Sometimes we ask the wrong questions, most often we never question. In the process of creating a product, we forget to ask who the object is or will be or what happens in the life of an object? As architects we often forget to ask: Who is a house? Who are the people who meet the house? What conversations take place? What culture is born? At a time when even the minutest of an artifact and its position in the house is dictated by the architect whose hegemony imposes a kind of aesthetics on the society, the transition from a house to a home takes multiple encounters between the object, the people and the environment. Every encounter adds a new layer of meaning through constant conversation, adding to newer narratives - multiple formations of a new house; a new HOME.
A house is never static, the textures, the paint, the objects, every spec of dust particles, movement of the people etc. constantly alter the very essence of its sole existence. For an architect, designing a house is only a moment in the life of a building. The building grows with time and engages in umpteen conversations with the living souls. The loud and the subtle, the violent and peaceful, every conversation weaves in a story of the people who built it and dwell in it. Kalyan Part II, was an exercise in deciphering the past conversations and scripting the ones for the future. Another moment in the formation of the house and a moment in the evolution of home. Some of the informed conversations emerge from ‘written slates’ than an empty one. The primary step in the process of design was learning from what was existing, the greatest challenge being adapting to the existing vocabulary while evolving our own design philosophy.
For Mrs. Jayasree, an artist, and, Adv. Rajagopal, their house is a member of their family, they have created a distinct process of physical formation which they call their home. The two storied house was designed by Ar. Liza. The building had a distinct vocabulary which made it stand out in Jawahar Nagar. Hidden behind a thick green cover, the mud block and bamboo walls do not go un-noticed for a passerby. So, when they approached Commune for renovation and extension, we knew we had much to learn from the building and her people first - A new conversation. Sometimes, the conversations were dichotomous, vivid, conflicting as a result of the experimental nature of the artist and the structured objectivity of an advocate, nevertheless enriching - every wall in the house was a piece of art and every artifact was judged.
Flanked by two courtyards on the North and East edges and enclosed by bamboo curtain walls, the house had developed into a small ecosystem in which birds, fishes, turtles, flowers, people and their dog co-existed. Every space - cooking, eating, living, sleeping were entwined through the two volumes and the life of the house moved through these voids. For us, renovation meant to reinvent the meaning of old, extending into the new. There was no clean slate, only an extension of what was existing. Therefore recording conversations became a core component of our process.
Assorted conversations with Artist Jayasree
For Artist Jayashree every wall is a canvas to explore. A lifelong student of art, Ms. Jayashree has explored various media in expressing herself. A self taught sculptor and painter, she is also a mohiniyattam dancer.
J: “I enjoy the birds that visit us every morning in the kitchen courtyard. I leave small pieces of banana for them. There are seven sisters, they come as a family. I enjoy watching the fish in the pond. There are two turtles. The plants in my garden when they flower. I like the openness and freedom. Why do we need compound walls? Everyone should be welcome.”
J: “I like textures, can we try a different texture for the roof. May be in the form of a mat or like the smoked walls of the traditional kitchens? I do not prefer the smooth texture of a vitrified tile or plaster on the wall that eclipse the texture of the brick underneath. Can the old ladles be converted to door handles? my old coconut grinder a soap holder and my coffee grinder a lamp shade? I love rain, rain that leaves marks on the floor. It is such a lovely feel to bathe in rain”
Assorted conversations with Adv. Rajagopal
Advocate Rajagopal believes in the practical solutions that require little maintenance. Although beauty is important, he prefers the best quality, stable structure and protection from weathering and decay.
AR: I enjoy the courtyards, but I feel there is a lack of sense of security. The bamboo walls will need a new technology. The front yard is too haphazard, which will need landscape intervention. Our family is growing, my sons will get married soon and we will need more rooms to accommodate all. The walls have started to decay due to exposure to water and therefore needs a revamp.
AR: I have several work related guests, which require a spacious office room and a library space. My wife needs a space for her studio. We have several unused furniture and other stuff which needs to be placed secured in a store room. The house should be secure.
