T'DAL ideas
Environmental considerations proved to be very important for the project, and the question the clients often asked was: Would the sustainable elements make it less enjoyable as a family home?. For sustainability, comfort and functionality, the new house was oriented to the north to provide as much light exposure as possible and to optimize winter solar gain. The eaves were reduced to maximize the winter sun, while windows and walls that open provide cross-ventilation and cooling, and the metal siding on plywood reflects the summer sun.
The structures surround a low-maintenance lawn and garden with herbs, vegetables and plants that attract birds. The garden design circles the house, creating lovely backdrops, vistas and functional zones. Retractable sails and shades installed along the northern side allow for maximum winter solar exposure to warm up the concrete slab.
Like the front structure, the rear building has a simple geometric form. “The solid and monochromatic main barn-shape forms were designed to balance the bright pops of color placed intentionally throughout the interiors and exteriors,” Andersen says. The buildings are composed of raw materials that change with age, such as wood, galvanized metal and copper. In contrast to the saturated primary and secondary colors inside, the exterior has a warm, autumnal color palette of yellow, orange and red. It complements the natural materiality of the wood, especially as it turns silver and gray with age over time,
The metal building contains the public spaces: an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area with glass doors on the northern side that extend the living space outside. The form flows outside onto multiple decks projecting out from the house, which are used for relaxing, swinging, bike riding, barbecues and beer-making experiments.
Grieve Gillett Andersen SaveEmail The private spaces are configured within the wood structure, to the right of the glass entry. Two bedrooms, separated by a study, are on the north side of the building where they take advantage of garden views and winter light. Both bathrooms and the utilities are on the south side. High-level windows along the corridor can be opened, and an L-shaped, yellow-tinted window at the end of the structure creates interplays of light.
The house is composed of two contrasting yet complementary forms that distinguish between private and public space. The wood structure at the front houses two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study and a powder room. The metal structure in the back accommodates an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area.
The goal was to create a modern home with simple, clean lines and compelling forms — to bring a sense of light and spaciousness with natural and colourful materials. Though the build was driven in large part by the client’s passion for sustainability, there had to be both communal and private spaces.
Color and shape often determine how we organize the world around us. That’s certainly the case with this home. Composed of a series of elemental shapes and saturated primary and secondary colors, it is all about smart simplicity. The design was driven by the client’s passion for sustainability, with an overarching idea that the simpler you make it, the more likely you are to use it. Size: 2,153 square feet (200 square meters); two bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
The perforated Cor-Ten screens form jaalis, or ornamental latticework screens, that take their cue from the architectural fabric of Ahmedabad — the Sarkhej ruins and the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque. The corners of the volume are perforated in patterns of trees and branches, a bow to the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque jaali, an architectural wonder of Ahmedabad. During the day, these spaces become dappled in patterned light and shade.
The design approach changes on the upper levels as the trees aren’t available for protection from the elements. The architects, therefore, constructed brickwork walls tailor-made to support an outer facade. Made from Cor-Ten steel, each 18-foot-high panel hangs off the internal structure, creating a ventilated facade to shield the house from the intense Ahmedabad heat. There are tiny perforations in this “skin” so that when a breeze passes through the small oculi, the air becomes cooler.
The entrance then transforms into a living area, encased within giant sliding glass walls. The transparent walls allow the living and dining rooms to connect seamlessly with the surrounding verdant environment. The shade provided by the cantilevered upper level keeps this area cool. The architects incorporated another feature to beat the tropical heat: a manually rammed earth wall made from thick earth and mixed with 8 percent cement. Earth walls have insulating properties. During the day the outer surface of the wall absorbs the heat, and by the time it transmits it to the inside it is nighttime, so the temperatures remain pleasant throughout the day.
The entrance area frames an existing neem tree, setting the tone for the rest of the house — the presence of nature is felt powerfully throughout the space. The tree adds to the whole experience of the entrance. The architects created certain details which allowed the tree to move and grow. The air that comes through from the sides is controlled through vertical louvers in wood and by sliding panels.
Sprinklers activated by timers humidify the courtyards, which are planted with ferns, palms and plants from the Monstera, Alocasia, Philodendron and Terminalia genera. The entrance is a single 52-foot-long, almost 8-foot-high, column-free space. The sides are fenced with vertical pivoting wooden louvers that create a filter through which breezes from the main courtyard can flow freely while the sunlight is screened out.
Since it was imperative to design and build the home around the trees, a few foundations were even hand dug and carefully positioned. Wherever there are trees the designers created courtyards of varying sizes, which in turn resulted in a free-form arrangement of interconnected spaces. Ahmedabad remains predominantly dry throughout the year, and the summer months are quite brutal. The architects employed a variety of strategies to mitigate the intense heat. The courtyards allow hot air to rise and escape by convection and cooler air, conditioned by the lush vegetation, to flow into the rooms from the sides
The goal for this family home in India was simple: to build a residence that preserved the 284 trees and extensive lawn that were already part of the site. Couple this with accommodating Ahmedabad’s torrid climate, and the architects had their work cut out for them. The preexisting trees and lawn prompted the exact positioning of the built form. The design also incorporates rammed-earth walls, courtyards (to preserve trees), vertical pivoting wooden louvers, top-hung windows with mesh inserts and a facade made from Cor-Ten steel to manage the harshness of the climate.
