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Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

Architecture

2020

Photographer : KAVIN LASA PHOTOGRAPHY, STUDIO F/8

Located in the foothills of Nilgiris, just before the winding ascent to Ooty, Bungalow Medu stands as product of hospitality and cultural fusion. Born out of a collaboration between the architecture firm Bhogar Studio and client Karunya Devi, Bungalow Medu merges tradition with modern.

The concept was of a warm neighborhood café, reminiscent of the client’s grandfather’s home. Drawing inspiration from a traditional Tamil house, Bungalow Medu ingeniously reinterprets these elements in a contemporary context. As one enters from the road through a passageway, they are greeted by a ‘thinnai’ - a raised built in platform with polished grey cement oxide. Adjacent to it, the main entrance maintains a clear axis leading to the backyard café.

Architects	:	Bhogar Studio
Area	:	7266 sq. ft.
Year	:	2020
Website	:	https://www.instagram.com/bhogarstudio/

Interior view of Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

The interior unfolds as a series of inter connected rooms and courtyards bringing in abundant light to the display area. The rooms are supported by a 14’ tall lean-to Mangalore tiled roof. A band of clerestory windows line the rooms flooding the space with north light while leaving the walls below uninterrupted for display. The walls painted white to serve as a perfect backdrop for the client’s collection. The floors are polished IPS in greens, olives and greys. Continuing along the axis, a spacious room leads seamlessly to the Verandah café.

Interior view of Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

Courtyard of Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

The floor of the Café is finished using the traditional red oxide IPS flooring, evoking the nostalgia of a verandah in a Tamil bungalow. The café also boasts of an exposed Madras Terrace roof – a vernacular Indian roofing technique dating back a century. High density bricks that are small in size, locally called “achikal” are placed at a 45-degree angle with each other. The bonding agent is a mature lime plaster that is strengthened with admixtures such as jaggery and Kadukkai. This layer is topped with another brick layer and finally finished with limecrete. Usually placed on a framework of teakwood beams, this contemporary madras terrace roof has a steel framework. By leaving the underside of the roof deliberately unfinished, the project celebrates the craftsmanship and skill of the masons.

View from court of Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

Interior view of Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

Passage of Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

Entrance Garden of Bungalow Medu by Bhogar Studio

In every aspect of its design, Bungalow Medu is a seamless integration of traditional building knowledge with contemporary design sensibilities. It captures the warmth of an ancestral home while embracing the lightness of modern architecture.