the grid architects marries brutalism with indian influences for 'beton brut'

concrete makes a statement for Beton Brut

The Grid Architects makes an impact with concrete with this angular four story home in Ahmedabad, India. Named ‘Beton Brut’ after the French term for raw concrete, the project combines the monolithic and rigid geometries of Brutalism with soft Indian touches peppered throughout the interior.

Designed for a small, entrepreneurial family with a creative streak, the brief was to create a simple functional home. Starting from the large 1,124 sqm plot, the architects’ primary concern was to protect the house from harsh sunlight, which they achieved by slicing the concrete shell to create generous overhangs for shading. One of the main design intentions was also to incorporate a variety of spaces to afford the family both communal and solitary moments. ‘A home that brought the family together but left enough space for the individual personalities to thrive and bloom,’ says The Grid Architects.

images courtesy of Photographix | Sebastian

Accessed by a three-meter-tall door set back under one of the concrete canopies, Beton Brut covers a massive 1,074 sqm built area. The program spans three above ground levels and one basement floor for car parking. The first floor features an open plan kitchen and dining room and a double-height living room that opens out to the garden. The staircase to the upper levels and basement floor is part of a central void together with an internal courtyard. This soaring open space brings natural light deep into the floor plan thanks to two skylights. The second floor contains two bedrooms as well as some services while the top floor is reserved for a luxe master bedroom suite complete with steam room, swimming pool, and a large terrace.

the internal courtyard brings natural light deep into the floor plan

As for the material palette, the exposed concrete with timber formwork texture takes center stage. However, it is joined by sandstone, Kota stone, sunlight and teakwood for the furniture to create, what the architects describe as, ‘an environment that is beautifully poised between simplicity and richness’. The team also softened the tough concrete shell with traditional Indian design elements such as the jharokha on the living room wall, through which family members can glimpse down from the first floor. This Indian essence is also evident in the use of reclaimed panels and brackets from old havelis, mandapas, old vessels, carved panels that depict gods, and installations showing hand mudras.

The Grid Architects say, ‘Beton Brut makes a definite visual statement depicting purity of form and intent. Its eye-catching form possesses a softer side: that of contexuality and rootedness to the land and culture. Its narrative builds a relationship between the house and the city; man, and nature — without which architecture is meaningless.’