RNI No. 31940/77 Reg. No.MH/MR/South-83/2012-14 Date of Publication: 1st of every month. Posted at Patrika Channel Sorting office, Mumbai-400001 on 8th & 9th of every month
THE INDIAN DESIGN MAGAZINE
www.insideoutside.in
ISSUE 350
SEpTEMbEr 2014
fe at u r i n g
Amit Upadhye Architexture Buro l B Shashi Bhooshan Stapati Architects and Amie Inman CovEr STory Architect Christopher benninger designs bhutan’s Supreme Court in Thimpu
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The architect conceived an egg-shaped auditorium amidst an urban plaza, which would attract a family looking to be a part of the township.
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architecture
DISCOVERY CENTRE PhotograPhs: Jeetin sharma
The brief that Akshat Bhatt, principal architect at the Bengaluru firm Architecture Discipline, received from the Bhartiya Group, was to create a flexible city town hall that would also serve as the site/sales office of this Group. The design had to be sustainable and the budget was extremely tight. 119 • inside outside september 2014
S
pread across 125 acres, the Discovery Centre development is planned as an environment to attract people. The architect was told that the building would only be placed here for six years and later it would be relocated and moved down the site – hence, the structure was conceived as an assemblage of parts. Being a greenfield project on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the design had to be more than just a rudimentary structure that would establish an identity even when glimpsed from the highway. Typically, a building of this nature is placed at the edge of the site as an open, flexible, dressed up shell but the Discovery Centre is positioned at the heart of the site to engage the visitor with the spatial connect right through the development. The Discovery Centre had to tell a story, demonstrate the concerns of the township and also, the residential and commercial characteristics of the development. Optimising the quality of sky, light and air in Bengaluru, the intent was to create a progressive design experience that would reveal the core value of the high quality of life here. Innovation was therefore crucial, and something distinctive had to be created that would not only stand out in form but also in colour, revealing a narrative for this township. 120 • inside outside september 2014
The lighting creates a static drama through the use of shading and projection of shadows to show perspective.
In a derelict zone with no clear indication of what was to come up in the imminent future, the architect adopted a palette that would enable all these aspects. He therefore conceived an egg-shaped auditorium amidst an urban plaza, which would attract the urban Indian family looking to be a part of this township. Built with glass fibre to introduce the narrative, the auditorium sits amidst a lotus pond that with its lotus motif pays homage to Indian design. Painted red, the egg on the plaza is aimed to bring the family together at one point. Red as a colour has the longest wavelength, and can be easily spotted from a distance even at the back of beyond – an in-the-face gesture for a visitor. Every other element such as golf carts, an icecream van, plasma screens are typological inserts that may get amended over time. A single flight of staircase in red steel and local granite stands out as a distinct feature in itself. All other functions are planned as occurrences in an event that one happens to chance upon, inside the building. This building opens out at a lower level, connecting the northsouth plaza, while creating a spill-out space. A lightweight structure is hence built on compacted soil that is borrowed from the excavated foundation 121 • inside outside september 2014
The Discovery Centre is positioned at the heart of the site to engage a visitor with the spatial connect right through the development.
A detail of the sun-breakers.
AC C E S S L E V E L PL A N 1. APPROACH ROAD 2.
DROP Off
3.
CEREMOnIAl STAIRS
4.
lOCAl GRAnITE STOnE
5.
PRIMARy EnTRAnCE
6.
lOTuS POnD
7.
AuDITORIuM
8.
RECEPTIOn
9.
CAfé
10. SERvICE AREA 11. CIRCulATIOn CORE 12. RESTROOMS 13. STROnG ROOM 14. MEETInG ROOMS 15. PAPER PAnTRy 16. TEMPORARy ExHIBITS 17. GAS BAnk 18. RECyClED GRAy wATER 19. RElOCATED TOP SOIl 20. PHOTOvOlTAIC ARRAy 21. AMPHITHEATER 22. PARkInG 23. lAnDSCAPE fEATuRES uSInG RElOCATED TOP SOIl
AU D I TO R I U M D E TA I L 1. STABIlIzED QuARRy & DEEP STABIlIzED RuBBISH 2. REflECTIvE POOl – RECyClED wATER 3. GlASS fIBRE MESH (OuTER lAyER) 4. PERfORATED ACOuSTIC fABRIC 5. lOCAl GRAy/wHITE GRAnITE (nEAR EnTRAnCE Only) 6. PluSH HAnD-TuffTED CARPET 7. fRITz HAnSEn-DECISIOn SERIES 8. BlACk METAl lECTuRn 9. SuSPEnDED SCREEn-PAInTED wHITE MATT 10. BlACk ACOuSTIC CuRTAIn 11. EQuIPMEnT/COnTROl ROOM 12. fABRIC lOuvERS 13. EnTRAnCE RAMP 14. fRAMlESS GlASS RAIlInG 15. GlASS BOx 16. TAnnOy SPEAkERS 17. PREfABRICATED STEEl PORTAl 18. COMMERCIAl BOARD PAnElInG 19. InSulATIOn
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A detail of the deck, lift shaft and staircase.