On the west edge of the house, the metal wall is punctuated by dynamic window placement, allowing light in while screening views of the neighbors. The simplicity of the materials, the memorable shape, the long glass windows and breezeway dividing the house in two really distinguish this home. Meanwhile, inside, it’s not stuffy. It feels intensely natural. And it works with connectivity to the site from all sides.
The reading nook has a glass railing and balcony, so whoever is occupying the space enjoys privacy but can still be seen. The metal shapes protruding from the window framing are sconces that illuminate the walls.
The kitchen opens to the dining and living room, with a wood-burning fireplace made of bluestone slabs below and thin stacked stone above. A staircase winds behind the fireplace up to a reading nook.
The homeowners chose the warm yellow for the large kitchen, which gives the space a homey personality. The large island has a quartz surface, with a recessed marble piece for rolling dough. Tuck-under seating suits the active family. Industrial lighting was suspended to light the island in the tall space. The cabinetry is comprised of eco-friendly veneers from reconstituted ash trees, finished here to resemble warm mahogany. The charcoal-colored cabinets were reconstituted to resemble wenge.
The main level’s open plan embraces living, dining and kitchen. The floors are red birch and bluestone. The dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows in the living/dining spaces overlook the lake and bring in north light. The fenestration is aluminium storefront windows, which allowed to leverage dollars into the glass.
The master bedroom includes floor-to-ceiling corner windows with lake views.
The master bath includes two sinks set into a vanity of ash veneer with quartz surfaces. East- and north-facing clerestory windows bring in daylight while protecting privacy. The floor is ceramic tile.
The sleeping portion of the house, pictured here to the left, is connected to the living portion via the breezeway. The bluestone plinth accommodates the slope, while the roof gradually inclines. The low end of this sleeping portion of the house is the master bath and dressing room, with 8-foot ceilings. The ceiling rises to a 17-foot pitch in the living spaces.
The house is set on a dry-stacked bluestone base so it appears to hover on top of a rock cropping. The dark bronze, standing-seam metal roof folds down the wall on the living side of the house like a wrapper and is punctuated with cedar-framed window openings.
The garage doors are translucent, so sunlight can enter into the garage during the day, and when the lights are on inside the garage in the evening, the doors light up like lanterns. The house is clad in cedar.
SERIOUS curb appeal here !
The lower-level floor plan includes the guest quarters.
The main-level floor plan includes the screened-in porch on the right.
Two circular concrete pads provide spots for a picnic table and a firepit.
At dusk, the home glows and illuminates the backyard. In lieu of shades, the home’s placement and mature vegetation provide privacy for the main living spaces.
A gravel channel at the back of the house absorbs any runoff from the yard’s slope. The wood bridge links the house to the landscape.
A side view of the house reveals its angled rooflines and the lot’s slope. At right, a separate screened-in dining porch is a pleasant place for entertaining and meals during mild weather. Strategically placed cedar slats provide privacy. A rain chain at the left roofline directs water into the planter box.
Tongue-in-groove cedar cladding warms the roof overhang above the front door. Cedar was also used to build a planter box that partially screens the porch from the busy street. The porch decking material is pressure-treated wood.
Galvanized steel struts and posts support the wraparound entry porch. A dab of color in otherwise neutrally hued exterior materials adds interest to the front door.
A garage and a partial lower level that includes a media room and guest quarters are tucked into the slope of the hill. One can enter the home through the garage and lower level, where an interior staircase leads to the main-level kitchen, living room, dining room and bedrooms. Visitors access the front door via an exterior staircase off the driveway, fronted with easy-care native groundcovers planted in a grid.
The home sits on a slope, limiting where one could place the house. This is a low-profile, two-level rectangular house, keeping the north side at the street private by using fewer windows. Built of energy-efficient structural insulated panels, the home is clad in low-maintenance dark bronze corrugated aluminum and fiber cement siding.
AFTER !!
BEFORE -
Awesome design, and hide that TV behind a huge piece of art such as a canvas that can be rolled up !
The house as viewed from the bottom of the plot..
The house as viewed from the street.
The house is slightly abstract.
The bathroom doors in the corridor leading to the master bedroom are made of etched glass to allow light from the two skylights to flood into the rooms.
The sliding glass door opens onto a little wooden deck. You can sit in bed and look out.
The ceiling in the master bedroom slopes up to allow for more of a view of the landscape and sky.
There are two skylights in the corridor leading to the master bedroom. The pocket door separating the master bedroom and the corridor is solid for privacy and to keep light out of the room at night.
Red horizontal and vertical outdoor shades provide sun protection over the large deck area in summer. In addition, a 11,000-gallon tank hidden below the front yard supplies water for the house and garden, and automated irrigation reduces water use. Crayon House demonstrates that simple can certainly be better. Going to back to basics, the family home is sustainable, comfortable, functional and — best of all — colourful.
Q