FENSTERBAU FRONTALE INDIA TAB XV

Issue XV | February 2017 frontale-india.com

GREEN FENESTRATION DESIGN IN TALL BUILDINGS

Facade and Fenestration News for India

EDITORIAL | GREEN FENESTRATION

DESIGN IN TALL BUILDINGS Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

This year marks the 7th edition of FFI- the last few years have seen the show grow in line with the Indian Façade and Fenestration Industry and become one of India’s most focused events on the topic.

Welcome to the latest issue of the FFI Tabloid, marking the annual event FENSTERBAU FRONTALE INDIA from 23rd-25th February, 2017 in Noida, Delhi (NCR), bringing together novel technologies from the world over in Façade and Fenestration Design.

FFI has proved its mettle as a professionally managed event of international standards supplemented by great networking opportunities and led by a team which understands the nuances and challenges of the Industry.

The FFI Tabloid was launched with the aim of disseminating knowledge about the latest trends and innovations from all stakeholders of the Industry – Fabricators, Consultants, Architects & Developers and has come to be appreciated and anticipated for the wealth of information every edition brings in its wake.

The 15th edition focusing on Green Fenestration technologies promises to be yet another interesting read.

With the trend shifting towards increasingly stringent energy codes, sustainable design and green buildings, the requirements for facade performance is an ever changing phenomenon.

Building systems are complex, and technical requirements are even more so. To adapt, project teams have become more and more specialized. The role of the building envelope consultant is not to look at one system in isolation; it’s to make sure that the exterior envelope works together as a whole.

With the latest edition of the FFI Tabloid, we aim to provide an insight into the various criteria which help define the concept of green fenestration and how consultants and Architects are trying to integrate this into standard building practise.

FFI 2017 is geared up once again to help you explore trends, gain essential business insights and support your networking goals.

This year the event is part of Build Fair Alliance. Visitors to the show will be able to witness multiple building solutions in one go.

As the Indian window, door and façade Industry enters the next phase of growth, it deserves an event which highlights its growing importance and relevance.

FFI 2017 focusses on facade and fenestration products together with the other shows at the same venue such as the ACREX India 2017 covering HVAC, ISH 2017 showcasing plumbing systems, FSIE 2017 previewing fire safety and security solutions and the Glasspro 2017 show on international exhibition for flat glass processing and products.

With a very interesting project from Spasm Design (Mumbai) and great insight into the theme ‘Green Fenestration Design in Tall Buildings’, from renowned industry practitioners; Deepak Mehta Associates (Mumbai), Morphogenesis (New Delhi), KGD Architects (Bengaluru) and Rishi Dev Architects (New Delhi), this tabloid focuses on for green and sustainable technologies and a range of novel, yet practical fenestration solutions.

It has been a great journey of learning for us at the Editorial team, delving into the world of fire safety and green fenestration design; we do hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed curating it for you. This bi-monthly tabloid has been an attempt to document the research and innovation in the façade and fenestration industry while exploring novel technologies, and facilitating dissemination of knowledge. With a circulation of over 6000 copies across the country, we can now proudly claim that the tabloid has been very well received by the industry, and is the point of reference for this special vertical in the built environment.

You can read all the earlier issues online at https://issuu.com/ffi2014 Do share your feedback by writing to us at the Editorial team. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all once again for aiding our endeavours and would like to personally invite you to the upcoming FFI 2017 at the at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR from 23rd – 25th February 2017. Many special events, workshops and dialogues are planned during the show, based around this year’s special theme of Fire Safety/ Fire-Efficient Facades and Green Fenestration Design along with an opportunity to interact and engage with innovators, developers and other esteemed design professionals such as you.

Wish you a successful visit to the show and Happy Reading !

Come engage and get enthralled by revelling in another successful year of Innovation and Design for Facades and Fenestration- we look forward to meeting you at the FENSTERBAU FRONTALE INDIA 2017 in Delhi!

