South Court Villa

South Court Villa

New Delhi, 2011

Client: Chandan Sawhney   |   Site Area: 2 Acres / 10,000 sq.ft  |   Project Type: Residential   |   Team: DADA and Partners  |  Landscape Architects: Design Oasis

The narrowness of this west facing 2.5 acre plot was challenging because placing the built mass either in front or at back resulted in enormous, wasteful lawns at the other ends. The main mass of the building was designed along the length to counter the linearity of the plot and was positioned towards the north side creating a south facing court. The southern court was flanked with the formal living and bar to the west with the gymnasium/ den area to the southeast corner. This resulted in an intimate court adjoining the informal lounge of the house. The initial planning provided for a pool positioned in the court next to the gym block. The main building being linear along the north and the formal area located in the south west spanning the width of the plot, resulted in an ‘L’ shaped typology segregating the formal front lawns with the more intimate central courtyard. Placing the living room between these open zones gave the user a benefit of clubbing these areas for larger gathering. The architectural vocabulary of the building was actually generated with the response to its orientation. The front of the house facing west is either expanse of solid white planes or timber louvers provided in front of openings with glass.