Fact File
Location: Hyderabad
Size: 170 sq m
Principal Architects: Baba Sashank and Vindhya Guduru
Photography by: Monika Sathe Photography
Soul Garden House by Spacefiction Studio is defined by its assimilation of nature and a unique spatial layout that maximises a 170-square-metre plot in Hyderabad. The central garden was raised to accommodate parking, a room for domestic help, and a games room on the stilt floor. An extra room was added on the terrace for guests. All services were pushed to the south as a buffer against the heat. The living and dining areas surrounding the garden have operable sliding glass doors to contain the air conditioning. When these are open, the whole length of the house behaves as a single space connected by the garden. Two bedrooms are pushed to the next higher level, connected by a corridor with a concrete bench.
The central double-height court is covered with mild steel with laser-cut perforations, designed parametrically to create privacy. The perforations are smaller, where the adjacent building has an opening looking into the court and larger, where the building has a blank wall. This system is covered from the top with glass and stainless steel mesh on the sides for protection from rain and insects. The filtered light through this powers the tropical growth of the garden below. A cutout element allows light to enter the games room in the basement below. The garden features a fountain, which brings the tropical environment to life with the sound of water. Wherever one is in the house, they’re always aware of the elemental nature of the garden.
The master bedroom has an attached balcony, which opens up inwards onto the garden below. The wardrobe features handmade cane work, a fast-vanishing craft practice. The attached toilet is made transparent so the planters inside are visible and lit from the skylight above. The kid’s bedroom has a balcony, which opens onto the east. A play nook is integrated into the wardrobe, which looks down onto the garden as well. The attached study room has a planter under a slit skylight, which forms a focal point as one enters the room. The study area is lit by the eastern sun in the mornings, which filters through the perforated screen and hits the study desk. The façade has operable louvres made out of perforated mild steel. This offers a certain amount of privacy from the nearby neighbourhood. They are opaque from the outside during the daytime, but when the light shines from within in the evening, they become transparent and shine like a yellow jewel.
