#7, Southlands

#7, Southlands 1. Objective: The project addresses rejuvenation of an old 1930 Art-Deco apartment with an intent to preserve its retro quintessence, while accommodating the postulated requirements of a modern-day multiuser collective. Here, the functionality is not just limited to the domestic routine of a conventional household but broadens further to assimilate a dynamic space which performs in more than several ways. The essence is to celebrate subtle nuances of this old-world precedent with a distinct incorporation of contemporary spatial elements. 2. Brief: To transform a typical 3BHK colonial apartment into a present-day studio space, where • Living Room functions as a multidisciplinary workplace with multiple users • Dining Hall converts into a gallery or exhibition space in case of an event such as an artist’s display or a collaborative pin-up. • Limn contrast between static vs dynamic elements – studio space which is rearrangeable and playful as opposed to beds and storage which portray permanence and stillness. • Clearly segregate the service core from master spaces to achieve distinct hierarchy with a strong sense of order leading the user through a sequential experience. 3. Principles of design: • Transparency – accentuation of axial geometry/spatiality / cardinal ordinal transparency/loci of punctures across solid planes to allow visual penetration – systematic circulation • Natural Light + Ventilation – visual connect across the planes allowing the whole to part recognition of spaces. • Centripetal organization – inward looking planning – reverence to walls – undisturbed planes (flooring and walls) – consciously avoiding any design intervention on the floor or ceiling. • Inherent materiality – no cladding/painting or surface treatment – virtue of material celebrated – austerity of materials to show the clear distinction between ‘existent’ and ‘insertion’. • Simplicity – optimal use of existing spatial elements such as vertical planes (walls), horizontal planes (ceiling and floor) and openings (doors, windows and subtracted walls) – to create a play between the living and otherwise. 4. Spatial Relationships: • Existing vs Proposed - while minimally intervening with the theme of the space which quintessentially reflected the sangfroid Art-Deco ‘Bombay-ness’; yet refining the domesticity and utility of an older household to reflect a contemporary untypical user-oriented apartment - which not only is restricted to its residential use but also extends to function as a multidisciplinary collective. • Axial – branched organization retains the axial transparency without undermining privacy and hierarchy of the spaces – spaces which continuously remind the user of one’s position within a larger domain through visual extensions and layered planes (sequence of walls when viewed from a window, extends across the apartment). • Configurational - Distinction between circulatory areas (veranda / balconies / corridors) vs service areas (kitchen / toilets / service corridor) vs served spaces (studio – living / bedrooms/ dining – gallery) • Hierarchical – the sequence of spaces reflects the user’s engagement and interaction with the space as well as other users (public – semipublic – private – individual) (gallery - living/studio – rooms – washrooms).