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Client Brief :

A peaceful, simple, and beautiful 4BHK home in Chennai that seamlessly integrates a highly functional dental clinic. The design will prioritize crafted spaces, with exposed brickwork,colorful athangudi and courtyard as a key aesthetic. To create a home that resonates our beliefs and culture, evoking emotion through a thoughtful blend of antique and new-age elements. Ultimately, it will be a serene sanctuary for relaxation, offering a laid-back environment to unwind from Chennai's busy pace, reflecting a "simple but beautiful" spaces.

L(ove)inBRICK House‍

House of Slow Reflections - Pause | Nourish | Celebrate

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In a world that moves at an ever-increasing pace, this home is a quiet retreat that both complements and counteracts the demands of modern life. Designed to slow down, relax, rewind, and reconnect with nature. Here, traditions can be cherished and passed on to future generations, creating a seamless link between the past, present, and future.  

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The home's design seamlessly blends traditional elements with modern living. Natural light and breezes fill the spaces, strategically placed courtyards, light wells, and wind tunnels. Inside, a sense of personal history is woven throughout, with quirky objects and antiquities telling stories of the past. The house beautifully reflects these memories, incorporating a traditional mada kuzhi, a thinnai with wooden baluster windows, Courtyards

BUILDING IN HARMONY

USER | PROGRAM | NATURE | CULTURE

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Tucked into a corner plot within a dense residential area of Chennai, this home is a bespoke sanctuary crafted around the rhythms of its occupants. The design is a masterful study in site-specific architecture, strategically positioned to harness the natural elements and reflect the client's unique lifestyle. Every decision, from the home's orientation to its spatial layout, was made with a purpose. The residence is a testament to sustainable design, maximizing natural light and airflow. Its placement on the lot was engineered to capture prevailing breezes, channeling them through a series of wind tunnels that create a constant, refreshing circulation. This thoughtful approach not only cools the interiors but also blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living, a nod to the region’s cultural and climatic sensibilities.

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The architectural design incorporates several strategies to mitigate solar heat gain. The sloped roof over the Pooja area is designed to reduce incident terrace radiation. Mutual shading is created by the staircase, water tank, Semi covered sitout on the south, south west and west side which effectively minimizes radiation exposure on the terrace. Additionally, the building's west and south zones are shielded by locating utility spaces—such as toilets, wardrobes, and balconies—in these areas.

These design choices resulted in a 45% reduction in overall solar radiation

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The living room, with its extended courtyard and Pooja room, forms one large, flexible space perfect for small weekend gatherings and special events. This area, along with the media room, is designed to be a "social reservoir"—a place for laughter, lingering conversations, and connection.

Visually connected to the courtyard but slightly set apart, this zone can easily adapt to different occasions, from intimate get-togethers to larger celebrations. The design is highly versatile, allowing the space to transform from a movie room to a reading nook or a family gathering spot. A neutral color palette, low seating, and soft lighting create a warm and inviting atmosphere that naturally brings people together.

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The terrace is the home's most-loved and most-used space, acting as a vibrant, multi-purpose hub for everyone.  Far more than just a rooftop, it's a dynamic environment that caters to a variety of activities and interests. It features a lush vegetable garden for homegrown produce, a cozy family sit-out for shared moments, and an open area for play and exercise. For those quiet evenings, a dedicated deck provides the perfect spot for stargazing, offering a serene escape from the everyday. This thoughtful design makes the terrace a central, cherished part of the home.

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NATURE AND ITS RYTHMNS

Building As a System | Passive Design Strategies

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The staircases are designed to be spatial events in their own right, not just functional connectors. The main staircase doubles as a wind tower, actively contributing to the home's natural ventilation. As you ascend, the materials change, offering a tactile narrative that guides your journey. The journey is marked by the subtle shifts from wood to stone, and the unique texture of filler slabs made with discarded glass bottles in the roof. The transitional landings are designed as intermittent pauses, opening into a quiet study, a work-from-home area, or a peaceful sit-out. This thoughtful design transforms what would be an uninterrupted climb into a series of meaningful pauses.

Along with the staircase, the stepped brick temple tower above the double-height courtyard also functions as a wind tower. It helps expel hot air from the top and draws in cool, natural air through glass louvers, creating a continuous and efficient air circulation system.

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Build to Breathe

Passive Design Strategies | Responsive Materials and Construction Methods

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The walls of this home are a study in honest materiality, built with Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks (CSEB) and bound with traditional mud mortar. Inside, the natural earth blocks are celebrated, their texture preserved beneath a layer of breathable lime plaster. Outside, a contrasting exposed cement plaster allows the structure to regulate its own moisture, a truly "breathing" wall.  

The building's roofscape is a dynamic composition of three distinct systems, each chosen for its purpose: a classic jack arch tops the ground floor, a thick, heat-mitigating Madras terrace roof shields the upper levels, and efficient filler slabs define the in-between spaces. This composite structural approach effectively reduces material usage while maintaining the building’s integrity and stability.

The Design adopts all passive strategies to reduce Light, heat, Privacy,wind etc. By adopting these strategies 40 - 50% of direct impact has been reduced. Further reductions and optimization are achieved through the careful selection of building materials and construction techniques.

This home is designed as a self-sustaining ecosystem, where energy, water, and waste are managed in a thoughtful, closed-loop system. The roof's southern incline is engineered to host an 8kW on-grid solar array, providing the house with a clean and efficient energy source. Water is a precious resource, carefully managed as rainwater is channeled from the roof into a percolation pit, recharging a traditional well that also serves as the home's primary water tank. All wastewater is treated in a biodigester, and the cleaned water is then returned to the earth to enrich the soil and further replenish the well.  

This residential design goes far beyond a simple building, acting as a catalyst for meaningful change. It recognizes that a home can profoundly influence a family and their social circle on a personal, subconscious level. By thoughtfully integrating systems and processes—from spatial planning that fosters better social and ecological relationships to a landscape that complements the living space—the house becomes a "grounded package" for addressing broader concerns. The use of durable materials and timeless construction techniques ensures longevity and adaptability, creating a cultural legacy that can be passed down through generations. Ultimately, this isn't just about a house; it's about a space that has brought about a crucial behavioral shift. It facilitates a healthy co-existence with oneself, others, and nature, with the hope that this respectful and conscious mindset will create a lasting ripple effect in the wider community.

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