Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects

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Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects

Information

  • Completion year: 2018
  • Gross Built up Area: 30,000 SQFT
  • Project Location: Trivandrum, Kerala
  • Country: India
  • Lead Architects/Designer: Nirali Ashra, Smaran Mallesh, Vikram Rajashekar, Narendra Pirgal
  • Structural Consultants: S&S Associates
  • MEP Consultants: MECA
  • Landscape Consultants: Ficus Landscape Architects
  • Photo Credits: Patricia Parinejad
  • Others: T2 Consultants (Lighting)
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Excerpt: Kowdiar villa, designed by Cadence Architects, articulates a new experience in the courtyard by having a large garden and a large water body. The juxtaposition of the water body and the garden along with central spine of the house helps organize the rest of the program. The formal articulation of the house has a minimalistic sensibility to it. Large plane surfaces enclose generous spatial volumes that overlook internal and external gardens.

Project Description

[Text as submitted by Architect] The conventional courtyard house is conceived around an open space (garden). Typically the courtyard has a distinct character which is homogenous. Questioning this cliché, the idea was to articulate a new experience in the courtyard by having a large garden and a large water body in it. The juxtaposition of the water body and the garden along with central spine of the house helps organize the rest of the program. The central void segments the public and the private zones of the house at the ground level. The central spine which connects the garden and the pool in one axis and the public and private in the other axis is envisioned to transform into a quasi-art gallery over time.  The central spine at the upper level accommodates a library and connects the bedrooms on either side of the courtyard. All the spaces flanking the courtyard have a deep porous edge in the form of balconies to negotiate the transition from outside to inside. These deep balconies also help cut the glare and the heat to insulate the interiors better.

Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Cadence Architects
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Cadence Architects
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Cadence Architects
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Cadence Architects
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Cadence Architects

The house has three kinds of gardens/ open spaces.  A semi-open garden in the foreground with a large overhang that marks the entry to the house. An eventual central courtyard with pool, sequestered, private and as an extension to the interior spaces. And a culminating   open to sky garden with a gazebo on the terrace. The terrace also has gym and spa that overlook the garden.

Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad

The formal articulation of the house has a minimalistic sensibility to it. Large plane surfaces enclose generous spatial volumes that overlook gardens both internal and external. A syncopated set of louvers along with the deep recesses for the windows help cut the harsh sun but enable picturesque views of the landscape. A similar sensibility flows into the interiors. Just like how museums are conceived in a way to showcase the art work, the house on the inside is imagined to be a mute backdrop to receive all the furniture in varying colors, shapes and textures.  The muted backdrop helps create a cohesive feel despite the deluge of colors with the furniture and the art work. Deliberate restraint has been exercised in articulating the form and rendering the same with material.

The house in a certain sense is merely a voluminous strand that weaves around three distinct gardens.

Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad
Kowdiar villa | Cadence Architects
© Patricia Parinejad

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