Rucheeka Chhugani

Tanya Khanna

Project Director, NürnbergMesse India Pvt. Ltd.

Founder & Director, Epistle Communications

IMPRINT Issued by / publishing house

Editor-in-chief

NürnbergMesse India Pvt. Ltd.

German House, 2, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110 021, India Tel.: +91-11-47168888 Fax: +91-11-26118664 Website: www.nm-india.com Tanya Khanna, Epistle Communications Rucheeka Chhugani, NürnbergMesse India Pvt. Ltd.

Editorial Staff

Nisha Tyagi, Syed Sarim Ali

Layout

Heena Shekhar

Contact: Ms. Rucheeka Chhugani E-mail: rucheeka.chhugani@nm-india.com

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This tabloid is intended for the dissemination of information about the Façade and Fenestration Industry, purely for academic and informational purposes aimed at discourse on façade design. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the owner of the copyright.

All content is the copyright of FENSTERBAU FRONTALE INDIA.

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

N G I S E D N S O I G T N A I R D T L S I E U N B E L F L N A E T E IN R G ect

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The urge in urban space requirements has led to the development of a massive set of ‘tall buildings’. Vertical housing has come into a fashion, distinct from the conventional houses, adorned with prodigious use of land as gardens and recreational spaces. Buildings rising with no limit, ride along with the technological advancements required to cater the needs. Such advances do not always account to the benefit of the environment. With the crisis of the global environmental changes increasing crucially, the need of Green Architecture and its counterparts have entered the designing criteria of such buildings.

Tall buildings when collaborated with the vertical green fenestrations, they can act beneficial to the environmental needs and suffice by the necessity of habitable building functions. Sustainable construction of the mega structures that often abide by to accommodate multiple functions along with the management of the allied services would create a beneficial relationship between the buildings and its urban infrastructure.

Design delegates often syndicate more than one feature to allow a blend of the built and the un-built form of the infrastructure. Sky gardens, indoor landscape, green roof technologies and other sorts are incorporated as essential architectural elements in the designs.

Likewise, the envelopes of the buildings are also being developed to

Semi transparent aluminium skin for the daylight office spaces distributed across open floor plans.

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of Real Value Czar’s, an exclusive condominium at Chennai. The site is surrounded by lush greenery soothing to the resident more than one can estimate. The design has been adorned with “IGBC Green Homes Precertified Platinum”.

Vertical gardens add an aesthetic element to the facade of a building and allow natural daylight to enter the structure

Use of eco friendly construction materials such as locally available clay bricks along with the façade of the building also account to contributing elements to the gain of the certificate. The façade uses reflective uPVC low emissivity glass along the full height window openings. North facing balconies perk the users with the most comfortable light lines with flower beds that also reduce the carbon footprint of the building.

Teak wood battens are used along the façade promoting the use of natural building materials. The parking tower is strategically oriented in the south, deterring the harsh south light. Maximum daylight and cross ventilation is generated in the living areas, through the well insulated windows.

Practices in fenestration design have led to explore more green materials.

Replacing the conventional beneficial but less environment friendly approach with a sustainable and user friendly design. Materials such a uPVC are replacing the aluminum windows. Apart from low thermal energy, uPVC obliges the user with satisfactory heat insulation and

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Facade and Fenestration News for India allow such practices. Perforated facades, vertical gardens, concrete creepers account to elements that allow an environmental benefit along with a healthy atmosphere for the users of the building. Innovative palette of materials has been evolving over a period of time, with a range as wide as natural timber to lightweight materials like aluminum.

Deepak Mehta Architect profoundly believes in designs that are offering in character, buildings that are user friendly on a social aspect and eco friendly on an ecological aspect. One such example would be

reduce the heat gain of the building and also enhance as elements.

On an architectural front, the uses of such innovative materials add to the various approaches of the concept of Green Buildings. The requisites of sustainable skyscraper designs and its adherence to its functionality have led to a number of design approaches. Attempts towards making these structures energy efficient are being made at high priority. Green architecture with references from developing architectural styles is adapted and reckoned.

