The loss of self identity in the
new apartment house:
In a multi community and secular country like India
with variation in the climatic regions across the country, it was but natural
for the Tamil house in Puducherry or South Indian Chettinad houses of the Nattukottai
Chettiars to be different from the merchant owned Havelis of Rajasthan. As you
walk in the old city of Ahmedabad, one is not surprised to see that the ‘Pol’
houses of various communities are different in their planning. They have
features on the entrance doors that are distinctly different than one another
and one can instantly recognize the house of a Maratha to a Kacchi Gujrathi. The
Wadas in various tows of Maharashtra differ from one another in size , also
based on the lay of the land and available materials.
In the current times, when
the formation of communities is based more on the economic ability to purchase
a certain size of residential property in a certain location from a developer,
it is but oblivious that various communities now reside in exactly the same
house as made available by the developer. The modern way of life and typical
size and brands of furniture available has led to further loss of identity
based on the religion or community.
Is this
loss of identity really acceptable to the end user?
It is observed
that , under the tag of ‘Interior Decoration’ or ‘Interior Design’ almost all the
occupiers change their apartment and personalize the spaces to suit the needs
of the family. Just one cross section taken through a typical apartment
building will revel you this truth. All you have to do is to take a photo of
all living rooms below one another in the same building. One would come to a
conclusion that in the way in which every family cooks their food in their own
style, they create their own space in the apartment in their own style.
This ‘Personalization of Living space’ is broadly
based on two important parameters:
A) Functional requirements in terms of the daily needs
of the family.
B) Design requirements as per visual design taste
C) The cultural requirements of the family as they
belong to a particular community.
To cater to the above two parameters, it will be
evident that the same 550 sq ft or 1500 sq ft of apartment will have to be ‘Customized’ for each of the
family. This makes the case for a ‘Customized house’ for every family based on
their needs & requirements.
If we consider the above three type of
parameters, we can enlist the changes one does in their own house of a similar
plan as below
FUNCTIONAL
· Combining two rooms to
create a larger room
· Addition of ‘Kitchen
platform’
· Addition of storage area.
· Changes in the location of
electrical fixtures & fittings based on interior layout to accommodate a
certain function. E.g.- Home office or Art studio in home or home theater in a
particular room.
· Make provision of air conditioning
· Changes in sanitary fittings
& fixtures of a house based on requirements (e.g. European W.C commode in place of Indian W.C
pan)
· Enclosure of balcony
· Addition of safety doors
DESIGN
· Change of flooring material
from the one provided by developer to a higher specification like ‘Ceramic
tile’ to ‘Vitrified tile’
· Change of dado tiles on
kitchen walls & toilet walls.
· Change of Door and door fittings.
· Addition of false ceilings
in various rooms.
· Addition of additional light
fixtures to have a certain quality of artificial light.
· Addition of a higher quality
of sanitary fittings
CULTURAL
- Make provision for a particular requirement for the community
festival
- Place of worship
- Adding a ‘Bar’ or drinking counter
- Adding a library in the plan
- Adding a ‘Reading corner’ or a ‘Window seat’
- Making provision for a large dining area
- Response to concepts of ‘Vastushastra’ or ‘Feng Shui’
Meaning of
Customization:
Meaning of customize in English as
per Cambridge dictionary:
Customize verb [ T ]UK usually customise)
-
to
make or change something according to the buyer's or
user's needs.
This blog is ideal for you & your friends who
require help in customizing their home Interiors & making their home
suitable according to the needs & lifestyle of your family.
This book will be especially
useful to people who :
1) Are in process of Selecting a home suitable according
to the needs of their family
2) Have bought an under construction flat from a
Developer & want to make changes in it
3) Have bought a Resale flat & want to make changes
& Renovate suitable to their needs
4) Have an apartment , which now they feel needs to be
renovated as it does not satisfy the new
needs of a Growing family.
