Design Work Group completed a family home in the Indian port city of Surat, which features a gently undulating brick facade that offers shade from the sun.
There were three major driving forces that led to the accomplishment of the project
- Climate
- Context
- Client’s brief
India is a home to an extraordinary variety of climatic regions. The site being located in Surat, Gujarat falls into hot and humid climatic zone. High humidity, strong sun and glare from sky characterize the climate. The spatial Organisation brought with it the biggest climatic challenge the front facade with large surface areas stood exposed to the West side intensifying the heat gain throughout the day.
To reduce heat gain various explorations were done after understanding the architectural elements of the hot climatic region:
- Material
- Texture
- Jali
- Engraving
The analysis led us to select BRICK - a module that is raw and natural just as the client, and could help create projections reducing the heating effect.
The Interior of Brick Curtain House
A brick façade with bulges protruding in and out was selected. As the façade majorly needs to shade the central indoor environment the two ends are straight without bulges, giving the undulations in the centre a firm hold. Opaque red brick screens extend out to afford a degree of privacy on the terraces, which are fronted with glass balustrades. But perforations in the brickwork at eye level allow the residents to peer out over the street.
The Double-Height Living Room
The central portion was divided into three parts each having 3 bulges in a series. To structurally hold the huge façade of 83 layers, vertical and horizontal reinforcement was added.
The chosen form served dually:
1. Individually the brick module shaded itself.
2. Convex bulges in the wall would shade its lower concave bulges, doing the same shading thing at a larger level.
The house is a perfect epitome of how a plane curtains itself. It stands out and connects to surroundings – both at the same time! The brick façade provides an ideal backdrop for the living area and major interaction spaces aesthetically adding simplicity and integrity to the design.
Wooden Cabinets And Tables Teamed With Marble Flooring
Overall the expression of the house is a response to client’s affinity for nature. It’s an outcome of seeking sustainable and functional amalgamation for the living environment.
Project Details:
Project Name: Brick Curtain House_Nidhi
Architect’ Firm: Design Work Group
Website: www.designworkgroup.in
Contact E-mail: drs@designworkgroup.in
Design Team: Dinesh Suthar, Bharat Patel, Jitendra Sabalpara, Sonakshi Berlia, Bhavika Suthar, Vishakha Jain, Ankit Sojitra, Chirag Katrodiya
Project Location: Mota Varachha, Surat, Gujarat (India)
Completion Year: March 2016
Gross Built Area: 810m2