Ashish & Shanti’s residence

Project type: Residence
Client: Ashish and Shanti Chandola – Wildlife photographers
Contractor: Sunil Reddy
Project Architect: Lalitha Kumar
Year: 2004
Location: Whitefield, Bangalore
Site: 80’ X 120’
Built-up Area: 2,200 sft.

Shanthi and Ashish are wildlife photographers and wanted a unique house that could both provide a large space for their work and habitation while also incorporating niches for birds to nest in.  A departure from the conventional house planning has been to incorporate an open living area with an all-round garden. This area has a tiled roof and is an occasional habitat for few birds.

A basement was built to provide soil for the construction, and was converted into a cool space for work.  The rest of the house includes a puja, kitchen, dining room, two bedrooms, and another study and studio on first floor.

Since the house is not connected to the municipal water supply, it harvests all of its rooftop water for all household needs.  This source is supplemented by the borewell at site during dry months. The house also treats its greywater and uses it for its gardening and car washing needs.

Structure:

• Walls – basement walls of stone, with all other walls made of stabilized mud blocks
• Roofing – plain RCC for basement and ground floor bedroom.  Vaulted ceiling for dining room and kitchen.  First floor roof of Mangalore tiles on steel supports for open living
• Flooring – plain cement for basement. Chettinad tiles in ground floor and Jaisalmer and Kota stone floor for first floor spaces