Lucknow city in India has a rich heritage with numerous buildings dating back to the 18th century. The site for this house lies along a busy arterial road and is on the peripheral edge of an extensive plotted development for private homes.
The house is planned alluding to the traditional Indian courtyard house in response to the climate of the location. Temperatures in the lengthy summer months are in excess of 35° C, with the sun in the southern hemisphere.
The extensive requirements of this 6 bedroom house are interspersed with sheltered open terraces and landscaped gardens around a 2 floor high naturally ventilated courtyard.
In addition to 6 bedrooms, the client’s brief necessitated a prayer room, a study, a movie lounge and utility areas. Each space within the house opens into sheltered open terraces and decks.
The house is designed for 4 generations to live together, with the oldest generation housed at the ground level and the younger generations on the floor above. It was therefore important to create multiple private spaces whilst integrating them together simultaneously.
Patterned screens derived from traditional Indian architecture and the famous Lucknow 'chikan' embroidery sheath outdoor seating areas for each room on the south, west and east sides. These screens provide shelter from the sun, create different light patterns throughout the day and mitigate traffic noise from the busy arterial road on the southern side. The use of these screens has helped to reduce the heat gain substantially & thereby make the building more energy efficient.
Large glass windows on the northern side allow indirect light to infuse the internal spaces of the house.
Varying volumetric proportions with differing sectional spaces create an individual identity to each living space with the courtyard cohesively integrating them together.
Built almost entirely in raw concrete, a natural palette of sandstone and wood with muted colors, vivid Indian art and landscape are brought together in different compositions in each of the internal volumes.
A large garden on the north penetrating up to the internal courtyard between rooms has partial shadows at most times of the day allowing it to be used in the extensive summers too.
The use of screens to reduce heat, solar panels on the roof top to harness energy for water heating and general lighting, recycling of water, water sewage treatment & reuse of water for gardening, rain water harvesting and facilitation of natural ventilation and lighting throughout the house render the design sustainable & energy efficient.
A series of experiences are created in this house that by its design facilitates natural ventilation and sunlight within and is simultaneously contextual to the location, sun articulation, tradition, culture and social aspects.
Sanjay Puri Architects are listed in the top 100 architects worldwide by Archdaily. Architizer, New York includes Sanjay Puri Architects in their list of the top 136 design firms worldwide. The firm tops the list of WA Community , UK award winners across the world. Winning the World Architecture Festival’s Best Housing Project of the Year 2018 in Amsterdam and the World’s best residential building in the LEAF Awards, London, the firm has won over 225 awards including 150 international awards and 80 National awards.The firm founded in 1992 has won architectural projects in Spain, Montenegro, Mauritius, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Montreal, Oman and Dallas in addition to projects in 40 Indian cities. With a firm strength of 72, evolving design solutions that are contextual and creating spaces that revolutionize the way they are experienced form the essence of the firms design philosophy.
