Brick and shade in Pune

Studio Arcon shapes a vastu-aligned home around jaalis and an indoor water moat

09 Jan 2026

A bride’s veil doesn’t conceal; it oscillates between what is revealed and what is felt. In Pune, this anticipation finds architectural expression in a 6,000 sq ft home for a joint family of two brothers. Named The Brick Veil House, here, brick jaalis act like a bride’s veil, softening the city’s heat while negotiating light and openness, allowing the house to breathe and reveal itself slowly.

Conceived by Jinesh Dhumavat and Shekhar Nahar, Co-Founders and Principal Architects of Studio Arcon, the home takes shape under a site where the sun shows no mercy. The two of them note, “During our initial site visit, the harsh sun made it immediately clear that natural insulation would be key to ensuring comfort.” Rooted in sustainable design principles, the use of heat-resistant materials and strategic spatial planning enables steady airflow, ensuring family time remains undisturbed under the city’s merciless daytime sun.

The studio sees itself as a channel for its clients’ perception of home, starting with their needs, issues and preferences. Coming from a base of minimalism and Indian principles, the aesthetic of this home focuses on space, volume and applying restraint to get clarity.

A central planter anchors the space, with marble steps guiding to the mandir; Photography by Anish Padalkar

SOCIAL SPINE

While the home currently enjoys open views, Jinesh and Shekhar knew better than to take it at face value. Neighbours would arrive eventually, so the layout was planned with one eye on the present and another on the future. Divided into breathable layers, the home maintains privacy without suffocating it. Large windows, internal courtyards and north-facing skylights work in tandem to soften the wrath of the sun. At the heart of it all sit the brick jali screens that create air cavities acting as thermal buffers and casting shifting patterns through the day.

Stepping in, the ground floor moves smoothly. Stretching from quiet spaces designed for grandchildren to evening gatherings that spill across space, the double-height living room binds the dining and stepped kitchen space together.

Amidst brick-stacked walls and wood-lined levels, the mandir emerges as a quiet marker. Climbing soft marble steps, the journey towards devotion happens gradually. With water cushioning the way, auspicious flowers trace the boundary, bringing sacredness to the residence.

An upper deck sits quietly beside the brick wall, opening to light from above; Photography by Anish Padalkar

Elder brother’s bedroom with bedding by Decent Furnishings; Photography by Anish Padalkar

CIRCULATED BY BRICKS

A C-shaped staircase moves through the plan, opening judiciously to the living and kitchen spaces while discreetly incorporating the future idea of a lift and a separate entrance for the domestic help. What holds these common spaces together is the language of materials encompassing exposed bricks, Kota stone flooring ornamented with chatai design and wooden furniture reclaimed from old wood.

In the southwest corner, four bedrooms stretch with distinct personalities awashed in lime. While the children’s bedroom indulges in the use of colour and organisation through shades of blue, smart storage and beds pushed aside for play. Conversely, the guest bedroom promotes endless conversations through game nights and a home office nestled on the terrace level meets the needs of modern modes of work.

MASKED IN SERENITY

The Brick Veil house is one of a kind, where the designers keep coming back to spaces where the architecture is not dominating and life is prevailing. For Shekhar Nahar, that expression of change comes at the water body in the northeast, where the combination of sound and silence makes the home less definite. “The water body in the north-east corner was our suggestion to the client. We felt it would create a serene, almost divine atmosphere, besides the gentle, soothing sound it generates.” Together, these moments distil the house’s spirit.