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Paliam Veedu

Paliam Veedu
© Govind Nair

PALIAM VEEDU

Meister Varma Architects

CATEGORY
Houses

LOCATION
Chendamangalam, India

YEAR
2020

MANUFACTURERS
AutoDesk, Hafele, Saint-Gobain, Adobe

DESIGN TEAM
Krishnan Varma, Saumya Joseph

AREA
880 ft²

COLLABORATORS
Roji Antony, Shaijan PV, Shaji Francis

Text description provided by architect.

The Paliam family patriarchs were hereditary prime ministers to the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin, Kerala.

Paliam Veedu
© Govind Nair
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam

Today the ancestral home and palace of this family is a heritage complex about an hour’s drive from the city of Cochin.

The client who got a small parcel of 160 sqm in the family partition decided to build a vacation home on it.

The brief was to design a home that could host their frequent visits and double up as accommodation for the multitude of classical artists and performers who grace the annual family festival.

Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam

The layout is largely informed by this, keeping bedroom areas to a minimum and giving over the living areas to an open plan layout.

The circulation passage doubles up as access to the heritage complex behind which otherwise would get blocked with this new construction.

Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam

The design takes a cue from the traditional Kerala architecture around but introduces a gable to contain the building edges.

A rainwater channel in polished cement replaces the eaves and helps direct water in a more controlled way for storage.

Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam

This structural channel is repeated in each bay giving long lintel-less windows in all the rooms.Jackfruit wood salvaged from traditional houses is used as a grill for shading and security.

Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam
Paliam Veedu
© Syam Sreesylam

Glass roof tiles delineate the passage through the house and animate the interiors with ever changing light patterns on the floor.

Paliam Veedu
© Govind Nair


Paliam Veedu
Site Plan
Paliam Veedu
Site Plan


Paliam Veedu
West Facing Section
Paliam Veedu
East Facing Section


Paliam Veedu
Construction Detail
Paliam Veedu
Front Elevation

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