A fusion home in Kerala
Sunday, January 20, 2008I like fusion. It means taking two very different things and making something new. It takes courage, it takes imagination & bit of irreverence. This post brings you exactly that. On my trip to Trivandrum I was hoping to see an exciting home. Something I could show here. I had no clue what it would be- I hadn’t spoken to my brother-in-law. And anyway what does one say- ‘Do you know any interesting house – typical keralite architecture hopefully- which I could showcase on my blog?’ So I didn't say anything. I land up at my sister's new home and am instantly interested in the neighbouring house which follows the Laurie Baker style of architecture which I wrote about here. I request if I can take pictures. And end up meeting Balagopal S whose home it is. He tells us that there's another house he has built which might interest me- And we go to this amazing home called ‘Neelakantham’. This home is a fusion of the Laurie Baker style of architecture which is very bricky and the traditional Keralite architecture which is poetry in dark wood.
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One looks up the central courtyard or 'Nadumittam' to see 2 floors of the home.
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The interesting thing is Balagopal who designed this and got the rather reluctant contractors to try this experiment is not a trained architect. He just loves building homes & it really shows.
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