Vira Residence

Vira Residence is a twenty-year-old duplex in New Delhi reimagined as a multi-generational sanctuary for an architect couple, their parents, and two children. Of the original 7,000 square foot home, nearly sixty percent has been redesigned to support evolving lifestyles while retaining continuity. Furniture, lighting, wash basins, and structural elements were salvaged, repaired, or reworked, allowing the house to grow while preserving its emotional and material memory.

The renovation builds on the home’s original climate-responsive design. North and east-facing openings bring in balanced daylight, while the west and south remain screened. Mature trees now envelop the site, enhancing shade and privacy. The landscape was levelled for barrier-free access, with grass replaced by WPC paving for safety. A twenty-two-foot racing boat salvaged from Kerala has been restored as an outdoor bar, resting on unpolished red marble and anchoring the garden as a social focal point.

A newly introduced sunken level transforms the former basement studio into a shared family domain for leisure and celebration. At the heart of the level is a shaded courtyard, defined by a concrete installation by Nitin Bhai that draws on the form of sixty-four Indian stepwells and is softly illuminated at night. This level also accommodates a media room, gym and spa, library, lounge, and an expansive dining hall paired with a professional kitchen. Across the interiors, art and craft shape the atmosphere through a pyrite and liquid metal bar, a reclaimed wood and resin table, a fourteen-foot bronze console, and a kinetic artwork by UV that shifts with movement and light.

A sculptural staircase by Survi of Maya Bespoke links the levels, while the ground-floor atrium is marked by a Nathdwara Pichwai and thoughtfully adapted to accommodate the elderly parents with assisted living provisions. The first floor contains the couple’s suite and home offices, while the second forms a self-contained apartment for the children, complete with a shaded deck and chemical-free lap pool. In its entirety, Vira Residence emerges as a living archive of continuity, craft, and care.