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Architecture

2018

Photographer : Atul Pratap Chauhan

Located in a picturesque Parsi gated community, in the suburbs of Mumbai, the House of 2 Courtyards is enveloped by green open space, a luxury available to but a selected few in the city. Surrounded primarily by single-storey bungalows and open grounds, the house is rewarded with uninterrupted views of the perennial verdant landscape.

The 6000 sq ft house, home to a young couple and their children, sits abutting the already existing home inhabited by the couple’s parents with only a common garden separating the 2 structures.

Taking advantage of this uniquely advantageous site condition, the house orients itself, rather unconventionally, not to the front facing the communal greens but rather to the existing family home on the side, creating a large private outdoor area shared between the three generations.

The home, designed to resemble an elevated box, seemingly floats amongst the surrounding landscape. The white marble-clad structure rests on a long recessed travertine wall that seamlessly merges into the natural backdrop. Punctuations in the facade, vital for lighting and ventilation, come in the form of wooden screens instead of large, bulky openings, ensuring the privacy of its inhabitants.

Mumbai,Maharashtra,India

Architects	:	SHROFFLEóN
Area	:	6000 sq. ft.
Year	:	2018
Website	:	shroffleon.com

Programmatically, the brief for the project was fairly straightforward, the private areas, including the 3 bedrooms, a family room, and a home study on the upper floor with the area for public entertainment at the ground level. A spacious double-height living area that reveals itself on the outside as a portal, spills out onto the common outdoors, effectively connecting the 2 spaces.

In this particular home, it is not only the living room but also the bedrooms that enjoy the outdoors. By introducing 2 lush indoor courtyards, the urban house is transformed into an open volume with abundant natural light and a fresh breeze.

The courtyards give the home every bit of openness that most urban homes lack without disrupting the privacy of the clients. These open-to-sky spaces are mindfully placed to bind together the home, connecting the different rooms both visually and physically.

Materially, a minimalist approach was adopted for the home with a limited neutral palette of white Australian marble, black granite, and teakwood echoing throughout.