Lucid is a simple Bengaluru home suffused with light

ma+rs reconcile the considerations of privacy and ingress of light while designing a home brimming with spare beauty.

Curated by: Rupali Sebastian
Photographs: Arjun Krishna; courtesy ma+rs

The site

The site is a typical 30’ x 50’ peri-urban parcel of land located towards the south of Bengaluru, Electronic city.  Trapped on three sides by plots which eventually will have neighbouring houses, only the front opens out to the road allowing for provision of light and ventilation to the house. 

The brief

The brief provided by the client was to accommodate a one-and-a-half-bedroom rental unit on the ground floor and a three-bedroom single-family home on the upper floors.

The design response

“The idea was to ensure maximum availability of light and ventilation without negotiating the privacy of its inhabitants,” say Anisha Menon and Sabyasachi Routray of ma+rs. Sticking to the core idea of creating well-lit and ventilated private spaces within the realm of the house, the upper residence is planned around a triple-height light well. With the foresight that houses would come up on three sides, the fenestrations on those sides have been kept nominal, small and functional allowing for cross ventilation. The front façade has a dynamic operable perforated metal screen which creates a dappled effect when light filters through it.

The spatial flow

The entrance to the first floor has an outdoor foyer which leads to the public functions of the house: an open-plan living, dining and kitchen along with a guest bedroom. The staircase runs along the central light well connecting all the spaces. The upper floor houses the private spaces: the primary bedroom, kid’s bedroom and the family lounge. 

The material palette

Humble yet long lasting materials have been used throughout the house. Exposed concrete ceilings, white plastered walls, vitrified tiles for the floors, wooden doors and aluminium windows make up the palette. The overall spaces have been kept neutral for the users/residents to add colour to it with the furniture, upholstery and the people themselves. The façade with modest openings has planter beds attached to it adding a layer of green to the views of the outside from within the home. The perforated screen creates an ever-changing light effect within the house documenting the passage of time through the day.

Fact file

Project: Lucid
Location: Bengaluru
Area: 1,500 sq ft (plot); 3,300 sq ft (carpet)
Principal architects: Anisha Menon and Sabyasachi Routray