onebulb architecture's passive brick house in india winds communal and meditative spaces

natural materials and passive techniques shape brick veedu

Set in the residential urban fabric of Madurai, India, the Brick Veedu exudes a subtle yet bold character, balancing traditional motifs with modern, metallic, and minimal elements. Onebulb Architecture gives life to the client’s requirements by realizing an abode composed of various open volumes visually interconnected with bricks as their core embodiment, built with natural materials and passive techniques to tackle the extreme climatic conditions of the region.

Architectural richness intertwines with cultural elements, felt as one explores the elements within, beginning with a rich, ornate Chettinad door set against an exposed concrete and brick wall framed by the landscape on either side, creating a nostalgia-evoking entrance. The design narrative unfolds beyond through a hierarchy of volumes, fostering familial interaction and openness across both private and communal spaces.

all images courtesy of Onebulb Architecture

onebulb architecture’s cultural motifs create a meditative home

Drawing inspiration from Laurie Baker, Onebulb Architecture celebrates the earnest expression of materiality, with stones, wood, steel and vibrant handmade Athangudi tiles sourced from the village of the same name complementing the spaces. The spaces of Brick Veedu’s are a conscious reflection of the design team’s ideals, infusing unexpected heavy plasterwork, gilded metal grills for security, and even the idea of ‘elevation design’.

The living room opens into a double-height courtyard, featuring a central staircase adorned with stone and wooden treads with built-in seating, leading to a common foyer on the first floor. A simple yet elaborate extension of the staircase landing space, a meditation area crowned with a Mexican dome, and a skeletal steel frame bridge enrich the holistic spatial experience. As the spaces look inwards to the central double height area, they exude an innate sense of openness without any compromise in functionality.

set in the residential urban fabric of Madurai

Bedrooms and the dining space feature built-in seating overlooking the tranquil garden, while the master bedroom has a stepped foyer doubling as courtyard seating. A long articulated window adorns the entire northern and eastern facade — with variations on transparency and materiality — leading to a well shaded and landscaped terrace for evening teas. Each space is a conscious amalgamation of natural finishes like exposed brickwork, rubble masonry, textured exposed concrete, filler slab, and brick-dome. Notably, the use of Athangudi tiles and oxide flooring imbues a luxurious yet nostalgic ambience, as it ages gracefully over time.

Brick Veedu is composed of open volumes visually interconnected by bricks and concrete

an ornate Chettinad door creates a nostalgia-evoking entrance

the living room opens into a double-height courtyard, featuring a central staircase

Onebulb Architects adopts natural materials and passive techniques for climate control and sustainability

the use of Athangudi tiles and oxide flooring imbues a luxurious yet nostalgic ambience, as it ages over time

a common foyer on the first floor

the master bedroom has a stepped foyer doubling as courtyard seating

vibrant handmade Athangudi tiles sourced from the village of the same name

project info:

name: Brick Veedu
architecture: One Bulb Architecture

location: Madurai, Tamilnadu, India

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom