Functional and decorative: this delightful brick screen is porous to light and air, while at the same time providing a buffer to the heat and noise of the external environment.

The brick screen forms the flanking wall of the recently completed offices for the South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre (a Delhi-based NGO). Situated on a prominent corner site, its westerly orientation means that it is exposed to intense solar radiation. With lavatories and the principal staircase positioned at the end of the plot to maximise floor area, a buffer zone is created to moderate acoustic and thermal pressure.

Drawing inspiration from traditional ornately carved facades, the porosity of the screen maintains privacy for the occupants while playfully engaging with the street corner. Rotating successive courses in the brick piers, the upper levels repeat a sequential pattern. The construction of the screen wall was the result of a five-week process of learning and unlearning masonry techniques on site, employing predominantly unskilled labour.