What You Need to Know about Modern Home Architecture

Usually when one hears the term, ‘modern housing’, we instantly have an image in our head of how such buildings look. But few of us may not know what modern style truly entails.

Let me tell you a few things you need to know about us and our work. If you are really looking to build a beautiful dream home, then I can promise you that this article will be really helpful. You will also find out why it's a good idea to hire an architect.

You will be surprised to know that the modern style of architecture has been around since the early 1920's. A century since then, modern architecture is still the most timeless style of architecture. But what aspects of it really make it timeless?

I personally think it is because modern architecture prides itself with minimalist design.

Minimal design involves eliminating the unneeded decoration that takes up a lot of space, thus cutting costs and making the house more spacious. But make no mistake, minimal design does not really mean simplicity. It just makes for more space, form, and other elements to experiment with using readily available industrial materials.

If you google ‘modern house design’, you will see a million pictures come up on the top. They all seem to be very complex in design don’t they?

Observe the exteriors. You might like a few designs. Some of them look extremely expensive, some are simple yet very elegant. Almost all of them seem to be full of rectangular shapes. Only some houses have pyramid roofing, but such design factors are best decided based on the site location of your future house.

There is a unique style of architecture known as ‘Tropical Modernism’ that incorporates regional elements best suited to your modern house.

It preserves the idea of modern style while also adapting to local techniques that are best suited to that region. In essence, it is a mixed form of architecture incorporating two different styles; the modern and the tropical. It considers best practices according to the weather, climate and best practices of that place. The advantage? Cost-effectiveness, longevity and quality breathing spaces.

Let me give you an example. Kerala, a coastal state, has a tropical monsoon climate with high levels of humidity. A good amount of time is spent deliberating the air circulation, cross ventilation, and pollution filters if required. Kerala and its neighbouring state, Karnataka have fantastic yet affordable locally sourced materials that aids the construction of some of the state’s best housing projects.

The interiors and exteriors of the house play an equally crucial role. For a house to withstand the vagaries of the weather, it mainly depends on its architectural design as well as the materials used.

For a tropical climate, the structure of the house, courtyards, and verandah help cope with the weather, and are all designed with a keen eye.

The design, while dealing with the area's tropical weather conditions, should also capture the breathtaking landscapes and preserve the cultural heritage of that region.

In the case of India, modern architecture can also retain the vaastu elements to the house if necessary.

This is the power of modern tropical architecture. It captures the best of both worlds. Elegant Indian living at its finest begins with the architectural design.

Let me give you another example, a real time case study.

This layout plan was designed for a client who wanted to build his dream home in Kottayam, Kerala. The site had a lot of green cover and also had a small water body present in one corner. We took full advantage of it and came up with an ambitious plan.

We positioned the building in such a way that the client and his family will receive complete privacy from the busy streets nearby.

The layout was at the same time designed so that all the spaces in the house would converge to the point of the water body. All the spaces were designed to get a view of the water body and nearby landscape from any point of space in the house.

The first thing the client will see when he wakes up from his bed is the water source. He can see the water source from the living room as well as the dining room.

Now, imagine the client parks his car and walks home. When his front door opens, he can see the pooja room and the water body at the backdrop. After a hard day at work, such a beautiful glimpse just as you walk into your house can be an instantly gratifying experience. The water body just added more life to the house.

You do not necessarily need an expensive sea or lake view residence to be energized and feel close to nature.

The design integrates the scenic landscape with the building to enrich and create that ‘one of a kind’ experience for the client, that we proudly call ‘arche-harmony’. We extended the scope of living beyond the plain and restrained notions to provide the client with high quality breathing spaces and an uncompromising artistic experience.

You may see now what differentiates an architectural design from the design of a civil engineer.

There are many talented civil engineers out there with skillful designs. However, the use of concepts concerning the use of space, materials, aesthetics, new creative ideas and innovative structural form, are an architect's primary strengths.

These strengths would greatly impact the future value of your house. But let us remove monetary value out of the picture for a minute.

Your dream house is a part of your identity. It is a reminder of how far you have come, and how your hard work has paid off. Your dreams of your family living happily in your new home.

A residential architect can carefully make note of your specific requirements and assist you through every stage of building your dream residence.

As a person planning to build a new home, your design needs to be perfect in every aspect. From the floor layout that will utilize the entire space in the best possible way to the materials used all fitting well within your budget.

The more we stay within our closed walls, the more we realize how important it is to design living spaces in wholeness, according to our comfort and the comfort of our loved ones.

Building a house is a mammoth task and I know you may have a tonne of questions to ask. You can ask me every question you would like answered and I shall be more than happy to answer them. Your questions will also help me write better content for my readers. You can find my contact details below.

Ar. Anju Suresh

Co-Founder, Tropical Axiom