A thoughtfully designed residence in Bengaluru, India, demonstrates how contemporary architecture can honor family heritage while adapting to modern needs. The "Heirlooms in Concrete" project, completed in 2024 by Greyscale Design Studio, represents a compelling solution to the challenges facing multi-generational families in rapidly evolving urban environments.
Spanning 5,000 square feet, this residential project was conceived as a complete rebuild rather than a renovation. The original home had served the family for over two decades, but changing dynamics and evolving lifestyle needs called for a fresh architectural approach. The design team, led by architects Girish Mysore, Magesh Manohar, and Ninu Ahluwalia, faced the complex challenge of creating a contemporary living space that would serve multiple generations while preserving the emotional connections to the original family home.
The architectural solution takes the form of a twin house concept, with distinct yet connected living spaces for different generations. The lower floors accommodate the older generation, providing easy access to street level and garden areas that support their preference for social interaction and connection to the ground plane. The upper levels serve the younger family members, featuring more private, sky-oriented spaces that emphasize openness and contemporary living patterns.
This vertical separation allows each generation to maintain their preferred lifestyle while staying physically and emotionally connected. The design avoids creating isolated units, instead fostering interaction through shared spaces and thoughtful circulation patterns that encourage natural encounters between family members.
One of the project's most striking features is the sculptural boundary wall surrounding the courtyard. This concrete installation serves multiple functions, acting as both security barrier and artistic statement. The wall consists of alternating sloped concrete panels that create a dynamic, rhythmic pattern. As the sun moves throughout the day, the wall's geometry produces constantly shifting shadows and visual effects, transforming what could have been a static barrier into a living architectural element.
Constructed from raw, unfinished concrete panels set within a steel framework, the wall celebrates material authenticity. Rather than hiding construction imperfections, the design embraces them as part of the aesthetic character. Dark matte-finished steel frames provide structural support and visual definition, while corten steel fins on the upper floor add warmth and textural contrast to the composition.
Practical considerations were carefully integrated into the wall's design. Weather resistance features include sealed joints and an internal drainage system that channels rainwater away from the structure while maintaining the clean visual lines. This attention to both form and function demonstrates the architects' commitment to creating beautiful yet durable architectural elements.
At the heart of the residence lies a two-story courtyard that serves as the home's central organizing element. This space reinterprets the traditional Indian courtyard typology for contemporary family life, functioning as a multi-sensory gathering place that connects different areas of the house while providing natural light and ventilation.
A skylight above the courtyard ensures consistent natural illumination throughout the day, while the space physically connects the living room, dining area, and upper-level common areas. This vertical integration creates seamless spatial flow between floors and serves as the primary social hub for family gatherings, conversations, and celebrations.
Within the courtyard, a pastel green swing with brass detailing provides both functional seating and symbolic meaning. Suspended delicately within the double-height space, the swing represents the coexistence of nostalgic elements with contemporary design, embodying the project's broader theme of honoring the past while embracing the future.
The design emphasizes material restraint and craftsmanship throughout. Contemporary and minimal in approach, the architecture serves as a backdrop for daily life rather than overwhelming the occupants with excessive ornamentation. Natural materials including stone, oxide flooring, timber, and metal accents create a palette of subtle textures and warm tones.
Sustainability considerations influenced multiple design decisions. Cavity walls within the building envelope provide thermal insulation against Bengaluru's variable climate conditions. Strategically placed skylights include discrete mesh ventilators that allow warm air to escape from double-height volumes, promoting natural cross-ventilation and passive cooling throughout the day.
The interior spaces feature soft neutral colors, exposed materials, and carefully considered details. The living room opens directly to the courtyard, allowing filtered natural light to animate interior surfaces throughout the day. A sculptural staircase rises from the dining area, featuring an oxide finish and curved geometry that provides elegant circulation between levels.
The uppermost floor functions as a recreational and contemplative retreat, housing a gym, home theater, pantry, and terrace garden. Rather than treating the rooftop as leftover space, the architects designed it as an active programmatic zone that supports leisure activities and family interaction. The terrace offers expansive views and incorporates extensive greenery, creating opportunities for relaxation and reflection.
Environmental responsibility extends to the building's energy systems, with solar panels installed on the terrace to provide renewable power generation. This feature reduces the home's environmental impact while working toward energy self-sufficiency, reflecting contemporary concerns about sustainable living.
The project responds to changing patterns in Indian family structures, which are evolving from traditional joint families toward more complex arrangements that blend independence with interdependence. Rather than imposing a rigid family model, the design allows for flexible relationships between generations while supporting both communal activities and private retreat.
Shared spaces like the courtyard facilitate natural interaction, while separate entrances and autonomous living areas provide privacy when desired. This spatial negotiation between connection and independence represents a key achievement of the architectural solution, addressing both emotional and functional needs of modern multi-generational households.
The architects avoided the temptation to create an overly designed or spectacular building, instead focusing on spaces that are warm, intentional, and adaptable to changing needs over time. The result demonstrates that contemporary architecture can speak meaningfully about family, memory, and belonging without resorting to nostalgic pastiche or avant-garde gestures.
"Heirlooms in Concrete" offers valuable insights for residential architecture in rapidly developing Indian cities. The project addresses fundamental questions about building for the present while honoring the past, designing for individual needs while maintaining community connections, and creating architecture that communicates profound ideas through subtle means.
The residence grows with its occupants, holds family stories within its walls, and provides spaces for both routine daily activities and special celebrations. It represents a thoughtful model for contemporary Indian domestic architecture that acknowledges complexity, embraces change, and reimagines continuity in built form.
Through careful attention to light, volume, material, and spatial relationships, the architects have created a home that choreographs everyday life while remaining adaptable to future needs. The project stands as evidence that residential architecture can successfully balance tradition and innovation, creating spaces that honor family heritage while supporting contemporary lifestyles.
In the daily activities that unfold within its walls, the shifting shadows cast by the sculptural boundary wall, the laughter echoing in the central courtyard, and the quiet moments of solitude in private spaces, "Heirlooms in Concrete" demonstrates the evolving spirit of home in contemporary India. The project proves that thoughtful architecture can create meaningful places that grow with families while maintaining connections to memory, place, and community.
