Balan and Nambisan Architects: Creating a Modern Industrial Home

Balan and Nambisan Architects have designed this modern industrial home for a young couple and their toddler twins, filled with surprises around every corner all the way into the bathrooms. Sitting on a quiet lane of a busy neighbourhood, this penthouse sits at a vantage point to watch planes take-off from the runway next door.

The house is split into two parts with very practical serviceability hidden away behind multiple pocket doors. One wing houses the entertainment pad - souped up with a media lounge, convertible guest bed and an indoor and outdoor bar perfect to bring the parties home.

The other wing boasts a dramatic double height family, dining and kitchen area into which the upper level of bedrooms look into. Chunky steel beams punctuate the volume, dipping low to embrace human scale.

A lush balcony with a Jacuzzi surrounded by dense foliage acts as an oasis amidst a concrete jungle.

Each sleep-suite is fully equipped with the works for its respective users - a playful loft for the twins, a glamorous walk-in with an ensuite to match for the missus, and a moody jet-black rock-cut skylit shower for the mister.

The structure is left raw like an exoskeleton - the corrugated underdecks painted a cold grey set against dark rafters and beams and exposed tracks to light up the whole space.

A delicate cluster of handmade metal discs light up the double height volume in stark contrast. The entire house is a vibe of its own, only short of its vibrant occupants.

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features an idyllic villa design by 2023 SBID Awards Finalist, Balan and Nambisan Architects.

Balan and Nambisan Architects was commissioned to design a luxurious villa in a warm contemporary style. Drama is created in the powder room with a ceiling mounted Gessi faucet over a floor standing washbasin in a surround of onyx. A Bulthaup open kitchen is the heart of the home. In the master bedroom flawless white statuario marble is contrasted with dark walnut wood. A bespoke leather headboard serves as a fitting backdrop to the Capital bed. The master bath uses Stonewood marble contrasted with vanities in wood with brass details.

What was the client's brief? 

A custom designed villa for a close knit family with a considerable extended family who spend lengths of time together during festivals, celebrations and holidays. Bangalore, India is a dense, crowded urban city with a population of 11 million and life for a high achieving family can be extremely stressful and chaotic. Our clients desired the home to be a complete sanctuary from the chaos, tailored to their lifestyle. An absolute necessity was the home offering multiple entertaining spaces with the ability to entertain across three generations simultaneously. Equally important was the sanctity of the private spaces. An abode to withdraw from the chaos of city life, a home with spaces for physical fitness and one to entertain. A luxurious home with a careful integration of design, materials, detailing and technology.

What inspired the design of the project?

Keeping the home private was a key driver of the design. The design of the home wraps around external spaces that are scooped out of the plan, ensuring that outsiders do not have the ability to look in. Yet the home is always connected to the outdoors with landscaped courtyards and planters wrapping around on the upper levels. We used three materials - stone, wood and metal, these three materials are mouled in different ways to either block, semi open or open up views to spaces. The journey begins with the solidness of road-facing external form cladded in sandstone panels cut to a bespoke size and finished in 2 textures to create a dynamic facade. A facade that changes through the day with the play of light and shadow. As one moves through the home, these three materials take on different forms of detail to embellish spaces.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

One of the most challenging aspects of the home was executing the staircase around the lift volume. An elliptical metal staircase wraps around an elliptical glass lift within a 5-storey atrium volume. The only areas of support for this grand staircase was at the main landings, spanning 3.6 - 4M floor to floor. We went through 3 metal fabricators and multiple mockups before we were able to eventually execute the structure. The steel stringer beams were laser cut and bent into a curve, the balustrade was bespoke designed laser cut panels, each section precisely cut, bent and labelled for each run. A challenge was executing and sequencing the entire space.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The design and execution of the staircase and executing this home through Covid.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

Having recently opened our office in London, it was only natural that we would become members of SBID with SBID representing the UK interior design industry, one of the world's leading design industries. Entering the SBID awards has allowed us to showcase our design capability to the design community as a whole here in the UK, as well as allowed us to gauge where we stand within the UK and International design community. This is an important step for any practice especially for one that has decided to open its first international office.

What has being an Award Finalist meant to you and your business?

Being nominated as an Award finalist is a huge honour for us. It is an affirmation of our design skills from the international design community and this means the world to us especially as we take the next step to build our practice here in the UK.

Questions answered by Nilanjana Roy, Partner at Balan and Nambisan Architects.