Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter

Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Exterior Photography, WindowsShila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Interior Photography, Living RoomShila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Interior Photography, Bedroom, Windows, WoodShila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Exterior Photography, Windows, Stairs, GardenShila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - More Images+ 20

Kothamangalam, India
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  420
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Photographs
    Photographs:Out of Focus
  • Lead Architects: Febin Mathai, Jithin T, Ajai Jose, Sahir KK.
  • Documentation And Presentation: Raymond Williem, Ahammed Rinshad T, Musthafa, Fathimathu Zuhra, Elsa Paul, Aqeel Khalid
  • Program / Use / Building Function: Residential Building.
  • City: Kothamangalam
  • Country: India
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Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Exterior Photography, Windows
© Out of Focus

Text description provided by the architects. Set amidst the green, this tranquil home in Kerala, India, is an amalgamation of modern architecture elements into a tropical architecture, giving prime importance to the central courtyard and traditional planning concepts. This residential building molded into an ancestral home making space for family gatherings and functions. Modern amenities, broad windows, and an open-to-sky courtyard make the home well-lit and ventilated. The lush green and trees in the surroundings together with the lush tropical landscape merge into the interiors delivering a surreal spatial experience in the living spaces.

Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade
© Out of Focus
Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Image 14 of 25
Plan - Ground floor
Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Interior Photography, Living Room
© Out of Focus

The building faces east to where the site was originally slanting, making the orientation ideal, considering the microclimate of the location. The house has four blocks with a central courtyard. An existing building on the site on the west side was aesthetically renovated and was considered adaptive reuse for a dermatology clinic for the client. The access road towards the site reaches the west side first, passes the clinic, and then approaches the front yard, thus limiting the patients from interfering in the family interactions in the front yard. The two-storeyed part of the building shades the front yard and open living spaces amplifying the ambiance during evenings.

Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Windows
© Out of Focus
Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Image 23 of 25
Constructive detail 04
Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Interior Photography, Shelving
© Out of Focus

The wide sit-out leads into a vast open space with a central courtyard and formal living, dining, and family living spaces on the three sides. The bedrooms zoned along the side of the courtyard with the stairs add a factor of privacy. The family living opens into the cooking kitchen, programmed to have family interactions while cooking. A secondary kitchen and work area are attached to the cooking kitchen to facilitate heavy cooking, dishwashing, and laundry. The construction techniques and materials used in the building were highly experimental, research-based, and thus highly effective in the climatic, aesthetic, and functional aspects. Precast GFRG panels used for walls, which are leaner and sturdy than usual brick masonry, also facilitated high speed of construction, cost-effectiveness, and heat insulation.

Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Exterior Photography, Windows, Stairs, Garden
© Out of Focus
Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Exterior Photography, Windows, Facade, Garden, Courtyard
© Out of Focus

Wooden slabs were used instead of concrete slabs for the bedrooms giving the ambiance of the traditional ceilings and effective cooling in those spaces. Also, wooden planks are laid with tongue and groove joints atop steel rafters, and the roof tile rests upon wooden battens screwed into the wooden planks. The colors and finishes were deliberately made subtle & pastel for the soothing ambiance. Wooden elements in the ceiling embedding contrast with columns and furniture, creating harmony in the interiors. The exterior color palette exhibits the traditional roof tiles in their raw form. The project as a whole sits in harmony with the calm and lush green scenery, yet offers all modern functional facilities without compromising on the traditional planning and zoning concepts. 

Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter - Exterior Photography, Garden
© Out of Focus

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Cite: "Shila House / POEM-People of Earth and Matter" 04 Oct 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/989947/shila-house-unbound-architecture> ISSN 0719-8884

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