house with a view

THE house at Gulshan II (NEK 10) designed by architect Marina Tabassum and Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, combines modern architecture together with creative brilliance. The three-storied house is designed for three brothers, one of whom lives abroad and only requires a small apartment, the other two having larger apartments similar in design.

The building demonstrates amazing beautification on a tight budget, something that is always hard to pull off. The entrance to the house is positioned away from the main road, so as to minimise sound pollution hence giving it a serene atmosphere and protecting it from the strong western sun. The free space is occupied by a beautiful garden and the house has a small 'ghat' entrance, which allows occupants to enjoy a quiet time with a view of the garden.

All the floors of the building demonstrate great cross-ventilation, with the first and second floor bedrooms located on the south side of the plot so as to catch the southern breeze. A good amount of space has also been kept at the south so as to negotiate with the uprising of an apartment in the adjacent plot in the future. The first floor of the house also displays great architectural planning, especially with the inclusion of a large terrace, which also acts as a sun-breaker. This results in reflected light getting into the interiors, and also offers a wonderful view of the garden. The south side of the building also contains another large terrace, all designed to catch the lovely southern breeze.

The staircase displays noteworthy architectural designs as well, with quite a few small windows on every side, giving the interior a beautiful shade at different times of the day. The small windows are slabs of glass bricks framed by marble, and are positioned so as to illuminate the stair-hall as well as to minimise heat retention. The stairway contains neat stainless steel railings.

The services rooms, i.e. kitchen, store room, etc. are positioned towards the northern side of the building for all the floors. This is mainly because the northern side of the plot has a monstrous six-storied apartment.

The walls are smoothly plastered and the trees near it provide shades and shadows so as to beautify the simple walls.

The interior also shows glimpses of hard thought out detailing, with small marble chips neatly tucked into the terrazzo or mosaic floors. There are also small windows in the living space, which give a framed look of the outside. The living spaces of the 2nd and 3rd floors were also designed to suit the needs of the client.

The back of the building again reflects the ventilation of the whole house, with four balconies overlooking a small lawn filled with greenery.

The whole project has already received a lot of praise from both foreign and local architects, with Marina Tabassum winning a Commendation Award of the Architect of the Year for the project. The house shows a lot of free space occupied with greenery at all sides, something that has become a rarity in this cramped city of ours.

By Mishel Ali Khan
Special thanks to URBANA
Photo Courtesy: Kashef / URBANA