Deepthi And Hemanth's Home / Biome Environmental Solutions

Architects: Biome Environmental Solutions
Area: 760 ft²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Vivek Muthuramalingam
Lead Architects: Sharath Nayak, Shruthi Talsania
Technical Team: Mahendar.R
Engineering & Consulting > Structural: Shashidhar K.S.
General Constructing: Sia constructions
City: Bengaluru
Country: India

Deepthi and Hemanth’s Home residential extension designed by Biome Environmental Solutions in India transforms an upper terrace of a shared multi-family building into a compact, self-contained unit. Built above an existing lower-floor residence, the project addresses privacy, light, and spatial openness within a dense urban context surrounded by neighboring structures. A mezzanine level for the bedroom and study provides views of nearby tree canopies and allows for a double-height sitting area below. A shared courtyard separates the new unit from the adjacent family home, while angled windows and a bamboo screen manage sightlines, airflow, and privacy. The layout emphasizes spatial efficiency through built-in elements like window seats and ledges that minimize the need for additional furniture. The material palette features cement flooring, mud concrete walls, and selective use of cement oxide for visual contrast, creating a functional and restrained living space responsive to its setting.

Deepthi and hemanth's home / biome environmental solutions

Deepthi and Hemanth’s Home is an addition and extension to a building occupied by multiple families. Deepthi and Hemanth resided on the lower floor along with their parents. The upper floor previously included a small residence belonging to Hemanth’s uncle and an adjacent open terrace.

Deepthi and Hemanth requested a self-contained unit to be constructed on the open terrace. The program included a sitting area, a kitchen, a dresser, a toilet, and a sleeping space with a small study. The terrace was bordered by the uncle’s residence on one side and by neighboring buildings in close proximity on the remaining three sides. As a result, there were no opportunities for external views, and ensuring privacy posed a significant challenge, since most windows would face adjacent homes. To address this, a courtyard-like space was introduced to separate the new unit from the uncle’s home, creating a shared outdoor area between the two households.

The site faces a public park across the street, and it was determined that by adding an upper level, the windows oriented toward the road could capture views of the park’s tree canopies. As a result, the final layout positioned the bedroom and study on a mezzanine level above the toilet, dresser, and kitchen. This not only enabled visual access to the greenery and the upper terrace but also allowed for a taller ceiling over the sitting area, enhancing the overall spatial volume. The dresser and toilet are placed behind the kitchen, remaining easily accessible from the lower level while staying visually concealed. The staircase leading to the mezzanine begins within the dresser area, providing privacy from the main sitting space. A small section of the original parapet had to be demolished, and the debris from that demolition was repurposed to construct a ‘mud concrete’ wall separating the kitchen and dresser.

Raising the bed space to an upper level left a portion of the lower terrace unbuilt, creating a courtyard-like area that could be used by other families in the building. This configuration also provided access to the upper terrace for Deepthi and Hemanth. Deepthi, a yoga practitioner and teacher, uses the terrace as a space for her practice. In addition, a bamboo screen placed outside the terrace door forms a secluded nook suitable for reading.

The windows in the study area are designed to limit views of the terrace floor below, which contains service equipment such as the solar water heater from the existing house, and instead direct attention toward the tree canopies across the street. The double-height volume includes a small skylight that brings natural light into the living area, reducing the need for windows facing the neighboring buildings.

The interior of the house is minimalist and unobtrusive in character. Each corner has been carefully designed to serve a function, often accommodating more than one use. To maintain a sense of openness in the compact layout, seating is integrated into window niches, contributing to a feeling of spaciousness. Other windows are angled to prevent direct views from neighboring homes while also capturing and directing breezes from multiple directions into the living areas. These angled windows create deep sills that function as bedside ledges, reducing the need for additional furniture.

The material palette in the house features shades of brown, grey, black, and white. Cement flooring is applied throughout most of the spaces, except in areas like the kitchen and toilet where alternative materials are more suitable due to functional requirements. Moreover, selective use of cement oxide introduces subtle touches of color to add visual interest.