SDA 2022 Entries

• Commercial Building - Buildings that are used for commercial purposes, and include retail, hospitality, workplaces, factories and warehouses and buildings where commercial services are provided. At least 50 percent of the buildings’ floor space will be used for commercial activities. 

Completion Date: January 2018
Cost of Project: Rs. 1,20,000,000/-
The COurtyard is a co-working space located in the city of Cochin, which transports you away from the buzz of the city into a calm and peaceful environment, that inspires creativity and concentration.
A project that aims to challenge the notions of mud as a primitive and perishable material. It is a contemporary take on the vernacular architecture of Kerala. It comes away from the unwritten rules of office or public spaces that stress on artificial light & ventilation, and boldly makes a statement through its openness and proximity to nature. Hence, the name- the COurtyard. The building is honest to its cause, both in use of material and planning of spaces. It seamlessly moves from outside to inside interspersed with courtyards and waterbodies.
It is a wonderful amalgam of three diverse functions namely – a management consultancy, an artist’s studio and an architectural firm knit together under the same roof. However, each function has a requirement of dedicated public outreach. The three spaces are placed around a common central courtyard, and also share an open and informal multipurpose hall and a reception area.
The management consultancy offers recommendations on business practices, also hosts workshops actively. Meanwhile, the artist’s studio is under preparation to host exhibitions and transform into a platform for budding artists to learn and display artwork. The architectural firm is dedicated to training architects, students of architecture and masons in different ways of working with mud. Hands-on skill building workshops are conducted in a semi-open space towards the rear end of the site. In addition to this, there is also an R&D lab dedicated to experimenting with local practices, to create new building techniques.
‘The COurtyard’ has been an opportunity that exemplifies innovation, by challenging the notions of mud as a primitive and perishable material and is a contemporary take on the vernacular architecture of Kerala, with preserving tradition and nature.

Designed to be sustainable, whilst also demonstrating the versatility of mud as a building material, the walls of the structure exhibit two different methods of using mud - CSEB and rammed earth. Stone and reclaimed wood are the other major materials used, thus, minimizing the carbon footprint of the building. Alternative roofing systems have been used, such as sloping roofs, the vaulted roof in the seminar hall deploys a vaulted roof of mud blocks, which borrows the Nubian technique (does not involve the use of scaffolding) and the filler slab with clay highlights, which limits the usage of steel and concrete. The entire structure has varied shades of oxide flooring, brass inlays have been used to break the monotony of the oxides in the reception, whereas the art studio uses a combination of Athangudi tiles. The entire building relies mainly on natural lighting and ventilation. Multiple glass tiles in the sloped roof also create a dynamic play of light and shadow.

‘Think local act local’ is the mantra followed for this project. What we have attempted to do is to look at the ideal of sustainability in a holistic manner – not confining the idea to just the physicality of it but going beyond that to address the impact the positive impact the structure can have on society as a whole. By sourcing local, we have contributed to the development of local economies. The other aspect is that of embodied energy – by building from what is under our feet, we have considerably reduced the energy spent in the structure. This project has focused on using passive techniques in order to improve efficiency of the structure. Natural light and ventilation in all the spaces has brought down the need for artificial lighting during the day and greatly brought down the need for air-conditioning in the common spaces. Use of a material like mud that has excellent thermal regulation properties has improved the thermal performance of the building manifold. The use of false ceiling in the traditional sloping roofs with clay tiles has also added to the protection of heat gain for the roofs. Overall, the structure performs very well in the sultry summers of Kerala.
The performance of the structure as a whole is greatly improved by following principals of sustainability and building local. By borrowing from the traditional language and style have inherent characteristics of improved performance when it comes to climate responsive design.

Obtaining skilled labour to be able to implement innovative methods like Rammed Earth and construction of the nubian vault was most challenging. Specialists from Auroville were engaged to train the labour in these techniques.

The project is a contemporary take on the vernacular architecture of Kerala while preserving tradition and nature. Scattered courtyards pierce through the built fabric of the space thus creating an interesting play of volumes and effectively blur the lines between the indoor and outdoor spaces. The subtle change of style from one use to the other is what defines each space. For instance, the office of the management consultant has a high volume with a lofty sloping roof and majestic truss work. The décor is minimalist vintage that adds to the overall ambience of the space. When one enters the artist’s studio through a verandah that overlooks the central courtyard, there is an immediate reduction of volume that helps with the intimate interactions the artist has with her paintings as well as with her students. While the architectural office works out of a mezzanine floor that is tucked away. The walls of the office are completely transparent and offer panoramic views to the greenery around them. In order to provide for each of the uses public outreach requirements, we have created one large multipurpose hall that has multiple spill-out spaces in the form of large courtyards and verandahs.