Encircling concrete and brick walls embrace a circular, water-centered courtyard at the core of The Sanctum, a single-storey residence in Punjab, India, designed by the local architecture practice Renesa.
Positioned on a three-acre plot in Amritsar, the 1,115-square-metre home is composed of a series of geometric forms constructed from red brick and concrete.
The Sanctum’s circular courtyard and the curving walls that surround it guide movement through the home and its gardens. According to Renesa, this approach offers a distinctive alternative to the “predictable, box-like houses” commonly found in rural India.
“The design intentionally moves away from the performative grandeur typical of Indian luxury homes to instead explore an architecture of restraint, where serenity, proportion, and tactile honesty define luxury,” principal architect Sanchit Arora told Dezeen.
“At its heart lies the idea of the ‘void as generator’,” Arora continued. “The circular courtyard becomes both the spatial and emotional nucleus of the home, shaping movement, light, and experience.”
“The house is not a statement of excess, but a sanctuary of emotion and reflection.”
Arora described the layout as following a “gradient of intimacy”: the central layer, arranged around the courtyard, contains the family’s private spaces, while communal areas like the bar and dining room are situated around the perimeter.
Within the courtyard, concentric rings of planting, polished concrete benches, and a shallow reflecting pool are connected by a ramped walkway, which guides visitors to a sunken seating area centered around a single tree.
To the west, The Sanctum opens toward a swimming pool, a small cricket pitch, and landscaped gardens, all bordered by stepped verandas and gently curving walls. These architectural features offer privacy while maintaining an airy, open atmosphere.
“The main challenge was to articulate openness without exposure; hence, the plan adopts inward-looking geometries and low-slung volumes that shield while connecting,” Arora said.
