A sloping site and recycled components make this house both cost-effective and user-friendly finds Malini Krishnankutty
Going after trouble pays, as architect Cyriac T M discovered when he built a 3,800 sq ft house for his family in Thiruvananthapuram in 2001. Cyriac specialises in buying traditional Kerala houses as they come up for sale and reassembling them in new resorts or homes. Working on a tight budget for his own house, Cyriac found a plot that came cheap because it was sloping. Building on slopes requires skill and can also cost more because of expensive retaining walls. However, he was quick to take advantage of the opportunity
The house steps down with the site, has a garage opening on the road by the lower boundary, and a pedestrian entry from the upper side. Inside, the stepping profile of the house creates dramatic split levels and interconnections from one floor to the other. Architects often try to create these experiences with some effort on flat sites. Here this opportunity came with the discount.
“It is only because of the good deal on the land that I could afford to build the house,” says Cyriac. “That, and the fact that I used a lot of recycled materials from old houses.” Of course, the recycled components were comparatively cheap because he bought the components directly from the primary dealers, and not from specialised traders. It also helped that while he was building this house, Cyriac was also designing the Travancore Heritage Hotel near Thiruvananthapuram, for which he was sourcing many old houses.
As with the slope, Cyriac was able to create a special experience out of what came at a discount.with the recycled wooden components. The polished wooden components bring alive a fairly simple, but elegant, space. The house is an RCC framed structure with a Filler Slab roof (in which much of the concrete is replaced with roof tiles made of fired clay as ‘fillers’ to reduce cement consumption, reduce cost and provide insulation) The house is finished inside and out with white paint. The polished wooden elements generously distributed across the house provide a rich counterpoint.
| HOW THE ARCHITECT HAS INTEGRATED ELEMENTS FROM A TRADITIONAL HOUSE IN A MODERN BUILDING # The traditional elements have been largely used for what may loosely be called architectural ‘accessories’ — doors, windows, built-in seats etc. # There is a deliberate contrast between the white plastered envelope and the polished wooden doors, windows and seats. This recalls a similar contrast in traditional Kerala buildings. As in the past, here too the white of the walls, plays up the warmth of the wood and enlivens the internal spaces. # The contrast between the old and the new is one as much of style as material. Where the new white walls and roofs are unadorned inside the house, the old elements often have well developed ornament. Since these elements are fixed into the architecture, they also help the old furniture settle into its new surroundings. # Architecturally, the effect of the wood is particularly evident in the all-wood floor and parapet in the staircase, as well as the traditional charupadi, (wooden seats with backrests) at places in the house. One old window with its wooden seat, meanwhile, replaces an entire external wall and reveals that maybe ‘accessory’ is a tame word for these elements. # The flooring combines rough textured tiles from Bangalore, cement tiles from Karaikudi (in Tamil Nadu), and some wood The intent is to make the smoothness of the new combine with the grain of the old. # Masonry and concrete have been adjusted at places to literally ‘receive’ the old elements. For example, the side walls which hold the wide traditional window-and-seat projecting out of rooms are part of the ‘new’ building and thus show its willingness to ‘reach out’ and make space for the old elements. Small touches like the little projecting band that acts like a coping for the stone masonry flanking the garage take this message ahead. # Hot and humid Kerala demands ventilation. Many of the traditional door and window designs (some with louvres) allow air to move freely and keep the house secure. These also show up the 'boxiness' of our ideas about doors and windows. The old windows that project from the living room, for instance, have two parts. The operable window is the upper part. Below is a tilted wooden grill that acts like a backrest for the seat attached. If it rains, you can close the window above if you want, and yet have the breeze move about freely. |
