A house around a courtyard

The brief

The house is a typical older home with deep rooms and dark corridors. The family wants light and air without losing rooms or starting over.

We keep the structure and open a small court at its centre. It becomes the lungs of the house, and every room borrows from it.

The moves

• A court in the middle. Part of the old roof slab comes out to open the court. No new footprint, no lost plot area.
• Rooms facing inward. Living, dining and bedrooms open onto the court with full glazing. Corridors shrink as rooms take the view.
• Shade and breeze first. Deep overhangs, a jali screen and planting keep the court cool through the Lahore summer.
• One material language. Brick, lime plaster and timber repeat inside and out, so the house reads as one piece.

Takeaways

Light matters more than square footage in a family home.

A courtyard cools the house and cuts daytime lighting bills.

When the structure is sound, renovation beats rebuilding.