hill house

The Hill House in Kodai- A small hill town which is over 2000m above sea level, located in the southern part of India. The house is conceived as a vacation abode for a middle-aged couple and their working daughter and son, and the program on this 3000 sq.ft. the plot required 2 car parking, “Private space”- 2 bedrooms, and “Living space”- living, dining and kitchen interacting with courtyards, green patios and a green roof to grow their edibles and allow great space for gathering.

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The plot measuring 40’ x 75’, sits on an apex of the hill which slopes downhill towards the north, overlooking the valley. The shorter side faces the north-south and the site is abutted by roads on the north, south and west, while the southern road faces a higher influx of tourist vehicular during peak season. The ideal road access to the site is from its north which is 15’ below the southern road, helps the building isolate from the high vehicular movement.

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The building incorporates a minimalist approach and is planned out effectively with relation to the climate, orientation and material usage. The spatial flow and massing strategy takes into considering the segregation of living space and private space, protects the privacy, creates vistas and allows open spaces to intricately weave them all together and rejuvenates the space within. The private and the living spaces are set above the ground like a deck on the slope with volumes overlooking the green patio, internal courtyard and the valley, whereas the ground level becomes the space for parking, entry stairway and green barrier protecting the peaceful sense of the space.

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We were driven to create a contextually sensitive and sustainable design by using local materials that blend with the ecosystem. Locally available stone walls encase the building periphery, which is a thermal barrier and gives the sense of isolation from the outside busy world. The exposed concrete structure forms a thermal barrier and pure material expression for the vertically stacked bedrooms overlooking the valley. Flat overhangs are designed to protect against sun and rain, and conjoins the pure aesthetic expression as a whole. Optimum window openings with wooden louvers regulate light and maximize the view, while the glass keeps the cold wind from penetrating inside.