- Project: Screen House
- Architect: The Grid Architects
- Location: India, Ahmedabad
- Year: 2023
- Area: 2045 m2
- Photography: Photographix India
In the heart of Ahmedabad, Screen House by The Grid Architects redefines what it means to live together yet apart. Designed for a large family of varying ages, this contemporary residence artfully splits into three interconnected homes, merging built form with water, light, vegetation, and community spirit.
The project is a sensitive response to both climate and culture, creating a C-shaped layout that encircles a lush central courtyard—the family’s open-air living room. Water features, timber screens, and open pavilions weave a narrative of serenity, connection, and spatial harmony.
Architecture for Togetherness
The home is designed as three separate but spiritually unified dwellings, oriented toward the north and wrapped around a verdant courtyard. Facing west, north, and east respectively, each home is conceived as an independent yet interdependent unit, linked by open corridors, lily ponds, and semi-open verandas.
This shared green space becomes a daily gathering hub—where the family watches movies, enjoys meals, or meditates amid koi ponds and soft breezes.
The Screen: A Symbol and Solution
A defining architectural element of the residence is its use of brise soleil, or timber screen cladding. Horizontal and vertical timber louvers provide solar shading while ensuring ventilation and privacy. During the day, these veiled façades protect the home from Ahmedabad’s intense heat. At night, they glow like lanterns, creating an ethereal visual presence.
The screens also act as soft thresholds, maintaining a strong visual connection between indoor spaces and the gardens.
Blending Architecture and Landscape
From the outset, the architectural language and landscape were conceived as one. The material palette—raw concrete, natural stone, timber, and water—is earthy and elemental, creating a thermal mass that moderates the indoor climate.
Each house features:
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A private waterbody near the entrance
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Timber decks and patios for outdoor living
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Balconies and cantilevers designed to catch the prevailing breeze
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A double-height living room with floor-to-ceiling glazing to bring the garden in
Water not only cools and reflects light—it shapes the spatial experience. From the entrance pond to the central koi pond and garden pavilions, fluidity and calmness pervade the architecture.
Interior Program and Spatial Flow
The spatial program of each home is clearly zoned between public, semi-private, and private spaces.
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The ground floor holds common areas like the living room, dining area, prayer room, and a vestibule for casual guests.
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Each dining room extends to a timber patio that hovers beside a lily pond.
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Prayer rooms, accentuated by overhead skylights, offer quiet spiritual corners.
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Staircases, individually designed in each unit, act as sculptural transitions.
The upper floors contain three bedrooms in each residence, each with ensuite baths and walk-in wardrobes. All bedrooms overlook the central green court, reinforcing the architectural theme of living in a garden.
Community Spaces and Shared Amenities
Beyond the homes, the compound includes communal facilities that support the family’s collective lifestyle:
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A basement gym and hot tub
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An outdoor BBQ station attached to a fully glazed gazebo
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A fire pit extending into the water courtyard
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Pathways lined with native planting, all carefully curated to preserve sightlines and promote biodiversity
This is not just a house—it’s a micro-community, designed for family bonding, celebration, and quiet retreat.
The Architecture of Balance
Screen House by The Grid Architects is a bold yet graceful expression of contemporary Indian living. Through careful modulation of space, material, light, and greenery, it creates a tactile, breathable home that adapts to life’s rhythms. It proves that architecture can be both open and private, singular and shared.
“Water changes our relationship to space. It reflects, softens, and amplifies. In Screen House, it is life.”
– The Grid Architects
