LASTING FOOTPRINT

This expansive family home by LIJO.RENY.architects put privacy at the forefront and overcomes its eight-year-long building phase with a timeless look

- Tina Thakrar

IN the year 2011, Lijo Jos and Reny Lijo began work on what is now called The House Within the Grid on a quiet street in a leafy neighbourhood of Thrissur. The owners, a couple with four children, are based in Sharjah, so this project was more like a holiday home that the architects hoped would become a primary one someday. With this in mind, they approached the house as they would a permanent home with ample spaces to accommodate and entertain visitors.

“A specific part of the brief was the inclusion of privacy, and a clear demarcation between the public and private zones. So we created two parallel bays separated by a family space, with a repetitive spatial pattern and defined functional areas,” explains Lijo Jos. Consequently, the single storied bay with undulating volumes towards the east houses the formal living and dining areas, visitor’s lounge, and kitchen, and the double storied volume towards the west has six bedrooms and an office space and patio overlooking the pool in the middle. The staircase connecting these levels is also situated in this central, interactive circulation space.