PRIVATE ESTATE
UGANDA
DESIGN FOR PEOPLE:
When my friend from Uganda learnt I was an architect, he asked us to build his house on a beautiful plot of land that sat on top of the hill. And I’m glad he did because how often does one get the opportunity to build a home for a lively Ugandan family that swayed to the beat of every rhythm. The kitchen was designed to incorporate the traditional ways of Ugandan cooking. The guest house that adjoined, modernized a cultural requirement of having guests stay away from the private chambers, while the first floor of the house had the children bedrooms and a lavish master suite. The bar flowed out to a spacious balcony that became the soul of the house, with the large family gathering together to make merry with lots of good food, music and wine.
POWER OF LIGHT:
The sunlight gushes in unabashed through the Eastern windows which had the owner’s private office. It finds its way through the internal courtyards, to fill in the multiple rooms with an equanimous light that is meditative. And then the cloudy skies clear to the spool of colour of glorious sunsets that are framed with the windows of the family room. Artificial lighting lights up the dark of the night, becoming only accessories during the day.
THE INVIGORATING ENVIRONMENT:
The breath-taking nature of the land they inhabited, made its way in through the courtyards and the wide expanses of glazed openings that seamlessly blended the indoors with the landscape beyond. From the windows of the office to those along the bedrooms, every glazing opens to a landscape planter or a cluster of plants arranged naturally. The house blends to be a part of its surroundings, instead of standing apart from it.