A-204Ahmedabad, Gujarat · 2022

Terra Court

Nine families, one stair, and a court that nobody is allowed to park in.

12.80 m

A-204 · Perspective from the north-east · massing only

Programme
Nine apartments around a shared court
Floor area
1,260 m²
Height to parapet
12.80 m
Storeys
4
Structural bays
6
Status
Built · 2022

The site allowed eleven units. We drew nine and used the difference to make a court wide enough that a cricket ball can be thrown across it without hitting a wall.

Each apartment turns a corner, so every home has two orientations and cross ventilation. The stair is open to the sky and doubles as the building's only corridor.

Terracotta louvres on the west face were made in three depths and set by an installer who was given the elevation and asked to improvise within it.

Team

Ira Menon

Design lead

Nikita Bose

Project architect

Sane Associates

Structure

Aarav Constructions

Contractor

Materials

Furthest: Terracotta louvres178 km

Terracotta louvres, three depthsMorbi178 km
Exposed concrete frameBatched on siteOn site
Lime-washed brick infillSanand32 km
IPS flooringLaid in situOn site

How it went

  1. July 2019

    Nine families bought the plot together and drew lots for orientation.

  2. April 2020

    Design paused for eleven months. Everyone stayed in.

  3. February 2021

    On site. The court was staked out before the flats were.

  4. October 2022

    Handover. Nobody has parked in the court yet.