The location of site with its magnificent views of the Udaigiri hills & the mighty Brahamaputra river has played a major role in the designing of this house. The site is contoured, with the top most level perched upto the height of 7m from the approach road level. This height facilitated an unobstructed view of the river on the NW & the hills on the SE side. The land cutting for the ramp, servant’s quarter & the party hall has been used to fill the steep slope on the NW side resulting to a step terrace. This terrace is used by the lady of the house to enjoy her hobby of gardening. A cantilever deck juts out over this terrace. This deck is part of the outdoor space of the party hall that was carved out below the main house. The main bungalow is positioned on the flat portion of the topmost level of the contour.
The site is divided into 3 levels vertically. The lowest level has servants quarter & party hall tucked below lawns on the ground level. The ground level comprises of the public spaces & the first floor hosts all the private spaces. Responding to the magnificent vistas the site had to offer, all the major spaces have been planned to maximise the changing visuals of the surroundings with the change in the seasons. The vistas guided the plan of the house to be extrovert looking. But at the same time it also looks within, to “the soul” of the house – the sky-lit central court. The central court wraps all the spaces around it. The sunlit court brings in the vastness of the river inside the house with its space flowing into each other. Mandir – the most sacred space of the house is placed in the court making the whole environment very serene in the mornings & evenings when the pooja is offered to the Gods.
The inclined car porch makes a grand entry to the house. One is invited by a carved marble cherub opposite the main entrance in the skylit court. The cantilevered staircase in black stone adds to the play of geometry with the wall dotted with rectangular & square punctures in varying sizes. The oblique grooves on the staircase wall add the contrast to the orthogonal punctures. The criss-cross grooves continue up to the roof which generates the shape of the skylight. The skylight washes the central court and adds to the expansiveness of the space. The glass lift shaft adds to the verticality to the courtyard.
The spaces are enveloped by double height volumes externally on the SE side. The bungalow appears a solid double height mass softened by glazing which provides the unobstructed view of the Udaigiri hills. The lush green lawns wrapped around the entire house helps in making the micro climate cooler in summers & a good setting to enjoy warm cups of Assam tea from the clients own tea gardens on misty winter mornings.
