Cleft House: Cleft House by Anagram Architects

This northwest-facing residence has been home to three generations of the same family. They own a nearby factory. Built on just 326 sq.m. land, the mansion rises in the middle of a densely populated area of ​​Delhi. The designers had to resolve the contradiction: on the one hand, they had an acute lack of privacy, on the other hand, the client wanted a large, open, light-filled space in which family members and their friends could get closer.

As a result, experts from the architectural bureau Anagram Architects decided that standard compositional techniques would not work here, and the project should be viewed not as a set of isolated spaces with windows, but as a split monolith.

In front, a closed facade hides the house from other people’s attention. The layout of the premises also performs a protective function: service, dressing rooms and technical rooms are located at the back, on the sunny side, protecting the living space from the Indian heat.

A deep crevice, connected at the front and back at the upper levels, creates a winding, naturally ventilated courtyard in the center of the residence, drawing views from the galleries and from the rooms of the house. This courtyard is the perfect place to socialize. The project to some extent echoes the fantastic Taiwanese house Enishi Resort Villa.

The building has six floors and a small roof garden. The creators named it Cleft House. The monolithic façade is made of white marble panels mounted on a steel structure.

The marble was chosen by the architects for its radiance, which they accentuated with illumination. Echoing the central courtyard of traditional Indian homes, the atrium becomes the heart of the home and connects all spaces on the ground floor. Its size and shape provide natural light throughout the home and promote natural ventilation.

All bedrooms are located on the upper floors and are fenced off by polygonal walls and a glazed gallery.

To “soften the faceted stiffness”, Anagram Architects made a large spiral staircase, the plastic of which favorably dilutes the strict geometry.