The 6 Courtyards House

The award-winning six-courtyard house in Lahore was designed for a 3-generation joint family. It redefines the demarcated nature of contemporary dwelling by creating intimacy within expanse. The site provided a large area conducive to joint family houses, but it contrasted with the clients need of wanting the close knitting of smaller dwellings, a balance of which the design aimed to achieve.

The design strategy was of orchestrating the programs around multiple double heighted spaces, creating a visual and acoustic flow amongst spaces in both dimensions, maintaining a spatial continuum. This, coupled with the imperative of having privacy birthed the introverted genre of the house, and thus generated the 6 courtyards within the building fabric, acting as nodes of interaction where the families co-exist. The idea of using courtyards is also reminiscent of old Lahore, where the house was a self-contained space with the courtyard being the open area within its boundary as the product of the social paradigm that existed in old Lahore and continues to exist in Lahore today as well.

The spatial quality of openness was carried forward in line with color theory, where a stark white palette compliments the spatial parameters and creates the visual impact of vaster spaces within, synergizing the design holistically. This white is contrasted by the dark hues of wood used to compliment the aesthetics of the space.

While designing, the challenge posed by the site was controlling the excruciating heat of the summer sun whilst letting in light, which was countered through ventilation. The wind direction and window placement adhered to the site parameters and impacted the design, accordingly, allowing the building to “breathe”.

The design heralds an undulating ceiling atop the small courtyard next to the study. The aim of the architect was to bring in a certain light to make the space more thought-provoking, conducive to the program as well as provide privacy from the neighboring house, so the architect used a play of straight lines, formulating a pergola called the “dance of straight lines”.

A skylight on the staircase to the first floor was strategically conceived to create a focal point. The person ascending the staircase to the first floor encounters a stark wall punctuated only by a door to the lounge. This linear effect of the skylight is further enhanced by the dark wooden skirting underneath it. Both ends of the skylight end in courtyards, to give the effect of natural diffused light and a calming influence in the entire design. In essence this area is just circulation space but is dealt with in a way that would turn the act of moving around the house into a serene experience.

The six-courtyard house embodies the perfect balance of opposites; open and closed & public and private and creates an amalgam of experiences. The 6-courtyard house continues to exist as a manifestation of the balance of architecture and human dynamics for its residents within the contemporary world.