The legacy of early modern domestic architecture in
Delhi is hard to fathom. Apart from the odd home built by the master architects
post-independence, houses in the capital follow a distinct pattern, almost like
a vernacular tradition was at work. The stately houses of Sunder Nagar &
Golf Links in the Lutyens Bungalow Zone (LBZ) were designed, it seems in
retrospect, all at once and the ones that have not been replaced by stacked
apartments betray their mid century European roots. Long horizontal lines of
projections shade ribbon windows and are interspersed with large blank volumes.
The structural slab is not expressed on the elevation and there is always a
strong horizontal balcony thrust out, testing the limits of the concrete. The
parapet line runs unbroken around the buildings and even the staircase is
visually tucked behind it; this line visually connects all the houses along the
street.
The contemporary situation is very different.
Developer-driven apartment blocks have completely overtaken most of urban Delhi
as well as the local context. These apartment blocks typically occupy the
complete permissible envelope and then embellish the peripheral walls with
whatever is currently most fashionable, whether it be unsustainable wooden
panelling or florid mouldings and cornices. The resulting urban condition is
one dominated by forced facades that are 50ft/15m tall, punctuated only with
unusable, authority mandated three feet balconies and large expanses of
inoperable glass with little or no protection from the climate.
The hallmark of the original De Stijl House, the
Rietveld-Schröder House (Utrecht) was to make a building that seemed to be
composed entirely of surfaces and volumes that were gliding past each other,
dissolving the boundaries of inside and outside. It was inspired by the early
20th century art movement, which helped spawn the modern movement in
architecture. The early houses in Delhi were an offshoot of the same movement,
albeit a little customized to local conditions. This is the modernist legacy
that is referred to in this house.
The owners were originally residents in the LBZ and wanted
to incorporate their large art collection in their new home along with the
requirement of additional living arrangements for a family of two generations.
Situated directly opposite an earlier project designed by AKDA (Transformation,
2010), they chose to frame the views to the same mango tree that shades the
earlier house. The project was designed with three distinct zones- a ground
floor apartment, a basement gallery space for the daughter’s art collection and
a duplex apartment on the upper floors for the owners. The terrace is partially
enclosed to provide a small studio space and an alfresco dining area and the
rest is left open as a garden. Landlocked by party walls on 2 sides, large
skylights punctuate the terrace, bringing light to the floors below. There is a
large courtyard that can be looked into from the formal living areas and a
smaller one brings light to an internal stair for the upper apartment. A
stepped arrangement of verandahs on the north corner brings light and green
views to the lounge areas on all floors.
The interiors are finished in muted tones of white.
The regular dark tones of local wood finishes were eschewed in favour of the
blonde, honey coloured quality of oak wood and a similarly light cream coloured
stone has been used to create a neutral, yet domestic backdrop to the art on
display. A structural wood stair, dramatically lit from below, descends to the
basement from within the house. On the terrace, a deep verandah opening onto
the garden makes a relaxing space for evening dining. The walls are raised to
avoid the unsightly views and the only thing that can be seen is the sky.
You are requested to contact our office at mail@akda.in or you can call us on 91 11 41704150
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