Barrister Residence

Delhi has grown concentrically around the British-era Lutyens Zone. The principal traffic arteries are called ring roads, one within the other. Situated on one of the busier intersections on the outer ring road, this large plot afforded the potential for plentiful living space, but also the nuisance of traffic and poor outward views. Designed for a legal counselor who also required private consultation spaces, the house is designed as a jigsaw of hierarchies, with separately functional circulation and spaces for the family, attending house staff, visiting office staff and select clients.

Unusually, but pragmatically, the most prominent corner of the house towards the intersection was made into a service core, while a large forecourt was carved from the remaining frontage to accommodate a turnaround for a car. The core permitted access to the rooftop office areas, including space for conferences, legal secretaries and a private consultation chamber looking into a terrace garden. A double height portico and entrance lobby sequester the main garden from the street, giving the house its distinctive “T” shape and creating a quiet oasis into which the principal living and family spaces open.

The largely blank street facades are a stark contrast from the completely glazed interior elevations that afford generous views into the garden. Two of the more indulgent features of the project were a glass fronted garage for the owner’s luxury car collection in the entrance forecourt and a two-lane bowling alley in the basement.

Location
Vasant Vihar,

New Delhi

Client  

Undisclosed

Typology

Residential

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area              

32000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

Proposal Only