Lijo. Reny. Architects

The House Within The Grid

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

The House Within the Grid

LIJO RENY architects

INTERIORS
Lijo.reny.architects

LIGHTING
Zion, Thrivandrum

METAL DOORS
Chemmanur Metals

HOME AUTOMATION
Arcnet, Sapians Automation, Smak Enterprises

PLUMBING
Prof Ismail Anodiyil

DOOR, WARDROBES AND OTHER CARPENTORY WORK
Karpento, P.a. Mani And 1000 Kitchen

LANDSCAPE
Lijo.reny.architects

CLIENT
Dr. Shammer And Family

SUPERVISOR
Ummer, Manu Mani

FLOORING
K.n. Chandran

SOLAR PANELS
Wukud Power

STEEL FABRICATION
Star Steels

WATER TREATMENT
Greenteck

ELECTRICAL
Prof Ismail Anodiyil

STRUCTURAL
Ummer P Hydru

SOFT FURNISHING
Art Legend- Calicut

SWIMMING POOL
French Pools

GLASS SUPPLIER AND INSTALLATION
Crystal-thrissur And Suresh

SITE
2114.32 Sqm. (0.52 Acres)

ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING
Prof Ismail Anodiyil

CIVIL
Mohamed Pattabi, Siddeque, Siju

LANDSCAPE CONCEPT
Lijo.reny.architects

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Reny Lijo, Lijo Jos

MANUFACTURERS
Boconcept, Hansgrohe, Hafele, Legrand, Ligne Roset, Muuto, Natuzzi, Nitco Limited, Osram, Toto, Alfriday, Art, Berger Paints, Better Life, Blue Loft, Corvi, Defurn, Ebco, Englander, Fanzart, +16

PHOTOGRAPHS
Praveen Mohandas

AREA
811 M²

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Andathode, India

CATAGORY
Houses, Houses Interiors

Located in a leafy neighborhood, ‘The House within the Grid’ sits on a slightly elevated plot accessed by a silent road.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

Designed for a doctor couple and their 4 children, based in Sharjah, this house was meant as a place for relaxation, rejuvenation and bonding during their frequent visits to Kerala.

The house is composed of 2 distinct parallel bays connected in between.Eventually, as this house was meant to become their permanent home, it was designed as one than just a holiday home.

The sprawling house and its many rooms were designed to accommodate and entertain the family as well as several relatives and friends who may join them during such occasions.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

This project was an exercise in exploiting the spatial possibilities offered by the surprisingly flexible modular grid.

A mix of primary and secondary functions, with its two different room widths, creates a visible repetitive spatial pattern throughout the house.

Each of these bays consists of a set of defined functional areas and a linear circulation spine that dissolves into the parent room wherever possible.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

Juxtaposing the rigorous but serene geometry of the house with the incoherent landscape of its site, a distinct spatial language evolved to become a subtle stage for the contemplative daily activities.

One enters the house through a shaded sit-out area, trapped in an external courtyard, which connects itself to the formal sit-out to the left and the office space to the right.

The single storied bay on the eastern side of the site, composed of undulating volumes, houses the public and semiprivate zone, such as the visitor’s lounge, formal living, common prayer area, dining, powder rooms, etc. towards the front and more private zone, like the kitchen, work area, kitchen court, utility, etc. towards the back.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

The double storied volume on the western side of the site houses the six bedrooms along with their attached toilets and a compact office space with a patio overlooking a shallow pool.

This bay extends towards the north to house an open and a closed car porch, both accessible from the paved front yard.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

The two main bays were detached from each other to offer the bedroom block its much needed privacy.

However, connecting these two bays, while strictly adhering to the grid configuration of the house, is a family/ space each on either of the floors.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

The staircase was positioned in this zone to make the circulation far more efficient.

This central space, while creating an access between the main bays, becomes a casual lounging area encouraging communication between the family members.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

Two large courtyards trapped between the parallel bays to enhance the ventilation and the circulation in the project. The entry court towards the north acts as an extension of the sit-out.

While the larger court towards the south, an extension of the ground floor family space and the dining, with a dining patio and a swimming pool becomes the much needed spill out space.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

The dense vegetation outside these courtyards contrasts with the sparse regimented landscape,placed within the grids of the house, to create an enjoyable medley.

The strategically laid out plan while providing privacy to the family members also facilitates thorough cross ventilation by channeling the seasonal shift of the predominant wind through its spaces by the virtue of its orientation.

This keeps the rooms as airy as possible, maintaining the internal temperatures at a possible low. The undulating volumes along with the several cantilevered slabs shade each other in the shifting tropical sun.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House

These floating roofs also help efficiently collect rainwater which then runs through a series of custom designed stainless steel rain water drain pipes, populated across the project, to the designated water collection chamber.

A series of solar panels positioned on these large roofs helps produce the necessary power for the house to be self-sufficient and keep the house off the grid.

A series of solar panels positioned on these large roofs helps produce the necessary power for the house to be self-sufficient and keep the house off the grid.

The House Within The Grid
Gif - House


The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House


The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House
The House Within The Grid
Gif - House


The House Within The Grid
Gif - Elevation and sections
The House Within The Grid
Gif - Plans
The House Within The Grid
Ground floor plan
The House Within The Grid
First floor plan
The House Within The Grid
Terrace plan

Lijo. Reny. Architects
T +91 487 2388633
Lijo. Reny. Architects
LIJO.RENY.architect, TC 32/229, 1, Krishna Iyer Lane, Punkunnam, Thrissur, Kerala 680002, India