Swetha Kadiyala By Express News Service KOCHI: Around four kilometres from the Changanassery town lies the statuesque Alankar Residence. Constructed recently with a built-in area of 4,107 sqm, the expansive two-floor house is replete with five bedrooms, a dining area, kitchen, a prayer room and two drawing spaces. Designed by Kochi-based architect Roy Antony, the structure has been envisioned as a dramatic play of light and shadow. The courtyard is almost bare with only sparse spots for gardening, drawing the eye immediately to the facade of the building which, at first glance, looks almost industrial. Long cement–plastered pillars and exposed brick cladding highlight the warm and cool tones that extend into the inner space with cement finish walls. “My design aesthetic is very influenced by the work of Italian architect Aldo Rossi. His buildings are very structured and imposing with minimal accents. The norm in residential topology is usually to soothe the eye with familiar design components but I wanted to come up with something that is not too loud and stands proudly,” says Roy, principal architect of Alankar Residence and founder of Roy Antony Architects. Perhaps why most windows in the house touch the ceiling, making it seem like the roof is higher than it is. Thereby adding to the colossal effect. T he generous use of wooden accents including false wooden panelled ceiling, wooden floors and wood-shuttered windows create a sense of enclosed and guarded reclusiveness desired by the client. “In contemporary architecture, people are going overboard with ventilation by adding too many windows and vents but too much light makes the space look flat. We have incorporated wooden shutters instead of glass ones to bring in certain depth and cosiness to the space. Hence the residents have control over how much light to let in while also ensuring privacy. We have really tried to achieve a dramatic spacial quality in this regard,” says Roy who has been practising architecture since 1991. An internal open-to-sky step-in pool, an exclusive feature of the house not only acts as an ideal leisure area for kids to take a dip but also to harvest rainwater during monsoon. The only pop of colour in an otherwise grey and brown-hued dwelling is offered by Mughal-architecture inspired sea-blue tiles laid out in the foyer and dining area.

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