RSDA

REWRITING THE FAMILIAR

DLF Phase I, Gurgaon

Located within the established residential fabric of DLF Phase I, this private residence explored a quieter reinterpretation of the urban bungalow typology emerging across Gurgaon during the early 2000s. At a time when large homes were increasingly defined by visual excess and ornamental expression, the project sought a more restrained architectural language rooted in proportion, material warmth and spatial depth.

Organised across approximately 10,000 sq.ft. of built space, the residence was conceived as a composition of layered planes, textured stone surfaces, exposed brick inserts and carefully framed openings. Rather than relying on overt formal gestures, the architecture derives its character through controlled massing, filtered light and the interplay between solid and void.

Completed several years later, the second residence reinterprets the same vocabulary through a more open and introspective spatial idea. While the materiality maintains continuity with the earlier home, the architecture begins to question and loosen the rigidity of the surrounding code – creating a lighter, more porous environment organised around landscape, light and informal occupation.

Deep recesses, screened edges and shaded openings temper the harsh north Indian climate while simultaneously creating privacy within a dense urban setting. Internally, the house unfolds through a sequence of transitional thresholds, landscaped courts and shifting light conditions that connect interior spaces to the surrounding greenery.

Completed in 2010, the residence reflects an early exploration into a quieter and more tactile architectural vocabulary — one that continues to inform the studio’s approach towards residential design today.

Typology

Private Residence

Scope

Architecture + Interior Design

Status

Completed in 2010

Site Area

500 Sq. Yrds.

Built-Up Area

10,000 sq.ft.

Photography

Gurjot Singh