Fact File
Location: Hyderabad
Size: 240 sq m
Principal Architects: Chaitanya Padal, Kinnera Varma and Radha Neela
Photography by: Ricken Desai
House In The Farm by Studio Inscape has been conceived as a subtle foreground to the natural environment. The farmhouse is designed around an existing tree to visually connect the courtyard without losing the linearity of the space. Introducing a central linear corridor along the court satisfied the client’s brief of having a linear house with a courtyard. We were sure about keeping the embodied energy of the house low. To achieve that, we used in situ bricks made with excavated soil as flooring in the central courtyard, which acted as the skin of the superstructure. The brick walls and form-finished slabs were left in raw finish to blend with the surroundings. Overall, the design pivots around the landscaped courtyard, which runs through the building.
The levels in the house, from the courtyard to the common spaces, fluctuate the scale and create a varied visual experience throughout the house. Bedroom walls were lime-washed to create a cosy feel. Tandoor flooring with black oxide skirting dominates the internal spaces. Reclaimed wood for the doors and windows and toggle switches with exposed conduit set the informal vibe that the designers wanted to achieve. All the design decisions made the house economical and sustainable. The furniture layout of the living space accommodates an L-shaped bench, which serves as an informal interactive space, bringing the warmth required for a farmhouse rather than a formal sofa set arrangement. Understanding the relationship between these spaces and their residents, the furniture layout in common areas was planned to accommodate both small and large groups. Further, the common areas were visually connected to the exterior green farmland.
The design visualisation is to merge the house with the natural surroundings, which are the backdrop to the house, rather than having it be the dominant characteristic overpowering its surroundings. The thought behind the conception of the house goes back to the client’s love of organic farming. The love of collecting antiques that we share with the client led us to develop a house that could accommodate their interests and let the house evolve organically over time instead of creating rigid, defined spaces. Factors like compressed stabilized earth blocks, ergonomic sill levels, multifunctional & non-rigid furniture layouts, human scale, and contextual material palette make this project sustainable, thus enhancing user experience.
