Malik Architecture: Rajasthan is synonymous with stone as building material but sadly over the last few decades this material has been reduced to a 'cladding 'medium and its potential as a robust and sustainable structural element has not been exploited.
The house in Jaipur presented us with an opportunity to explore this dying art that has been prevalent in traditional buildings for centuries. We laid out a simple brief: no material other than stone could be used for construction. This made us dive deeply into the art of 'making' with stone and the first sketches were the confluence of traditional knowledge blended with contemporary structural design.
The method of load bearing traditionally relied on the impermeable thickness of walls. This was reengineered to develop a hollow interlocking structural wall system that created a more effective thermal break and provided space to integrate services within the wall cavity. Floor systems alternate between vaults and large single span stone pieces. Everything from lintels to door frames have been hewn out of stone blocks. The house is arranged around a narrow courtyard that extends into even narrower slits and fissures as it weaves its way through the house.
The stone screens buffer the shaded spaces behind them and are adaptable based on the light and privacy requirements. The site reads more like an archeological excavation than an active construction site, where the line between the found and the ‘made’ is continuously blurred.
