Situated in the Navy Housing Scheme Zamzama, Karachi, the residence is designed for two working parents and their four young boys, the design brief asked for a house compatible with the energy of the boys and having provision for privacy for the hijab observing lady of the house without excluding her love for nature and outdoors. The secure environment of NHS allowed the building fabric and boundaries to be permeable. The measure of luxury is the quality of light, views and rich materiality. The plan is organized to allow all rooms to benefit from natural ventilation and light that penetrate deep into the house through the courtyard and several usable terrace spaces.

An architecture that is not authoritative in the boundaries that create enclosure, but rather suggestive – seeking to create opportunities for the delightful meeting of two spaces, materials, quality of life and people within plan, from the reinvented hanging blinds in the courtyard, wooden jaffri, jute sandwiched glass doors, canvas and wood screens that fly open to meet the dense plantation in and around the house – there is a suggestion of how far the eye is allowed to travel before it intrudes. The roof, used for entertaining, has a non visual segregation – allowing it to be easily partitioned.

The material palette chosen for this home caters to the energy of for boys growing up. Unpainted plastered wall is used for exterior and interior wall finishes, complemented by brick and natural jute. Inbuilt furniture allows maximum functionality without cluttering the space. The ease of maintenance of materials, compactness and efficiency of plan celebrate living in cities.