Today we invite visitors to the Modern Home Interiors resource to visit India with its distinctive nature and culture. For example, the Running Wall Residence in the courtyard, which was designed by LIJO RENY architects.
The designers had to create a house in the form of a fortress, walled on all sides. The fence and the entire interior have to have a modern style and not create the impression of a rough wall and an old castle.
Two varieties of laterite were chosen to create the fence around the house and the interior. Red was used as long blocks to create the fence and walls. Powdered white mineral used to add to joint mortars and plasters.
The humid and hot tropical climate promotes the rapid dissolution and weathering of the softer stone particles. Iron and aluminum remain as a result. Depending on its composition, laterite can vary in color from dark brown to white.
The surface of such building materials is friable. In India and neighboring countries with similar climates, laterite seams can be as much as 50 meters deep. That’s why this stone is widely used by the local population for construction.
Now we look at the front of the building through the hole between the blocks. Stained glass windows and a block arrangement of room boxes says that the designers were able to combine previous styles with an obvious High-Tech direction.
The surface of the lawn is far from the ideal English lawn. But it’s watered regularly. Sprinklers can be seen above the grass. On the stone slab platform the puddle is still wet. The porous and weathered surface of laterite is especially visible up close.
The house stands on a low hill. That’s why the access road leads down to it. The road is paved with smooth stone slabs. It’s fitted like a parquet floor.
One of the walls we saw from the basketball court. Laterite fencing has become the wall of a house. You can see the canopy in front of the bedroom. The stone floor continues the theme of the segments. Only now the matt granite slabs alternate with shiny mirror-like rectangles.
Transparent floor covering in front of the pool door. It reflects the light at the same time as looking through the glass into the lower room. In the gap between the walls, where there is no ceiling slab, there are trees.
The podium, which can be seen below the TV, forms a platform near the glass partition of the end wall. Farther a space without ceilings. There’s a tall tree on the first floor, which also peeks out on the second level.
In the backyard you can see the stairs. Spans penetrate the partition and only small fragments are visible. Bright sunlight pours through the glass skylight, enough to illuminate adjacent rooms.
Now we’re looking at a continuation of the second side of the fence. It transitions into the wall of the dining room. A glass wall makes the transition almost imperceptible. Only the laterite surface indoors is coated in clear varnish.
The second side is plastered and painted white in contrast. The austere furnishings are limited to a dining table and chairs on right-angled metal legs. The only decoration is a turtle figurine on the countertop.
Bedroom on the second floor. The minimalist style makes the room look spacious. A balcony serves as the roof of the first level unit. A mirror shower and washroom door increases the volume and reflects light. The ceiling is also semi-circular, with a transition to rectangular near the end with a corrugated glass arch.
No, it’s not the pool, but the hallway that leads to it. There is glass on the floor that reflects the blue ceiling and light fixtures. And a laterite wall plays the role of décor.
Along the fence and fences of the driveway, lighting fixtures. They not only light up the perimeter, they also create a mysterious look of a simple fence.
What specific aspects of the laterite theme are incorporated into the landscape and architecture at Running Wall Residence?