independent identity – India

The Three Court House located in Ahmedabad, India is conceived as a series of similar but varied pavilions that allows the house to conform to the unique shape of the site. By restricting the height to one floor, the house is able to blend in with its humble surroundings and the nature of the plan breaks down the scale and mass of the house to relate to the adjacent village.
Designed by RMA architects, the small outbuilding at the entry of the site is constructed with the same material palette as the house, contains a clinic – as the owner of the home is a local medical practitioner. Adjacent to the clinic are staff residences, and together these two programs create a social interface and interaction with the village.
The materials further breaks down the scale of the house, with a heavier base in locally sourced basalt stone and an upper portion of lighter masonry materials, including an inwardly sloping Mangalore tile roof. Specific detailing, including large splayed windows, is finished in hand crafted copper. The three buildings that makeup the house are connected via wooden walkways bounded by clear glass panels, further accentuating the independent identity of each module. The roofline features minimal copper flashing which, in addition to serving as a waterproofing element, creates a visual highlight when caught by the sun.