NESTLE is a contemporary tropical residence designed for a family of 5 members in a small countryside town in South Kerala, India. The 800 square meter site gently slopes towards the valley on the east with an elevated entrance from the highway on the west. The tropical vegetation and the topography of the valley NESTLES the residence with the western ghats on the backdrop.

Although the clients preferred a spacious well-lit house, they appreciated having privacy from the dense neighborhood. A semi open break-out space to accommodate guests and informal gatherings was an added requirement on the 4BHK design brief. The vernacular planning principles of Vaastu informed the planning and positioning of the various spaces within the house. Acknowledging the existing topography, the house sits 1.5 meters below the entry level which indirectly aids in ensuring privacy.

Cross ventilation being inevitable considering the tropical humid climate of the region, the idea was to develop an open plan buffered with pseudo walls to promote privacy. A H-shaped plan aids in rendering unhindered cross ventilation (Sutram) across the house, hollowing into a private courtyard and a break-out space midway. These landscaped pockets blur the detachment from the site context and nature in general.

The entry to the house is sandwiched between a tropical front yard and a 2 unit glazed car porch. To announce the point of arrival, the living room is designed as a double volume opening towards the breakout space and the private courtyard. The clerestory windows in union with the vertical slits on the double volume enhances the play of light on the west facade. The 6 feet chandelier and a floating bridge overlooking the living room adds to the grandeur of the arrival. A collapsible partition divides the living room from the dining space and it provides flexibility in accommodating guests during family gatherings.

A conscious decision is made to position the bedrooms towards the corners which promotes good ventilation and natural lighting. Sandwiched between landscaped courtyards,the elaborate bedrooms, customized to the client’s liking, seamlessly connect to the pocket landscapes through the centrally positioned windows.

Minimalistic style of the interiors, compliment the tropical modernist style of the house. Vibrant highlights and intricate motifs accentuate the rather muted style of the indoors. Parallely, the contemporary palette of materials is infused with cane weaves and curios which is a vernacular craft of the locality.

The planting palette takes inspiration from the nuances of the larger landscape. Plants like caladiums and alocasias in mix with other tropical plants blend with the wilderness of the context. The exotic flowers of Heliconia rostrata and Crinum asiaticum highlight on the otherwise green palette.
The builtform in general is solid and heavy at the base and lighter towards the roof. Framed balconies, courtyards and pseudo walls infuse visually lighter elements on the solid built form. The extended single slope parasol roof is mirrored to a butterfly like structure to create a point of interest on the sunken volume. This roof inclined at 12 degrees visually conceals the 5KW solar panels mounted on top.

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