Home Review-April 2015 by Home Review

DESIGNQUEST : PRAGYA Chhajer

vol 14 issue 04

aPRIL 2015

RPDS UNCOVERED

DESIGN DESTINATION : DOHA

total pages 150

RS 100 HOME-REVIEW.COM

Tradition and Modernity BY CANNA PATEL Studio Lotus’ Coast Café

INFINITE CREATIVITY

VDGA studio’S CLEVER blend OF THE rustic and urban sanjay puri dons the hat as Guest Editor for Home Review’s Anniversary issue 13 Global Favourites

SUSTAINABILITY IN ITS PUREST FORM

REFLECTIONS ON THE INDIAN ARCHITECTURAL SCENARIO Dharavi Biennale: ART OUTSIDE THE BOX Anniversary Issue

WORLD ARCHITECTURE TRENDS

Future Forward

What Inspires Sanjay Puri

Photo: Cyrus Dalal

Bringing you the best in design and innovation for 13 years

he past thirteen years have been eventful to say the least. We at Home Review have always felt the need to showcase thought provoking ideas fuelling the need for good design choices, a quest that started way back in April 2002 is even more resolute today! To mark this special anniversary we are delighted to have Sanjay Puri donning the hat of Guest Editor. Turn to page 52 to get insights on topics ranging from parametric design to the Dharavi Biennale. India’s starchitect ensures we keep step with the latest trends and materials, shining a spotlight on the road ahead. Varsha and Deepak Guggari are old favourites of ours. Our cover feature takes you to this creative duo’s hub, their very own studio. Converting a derelict ground floor apartment into a space that liberates is what their ‘wall-less’ wonder accomplishes. Approaching the studio through a sequence of pergolas, once inside vistas with greenery unfold. There are no walls to create compartmentalized spaces, instead the design charms with its open-minded and unpretentious quality, a trait which their firm has long been admired for. The Coast Café situated in the capital is Studio Lotus’ tribute to simplicity and an eye for detail. Tucked away in the bustling environs of Hauz Khas, this resto-bar breaks the mould by creating an atmosphere of quiet sophistication. Here brick walls are washed with tons of natural light while marble-topped tables are encircled by cane and teak chairs that sit on terrazzo floors. With an emphasis on hand crafted solutions, Studio Lotus follows through on a design scheme that is grounded. They draw out aesthetic beauty from simplicity and manage to create a spot of tranquil living in the midst of chaos. Cheers to that! Anish Bajaj, Editor anish@marvelinfomedia.com

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Sanjay Puri dons the hat as Guest Editor for Home Review’s anniversary issue. Turn to page 52

Home Review April 2015

Coast Café designed by Studio Lotus has sublime interiors punctuated by the right mix of pleasing colours

art form

Sand is his canvas and also his life’s greatest teacher; meet Sudarsan Pattnaik, one of India’s most prominent sand sculptors

Cover Story An enigmatic blend of rustic and urban, VDGA studio designed by Deepak Guggari is a space where people and creativity are neither confined within glass cubicles, nor walled premises

Bringing you the best in design and innovation for 13 years

Sanjay Puri dons the hat as Guest Editor for Home Review’s Anniversary issue. Check out his thoughts on design trends, sustainability, the Indian architectural scenario and more

APRIL

Organised as a “spiral of knowledge” the Dalarna Media Library (DML) is a warehouse of information, inspired in part by the Roman Colosseum

DOHA A DESIGN DESTINATION

86 102

92 98

Canna Patel deigns a guest unit for an existing bungalow in Bilimoria, Gujarat, while refurbishing the existing home. The result is a perfect integratation of the new with the old

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Housed in a traditional bungalow, which happens to be a heritage property, ‘Cinnamon’ is a lifestyle store which offers everything ranging from extensive home accessories to designer collections

Landscapes

From container gardens and intimate courtyards to large estates, Living Gardens Landscape Design Inc. is a boutique garden design firm which strives to create the beautiful green spaces you long for

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product

designer

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Airplane interiors, senior-friendly aids, and furniture that makes you smile. Lanzavecchia + Waiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughtful designs are useful, practical and so very poetic

GREEN PROJECT Based in Brighton, Silo is one of UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first restaurants to adopt a zero-waste approach to the commercial food making process

This spacious 8,470 sq ft haveli in Vadodara, Gujarat designed by Unven Architects is comfortably modern and inherently traditional.

