Spinal Armature Apartment
- Mumbai, India | 2013 | 120m²
This apartment is located in a building where all peripheral walls and most of the internal walls are reinforced concrete constructed using the swift aluminum formwork system. There were only three walls that stood in contrast to the un-editable concrete walls in the apartment the longest of which ran through the centre of the apartment with rooms on either side.
This central wall is reimagined as a folded meandering partition that infuses life into this static apartment. The effective length of the spine, if it were outstretched and opened out, would be far longer which helps fit in a host of customized elements within it’s bends and folds. A study desk, dressing table, bookshelves and misc. storage; that are not present in the original layout of this apartment are designed on either side of the wall making it an important element that unifies the entire apartment.
The clear ceiling height in the apartment was only 2.6m and all the light points were predefined in the concrete slabs and structure. To avoid lowering the ceiling any further we had to work with the existing light points. Since the interior layout of each room was modified, some of these light points didn’t fully serve their utility. So wooden rafters plug-in to the original points and are designed as outstretched arms of the central partition adding another layer of function and meaning to the spine. These arms hold track lights that point in different directions to illuminate and eliminate any dark spots in the new layout.