Month: October 2018

Set in a dense grid of mature mango trees, the project reflects the dichotomy of respecting the territory belonging to the tree trunks and it’s foliage along inscribing our own rhythm on the ground plane. While the property is almost an acre in size, the building is firmly set towards the south-west corner. This was to satisfy vastu edicts and to preserving the rest of the orchard as a permanent green. Within this compressed canvas, the seemingly sporadic clumping of mango trees defines the location of the multiple interconnected open courts that would eventually act as a vessel for the trees. The northern front face of the house is uncharacteristically eroded and is instead defined by the tartan grid of the three open courts. The driveway or arrival court occupies the central space, the treed courtyard to the west and the pool court on the east. 

The main design approach for this project was to design this space based on as much as possible existing structure and material by focusing on “repairing” and “adding”. Firstly, the existing structure was kept as the way it is. Then, all wooden walls were removed to be repaired, polished, and repainted. Even in the details such as the window frames, they were kept the way they were, yet we’ve added the glass as a new layer to let the natural light in but still able to use air-conditioned system. The space planning was rearranged to suit with the new usage as a hostel.

This article was originally published on March 26, 2014. To read the stories behind other celebrated architecture projects, visit our AD Classics section.

The two-family structure known as Houses 14 and 15, designed by International Style, Le Corbusier’s work in Stuttgart serves as a critical prototype in the development and realization of the Swiss architect’s architectural identity, which would revolutionize 20th century architecture.