The Orange House

The house designed for the Architects brother, his wife and daughter, derives its form from a generous L shaped configuration that spills out to a large garden and swimming pool. Its attitude was intended to be vibrant, bright and sunny reflecting the exuberant personality of the homeowner who is a prominent Indian fashion designer.

We chose the built form of the house to orient itself towards a northeastern lung space with the pool and garden being given prominence. Deep verandahs on the north and eastern sides transition between the living and dining areas to the outdoors.

The house is climate and context sensitive. The Mangalore tiled terracotta sloping roof forms are reinterpretations if the vernacular houses in the region. The tiles and slopes combat the monsoon rains and protect the house from overheating in the summer. The east and northern faces of the house are transparent and permeable: they open to the soft morning light. Contrastingly, the western and southern facades of the house are intentionally more opaque in order to protect against the fierce west and southern sun.

The material usage is also context driven. Along with the extensive use of clay terracotta roofing tiles, the flooring takes expanses of yellow jaiselmer sandstone, rough Kota stone and wood. The under layer of the tiled roof verandahs are clad in a hand woven banana fiber matting.