How could we create an urban structure that’s engineered to make the architecture practically invisible, making it just a bridge between its occupants and their surroundings?
- The apartment abutting the site on the north blocks the view and gives rise to the need for privacy.
- The south-east side looks upon a single storey house and large expanse of the footpath and road.
- With its large foliage, the avenue of trees along the access road acts as a shade, screen and a metaphorical meadow at different levels.
The owner wanted the first two levels to be an office space with the storeys above being residential. This urban structure is located at the heart of Bangalore in a prominent neighbourhood and like many other urban sites, its view was blocked by buildings on two sides, and it had some limitations in terms of space.
But this urban structure had one standout feature that guided the direction of design, architecture and construction.
The piece
de resistance
A majestic, decades-old Samanea saman (Rain tree) stood tall to the south-east of the property. Its towering crown and foliage were what we aimed to make the highlight.
The site was in the midst of Bangalore, in an area that had the bustle of urban spaces but also abundant greenery.
The square footage we had was limited — the entire plot measured 24 X 60 feet.
Our goal for Vertikales was to serve as a seamless bridge between the urban structure and its surrounding greenery, built in a contemporary style with minimal lines and materials.
We designed this urban structure to make the most of the space we had and since balconies weren’t a possibility, we designed this urban structure with maximum openness, blurring the boundaries between inside and out.
Spread across two floors, this urban structure was meticulously engineered with a minimalistic beam approach. The construction relied on raw cantilevered slabs, minimising any columns towards the front.
The south face was geared towards keeping that facade open towards the tree view, and the east face was built to illuminate the interiors with natural diffused light.
The interiors were monochrome and minimal, serving to highlight the view of the tree that we had created instead of drawing one’s attention away.
The end result gave occupants the feeling of being inside a chic urban safari lodge overlooking the natural habitat right outside — the ecosystem of the tree with its flowers, squirrels, butterflies and birds.
The staircase connecting the floors posed a unique challenge since we needed to minimise its footprint due to limited space within.
30 mm thickness
We created a slender steel frame for the stairs, which were painted white and coated with thin slabs of marble. A glass railing completed the stairs and accounted for safety as well as the open sun-drenched interiors we were designing for.
Concrete
We employed concrete to give structure without taking up space. The cantilevered concrete slabs and columns in the back supported the home while leaving the front open to let the light and view in.
Glass
Glass made up the entire front facade of course, but it was also used in the interiors itself. This was done to make the space seem open and full of light, without any of the ample natural light being blocked - either in the same room or between floors.
Steel
The main structure of the staircase was made of bent steel plates painted white and layered with marble.
A modern urban structure that maximises space and embraces neighbourhood flora as its own.
Vertikales emphasises the artful balance between the constraints of space and the desire to maximise the connection to nature, wherever we’re lucky enough to find it.
