Herein we explore the idea of a merger of art and functionality, thereupon given a spatial form, emphasizing upon the way it distorts and challenges the set rules of this reality. By translating one’s own distinct nature and subconscious inclinations into the artistic and the built, we express the individual person’s entire self in their work, therefore, for a space to become art and for art to become space, one must carefully balance their own artistic impulses with architectural rules and notions. Following this premise, a space must be unique in the experience it offers, bearing the mark of the architect’s own created reality while simultaneously adapting to the needs of the user. The interaction between this created world and the psyche of the user forms the perception of the physical space, with a carefully fashioned experience per individual being the result of this crossover between the emotional art and the functional architecture. This brings us to the question, where exactly does one draw the line that needs to be drawn between the user’s own contextual needs and the world of the architect? This is the tightrope we must tread.

We start off with the concept: “A DOMAIN OF WATER.” For this, during the site visit, pebbles were thrown in the lake and recorded in slow motion, and the resultant splashes observed. Furthermore, the molecular composition of water was studied in the planning phase, drawing from the proportions of the atoms for the building plans and the covalent and hydrogen bonds between molecules to form the formal pathways and informal pathways. Along with the inspirations, world design in animated media and video games inspired a series of early sketches and illustrations, which then evolved into the final form we see now. We branch off from a central source, the initial point of contact of the pebble and the water, and then spread outwards from there into different zones – the public, semi-public, and private. These spaces were connected via bridges, stairs, and pathways, with smaller paths leading out to informal workspaces and seating areas. The complex interacts with the water, the entrance to the complex cutting through the lake itself, with a dining area and platform next to the lake, the main complex nestled within the trees overlooking the water, and small pathways and seating areas near the lake.

The main skin of the roofing structure is made using a form of acrylic PMMA injected in molds, with blue dyes added in allowing for areas of high opacity and low opacity, alluding to stylized water while also diffusing sunlight and reflecting in the ambient light from the surroundings. This is reinforced with steel frameworks and a steel mesh within the structure and is then supported by R.C.C columns and foundations. The intent behind this residence was to fight creator’s block/art block, allowing a set of changing spaces connecting to nature that would allow moments of meditation and prevent monotony. When this complex is viewed from the lake, it resembles the very splash of water rising from the lake that inspired it.