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of the surrounding development. The structure uses long lasting materials in a modular manner, for ease of composition and assembly. Earth-fill has been used to create the plinth and use the material dug from the lower levels. The idea is to take modularity beyond its conventional theoretical understanding, to a more literal level, that enables each; panel, nut and bolt to be assembled, dismantled and then reassembled, processing the building like a machine. A large span, the built form is fashioned with the truss being the most economical way of covering these large spans. using a truss system also aids in keeping the roof light, brings light inside and also enables views of the site. An architectural mesh and glass is hence used; frit-printed glass reduces internal heat gain, and in an environment like Bengaluru, is easy to ventilate. Simply put, the architect has created a 90 m long building with a 20 m large span, a 4.5 m doubleheight space and a deck that is suspended from the trusses to get a clear, multifunctional space that can perform most functions. The structure is exposed in its entirety and painted with water-based paint to further allow for visual connections. In a conventional large span structure, the column
sizes are fairly big; to avoid this, dynamic laced columns enable the structure to become a part of the building skin. In a typical 6 m bay, the column is perceived to be much thinner than it actually is because it is partially embedded within the glass, whilst being integrated with the ventilation system. Sun breakers at appropriate angles are used both on the outside and inside of the building. The clear Bengaluru sun is exploited by a photovoltaic farm that powers the plaza, the public area and the street lighting, while grey water is used for landscaping. A thermal storage system is piggybacked on a 100 per cent fresh air, earth cooling system. Displacement ventilation techniques introduce cool air from below the floor, which in turn, is extracted through the glass skin and layered on the roof. Designed as an exhaust duct, the glass skin has a void in between and beyond a certain point, a pressurised glass cavity is created which exhausts the air. This air coming out
An architectural mesh and frit glass is used in a manner that reduces heat gain.
E L E VAT I O N S WEST SIDE
1. STABIlIzED QuARRy & DEEP ExCAvATE RuBBISH 2. lOCAl GRAnITE STOnE 3. fRAME-lESS GlASS RAIlInG
4. GlASS fIBRE SHEll ADuDITORIuM 5. GIAnT SlIT In ElEvATIOn 6. SCREEn PRInTED GlASS
PAnElS 7. C OMPOSITE fASCIA 8. A-BACE 9. InlInE ExHAuST nOzzlES
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10. 50% SIlvER REflECTIvE GlASS 11. GlASS CAnOPy 1. OPEnABlE SHuTTERS 13. wEEP HOTElS
14. EMERGEnCy ExIT 15. TEMPORARy ExHIBITS 16. REClAIMED EARTH
F I R S T L E V E L PL A N
1. PRESS lOunGE 2. STROnG ROOM 3. CIRCulATIOn CORE
4. RESTROOMS 5. RECEPTIOn 6. wAITInG lOunGE
7. S TROnG ROOM 8. PAnTRy 9. COnfEREnCE
10 CAll CEnTRE 11. MEETInG 12. GlASS CABIn
13. SECRETARIAl PORT 14. ARCHIvAl 15. fuTuRE
The south sun filters through the multi-layered skin.
Triangulated panels resolve the interior of the auditorium.
Lines meet circles and sciagraphy.
A secondary space expresses the laced columns.
SOUTh SIDE
NORTh SIDE
1. STABIlIzED QuARRy & DEEP ExCAvATE RuBBISH 2. lOTuS POnD 3. GlASS fIBRE SHEll
AuDITORIuM 4. EnTRAnCE 5. SIlvER REflECTIvE GlAzED fACADE
6. SCREEn PRInTED GlASS PAnElS 7. C OMPOSITE PAnEl fASCIA 8. REClAIMED EARTH
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9. lOCAl GRAnITE STOnE 10. DROP Off 11. APPROACH ROAD 12 RECyClED GRAy wATER POOl
13. fROSTED GlASS PAnElS 14. InlInE ExHAuST nOzzlES 15. SIDInG PAnElS 16. fRAMlESS GlASS RAIlInG
Regional granite set within a red balustrade makes for a dramatic looking staircase.
