# House of Cantilevers

Private residence, Kerala. Kerala, India. Design: Collaborative Architecture.

Overlooking a scenic valley in South India, the House of Cantilevers is conceived as a sequence of projecting volumes that engage with the terrain while minimizing the building’s footprint. Organized across three levels on a contoured site, the 1,100-square-meter residence integrates spatial planning, structural expression, and passive climate strategies. The architecture balances expansive views with environmental responsiveness and a carefully considered hierarchy of domestic spaces.

## Key facts

- Location: Kerala, India
- Client: Private
- Typology: Residential
- Status: Under construction
- Area: 1,100 m²
- Consultants: Tekton Consultants (MEP); Prakrthi Living Environment (landscape)
- 6 bedrooms cantilevered toward the valley
- 8–9 m length of each cantilever

## Six bedrooms that reach over the valley

The primary public spaces occupy the mid-entry level, the bedrooms are positioned above, and service and ancillary spaces are accommodated in the basement. All six bedrooms project 8 to 9 meters toward the valley, giving the residence its name and extending the experience of the landscape into the private domain.

The curved plan, passive shading devices, semi-enclosed courts, and alternating projecting and recessed volumes respond to the sun’s path, helping to moderate thermal exposure and maintain interior comfort. These strategies shape the building’s form while grounding its spatial organization in the conditions of the site.

The project’s structural ambition is matched by its sensitivity to the cultural and domestic expectations of the family. Designed for a traditional Muslim family in Kerala, the residence maintains clear boundaries between public and private domains while adopting an open-plan approach. The result reconciles a traditional hierarchy of spaces with a contemporary architectural language, allowing openness, privacy, and connection to the landscape to coexist.

## In print

- 2015 Oct: GID (the pages on the project, PDF: https://collaborativearchitecture.com/press/features/2015-10-gid-studio-profile.pdf)
- 2015 Oct: Gulf News, Sophisticated, personalised homes (the pages on the project, PDF: https://collaborativearchitecture.com/press/features/2015-10-gulf-news-house-of-cantilevers.pdf)
- 2015 Nov: Trends (the pages on the project, PDF: https://collaborativearchitecture.com/press/features/2015-11-home-and-design-trends-house-of-cantilevers.pdf)
- 2016 Jan: Society Interiors, Icon (the pages on the project, PDF: https://collaborativearchitecture.com/press/features/2016-01-society-interiors-icon-issue.pdf)
- 2016 Jul: Inside Outside, interview (the pages on the project, PDF: https://collaborativearchitecture.com/press/features/2016-07-inside-outside-interview-with-the-principals.pdf)
- 2019 Sep: iDecorama, interview (the pages on the project, PDF: https://collaborativearchitecture.com/press/features/2019-09-idecorama-interview-with-the-principals.pdf)

## Credit for publications

House of Cantilevers, Kerala. Design: Collaborative Architecture (https://collaborativearchitecture.com/work/house-of-cantilevers/)

Page: https://collaborativearchitecture.com/work/house-of-cantilevers/