This home in Bengaluru turns design limits into its most striking architectural features

Abhishek Ajmera Architects designed the Brick House, a dwelling located in Indore, India, on a 6,500-square-foot plot, encompassing 8,000 square feet. The residence features four bedrooms, a basement office, communal areas, and an activity room. The design prominently utilizes exposed brick, both as a construction material and as a key aesthetic element, guiding spatial transitions, modulating natural light, and seamlessly connecting interior and exterior spaces. The entrance sequence is carefully crafted, incorporating a sculpted mound, floating steps, and a suspended I-beam resting on a boulder, which collectively blur the distinction between the landscape and the architectural form. The primary material palette, consisting of brick, metal, wood, and black basalt, establishes visual continuity throughout the property. The interior layout prioritizes openness and fluidity, employing partitions rather than conventional walls to define spaces. A double-height living room, characterized by a sloped ceiling, serves as the central hub of the house, offering views of the north-facing pool and a southeast garden. Full-height sliding glass doors can be recessed into brick walls, allowing for a flexible integration of indoor and outdoor zones. Above the dining area, a mezzanine level with a distinct blue panel provides a versatile space for reading or working, adding a vertical dimension to the living area. A solid wood dining table is centrally placed beneath a cantilevered lighting fixture and an exposed I-beam, complementing the industrial aesthetic. The adjacent kitchen features an island designed to appear suspended, finished with dark veneers that align with the overall material scheme. Throughout the house, the architects introduce accents of color, such as green, yellow, blue, and red surfaces, to enhance visual interest and prevent uniformity. A central feature of the home is a hanging staircase, crafted from solid wood and metal, which ascends alongside a black basalt wall, all enclosed beneath a vaulted ceiling. A strategically placed window adjacent to the staircase creates dynamic patterns of light and shadow throughout the day, a design principle extended to other areas of the house through slit windows, skylights, and framed openings. The first floor accommodates two bedrooms, an activity room, and a dressing area, all designed to maximize natural light and ventilation. The daughter’s bedroom includes a private balcony overlooking the pool, while her dressing room benefits from a skylight, reducing the need for artificial illumination. The master bedroom, situated in a secluded part of the house, features a vaulted brick ceiling and offers views to the east and west. An accessible terrace on the eastern side expands the living space outdoors, while the western facade is adorned with planters and brick louvers that help mitigate sunlight and enhance privacy. A yellow spiral staircase provides access to the terrace, acting as a sculptural element that complements the exposed brickwork. In the master suite, the ensuite bathroom incorporates vegetation and natural light, with windows providing ventilation and lessening reliance on mechanical systems. A walk-in wardrobe and a central island complete the suite, illuminated by daylight from an east-facing slit window. The basement office combines exposed brick and concrete walls with a Jaisalmer stone floor and glass partitions, creating a naturally lit and inviting workspace. Vertical ducts and well-positioned windows channel sunlight to indoor plants, effectively addressing the challenges typically associated with subterranean spaces. The minimalist decor and the use of raw materials, such as reclaimed rods, brick, wood, and glass, emphasize the inherent textures and architectural qualities of the design. #ArchitecturalDesign #ResidentialArchitecture #BrickHouse #SustainableDesign #IndoorOutdoorLiving #Materiality #IndianArchitecture #NaturalLight #ContemporaryHome

Dezeen has launched a new Pinterest board dedicated to daring and ambitious house designs, both built and conceptual. This initiative follows the recent approval of a subterranean residence featuring a swimming pool as its roof, prompting a showcase of wild architectural imagination. The board aims to compile a diverse range of residential projects that push the boundaries of conventional design and construction. These designs often incorporate innovative structural solutions, unusual materials, or unconventional approaches to site integration. The featured designs on the Pinterest board span various categories, including residential architecture and interiors, renderings, conceptual architecture, and houses. This broad scope ensures that a wide array of imaginative projects are included, from those that have been realized to those that remain in the realm of theoretical exploration. For instance, the board highlights projects that involve extreme site conditions, such as cliffside residences or structures submerged in water, as well as those that reimagine traditional housing forms through modern aesthetics and advanced engineering. The collection emphasizes the speculative and often dramatic nature of these designs. Many conceptual projects, while not yet built, serve as blueprints for future architectural possibilities, showcasing how architects and designers envision living spaces that respond to evolving societal needs, environmental challenges, and technological advancements. The inclusion of renderings is crucial, as they allow for the visualization of complex and innovative ideas that might be difficult or impossible to construct with current technologies or financial constraints. Dezeen encourages its audience to follow this new Pinterest board to explore these imaginative residential projects. The platform also provides links to its archive of conceptual architecture, allowing users to delve deeper into the history and ongoing developments within this field. This resource serves as an inspiration for architects, designers, and enthusiasts interested in the cutting edge of residential design, highlighting trends and experimental approaches that could shape the future of housing. In essence, the new Pinterest board is a curated collection celebrating architectural audacity. It captures the spirit of innovation in residential design, offering a visual journey through houses that defy expectations and challenge the status quo. From sustainable solutions to fantastical structures, the board aims to inspire a broader appreciation for the creative potential within architecture. #ResidentialArchitecture #Renderings #ConceptualArchitecture #Houses #Architecture #PinterestBoard #InnovativeDesign

