R(2) House is located adjacent to Prestige Garden Bay in Bangalore, India. The given plot size is (65.900sqft, 6120 m²) and the resulting villa has a total built up area of 48.400 sqft (4500 m²).
Important conditions were required to be fulfilled, specifically a 100% compliance to the strict Vastu philosophy. All dimensions, proportions, locations of the program, circulations, elevation and general conceptualization follow such ancient local tradition.
The family expecting to inhabit the house comprised a well known industrialist, his wife and four other family members. They planned to host many events at the house. Hence they wanted a villa that was highly monumental yet comfortable to live in, without looking like an empty palace. The massing and overall strategy is a combination of this last goal as well as Vastu.
The house is organized in two floors surrounding a main central patio, working as source of light, ventilation and the “lungs of the gods” as per local traditions. The ground floor includes the public program for guests and visitors, the pooja room, formal and family living room, kitchen, bar, home cinema, entertainment area and study room. The first floor hosts the library, swimming pool, its correspondent deck and the family bedrooms, each with private terraces in response to this particular climate and important relationship with the landscaping.
The exterior is designed such that despite the huge scale of the house, it has a compartmentalized character, making the experience closer to the human scale. This is achieved by the white stucco volumes at the second floor and unified in contrast with the stone textured podium at the ground floor. The house is surrounded by a luxurious garden, divided in different sectors each with its own character, following the same strategies of the architectural design.
A service quarters is attached to the building with a similar massing strategy to ensure integration with the main house. The quarters include offices, rooms, and utility spaces associated with the service staff for this large villa.