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Project Details:

Location: Vedanthangal, Tamil Nadu, India

Footprint: 1,500 square feet

Designer: Vy Architecture Studio / @vy_architecture_studio

Structural Engineer: Lords Engineering

Photographer: Syam Sreesylam / @syam.photographer

From the Designer: “After the pandemic, a client secured a remote job to build a home in Vedanthangal for his family to escape from the chaos of Chennai. The house was to be the antithesis of artificially cooled air and the plastic walls of corporate life; a home rooted in climate and place.

“The untouched vegetation and aquatic plants maintain the bird sanctuary in Vedanthangal as one of the country’s oldest protected regions. A home in a vulnerable ecosystem had to be a breathing edifice, born of the earth, slowly ebbing into the soil. With reference to the indigenous construction practices of mud architecture and courtyard houses, our design approach was grounded in history and equally modern for the city dwellers to adapt. The shell had to allow the gaze to penetrate the surfaces, bear witness of age and history on its skin, and withhold the openness of the client in its layout.

“Amid a cluster of family-owned houses, the north-facing rectangular site belongs to a borderless neighborhood with the only true boundary being the thinnai—a raised, covered veranda intrinsic to Tamil households. This space, where the family chats with neighbors and dogs, serves as the heart of belonging.

“The plan has three zones: The communal spaces—thinnai, living room, and courtyard, and the more private kitchen and bedrooms are linearly arranged such that every space is visually connected. At the core of the house is a courtyard. A wall curves through the volume of the courtyard and shelters the west from harsh sun. On the east, the curve extends to the roof, forming an open space to bask in the morning sun. The perforations in the curve let the sun cast patterns on the earth-like oxide floor and shower rain into the courtyard. The river rocks in the courtyard are mnemonic objects, reminiscent of the river flowing nearby. The curve, more than a sculptural element, is a play wall to climb up to the roof and lie back, watching clouds drift by. The courtyard invites not just the family, but also birds, insects, dogs, and cats, turning the home into a sanctuary for all. Here, the home celebrates the climate’s veracities—bare feet on cool, damp soil, raindrops from the open roof, stargazing at a clear blue sky—breathing life into the narrative.”