Dipen Gada & Associates calls this project the ‘Skewed House’. This fabulous home stands calm on the outside in the bustle of Baroda, Gujarat, but is a delightful canvas of colours, textures, and a truckload of natural light on the inside.
The brief for this project in Baroda, Gujarat, was simple enough. “It was to design a 5-bedroom house, complemented by spaces for entertainment, which included a gym and a home-theatre,” states Dipen Gada of Dipen Gada & Associates. “In a dense and busy neighbourhood, the client wanted a personal space within the urban fabric which would be like an oasis, away from the outside hassle.”
This led to a dual design approach - a quiet, sturdy envelope on the outside, and bright, vibrant spaces on the inside. This duality has been executed with the typical Dipen Gada & Associates’ touch of brilliance – there are immense, breathy rooms; a skylight and windows that serve sunlight to the residents on giant platters; highly textured, beautiful marble and wooden surfaces that gleam with purpose; acutely functional spaces that are distinct in character, yet united in spirit; and just the right smattering of colours and accents that inspire lovely light-and-shadow play.
The house has been intentionally divided into 2 parts on the sides with a central interactive area. The semi-private and private zones has a strict demarcation between them. Small and deeply inserted windows maintain a strong sense of privacy about the home. And the huge skylight at the centre delivers plenty of natural light into the rooms.
Natural material patterns ruled the roost in this design scheme. Italian marble and vibrant furnishing were included to juxtapose well with the warm patterns of exposed concrete. During construction, special care was taken to achieve seamless joints in the differently patterned exposed concrete surfaces. The repetitive use of patterned timber shuttering in the courtyard and parking is striking as well.
The transition from the outside to the inside is indeed full of surprises. The view from the living space offers a glimpse of the voluminous courtyard and the distant outdoors. The central space becomes the connecting zone between the 2 blocks of the house. This double-height section is filled with generous views of the sky, plenty of sunlight, and a wooden staircase that seems to be gently floating upwards.
“Changing sciagraphy due to patterns of skylight makes the resident experience the diverse moods of environment,” states Dipen Gada.
