Design

Abin Chaudhuri experiments with daring composition along a softscaped outdoor space for a residential address in Kolkata

MAY 6, 2019 | By Abin Chaudhuri
CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT Dark hues of the facade complement the open skies over the reflective water body; The entertainment lounge overlooks the verdant lawns and pool; Photographs by Ravi Kanade and Samya Ghatak.
CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT The interiors comprise whitewashed walls, eclectic furniture pieces on bold red floors.
The space witnesses a dramatic play of light and shadow.

Manifesting as a living space that transcends boundaries, a structure was created that sweeps through the verdant greens, having an identity of its own. Located in a rapidly developing urban periphery in Bansberia, near Kolkata, The House of Sweeping Shadows explores the idea of ‘identity’ in post-construction architecture. This 9,535sqft project comprised a design intervention for a part of the client’s existing property. While the client’s residence covered one half of the land, the other half was primarily bare, save for a half-built structure to one side and a walled up central pond. Designed as a curved, louvred surface, the metal facade casts mesmerising shadows in the interior space. There is a soft play of light and shade in the space as the sun moves across the horizon through the day. The interiors feature whitewashed walls and contemporary furniture, which comes in sync with the bold red floor. The site was specifically developed for outdoor life. The sunken sit-out is contrastingly rendered in pigmented concrete and opens up to a splendid view of the pool, verdant plant-beds and the aviary. The combination of the bold metal facade with the soft landscape and the dark hues complementing the open skies over the water body make for a modern extension to the client’s residence. This project marks the exploration of a New-Age look of a home fused with personalised aesthetics and social identity through architecture.