A Home Of Fins

The design of this institution is rooted in the nuanced study of light quality within village homes, where living spaces rarely receive direct sunlight. Instead, they are illuminated by the soft, diffused light reflected from the floor, creating a calm and evenly lit atmosphere. This observation forms the foundation of the spatial strategy, emphasizing indirect lighting to enhance comfort and well-being.  

Inspired by this vernacular approach, the design organizes spaces to harness reflected light, ensuring that open, semi-open, and closed areas offer a seamless transition between brightness and shade. Open courtyards and verandahs act as primary light sources, while surfaces such as polished flooring and louvered walls help diffuse sunlight into deeper spaces. The varying degrees of enclosure respond to different functional needs, with semi-open areas facilitating social interaction and private spaces remaining softly illuminated.

The institution is designed as a series of modules placed on a 3×3 meter grid, with verandahs serving as the primary connectors between them. These verandahs not only facilitate movement but also function as transitional spaces, blurring the boundary between circulation and communal interaction. By integrating verandahs as extensions of the living spaces, the design fosters social engagement while maintaining a sense of openness and continuity.

The design process started by studying the light quality in the living spaces in the existing village type. Through those studies I found out that the living spaces in the village almost never get direct sunlight into them, the sunlight is often diffused by reflecting off the flooring of verandahs connected to those spaces. So is started designing modules of living spaces with verandahs on all sides of it.

Starting with an 'L' shaped module and some iterations I finally designed a square module accommodating 4 people with 2 bathrooms connected to it. Furthermore after thinking about the design through plan I started thinking about it in section, how will the walls be? How will the fenestrations be? And most importantly how will I get the the light quality I want inside the living spaces?

I further articulated the walls and came up with the idea of using vertical fins instead of walls in my design, and then between those fins can be adjustable louvers which will allow the the inhabitants to manipulate light as per their requirements. When the louvers are open the whole old-age home can become a pavilion allowing cross ventilation throughout the structure.