This architect’s dream home in Coonoor is a vastu-compliant haven in the rolling hills
Architect Padma Reddy of Vaivi Space Designs gave free rein to her creativity to build the home of her dreams in the hills.
What do architects create when they are not answerable to a client? Padma Reddy, founder of Vaivi Space Designs, gave a free rein to her creativity, in designing this dream home for herself in the hill tops of Coonoor. How was it different to design for herself, as opposed to following a client’s brief? “The stress levels were so much lower,” she says. “Everything could be put down to a learning experience.” As for vastu? “While most of it has its basis in science and common sense, vastu shastra has ancient origins…so we need to ignore the parts which are not relevant to a contemporary lifestyle,” she says.
“You must understand, designing in the hills is different,” she says. “There is no level ground.” This necessarily means having to use retaining walls, reinforcement and I-sections for adding strength to the structure. “Besides, there’s the logistics. Taking all the material up to the top was a trial. In Coonoor, resources are non-existent. We had to cut everything to precision; getting materials up the hill through all the bends was extremely challenging. The maximum load the vehicle could deal with was six or seven tonnes…and any vehicle coming in the opposite direction on the two-kilometre stretch could stall the progress. Moreover, the forest department didn’t allow work at night,” she says.
Which part of the design would Padma have been reluctant to use for a client? “The roof,” she says without hesitation. “It is in steel, covered with cement sheets and shingles for insulation. If a client was involved, this arrangement would have required too much explanation and justification. But dispensing with RCC meant we could also do away with the support structure of beams and columns, which RCC requires. Consequently, the living room below is an enormous 45 feet X 50 feet, without any pillar throughout its expanse,” says Padma. The ceiling is 28 feet high, balancing the volume. “Now everyone who’s seen this home wants me to do the same for them.”
Since the maximum footprint permitted by the zoning authorities is quite restrictive, permission for two bungalows was sought. The required distance of 25 feet between them led to the creation of the gazebo in the garden, accessed by a pathway between the two structures.
In every space, the volumes are expansive. The living room on the first floor enjoys spectacular 360-degree views, while most rooms in the home enjoy 180-degree views which extend to the horizon. The bungalow itself has a glass façade on three sides. The fourth side accommodates the rooms for the staff. All the plumbing has been run on that side.
The kitchen looks like no other, impersonating a dining room, as it were. A crystal wash basin from Murano has a small gap between its base and the counter below. When the overhead light is switched on, it casts an attractive pattern on the counter, adding a touch of sophistication that is not customary in hardworking spaces such as kitchens.
The staircase is a simple one. “Anything elaborate would have used up 5 percent more area, which I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice,” says Reddy. Overhead tanks were also rejected, as they would have affected the appearance of the elevation. An underground sump with pressure pumps supplies water to the bathrooms and kitchen. Solar panels on top of the service areas generate enough power for the home to be off grid.
“The weather in Coonoor is known to be capricious…it can change with little or no warning. One moment it is sunny and the next it can turn cloudy, with heavy rain. The wind velocity causes a high-pitched whine, so it was essential to have heavy double-glazed windows with a vacuum between the panes,” says Reddy. While designing the house, the intention was to enable a togetherness with nature, whether one is sitting outside in the garden or inside. All the full-height windows open onto either a balcony, verandah, terrace, deck or the garden itself. Slim railings offer minimum obstruction to the views of undulating hills in the distance and skies with woolly clouds that seem almost within reach. Within, fans are used only to circulate air, with air-conditioning being totally unnecessary. “In rooms with 17-foot-high ceilings, I’ve used tower fans, since the long rods needed to suspend the ceiling fans would have looked quite ugly.”
Indian imagery is scattered through the living spaces, with a nandi, buddha and a gilded gopuram in the puja room. “But to me, the structure is supreme…one has to remain married to it for its life. The interior can be altered more or less at will,” says Reddy.
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