ASCENT

‘Good architecture let’s nature in’  - Mario pei

Site, Context and design approach

Standing as a testament to the quote, amidst tall trees and bushes, merging and becoming one with the landscape is the Ascent residence. The residence blurs the lines between outdoors and indoors. With the green spilling into the space, and the building itself opening up to the landscape that covers 65% of the site, a biophilic approach has shaped the design of the residence.

Landscape and planning

The landscape gradually diminishes as one moves towards the centre of the site and whatever green is remaining, find their way to penetrate into the built through small crevices and create courtyards. Every point in the house offers a direct connect with nature, creating a soothing atmosphere inside.

Space has also been allocated for organic farming and rain water harvesting in the master plan level, encouraging an environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

Massing

A grand driveway and drop off around a pond, that has been strategically located at the lowest point of the site, leads to the main entrance of the building. A butterfly roof, with its sleek detail and clerestory glass, majestically welcome the user into the space. This structurally challenging element is designed to be visible from nearly every point on the site.

To encourage the spilling of the landscape into the built, rectangular blocks have undergone a game of stacking and rotating, creating spaces with varied levels of openness and experiences. This lead to cantilevers that provided shade below, terraces and balconies above, and even made space for the landscape to spill into the built through crevices. This play of blocks also resulted in exciting spatial experiences in the interiors, where narrow passages and spaces lead to wider spaces that eventually opened up into the landscape. Both sides of the narrow spaces were covered with full-length windows, giving the user the impression that the landscape was gradually taking over, but eventually lead to a built space.

Materiality and Interiors

A play with materials can also be seen throughout the building. In both the exteriors and the interiors, the use of at least one sleek metal element is visible. A 2ft band runs throughout the exteriors, creating a monotony. In the interiors, the metal element does not stand out in itself but  imparts a modern look and feel to the space.
Drawing inspiration from the landscape around, the interiors follow an earthy color tone. One contrasting color is used to make the space stand out and add character. While the interiors were designed with minimalism in mind, a few art Deco elements add a playful element to the space.  With colors that transition from earthy to darker tones, patterns that gradually fade into the building and a decreasing number of openings, a gradual transition from unbuilt to built is achieved, making the change hardly noticeable to the user.