Shraddha Thorwat

Site Context

My site is a home to a contractor, his wife and son. This house is built beside the house where the contractor and his two brothers used to live with their parents before starting their own families. The original house has been divided between the two other brothers, while the contractor has built a new house for his own family. The older house follows the traditional village house type, while the contractor's new house draws inspiration from their concept of a modern urban concrete dwelling. However, the division of the older house alters its architectural type and spatial configuration, resulting in smaller spaces that affect air and light quality. These divided houses have had extensions built around them to accommodate the spatial requirements of each family. None of the houses have an 'aangan' (front yard) or back yard as the entire plot has been fully built upon. Furthermore, all three houses are incremental, built in stages and steps by the men depending on the availability of money. Even though my site was originally the contractor's house, I aimed to consider all three households collectively, creating harmonious dwellings that adhere to the traditional type.

The Contractor's Incremental House.

The divided old house.

Site drawings

Intent

After understanding the relationships and requirements of the three families, the goal was to design each housing unit in a way that they intersect, creating shared common spaces between them. This approach could foster increased interaction between the families and, to some extent, sharing of land and spaces, thereby addressing the limitation of space for each household. Due to limited space, each area had to be multifunctional and flexible, accommodating a wide range of activities within a smaller volume. I also wanted to incorporate a workshop for the contractor, facilitating lessons and meetings with aspiring contractors from the village. Studying the existing village house types, I created a sturdy living structure surrounded by a delicate kitchen, constructed with karvi walls, that spills into the backyard garden as preferred by the ladies. The houses feature dynamic elements such as folding walls that merges the old house back together to create a larger area for guests and functions when required while ensuring the privacy of the families. A sequence of open, semi-open, and private spaces—a house where boundaries can be blurred.

First Floor Plan