The client’s brief saw a strong interest in a “Courtyard House.” Taking the courtyard as a focal point, the entire architecture and the landscape conceptualization revolved around using the feature as a climate responsive design advantage.
The Courtyard House is a carefully interwoven built-form which strongly responds to the site context. The green spaces are not limited to the exteriors of the building only but also dominates the spatial structure of the interior layout.
The design process was initiated by understanding the climatology of the surroundings. The site is east facing and has a vast public green space on the North side.The landscape scheme is conceptualized on generating a continuity with the surroundings and drawing the lines into the interiors of the building and connecting it with the courtyard which houses a sculptural tree. The living, dining and the staircase areas surrounding the courtyard are all designed as exterior spaces making the inside and the outside seem as one.
Based on climatological factors, the building is rotated towards the northern sides (to have maximum fenestration avoiding the harsh rays of the sun during the day) and a continuous water channel is introduced in the direction of the prevailing winds which aids in maintaining the micro-climate of the interiors. This also creates a strong connect between the landscape spaces on the south and the north sides. The centrally placed courtyard provides light to all the spaces and also provides air movement due to induced ventilation through the openings on the walls. The greens planned within the site, the water channel and the courtyard with a tree form a strong ecological system making the building less dependent on mechanical (re)sources while keeping a check on the energy consumption.
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