Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects

Save
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects

Information

  • Completion year: 2008
  • Gross Built up Area: 2000 sft.
  • Project Location: Bangalore
  • Country: India
  • Lead Architects/Designer: Ar. Meeta Jain
  • Design Team: Meeta Jain
  • Clients: Meeta Jain
  • Structural Consultants: B L Manjunath & Co
  • Contractors: Viza Constructions
  • Photo Credits: Manoj Prabhakaran
More Info Less Info

Project Description

[Text as submitted by Architect] We began with the very fundamentals, as house being one’s ‘haven’, a private ‘container’ through which one also connects to “elements of nature and neighborhood”.

The house form was boiled down to 2 essential components i.e. “a pavilion and a box”, a duality explored programmatically and experientially as private /public, open /closed transparent/opaque throughout.

Exploiting the full potential of the site facing an empty green plot and working with the limiting bye laws imaginatively became an overriding concern too.

This east facing plot became a receptacle of sun and sky. It bisected itself in 2 bays:  left side being a box towards the ‘hot south’ and right side being the open pavilion along the ‘cooler north’.

Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Meeta Jain Architects
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Meeta Jain Architects
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Meeta Jain Architects
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Meeta Jain Architects

The ground floor was visualized virtually as “emptying itself out” allowing a large OPEN veranda running from front edge to end of site as a real “breather” in an otherwise densely built street space” Next to this street-side pavilion is a long-enclosed hall with 2 compact toilets smartly tucked in the setbacks. These 2 non-specific spaces were meant to invite multiple space uses.

This lower zone today functions as a space of creative experiments, where occasional events such as art exhibitions, children workshops, music evenings, poetry readings take place, also inviting neighbours to be uninhibited participants, its also substitutes as a safe play space for children over the vehicle ridden street.

Form this veranda, a stair descends to a sunken courtyard that leads to a cellar space.

Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran

The cellar space functions as co-working space for independent practitioners modelled on a vision of mutual tolerance n openness.

Further the front setback doesn’t waste itself but allows a dog legged stair to rise up to the living floor under which tuck a storage for UPS and other useful stuff. Upper level defines its privacy from street by being “raised and stilted” like a loft to ascend to. The green belt across becomes part of our living room through the use of courageous full high glass and wood doors.

Volumetrically, this is the space of drama and liveliness to which all movements connect, a place of sounds & smells.  An ascending open stair to a private studio above acts also as a theatrical stage and a play-station for children within the house.

The adjoining bedroom spaces that belong to the left box also virtually merge into this living pavilion through sliding walls glass panels allowing one to experience the width of the site in a small plot.

Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran

The studio on top floor is one’s private lab where one is likely to spend the maximum time. This in its making and spirit further lightens itself and serves as the “skyward release” and a space for contemplation.

An attitude of maximum extraction of qualitative space by juggling with bye-laws gave rise to elements that give house its distinct character, such as like long extensions of running built in seats or a metallic roof and living room walls, or the service balconies.

The use of materials and sense of detailing though seemingly is inclined towards a contemporary look is guided by a low maintenance energy concern.

The house across 4 levels feels like an open frame inviting different uses in all spaces, before in time it starts defining its specificities… meant to be discovered only with living in as well as growing up.

Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran
Creative Lab House | Meeta Jain Architects
© Manoj Prabhakaran

Leave a Reply