Norris Road Residential
Norris Road Residential
Located
on an ancestral property of 12,800 sqft in central Bangalore (India), the Norris Road Residential is built for the new generation where 6 families could reside, enjoying
the best of collective living while having their own private spaces.
The
antiquity of the existing structure had to find a new life with the new built
form. This became the motivating factor for building the material palette and
connecting with the existing landscape. The building is oriented in a
north-south direction with 2 units planned per level. To cut down on the
sun, the southern side was planned with recessed decks and vertical fins for
the private areas. Openness and privacy are controlled through careful
consideration of glazing positions. Jaali/Mashrabiyas were used as a
symbolic gesture reflecting the memories of the past, which existed back then.
These screens also act as visual barriers and bring in patterns highlighted by
the sunlight.
The
northern side of the façade is planned with fins planned strategically to get
in the northern light. Internally, the structure is built in Porotherm hollow
clay blocks which have thermal insulation properties along with Local Indian
Granites & Sandstones. The entire built form, especially the brick
components is highly handcrafted, where the vertical fins with their curved
edges are constructed using bricks where every size had to be measured and cut.
The façade expresses the variations in texture and color inherent within its
composition. This material palette was selected to complement each other
aesthetically and also as an ode to the bygone era.
The
southern side formed the main entrance to the building which was flanked by 2
existing trees. The trees held ancestral roots and the arched portal responded
to them. The parabolic form of the arch was planned to reinforce the connection
of volumes. The relationship is further enhanced by the interaction it performs
with the tapering base of the arch.
The
parabolic arch, planned as an entrance canopy rested on pedestals on either
side supporting the tapering end of the arch with the entire construction
process was challenging with respect to the site conditions. The construction
methodology of the parabolic arch was planned with the skeleton first being
readied in a local factory and assembled on-site.
Post
this, there were 2 Layers of Bricks, with a 75mm thick concrete sandwiched
between them with minimum reinforcement, while sensitively working around 2 large
existing trees on both ends. The entire assembly was done with local labor from
the site and the process took a little more than 2 months to complete.
The building, with all its workings, functions as a
selective environmental filter, enhancing the best components of the regional
climate of Bangalore while keeping the idea of the local, crafted details
intact.
Embracing
the new lifestyle while preserving the roots that have been cherished by the
family ‘The Ashford House’ is planned as a Spiritual epiphany for the soul.