Teakwood screens to regulate the entry of the light in the building.

North facing balconies embellished with flowerbeds reducing the carbon footprint along with use of daylight.

Use of uPVC glass with low E-Value for full heightened windows.

low maintenance experience. On an ecological front the material, uses minimal energy to transform from its raw form to a finished durable product, distinct from aluminium window frames.

Structural glazing with low emissivity glass are preferred to allow an energy efficient system. Curtain wall systems are progressed with a combination of thermodynamics and layers to allow a beneficial space-volume relation along with the environment friendly gains. Such systems also deal with disruptions caused due to wind acceleration in tall buildings by proposing a triple layer glazing over a conventional bi layer. Other glazing solutions equalize to solar control glass.

Other than structurally aligned members, building designs can be of high ecological value via the use of elements that not only make the structure aesthetic but also benefit the ecological and social aspect.

Screens and shading devices usually made of aluminium or timber are used as design elements. These movable screens act as sliding window panels beyond the window openings. Timber or aluminium louvers are also often found in tall buildings with curtain wall envelopes, at levels above the openable panels. In this case, they act as sun breakers and Louvered sun breakers on curtain walls reduce the heat gain of the building. Such sun breakers can be designed over a range of materials such as aluminium or steel.

Movable aluminium screens provide the user with the freedom to regulate the entry of light coming inside the structure and still give the designer the liberty to design exclusive openings.

ARCHITECT’S PROFILE

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Ar. Deepak Mehta, is a profound architect with an experience of over 34 years, spreading his input on more than 750 projects. His practice is extends over 12 cities in India along with Dubai and Maldives. A pass out from Academy of Architecture, Ar. Deepak Mehta has been previously associated with Ar. Porus Master and Ar. Hafeez Contractor.

Facade and Fenestration News for India

GREEN FENESTRATION DESIGN IN TALL BUILDINGS - Ar. Najeeb Khan, KGD

As our world moves towards an era of high-tech & glazed building, it is the responsibility of the ‘architects’ to shape it in the right manner.

The tall buildings of tomorrow need specific attention as we cannot ignore the resource consumption per development. Our attention to detail in the sector should be looked upon in a larger picture as it needs to encapsulate ingredients that would help a healthy synchronization of constructed to its environment.

With an ever increasing demand of the suburbs to build beyond the city limits, green design is now the need of the hour. Our target is to push technology towards being bio-mimetic in nature.

An important aspect of this merger lies into the formation of ‘facade & fenestration’ which brings down the energy requirement of a given setup.

The windows and openings of a facility be it in healthcare, IT, industrial or transportation allows a smooth flow of the air which is primary for human existence. Our dependency on air conditioning system is not a sustainable one from both energy and health perspective. The HVAC department does immense amount of analysis as it performs no less than the respiratory function.

Also, the façade which plays a pivotal role in not only the view but internal process as well needs to be tailor made for a region. Materials used, shape, size and numbers impact a structures future. We’ve in the past seen mistakes and as humans learnt the art of rectifying the same.

Facades are no longer looked upon as a small component.

In fenestration design the most important aspect that we need to consider is that the Sun rises in the east but sets in 23 degrees south to west. If we position the building in such a way that they don’t face east or west, there will be little need of air cooling. Cross ventilation is a necessity in reducing energy consumption.

Ensuring abundant lighting is also about tactical structuring to trap light.

This again reduces the requirement of lighting fixtures. A building with proper openings absorbs light from the sun and pushes it towards every nook & corner. With a better design in place the structure can utilize daylight for maximum hours thereby reducing power requirements.

Companies with their R&D are creating modern facades. There are some new materials that are gaining momentum in the construction

business. Wooden façades are one of those that appear attractive due to its natural essence. While on the other hand they are good insulators and can withhold heat keeping the inside cooler. With the advancement of technology, solar plate facades are also becoming quite popular.

