The Ananda House in Kerala, India, is a stunning example of contemporary architecture that draws inspiration from the region's rich vernacular traditions. This residence, designed by Thought Parallels Architecture, is a harmonious blend of modern aesthetics and traditional elements, creating a unique and captivating space. But here's where it gets controversial: the architects chose to reinvent the old, infusing it with a contemporary voice, sparking debates about the balance between preserving heritage and embracing innovation.
Named after the Sanskrit word for bliss, Ananda is a dwelling that embodies the clients' desire for a residence rooted in their ancestral home. The design brief was clear: evoke Kerala's vernacular architecture in a contemporary manner. Thought Parallels Architecture responded with a palette of materials that pays homage to the region's heritage, including red brickwork, mangalore clay tiles, teak wood, and carved fretwork panels, all united under an oversized coconut wood roof.
"The core concept was to design the house in sync with the local architecture prevalent to the region, but with a vocabulary and syntax which speaks of our times, reinventing the old into a contemporary voice," partners Nikhil Mohan and Shabna Nikhil shared with Dezeen. "An unstoppably Indian, natural, local, crafty, artsy, sustainable, cerebral, minimal, contemporary response to vernacular."
The entrance to Ananda is a paved route through a front garden, leading to the defining space of the house: a double-height living, dining, and kitchen area. This area is organized around a concrete spiral staircase that draws the gaze upwards to the exposed, diagonal roof beams above. The design evokes a dynamic effect and adds a distinct aesthetic to the space, a modern response to the vernacular of the place.
"Looking up from the stairway, you can see intricate diagonal-shaped coconut wood roofing. This design evokes a dynamic effect and adds a distinct aesthetic to the space. Coconut wood, while traditionally used in Kerala unceremoniously and without precision, lost its popularity in favor of teak. Here, it is utilized as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative," Mohan and Nikhil explained.
The northern wall of this double-height space is fully glazed, with sliding doors at the ground floor opening out onto a garden terrace. On the first floor level, this glazed wall frames the tree canopies from a balcony in the upper living area and an adjacent study, which also overlooks the living space through a small shuttered window. Opposite this glazed wall, the home's air conditioning units are concealed by carved wooden wall panels inspired by carvings in the 16th-century Padmanabhapuram Palace.
Teak has been used to frame Ananda's windows and doors, alongside lime-plastered walls and stone-tiled floors, matching the patio paving on the ground floor to create a sense of continuity between interior and exterior. Two ensuite bedrooms are stacked at the southern side of the home, with the ground-floor bedroom opening onto a garden patio. These bedrooms are sheltered from the southern sun by a screen of narrow timber slats on Ananda's facade, behind which are windows that slide open to offer natural ventilation.
On Ananda's front elevation, the angular brick walls of the bedroom block have been finished in red brickwork, with a distinctive pattern created at the corners by leaving gaps where courses meet. At the bottom of the home's spiral staircase is a basement level sunk into the lower, southern side of the site, which contains a garage and storage areas.
The Ananda House is a testament to the power of architecture to bridge the past and the present, sparking conversations about the role of vernacular architecture in contemporary design. It invites us to consider the delicate balance between preserving heritage and embracing innovation, leaving us with a thought-provoking question: How can we honor our traditions while pushing the boundaries of design?
