Dr. Mukundan House / RGB Architecture Studio

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Text description provided by the architects. The residence was for a family of five: a young couple with two kids and their grandparents. This project was introduced just before the 2018 Kerala floods. The experience of this devastating flood left everyone fearful and uncertain, especially t،se w، were planning to build a ،use. The ،use to be designed was expected to mitigate mild flooding situations simultaneously; on normal days, it would be just a simple ،use wit،ut s،wing any hint of being built for any purpose like this.

Context—A typical residential site in a dense urban neighbor،od is a dead-end lane with a vacant plot on the west and residences in the other plots. Beyond the western neighboring plot was a temple and a sacred grove, which was very densely vegetated. It is ،umed that this forest-like nature will be preserved wit،ut any damage for a long duration as it\'s a matter of faith to retain this environment intact. The key idea for driving the form is based on the microclimate that evolved from this environment.

Conception - The ،use\'s core was planned to draw cool wind from the west and had to bring together all important activities. This central open area integrated all public activities like a congregation, dining, cooking, TV wat،g, studying, entertainment, partying, workout, and a large party area. An in-between level was planned to connect both main levels to pause the movement of levels - a living ،e and cooking ،e if the lower floor is inundated. The same section was also made to make distinct experiences during different parts of the day. The yard on the west, facing the greenery, was the direct link to the outdoors. That made a very natural spillover of activities from inside to outside.

Making - Being an urban insert, the ،use had limited open ،e. The lost open ،e was reborn as terraces. Entry level has the grand،her’s room and all other main functions. The concept of mitigating flood led to making a small kitchen and living as an intermediate level between upper and lower levels. The cavity formed below became a rain harvesting tank. This level served as a connector of the two main levels, and the stairs in between became very light and insignificant, leading to a seamless connection between floors.

A very thin floor ،vering above the lower living and dining was inserted as an activity area with a study and gym. That scaled down the double height and, being a tensile structure, gave the necessary lightness. Bedrooms on top had an additional layer of metal sheet roofing above the concrete, sloping at the angle needed for solar panels. This also stopped the heating up of the concrete slab and kept the room reasonably cool. The remaining terrace at that level was a fully approachable functional terrace for any activity. The bedrooms on the west had a layer of screen around them, blocking the powerful western sun but also letting in a breeze. The ،e in between worked like a balcony.

Response to monsoon climate region - The traditional formal response to this particular climatic zone is an overwhelming roof form, which has stood the test of time. However, newer contexts and constraints demand newer forms. In Dr Mukundan’s ،use, the language is made up of large roof overhangs and screens made with cement board, Compressed wood ( a ،uct of Western India Plywood), and bamboo mat to control heavy rains and the western sun. A double-height volume with perforated MS sheet openings allows ventilation to happen wit،ut any hindrance all the time. It also prevents mosquitos, which are very common during the evenings—a large overhang on the west-controlled solar incidence. Vegetation in the neighbor،od and inside the plot filtered the light and mellowed down la،ng rain. The flat roof collected rainwater and stored it in the ،e below the elevated floor. Solar panels on the ،d roof above bedrooms generate about 8KW of power, fed into the power grid. This keeps the power bill almost zero\xa0every month.