Fact File
Location: Gurugram (Gurgaon)
Size: 836 sq m
Principal Architect: Sumit Dhawan
Photography by: Shiv Prakash, Easy Homes
Todd Residence by Cityspace’ 82 Architects is a unique composition that seeks to integrate voluminous, light-filled living spaces with a particular focus on the sky as a design element. This splendid building, located amid the hustle and clamour of Gurugram, stands out from all the neighbouring residences. The client’s brief was quite candid; he desired a home that reflected minimalism while converging with the sky. The notion was to design a house with robust attributes and voluminous, light-filled living spaces, including comfortable reading nooks and unique indoor-outdoor seating areas.
The house is designed on a zero-maintenance concept. The boundary wall is treated with dry stone cladding, featuring a detail where the scooped-out slab frames stellar light profiles that give the illusion of bent stones. The gate, one of the most used elements of any home, is installed in porcelain, a scratch-resistant, water and termite-proof medium. The driveway acquires an array of integrated directional lighting, which also acts as mood lighting during the night. The façade was created by omitting smaller cubes from the bigger ones, providing the building with openings and punctures that allow natural light. A cantilevered terrace renders a floating powder-coated aluminium web, which forms a dramatic feature of the residence. The three-metre-wide cantilever accommodates small gatherings or parties. The convergence of the building with the sky was achieved by fibre optic lighting integrated with the white painted wall on the front façade, which facilitates a glistening effect akin to the twinkling of stars with different intensities.
The house features two preset scenes, whereby it can be accentuated with planter lights, fibre optics, and lights from art installations via a single control on celebratory occasions. One enters the house through a stilted floor, which atypically incorporates vibrant landscaping instead of a garage. The car park is conceived at the rear, allowing the space to savour openness from the lush landscape. The main door and the double-height entrance exemplify grandeur and a larger-than-life, luxurious lifestyle. This foyer, embellished with a water reservoir, stepping stones, and a champak tree, serves as a spectacle. The zinc panels perfectly complement the metal façade. This prepossessing expanse also incorporates an elegant waiting area complemented by the front garden. The basement, which forms a perfect space for partying and rejuvenating, also houses two guest bedrooms, a spectacular pool, a spa, and a gymnasium. Two adroitly engineered sunken gardens ensure ample ventilation and natural light.
Moving towards the ground floor, the layout comprises a living area, a formal drawing room, a family lounge with a kitchen, a dining space, and a powder room. The first floor features three magnificent bedrooms with attached toilets and walk-in closets, while the second floor hosts a master bedroom, a kids’ room, and a lounge. This floor offers vivid views of the terrace garden from the lounge and rooms through the glass façades. All the shafts, balconies, and gardens are connected to the service staircase at the rear for easy maintenance. Passive strategies were introduced through cavity walls with insulation material like vermiculite, thermal break fenestrations with high-performance DGU glass, horizontal and vertical shading devices and on-grid solar panels and monolithic spray foam at the terrace level. Also, the materials used in the façade required zero maintenance. Every toilet has private greens facilitating an expansive appearance while allowing for abundant natural light and ventilation. The interiors have been conceived by Habitat Architects.
