“Aabha”
How do we perceive light?
How does light create drama in our everyday spaces?
Does light influence our mood and lifestyle?
Is light a tangible material?
Do we only live in the presence of light?

Sunlight has played an essential role in architecture and design. We experience the expanse and volume of a space through different kinds of sunlight and shadows forming inside that directly influence our designs.
The chosen site is in Rancharda. A small plot in front of Rancharda Lake in Ahmedabad that lies in the western part of India. The villa is designed as a response to the hot and dry climate of Ahmedabad that receives a lot of direct sunlight with minimum sky cover throughout the year. Materials pallet comprises of exposed brick load bearing walls that increase thermal mass thus insulating the spaces. These load bearing walls are parametric and shift in a sculptural form across the space. Exposed concrete is used due to the plasticity of the material to carry great spans. The struggle for the light is what made the design process a milestone.
Our intent was to create a home around pockets of light. These pockets are juxtaposed together through spatial elements such as a courtyard, bridge, corner fenestrations and rays of skylights through the concrete slabs washing the walls of the house in a soft sunny glow. The shadows play around the Villa as the day passes also allowing the moonlight to dance around when the night comes. The slits on the roof projecting upon the bridge give the connection from the ground floor to the sky itself. The bedroom slits make the users sleep under the sky/ stars.
The Villa typology allows freedom to play with volumes and addition of multiple of courtyards that create a harmonious character on site. The house caters to a family of four people spread across 360 SQM.