APRIL

128 133 136

141 THE MARKETPLACE

Mumbai-based Rushabh Parekh Design Studio (RPDS) creates highly interactive interior projects that highlights their acumen for texturing, customised fabrication and digital styling

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The architecture of DO & CO Hotel in Vienna, Austria holds its own as a futuristic design composed of glass and steel

Get your hands on the latest products to hit the market

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Home Review April 2015

Editor & Publisher Anish Bajaj Creative Director Natalie Pedder-Bajaj Features Editor Mala Bajaj Assistant Editor Shweta Salvi

Chryselle D’Silva Dias Freelance Writer Chryselle D’Silva Dias is a freelance writer and blogger currently based in Goa. She writes about places, people, interiors, books and green issues. Her work has been published in national and international publications including TIME, Marie Claire and The Guardian. Visit her at www.chryselle.net.

Sub Editors Vikas Bhadra Rehana Hussain Contributing Writers Chryselle D’Silva Dias Christabelle Athaide Dhanishta Shah Himali Kothari K Parvathy Menon Shruti Nambiar Designers Asif Shayannawar Snigdha Hodarkar

Pragya Chhajer Designer A final year Retail & Exhibition Design student at MIT Institute of Design, Pune, Pragya is primarily interested in designing temporary and retail spaces which are interactive, quirky and functional.

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Editorial & Marketing Mumbai Mr. Ganesh Gurav, Mr. Vivek Jadhav, Mr. Rakesh Kini (Digital), B-62, Cotton Exchange bldg., Cotton Green, Mumbai 400 033 T 022 23736133/1, 32958501 F 022 23743069 E response@marvelinfomedia.com

VDGA Studio Infinite Creativity, Page No 32 Varsha and Deepak Guggari Associates (VDGA) is a leading architectural and interior design studio based in Pune. The studio’s principal is architect Deepak Guggari and Varsha Guggari is the partner architect. The design philosophy of the studio lies in creating “timeless meaningful spaces” through the means of art and architecture which in turn would induce harmony, happiness and peace in the lives of the end users.

Delhi Ms Sumita Prakash Flat F 304, Rajasthan C.G.H.S. Ltd, Plot No. 36, Sector 4, Dwarka, New Delhi 110075 Tel 09899179540, Email: sumitabiswas63@gmail.com Chennai Mr S. Venkataraaman Flat No. 2, 3rd Flr, E-Block, Hansa Garden, 30 Madampakkam Main Rd, Rajakilpakkam, Chennai 600 073 Tel 044 22281180 / 09444021128 Email: svenkat@marvelinfomedia.com Kolkata Mr Subrata Mazumder 2, Nabapalli (Bidhanpalli). Kolkata 700084 Tel 033 2410 4296 Mob 9831131395 Telefax 033 2410 7605 Email: subrata22@rediffmail.com Publishing Director Mr. R.I. Bajaj Distributed in India by India Book House Pvt. Ltd. 412, Tulsiani Chambers, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021. This issue has a total of 150 pages comprising of a 6 page cover and 144 inside pages.

Lotus Architects Fits the Bill, Page No 44 Lotus works on the principles of conscious design - an approach that celebrates local resources, cultural influences and a keen sensitivity. The firm prides itself on its collaborative work environment, which brings the best out from within the team of 45 talented and highly committed individuals from multiple disciplines.

