Traditionally, the Gujarati/Memon family system manifests itself in a large house with minimum privacy and multiple shared functions. Here the house continues to be a single unit structure yet the lateral plan offers autonomy and privacy for two nuclear families, achieved by allowing them to come together at multiple thresholds and "in-between" spaces. With separate access to both the ground and first floor, it has two sky courtyards, one that descends to the basement and one that stays at the ground level. Connected to verandas and other meso-spaces, they bring in soft warm light and breezes into the house, while, outside, the wind-oriented façade, a weave of hollow concrete blocks, channels the breeze and creates shade.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
