect. “We were particularly careful about the joints where a brick wall meets one in RCC. The edge of the brick was chamfered, so that you see only one continuous material when you view the wall.” Reclaimed wood is a big part of this climate-correct home. The wooden columns, arches and brackets have been salvaged from old structures, and complement the tones of the exposed brick. “In India, such columns can be sourced from Gujarat, Rajasthan or even the south. We were careful to choose from Gujarat, to root the home to its location,” says Narendra.

The second bedroom on the first floor also has a wood-and-wicker ceiling, brass inlay on the bed-back, and an antique jharokha with a view of the garden.

Fact file

Project: R House
Location: Vadodara
Area: 8,000 sq ft
Principal architect: Narendra Joshi
Design team (architecture): Pritesh Patel, Dhaval Mistry, Vidhi Kapadia and Nikita Patel
Design team (interiors): Nidhi Shah and Farheen Lanewala