The Watercourt House in New Delhi by rED Architects

The Watercourt House (Khatri House) is a singular, spanking residence of a family located in the quiet by-lanes of Vasant Vihar, Delhi.

It was a three-storey apartment building on stilts, with a four-bedroom home on each floor and Its floor plates abutting the compound walls. The client is a family, the parents, and their two sons. The floors were divided amongst themselves.

The foremost concern was establishing a connection between all the floors- the basement, the stilt level, and the top three storeys. There is plenty of sunlight and to beat the heat, a water trough has been built along the aperture of the skylight for insulation. ( Click on '>' to view all the images and double click on the image to enlarge it. This may take some time to load )

A motor-operated translucent blind closes out this opening during extreme summer. A concrete wall was built over the already present compound wall, covering it with vegetation thriving on drip irrigation. There’s a beautiful green wall with a garden across the road.

The standard glass railings were switched with a Ficus hedge which helps blur the boundaries between the outdoor and indoors for an uninterrupted view from the living room balconies.

The floor above the stilt belongs to the parents and the other two floors are for the sons. The floors are connected through service lifts and staff staircases.

There is a home theatre on the entertainment floor in the basement with a pantry concealed behind a curved fluted partition. A long mild steel dining table stands a little away from the atrium.

There is a wooden bridge that leads to the main entrance of the house as the stilt level. The atrium has ribbed limestone cladding on the columns, forming a series of arches with mild steel plate. This industrial-esque edge condition and eye-grabbing work by Remen Chopra & Van der Vaart. Beyond this, a bar made of thin mild steel fins boasts a motor-operated cabinet shutter.

A custom-made poker and pool table complete the entertainment zone, set against a black three-dimensional limestone wall. The stilt floor is a car parking with motorized boundary walls. There is a secondary area with access to the service road.

The parent's floor’s living room flaunts classical elements of painted mouldings on the wall and period furniture pieces. the living room embodies the stardom of the dated eras—soft but persistent.

The piéce de résistance here are the dynamic, fabric, and mirror-clad fins that separate the living room and dining area. The primary bedroom has to separate his and her suites, each complete with bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes, vast, moving partitions, and a lounge in between.

On the other hand, the sons’ floors have a more contemporary language since they appreciate a sleeker and modern style. Each floor also has a guest bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and bathroom. There is also a terrace garden with trees planted, like a zen garden with amenities like a gym and massage room.