An elaborate driveway leads one to the car park, which is an impressive shed with a sloping roof.
The house is planned around a central courtyard, which is open to sky and has a planted green court on the ground floor, which collects all the rainwater that falls into the court form the roof. It is a two-storied mansion and essentially consists of rooms oriented around the atrium, barricaded by a metal railing from and overlooking into the landscaped courtyard. The terrace gives an all around panoramic view. There is an underground basement, which serves as the servant's quarters, storerooms and as a tank of the harvested rainwater.
The house has been designed to respond to the climatic conditions to allow passive ventilation and lighting. The central courtyard induces a suction of wind form the large windows of the rooms and releases hot air through the skylight on top. The gable roofs with small opening on the top serve the same function. They are, however, sealed with mosquito proof mesh to discourage the ingress of small birds and insects into the house.
The external walls are of exposed stonework and brick masonry in rat-trap bond. The sloping roofs are made with filler slabs and are cladded with Mangalore tiles.
The interiors are also finished in exposed brick surfaces, which are complimented with traditional jack wood window grills. There are further embellishments such as glass bottles finishing to openings, wooden switchboards and metal grillwork. The flooring is done in terracotta tiles.
The construction work began in the beginning of 2003 and is currently in the finishing stages. The construction team comprises of masons and technicians that COSTFORD has been able to train over the years on the various projects. |
