Fact file
Location: Kerala
Size: 300 sq m
Principal Architects: Hamid MM, Hafeel PK
Photographs by Prasanth Mohan, Running Studios
Halaman, the Courtyard House by Zero Studio, is a peaceful haven on the outskirts of a densely populated neighbourhood. Set in a packed residential area in Aluva, a town in Kerala with a typical dense fabric, this house feels like an escape to serenity from all the urban commotion. The clients, an NRI couple, wanted a house for their family of six, with their two kids and the husband’s parents. They had a complete understanding of what the site offered: a corner plot surrounded by trees and roads on either side, sharing borders with two other houses. They dreamed of having spaces curated entirely for them, and their briefing about their “to-be home,” rooted in extensive research, made it easier and more challenging at the same time. Simply put, this house is a modern, minimalistic one with original rustic finishes, a lot of greenery inside, and spaces that are personal and intimate, well-lit, and ventilated naturally.
The main challenge was to fit in the requirements that were on par with a spacious home on a relatively small and crowded site, where we didn’t have the luxury of planting a lot of vegetation at the cost of space to build on. With the given requirements, the house almost takes over the site. Open-interior planning plays an important role in extracting the maximum from a complex context. All the prime spaces, such as family living, dining, and kitchen, merge into one, opening out to a large internal courtyard, which is a significant source of natural light and ventilation for the house. This intervention resulted in an inward-looking home that essentially opens to a large volume as the user enters from the chaos outside. Elements such as greenery, natural light, and water accentuate these volumes further. Along with the central courtyard and the water body, skylights and floating roofs with ventilation slits help keep the interior temperature and humidity level in check.
A huge rectangular hanging concrete planter box marks the main entrance to the interior. The user enters the large open-to-sky courtyard, and on the ground, almost half of it is covered by a water body with a floating deck to sit on. The palettes of colours are chosen from neutrals to original shades without compromising the uncluttered appeal of the interiors. Large door and window openings complement the openness and frame the view toward the exterior landscape. The process behind delivering personalised and intimate spaces for each of the users from a common volume was very intense, and the design ultimately featured some striking elements like the extended bridge in the stair landing, the private balcony overlooking the mango trees, the terrace planters, the bay windows, and the fore room wherein the semi-open roof brings in the monsoon rains and otherwise glimpses of the starry night sky. These are spaces that emote varying moods where the user can spend time working out, reading, meditating, and relaxing!
