The site is a 45’ x 15ft long and narrow plot right behind the landmark Kashi Vishveshwara Swamy Temple located at the intersection of Balepet main road and Old Taluk Cutchery Road. Accessed through a narrow pathway from the Old Taluk Cutchery Road, it overlooks the magnanimous peepal tree and the temple’s Dravidian Shikhara under it, on the East. The site is quiet and pollution free as compared to the rest of the neighborhood.

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The first impression of the building is perceived as a tall structure with elaborate wedge balconies that lightens the heaviness of the elevation. The ground floor is double height giving a grand entrance to the building and provision for a mezzanine floor. This additional floor, serves as storage for the tenants, and its tall enough to just peep over the compound of the temple complex.

 

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The mixed-use matchbox structure, houses commercial spaces on it’s three lower levels and a penthouse on its upper level. It is a quintessential *Pette building hugging the neighboring buildings on three sides with the front and top open to light and ventilation. The architectural intervention is bare minimum, we have just designed the outer skin, the staircase and lift core connecting all slabs, the rest of the structure is completely open

 

The lift, it’s lobby and the staircase is tucked along the back wall to maximize the display window on the ground floor. The stairwell is lit with a skylight thus bringing in light from the top.

 

The commercial levels are designed as an open plan free space - without the walls giving the client the flexibility to subdivide and rent out as times come. Since the space is situated in the wedding card market and most of the tenets in the building are related to printing cards An art partition was designed on the same theme - using the scrap metal out of laser cut sheets. The sustainable art partition is added at the entrance close to the lift access.

 

The penthouse is designed - on the top most floor for privacy as well as to get advantage of the sunlight coming in. The house is divided into public living and the private bedroom by an open kitchen that eats into the modular balcony. The space that eats into the balcony is covered by a skylight thus bringing in natural light and ventilation but keeping the privacy of the kitchen. The roof of the penthouse aligns with the top of the canopy of the Peepal tree forming an interesting urban space between the temple and the building. 

 

The common principle of sustainable art has been followed for the common toilets located  in the terrace. The walls that face the terrace are made of beer bottles that bring in light and add to the ambience of the terrace while concealing the toilet behind. The terrace which immediately overlooks the top of the Peepal tree, also offers views and vistas to the skyline of Balepet.

 

*Pette means market in Kannada. The pette area in Bangalore is one of the oldest Central Business District in the city.