SANGAM

     The project Sangam is the house along with a shop for Ajit, Abhilasha, and Soham in Rajarampuri, Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Rajarampuri is a city situated in the Kolhapur district in Maharashtra, India. This city has a pleasant climate all around the year with a lot of green landscapes around.  It is a growing city with a lot of development in the commercial sector. As a result, many people are moving in. It can be seen that the commercial part of the city and residential are quite separate, and in the commercial area, each lane is dedicated to only certain types of shops. For instance, on one lane, you will only find vegetables, while on another lane you will only find clothes. Our project is situated on one such lane where you will find car and other vehicle workshops.

     Since the owner of the house (Ajit) owns a car modification kit shop, the shop is attached to the house itself so he does not have to travel a lot after a long day of work. Abhilasha is a homemaker. She indulges in a lot of hobbies like gardening and performing yoga being some of her favorites. That is why gardening space has been provided on the terrace and also a vertical garden in the courtyard. The child is studying in a nearby school. He likes playing football and he often goes to the playground every evening to play.

      The project aims towards creating a space where the residents can rewind and relax. The courtyard with the water inside and the green wall beside creates an ambient experience for the user.  Our goal was to create a quite sustainable structure as a response to the climate and thus reduce the cost of living. The open-to-sky courtyard and latticed screens allow sufficient light and ventilation without having to install air conditioners or extra light fixtures. Each floor is open to the courtyard hence the space does not feel closed off. The usage of a lot of recycled materials like timber, rebars, and old brick walls also reduces the cost of materials and adds to the factor of sustainability.

      Along with this, the care of providing adequate light and ventilation is taken by giving openings and light well. The courtyard is an integral part of Indian architecture. It creates an open-to-sky space while providing a secluded place amidst the outside chaos. It also provides a space where people can gather around and have conversations. The courtyards are a passive strategy to deal with Indian climatic conditions. The temperature in Kolhapur ranges from 10° to 35°C. During summers, the temperature can rise up to 42°C. Even the winters are comparatively warmer than cities like Pune and Nashik in Maharashtra with the lowest temperature being 9° to 16°C and the highest being 24° to 32° C. Hence in such a climate, the courtyards help to bring down the internal temperature of the house as the hot air which is lighter in density escapes from the top and cool air is let in, this mechanism is called stack effect. The courtyards introduce cross ventilation and also act as a light well. The courtyard here is filled with water which further cools down the temperature around and creates a great ambient experience. The annual rainfall in Kolhapur is around 1239 mm hence the retractable roof over the courtyard blocks the rain during monsoon. The latticed screen or the ‘jaali’ on the west facade is another passive cooling device that lets in cool air while blocking direct sunlight hence creating a pleasant environment indoors. The light duct shaft lets sunlight into the deeper levels of the building using mirrors inside the shaft which is then diffused through a sequence of diffuser glass. 

     This house is the solution for the contemporary problem of space crunch in a modern way.  As stated earlier, a lot of people are moving into the city due to the increase in the commercial sector, hence a problem of space crunch arises, with an increase in the need for accommodation

     Since our project itself lies on a commercial street we have tried to create a comfortable living space, providing privacy and barricade from the chaos. We have tried to give adequate space for each activity and even a place for gathering.