House of Stone

Situated on a 800 sq. yd. plot in the quiet Vasant Vihar neighbourhood of Delhi, this residence attempts to offer an alternative to the builder driven trends in individual plot redevelopment- that of multiple apartments stacked over each other. This house offers a new paradigm and tries to preserve some of the important characteristics & pleasanter qualities of the older bungalow pattern. Only two independent units, one for the owners and one for tenants, are enabled on the plot, both of which are spacious as befits the premium nature of the property but try to capture the feel of bungalow homes of yore.

The primary organization into two vertically stacked interlocking units, each spread across 1 ½  floors, the lower unit flowing out into contiguous gardens and the upper unit opening out into a series of terraces and terrace gardens and a multitude of planters off each of their spaces, viewed from and accessible to most living spaces within the units allows proximity to and views of greenery and access to fresh air.

A sequence of public spaces  stretching across the length of each unit expand the visual space and provide a through view right from the shaded front garden to the deep private south facing rear garden, as well as enhanced light & ventilation, while the interplay of levels within each unit enhances visual connectivity & spatial continuity across floors as also creates a variety of articulated internal volumes emphasizing the public or private nature of the spaces.