The 'Sun House,' located in the tropical state of Goa, India, was designed by SAV Architecture + Design, a firm with offices in London, Mumbai, and Goa. This residence draws inspiration from the sun, incorporating local red laterite stone for its exterior walls, substantial sun screens, and a double-height brick-clad entrance and living spaces. The architectural geometry is informed by the surrounding landscape, emphasizing bold, sweeping lines, fluid forms, and expansive overhangs that seamlessly extend into the interior areas. Faced with a constrained and compact site, which is unusual for a holiday home, and limited external views, the architects concentrated on creating an inward-facing dwelling. The design intentionally brings natural elements into the house, exposing them throughout its interiors. A prominent exposed brick wall serves as the central structural spine, dynamically changing its trajectory as it extends into the double-height living area, creating a sweeping effect. The curved living space is sunken, aligning with the level of the outdoor pool, establishing a visual and poetic connection with the water. This area also incorporates amphitheater-like seating. The living room's double-height doors are designed to slide and fold, allowing the interior to open directly to the pool area. The architects utilized a restrained, minimalist, and locally sourced material palette, which not only reinforced the architectural concepts but also highlighted craftsmanship and detail, fostering a strong connection to nature and the outdoors. In-situ concrete forms the exposed roof and floors, contributing to a seamless interior aesthetic while aiding in temperature regulation in Goa's tropical climate. Despite its artistic design, the house is highly responsive to its tropical environment, featuring large overhangs and shaded green courtyards. These overhangs and sloping rooflines are mirrored in the internal spaces, creating diverse spatial experiences through varying slopes and angles. The entrance is marked by a brick-lined wall alongside a shallow linear pool and large sun screens on the south wall, establishing both a reflective and functional mood upon entry. A floating teak wood open-riser staircase, complemented by brass rods as balustrades, introduces textural layers and refined materiality throughout the house. The open-plan dining and kitchen area is conceived as a vibrant, airy space that harmoniously blends local and contemporary elements. This area features Goan-Portuguese inspired traditional cement tiled flooring, local granite countertops, a modern high-specification kitchen, and brightly colored furnishings. Positioned around an internal courtyard on both sides, the kitchen and dining areas benefit from ample natural light, ventilation, and a continuous connection to the outdoors. On the first level, the staircase leads to an open-plan mezzanine overlooking the double-height sunken living area. The lighting fixtures in this space were custom-designed by the architects, drawing inspiration from the house's architectural lines. Bedrooms are accessed via fluid, sweeping white corridors that add an element of surprise. Each bedroom offers a unique connection to the outdoors, with the master bedroom featuring a large private terrace that overlooks a louvered courtyard on one side and the pool on the other. Integrated timber joinery and subtle accents of bold colors in textiles and art provide a contrasting warmth to the otherwise minimal and meditative architectural palette. The five bath spaces within the house are significant design elements, each crafted to establish a strong connection to the raw nature of materials, illuminated by top-lit skylights, and echoing the fluid spatial lines of the residence. The bar and poker room, situated by the poolside, present a blend of chic interiors with custom-crafted furniture, maintaining a strong connection to the surrounding tropical plants. Both these spaces face the pool and their respective inner courtyards. The landscape around the pool, though not expansive, echoes the dramatic architectural lines of the house, creating spaces that transition seamlessly, contributing to the dynamic and picturesque quality of the environment. #TropicalArchitecture #ResidentialDesign #IndianArchitecture #Goa #SustainableMaterials #IndoorOutdoorLiving #ArchitecturalGeometry #ModernDesign