Named after the Sanskrit deity of wind, Vayu is a four-bedroom home in Hyderabad shaped by the movement of air. Its defining feature is a flowing timber louvre façade that wraps the upper volume, filtering light, enhancing privacy, and encouraging natural ventilation while lending the home a distinctive sculptural identity.
Inside, generous volumes, warm neutral interiors, and seamless indoor-outdoor connections create a calm and inviting atmosphere. A double-height pooja space, landscaped courtyards, skylights, and expansive balconies strengthen the home's relationship with nature, resulting in a residence that balances climate responsiveness, contemporary elegance, and everyday comfort.
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Vayu is a custom-designed residence in Hyderabad, created by FSS Designs for Vice Marshal GSP N. Chowdhury and Captain D. Lalitha. The home blends Vastu compliance with modern architecture, focusing on the element of air (Vayu) to create a spacious, nature-connected environment that balances privacy, elegance, and functionality for retirement and entertaining.
Vayu became much more than a residence.
It evolved into a thoughtful reflection of the people who would live in it.
It brought together discipline and warmth,
practicality and elegance,
openness and privacy,
all within a home deeply connected to nature.
Hi, I'm Shamila Mehran.
Hi, I'm Faisal Wohra.
We are from FSS Designs, Hyderabad.
Join us for an exclusive home tour of Vayu in Hyderabad.
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This project is called Vayu because that was the central design thesis,
which we wanted to weave through our design of the architecture.
The plot size was 4200 sq.ft.
The plot is situated in Yapral, in Secunderabad.
I'm Vice Marshal GSP N. Chowdhury.
Hello there, I'm Captain D. Lalitha.
We wanted to make a house of our own after our retirement.
As far as the primary requirements were concerned,
in fact, it again comes from the choice of my wife,
the first and foremost requirement was a swimming pool.
And then I wanted a spacious house
so that we could entertain our friends who are really large in number.
So we have two car parking spaces over here where we have the road
and a pool had to be accommodated.
It was important for the clients for us to make a Vastu compliant home.
So we did keep the northeast of the house fairly open with a water body.
Right at the entrance, we have a beautiful double height puja area.
We have the three elements coming together for the puja.
We have the earth behind the puja mandir, which gives rise to the tree.
Overlooking behind the screen is the water element.
And then directly on top is the skylight,
which nourishes the plantations and gives the energy and the light
into the puja as the sun moves around.
Now, as you enter and go further along, we have our entrance lounge,
which is open to the pool area and the deck.
It was important for us to get a large living area.
In order to preserve the height and the experience of space,
we did away with the false ceiling.
We increased the heights of the slabs.
Our slabs are positioned at 11.5 feet.
We designed a full length linear riser tree staircase
that's going from ground to first floor.
So from the first to the 14th step of the staircase
behaves as a partition between the living room that is here
and the kitchen area on the other side.
We also added a beautiful courtyard underneath it.
And there's a triple height skylight above it.
The staircase is coming up.
We land right here on the first floor
and the corridor takes us to the master,
another bedroom for the client's sister
and another bedroom for the client's daughter who occasionally visits.
This master bedroom is a combination of the livable area,
the master bedroom, followed by the master bathroom.
Cumulatively, this accounts for about one fourth
of the entire built space on the first floor.
As you enter the master bathroom,
you are greeted with a fresh pop of teal green.
Central to the master bathroom is this beautiful bathtub.
There's this large balcony right in the front
in the north and the east side of the house.
One of the important spaces for the clients to use
was the workshop, which is placed at the end of this balcony.
The balcony on the first floor overlooking into the puja room
and the cantilever drafters overlooking into the pool area.
The drafters that make the facade of Bayu are the defining feature.
They are single drafters, each of 12 feet in length
and stitched together to form this entire facade from the ground up.
The drafters are also rotated at 30 degrees each
to allow for a smoother flow of air.
We model this to understand how the air flows in and out of the facade.
For us, the home stands as an example of how architecture
can go beyond shelter to create a meaningful environment
that responds to both the spirit of its users
and the rhythm of everyday life.
