Fact File
Location: Coimbatore
Size: 1160 sq m
Principal Architect: Sandeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand
Photography by: Fabien Charuau
The Race Course House by Khosla Associates is tucked away in a leafy byway off the historic Race Course road located in Coimbatore. A central feature of the house is a freestanding, double-height, form-finished concrete wall that divides the living and dining areas and culminates in a roof with strategically positioned skylights. This house was intended to reflect the personality and lifestyle of the homeowner couple, their two young children, and their dogs. Both are successful entrepreneurs, the husband runs a textile company for bed and bath linen, and his spouse runs a real estate company that constructs affordable concrete housing. In a sweeping and sinuous gesture, the artwork climbs up the dining face of the concrete wall and can be viewed from differing vantage points on both levels.
Multiple shuttles were mounted on a brushed brass base and strung with a vibrant fuchsia-coloured thread. The artwork assumes a further dimension as the shuttles rise and dip with fluidity in a wave-like flow. The spatial arrangement on the ground floor allows for free visual movement between living and dining areas and a constant connection to the outdoors. The living room and bar areas open eastward into a wooden-decked verandah and a verdant tropical garden. The dining room and open kitchen step northwards into an intimate outdoor court with fixed seating around a tree. A cutout in the slab allows the skylights to orient east-west to capture the arc of the sun from morning to afternoon and bathe the wall with an ever-changing dance of natural light. To create a layer of meaning and context for our clients, we created a large art installation out of 109 wooden shuttles used in handloom weaving.
The upper level is an area for the family’s refuge, with the master bedroom and two children’s rooms converging into a casual lounge that opens to a pergola-covered terrace with views of the east garden. The roofs of the lounge and the master bedroom slope outward in opposite directions from each other. The lofty entrance pergola, made of precast concrete members, acts as a shading device from the strong Coimbatore sun. The materiality of the house is a muted mix of grey Kota stone floors, timber-clad ceilings, and polished cement and cast concrete surfaces. These are juxtaposed with striking tropical colours in the textiles, like Neel blue, fuchsia pink, and deep ochre. The house tells a narrative about its owners and what they do. The references to concrete construction and Coimbatore’s textile traditions add a layer of grounding and meaning. The spaces for the family and close friends are warm and interactive, and the connection with nature is constant.
