The Kizikula Guest Houses, a series of simple residential structures near the seashore in Zanzibar, Tanzania, display Case Design's signature approach to perfection; local, natural, tactile materials come together with regional needs and climate and a strong sense of community. This is just one of a series of works by the young Mumbai-based architecture firm founded by Samuel and Erica Barclay.
Their first project, the one that prompted the creation of their firm, was the Avasara Academy, a school set on a valley slope above the village of Lavale, west of Pune and southeast of Mumbai. It is an education project created with the local community in mind and ‘it has been a labour of love,' says Samuel. The pair went on from strength to strength since, working on a range of commissions, from new built homes to residential interiors and furniture, in India and beyond.
The Tanzania houses draw on their environment, created using coral limestone found on the island that gives them a unique site-specific twist and visually connects them to the earth; while displaying the studio's appreciation of natural materials and textured surfaces.
MORE FROM WALLPAPER* ARCHITECTS DIRECTORY 2020
These simple structures cater for a variety of needs, from social interaction to intimacy and relaxation. Entered through a deep veranda, each house is an independent, simple composition centred on an open plan main space, containing a kitchen and living room. Meanwhile, the outside area ensures the interiors have enough shade, comfort and privacy.
More residential work by the small but fast-moving studio includes the renovation of a two-bedroom apartment in Mumbai's Malabar Hill. Every project provides its own challenges and homes are no exception. ‘I think a home and a chair are two of the most difficult design challenges there are,' says Samuel Barclay.
‘In some ways the program [of a house] is very simple but there is literally no end to the depth that you can go into on elements like materials, climate, program, culture, social construct, and spatial/formal considerations. To know too that this is going to be the personal space for an individual or family to inhabit for years to come elevates the stakes for me as well especially after having children. It is an opportunity to create an environment that is built around the values that you share with your team, collaborators, and the client.'
INFORMATION
-
The most comprehensive showing of Nan Goldin’s photographs and films is intense and emotionalNan Goldin's moving-image work makes a heavy impact in ‘This Will Not End Well’ at Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca
-
How We Host: Interior designer Heide Hendricks shows us how to throw the ultimate farmhouse fêteThe designer, one half of the American design firm Hendricks Churchill, delves into the art of entertaining – from pasta to playlists
-
Arbour House is a north London home that lies low but punches highArbour House by Andrei Saltykov is a low-lying Crouch End home with a striking roof structure that sets it apart
-
Inside a creative couple's magical, circular Indian home, 'like a fruit'We paid a visit to architect Sandeep Virmani and social activist Sushma Iyengar at their circular home in Bhuj, India; architect, writer and photographer Nipun Prabhakar tells the story
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
A refined Indian country residence reimagines the farmhouseSet among Karnataka’s rolling fields and forest, House by the Grove by Taliesyn Design & Architecture combines modern materials with an open approach to the elements
-
Half bridge, half home: Wallmakers’ latest project takes architecture to daring new heightsHovering above a forest stream in Maharashtra, Bridge House pushes the limits of engineering and eco-conscious design
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom Malibu beach pads to cosy cabins blanketed in snow, Wallpaper* has featured some incredible homes this month. We profile our favourites below
-
Cascading greenery softens the brutalist façade of this Hyderabad homeThe monolithic shell of this home evokes a familiar brutalist narrative, but designer 23 Degrees Design Shift softens the aesthetic by shrouding Antriya in lush planting
-
A lush Bengaluru villa is a home that acts as a vessel for natureWith this new Bengaluru villa, Purple Ink Studio wanted gardens tucked into the fabric of the home within this urban residence in India's 'Garden City'
-
Brick by brick, a New Delhi home honours India’s craft traditionsRLDA Studio's Brick House works with the building block's expressive potential to create a dynamic residence with a façade that reveals patterns that change with the sun and shadows
