Cube House: A Multigenerational Family Residence

Blending Modern Aspirations with Traditional Values

The Cube House, designed by Bhairavi Dhoot and Ujjaval Parekh, is a stunning example of a multigenerational family residence that seamlessly blends modern aspirations with traditional values. Situated within a dense urban fabric in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, this unique home showcases careful consideration of massing to maintain privacy and openness.

The core concept of the Cube House is the cubic volume, reflecting the nature of the family it houses. The house is planned with stepped terraces in the north and east to maximize daylight, while the raised blocks of the west and south overshadow these terraces. This design allows the house to open itself towards its landscaped areas, offering green vistas from the internal spaces.

One of the standout features of the Cube House is its clarity and simplicity. The physical form is conglomerated within a single cubic volume, leaving one third of the land for landscaping. All components of the house adhere to this inherent geometry at various scales, creating a harmonious composition.

The Cube House stands out in its neighborhood with its bold contrasting external finishes, such as brushed colored lime plaster and texture paints. These finishes define different volumes of the house and bring a new sense of vibrancy to the surroundings. The use of red travertine on the compound wall and landscape features enhances the user experience and rejuvenates the street.

Inside, the Cube House boasts a thoughtful and well-designed layout. It features multiple living areas, five bedrooms, and an entertainment zone with a home theatre, gym, and spa. The heart of the house is the double volume family space attached to an intimate open courtyard. The transparent nature of the courtyard allows unobstructed visual connections across its large floor plate.

The staircase plays a pivotal role in the overall movement within the house. It segregates the private bedroom spaces, social living areas, and recreational lifestyle spaces across all floors. Enhancing the staircase is an interactive and dynamic screen, a rotating timber planked screen that veils the staircase and forms a tall backdrop for the double volume family space.

Each bedroom in the Cube House enjoys an extended open or semi-open space in the form of a terrace or a balcony, enhancing the experience of the space and promoting cross ventilation within the rooms. The internal material palette is an amalgamation of various materials used in specific spaces, with teak timber playing a prominent role in conveying warmth throughout the house.

The Cube House, with its unique design and thoughtful execution, has been recognized with the prestigious Bronze A' Design Award in 2019. This award is bestowed upon outstanding and creatively ingenious designs that authenticate experience and resourcefulness. The Cube House exhibits strong technical and creative skills, contributing to quality of life improvements and making the world a better place.