The 14,000sq ft home in the heart of New Delhi, in India, has been developed to combine privacy with a connection to the surrounding landscape.
A prime component of the design was a soaring fish tail palm tree – otherwise known as a Caryota palm – that stood disregarded behind the old structure where the new house was to be constructed.
Principal architect Sumit Arora, along with design team Jaivindra Singh and Ayush Narang, developed the project on three levels around the Caryota palm courtyard.
The formal living, the bar lounge, family area and dining area on the ground floor open up to the internal court with large glazed sliders effectively merging the house and the courtyard, enjoying the feature tree.
The court is not visible on entering the formal foyer, and reveals itself only as one walks around, giving a sense of revelation.
The open to sky courtyard creates an efficient airflow providing a comfortable micro climate through all the spaces of the house.
The entrance is along a cascading water feature that runs the length of the stepped entry court and wraps around the living room, that sits elevated over the infinity edge, while one of the steps cantilevers over the water surface providing a perfect pad for a sculpture.
On the first level are the bedrooms, approached through a gallery that circumferences the internal courtyard with views giving a pivotal anchor to the first floor.
A twelve-foot window of the master bedroom faces the court with a spectacular view of the palm tree, making the court feel part of the bedroom itself.
In the lower ground level are the entertainment areas and a spectacular indoor pool, while a sunken court forms the focus to both these zones.
The combination of the white wall, glass and charcoal grey sheet cladding accentuates the minimalistic architecture.
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