Lucknow has a rich heritage with numerous buildings dating back to the 18th century. The site for this house is located along a busy arterial road and is on the peripheral edge of an extensive plotted development for private homes.

Keeping the location and the surrounding in mind, the house is inspired by the traditional Indian courtyard house. As the temperature in the long summer months are more than 35°C, with the sun in the southern hemisphere. The architect has incorporated patterned screens inspired by traditional Indian architecture and the famous Lucknow ‘chikan’ embroidery sheath. These screens not only provide shelter from the sun but creates different light patterns throughout the day and mitigate traffic noise from the busy arterial road on the southern side.

This six-bedroom house is interspersed with sheltered open terraces and landscaped gardens around a two-floor-high naturally ventilated courtyard. Large glass windows on the northern side allow indirect light to infuse the internal spaces of the house. Varying volumetric proportions with differing sectional spaces create an individual identity for each living space with the courtyard cohesively integrating them.

Built almost entirely in raw concrete, a natural palette of sandstone and wood with muted colours, vivid Indian art and landscape are brought together in different compositions in each of the internal volumes. A large garden on the north penetrating up to the internal courtyard between rooms has partial shadows at most times of the day allowing it to be used in the extensive summers too.

A series of experiences are created in this house that by its design facilitates natural ventilation and sunlight within and is simultaneously contextual to the location, sun articulation, tradition, culture, and social aspects.