The Eucalyptus House is an urban dwelling with an aim to maximize the space within the limitations of a small site. The idea was to go vertical while trying to limit the ground coverage and have a landscaped courtyard and a small garden at the rear.
The landscaped court at the entry is also visible from the sunken living and as one walks through the house, the 2 main bedrooms also have individual gardens that they open up to. The house has been designed for a single family with 3 bedrooms in a 20’ x 60’ linear site which opens up to a wooded area on one side. The design embraces this green patch by having the larger openings overlooking it.
The different spaces at split levels, are connected to each other with a central staircase by half a flight of stairs. A single flight between spaces makes it feel like a level difference and doesn’t make one hesitate moving around the house. Efficient planning by using the staircase landings as a part of the space it serves, allows the house to feel larger and spacious.
A central court allows us to have cross ventilation for all spaces, thus avoiding the need for air-conditioning.
The building was designed using 6” solid concrete blocks and 6” columns to maximize the space inside. By using easily available materials, standard methods of construction and avoiding the need for specialized skilled labour; the construction costs could be kept in check.
Due to the site not being marked properly by the client and realizing this after casting the footings, we had to rework the design, while trying to retain whatever columns were within the actual site. This led to an interesting form for the courtyard around which the house had to be placed.
Photography: Arjun Krishna
