Kali Courtyard Houses Collection
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1- Priyanka Courtyard Residence, Tirupuvanam, Madurai
Covering an area of 1160 square feet, this courtyard house speaks our traditional architecture in its first look with the stone plinth, the Thinnai and the sloped tile roof. The walls are made of compressed earth blocks (CSEB) which are exposed in the exterior and plastered with mud in the interiors. To contrast with the earthy tone, bright coloured Aathangudi tiles are used for flooring with minimal patterns on it. This two storey house consists of Two bedrooms, a Living room and a kitchen which are all zoned towards the central courtyard.
The Courtyard also helps in letting out hot air and bringing in cool air through a phenomenon called stack effect. The front main door, the Courtyard and the backyard door are kept along the same axis for an effective cross ventilation . Hence, the house maintains a comfortable living temperature in the interior especially in summers.
2- Sai Prashanth Courtyard House, Dharmapuri
Located amidst a private farm in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu, the Courtyard house welcomes the users with its Thinnai space. The thinnai space is well defined with the wooden seating element. Moving inside, the first step on the house is kept over the surface of Athangudi cement tiles with a carpet-like pattern on it.
With further movement, the door opens to an interior that has the courtyard as a focal element. A Tulasi planter is kept in the center of the courtyard to get the direct sunlight. The day-light from the courtyard fills the Living room, Puja area, Dining area, and the passage around the courtyard with natural lighting.
This 40' by 40' East facing house consists of three bedrooms which are zoned in the west. Except for the bedrooms and the storeroom, all other areas are visually connected with the open-plan concept. This "wall-less" concept also ensures barrier-free light movement in the common interior spaces, therefore reducing the usage of artificial lights in the daytime.
The palette used in this Courtyard house comprises materials with Earthy tones such as - Mud and Lime plastered walls, Terracotta tiles, and red oxide finishes. Pigmented lime plasters help to define the niches in the walls.
The Courtyard house is created in such a way that is less harmful to the environment with its material usage and also with the spatial planning