Stepwell House

To understand the narrative behind the project featured in this article, it helps to recall the very first International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale in 1980 where Paolo Portoghesi presented Strada Novissima, one of the most influential exhibits in the history of contemporary architecture. Staged in the Arsenal’s Corderie, the exhibition consisted of a “street” of 20 house façades, ten per side, designed by as many internationally renowned architects. Walking down the length of the street, visitors took in the different interpretations of Postmodernism of every façade, each with its own historical narrative. Unlike Bruno Zevi, whose architectural research focus was the interior space, for Portoghesi, the aspect of the whole building took precedence over its interior spatial configuration. As a result, “façade” and “space” became seen as two complementary themes. This is of particular relevance for the work analyzed here, where both dimensions – Portoghesi’s exterior and Zevi’s interior – coexist. The Stepwell House by the Indian architecture firm A Threshold combines the dualism of an expressive façade and the theatrical configuration of domestic space. Founded in 2019 in Bangalore by Avinash Ankalge, the studio explores the idea of domestic architecture as a small-scale version of the city, integrating the specificities of urban context, climate, and local culture to create “places of memory”.

Having to contend with the country’s high population density, Indian architecture has always demonstrated an extraordinary ability to adapt to dense urban settings and small plots, be these in historic cities or modern urban centers. The Indian row house is emblematic of this adaptability, Gujarat’s historic pol houses, Rajasthan’s havelis, and Maharashtra’s wadas being prime...

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