A Bengaluru penthouse that mixes tropical modernism with South Indian heritage

When Charita Kishore Rupa noticed what lay earlier than her—a decrepit two-story Bengaluru penthouse crowded with leakages, tatty wiring, an unwieldy staircase, and a number of structural flaws—she was tempted to steer her consumer to surrender the deliberate renovation altogether. As an alternative, the principal architect of Studio Skapa Architects determined to deal with the 2 positives. At 3,621 sq. toes, the penthouse had spacious rooms. Additionally, the pure mild that suffused the well-ventilated area supported the concept of making an inherently heat surroundings which was her consumer’s major request.

Ripping aside the previous construction to its bones, Rupa was impressed by its stark minimalism to instinctively conjure up the nostalgia of heritage South Indian properties by enjoying with indigenous, earthy materiality. Purposeful Sri Lanka embedded in native contexts had awed her for the reason that starting of her profession in Sri Lanka and closely impressed the undertaking. “The driving inclination was to meld familial consolation with the wilful escapism that one experiences throughout a rejuvenating getaway! A wedding of kinds between the concepts of making a house away from dwelling and a retreat of kinds,” she says of the undertaking which was to be was a company guesthouse.

Indigenous Materiality

“Throughout our preliminary dialogue, the consumer expressed a love for terrazzo, and we determined to make use of it because the focal materials of the area,” says Rupa. The customized gray terrazzo flooring, forged in-situ by Bharat Floorings, spreads from the lobby throughout all of the communal areas to lend a tender cohesion. “The geometric brass inlay sample that depicts an summary four-leaf clover creates a way of dynamism,” she provides.