A low

By Devyani Jayakar

The design of spaces which have had a past life, is usually only cosmetic, right? Doesn’t the exercise deal more with surfaces and furniture, while keeping civil work to a minimum? Not in this case. Clearly, much of the work was about what lay beneath. Manoj Patel stripped this home to its very bones, reinforced beams and columns by jacketing them, created cutouts and double-height volumes to unite different floors by cutting through slabs; added an attractive façade, made alterations to the staircase and rearranged the layout. The resultant plan was an inward-looking one. “The bungalow in Vadodara shared a wall with an adjacent structure and there wasn’t much of a view to frame anywhere,” Patel explains.

“We really didn’t want to take on this project because there were so many restrictions, but the clients were extremely persuasive. When they reminded us of our raison d’etre – that we are synonymous with sustainable, low-cost design – that succeeded in pressing our buttons,” Patel laughs. “Even the team started to look at this project as a challenge.”

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Originally, the interior had little natural light because the windows were so small. A dialogue was created between the existing structural grids and the new punctures which were introduced for light, ventilation and communication. Connectivity was created between the inner spaces, in keeping with the planning principles of contemporary architecture. Regular masonry bricks were employed to create a new façade. “We slit each brick, to get two pieces, effectively reducing costs as well as the load on the building. Our final expense for the bricks was just INR 10,000,” discloses Patel. “Even after cladding the facade, the thickness of the external wall is nine inches, which is quite acceptable.”

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The aesthetic of the exterior is successfully tied to the inner spaces. Like a leitmotif, the warm terracotta of the brick appears in various rooms, used in imaginatively different ways…sometimes as the backdrop to a bed or a TV, cladding a wall here or a column there, all in an infinite variety of geometric patterns. Far from shying away from the laborious exercise, Patel appears to take a special delight in enriching surfaces with detail, using them as a large canvas. In deliberate contrast, a restful pistachio green envelops walls, bringing its calm restfulness to the space.

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Despite the budget, Patel didn’t want the home to look like there had been many compromises. “Since our newer clients now come with larger budgets, we had to go back to our portfolio of previous designs, to remind ourselves about low-cost options,” he says. The elevation itself has a painstaking assemblage of brick, creating a complex pattern of apertures and projections. What could not be achieved through high-end materials, Patel has compensated through workmanship and well-contemplated design. There are several instances of this. An island in the kitchen together with an outdoor space introduces a swanky element, while a jacuzzi in a bathroom and marble for the flooring were both procured at good prices by sourcing them without involving middlemen. One bathroom has a skylight, while a bedroom enjoys a double-height verandah. All these conjure up the feel of a space in which cost-cutting does not come to mind. Nevertheless, In Patel’s signature gesture which affirms low cost and low waste, all the material which would be discarded as rubble has been put to use in the gazebo.

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“But it wasn’t only about the aesthetics. Developing a new space with the existing structure was a daunting task. We had to identify the columns which needed reinforcement, so that there were no cracks due to overload. According to current building norms, earthquake resistance was mandatory – so we had to add bars, grids and do a good deal of welding. Expansion joints had to be precise. The old electricals and plumbing had to be checked. What a nightmare it would have been if an old pipe started gushing water into some room! The original RCC water tank was reinforced and retained; demolishing it would have been a task, with the possibility of damaging some other part of the structure,” he says. The risers of the staircase were made lower and the treads wider, so it was both more comfortable, as well as safer to negotiate. With all these complications, one contractor left the job midway. “We had to appeal to the emotions of his replacement by asking him how he would feel if this was his home and workers abandoned him…fortunately, that worked and he finished the job,” recalls Patel.

So great is the transformation in this bungalow in Vadodara, that the “before” and “after” pictures appear to have no connection to each other. To relate the two requires a willing suspension of disbelief. After taking a project with seemingly no potential to the next level, Patel is delighted and has the satisfaction of a job well done. “This project was such a big learning experience for all of us in the studio,” he says. “The family really needed a new life. Finally, we enabled it!” he beams.