A Warehouse Utilized By Indian Owner Built At Villa Underground

Anwar Residence, a 372 m² villa in Ernakulam district was completed by Indian Silpi Architects in 2020.

The land is located on a fast urbanizing roadside in Edappally, and the owner requested that the site be exploited to its maximum potential by incorporating a commercial area to generate cash from an otherwise residential plot. By digging the site, the possibility of sloping terrain has been used to create an underground warehouse. The separate vehicle porch creates a direct axis via the north-south axis connecting the front and back yards.

The fundamental zoning divides the private and public zones to the west and east, which are linked by a large dining hall and patio. An above tunnel serves as an implied visual barrier to these integrated places. The skeleton stairway screams movement, an unapologetically streamlined statement of materiality. The shift from a bottleneck volume to a vast area with green buffers connects the home to its surroundings.

An inner wall undulates to the very external wall, allowing a conversation to take place from inside to outside. The lack of free ground space on the terrace has been compensated for by the creation of a shaded garden.

The landscape has been drew in closer to the house's center. For a smooth integration, the sides bend and expand out. Semi-public areas are positioned along the cardinal axis, allowing for easy movement. The landscape fills up the gaps between these areas. The first floor's semi-public rooms are aligned along the same axis.

The double-height areas boost the illusion of volume and let people link the two floors. The terrace floor has been used to its full potential by bringing the scenery all the way to the top. It is a place for rest and introspection.

The property is located to the west of the owner's commercial land. To make full use of the location, the dirt is scraped away, resulting in a warehouse area accessible from the commercial plot. The parallel massing of private and public areas allows for the creation of a central green corridor. Only a hallway on the first floor connects the two blocks. Furthermore, a wall continues to the compound's wall, working as a technique for integrating the environment with architecture.

Photographs by Justin Sebastian.