Fact File
Location: Surat
Size: 600 sq m
Principal Architects: Monarch Champaneri, Nilesh Gajera, Niralee Champaneri
Photography by: Fabien Charuau
HIVE House by OpenIdeas Architects is a sustainable and highly dynamic family home—as described by the architects, it is “a smart structure rendered in metal with a “mono-space” living area.” Hive is conceived and designed as an intelligent, adaptable, and sustainable family home in Surat, Gujarat. The form of the house is rooted in the client profession, Kamalbhai Mistry, who is part of a successful company engaged in making machines for the diamond industry. Being well-informed about architecture and given his core competency in mechanical engineering, the client was very clear about what he wanted as a “home”—a smart structure rendered in metal. Along with those primary thoughts, the client communicated an almost 90-point brief with inputs connected to diverse points—from landscape, structure, planning, materials, sustainability, insulation, HVAC, and plumbing—along with a study of the entire year’s sun path.
With the dominant presence of metal, the concepts of long span, lightweight, complex form, and fast construction came on board with the form moulded by an in-depth analysis of external temperature, humidity, solar radiation, cloud cover, and wind pattern. The architecture is expressed as an angular V-shaped structure oriented towards the green pockets spread around the house. The entrance created a bridge and valley experience, with a sunken court and stepped garden, a linear arrival corridor, and a walkable green roof with varying slopes. This roof technically acts as thermal insulation, lowering the overall temperature of the interiors; while functionally doubling up as a congregational area for social gatherings. The architectural presence, undoubtedly, is established by the solar sensor-based façade, which lies at an exciting intersection of art and engineering. Its geometry is inspired by the hexagonal structural patterns found in nature, such as those of honeycombs and carbon crystals, giving the project its name. Analyzed as per the structure, function, and mechanism, its design is based on structural strength, transformability, and biomimicry.
The unique opening mechanism of the façade positions is a derivative of the quality of light exposure and thermal comfort levels inside the house. Experientially, the modules create striking sciagraphy by casting patterns that change with the diurnal rhythm of the sun. The internal programme has been conceived as open and fluid, both in plan and volume. Devoid of dividing partition walls, the fluid spaces on the ground floor have a sensorial segregation of public, private, and semi-private zones through modulations in the outer envelope, along with a bespoke sculptural entrance vestibule. The upper level, accessed via a sculptural staircase, accommodated two bedrooms. The connection to greenery remains steadfast owing to the presence of a small garden attached to each bedroom. Materiality includes metal with SS powder coating for the façade and wood and stone in the interiors to bring in the warmth of a home.
According to the architects, the inspiration for the envelope and several other elements in the house came from small, everyday things. While the façade mechanism was inspired by the doors of airport buses, the structure of the stair (which spans seven metres and has a thickness of 38 mm) was taken from the structural formation of the hexagonal diagrid popularly seen in Ikea furniture pieces. Similarly, the movement of radio antennae informs the window opening mechanisms, and the “kadki door” of forts (a door within a door) was replicated in the entrance. For the architects, the speciality of this project lay in a client who was open-minded and intrepid, ready to experiment with ideas that didn’t have many precedents. The client viewed this building like a product or machine he deals in, which is why he insisted on “manufacturing” it flawlessly. He wanted something unique in every detail, which put a lot of pressure on the design team to deliver and not fail to meet their expectations. Therefore, all the ideas that went into its making were backed by intensive research and prototyping. This project has given the architects the confidence to think differently and think big, as well as to engage in extensive research and detailing to give form to the dreams they harboured during the design phase.
