Lakehouse in Hyderabad, India by CollectiveProject.

CollectiveProject conceived The Lakehouse in Hyderabad, India as a private retreat offering respite from urban life. Set on a steep and rocky slope overlooking the DurgamCheruvu Lake, the property is close to the heart of the city while feeling removed. Due to its topography, the site has prime views across the water to both a nature preserve and the contrastingly dense HiTec City, a 150-acre tech park that has become a prominent part of the local urban landscape.

The house is elevated above ground as a lightweight steel structure, making the natural terrain below a celebrated focus of the design. The layout is split into three stacked volumes, each of which features a glass facade facing the lake, with recessed balconies clad in teak. The facades along the sides of the house and facing the road are lined with slabs and thin ribs of locally quarried grey granite, creating shadowed texture while maintaining privacy from the neighbours.

The teak timber cladding continues throughout the interior, accented by full-height timber screens that allow for filtered views to the gardens and city beyond. The architects use the tension between heavy and light to establish a bold material and spatial presence for Lakehouse. The floating stone-clad volumes are dominant in their largesse, yet also showcase the skill and detailed precision of the masons who executed the stonework.

An integral part of the project, landscaping highlights the transition between wet and dry land. From the street view, the house appears solid and heavy, concealing the panoramic lake views with lush greenery that is foreign to the hot and dry climate of the city. As entrants pass throughout the building, the verdant plantation is left behind and the dry, rocky and arid landscape of Hyderabad reveals itself along with the expansive views.

Related: Brick House in Whitefield, India by CollectiveProject.

[Images courtesy of CollectiveProject. Photography by Ben Hosking.]