Light-Filled Interiors and Voluminous Residential Spaces
I design homes that breathe, using double-height volumes and strategic skylights to draw natural light into the very heart of your living space.
The drawing room of the Sobti Residence is characterized by a striking double-height volume. Abundant natural light enhances the openness of the space, while a floating wood-and-glass staircase adds architectural elegance.
An aerial view of the Kavyam Residence living room shows the impact of the double-height glazed façade. This feature maximizes natural light and offers uninterrupted views of the green belt outside, enhancing the connection to the outdoors.
The double-height space in the Screen House links the ground floor drawing room with the upper family lounge. This vertical connection allows natural light to flow throughout the home, enhancing the sense of openness and interaction across levels.
In the Slender House, the main brief was to maintain connection between family members. I designed an inward-looking structure with spaces interconnected via a central, light-filled courtyard, as seen in this view from the upper level.
The core idea for the Slender House was to punctuate the narrow volume with staggered cut-outs and skylights. This view from the top of the courtyard shows how light filters down, filling the home with vitality and a sense of openness.
With no side windows, bringing light into the Slender House was a challenge. I designed a central skylight over the void to illuminate the internal courtyards, reducing the need for artificial light and creating this dramatic, airy stairwell.
A worm's-eye view of the Slender House skylight. This feature is critical to the design, bringing natural light deep into the narrow home and creating an ever-changing play of light and shadow on the floral mosaic floor below.
About this collection
When working with tight urban plots, I often sacrifice a small portion of the total floor area to carve out a central atrium or void. This intentional reduction in square footage creates a vertical connection between levels, ensuring that even the deepest corners of your home remain bathed in natural light and constant airflow.
Architecture is rarely just about square footage. In dense urban environments, the challenge is often not how to fill a space, but how to ensure it remains vibrant and connected. My approach to residential design relies heavily on manipulating light and volume to create a sense of scale, even within modest footprints.
The Mechanics of Light
In projects like the Slender House, where site constraints prohibited side windows, the solution lay in the roof. By integrating a central skylight over a void, I was able to pull daylight deep into the interior, turning a structural necessity into an aesthetic centerpiece. This play of light is not static; it changes throughout the day, altering the character of the internal courtyards and reducing the reliance on artificial lighting.
Vertical Connectivity
Verticality is a powerful tool in residential planning. Double-height volumes and triple-height atriums, such as those featured in the Step Maze and Kavyam Residences, serve a dual purpose. Spatially, they allow the eye to travel across floors, fostering a sense of proximity between family members even when they are in different parts of the house. Thermally, these volumes are essential for cross-ventilation, allowing warm air to rise and escape, which is critical for maintaining comfort in the Indian climate.
By treating the house as a continuous spatial narrative rather than a stack of isolated rooms, I aim to create homes that feel expansive, airy, and deeply attuned to the rhythms of nature, regardless of the plot size.
Kapil Krishan Aggarwal
My practice grew from a single chair project, and I still approach every room as if it were a piece of furniture—with attention to proportion and materiality. I believe architecture is a spatial story, and I am here to help you craft yours.
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