Architect Arjun Malik of Malik Architecture incorporates an ideological shift and eschews sacrosanct design principles as he designs and builds his idiosyncratic abode in a loft space. The long and narrow, boarded up, poorly lit, inadequately ventilated commercial space in Mumbai is now transformed into a contemporary apartment. Streams of natural light create arresting chiaroscuro patterns through skylights and a visible continuum of spaces bring alive the living space, making one completely disregard the slightly breathless climb through the decrepit structure. The original volumes and textures were retained, with delicate interventions serving only to enhance the unconventional proportions of the space. And so the entire space has been stripped off its various ravages and all extraneous and non-structural elements removed. The result is a space that is distinctly architectural in its predisposition, where physical and visual transitions have taken precedence over material applications, where materiality is a function of spatial flows and where light has been allowed to sculpt surfaces and create a space that evolves with the elements.
