S-HOUSE BY SDEG

A modern house to contrast with classical Indian architecture

The S-House in Chennai, India represents the perfect synthesis of Indian architecture firm SDeG’s work. Indeed, this curious looking building isn’t the firm’s first attempt to bring Indian architecture to a whole other level.

The challenges they’re facing are big. Indian cities are fast-growing and overcrowded places where the architecture is often reduced to its simplest and densest. With S-House’s futuristic and bubbly design, SDeG chose to create a striking contrast between India as it was and what it’s becoming. The surrounding houses look pretty dull and rigid next to the S-House and local architecture is clearly questioned here.

However, the original design of the house serves a purpose. The gelatinous concrete envelope was made to create air gasps while the twin-walled facade helps preserve the house from the heat. Only lightweight materials have been used and assembled by talented masons in order to keep the construction costs at a reasonable level.

From the outside, the house looks like an impenetrable fortress from the future. Indeed, the S-House looks inward on an internal court around which are organized the various living spaces. A beautiful sculpted tread links those spaces between each other and leads to a hidden rooftop pool. The icing on the cake.