Pool House: A Masterpiece of Modern Minimalism

Designers Priyanka Khanna and Rudraksh Charan Create a Residential Marvel

The Pool House, a residential project by Priyanka Khanna and Rudraksh Charan, is an architectural marvel that pushes the boundaries of traditional design. The project, which began in April 2012 and concluded in January 2015, was primarily an extension of an existing house in New Delhi. The design accommodates a home theater, lounge, pool, changing room, gym, and two suites with dressers and toilets.

Khanna and Charan drew inspiration from the concept of a "pebble in the grass". The Pool House is designed as an object or sculpture, not bound by any classical archetypal or conventional construction system. The building's form is akin to a natural peal from the landscape, overlooking the green and perched on a shell-based construction system.

What sets the Pool House apart is its minimalistic design. Every unwanted element is either concealed, embedded, or invisible, requiring extreme detailing at a principal level. The entire building is an all-concrete shell construction, with no beams or columns, just a wrapping shell in concrete. The floor is polished concrete, with no plaster, paint, waterproofing, or finishing render. The interiors are bare, with a single block cladded in wood internally and externally housing a toilet and a pantry.

The Pool House is a testament to innovation and technology in design. The construction process involved designing shuttering to hold an inclined RCC wall weighing 8.5 tons, creating wooden frames in a curved section with wooden doors surrounded by glass on all sides, and finishing the toilet in singular in-situ terrazzo.

The project has been recognized for its design excellence, winning the Golden A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2017. This award is granted to marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creations that reflect the designer's prodigy and wisdom, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with their desirable characteristics.

In conclusion, the Pool House by Priyanka Khanna and Rudraksh Charan is a unique blend of art, architecture, design, innovation, and technology, redefining the boundaries of residential design. It stands as a testament to modern minimalism and innovative construction techniques, setting a new benchmark in the field of architecture.