A rather brazen articulation of the client’s occupation, the Ship House is designed for the family of a young merchant navy captain who sails for virtually half the year. The intrepid form of the house that draws its inspiration from and resembles a ship, is a manifestation of the voyagers life at sea on stable ground.The brief was to build a contemporary home which shall fulfil their need for sufficient parking space, bedrooms, living, dining, utility etc.The design of this 2150 sq.ft single family home was developed in response to the desire for internal openness to facilitate visual and aural contact while simultaneously responding to the need for security and privacy.The house sits on a 40 ft. x 60 ft. sloping plot. The house was designed in split levels to achieve economy in the cutting and filling costs and also to enable better surrounding viewsOne is welcomed by the brilliance of natural light poured in the double heighted entrance courtyard. The continuous flow of space makes the house appear large as compared to its physical dimensions. This central courtyard with a tree is well lit with a skylight on the top, fitted with a wind extractor fan which evacuates the hot air trapped inside, making way for the cool breeze from the west.The bedrooms are located at the upper floor.Placement of large openings on the north and the skylight at the top enables optimum use of controlled daylight, whereas the southern side is well shielded by the service areas from the harsh glare and heat. Large openings to the bedrooms are well shielded for privacy by adjustable openable louvres which prevent the ingress of the heat and allows for good cross ventilation.The symbols (artistic motifs) of natural elements depicting the sun, moon and stars, flying birds engraved on the external plaster acts as a relief against the strong dynamic form of the house which continuously reminds us of our synergy with nature.The house is built in conventional construction methods like r.c.c structure & brick masonry. Natural stones like the yellow/ grey kotah, black leathered finished kadappa and Jaisalmer used for flooring, balance the vibrancy created by the red and yellow walls in the interiors creating spatial harmony.The spirit of the traditional courtyard house has been retained while simultaneously responding to the needs of economy and a contemporary lifestyle.Keeping the clients requirements in perspective, the overall planning strategy, appropriate positioning of the openings ensures less dependency on artificial energy resulting in a contemporary and climate responsive architecture.
