The Indian House

Location

Telangana,
India

Status

Unbuilt

AREA

170,000 sq m

Date

2021

Type

Masterplan

The Story

In context of modern societies, the concept and function of “home” is quite similar to the “heart” of the human body.

  
Because as the heart is the main provider of physical and spiritual energy, “home” is equally the starting point and responsible for initiating the life circle and required activities in society.
Ancient Indian culture is full of qualitative potentials which derive from the diversity of life styles among Indian people. This multicultural quality is an important value to be used as guideline in designing Indian house.
 
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Love and obedience which are common intrinsic symbols of Indians, are crystallized in Indian architecture.

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Concentrating on the concept of “Centers” as the symbolic presence of love, and using them in the form of neighborhoods, and friendly interactions of citizenship / brotherhood, have been the main guide for designing the presented project.
“Kanha Shanti Vanam is located in the suburbs of Hyderabad close to the Bangalore highway”. As they describe it, “All seekers of spirituality from around the world are welcome to come and meditate here, in the purity and sanctity of the atmosphere at Kanha Shanti Vanam”.
As time passes, this city of meditation faces a dramatic growth in the number of applicants who want to be a member of practicing the Sahaj Marg system of meditation. This tremendous growth will be an issue in the near future as people need a wider range of facilities, especially variant alternatives to stay. Although there are dormitories in Kanha at the moment, the lack of private villas will become a dilemma for families who want to participate in this mission in the future.
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Meditating is a familiar term in Indian culture; Therefore, the idea of making an “Indian House” started to get into shape. It could be a great motivation not only for Indians, but also for people around the world to come to Kanha for meditating as well as experiencing the Indian lifestyle and architecture.
In a rich and ancient civilization like Indian society, lots of elements such as climate, culture, population, religion, etc. have influenced its architecture -whether in function or form-.
Therefore, discovering the main motifs and elements can lead to the essence of Indian architecture, mainly represented by the houses. Each house could be defined as the heart. While the neighborhoods are formed by these hearts, they also act as the heart of the city. Indeed, each center is related to another and units come together to become unified and turn into one.
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All People in Kanha come together and unify for one purpose. The unity is apparent not only in their mission but also in their morphology.

Versatility, efficiency, sustainability, and re productivity are the fundamental characteristics of Kanha’s Indian houses. The Indian architecture is not strange with adaptation to a large number of residents. These houses are not an exception and could be generated to multiple forms and make different neighborhood units. While varying in shape, they all could speak for the root they’re coming from and could be considered as a whole, made up of multiple components.
Although the residents who come from all around the world vary in culture and nationality, they all have the same goal which is seeking spirituality and the architecture of the Indian houses pave the way of becoming one.
The climate of Kanha features an arid climate; days are hot and dry while The nights are cool and breezy. Therefore, The “Indian House” adapts itself to its surrounding nature by controlling The light and utilizing The wind as a cooling element like wind catchers. Moreover, The undergoing water can refresh The hot wind in summer and make it pleasant for residents.
The “Main Genome” is The essence of The Indian houses. It consists of two stories that connect by an outdoor staircase. The double skin vault-shaped roof plays an important role in adapting to The climate. The wooden shaders are The developed form of their ancestor -Jaali- which is a main Indian architecture element. In spite of filtering The harsh sunlight, these shaders don’t sever The connection between indoor and outdoor and also maintain The residents’ privacy.
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This genome is a self-sufficient unit that can generate into other forms to be suitable for different demands -from private villas to social housing- and shape multiple neighborhood units in the same context.
“X” defines the space which could be sufficient for 4 people, divided into two stories. The gross area of each X is about 80 square meters. Other prototypes which are all generated from the main genome, could be varied from 3X to 5X which makes them suitable for families and participants who want to have a wider range of facilities.
The blue zones are considered the public space of each neighborhood and could be a place for residents’ gatherings, ceremonies, performing rituals, etc.
While “f” defines each family, every neighborhood has its own public space and it could be shared with other districts.
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