Architecture
By Happy Jasta · 22 November, 2024
Sandstone is often considered a cladding material in India but this unique house in Jaipur, Rajasthan, showcases its potential as a structural material in architecture
Named House of Solid Stone, this passive house is built by Mumbai-based Malik Architecture. It mainly utilizes locally sourced stone reinforced through tie-rods and shear pins. Lime mortar is used to seal the joints
Everything, from walls and stairs to window jambs and carved exterior screens are made from stone blocks
Flooring comprises vaults and large single span stone pieces.
A traditional splitting technique to extract stones was used to minimize the use of a machine and to maintain the original grain and texture
The team collaborated with local stonemasons to employ their generational expertise on sizing and handling sandstone to their requirement
This stone house adopts a hollow interlocking structural wall system rather than the traditional load bearing construction
The House of Solid Stone is arranged around a narrow courtyard that helps counter the effect of the harsh summer sun
While its cavity construction system creates an effective thermal break with a variation of up 5 degrees centigrade between the temperature inside and outside
High and arched ceilings are also stand out interior design feature
This is complimented by round windows and large openings in the structure helping with the passive cooling of the house