This modern home in Bangalore mixes cultural references with ancient doctrines reflecting the homeowner’s way of life
The Mandala House is built on two plots of amalgamated land in an exclusive residential enclave in Bangalore, India. Comprising three storeys with seven bedrooms, it was originally designed for the homeowner (who runs a successful family business in the building materials trade), his wife, and three children. After completion, the homeowner’s elderly parents, as well as two of his brothers and their families, moved in and turned the abode into a multigenerational home.
Modern Harmony
As the family wanted a home to reflect their roots and traditions with a modern design, the architect Wong Chiu Man, managing director of WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design, looked to the ancient Indian architectural system of vastu shastra for inspiration. Literally translated as “the science of architecture,” the principles of vastu shastra can be applied to design, layout, measurements, ground preparation, and spatial geometry. It incorporates traditional Hindu and, in some cases, Buddhist beliefs, and is intended to harmonise man-made architecture with nature. This doctrine is based on directional alignments organised around the nine-square mandala, which forms the conceptual framework for the design of this home.