10 Best Courtyards and Terraces - Inspiring Ideas on TFOD

A casual, cool semi outdoor area created on the south terrace of the office building designed by Ar. Salil Ranadive for BMR Advisors in Mumbai, perhaps a relieving space from the official formality inside. It is shaded by trees and a partial canopy stretching out over its entire length, with a spiral staircase leading through the canopy, adding sculptural interest. The casually styled furniture adds to ‘relief value’ such a space would have in an office building. 

Dipen Gada's tranquil Zen garden created on a terrace of the sprawling Amin Bungalow in Vadodara, this interstice is a definite ‘go to’ place after a hectic work day in a fast-paced world. Its clean lines and minimal elements are sure to de-clutter the most chaotic mental state, absorbing one into its effusive calm.

Offering a stadium view of the city on account of split levels, the restaurant on the level 12 terrace at the Double Tree by Hilton done by Ar. Ketan Jawdekar in verdant Pune comes across as endearingly quaint. Reminiscent of the deck of a ship, the bright navy blue and white combination of the woven textured furniture sits on what looks like a harsh cement tiled floor, set against lantern like light posts which get reflected from a linear water body

Designed by iStudio Architecture, a series of interlinked courtyards in a school in Bhatinda offer wonderful vistas for exploring inside outside spaces. All the little classroom courtyards get linked to the main courtyard along the length of the building to create a continuous green. 

A terrace, it would seem, referred to as a courtyard by virtue of having many windows and door of the house looking in on it. Also, perhaps, due to the paving, water body and flowering plants lending the courtyard feel. The bright red exposed brickwork wall and bright white paint on the railings doors and windows that surround this space lend it a cool freshness. Designed by Gaurav Roy Choudhury, in Bangalore.

Designed by Collective Project, an external corridor of the Ekya Early Years School projects into the garden to form an ideal space for kids to attend fun outdoor classes. Low height benches and platforms along with cushion seats that kids carry provide ample seating. The fun, of course, doubles when the surrounding garden is fashioned like a forest complete with statues of all kinds of animals. 

A beautiful space designed by KNS Architects for a duplex apartment! A Zen style water body, a bar counter, lounger, table and seats under an umbrella, are all placed along the length of the passage deck that skirts the external wall of the residence. This sit out literally wraps the villa with an elongated, plush semi-open space, turning a boring long passage into a luxurious sanctuary. And all this all the more wonderful to have, in a high-rise block in the heart of Mumbai!

Signing off this piece with the impressive images of a lovely rustic courtyard which brings the outdoors as much into the structure as the structure itself merges into the surrounding landscape. A perfect yin ‘n’ yang dance between the inside and outdoors - by iStudio Architecture.