We welcome unsolicited material but do not take responsibility for the same. Letters are welcome but subject to editing. All rights reserved. Nothing may beprinted in whole or part without written permission of the publisher. The editors do their best to verify the information published but do not take responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information. All objections, disputes, differences, claims and proceedings are subject to Mumbai Jurisdiction. Editor Mr. Anish Bajaj. Published and Printed by Mr. Anish Bajaj on behalf of the owner Marvel Infomedia Pvt. Ltd, B-62, Cotton Exchange bldg., Cotton Green, Mumbai 400 033

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Baines & Fricker Green Project, Page No 109 Baines & Fricker are a husband and wife team who launched their design company at 100% Design in 2011. They design and make their products from their workshop in Brighton; influences range from utility furniture to craft and industrial architecture to street signs.

Home Review April 2015

PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S 5 FEB

With the exciting line-up of exhibitors and designers, Design Days Dubai served as one of the most diverse design events at an international level. Among the highlights of the event, were world premieres of special project installations and regional firsts, including the unveiling of the winner of the Middle East Emergent Artist Prize, Ivan Parati.

Samira Rathod Wins Italcementi Award Milan, Italy

With its established international dimension, the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne acts as a catalyst in the process of development through design for Saint-Etienne. A UNESCO creative city of design since 2010, it is supported by major public partners; the City of SaintEtienne, the Saint-Etienne Metropolitan Region, the Rhone-Alps Region, the Ministry of Culture and Communication, and a host of private sector partners. The third edition for The Italcementi Award was created to recognise female architects. The arcVision Prize - Women and Architecture (as it is known as) was presented in Milan, at La Triennale. Indian architect Samira Rathod won a special mention from the jury along with Kate Otten (South Africa) and Patama Roonrakwit (Thailand). Samira Rathod established her studio SRDA in 2000, after graduating in Mumbai and achieving a Masters degree in Architecture at the University of Illinois. However small her firm is she’s been able to complete original buildings with careful attention to details and material. One of her works, the Baroda Art gallery is in fact an artist’s studio but also is space for show and the visitors to the gallery can have a glimpse of the artist at work or vice versa. The House in Amhedabad also plays with the concepts of privacy and transparency of living, by revealing a possible public dimension for private housing.

The Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne 2015 edition will provide a stage for students, designers, economic actors and institutions, all of whom will elaborate on possible scenarios of how daily life is enhanced by design. The discussions will also focus on concrete proposals for lifestyles linked to present day and future uses.

Created in 1998, the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne has become a major international event, firmly rooted in innovation, prospective and research through design.

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TO 27Design 30 MARCH Shanghai

Shanghai Exhibition Centre

TO 16Design 20 MARCH Days Dubai Dubai

Design Shanghai featured three additional categories of design namely contemporary design, classic design and collectible design. In addition to showcasing some of the world’s most celebrated designers and manufacturers, interactive features alongside a seminar programme led by acclaimed architects and designers will be presented.

Saint-Etienne

www.designdaysdubai.ae

www.biennale-design.com

www.srda.co

12 APRIL Design 12Biennale MARCH Internationale

The award was staged in collaboration with Tashkeel, Design Days Dubai and Van Cleef & Arpels, to create opportunities for individuals across the Middle East in the field of design. Parati, a member of the design collective Caravan, and a Dubai-based Science and Technology teacher at Ajman University was selected as a winner for his creation the TileTable.

Design Days Dubai recently completed its fourth edition, with a number of firsts overtaking past records. This installment saw an international line-up of 44 renowned exhibitors from 20 countries presenting purchasable and highlydesirable works of modern and contemporary design to the Middle East and South Asia’s only collectible design fair.

The event showcased Bally’s Jean Prouvé 6x9 house. The house by the famous mid-century architect will be furnished with Pierre Jeanneret’s iconic furniture, as well as the work of a promising young Chinese artist, selected by Jérôme Sans. After exhibiting elements at Art Basel and Miami, Bally’s travelling installation was finally brought together in its entirety and presented at Design Shanghai 2015. www.designshowshanghai.com

PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S

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PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S END OF MARCH

The summit brings together leading policy makers, global experts, industry captains, investors, SMEs and other stakeholders thereby creating a unique opportunity to network, meet, learn, build business and chart the future of renewable energy in Karnataka and India.

