Bhilwara, Rajasthan, India
Sanjay and Nina Puri of Sanjay Puri Architects unveil a new 920-square-meter house with steep, punctuated arches to respond to the hot climate of Rajasthan, shaping its intriguing silhouette with red sandstone finish and sculptural appearance.
Described as “a contextual house” by the studio, the Mirai House of Arches’ design takes cues from the location where is situated, employing passive and sustainable design principles.
Mirai House of Arches has recently been awarded a 2023 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The southern and eastern sides have minimum open space, with adjacent villas on those sides planned for development in the future, while the northern and western sides front a road junction and provide more open spaces, including garden areas and existing trees.
The house was designed for a family of three generations living together. Reaching three levels, it consists of four bedrooms, two living rooms, a gym, and a study.
When seen from a section, the heights of the house are varied forming an interesting play of volumes in each part of the house, including bedrooms of a single volume, a dining area of a double volume, and a living area of an intermediate 1.5 level volume.
Creating a curvilinear and punctuated envelope, the whole silhouette is surrounded by these steep, arched corners “creating interstitial, semi-open spaces all along the perimeter, with deeper recesses on the garden-facing sides.”
“This envelope reduces the heat gain substantially while providing sheltered open spaces around the house to each room,” state Sanjay Puri Architects.
“Designed to mitigate heat gain in response to the hot avid climate of its location, this envelope keeps the entire house cool in the hot summer months when temperatures rise in excess of 40°C for 8 months of the year,” the architects add.
As the studio explains, “This sculptural house is contextual to its surroundings, the climate, and the owner’s needs, resulting in an interesting play of volumes, open, enclosed, and semi-enclosed spaces at every level.”
Due to its geometry, the design creates energy-efficient spaces by reducing heat gain with indirect natural light in each part of the house.
The house is developed in collaboration with local craftsmen and contract labor from the immediate vicinity, according to the studio.
The house is built using locally sourced bricks, sandstone, and lime plaster, and includes processes for water recycling, rainwater harvesting, and solar panels for energy generation.
Project: Mirai House of Arches
Architects: Sanjay Puri Architects Pvt. Ltd.
Lead Architects: Sanjay Puri and Nina Puri
Design Team: Ishveen Bhasin, Shreiya Kumar, Nilesh Patel, Kalpesh Kacha, and Tanya Puri
Contractor: Anupam Buildtech
Client: V.P.Ranka
Photographers: Dinesh Mehta
