design et al are delighted to announce that AEDL have been shortlisted for Living Space – Global Award within The International Design and Architecture Awards 2018.
This project, located in Lahore, is centred around a large open-plan living room and reception area. The use of vernacular elements such as the Jali latticed metal screen complement the skylights and large windows and create a sequence of spaces that flow harmoniously when the screens are open. When closed, they partition the space into more intimate activity areas.
A double height atrium with a glass roof allows natural light to enter at one end of the open plan, the reception area, while a pair of folding aluminium windows ushers in light from the other end and brings visitors to a wood composite deck opening onto a tropical garden. Working with a colour palette that favoured whites and greys, the entire space has been surfaced in a single concrete tile that unifies the rooms. The entire home features modern furniture in wood, concrete, and brass from AEDL’s product design branch, Turning Tables.
There were many elements of this project where certain specialist and artisan skills were needed. For example, there were handmade pre-cast concrete tiles, concrete cast furniture including the pyramid tables and solid marble custom made lamp bases. There is also a hand made wooden Lotus Cloud Table with a metal frame inside to support the curved wood cladding on vertical and horizontal axis designed by Javed Iqbal.
AEDL believe that the interior of this project works so well because of the strategically placed opening that has been handled by using a series of doors; some opaque and others semi-transparent. The design remains faithful to its surroundings as it integrates a variety of vernacular elements and at the same time retains its modernity, so it never loses its sense of place.