Once embedded on the structure, they themselves generate energy and bring down the running costs. These panels definitely hold key for the new age buildings as humans slowly adapt to other forms of abundant energy existing on the planet.

Even though we are doing everything to maintain highest standards by following every protocol that could create a greener earth, our challenge however, still lies with the non compliant existing structures. So it’s not only about innovation for new but also involves renovation for the old.

Re-designing a building is no-doubt a tough path, but brings down cost & time of demolishing and development. A proper strategy to counter an implemented design calls for high level of architectural precision.

We are now equipped with technology good enough to handle such cases, so our priority now should also be to focus towards redesigning/ renovating. Let’s not forget that earth is the only home we have in this universe.

ARCHITECT’S PROFILE Nejeeb Khan is a master’s degree holder from the University of Colorado and is a member of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) & American Institute of Architects (AIA). In 2003, he founded KGD-Architecture along with Ned Kirschbaum and Jim Bradburn of Fentress Architects. His prior exposure to large scale projects globally brings an ambitious vision for KGD as a player in the AEC Industry. He is an architect, an innovator and above all a visionary who believes that hard work with smart technique is the key to opening new frontiers in the architecture & designing sector.

Nejeeb’s work has been covered by various media platforms and he has also represented KGD’s vision and mission at various events and conferences. His views and projects based on sustainable designs and green architecture has been widely appreciated. He believes that new age architects have a far greater challenge in designing assignments, as there is high level of innovation & precision required.

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

THE MORPHOGENESIS APPROACH - Ar. Nitin Bansal, Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis is a leading Indian practice working in the space of Sustainable architecture. Four aspects are central to all our design solutions at Morphogenesis: Sustainability, Affordability, Identity and Livability. These parameters define the enquiry process that shapes the architecture of Morphogenesis.

Sustainability: We build buildings that consume 75% lesser energy than certified green building benchmarks.

Affordability: We break barriers of established price benchmarks and reduce consumption of resources through design innovation.

Identity: Our architecture is rooted in the Global and the Local, celebrating Diversity over Homogeneity.

Livability: We design SMART architecture to build resilient communities by putting the user at the centre of the design process.

Morphogenesis’ approach to sustainable design primarily focuses on passive design techniques to create a microclimate on site. We use passive design strategies like evaporative cooling, wind harnessing, vegetation, shading to create 10K perceptible temperature reduction.

This allows for a maximum gain in reducing energy requirements at zero additional cost. The second step is envelope design, which plays a major role in reducing external heat gain. One of the approaches is to limit the WWR (Window to wall ratio) to less than 30% and yet achieve 100% daylight in regularly occupied spaces. This not only allows us to reduce energy consumption, as windows contribute to maximum heat gain, but also helps in reducing capital costs. We aim to design a percentage of the windows to be openable which enables a user to switch off the air-conditioning during favourable outside conditions and operate the building passively. The third step is to choose the best possible thermal performance of glass for a given situation, which is then shaded to further increase its performance. We manage to reduce

the envelope heat gain to less than 1W/sqft which in turn leads to an extremely high air-conditioning efficiency of more than 600sq.ft per ton of air-conditioning load. This has a knock-on effect on the sizing of HVAC equipment and electrical equipment leading to a capital cost savings of ~20%. By adopting this methodology, we manage to reduce the energy consumption by 75% lower than green building benchmarks.

The fourth step is to design for the installation renewable energy sources for a potential net-zero energy project.

We follow an orientation specific fenestration and shading design approach for all our projects. We maximise the exposure of the building towards North-South orientation from where we draw maximum daylight and views. We try and have solid surfaces on East and West facades with minimal openings. The solar radiation is significantly lower from North and South directions as compared to East and West.

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

Hence, shading requirements on North and South orientations are much lesser.

