The Vastu Villa

• Project: The Vastu Villa.
• Client: Mr. Chandramohan Palla.
• Location: Bangalore.
• Project Area: 3600 sqft built up. Total area 9000 sqft.
• Architecture & interior design: studio TAB.
• Design team: Tushal, Sagar, Sasmit.
• Civil & structural execution: Laxmiraman & Co. 
• Interior Contractual Team: M.M. Interiors Ltd.
• Furnishing: Furnishing Forum, Bangalore & Aura Creations, Kolkata.
• Photographer: Nayan Soni.

About studio TAB:

 Both Rahul & Ojas were on an explorative sabbatical when they decided to work together after gaining experience under renowned architectural firms in Mumbai. What started as a friendly collaborative experiment in 2011, turned out to be a runaway success with their first project getting widely published. From here, there was no looking back. The philosophy of the firm spells strongly in its name: studio TAB - The Architecture Break. Each project begins with breaking down every stereotype attached to it. Once we are able to achieve this, we come to understand what the project truly needs. From here on begins the design exercise, at both micro and macro level. This work process has been the crux of the firm's philosophy right from its advent. This approach has helped the firm build projects in over 20 regions across India.

Client background & requirement: The client is part of the second generation of a leading industrialist family of South India. After having lived in a joint family home all along, the second generation decided to move into their individual homes. This villa is the first of the 3 individual villas for the family.  The project is located on the outskirts of Bangalore city.

Requirement: The client desired a luxurious and yet a manageable home for his small family. A house wherein there's space for everyone and every activity and yet no unnecessary space which would end up gathering clutter.

More importantly, the client wanted a home that is completely compliant as per Vastu Shastra norms. The house needed to be restricted to a ground storey building only due to the region's bye laws. 

The initial challenge - Difference in idea of a "home" between the Client & Architect: The client came from a joint family system wherein their family home was a heavily ornamented, jarringly opulent house. The ornamental opulence was so much so that the basic spatial qualities of ventilation too were compromised. Most houses in within the surrounding built environment displayed a similar character.

The architect and the client had long brainstorming sessions discussing the basic idea of space. Every preconceived notion of space was stripped off so as to derive the basic fundamental sense/idea of pure, unadulterated quality of space. Sketches and discussions were held explaining how a certain space reacts and transforms to natural light, ventilation and openness.   Once this understanding was achieved between the client and the architect, the project gained its vision. 

Design approach: To begin with, a detailed climatic study was done so as to understand the sunlight, rain & wind factors prevalent. This helped us apply the Vastu norms more realistically & thoughtfully rather than a blind application without reasoning.

We marked out a definite grid along the plot dimensions. Based on the hierarchy of spaces and Vastu norms, the zoning was done.  Since the plot would eventually be landlocked on 3 sides (future development) with only the front being the most open space, the private spaces like bedrooms were zoned towards the back and the more common interactive spaces were zoned towards the front of the plot. A design exercise followed wherein we reduced the number of internal solid walls and retained only those walls which we absolutely necessary. With this, we wanted to open up the congregational spaces into each other and allow the quality of space to flow into each other seamlessly. Since the built up space's parameters restricted the sizes of the rooms, we wanted to avoid the "room within 4 walls" approach as it would have rendered the house too claustrophobic. 

The spatial challenge - From a large home to a smaller one: The client's new home was to be of a relatively smaller size as compared to his previous family home. This decision was taken by the client and his small family as they needed a home that is manageable and purely functional without the additional frills that would remain non- utilized in the long run. Also, due to the region's bye-laws the house was restricted to a single storey building only. 

The challenge for the Architect here was to adhere to the decision of a 3600 sqft built up house, but ensure that the family wouldn't feel claustrophobic. The Architect set about by defining spaces that needed to be confined within 4 walls, spaces that could flow into each other within walls and spaces that just required a demarcation without walls on all sides. This study helped achieve spaces that connect with each other visually and yet are strongly defined in their usage.  With this concept of minimal walls, the visual contact is achieved right from the kitchen to the family room - a distance of about 70ft. 

The Shell: Our love for the courtyard guided us in achieving the architectural language of the space. We segregated the meeting & gathering rooms on one side and the dining & kitchen on the other side. Between these 2 spaces, we inserted the puja space. Instead of confining the puja space within a box of a room, we opened it into an open to sky courtyard juxtaposed with pergola roofing. This space thus became the open barrier space between the congregational spaces and the dining + kitchen space.

