Swiss architect Le Corbusier once described a house as a machine for living. It had to be functional from which all other
arts are exempt.
Indian architects are gradually coming round to Corbusier's genre of functionalism, but within the Indian context. The homes of modern India are becoming minimalist in style, a progression from the ornate era of the early 21st century when homes were still "renaissance", full of intricate bits of 18th and 19th century ornamental heritage.
“Minimal, functional with the least possible aesthetics— that is how I would like to describe modern Indian homes. Most houses are heavily dependent on services and gadgets. Industrial fixtures like tiles, marbles, veneers and special finishes and customised facades play an important part,” says Kolkata-based architect Manish Chakraborty, who is designing several highrises in the northern fringe of the city.
However, it would be wrong to say that tradition has been replaced completely. In some cases they have blended happily with the clean straight Corbusier-type functional lines.
Delhi-based architect Jagan Shah says in his book “
Contemporary Indian
Architecture”, that homes must first perform a function, accommodate use, and only then it is held up against the glowing light of the arts.
And if a specimen of home architecture manages to incorporate a few elements of timeless beauty and global concerns like increased awareness about environment and cut-back in energy consumption, without deviating from the minimalist style, it moves into the realms of "milestones".
Auroville-based architect Anupama Kundoo's house spread across the 15 acres of built at the cost of Rs 1 million in 1999 in the picturesque sea resort off Pondicherry, a French settlement, factors in three primary concerns. It uses eco-friendly material, alternative technology and an architecture that is energy efficient and climate responsive.
The house is located in a reforested patch in Auroville and according to the architect, exemplifies the town's "contribution to defining modern architecture through experiments in space, form, engineering and living." The entry to the house is marked by a dramatic soaring vaulted space, more than two floors in height. It is a transition space, extending into the landscape and living space equally and minimal. Most of it is done up in manually baked bricks and granite. Kundoo's work, says architect Shah, is the result of an engagement with the timeless themes of architecture: how a house is built and how it comes alive.
Auroville is known for its functional and modern architecture. Since the 1980s, when architects like Roger Anger and Poppo Pingel came to the community-based resort, the place has been held in high esteem as an architectural treasure trove.
Kochi-based architect Jacob George experiments with low-cost building construction solutions that he describes "serves the need for sensible solutions for post-disaster reconstruction". George, who feels architects and home owners have become more cost-conscious, propagates the concept of natural ventilation in a region in south India where "90 per cent of residents swear by air conditioning".
The house that he designed for his wife Nina and himself on 1.75 acres of land is contained in a rectangle. The comforts of contemporary living are all available without lavishing wasteful materials and technologies. The man-human bond, says the architect, is taken care by the expansive glass fronts. "It reflects the ethos my wife and me subscribe to," the architect says. The house has a natural ventilation system and its interiors are finished in wood and various low-cost, durable and foot-friendly finishes.
The Altana Residence in Mumbai is an old bungalow converted into a modern functional residence. According to architect Kamal Malik, who designed the home, it is an evolution of a contemporary lifestyle. "How can an extension of an old bungalow be an extension of the bungalow lifestyle and yet have the currency of today,” he says. The architecture is contemporary without being flashy or catchy.
The home has a laid back look and its traditional colonial design has been left untouched, but modern innovations give it a mixed look — a fusion of the old and new.
For instance, the traditional verandah has been left untouched with arched wooden doors and windows have been left untouched, while a modern courtyard has been added for a bohemian look. The bedroom retains the sloping wooden board ceilings though the furniture and the fittings are modern. The old-style kitchen is minimal and functional, while the dining space overlooking the garden is blend of British elegance and modern utility.
And as architects Narayan Moorthy and Mallika Kumar of Kumar Moorthy and Associates believe, there is a need to think every building afresh and “the need to place the home owners’ disposal a vast repertoire of ideas, not only to offer choices but more so to demonstrate the profound difference that good designs can make in their lives”.
--Madhusree Chatterjee and Jay Akbar