The approach to shading design is in the form of aspect ratio required to shade a particular orientation. This aspect ratio may be achieved by a number of design solutions which give architectural freedom and avoid monotony in elevations.

The enclosed figure shows an integrated façade section for one of our Information Technology campuses which is being designed to be netzero on energy, water and waste.

We have achieved 100% shading in this project yet achieving 100% daylight and zero glare. The integrated façade section incorporates structure, shading, light shelves, glare control, insulation and radiant cooling systems. The sill level is 1.1M which helps to optimize window to wall ratio to less than 30%. This also allows for the integration of the radiant cooling manifold system in the façade section. The window is split into daylight panel and vision panel by the introduction of a light shelf. The vision panel is shaded by vertical fins and light shelf.

The daylight panel is shaded by vertical fins and the highly reflective

surface of light shelf reflects lights deep inside the floorplate, leading to a uniform distribution of daylight.

ARCHITECT’S PROFILE Graduated from the Chandigarh College of Architecture (BArch, Gold Medal) and The Architectural Association, London (Master of Science in Sustainable Environmental Design), Nitin is a specialist in Sustainability, with over 10 years of experience, having a number of papers presented and published at international technical conferences, including PLEA. Nitin adds value to Morphogenesis’ projects through his expertise, and some of his current projects include Infosys Campus in Nagpur, ITC Mixed Use Development in Kolkata, and Campus for Wipro in Hyderabad.

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

INDIA STILL A FEW DECADES BEHIND GOING GREEN - Ar. Rishi Dev, Ekistician

Green building refers to both a structure and the using of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle: design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. Green buildings, in other words, are sustainable buildings. The above definition of green is complete, yet its implementation is not. With changing trends and development index taking a steep upward curve it is not enough to make a building efficient or self sustainable. This is because in order to achieve green buildings we use methods which are un-green in the larger context. A building is a small part of a larger system in which we live. And that building being green would not matter if the system is failing. So, the built has to contribute back to the environment. It is imperative for it to become a part of a whole for it to be green. Architectural practices must go beyond LEED ratings, Carbon footprints & technology. Hence architects need to do more so that, an act at local level must contribute globally.

Philosophically the word Green is an oxymoron as it is impossible to “achieve” a permanent state of green, because in a true state of green the opposites need to be at a perfectly balance equilibrium. It is however, possible to achieve a cent percent green at a given point in Time, Space & Context. Putting the above two facts together we arrive at a philosophy which is more than just making buildings efficient, planning holistic cities & processes or using technology as a savior & conservator. It is as easy to “Be Green” as it is difficult to “Achieve Green”. General perceptions of architects limit “green” to performance of a building.

The truth about green and sustainability is that both good and evil exist, but eventually balance each other for harmony. Similarly in Green buildings the effort to produce less embodied energy in material cannot be the sole answer. The local context and environment, society, culture, economy, ecology and demographics must be considered before indulging in producing and using materials as skins or structures of building that would inhabit the local population.

In the context of Green fenestrations in tall building designs, a given vernacular context is most important. While most contemporary

Fig 1.1

products and materials that are used as the skin of the building or designed to decorate and use the fenestrations are universally applied and expected to perform. Yet the same cannot be done unless the material & design is universally working towards a green environment.

As an example, the city of Chicago has time and again set newer standards of real sustainable techniques in planning as well as building designs. The city developed a new concrete that absorbs pollution of traffic. Panels of the same concrete have now become a new architectural vocabulary of the buildings. Thus, the designers didn’t refrain people from using vehicles, as they are inevitable truths of urban agglomerations, but devised newer ways to technologically move ahead in order to control the ill effects. So the conclusion to learn is that even in nature, pollutants are produced, yet toxins are managed immediately so life can move on.

In the context of fenestrations, the considerations can’t be limited to sun movement, aesthetics, energy gain or loss, use of energy and so on.

The larger ecosystem, that has more demands from the environment

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Facade and Fenestration News for India and its users, must be justified in all aspects and levels.

