The Dual House

GRCA, a young firm headed by Architect Gaurav Roy Choudhury, transforms a standard abode into a dream haven, sited in the greenest and most central part of Bengaluru. Apoorva Gorhe finds out more about the tale behind its inimitable decor and efficient design.

- Gaurav Roy Chudhury

The contrasting personalities of a couple and their three children have been inventively brought together under one roof, resulting in the ‘Theory of Dualism’. The owner waited all his life to reside with his family in his own residence that would reflect their characters, and provide them with a feeling of security.

The brief given to Gaurav was grand yet intimate; showy yet humble; exuberant yet restrained and illustrated the duality between the traits of husband and wife. The former is a successful, jovial and outgoing businessman and the latter is a quiet, introverted and gentle housewife. He says: ‘The reality of one nature feeding the other also hit us, as they fed off each other having found a very relaxed equilibrium. The Dual House is an experiment in creating these co-existing and almost symbiotic dualities in space, in language and in materials.’

‘The language of the house became more intricate, as a play on duality as well as a conscious effort to counterbalance “expensive” materials and replace them with “crafted” materials. This way, the high budget assigned to the house went to the right people – the artisans and the craftsmen,’ says Gaurav.

Initially, the couple had bought two apartments, one above the other but now they wanted to combine and fashion them into one. Though this project is an interior one, Gaurav and his team were given a free hand to dismantle all the walls and create a single apartment. The brief demanded five bedrooms comprising one master and one guest, one each for their three children. It also required a big kitchen, dining, a formal and an informal living room. A library was very important to them since most of their time is spent in the same (with an AV room), where the family regularly gets together.