Tathasthu

Design began before the clients had even bought the land. Asked to advise on a plot in a residential development, the studio studied the layout, the sun, the prevailing winds and the balance of built and open space, and proposed combining three adjoining plots. The result is a site open on all four sides, with roads on three edges and a banana farm on the fourth.

The house, for a family of five, combines traditional values and Vastu principles with natural climatic comfort and a contemporary domestic life. The studio designed both architecture and interiors, so the house developed as one continuous system.

A courtyard in the northeast organises the plan. Its position follows Vastu, and it also works environmentally, letting in soft morning light, driving cross ventilation and keeping visual links between family members in different rooms. The plan moves gradually from public to private: a foyer leads to the formal living room, while the family room, dining area and kitchen gather around the courtyard.

The hot climate calls for light to be tempered rather than maximised. Deep overhangs, proportioned openings and the arrangement of the plan limit heat gain, and passive cooling reduces reliance on machines. Upstairs, a contemporary jharokha keeps the traditional bay window’s roles of framing landscape, filtering light and offering a place to pause, without its ornament.

Kota stone, natural slate, timber and metal were chosen to last and to age well. CNC-cut Kota stone floors bring new fabrication to a familiar local material, and a slender metal stair with open timber treads lets light from the courtyard cast moving shadows. The name, a Sanskrit blessing meaning so be it, reflects a process in which the family’s hopes, the land and the architecture developed together.