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Architects: ICONCAST
- Area: 4600 ft²
- Year: 2021
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Photographs:Ganidu Balasuriya
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Manufacturers: Noorbhoy, Presstona, Ranjanas, Rocell
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Architectural Designer: Gihan Muthugala, Nilooshi Eleperuma
Text description provided by the architects. Home to a young family with working parents the design had to offer a relaxing ambiance. Both Eranda and Dhanushka drive to Colombo for work from their home at Thalahena, Malabe and from the onset, they both wanted an extent of privacy that would still allow them to enjoy the outdoors; and the idea of a courtyard house was born.
The courtyard of this home forms a double-height internal volume and the level play inside the home allows for variant views of and through the courtyard from the different spaces. The courtyard sets the ambiance of the home a par with the outdoors and it connects spaces in a single line of sight although at different levels through the courtyard where the family would mostly spend their time. The Living spills over to the courtyard for additional space and opens to the garden.
Spacious volumes inside are formed by one large hall space shared by common activities of the home; the dining, pantry, and TV lounge are all open to one another; visually and physically borrowing and sharing space with each other and the garden; resulting in free-flowing space with the illusion of larger area despite the restricted footprint. The stack ventilation through the courtyard keeps the house cool while only the bedrooms are thermally controlled for comfort.
The dining opens out to a timber deck making space for outdoor dining. Large openings and neutral colors are combined with the natural timber elements as well as giving importance to vegetation create a light and airy living space. The more intimate areas of the home; such as the bedrooms and bathrooms, were contained in a more solid block of the house to ensure privacy. While the social areas such as living, dining, and kitchen are located in a more open and exposed area of the home that is connected to the exterior.
The house is screened from the road with a double skin with an external timber screen and internal glass. The road facing the façade to the West also responds to solar orientation to cut down heat gain during the day; the façade is composed of timber screen; incorporating cross ventilation and reducing thermal gain from direct sun.
