Cloud House || This Weekend Home on the Ashtamudi Lake is the Perfect Blend of Sustainability & Minimalism
Located on the Ashtamudi Lake in the tropics, the Cloud House is a weekend home that is big on sustainability and minimalist in style. Together, its location on a hill sloping towards the lake, eco-friendly architecture, and contemporary style, make it the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and spend a relaxing weekend.
The Cloud House aims to minimize the negative impact it has on the environment. Its construction utilized various components from the previous structure existing on the site, and any tropical trees in the area were retained to become part of the new project.
In addition to focusing on sustainability and green design, the Cloud House strikes a balance between the binary elements into a harmonious design — built over nature, grid over fluid, interior over exterior, light over darkness, rustic over sublime, conservation over creation, sky over earth.
The architecture and design of this house maintain a balance between each of the two elements in every pair without prioritizing one over the other. A closer look into the different parts of the house will reveal how.
Exterior of the home.
The house's exterior represents the rustic rawness of the tropics (balancing rustic over sublime), with an abundance of wooden tones, pebbles, and greenery. Low-maintenance plant varietals that don’t require much attention were selected, considering this is a weekend residence.
Stepping into the home, one can find organic forms and shapes. These create a calming, flowing atmosphere while adding a touch of softness and movement to the space. Beyond that, the curvilinear walls saved the position of existing trees — exemplifying the balance built over nature.
The curves of the home make room for the existing trees on the land.
Even the cabinets and countertops of the kitchen follow the flow of the curves, presenting a unique cooking and dining space.
The first floor features a car porch connected by a ramp opening up to the road. The floating roof uses wood complemented with downlights, while the flooring uses tiles collected from the old structure.
Sheltered car porch ramp leading out to the road.
The bedrooms of the Cloud House utilize plenty of wood, maintaining a strong connection with nature and favouring natural materials over artificial ones. Additionally, the uncovered windows allow natural light to enter, striking a balance between interior and exterior.
Wood strips on the walls and ceiling in the bedrooms invite nature in.
The bathroom design for the Cloud House uses a neutral colour palette that reflects light, and glass partitions allow sunlight to pass through them, creating an airy ambiance. Here, balance is maintained between light and darkness.
Glass partitions maintain privacy while using natural light to create an ethereal pampering environment.
The Cloud House ensures maximum cross-ventilation to create a comfortable environment inside. Moreover, the way the walls of the house are constructed along ‘natural lines’ without disrupting the growth of tropical trees balances the elements conservation over creation.
With its natural elements, sustainable design, and stunning location, the Cloud House forms the perfect weekend home for the minimalist who loves to take a breath of fresh air while having a minimal footprint on the environment.
PROJECT DETAILS
Architecture: NO Architects Designers and Social Artists,
Partners: Harikrishnan Sasidharan, Neenu Elizabeth
Design Team: Harikrishnan Sasidharan, Neenu Elizabeth, Anson.S.Watson, Babin Babu, Mayuresh Muley, Jasmin Khatun, Sonali Nath, Robin Joseph, Aagam Mundhava, Abhishek Madhu, Abhina.A, Vijesh Kumar, Dravid. D,
PHE & Electrical Engineering: Educe Consultants Pvt Ltd
Structural Design: Urban Hive
Landscape Design: Neenu Elizabeth, NO Landscapes
Visualisation: Flex Tangles
Photography: Harikrishnan Sasidharan