[Left] Southern Facade. The rear side (South) has a percolation pit filled with granite chips and a water retention tank. The reason behind choosing granite chips over sand was because they were economical and eco friendly comparitively. Also seen in the photo, are the green balconies with extensive vegetation that helps in protection from the sun, and provides recreational space for the residents.
Luminosity
David Nightingale and Ganesh Bala Residential Zone, Auroville "Luminosity works as a model for collective living“, says David about the housing apartments situated in the residential zone of Auroville. Luminosity is a rectangular block of 9 offices and 12 apartments. Completed in 2010, the building adapts well to the climatic context of the city, utilizing the
optimum orientation, wind direction and its natural setting. The ground floor of the three storeyed building houses nine office spaces with common kitchen and toilet facilities. The idea to avoid creating residential units on the ground floor was intentional, to avoid the creation of private gardens and yards by the residents. This was done to promote the ideals of Auroville that it belongs to ‘nobody in particular’. Both the upper floors have six residences, each serving as a self sufficient unit housing the
bedroom, kitchen and toilets, within a vast flexible space. The green balconies serve as the sitting spaces for recreation. The project aimed to achieve quality instead of quantity. Each residential unit has been worked out intelligently and adapts to the requirement of the users effectively, with minimum alterations to the design.
[Right] Front Yard. The front side is occupied with pebble laid yard with selective plantations. The colonnade provides for a transition space between the yard and the office spaces. The front (North) facade of the building is equipped with adjustable louvers. The louvers provide for the protection from heavy monsoon rains as well as to facilitate wind movement through the residential units. The louvers can be manually adjusted in different configurations at different angles.
[Green Balconies] Extensive vegetation is used in the balconies on the Southern facade. These help in protection from the harsh sun of Tamil Nadu. Native plants have been selected for the purpose to help in climate adaptation. The green balconies not only enhance the aesthetic value of the building, but the wide vegetated balconies also provide space for recreation of the residents, and helps in facilitation of wind movement. The projections create smooth transitions between the hot climate outside and the controlled indoor environment, thereby resulting in the creation of a climate responsive design.
[Left] The balcony vegetation consists of flowering and non flowering plants, that not only cool down the spaces, but also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the southern facade. [Right] The staircase is a striking feature of Luminosity. Viewed in the photo, is the framing used on the ground floor to enclose the staircase. Locally available wood combined with aluminium is used to create the light frame. The framing creates a contrast with the white facade of the building and stands out. Luminosity creates connections between all the floors using two such stairwells at each end of the plan.
[Stairwell] One of the visual features that stand out in Luminosity. The amber coloured wall that supports the stairwell create a visual contrast, between the staircases and the white facade of the building. The idea of using contrast colour in the walls was that the architect needed to make clear distinction between the verticle circulation space and the building. Exposed poured concrete is used for the construction of the staircase. The stairwell is brightly lit using natural light achieved through large continous openings in the southern facade. The recessing of the staircase from the main facade helps in cutting down the heat.
[Terraces] The large terraces covered with galvanised iron sheets make up the community spaces within Luminosity. The building has three such terraces, each used for interaction between the residents or their guests. These terraces act as washing areas with two community washing machines on each terrace. They also provide for sitting areas for the residents and their guests to enjoy the breeze that flows throughout the year. The terraces have rainwater collection system as well as the defunct dehumidification system, which failed partially due to technical difficulties. The raised platform now acts as a seating. The large terrace areas create an interesting space.
The provision of community facilities like washing, dining (for gatherings) and reading areas was to promote interaction between the residents. The terraces also have storage dedicated to each residential unit, which can be used to install an invertor (as mostly do), or to keep any other belonging in case the residents run out of space in their apartments. Each terrace has green areas and extensive plantation to create a soothing environment. The terraces provide scenic views to the dense green surroundings of Auroville, enhancing the quality of space available at these terraces. The concept of making Luminosity a 'model for community living' is materialized through these spaces.
[Left] The foyer at the entrance serves as a transition space for the visitors. The space also acts as an extension to the living area within, divided with the use of full length sliding doors. They allow the extension of space when needed, and also help in enclosing the inner area when it is required to be protected from the outside harsh climate, strong winds or during the time when the nearby areas are sprayed by pesticides. The foyer area thus adds to the usable area when needed. The entire space is therefore made flexible to use as they can be controlled by the residents as per their requirement.
[Centre] The image shows the vertical louvers installed on the Northern facade of Luminosity. These louvers are made adjustable to different configurations, as desired by the users. When fully opened, the residents can enjoy the exterior view of dense green covers on the ground, thus integrating the interior with the exteriors. The louvers also help in facilitating the wind flow within the building, and utilize the strong breezes during hot summers for thermal comfort inside. The louvers thus establish a connection of the resident living inside with the outside environment through the interaction with the movable facade elements.
[Right] The balconies on the Southern side of the building are equipped with extensive green vegetation that lower downs the temperature. The large overhangs provide shade for comfortable use of the space. The sliding door of the living area allow the users to extend the spaces and use these spaces for recreational purpose. Housed within the balconies are these storage shelves (as seen in the picture) that provide the users to put their neccessary belongings and the wooden top serve as a seating for the residents. The balcony therefore becomes an extension of the living area.
[Apartments] The 70 sq.m. apartments are designed to suit the need of the residents and can be modified as per the user‘s need. The apartment is essentially a free plan with the provision of bathroom and toilet in the central area, and a kitchenette clubbed with the living/bedroom area. The furniture is kept minimal and a multiple variety of configurations can be adopted, depending on the users. Shown here is architect David Nightingale‘s apartment on the second floor, who opted to go for a simple mattress laid on a concrete top in place of a conventional bed. Hence, each apartment uses the same space differently.
As seen in the image, the sliding doors of the apartment when fully opened, provide an unobstructed view of the green areas on the ground, thus keeping the residents connected with the nature, even on upper floors. "The rooms get very airy when the doors are fully opened, and we do not need even the ceiling fans sometimes", David says about his apartment. The apartment therefore adapts beautifully to the climatic context of Auroville, and provides flexibility in use and design to each individual at the same time. The design being flexible and adaptive, was the reason behind the fact that the apartments are fully occupied.
The apartment also takes very good care about the acoustical comfort of the users. Each individual apartment is separated from each other and is constructed of dense fly ash bricks and cavity walls. The cavities between the walls are used for water pipes and ducts. The louvers on the front facade are also made of sound absorbing material that reduce the noises from outside and when closed during heavy monsoon, help in maintaining lesser noise inside. The floors also use inverted beams above the slabs, filled with rice-husk ash to help deaden sound-transmission vertically between apartments