An imposing form shaped of curving volumes, screened facades, sunken courts, and indoor gardens belies the impression of a house when seen from the outside. A somewhat elusive exterior for a residential project—alluding to its three-storied muted inwardness and oblivion to the place it sits in—the interiors however have a subverted relationship with the site, and beyond. 

Referred to as the Zen Spaces, the 27,000 sqft building is a house for three generations of a family, located in the city of Jaipur in India. The architecture is conceived by Mumbai-based studio Sanjay Puri Architects whose previous works include a rust red edifice sporting arches and curving walls for a family in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, and a haveli-like configuration enclosing a villa in the rural town of Nokha. Recurring elements as seen in many of the studio’s past projects including curvilinear volumes, lattice walls, bare surfaces, and lime-plastered internal walls also appear in Zen Spaces.

The clients sought a new house for their growing family on a property that already had a residential facility on its southern side. The key need: three generations needed a home where everyone can live together yet enjoy a place that has equal respect for one’s privacy. Tying the old with the new, Sanjay Puri Architects tapped into the potential of an existing garden on site as a common outdoor meeting place for both houses. In addition to the landscape seeping in, the architects also ensured that the architecture responds to natural light and that the synergy between the two could be tangibly woven into the built fabric. The intervention is also in response to the weather conditions of the region where summer lasts for over eight months and sees temperatures going as high as 35 degrees Celsius. Taking cues from the traditional Rajasthani stone jaalis, perforated screens made of glass fibre reinforced concrete (GFRC) sheath the house, in conjunction with solid walls made of fly ash bricks. Light filters through the tessellated surface of the screens and infuses volumes with a shifting play of shadows through the day. At night, a soft luminosity lights up the house coming through the perforated volumes, whereas the dark solid forms add a dramatic silhouette to the visual.

Surrounded by roads on three sides and built around trees that have been retained, Zen Space locates transparency in an inconspicuous demeanour. Against the opaqueness of the outer skin, on the inside however, glass walls, large circular apertures, and a circulation spine skirting the courtyard allow "a visual connection to the landscaped spaces while moving within the house," as per the design team. The interior colour palette sees resonance with the pared-down aesthetics of the outer skin. The overarching greyness of the space—in the use of lime plaster walls and exposed concrete ceiling—however gets subtle tinges of warmth in the custom furniture made of “a rice husk eco-friendly wood substitute,” as per Sanjay Puri Architects.

The programmatic planning of the house slots family leisure and private spaces on the lower two levels, whereas the upper floor is kept as the public den, often occupied for gatherings and celebrations. “The ground floor and the first floor have living and dining spaces, with three bedrooms and a small lounge located on each level. The second floor features a multipurpose room that opens onto a large north-facing terrace,” explains the studio. “A subterranean level, lit naturally by a sunken courtyard, houses a large lounge, a gym, and service areas.”

Every bedroom opens onto a private deck and a balcony as private pockets. Within the house, two main decks offer sheltered outdoor seating all through the year for various family events. The ‘winter’ deck on the southern side faces the garden while the summer deck is outside the main living and dining area on the site’s north. As per the studio, “The summer decks look out towards the large garden, and the winter deck looks out towards large trees, with each of the individual room decks opening into a mix of bamboo & other trees."

GFRC screens enclose the house from the east, west, and south sides, leaving the north open. Zen Spaces is composed of an RCC structure frame, walls have fly ash bricks, whereas 80 per cent of furniture has been custom-made on-site by local artisans. As per Sanjay Puri Architects, materials for Zen Spaces have been sourced from within a 100 km radius of the project location. A closer attention to ensure site produces a minimal carbon footprint, the design also includes rainwater harvesting, a solar water heating system, and water recycling. “Contextual to the site location and the climate of the region, Zen Spaces is a home offering different experiences in each of its parts, seamlessly interspersed with nature,” the studio concludes.

Recognised for uniting architecture with its context, climate and tradition, other projects by Sanjay Puri Architects that have previously been published on STIR include visions for the Prestige University (Indore, India), Learning Curves (Raipur, India), and Learning Squares (Aurangabad, India). Read the article here.