The cool home that sheds light into 'darkness'

Jayaprakash and Raji, a Kottayam-based couple both of whom are college teachers, built a house that reflected their profession. Their dream abode at Athirampuzha in Kottayam has spaces which symbolize what education stands for.

“The aim of teaching is to remove the darkness of ignorance from the mind and lead one to the light of knowledge,” points out Jayaprakash. With this idea, the college teachers’ house has been designed as three sections.

In the first section that includes the porch, dark colours have been given. The sit-out and courtyard that lead into the interiors have a rustic finish. White paint is used in all the remaining sections of the house. This arrangement of colours gives guests a feeling of moving from darkness to light.

Another unique feature of the academics’ house is that it provides different views of the exteriors from three sides.

GI truss has been done above the flat roof to lay roofing tiles. Provision has been made to let rainwater falling on the roof to flow to the storage tanks.

“We were particular that no trees should be cut to build our home. In fact, there are several trees around the house that create a green environment,” says Jayaprakash.

If the area is considered, the interiors are not very spacious. A drawing room, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms add up to only 1,400 sq ft. However, what makes the house special is the optimum utilization of space. The roof is of double height and on one side of the drawing room the entire wall has been converted into a grill with GI pipes. The arrangement inside the house gives an impression of wide spaces and ensures proper ventilation. Mosquito nets are fixed on the metal grill to keep the menace away.

The main area of the house is its hall, which includes the dining room, courtyard and staircase. “As the only occupants are the two of us, the bedrooms and kitchen are designed in a simple manner. This also makes cleaning and maintenance an easy task,” says Jayaprakash.

A library has been set up on the upper floor with the bookshelf arranged on the balustrade of the staircase.

The house has been named ‘Sukham’ (Comfort). A comfortable atmosphere exists in the house. As there is proper ventilation, there is no need to switch on the fan. Moreover, lights are not necessary except at night. “This keeps our electricity bill much lower compared to that of others,” say the college teachers.

They have good advice for aspiring home owners. “A residence should be planned to keep ourselves happy. It is not something that is meant to show off our wealth. Most people have a tendency to clutter any available space inside the house with unwanted items. Try keeping such space vacant and see the difference. The positive energy that fills in the house will be invaluable,” says Jayaprakash.

Project facts

Location – Athirampuzha, Kottayam

Area – 1,400 sq ft

Architect – Sreeraj S, 4 D Architects

email – 4darchitects2009@gmail.com

Mobile - 9995006335