meister varma designs live-work studio with vertical garden facade in india

india-based architecture studio meister varma consolidates a residence and family-owned advertising agency. ‘identiti advertising studio’ is run by a family who wished to consolidate their home and office — previously in different parts of the city — into a spacious live-work unit. the trio had acquired a building for this purpose on a compact site prior to the initial design phase. the existing structure, as is typical of the urban fabric throughout the south-indian city of kerala, offered low daylight, cramped rooms, and minimal character.

all images by vishnu raj

to match its energetic occupants the renovation by meister varma had to be dramatic. the office space accommodates twenty employees in addition to an expanding family. the exterior is distinct from its neighbors, implying its distinct program.the designers approached the project by initially carving out the interior to match the space requirements of each floor. the open-plan office on the ground floor proceeds the adjacent apartment of the older generation.

the open plan apartment of the younger generation takes up the second floor. ferrous oxide walls feature as prominent elements on each floor with integrated lighting features. a cement lattice to the east gives visual privacy from close neighbors and filters light to the living spaces. in addition to the walls, a portion of the second floor slab was demolished to connect the two residential floor balconies.

on the exterior, the public and private functions are separated visually by the surface treatment of plaster and color. a red ocher wall — deriving its color from the company logo — wraps the building, setting it apart from the surrounding residential fabric. large balconies finished in polished cement and spanning two floors project outward to the street. inbuilt planters within act as vertical kitchen gardens. the designers aimed for an invigorating model for life in a dense urban environment incorporating a variety of spaces and functions.

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