Sankatmochan House - Blending Traditional & Contemporary Design

Project name: Sankatmochan residence

Project location: Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Area: 6800 ft²

Completion date: May 2024

Company name: W5 Architects

Design team: Ar. Prakhar Ranjan & Team

Construction team: KHC construction

Civil (structural) Shiv Contractor

Photo courtesy: Dhrupad Shukla

Write up: Ar. Prakhar Ranjan

Project description

Nestled within the fabric of a medium-density semi-urban neighborhood, this bungalow is a thoughtful response to the complexities of a 3-tier city living. The design seeks to maximize usable floor area while maintaining a delicate connection to light, air, and the community. With limited open spaces, the challenge lay in creating a home that breathes—inviting natural ventilation and ample daylight, despite the harsh south-facing orientation.

The facade, more than just an aesthetic feature, is a functional skin that shields the home from the sun while fostering a visual dialogue with its surroundings. At its core is a striking mosaic of brick jaali, formed from hand-cut fly-ash bricks locally sourced and meticulously stacked into a seamless in-situ metal framework.

This grey jaali is not only a visual element but also a practical one, camouflaging utility areas on all floors, while allowing a constant exchange of air and light to flow through the spaces.Vertical green accents delicately punctuate the structure, offering a gentle contrast to the solidity of the brickwork.

These lush, living elements soften the hard edges and provide a nod to the surrounding landscape, ensuring the home feels grounded yet dynamic in its urban setting.  The greenery also serves as a quiet defense against the harsh climatic conditions of Gorakhpur, tempering the heat and adding a touch of serenity.

Randomly placed thin metal sections, hand-crafted on site, trace the building’s edges, lending an artisanal quality to the structure. This delicate interplay of metal, brick, and green creates a harmonious balance, a symbiosis of local craftsmanship and modern architectural aspirations, extending even into the interiors where these materials form a cohesive narrative in every door, console, other elements and details. The result is a home that marries function with beauty, traditional technique with contemporary sensibility, making it both a refuge and a statement.