Built Around a Mango Tree, This Kerala Home Is a New Kind of Greenhouse

A family in Thrissur, Kerala, sought a calm, breathable home after relocating from a bustling city during the COVID-19 pandemic. The household includes a software engineer, a teacher, two young boys, and extended family living together. An architect’s practice was hired to redesign a site containing a small existing house. The old structure was demolished and its timber salvaged for reuse. The central mango tree was preserved rather than cut, creating a logistical constraint. Circulation to the planned upper floor was redesigned entirely on-site to accommodate the tree while meeting the family’s needs for togetherness and personal comfort.

"For this Kerala home in the Indian city of Thrissur, his first order of business was to save the mango tree at the center of the site."

"The shift marked a quiet recalibration of pace and priorities. "My wife is a teacher, and we have two young boys. We are a family of six, living together with our parents," he says. His family's brief was both simple and considered: a home that would bring everyone together, while still allowing for individual comfort."

"Joshy and team decided to demolish the old structure and salvage its timber for reuse. The aforementioned mango tree on the property became both a muse and a logistical conundrum. "We did not want to cut it, so we had to get creative," says Sharan."

""That meant the circulation toward the planned upper floor had to be sorted out entirely on-site," adds Joshy."

Read at Architectural Digest