Frozen Anachrony by Ego Design Studio

Architects: Ego Design Studio

Location: Kottiyam, Kerala

Area: 4244 sq.ft

Year of completion: 2016

Photographs: Running Studios

The project was a question on relevance? The relationship between a particular architectural style, time, context and its repetition in this society, which is heavily media, dictated. The built form in its style questioned its relevance in the time and context in which it was conceived and executed and the connecting mass in the center questioned its own relevance amidst the already irrelevant mass. The brief demanded a Victorian style residence. After tedious attempt to convince the client of its irrelevance, the project was perceived as an installation which would question the idea of relevance.

The built form was designed as two parts, the guest and living spaces in front and the personal spaces behind. These spaces were designed in Victorian style in terms of their architectural elements, scale and planning principles. Then the two blocks were connected by means of a contrasting transparent glass and steel volume, giving an illusion of irrelevance in the existing Victorian mass.

While the viewers questioned the relevance of the central glass and steel mass amidst the Victorian architectural style. The glass and steel mass questions the popularity and existence of these imagery replicas in the todays time.

The project was a Victorian building based on a Kerala context. The client used to be working outside and got influenced from the architecture of the place where he was working. Like any guy who came back after working in a foreign country, He wanted to build a home exactly the same way how he saw the houses back there.

Though the layouts inside the house were nothing more than the usual algorithm, there were certain elements where the architects tried to make an impression such that it consisted of Victorian craft on it.

This alone thought alone started asking a question of its relevance on a Kerala contest. Why is it being forced to appear in this space? Doesn't it create an impact in that particular row of houses? Is it good and important? 

Well, the question itself questions its relevance. This question of relevance must be asked must be done without confrontation of the society's or of an individual's ego, but as an expression , an art that would question themselves and understand the society's ego.