We thus had 3 definite massing of spaces. Congregational space - Courtyard - Dining & Kitchen space. We wrapped the 2 enclosed spaces with an exaggerated overhang of 6 feet. The concrete wrap rises prominently above the courtyard height on both sides. To balance the ample mass on 2 sides, the central courtyard space is mainly a void. It has a custom designed mesh pattern made in mild steel with copper finish in the front and a skylight roofing on top.  Together, the exterior elevation is a beautiful play of mass and void.

Verandah & Frontyard: We kept these spaces as clean as possible. A large open lawn endows the plot on one side and a chequered flamed Kota stone flooring on the other. Alongside the exaggerated overhangs on 2 sides, what catches the eye instantly as one enters the plot is the courtyard garden. A landscaped garden sits pretty in front of the internal courtyard. The garden wraps around a rock cut 5 feet high Buddha statue, creating a pleasant sight. 

Drawing room & Family room: As one enters the house, the openness and thus the expanse of the house is seen at once. Refraining from confining each room within 4 four walls, we allowed the common & congregational spaces flow into each other visually by avoiding solid walls wherever possible.

The drawing and family rooms are segregated with a low height 15 feet long floating marble ledge. The ledge acts as a barrier between the 2 spaces without obstructing the visual connect.
The drawing room is flanked by 10ft high windows that open into the lawns.
The family room is split into a TV zone and a reading/ bar zone. The large wall adjacent to the drawing room is the first wall that is seen as soon as one enters the house. Using this surface as an art palate, we have designed a large chequered metallic textured base to it that enhances the scale. It also has a beautifully concealed bar unit on one side which can be opened up when the client hosts his guests. In the middle of the wall is a dim lit Onyx stone slab that has been clad on to the wall. A custom made folded metal plate mural art sits pretty on the Onyx wall.

On the other end of the drawing room, the floor space has been kept empty without clutter. All it has is a Barcelona chair seating with foot rest under a floor lamp, thus giving a perfect setting for reading. 

Courtyard & Corridor:
Between the family room/ drawing rooms & the kitchen/ dining rooms is a wide corridor and the courtyard. The planning of the house revolved around the courtyard. The courtyard opens into the corridor and has 2 glass walls on either sides and mesh wall on the front side. This space is essentially seen from most spaces of the house, be it interiors or the exteriors. A rough, untreated teak wood flooring leads one into the courtyard. The courtyard is basically the Puja space for the client. Instead of confining the Puja room within 4 walls, we designed this space in such a way that the puja space opens into the sky, is flanked by a flowering tree and designed with natural stone & wood as materials. The whole idea was to create a serene, natural space that fills one with sanctity while praying.
A Plumeria Alba tree is the central focal part of this space. As the tree rises up to the sky, it remains as the most pleasing view from any given space of the house.  

A wooden batten design encapsulates the corridor on the ceiling and the wall. It creates a stark contrast to the green tree and white floor. Somewhere hidden beautifully amongst the battens is a door that leads into the kids' room !

Kitchen & Dining:

On the other side of the courtyard is the dining & kitchen space. An 8 seater dining table, designed and executed completely on site adorns the dining space. The kitchen opens into the dining room with a breakfast ledge in between. The ledge also acts as a serving top between the kitchen and the dining space. Kitchen is a neat, white design with all latest fittings & appliances.

The most interesting part of this space is common handwash area -a  space which is generally discreet and hidden away. We cladded the walls with White Porto marble and this marble runs on the breakfast ledge too. A floor to ceiling height mirror is clad in between. In front of the mirror, is a custom made basin that is designed using the same flooring marble. The flooring marble runs onto the basin's vertical faces seamlessly, thus appearing as an extension of the flooring in itself. The basin has been carved into the marble without adding any other element. A 4ft tall pillar cork basin adds to the grandeur of this space.

 

Bedrooms:

Master bedroom:

A king size bed has been designed with a window level high headboard. The headboard pattern is an interesting play of cushions & lights. Apart from the wardrobes within the walk- in wardrobe room, the client required an additional wardrobe within his room too. To avoid create a heavy visual mass, we toned down the shutters with white deco finish with floor to ceiling handle grooves. Each groove is an 18mm groove with veneer on one surface and brushed brass on the edges. The wardrobe envelopes a window that is framed with Burma Teak wood battens on all sides. The battens double up as an Indian seating space adjacent to the window. The tv zone is essentially a Travetino marble clad on the wall with a long linear cut near the bottom. A minimalist black matt mirrored L shaped ledge juts out of the marble that serves as the table top.