Conversation with the Architect by reading the building
The existing spatial character of the house, suggest an introvert form with the living, eating, cooking, sleeping, entertainment and art rooms arranged overlooking either of the two courtyards. The house breathes through the courtyards. The volume shifts from the double height of the courtyards to 2.75m living spaces. The rough texture of shuttering on the ceiling and dominant horizontal lines rendered by the mud blocks, makes these spaces feel rich and rugged simultaneously. Both floors are connected by a flight of steps with granite flooring and wooden skirting, adding to the textural subtleties of the building. The cement floors are treated in grey green.
Conversations with Arun and his brother (sons)
A: I think you should ensure that the existing ecosystem should not be affected. There are so many birds that come here everyday. These fishes have been around for so many years. It is a pleasure to watch them. Any intervention should not affect them.
The Intervention
The intervention, attempted to change the dominant spatial language of the house while maintaining the material details in the existing structure. The second floor and landscape interventions kept in mind the existing ecosystem which were to be preserved. The major functions accommodated in the second floor were sleeping, bathing, storage, reading and living, along with an open terrace for barbecue and washing; a multipurpose hall which on a normal day would function as a reading space and a living space, on special occasions could also double up as a Mohiniyattam performance space for a limited audience. The floor can be accessed through a flight of steps in wood and steel as against the existing flight in stone. Walls were minimized and each space was let to flow from one to the other. Small volumes in the existing floors were replaced by bigger volumes in the upper floor, this ensured streaming in of natural light through bigger openings compared to the existing scheme, while also capturing the wind at that height. Every space was defined by a select palette of textures and colors, and the dry landscape reflect the austere nature of mud blocks. Ceilings reflected the texture of the traditional floor mats and bathroom was made open to sky. Scrap metal pieces were put together to adorn the hand rails and store room walls crafted by the artist herself. Along with the participation of Ms. Jayashree, every wall and space in the house was designed to reflect them in every possible way. Through a constant shuffling between the inside and outside, the existing and proposed, the lost and evolved, the artist and the advocate, the architect and us, craftsmen and contractor, the constant conversations became the premise to find answers to our primary enquiry - Who is a house? Renovation for commune, therefore became a method to decipher the existing, through a constant participation of various individuals including client, architect and craft persons, that which is beyond a mere problem solving exercise.
There was so much to learn from so many different people, such as, Ambrose chettan who played multiple roles of being a mason and a care taker; Winny, the dog who promptly used the tiny window under the sill level seating to look out; the fishes and turtle whose perseverance to survive amidst dust, paint and cement; patience shown by the masons and carpenters while we changed our minds; the pillar like support extended by Jerry. In the case of Kalyan, we DID NOT design everything, we DID NOT decide everything. We became facilitators for several people to come together and share their knowledge to create something. The joy of doing something together defined our key role as a ‘Commune’.
The COMMUNE
Clients: Jayashree,Rajagopal,children, Winny, fishes, 7 sisters and turtles
Studio Commune team: Ann, Soumini and Vishnu
Contracting agency: J&J Associates [ Ar. Jerry Sam Joseph]
Site supervision: Dilin, Minto, Raj
Site care taker: Ambrose
Carpenter: Unni Ashari and team
Mason: Vijayan Maestry and team
Electrician: Ratnam and team
Plumbing: Sreekandan and team
Painter: Shan and team
Bamboo Advisor: Ar. Guruprasad Rane
Steel frame consultant: Royce
Steel fabricator: Babu and Chandrababu
Office room shelf design: Ar. Niranjan Warrier
Landscape contractor: Anoop
Structural Consultants: A S Properties
Our sincere thanks to Ar. Ganga Dileep, Ar. Shebin, Ar. Geethanjali, Ar. Meenakshi, students of CAT who helped us to document the house, EGO design studio, Mr. Krishnaraj, Ar. Sujith G D
Stumbling blocks and conversations to rectify (Excerpts from our work diaries)
Conversation 3: Jerry, Contractor
SC: What should be our biggest concern?
J: Since this has a strong existing material palette, we might have to find skilled labour who have experience working with these. I am having problems in identifying the right masons who are confident to climb on top of a wall with interlocking mud blocks to cast concrete. Vijayan Maestry agreed but would still need to be convinced. It is slightly a costly affair to stick to textures but the experience is what I am weighing on. Since we are not using mortar in between the block, shall we lay electrical conduits through the brick? This could avoid any concealing work required later that affects the beauty of the walls, although the labour cost would increase. Its ok, it is a learning for us.