Registrations Open iF Design Award 2016

www.greensummit.in

30 JUNE Fuorisalone started early in the 1980s through companies working in the furnishing and industrial design sectors. Companies taking part can organise themselves independently to create their event by choosing a place where they can exhibit, often a showroom or temporary exhibition areas. After more than 60 years of service at the point where design meets industry, iF organises one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world. Every year, companies subject their products and services to the rigorous testing of the iF Design Award and appreciate its high value. iF supports its award winners with a unique services package, e.g. international exhibitions, the iF design app and the iF World Design Guide platform in the future. The iF Design Award provides participants with opportunities to achieve worldwide success with their works in the categories of product, packaging, communication, interior architecture and professional concept. The disciplines of architecture and service design are new additions to this list. The registration will be open to participants from the end of March as per the information available on the official website.

The Fuorisalone.it platform has been the best support for companies, sponsors and designers for years, indicating their strategies and operational solutions. The event is open to any designer/exhibitor who has a product to display, a location to display (considering the event is distributed in different areas of Milan) and for designers who want to communicate design through an event. www.fuorisalone.it

23 TO 25 APRIL

Green Summit 2015 Bangalore

www.ifdesign.de

14 TO 19 APRIL

Fuorisalone Milan, Italy Fuorisalone is the set of events dispersed in different areas of Milan on days when the Salone Internazionale del Mobile is staged in the halls of Rho Fiera. Every year in April, Salone and Fuorisalone define the Fuorisalone Milan Design Week, one of the most important event in the world for the design addicted.

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Last Date Of Submission CII Design Excellence Awards

After the successful conduct of the event last year, Green Summit 2015 is back with more vigour and better business and networking opportunities. Green Summit (Global Renewable Energy Summit) organised by FKCCI with event partner MM Activ, is an annual renewable energy event supported by the Government of Karnataka which will deliberate on important issues connected with the sector with leading industry associations partnering with the event.

As its ongoing pursuit to establish design as a tool for national competitiveness, CII initiated the â&#x20AC;&#x153;CII Design Excellence Awardsâ&#x20AC;? in 2011. In its fourth year, applications are now open for the CII Design Excellence Awards 2015. The India Design Council endorses CII Design Excellence Awards. It acts as the national strategic body for multi-disciplinary design and is involved in promotion of design to ultimately make the Indian Industry a design enabled industry. The CII Design Excellence Award is the acknowledgement and celebration of Indian Design. This award will discover the new paradigms of design in India, which answers the call of making Indian industry and manufacturing more competitive and innovative. The award will present the emerging face of design in India and its newer manifestations. The award seeks to demonstrate the value of design to the Indian industry and will be a true acknowledgement of the prowess of Indian design, innovation and originality. This Design Award is a perfect opportunity for an enterprise to gain increased appreciation for being a design-led organisation. www.ciidesign.in

PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S

Home Review April 2015

Pattnaik says he is inspired to create sand art regardless of its short lifespan, because of the joy it continues to bring others.

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art form

THE SANDMAN Sand is his canvas and also life’s greatest teacher, reveals Sudarsan Pattnaik – an artist whose rise from poverty to Padma Shri should be an inspiration to us all.

It takes a different kind of person who would want to spend days labouring over a sand sculpture that will sooner, rather than later, be washed away by the sea. Sudarsan Pattnaik, one of India’s most prominent sand sculptors is an artist who remains undisturbed by the ephemeral nature of sand art. “After all,” he shrugs philosophically, “nothing lasts forever… whether a sand castle or a song.” It probably pays to adopt such a philosophical approach to life and work, especially if you are a sand artist. Developing fortitude too can be a useful trait because sand sculptures are always vulnerable to destruction by wind, sun, rain, birds and stray animals. And Pattnaik, who has spent over 25 years working with sand, knows precisely the meaningfulness of a ‘que sera, sera’ attitude. Pattnaik’s themes are inspired by current topics like global warming, AIDS, saving wildlife, bird flu, terrorism and other burning public issues.