Fenestrations, apart from embodied energy & energy management, must also move a step ahead and contribute to the larger scheme of buildings, its settings and its ecosystem.

Ancient history of architectural vocabulary across the globe has many examples of such innovations in fenestration designs. The “arch” (Fig 1.1) that was used as an aesthetic and structural member in medieval and contemporary times was once a “Sun Shading Device”. Different cultures with different climates defined and redefined this arch into many version that managed sun movement in the local context. Similarly the “Jali” (Fig 1.2 ) in Indian subcontinent finds many versions and usages purely from a climatic point of view. Such master designs later became a way of life in buildings, yet its inception was purely contextual.

Fig 1.3

ARCHITECT’S PROFILE

The fenestration detail in Figure 1.3 was designed by us as a design for a tall building in India, using both the Jali as well an Arch to devise a new fenestration style for contemporary tall buildings. It uses both these elements not for aesthetics or structures, but to define a contemporary re-use of the same elements in the present context. There can be many innovative uses and design of newer fenestration elements that can be designed from the overall context and a more macro perspective of the word “green”. Architects shouldn’t design green fenestrations and skins of building unless they know – People & attitudes; Cultures & Social orders; Local Practices & Technology ; Systems & Nature.

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Rishi Dev is a New Delhi based Architect & Ekistician (Gold Medalist) who has been practicing independently for almost one and half decades now. Having diverse experience in architecture, planning and ekistics, he has completed more than 250 projects all over the world. He teaches in his idle time and visits some of the top architecture colleges of Delhi as a guest faculty.

Apart from the main stream professional works & teaching, he has also been involved in philanthropic activities for more than 12 years now.

Facade and Fenestration News for India

GREEN FENESTRATION DESIGN IN TALL BUILDINGS - Ar. Sabeena Khanna, Studio KIA

Sare The Grand, Sector 92, Gurgaon

Buildings, globally, are responsible for at least 40% of energy use and have a tremendous environmental impact during their life.

Green buildings, in turn, are so planned to consume less water, optimize energy usage, conserve natural resources, generate less waste and provide a healthier environment for the users. Various environment friendly features are amalgamated into the design of green buildings namely building envelope design, building system design, integration of renewable energy sources, and efficient use of water, water recycling and waste management, usage of ecologically sustainable, energy efficient and eco-friendly materials, indoor environmental quality and effective building management systems. Since the introduction of green ratings for buildings like LEED, tall buildings are getting greener and Green buildings are getting taller. Taking cue from the skyscraper cities namely Hong Kong, New York, Chicago, Shanghai, Dubai and Tokyo, India too is pacing up with the game of redefining the skyline of its cities with tall, green buildings.

Window and door openings play an important role as fenestrations for a tall structure, which in present times must entirely be sustainable and made up of energy-efficient fenestration materials. Fenestrations differ by operation, frame and glass. These green fenestrations help residential tall buildings and commercial office buildings in the complete well being of the built space as also its occupants. Passive cooling and ventilation aid in making a space more desirable.

ENERGY STAR certified windows lower energy bills by an average of 12 percent. Lower energy consumption also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and shrinks the carbon footprint of a house. Low emission coatings, glazing, visible light transmittance (VLT) and solar heat

gain coefficient (SHGC) are important considerations for tall building fenestrations.

A typical single glazed & exposed window can easily contribute to saving energy by using timber shutters, insulated panels, secondary protective glazing, heavy curtains or even a traditional blind. Durability is also the key. If the natural resource used is sustainable and the product helps save energy, but fails before its time, it negates the benefits. Fiberglass, Vinyl frames made from PVC, wood on inside with fiberglass on exterior and thermally improved aluminum are newer options to be considered.

