Urban Haven
NEW DELHI
12000 SF
2009
Located on one of Delhi’s busiest main roads, the long and thin site offered little by way of views and open space. The buildable envelope allowed by municipal laws necessitated leaving a large space to the east side of the site, resulting in a building that was barely 28’ wide and more than 120’ long. The bare shell of the structure was inherited, but the clients were unhappy with the inappropriate three individual apartments within the structure meant for a small, but growing family.
After 8 months of intense design and several months of careful demolition and construction later, the house was transformed to meet the requirements of the family to function as a single unit, yet afford privacy when required.
A party wall on one side prevented openings along the length; therefore, several skylights of various dimensions and positions were introduced in the house to bring light deep into the interiors. As a result, the house is flooded with natural light. The location of the building on a busy road also meant that the building would have to protect the occupants from the noise and light pollution. This was done by restricting the number of external openings, however double-glazed units of glass were used to add to the light and take advantage of views above the tree crowns on upper floors
The interiors were integrated at the planning stage itself since construction scheduling and planning was crucial to coordinate the various local and global vendors.