VY Architecture Studio tops Indian house with wave-like concrete roof

A wave-like roof formed of earth-toned concrete ribbons shelters a patio at the heart of this house in India, which has been completed by local practice VY Architecture Studio.

Named Vaazh House, the 1,500-square-foot (139-square-metre) home in Vedanthangal, Tamil Nadu, was designed for a family seeking a space to "relax and unwind" away from their busy life in nearby Chennai.

Looking to create a close connection with the site's natural surroundings, which includes India's oldest bird sanctuary, VY Architecture Studio organised the house around a traditional Tamil patio or thinnai. The studio then covered it with an undulating roof of earth-toned concrete in reference to the region's mud architecture.

"A home in a vulnerable ecosystem had to be a breathing edifice, born of the earth, slowly ebbing into the soil. A living home for living beings," said the studio.

"With reference to the indigenous construction practices of mud architecture and courtyard houses, our design approach was grounded in history and equally modern for the city dwellers to adapt," it added.

The simple, rectilinear layout of Vaazh House sees two single-storey blocks positioned on either side of the central patio, one containing a large living area and the other two bedrooms and a kitchen.

Each of these spaces overlooks the external patio, with a fully-glazed wall in the living room and large windows in the bedroom and kitchen. They are connected via a concrete walkway flanked by planted areas.

Overhead, the ceilings of Vaazh House express the ribbon-like strips of concrete that create its stepped, wave-like roof, which begins as a gentle curve at either end and grows in intensity towards the centre.

Where this roof shelters the courtyard, the concrete strips have been pulled apart as they ascend, creating small gaps for sunlight and rain to pass through, as well as a stepped form on which to sit or play.

"The curve, more than a sculptural element, is a play wall to climb up to the roof and lie back, watching clouds drift by," explained the studio.

"The curve connects the ground and the roof, creating a three-dimensional recreational area."

"Here, the home celebrates the climate's veracities – bare feet on cool, damp soil, raindrops from the open roof, stargazing at a clear blue sky – breathing life into the narrative," it added.

The brown tones of the concrete have been left exposed throughout the entire home on the walls, ceilings and floors, accompanied by simple furniture and fittings in dark wood.

Elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, Indian practice Earthscape Studio also sought to create a close connection to the landscape with the organic, cave-like form of The Wild House.

The photography is courtesy of VY Architecture Studio.

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