Frames of Quietude

Conceived as an ancillary retreat, this guest house design sits just a stone's throw from an existing farmhouse where a couple frequently escape their fast-paced life in Bangalore.

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But can steel, in all its cool rationality, hold the tenderness of home, especially in a hot, humid landscape? Crafted by the architectural studio Śūnya, helmed by Sai Keerthana and Shiv Nayak, this 1,750-square-foot structure in Thally, Tamil Nadu, stands as a robust proof that it can.

Design intend

"It was never meant to be extravagant," says principal architect Keerthana. "They wanted something that felt like an extension of the land, and of themselves." To that end, the shell is unapologetically modern: a steel frame, raised over two levels. But its expression is anything but industrial. Akin to vernacular memory, a sloping terracotta-tiled roof lends familiarity and scale, tempering the crispness of the metal skeleton.

Illuminating with daylight