ENVISIONING YOUR DREAM HOME.

Ar. Pradeep Ahuja focuses on a checklist for your dream home.

As architects designing high end homes and catering to the most demanding clients we recommend our clients and anyone seeking that perfect home/ apartment to set the initial goals right. This process with your family and your architect can definitely become more fruitful with a clear vision.

Architectural programming started when architecture began. Structures have forever been based upon programs: decisions were made, something was designed, built and occupied. Modern day architectural programming is defined as the research and decision-making process that recognises the scope of work to be designed. Equivalent words include 'Design brief,' 'Facility programming' and 'Functional and design requirements.'

There is a lot to consider when planning your new or next home. You want to make sure that you get the best house for you to thrive. After choosing the right neighbourhood figuring out the perfect layout can become overwhelming. It doesn't have to be that way if you journal your thoughts about what the most important factors you want in your new home are.

Developing a brief for your new home is imperative, prior to building or renovating a home as it is the blueprint for all your needs and aspirations. You need to establish a clear brief for the project at the very onset. The design brief is an exercise to pen down home aspirations. This process ensures everyone involved is on the same page making it realistic and for desired outcomes. Usually the design brief is formulated in collaboration with a professional architect after assessing the constraints and opportunities, e.g. house positioning based on site conditions, the views, planning requirements, local authority regulations and conservation issues.

A Checklist for Your Dream Home

A great brief must be holistic, comprising of the space program, zoning, functional design, aesthetic design and sensory qualities of the architecture and interiors you'll end up inhabiting. Not everyone embarking on a building project will have experience writing a design brief. The points outlined below provide help in formulating a guide.

SPACE PROGRAMMING

What major functions will take place in the building? How many people are to be accommodated? Based upon the number of occupants, their age, needs, wants, available buildable and open space a programme checklist is created. This checklist will include some spaces like:

Entrance lobby  / staircase &lift / courtyard/ lawn / puja or meditation room / home office / formal living room / bar& dining / kitchen& pantry / master bedrooms & suites / bedrooms& suites / guest bedrooms& suites / bathrooms& closets / informal living rooms / family room / kid's lounge / storage& utility space / study& library / spa / gym / home theatre / recreational room / parking & garage and workers' space.

BUDGETING

Budgetary constraints have a large role to play when drafting your design plan for the dream home. Design and cost are closely linked and it is important to ensure that projects are delivered within their estimated budgets and that the plans clarify what you can afford. Take into account both capital and operational costs - from whole-life/lifecycle considerations to, maintenance for the key components, including the cost of the local fees and taxes, design and engineering fees, construction cost, cost of interiors and cost of landscape and external development of your premises. Keep in mind to keep a contingency sum (usually 10 to 15 per cent) for any unforeseen expenditures.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT & LIFECYCLE

Minimize lifecycle costs consider adopting optimal use or resources and reducing environmental footprint of the house by incorporating solar gains and optimize energy use. The provision of services and how these are integrated within the structure (water, electricity, gas, drainage, air conditioning), the cladding of the building to provide protection from the elements as well as reducing the maintenance cycles.

SITE LAYOUT & ORIENTATION

No building can be designed without a site layout. This is fundamental to good design so consider access, topography, the slope of land, views, the wind, the existing vegetation and trees, drainage, soils, surrounding buildings and the climatic conditions. Include attractive views of the natural surroundings, include changing seasons and weather into the design planning.

DAYLIGHTING

Good design makes the most of the natural light because light has a powerful influence on humans. The advantages that day-lighting brings extends beyond architecture and energy to include psychological and physiological benefits.  People living in rooms devoid of natural light suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is a feeling of depression, weight gain, reduced eye strain, daytime sleepiness, social withdrawal and lethargy. It is a smart option to add skylights to your custom house plan as these reduce the need for artificial light and provide as much as 30 percent more light than vertical windows. Maximize the natural light in your home. Install bright task lighting for kitchen countertops to facilitate food preparation or dimming sconces in the bedroom to create a sense of romance or peace.

SIZE & COMPLEXITY

Bigger houses and odd shapes require more time, both in terms of supervision during construction and in the design stage. This will add to the cost so explore which features are must-have and which you can do without. Shape the house as per needs and requirements.

ZONING & ACCESS

Public, semi-private, private are the broad distinctions in zoning any space. Proximity of one space to the other also depends on the inter-dependencies and relationship of the space. Always keep the future into perspective for better results. A hierarchy of spaces define how well all spaces can be utilised and complement each other. For example a kitchen's proximity to dining or guest areas is as important as its access to utilities and entry for workers of the house. Similarly a staircase located in an entrance lobby facilitates occupants of other floors to move freely without disturbing the entire floor in comparison to a staircase that's planned deep within the plan.

INTERIOR LAYOUT

Consider 'open' floor plans to render spacious feel indoors, placement alongside large view to the outdoors help improve the indoor-outdoor connect and visibility. An open floor plan is accredited to Frank Lloyd Wright who incorporated this feature into his Midwestern Prairie Houses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Interior design floor layout plans which have intensive contact with the environment (visually/ physically), the weather and the change of the seasons determine the rhythm of personal life for a healthier lifestyle. Such floor plans work well for families and some of the most successful configuration combining kitchen, dining and living areas; reduce noise in sleeping areas by placing bedrooms away from the living room.

SAFETY & PRIVACY

During such testing times our homes are the most important in ensuring safety. Although digital surveillance technologies are the backbone to ward off or fend any outside attack but safety in a house isn't purely technologically driven.

Visual connections are also important. Maintaining a check on your surrounding and your kids/ elders can come easily with careful planning. Features such as safety glass and grills can always be used in non-conflicting ways to design. Apart from visual privacy & safety comes the safety of materials. It is paramount to use/ reduce the use of materials that are fire resistant in areas that are prone to any damage from it. Structural Safety also comprises of earthquake resistance and resistance from all natural elements.

MEASUREMENTS

Sometimes not being able to envision the foreseeable result of a space in terms of size can lead to dissatisfactory results. Through visualisation and scaled drawings with furniture layouts and dimensions, get a feel of what your space might look like once it is delivered. Sometimes measuring the spaces you are living in and comparing them to your drawings helps you to adjust the size as required.  Measurements are particularly important when planning lifts, kitchens, dining rooms, bathrooms and bedrooms where adequate clearance between furniture, cabinetry and appliances is essential.

LIFESTYLE & ASPIRATIONS

As nearly with everything, at the centre lies a person's will. Your aspirations must be communicated to your architect for a favourable outcome through initial discussions, mood-boards or any other tool fit to communicate. To envision your ideal space you can create a collection of features that you wish to achieve as long as they are relevant and possible within the constraints of your site. Envisioning your dream space is a joy unparalleled, especially when you attain outcomes that match or surpass your expectations. Working with experienced professionals will definitely help you realise those visions and create invaluable assets for generations to come.

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