Green fenestrations also include skylights. As per study, windows account for just 15 per cent of the heat gain and half of the heat gain is through roofing. The energy efficiency of a fenestration is a product of radiant heat gain, convection, head conduction & air leakage. Climate plays a vital role in selecting the correct elements of design. In cold climates, heat gain can reduce the need for additional energy and vice versa for hot climates. The size, location & shading of the fenestration, all have a significant impact on energy efficiency. Operable units can also be used to create thermal chimneys for passive ventilation.

Shading devices too play a major role as they are directly associated with the solar gains of a building, the shading system rejects or limits the amount of solar gains, thus reducing the cooling loads. The most common shading devices use different shapes and forms of the facade to cover up windows or apertures and create shaded areas while using low transmission glazing to limit the amount of solar gain through the windows or apertures.

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

Sare Club, Sector 92, Gurgaon Commercial buildings with complex building typologies should consider building orientation, wind direction, sun path and other climatic design factors before a fenestration assembly strategy, window wall ratio and fins/shading devices that are specifically developed for the building envelope of a particular climatic zone.

Thick vegetation has envelope-insulating and shading properties, helping to keep heat or cool air from migrating through the building envelope into the atmosphere, and limiting solar gain to the exterior surface of a wall or from transmitting through glass. Thus, in short, green walls can help insulate a building in cold climates, and shade a building in hot climates. Envirotranspiration also creates small zones of cool air, particularly between the green wall and the building envelope but also in some cases in the immediate vicinity along the building’s exterior which further assists the envelope’s thermal transmittance in hot climates.

Terrace-Sare Petioles, Sector 92, Gurgaon

ARCHITECT’S PROFILE Creative head of the design studio, Sabeena leads and energetic & enthusiastic team through inspiration, vision and leadership. An architecture critic and designer, she is the master – mind behind each project undertaken.

Recipient of Le- Corbusier Gold Medal for best thesis, Sabeena topped the University with her creative intellect. Fellow member of Indian Institute of Architects (IIA ) and Associate member of Institute of Interior Designers (IIID), she is on the Juries for many a renowned architectural awards recognizing fresh talent.

‘I believe in Leonardo Da Vinci’s “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” as also that “Life is short. Let’s build stuff that matters”’, says Ar. Sabeena.

Some of the known projects include the Timber Trail in Himachal Pradesh, The Umrao – Boutique Hotel on National Highway-8 in Delhi, District Headquarters in Goa and the prestigious Cottage Industries Emporium at STC building, Janpath, New Delhi. Some of the recent projects include Al Wathba and Mussaffah schools in Dubai, UAE; Housing projects- Palm Drive, Emaar MGF, The Grand and The Petioles based in Gurgaon (NCR).

THANKS “Going Green” is the present and the future. It makes no sense to construct a building or retrofit one today that is not Green. Sensibly designed, green building and fenestrations cost the same or even lesser than a conventional building. The benefits and opportunities to save on the operational costs are enormous. The client’s concern over the initial costs remains the primary resistance but the combination of energy savings and maintenance costs will translate to bottom line benefits.

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MANYATA TECH PARK - KGD Architecture

It is a contemporary office cum retail space. The design is sustainable in terms of both design and facilities. It is constructed by the top down method, making it the first office building in India to use this technique.

The faรงade of this eleven story mixed use building is composed of sections to provide adequate penetration of daylight to provide views while forgoing glare. The narrow plate further enhances the entry of daylight from both the sides. Unlike most buildings, it is earth bound and a lot of activities in the retail spill into the open and landscaped areas breaking the monotony and giving a sense of relatable scale to these users. The glass porch at the entrance marks it out of the building mass, giving it an almost sculpture like appearance. No ACP has been used instead of which Kalzip is used to create beautiful undulations in the faรงade which not only creates a unique pattern but also creates a play of light due to its light reflecting properties.

Reducing energy consumption and maximizing the available resource was the main design concept. Be it high performance solar glazing or highly efficient fluorescent light bulbs, each element of the building were carefully put in place in order to adhere to the aforementioned concept. This posed a challenge to the design team to create a dynamic

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structure, which is green, functionally sound and an aesthetic marvel.