The master bathroom has been clad with an interesting pattern created out of Beige Atlantide marble. The patterns of the marble are intricately clad so as to form a homogenous pattern on walls and flooring.

Kids' room:
The twin bed room is for the client's 2 daughters. A customized mural design, made of tessellation pattern of foam and veneer covers the wall behind the beds. The pattern emerged after a painstaking on-site experiment with materials and forms. Each square panel further has 8 triangular panels sloping down in different directions. While the foam panels serve as the headboard, the veneer panels form the frame to the whole design. Each of the squares and their respective 8 set panels were individually designed & executed at site. On the far side is a study table with a book shelf on one end. The book shelf is a play of mass & void storage spaces.

Son's room:

This room had to reflect a certain amount of flair to suit the teenage son's taste without going overboard. We designed a staggered bed that rests on steel leg on one corner and the other end extends into a bed side seating zone. The side tables on one end flow onto the perpendicular wall to form a display ledge. The opposite wall has the wardrobe + tv unit + display racks, all bound together within one design. The Tetris inspired pattern has the display boxes in walnut veneer and the complete white surface acts as a wardrobe with openable shutters.

 

Furniture design:

1. Centre table: It's is a customized design which has been patented by studio TAB. The centre table is a floating top which emerges from one corner of the bottom part. The form wings out from the corner support in a rhythmic angle and goes onto the form the table top. Finished in real ebony on all outer sides and brushed stainless steel on the inner side. We call it the – Cantilevered coffee table.

The side tables too are custom designed by the Architects to maintain the same language.

The output and the response The house sits pretty amidst the landscape in a subtle, discreet manner. After completion it has earned an endearing sense of belonging for the family. The Client says," I look forward to waking up early and walk around the house just to witness the play of sunlight through the courtyard and way the Plumeria tree responds to the first light. I look forward to returning home from work as the home gives me a sense of calmness and serenity. The play of soft light and shadows is soothing. Not one thing in the home is a highlighting element and the beauty lies in that as I get to unravel new spatial experiences in and around the house each day. This house is not about any inanimate object used for creating focal highlighting spaces. For me, the hero of the house is the space and this can be only be experienced." 

The initial challenge - Difference in idea of a "home" between the Client & Architect: The client came from a joint family system wherein their family home was a heavily ornamented, jarringly opulent house. The ornamental opulence was so much so that the basic spatial qualities of ventilation too were compromised. Most houses in within the surrounding built environment displayed a similar character.

The architect and the client had long brainstorming sessions discussing the basic idea of space. Every preconceived notion of space was stripped off so as to derive the basic fundamental sense/idea of pure, unadulterated quality of space. Sketches and discussions were held explaining how a certain space reacts and transforms to natural light, ventilation and openness. 

Once this understanding was achieved between the client and the architect, the project gained its vision. 

The spatial challenge - From a large home to a smaller one: The client's new home was to be of a relatively smaller size as compared to his previous family home. This decision was taken by the client and his small family as they needed a home that is manageable and purely functional without the additional frills that would remain non- utilized in the long run. Also, due to the region's bye-laws the house was restricted to a single storey building only. 

The challenge for the Architect here was to adhere to the decision of a 3000 sqft built up house, but ensure that the family wouldn't feel claustrophobic. The Architect set about by defining spaces that needed to be confined within 4 walls, spaces that could flow into each other within walls and spaces that just required a demarcation without walls on all sides. This study helped achieve spaces that connect with each other visually and yet are strongly defined in their usage. 

With this concept of minimal walls, the visual contact is achieved right from the kitchen to the family room - a distance of about 70ft. 

The output and the response: The house sits pretty amidst the landscape in a subtle, discreet manner. After completion has earned an endearing sense of belonging for the family. The Client says," I look forward to waking up early and walk around the house just to witness the play of sunlight through the courtyard and way the Plumeria tree responds to the first light. I look forward to returning home from work as the home gives me a sense of calmness and serenity. The play of soft light and shadows is soothing. Not one thing in the home is a highlighting element and the beauty lies in that as I get to unravel new spatial experiences in and around the house each day. This house is not about any inanimate object used for creating focal highlighting spaces. For me, the hero of the house is the space and this can be only be experienced."