The clients currently occupied a bungalow in one of the original plots of JVPD Scheme in the western suburbs of Mumbai. The Shah family's vision was to demolish the existing structure and rebuild a family house to suit the needs of the present as well as cater to future requirements. The challenge here was to develop concepts for the new individual houses while maintaining the values of living together in one space.

The new building is designed to accommodate 3 houses - one for each of the families occupying the building. Taking the total FSI and other issues of setbacks into consideration, it was decided that a duplex will be designed for each family. The concept of double height terraces was adopted to ensure visual and physical connectivity as well as promote inter-mingling amongst the three homes in the building. These double height volumes are designed to break the standard floor wise compartmentalization of each house seen in apartment buildings. A common terrace garden on the roof of the building becomes the primary communal space for the families to meet.

In a typical duplex, the common spaces such as the living room, dining room and kitchen are provided on one level along with a guest bedroom, and the private spaces such as the primary bedrooms and study/ library are on the other level. A corner verandah on the living room level helps transition from the double height terrace inside the house to the outside. In terms of the facade treatments, moveable fins and louvres provides varying levels of privacy through different times of the day for each house. The main staircase block towards the road side adorns a uniquely created art piece that starts on the ground floor and ends on the top floor. Large cut outs varying in sizes provide glimpses of this art from the outside as well as help flood the staircase with natural light.

The interior designers for the 3 houses are:
Duplex 1: White 3 Architects
Duplex 2: Architecture BRIO
Duplex 3: Flamingo Interiors

Approximate area of each house: 3100 sq.ft.
Total Project area: Approx. 10,000 sq.ft.
Estimated Cost: Rs. 8 cr
Period of construction : 2015-2019
Structural Consultants: SACPL
MEP Consultants: Electro-Mech Consultants
Facade Consultants: Xteria