The TREE that binds it together !!, Delhi

A renovation and redesign project in New Delhi that blends the old and the new completely transforming the built form. The challenge was to upgrade the existing building on one side and merge it seamlessly with the new house to be built on the adjacent plot. The existing house was restructured to create depths and faces to reduce the built mass and provide a play of light and shadows. The Alstonia tree that stands tall in front of the house was treated as the main focal element that helps in connecting the house vertically and also providing privacy from the street. It brings balance and an organic element to the built structure along with bringing down the volume of the structure to a more human scale. The central jaali wall was envisaged as a feature during the day and a glamorous light wall at night. Seamless blending of the new house with the old house was further achieved with materials and faces flowing from one side to the other. Now, that the renovation is complete it is almost impossible to draw the line between the old and the new, and what cannot be experienced through these pictures is the beautiful smell of the Alstonia flowers that fills the house in winter!!