SC: What about the craftmanship? We are worried about that.
J: Yes, we should ensure good craftsmanship. I have already instructed the mason and carpenter to do their best. We have redone the flooring three times to ensure best quality. That is why we asked you to alter the design of joinery to suit the wood. The initial joinery detail is suitable for Teak, it won’t work well with pinkoda.
J: So now what is our final option? Athangudi?
Conversation 4: Unni Ashari, Carpenter in charge
U: I have made some miniature models of pivoted and foldable windows without any fixtures. We could use one of them rather than going for costly rollers and hinges. You know that Pinkoda is not a good wood, we can try to work out details that best suit the wood. It is better to have fixed louvers than movable ones.
Conversation 5: Vijayan maestry, Mason in charge
VM: We have never used interlock mud blocks without mortar. This is the first time we are doing it. You know that these blocks are not uniform, but we will try our best to get you the best.
VM: I am unable to find someone who can climb up this height to finish the slab. When they get to know that there isn’t any mortar in between the blocks, they get scared and run away.
VM: Cement flooring needs curing for about 15 days. I am telling you, if you want to finish work in haste, we might end up having cracked floor. Or let us go for Athangudi. You only need skilled laborers.
Conversation 6: Electrician, Ratnam
Why are we doing this task? do you realize this is an herculean task to drill through each block and do wiring? I will still do it but you should understand that the wiring will cost you more this way.
Conversation 7: Anoop, Landscape contractor
V: Anoop can you discuss with Ann and fix the plants based on the scheme prepared? Ann, we need to ask Ma’am about her choice.
J: I have so many things with me, we can use it for landscape. Can we use my old “ammikkallu and aattukallu” somewhere? What about “vellapathi”? I want an untamed garden. Everything should have a right to live.
A: We can try winding coir ropes for climbers in the toilet. I think something blue would look good in the front-yard.
Conversation 8: Royce, Babu, Guru, Chandrababu (steel consultants)
S: Guru, we need advice on how to handle bamboo on site. We are procuring “Kallanmula” through Forest Department, but treatment is going to be a bit tricky. On site treatment is not going to be possible, so we are planning to treat it at Kazhakoottam and then transport it to Kowdiar.
G: You can use borax and boric acid mix. The tank that has been made at kazhakoottam is slightly too large. You might end up spending a lot on treatment. I would suggest steel framework as the bamboo wall is open to sky. Although Kallanmula can carry load, constant exposure to sun and rain could decay the material. It is better to use steel bolt, so that replacement is easier.
R: I would strongly suggest GI. MS will corrode, else you should apply epoxy. I suggest the processing be done in Trivandrum itself.
AR: We cannot afford GI. It will overshoot the budget. We could check for some local manufacturer, probably the same person who did it last time. I will find out his number.
S: We can go for MS but will fix on GI bolts. The L and T angles with slots can be manufactured locally and bamboos can be fixed on to the frame using GI bolts.
V: We need to be careful about the packing of bamboo. Can Unni Ashari and his team do it?
S: What about epoxy? Jerry, will you do it or AR?
B: Bending steel plate is time consuming, I might have to do it on site. I can only start only once you are done with the scaffolding.
Conversation 9: Minto and Dilin, Site supervisors
S: Minto enthayi?
M: I am at it don’t worry
V: da Diline…
D: Ellam sheriakki tharam
Note of ‘Assemblage’ workshop
While designing the openings we had decided to go for large openings. An opening of size 3m x 4m was designed to hold an assemblage using scrap materials. It was hosted as a workshop under the guidance of artist Jayashree herself. There were around 8 participants in the workshop. The materials were procured along with Jayashree and Rajagopal. Chandrababu’s people helped put the pieces together. However, it was never erected. The artistic value of the piece was appreciated but was taken over by security concerns. The parts were dismantled and were made into smaller pieces which were then arranged on a blank wall as a mural by artist herself.
**The title was used in developing a workshop with semester 3 students at College of Architecture Trivandrum in 2014. The studio was lead by Ar. Niranjan Warrier.
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