A home in New Delhi that makes a solid case for courtyards in city life

The Anagram Architects office calls it the Cleft House—a name it earned from its indented shape which is the result of varied floor plans across four levels—but I would much rather call it The Introvert. It’s not the three levels of security our team had to clear to gain access to this residence in north Delhi, but its windowless façade that makes it seem like a brooding, introverted character. “In a typical house in Delhi you have large windows in the front or balconies, but [this plot] didn’t have a good view, and there’s too much noise and dust. Also, the client was very particular about his privacy,” explains Vaibhav Dimri, principal architect at Anagram and the one heading this project.

With all the natural elements blocked out from the front, Dimri created a courtyard at the heart of the house to ensure light and air circulation. “The courtyard typology works really well here not just because there is no view, but also with the climate. A typical courtyard house reduces the number of surfaces where the heat gain can happen. But we tweaked it a little and created an urban conditioned space. We covered this courtyard on top and made it rain sheltered; the wind can flow through, since the structure is open from the front and back. A large evaporative cooler throws in conditioned cool air, but doesn't consume a lot of energy.” With four levels stacked on top of it, this really looks like a contemporary interpretation of a courtyard. Guests love it, says Priya Kumar, the