The site previously formed part of the garden of a house occupied by the clients’ grandparents. The design of the new building was intended to minimise its impact on this existing house, both during and after its construction.
A desire to maintain a connection with the existing house informed the decision to keep as much of the existing garden area as possible, and to position the entrance to the new building so it opens onto this space. We aimed to create a unique building using mass-produced components – we all want high quality products, but at a cheap price and with short execution timeline. Rectangular in plan, the two-storey building features a flat roof, corrugated metal walls and a mild steel frame.
Corrugated polycarbonate sheet façade encases the multi-purpose event space on the first floor. We used a thin and translucent material to replace the regular exterior walls, where natural light can be maximised in the interior space.
The inside of this polycarbonate sheet façade is lined by rich textured drapes to control the amount of natural light inside during specific shows and events.
Windows are made from the same material as the walls, so they don’t offer any additional light but can be opened to let fresh air into the building. At night, lights glowing from within transform the building into a huge light-box along the streetscape.
A steel structure made up of I-beams is on show inside the building and has been painted black. Deck sheet ceilings are left exposed, while the floors encompass a mixture of concrete and timber.
Project Details
Name: The Courtyard, Bangalore
lead Architects: M9 Design Studio
Design team: Nischal Abhaykumar, Jesal Pathak, Preethi B Raju, Karamveer Singh
Client: Akhila Srinivas and Sharath Reddy Photo credits: Shamanth Patil Photography Project duration: 75 days
Project completion: June 2018
Built-up area: 3500 sq ft (New building only)
Site area: 6000 sq ft
About Jesal Pathak
Creative head, M9 Design Studio, Bangalore
M9 Studio works at multiple scales and with various organisations right from private clients to corporate and NGOs. Its design approach is to reconnect architecture with nature, make optimum use of space, materials, lighting and landscape to reinvent and transform living environments and urban spaces. She won the Excellence-Public Building Award in WADE ASIA 2019.
*Winning Project: Excellence-Public Building