Cliff House / Khosla Associates

Jul 2010

Uploaded by Sebastian J — Filed under: Houses ,Selected , India, Kerala, Khosla Associates

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Architects : Khosla Associates
Location: Chowara, Kerala, India
Project Team: Sandeep Khosla, Amaresh Anand and Praveena A.
Client: Mike Manwaring
Structural Engineering: Manjunath & Co.
Landscaping: Hariyalee Consultants
Interior Design: Khosla Associates
Site Area: 4,046 sq m.
Built up Area: 1,397 sq m.
Photography: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

The house is located in Chowara, a fishing village, 30 minutes from Thiruvananthapuram, in Kerala, South India.

Perched 200 ft. above an expansive stretch of green along the Arabian Sea coast, at the edge of a cliff, its most prominent feature is an asymmetrical sloping roof set against the fronds of a coconut plantation. Opening its embrace to the warm sea breezes, the home covers an area of 1397 sqm. A skewed 45m long sheer concrete wall supporting the single lightweight triangulated canopy roof lunges out towards the view. The external and internal finishes are polished cement, concrete and rough slate juxtaposed against warm slatted timber and natural local kota stone. Furniture and accessories are kept to a minimal, so that the focus doesn’t stray from the natural environment

The client lives in London and commissioned the house as a holiday home to enjoy the Kerala sun, the views, and requested for a large outdoor pool, several decks and meditation areas. He was keen to use local artisans and material and his empathy towards the active fishing community in Chowara prompted his decision to buy a plot of land that had some distance from the beach.

Architects Sandeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand of Khosla Associates designed the home keeping the180 degree panorama of the sea constantly in mind. The response to the site was a bold and emotional one as the designers imagined the dramatic wall and roof bringing the sea, air and the sky in without barriers. True to the first contextual response, only half of the 1,400 sqm of built area is actually defined by four walls. The rest is kept open and intelligently permeable to the elements.

In the interest of keeping the view foremost and the ambience pleasant in Kerala’s tropical heat, large openings were essential to all spaces, thereby allowing the penetration of seasonal winds. Ample overhangs were provided specially on the main roof to protect against the fierce western sun and monsoon rain. Since large expanses of glass would trap the heat in this environment, the Architects devised a system of louvered wooden sliding and folding shutters for the doors and windows. These slatted shutters can be modulated and allow for un-interrupted air circulation.

The entrance faces northeast and the entry walkway is made of a straight line of monolithic stone steps flanked on either side by lush tropical water bodies. The concrete wall to the right and mysterious louvered wood screen wall deliberately conceal what lies beyond.

On entering the house, the open plan voluminous foyer not only separates the private and public spaces but also extends all the way from the front entrance to the rear deck, where you can wade straight into the 420 sqm. infinity pool. The double height foyer separates the two wings and separates public and private spaces. Guest bedrooms and shaded decks lie to either side of the outdoor pool whose prominent position and expanse compensate for the missing beach access. Additional guest rooms and master bedroom connect to each other on the upper level via a walkway and terrace.

The house is climate sensitive and allows for light, air and the breeze to flow right through. All bathrooms have tropical open-to sky courts that are integrated visually with the bedrooms and several open courts and water features punctuate and soften the scale of the foyer. The overriding canopy roof is clad on the underside entirely with eco-friendly timber that offsets with warmth the large expanses of kota flooring, concrete and polished cement.

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: © Bharath Ramamrutham, Courtesy of Khosla Associates

: ground floor

: first floor

* Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.

Cite:
Jordana , Sebastian . "Cliff House / Khosla Associates" 06 Jul 2010. ArchDaily. Accessed 08 Feb 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/67457>

Comments (14)
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Links to this entry (18)

shreyank says:

let me know if he’s renting the Resort oops “house” soon.

# July 6, 2010 at 08:27

Jakov says:

i had exactly the same first impression. it could be a public building!

# July 6, 2010 at 10:00

Pablo says:

Welcoming house….

seriously, a great house indeed…

# July 6, 2010 at 10:42

Saurabh says:

great work…congratulations sir..!!! i even saw and read about the same in INSIDE OUTSIDE latest edition. Awesome…

# July 6, 2010 at 13:18

Hadassa Delgado says:

Simplesmente linda! Adorei!

# July 6, 2010 at 16:36

Tom says:

It is a well designed home, space and outlook is key to its success.

# July 6, 2010 at 17:35

lawrence says:

this is a nice site you got here! young and student architects like me, will learn a a lot in here.. And see a lot in non-local international architecture..

More power!

# July 6, 2010 at 23:07

Rahul J says:

great house… super space

# July 7, 2010 at 05:56

Monolita says:

Dramatic house. Would like to know how the building is sheilded/ shaded from the strong rain bearing westerly winds from the sea as well as the strong west sun. Our experience working in Kerala has been that western sides need A LOT of shading and rain breakers for any exposed places to be usable for 6-8 months a year (when rain is torrential and travels horizonatally with the wind deep into places with effective sheilding/ shading).

# July 8, 2010 at 01:00

nainesh says:

i just seen this house and think it is made brazil or austria but when i get down to the map and seen this was made in kerala INDIA i just feel proud to be INDIAN and to you guys who created this kind of AWASOME work, This is just amazing. keep it up and all the best for your next more better work.

JAI HIND
nainesh.com

# July 10, 2010 at 03:23

gonzalo ramos mejía says:

mmmmm huge house…. interesting details but it´s seems to like a resort. and for been indian, Louis Kahn´s time where great, when he develop the capitol building in Daka, Bangladesh, but this is just a tipical millioner´s private “resort”…..big deal. I like the banboo roof and other particular stuff, but I´m not seduced by big spaces or declined walls.

# July 13, 2010 at 10:37

nikita says:

i was looking for some info on manwaring residence in bangalore..also done by sandeep khosla…i m an architecture student n hav to submit a presentation on this one as a case study…plz help

# October 24, 2010 at 05:46

Rahul says: