Project Name: The Slate House, Panipat
Architectural Group: Studio An-V-Thot
Architects/Designers: Ankita Sweety, Pratyoosh Chandan, Ridhima, Sujata, Shanmukh
Project Location: Panipat, Haryana, India
Client: Mr. Vikas Batra
Project Area: 2040 Sq ft.
Built-Up Area: 1510 Sq ft.
Project Type: Residential
Project Completion Year: June 2015
Image Courtesy/Photography: Avneesh Kumar
Text: Riddhima Sharma
The building stands tall on the ground of a gated society. The client had clear requirements in his mind for a 3BHK setup on the Ground Floor & a 2BHK setup for tenants along with 2 big Classrooms on the First Floor. The residential area in which the plot was situated was to be kept in consideration while designing the house, so that the other residents don’t feel disturbed with the inflow & gathering of so many students around at the commencement of classes.
The building with only road in the front & other’s property on the remaining 3 sides had to be closed from the front where the Classrooms were placed to avoid distractions to students & disturbance to the neighbours. In order to achieve that, the front portion of the house has been divided into two parts, one with the solid facade & the other acting as the light well using perforated MS box. The MS box acts as a division between the private & the common areas to the family residing in & students coming through.
Where the blank facade reflects the disciplined nature of the client & his family; the love, happiness, trust & sharing between them is reflected by the perforated MS box. The left block has green Chail tree in front of majestic black Himachal stone & white perforated MS box on the right. The Maroon shade in between adds life to the whole building.
The black slate stone dominates the facade giving a bold edge to it which is contrasted by the subtle hue of maroon, balanced together by a hue of pale cream resonating the strong yet subtle character of the client. The boundary wall has also been kept simple & has repetitive pattern of square boxes as on the vertical perforated MS box which further continues to become the main gate of the house. The ramp & green patch in the front acts as balancing element to the whole composition. The open stairs inside the perforated MS box looks playful with the ever-changing shadow pattern all day.
The success of this space is achieved by the interplay of light and shadow, over the black stone-cladded cantilevered stairs; through the jaali which converts these stairs to more than just a circulation space adding drama while giving a sense of openness. A thoughtfully articulated simplistic facade creates a statement of its strong presence in the society and expresses the boldness of contrasting colours and volumes.
To avoid dull monotony, the volumes are created by vertical elements over theleft and cubical punctures given as an interplay of volumes; also acting as shadingdevice to fenestrations. On to the right what holds attention are the concealing MS jaali panels; a blend of traditional with modernist effect using organic motif patterns combined with the geometrical shapes. The jaali stands overlooking the garden in front.
As one enters this house the living room is the first to be experienced. Crisp, bold edged contemporary sofas in soft dull gold allows legs–up relaxation dominating the living room lying in front of a custom designed table at levels bringing life into the intrinsic floral jaali cladded backlit ceiling. Ingeniously placed levelled up lobby which connects to the dining and the kitchen; has its own play with dull gold organic patterned wallpaper falling from ceiling to wall blending with the dark hued furniture defining the space in its own sense.
The minimalist dining hangs to the dramatised wall clad with slate stone & mirror mosaic at the ends. Tailor made U-shaped modular kitchen with well-planned services segregates itself with the other areas to an entirely different aura yet connecting with the rest of the spaces through the vertical wooden members placed at a different angles present at the entrance and the monochromatic colour scheme.Black and white are two such colours that has been used to make bold visual statements and create dramatic and exquisite ambience. The boldest choice of material have been used to select the flooring of the whole house as Cuddapa stone all along with white epoxy filling in between the 6” X 6” stone tile.
Being a small plot holding the numerous requirements of the client, one major requirement was to keep the bedrooms in the private areas as far as possible. So, while one enters the living area the layout has been kept such that the bedrooms cannot be seen from the living room. Materials & colours have been repeatedly resonated throughout the house and has been played with at different spaces giving rhythm and harmony to spaces.The master bedroom features a custom designed king sized teak wood bed consisting of sharp grooves; laid across the black flooring.
To compliment it the same groove pattern finish has been done over the almirahs and the side tables.Another bedroom consists minimal approach to interiors keeping it subtle, with the wooden layered bed back at the dark wallpaper backdrop wall. On the contrary the third room has a charm of youngness in it. The son being the hardcore Real Madrid fan wanted his room to have the colour theme based on his favourite football team. The bright shades of Yellow & Blue have been interplayed with the hues of light grey to balance the whole setup to keep it subtle yet lively.
Upper floor consists of the classrooms along with other spaces to cater the needs of the client. To avoid cluster & free movement, the stairs & the lobby has been kept wider than usual as it would have been in a 227 yards plot generally. All in all the house is a complete package of cleverly incorporated spaces;playing with materials and geometry to provide a dynamic yet humane environment for the client and his family.
Awards & Recognition: Featured in Design Matrix Magazine, July-August Issue
[author][author_image]http://www.howarchitectworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Ankita-Sweety.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Studio AVT firmly believes in the uttermost importance of the space within & beyond rather than the built frame. We endeavor to design and develop an environment for stories to take birth and remain, where true feelings are captured and felt with a sense of belonging, only to resonate through time. “We intend to breathe” is what our motto is.[/author_info] [/author]
