Open Box House

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Located in India’s own Silicon Valley in the city of Bangalore, Open Box House is a 5-storey residential building composed of 3 apartment units spread across 4 floors. It is situated in the Nagashettyhalli area and is close to the Dollar Colony, Bangalore’s upmarket residential locality. The site is bounded by a main road on the south side and a 5-meter wide dead-end alleyway on the west. North and east sides are bounded by existing residential buildings. The owner intended to allocate the two lower residential floors as units for lease while the remaining two floors are for his use.

Having been living in Dubai for more than a decade, the client wished for a modern structure that will rival, if not outclass similar buildings in the area. This proved to be a wise move since the leasable units were quickly snapped-up right after its release to the rental market upon completion. As per the client’s request, the design took into consideration elements of Vastu shastra. Vastu as it is commonly called is a traditional Indian system of architectural principles of design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement, and spatial geometry. It incorporates traditional Hindu and in some cases Buddhist beliefs. Vastu is roughly what to Hindus is Feng Shui to the Chinese. It was somewhat a foreign concept to us. But we were eager to take in the new information when we first heard about it. Through the client, we learned the concept and applied its principles in the design. We know that such knowledge could come in handy in our future projects in the Indian sub-continent.

Although the design brief from the client came in stages rather than a complete list issued in one sitting, the parcels of information that were released were very precise and detailed. This made the design process easy and to the point. Each of the leasable apartment units is in a 3BR configuration with en suite baths, has ample living space, a space for Puja (similar to an altar in a Catholic home), balconies, and a dedicated washing area. The two upper floors serve as the penthouse of the building and are reserved for the owner. The penthouse has 4 bedrooms with en suite baths, 2 wide timber decks, with one having a koi pond, a double-height living space, a washing area and has exclusive access to the roof. All the floors in the building are being served by a common elevator. The building uses a combination of gas and solar for its water heating needs. The ground floor hosts a multi-purpose area and a three-car garage. All apartment main doors faces the east, the kitchens are located on the southeast and the master bedrooms are located on the southwest as per Vastu. As additional merits, partial compliance was also achieved for the timber deck on the northwest side of the penthouse and the pooja on the east side of the apartments. The images shown below is a refinement of the original concept that was approved by the client.

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Project name: Open Box House
Location: Bangalore, India
Architect: Michael Gracilla, UAP, LEED AP | ARKMIKEL Design Architects
Features: Residential, G+4, 3BR+Penthouse, 3-car garage
Architectural style: Contemporary
Scope of work: Concept Design
Lot size: 250.24 sq.m. (2693.56 sq.ft.)
Total built-up area: 802.67 sq.m. (8639.87 sq.ft.)
Project status: Completed, 2015

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