Banyan Tree House / Tales of Design studio

Text description provided by the architects. Located on a river bank in Mampully, Banyan tree house is intended for a young couple and their two kids. Plot constitutes an area of 630sqms and has an interesting L shaped site profile. Spatial planning of the house follows the site profile and is anchored  around an existing banyan tree on the west of the site. A buffer radius of 11ft is kept around the banyan for building safety, this shaded area houses the garden seating.Floor plates of BTH branch out through the site in an angular grid to form a series of interaction spaces and green niches. Spaces are positioned to establish  visual connection between themselves  and landscape without compromising privacy.

Three bedroom house is a single storey-ed structure with a Mezzanine floor and has a built-up area of 2000sqft. Neighbourhood faces rising water levels during peak monsoons due to its close proximity to the river. So as a precaution built spaces are positioned on the highest point on the elevated site. This helped in creating a large sloping front yard, a buffer zone with fruit and flower bearing native vegetation to protect the house sound and dust from on road traffic.

Geometrical shapes are carefully rendered into various elements of the design, thus creating a distinct design language. This visual continuity is established in  aspects of flooring, Joinery, Interior furniture, skylights and overall built form.Envelope of the house with its stilts,slopes,dynamic geometry and projecting structural slabs gives a sculptural appeal to the house. Projecting slabs of varying degrees on the facade provide shading during summers and rain protection during monsoons.Custom design is the core ideology of BTH, it is translated on inbuilt furniture, front door handle,railings,wall decor, art works and hand made concrete bird ground cover.

Doors, windows, brick jali, porotherm air vents and skylights are strategically placed to enhance the indoor comfort level through cross-ventilation, stack effect and natural lighting. Natural air flow and lighting helps in reducing the household’s energy consumption. The indoor courtyard becomes a part of dining and is an added attraction as the dining area is the circulation core of the house.Space saving inbuilt niches are used for housing shelves, wardrobes and hand wash. Southern side of the house has fewer openings and high sill windows to counter solar heat gain.Full height windows are mostly oriented towards north to gain more indirect natural light in interiors.