is at around 27 degrees C, and hence, the convection heat transfer is completely negated. The flooring is such that it can be reused. Some parts of the building have a false floor, owing to the underfloor ducts. Atypical elements such as a Robertson deck ensure that even the deck slabs are removable and can be reused. frit-printed glass is used to not only dissipate heat, but also to play with the changes in light patterns throughout the day. Grey on the outside and white inside, the multiple layers of the frit-printed glass create a dynamic look during both day and night. The lighting transforms itself with changes in the number of people occupying the plaza, and at different times of the day. night lighting is dramatically different from the visual experience during the day, and is always unique with interesting colours making the building come alive. This building reacts instantly to the environment as the various seasons, time zones and durations create different experiences. And it dictates the choice of the local materials that are adopted to integrate with the regional context; steel-work that is typical of this area is manipulated for a responsive material palette which is fairly simple comprising glass, steel, fabric and stone with no timber being brought
SECTIONS
1. STABIlIzED QuARRy & DEEP ExCAvATE RuBBISH 2. unDERGROunD fRESH AIR TREnCHES 3. lATERAl BRACE 4. BuIlT-uP COluMn 5. PERfORATED fABRIC
PAnEl 6. fAISE CuTTInG 7. ROBERTSOn’S DECk (SuSPEnDED) 8. SuSPEnSIOn COluMn 9. STEEl TRuSS 10. STEEl n-GIRDER
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11. 12. 13. 14.
fABRIC lOuvERS GlAzED fACADE COMPOSITE fASCIA TRAnSulEnT fABRIC lAyER 15. TRAnSulEnT POlyCARBOnATE SHEET
16. GlASS fIBRE SHEllAuDITORIuM 17. lOTuS POnD 18. REClAIMED EARTH
A detail of the skin juxtaposed with the red auditorium.
Structural braces are expressed within the building.
C O LU M N D E TA I L S
PA R T S E C T I O N & S U PE N D E D D E C K D E TA I L 1. STABIlIzED QuARRy & DEEP ExCAvATED RuBBISH 2. fRESH & SuPPly AIR TREnCHES 3. lOCAl GRAnITE STOnE 4. SlOT DRAIn 5. GlASS lAyER 1-50% SIlvER REflECTIvE PERfORATIOnS (OuTSIDE) 6. AIR CAvITy – 150MM (ExHAuST) 7. GlASS lAyER 2-50% SIlvER REflECTIvE PERfORATIOnS (InSIDE) 8. STEEl lACInG 9. TRAnSluCEnT fABRIC (InTERnAl) 10. BuIlT-uP STEEl COluMn 11. InTERMEDIATE STEEl PlATE 12. InlInE ExHAuST fAn 13. GyPROC PAnElS-f/C 14. HvAC SuPPly DOCkS
15. STEEl BEAM 16. ROBERTSOn’S DECk 17. PRIMARy STEEl TRuSS-18M wIDE SPAn 18. PERfORATED fABRIC lOuvERS 19. SuSPEnSIOn STEEl COluMn 20. ExHAuST AIR TuBE 21. STEEl BEAM-SuSPEnDED fROM TRuSS ABOvE 22. TRAnSluCEnT fABRIC lAyER 23. MIlky wHITE POlyCARBOnATE SHEET 24. RAIn wATER TO GROunD STORAGE 25. COMPOSITE fASCIA 26. PRInTED GlASS
1.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
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]
A. 150nB STEEl C.H.S. BuIlT-uP B. 50nB STEEl C.H.S. COluMn C. 100x100 R.H.S. AluMInIuM fRAME TO ClIP On fABRIC PAnEl 122x61 R.H.S. – lATERAl BRACE 25MM wIDE AluMInIuM T-SECTIOn SCREEn PRInTED TOuGHEnED GlASS 50% SIlvER REflECTIvE AIR GAP (SkIn ExHAuST) SCREEn PRInTED TOuGHEnED GlASS PERfORATED fABRIC PAnEl 75MM wIDE AluMInIuM fIn
architecture A controlled juxtaposition of colour, forms and texture.
from outside. locally available sadarali stone that is typically used to create archetypal freestanding walls to demarcate boundaries in the region, is used to further exemplify cultural continuity. The longitudinal trusses are clad in a vinyl to express them as a visual element. The flora selection is also regional and berming from the excavated top soil maximises the moderate climate of the area. ferns and grasses that change colour and texture are exploited as a canvas to further enhance the architectural dynamics that creates a unique experience on each visit. IO Fact File T YpOLOGY
Town Hall NAmE Of pROjECT
The Discovery Centre LOCATION
Bengaluru NAmE Of CLIENT
Bhartiya City
pRINCIpAL ARChITECT
Akshat Bhatt DESIGN TEAm
A solar park powers the lighting.
Aditya Tognatta / nishant Malhotra / nidhi khosla SITE AREA
5 Acres
BuILT-up AREA
37,000 sq ft
COmpLETION DATE
november 2013
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