The Wendy House, Beautiful and Dynamic Space Among Trees

View The Wendy House from the street, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

The house, located within a dense forest covering an area of eight hectares and standing among trees, was designed by Earthscape Studio, a domed house in Kerala named The Wendy House. In this design, Earthscape Studio tries not to damage nature by cutting down trees and other natural features in the location. In addition, the design of this residence is expected to draw from the surrounding nature. Therefore, Earthscape Studio uses locally sourced materials throughout the building, including recycled rods, tile fragments, and soil from the site.

Front view The Wendy House, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

In addition, when Earthscape Studio conducted a site survey, many trees, such as mango, coconut, nutmeg, and teak, were fertile. Make the arrangement of buildings adjusted to the land that forms the grid and determine the shape of the house according to the existing trees.

Site plan The Wendy House, Source by Earthscape Studio

The Wendy House centre yard, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

The use of a small traditional sithu cal brick material with a well-known installation technique called Madras terrace roof, previously used along the south side of Tamil Nadu, was used for the design of this house. This material is sourced from craftsmen around the site area, and the construction process of this house is carried out by local workers to make the shape of the domed building. This form refers to the Indian roofing system, which involves creating a series of sloping roofs to encourage rainwater drainage.

The Wendy House centre yard, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

The Wendy House centre yard, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

Wendy's House is divided into two separate domed volumes consisting of three bricks each and a fourth layer of recycled waterproof made from broken tiles from the factory. Earthscape Studio deliberately uses this material because steel or concrete in building structures is at risk of cutting down trees, and this timbrel dome technique is a catenary-based dome that does not require steel or concrete. The domed shape is topped by a sweeping roof made from locally sourced recycled mudga tiles.

The Wendy House interior, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

The Wendy House interior, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

The interior area of the house, it has an open plan with bedrooms, bathrooms, and storage spaces in one wing, along with a living room, dining room, and pantry in the other wing. A courtyard with a small pond in the center stretches between two blocks, punctuated at both ends by curved earthen walls.

The Wendy House interior, Photo by Syam Sreesylam

Framed with recycled rods, the glass walls on the walls facing the inside of the domed building offer views from the interior to the central courtyard. Recycled rods are also used alongside wood waste to create built-in furniture frames, including beds, sofas, and kitchen countertops.