Nairy Residence by Funktion Design in Bangalore, India

Located near the Jarakabande forest reserve in northern Bangalore, Nairy Residence by Funktion Design is a thoughtfully planned family home that embraces its natural surroundings. The design caters to three generations - elderly parents, a couple, and their teenage daughter. The house achieves a delicate balance between accessibility, privacy, and architectural drama.

Site Context and Strategy

The trapezoidal corner plot of approximately 3500 square feet is bordered by roads on two sides and opens up to an elegant forest to the north. Its gentle slope created both challenges and opportunities: protection from unwanted animals while simultaneously capturing the forest breeze and bird songs. Funktion Design responded with a robust exterior appearance and sensitive spatial organization that integrates the landscape at every level.

Dramatic Entrance Sequence

Marked by three-meter-high steel gates, the pedestrian entrance sets a decisive tone. Narrow vertical slits hint at the interior, behind which a pond with koi and polished granite steps welcome visitors. The entrance foyer serves as a transition zone, where a seating area invites one to pause before entering the central skeleton of the house: a three-story hall, suspended steel and wooden staircase, and a double-height altar with a circular skylight.

Functionality for Multiple Generations

The first floor is designed with accessibility in mind, placing the parents' bedroom, dining room, and kitchen on the same level. Parking is discreetly located in the north-western corner of the plot. Upstairs, the living room opens to a terrace garden leading to the forest, merging indoor and outdoor spaces.

The open kitchen faces an inner courtyard where a mature tree serves as the central point of the space, enhanced by a waterfall. Nearby, a prayer altar becomes the spiritual center with a floating platform and illuminated lighting.

Materials and Structural Expression

The architecture celebrates exposed concrete and brick, lending solidity to domestic forms. A continuous wall of brick connects all three levels until it turns into a boat-shaped form, covering the entire house with a concrete roof. This roof, symbolic for Funktion Design's portfolio, not only unifies the structure but also emphasizes its protective and sheltering role.

Sustainability is integrated into the project: windows and doors are made from recycled wood sourced from demolished houses, reinforcing the project's ecological orientation.

Light, Shadow and Vertical Drama

Rooftop windows punctuate the design, flooding interiors with natural light and creating a constantly shifting shadow effect. The three-story volumes enhance spatial drama, while the staircase—delicately suspended from the roof—becomes both functional and sculptural, echoing a recurring theme in Funktion Design's architectural language.

A Home Rooted in Nature and Memory

More than just a residential house, Nairy House is a sanctuary for family and continuity. Its solid materiality ensures longevity, while sensitive planning addresses the evolving needs of three generations. Combining natural materials, ecological strategies, and expressive spatial volumes, Funktion Design created a home that is both personal and contextually grounded—a retreat at the edge of the forest, honoring the past of its inhabitants while preparing for the future.