Indian studio Kiron Cheerla Architecture has completed Pott House, a home in Hyderabad topped by a lantern-like roof that draws light and natural ventilation into its interiors.

Pott House occupies half of a garden plot characterised by loose black cotton soil, leading Kiron Cheerla Architecture to design a lightweight gridded structure with pile foundations.

It is built from local and cost-effective materials, including Maddi timber, corrugated aluminium and rough brickwork, which the studio said gives a "vintage house effect".

"The design of the house was heavily influenced by the chosen wooden structural system, maintaining a single-story base with a smaller first-floor level," the studio's founder Kiron Cheerla told Dezeen.

"We strategically incorporated north-facing clerestory windows and skylights at the structure's peak to promote natural ventilation, enable passive cooling and achieve a desired aesthetic effect," he added.

The ground floor of Pott House is organised around a full-height living and dining space at its centre, which sits beneath the exposed timber trusses of the steeply sloping roof.

Ropes on the ground floor enable the windows in the projecting roof to be opened to create a stack ventilation effect, while sunlight from this area is filtered through a slatted wooden panel. At night, lights inside glow outwards through the roof to create a lantern-like effect.

Facing north, a wall of full-height windows and glass doors provides a connection to the garden, where a small patio is sheltered by the steep slope of the corrugated-aluminium roof.

On either side of this living area, the bedroom and kitchen occupy more intimate rooms with lower ceilings and dark wood-lined walls.

A smaller first floor occupies the southern half of the home. It provides two further bedrooms connected by a walkway that overlooks the living area below from a small balcony.

The interiors of Pott House are defined by the exposed structure and panelling of dark Maddi timber, while externally the walls have a finish of exposed rough brickwork, both to provide cost-effectiveness and a "vintage" feel.

"A consistent colour palette featuring earthy tones like red brick, orange wood, and cream flooring, which are compatible with each other, unifies the space," said the studio.

While the remainder of the site is currently a large garden, the client hopes to expand the site in future to create a central courtyard space surrounded by additional buildings.

Elsewhere in Hyderabad, local practice Sona Reddy Studio recently drew on vernacular materials for a restaurant in the Jubilee Hills neighbourhood and Nowhere used brick dust to plaster a house it refurbished.

The photography is by Vivek Eadara.