Key Highlights – The Ethereal Whisper
- Site-Responsive Semi-Circular Design: A radial layout that follows the natural contours of the rubber plantation, placing a central living core at the heart of daily life.
- Climate-Responsive Porous Envelope: Perforated metal panels, corrugated sheets, and a passive cooling water body enable cross-ventilation and filtered daylight suited to Kerala’s tropical climate.
- Sustainable Material Strategy: Use of mud interlock bricks, poured earth walls, reclaimed Mangalore tiles, and plastic-waste concrete to reduce environmental impact.
- Strong Indoor–Outdoor Connection: Bedrooms radiate outward with plantation views, while the open-plan living area seamlessly connects to nature.
- Local Craftsmanship & Cultural Continuity: Built using regional skills and traditional techniques, ensuring environmental harmony and community engagement.
On the green hills of Idukki, Kerala, The Ethereal Whisper, Conceptualised & Developed by Project 51A (H), is a house built for a couple who had been living in Canada for a few years and were coming back to India. The couple was seeking a calm, earth- bound lifestyle and so they wanted a house that would be nature's answer rather than its shaping.
This house is located in a virgin part of the land at the very top of a two, acre rubber plantation and it is in total accord with the landscape and the local climate. At the same time, it also lives side by side with the plantation life and its daily rhythms.
Semi, Circular Layout and Spatial Flow
A semi, circular layout of the house reflects the curvy shape of the site and it is focussed around a living core. Cooking, dining and gathering are the main activities here and they happen in a single, very open space. This central space is the nucleus of everyday life that drives people to meet and be open.
Three bedrooms are like the rays of the sun extending outward from the core, each one is designed to have a great balance of privacy and plantation views. A triangular bedroom brings geometric contrast into the curved setting and it is turning the window onto the areca groves nearby. A skylit bathroom upstairs gently brightens the interior and the whole mood in there is one of peace and tranquility. The somewhat circular layout, with the communal living area at the centre, stimulates a natural flow of movement through the house and the linking of the indoor and outdoor experiences.
Porous and Climatically Responsive Envelope
Project 51 A (h) puts porosity at the center of its architectural concept. The house was designed to breathe through the use of perforated metal panels and semi, circular corrugated sheets in place of regular windows. This arrangement facilitates cross, ventilation, daylight is filtered, and the residents can still enjoy the view of the natural landscape that surrounds the house.
A thin pool of water along the length of the western veranda acts not only as a passive cooling device but also mirrors the plantation setting. The steep roof comes down to the ground on one side thus blending the house with nature and lessening its visual impact. Altogether, these elements make a house that caters to the needs of Kerala's tropical climate and at the same time assures the occupants' comfort through the use of passive strategies.
Sustainable Construction and Use of Materials
Sustainability is an integral part of the project. The house was built using local materials and environmentally friendly methods.
- Mud interlock bricks reduce the use of cement and speed up the construction process.
- A poured earth wall helps in maintaining the temperature inside the house and also adds a new dimension to the walls.
- Reused Mangalore roof tiles and floor tiles increase the life of the materials.
- The floor concrete is mixed with shredded plastic waste, which turns waste into a useful structural component.
The architects of the project have designed a house that is environmentally friendly, long-lasting, and rooted in its local environment.
Craftsmanship and Local Engagement
The project utilized local manpower and skills to a great extent, thus giving a boost to the age, old knowledge and experience of local people in the construction techniques typical of their region. Apart from ensuring that construction methods were in harmony with the climate and the materials used, engaging local skilled workers also helped in keeping the cultural continuity.
Living in a house that is a result of land, climate, and material reuse has been the main idea behind the translation of this home. A combination of the homes open structure, its layout going out from the center, and use of natural materials allows for a lifestyle that is more slow and deliberate. The house has been designed in such a way that the light is filtered in the most beautiful way, the views are framed and what prevails is the result of a mixture of the quiet, meditative atmosphere and nature of the plantation.
Key Highlights
- Semi-circular radial layout adapting naturally to the site
- Central living core integrating kitchen, dining, and gathering areas
- Perforated panels and semi-circular corrugated sheets for filtered daylight and cross-ventilation
- Sustainable use of mud interlock bricks, poured-earth walls, reclaimed tiles, and plastic-waste concrete
- Integration of local craftsmanship and passive cooling strategies
The Ethereal Whisper dialogue reveals the possibility of harmony between architecture and nature, not only in terms of comfort, beauty, and sustainability but also in a way that nature has plenty of space to respond to and breathe through. The house, being made into a radial form which is wrapped by a porous envelope and also using the right materials, is an instant answer to the natural elements and a nice place to be where connection with the place, the climate, and everyday life is easily achieved. Among the things that the house represents is that nature gives the benefit of the doubt and that nature's voice is heard and is beautiful and non intrusive in its way of speaking.
Photos by; Prasoon Suresh
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