project # 14

TITLE: DESAI HOUSE
LOCATION: AHMEDABAD
ARCHITECT: PRAGNESH PATEL

After graduating from School of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad, and having worked with private architects, architect Pragnesh Patel started his own practice at Ahmedabad in the year 2004. Desai house is an architectural project that was completed by him in the year 2006. The site for Desai House forms a part of Rabari colony that is located in the dense eastern suburbs of Ahmedabad. This part of the city primarily consists of industrial units, housing colonies, and chawls filled with migrant labour population. The site had two long sides as shared walls and an existing milk shop, owned by the client, as given parameters. The program also posed challenge in terms of multiple occupancy of the space; whereby the first floor would have a possibility of renting it out to the migrant labours.

site plan.................................ground floor plan......................first floor plan.........



sections....................................................................................................................


existing milk-shop............entrance..............courtyard...........................................


courtyard.....................................................layering of spaces.............................

first floor verandah.....................baithak space........................................................

The house can be accessed directly from the main road with an entrance located next to the milk shop, as well as from the back side. Activities of the main house take place on the ground floor with a baithak room, a bedroom, basic services, a kitchen, and an entrance courtyard. The courtyard naturally becomes anchoring space for the house on ground floor. Kitchen and the utility area together look into a small court at the rear entrance and the services area has its own double-volume light court. All of these courts and light wells allow ample natural light and breeze in the tight arrangement of the plan. The first floor can be accessed directly with the help of a straight staircase without disturbing the ground floor. The first floor comprises of two bedroom units with attached toilets, both of which can either work as separate units or as a single house with a shared terrace. The house has RCC frame structure, and material palette that comprises of plastered and painted walls, kotah stone flooring, and wood for doors-windows.