Category: AWARD

The 50 Most Beautiful Homes [AD50]

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A house is always conceived as a manifestation of the personality of those it is meant for. It’s an idea that fi nds appropriate expression in the austere concrete proportions of Jeebon-Anondo. Located in Dhaka, the house was built as a haven from the noise and the bustle of the city. The box-shaped outer shell is analogous of the overarching desire of parents to offer their offspring shelter and protection from the outside world. Its city location prompted the architectural fi rm System Architects to design interiors that brought in “spatial hierarchy and made the connections enjoyable and meaningful”. A consideration uppermost in the mind of the architect was to build a house that forged a connection with its inhabitants, and provided easy access across all four levels to the differently abled eldest son. The central space is dominated by fi ve circular pillars, a metaphor for the family being the “backbone and structure of the building”. The unrelenting opacity of concrete is relieved by circular openings that punctuate the shell and break from the otherwise angular geometries. “A circle is a symbol [for a] moment and a drop connects to that moment which brings light, water and drama into the living spaces,” says principal architect, Enamul Karim Nirjhar. Glass and concrete engage in a duet that results in an evocative play of light and shadow. The house, when seen as a whole, becomes an almost poignant celebration of daily life.