Lakehouse

Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking

Lakehouse

CollectiveProject

PHOTOGRAPHS
Benjamin Hosking

AREA
3800 ft²

DESIGN TEAM
Cyrus Patell, Eliza Higgins, Divya Shetty, Amandine Romanet

MANUFACTURERS
Delta Light, Kohler, Schüco, Iguzzini, Hunter Douglas, Inarchi

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Hyderabad, India

CATEGORY
Houses

Text description provided by architect.

The Lakehouse is a private retreat designed as a space for entertaining, and as a respite from urban life.

Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking

Located on a steeply sloped and rocky site overlooking the DurgamCheruvu Lake in Hyderabad, the property is embedded in the heart of the city while still feeling completely removed.

Due to its topography, the site has prime views across the water to a nature preserve and the contrasting density of the distant HiTec City – a 150-acre tech park that has become a prominent part of the urban landscape.

Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking

Contrary to the standard architectural response in Hyderabad to fill, level and clear the site, the Lakehouse hovers above the ground, allowing the natural terrain to become a celebrated focus of the architectural experience.

Facing the lake, the building opens with a massing parti of three large teakwood portals that rotate and shift to frame unique views.

Along the road and sides, the lightweight steel structure is clad with slabs and thin ribs of local grey granite to create a subtle play of shadow while maintaining privacy from the neighbors.

Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking

A tension between heavy and light was used to establish a strong material and spatial logic, with floating stone-clad volumes that showcase the skill and precision of the masons who executed the stonework.

The wood cladding continues along the interior to create continuity between inside and out, accented by full-height wooden screens that allow for immediate, filtered views to the small gardens and city beyond.

Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking

The Landscaping highlights the transition between wet and dry as an integral part of the experiential narrative.

From the road, the building appears solid and heavy, concealing the panoramic view, with a lush landscape that is foreign to the hot and dry climate of the city.

Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking

As one passes through the building, the verdant planting falls behind, and the dry and rocky landscape of Hyderabad reveals itself along with the extraordinary panoramic view.


Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking


Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking
Lakehouse
© Benjamin Hosking


Lakehouse
Ground Floor Plan
Lakehouse
First Floor Plan
Lakehouse
Site Plan