Some of the ideas adopted were use of recycled content in the structure as well as internal partition and fittings, screening of VOC emitting materials at the design at the design and the purchase stage and use of plantation timber and certified wood.

Various factors were carefully worked upon to maximize the use of space without making a hazardous footprint. Considering that 10,000 people would be occupying the building, it called for a simple spatial plan that reduced confusion eliminated the need to be constantly directed.

The resultant floor plate is narrow and long with the length aligned in the North South axis except for the L part on the West Faรงade, which has been provided with high performance glazing. Short span East & South ends are provided with little or no glazing and the east end is blocked with the services & toilet core to prevent excessive exposure to the harsh sunlight. The L shape also facilitates self shading for the southern faรงade to some degree.

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

FIRM’S PROFILE Founded in 2003, KGD is an Architectural, Engineering and Interior Design firm with prominence in the verticals of Transportation, Healthcare, Hospitality, Education, Commercial, Residential and Industrial Architecture.

Head-quartered in Bangalore, KGD comprises of team of over 300 dynamic architects and engineers from across the globe including Spain, and UK with network teams in Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai, Muscat and Al Khobar. KGD is currently working on projects across 19 Indian States and also handling assignments internationally including Dubai, Male, Bali and Oman.

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EXIM TOWER

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(Tanzania) - Spasm Design

Dar-es-Salaam, a harbour city in Tanzania, retained strong traces of its colonial past. Shaded arcades and colonnades provided a climatically sensitized interface where the building engaged the public. This trend faded over the last half century due to the emergence of a generic global style and a paranoia for security. The transition of the city into a financial hub led to the disruption of the appropriated architectural fabric by brutal monolithic built forms.

Amidst the low rise urban sprawl of the city, a fifteen storied building stands out as a ‘tower’. The brief for a speculative office tower curbs any architectural extravagances for economical viability. With Exim Tower,

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

every architectural requirement was carefully synchronized to craft a building coherent to its siting and function.

The tower skews to the city grid and orients itself to maximize aspect between surrounding buildings, also allowing for negotiated ingress and egress points. The hassan-green granite clad base grounds the tower and forms a softer, non reflective presence on the street level which along with the open fire sprinkler reservoir with a twenty metre long cascade creates a comfortable micro climate.

The services for the building are tucked into four structural masses that hold up clutter free floor plates. The thin proportions of the tower allows for maximum light penetration, eliminating the need for artificial lighting during work hours.

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Facade and Fenestration News for India

The principal glazing of the tower is shaded by a stainless steel mesh that filters solar gain, buffers ambient street noise, giving the body of the tower a sinuous weightlessness.

Every floor extends in opposite directions along the longer side to create double height shaded terraces that offer comfortable outdoor experiences throughout the height of the building.

These elements, which provide spaces sensitized to human needs and experience, express themselves in a sleek, horizontally stretched silhouette of the tower.

We chose to bring value to the project through the comfort of human occupation in hope of enhanced productivity and creating a local icon.

ARCHITECT’S PROFILE The Studio was established in 1995 by principals Sanjeev Panjabi (1969) and Sangeeta Merchant (1967). Educated at the Academy of Architecture, Mumbai (1987-1992). The practice is 13 people strong and is busy with the construction and design of several residential, commercial and mixed use projects in India and Tanzania (East Africa). The practice’s early work comprised of several interior refurbishments and interventions. These ranged from a post production studio to residences. Since the year 2000, the practice has graduated to architectural projects such as single family homes, luxury villas and commercial office towers. The studio’s approach and working method is to constantly seek out an appropriate and authentic architectural solution. We believe that every project we undertake must reflect a strong, sound ideology and honesty in its architectural design, the application of materials and the deployment of technologies. Since our first commission in East Africa in 1997, new dimensions are constantly being added to our attitude towards construction and the conception of architectural solutions.

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