• Project:  Toy Storey
• Architects: Wallmakers
• Area: 357 m?
• Year of completion: 2024
• Photography: Syam Sreesylam

Wallmakers architecture firm, headed by Vinu Daniel has always been in the headlines for their bold and often curvilinear attempts at architecture with sustainability at its core. While their Chuzhi project was modelled after whirlpools with spiralling beams made from plastic bottles, Pirouette House was an ode to Laurie Baker. It used fire bricks for the residence in an unconventional yet striking geometry. Toy Storey residence architecture seems none less remarkable.

Vision of Wallmakers

Wallmakers are not one of the ordinary architecture firms; even the firm doesn?t have a physical office! Wallmakers are a group of green enthusiasts headed by Principal Architect Vinu Daniel, aiming to make their projects a little less heavy on the planet. They are probably ?Vagabond? architects, a term used by Daniel to describe himself, who move from site to site to examine its conditions and opportunities to arrive at a solution that best suits the site and the earth. Wallmakers always try to locally source materials for construction or reuse them to build architectural pieces that are visually evocative and mentally provocative. The world of Wallmakers is filled with solutions centring around sustainability as they tackle ?Should we build??, instead of ?What should we build??

The Story of Toy Storey

?Ever stepped on a Lego block??, quips Vinu Daniel while talking about the idea for this eco-friendly house design in India. The pain of stepping on a Lego block set course on a train of thoughts about using Plastics in toys. With most of our lives dominated by plastics, it is no wonder that most toys these days are made from plastic, which is hard to recycle or melt due to its strength.

It was only natural that when a project came up in Vadakara, where the rate of toy consumption is highest in the state of Kerala, India, Wallmakers decided to give it a twist by using the discarded toys as structural systems and decorations. 6200 discarded toys were collected from the state to enliven the circular veranda of the house. Toy Storey attempts to preserve bits and pieces of childhood forever in its walls, whose critics are the little kids coming every day to the house to find and point out their old toys.

A house within a house

Toy Storey house design features a circular plan accessible from all sides with a cantilevered veranda made of Mangalore Tiles and old toys, standing out as a unique fa?ade that brings about curiosity. The residence is built to suit the client?s needs, with the circular plan containing a public hemisphere to host guests who frequent the house and a private hemisphere joined together by a narrow courtyard. The shoji screens, a Japanese-style translucent partition ensure that the private half gets enough natural light and ventilation. Wallmakers call this idea ?A house within a house?, highlighting the need of the client to have a large communal space with concrete benches that will be frequented by neighbours and family members while also not compromising on the privacy required for a residence.

The residence has been built without clearing any trees from the site while enabling the three major trees in cardinal directions in the site to be a deciding factor for its orientation. The level differences in the site were perfect for creating the basement, a departure from the hustle and bustle above to a quiet sanctuary featuring a library and bedroom. The circular veranda runs all around the house and this Toy Jali wall, along with the central courtyard helps with better insulation and adequate cross ventilation throughout the day.

The spaces in the residence include 2 bedrooms, a dining area, a kitchen, an open living room, and a central courtyard, along with the bedroom and library in the basement.

Sustainability Measures

Toy Storey House is one of the evocative sustainable architecture projects in India. The central courtyard and the innovative Toy Jali wall are constructed by compressing moistened soil to create compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB) from the soil excavated from the site. The roof is made of a radial ferrocement shell, a lightweight material that reduces the reinforcement needed by one-third. CSEB walls have a low embodied energy of 572 MJ/cum, 10 times less than country-fired brick, according to Auroville Earth Institute. Additionally, the flooring is done using the sustainable oxide flooring technique, which is affordable, long-lasting and completely made of natural materials, giving a sophisticated appearance to the floors while contributing to a greener living space.

In summary, Toy Storey House provides a glaring introspection into our unsustainable lives while being a beautiful sculpture of Kerala contemporary architecture born out of the mind of Wallmakers. Even though how the house will do in the long run and its practicality is debatable, what Wallmakers have shown us is that sustainability and aesthetics can go hand in hand to create architecture that tells compelling stories. The kids who visit the house and wonder at the toys are evidence of the same!

What do you think of Toy Storey? Is it too Avant-Garde for your taste? Comment down your thoughts below.

Sources

• https://www.archdaily.com/1014151/toy-storey-residence-wallmakers
• https://www.wallmakers.org/toy-storey-calicut
• https://www.dezeen.com/2024/04/05/wallmakers-toy-storey-home-kerala-india/
• https://www.stirworld.com/see-features-wallmakers-toy-storey-is-a-museum-of-a-house-preserving-6200-plastic-toys
• https://uni.xyz/journal/toy-storey-residence-a-testament-to-sust
• https://www.designboom.com/architecture/toy-storey-residence-wallmakers-vadakara-india-03-08-2024/
• https://www.yatzer.com/toy-storey-wallmakers