Text By Christabelle Athaide Photographs Courtesy Sarat Patra Home Review April 2015

In early 2014, Pattnaik shot to fame when he received the Padma Shri - a coveted Indian civilian award - for his exceptional sand art. But much before he could gain recognition in his own motherland, the artist from Odisha was quietly bagging gold medals at international sand sculpting competitions for his evocative creations with sand. The first Indian to win the USF World Double Championship at Berlin, Pattnaik modestly attributes his success to the blessings of Lord Jagannath. Although it seems trite to ask what these many awards mean to him, the question is relevant because Pattnaik is a selftaught artist who dropped out of school at an early age and worked as a domestic help in various houses to make ends meet. At the age of 12, the young artist would slip out at dawn to Puri beach, a short distance from his house, and leave anonymous sand sculptures on the shore. As public appreciation for his art grew, the young Pattnaik gained confidence to take on the life of an artist on a full-time basis. A majority of Pattnaik’s sculptures draw their inspiration from topical themes like global warming, AIDS, bird flu, terrorism and saving wildlife amongst others. During festival time, the artist swings into action with larger-than-life Ganeshas and other gods and goddesses that leave the onlooker awestruck. Pattnaik’s innocence is disarming. “My endeavour has been to create awareness and bring social harmony,” he states quite simply. In 2006, the artist created the world’s longest Santa Claus - an effort that won him entry into the Limca Book of World Records. “I hold several records for the biggest, highest, largest sculptures,” he says, adding absent-mindedly, “eight or nine records now.”

From poverty to Padma Shri, Sudarsan Pattnaik is a self-taught artist who has won several accolades for India.

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Although the history of sand art in India can be traced back to the 14th century, the art form has struggled to gain respectability in India. “Despite India’s lengthy coastline, sand art has failed to flourish,” laments Pattnaik. “Even schools and art colleges do not include this art form in their curriculum.”

Pattnaik is currently in collaboration with the Odisha Tourism Department to develop a sand park where sand sculptures will be on display throughout the year.

Home Review April 2015

At the same time, Pattnaik admits there’s been a perceptible shift in public reaction to sand art since he started twenty five years ago. The artist who has featured in Time magazine for his Michael Jackson sculpture attributes the new wave of public recognition and appreciation to extensive media coverage. “I am grateful for the media support. It has popularised the medium and encouraged other artists to believe anything is possible if you work hard,” he states. If Pattnaik’s art inspires you to take a shot at sand sculpting yourself, it might help to know that the artist now teaches other aspiring hopefuls the basics of the art at his institute on Puri beach. Like any other art syllabus, the first step is all about conquering the medium; about understanding the technical nitty-gritty. As for the trick to building a sand castle that doesn’t collapse, Pattnaik adds encouragingly, “That eventually comes with experience.”

Inspired to try your hand at building the Taj Mahal? Sudarsan Pattnaik teaches young hopefuls the art of sand sculpting at his institute in Puri.

Apart from his institute, the artist is also in collaboration with the Odisha Tourism Department to set up a park where sand art will be on display throughout the year. The park has been his cherished dream for a while but Pattnaik in his inimitable style is taking things one day at a time. “My life is like sand, it can change anytime,” adds Pattnaik contemplatively. Words to live by. sudarsansand@gmail.com

In 2006, the artist created the world’s longest Santa Claus - an effort that won him entry into the Limca Book of World Records.

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INFINITE CREATIVITY 32 Home Review April 2015

An enigmatic blend of rustic and urban, VDGA studio designed by Deepak Guggari is a space where people and creativity are neither confined within glass cubicles, nor walled premises. Text By Swati Kapur Photographs Courtesy The Architects

Home Review April 2015

It’s a dream come true to be able to work in a space that not only inspires and motivates but is liberating as well. What spiritual luxury, if the space is also not bound by walls. Located in Pune, VDGA Studio exemplifies just such a creative work space. “This 1,800 sq. ft. apartment on the ground floor of an existing old building was chalked out as our dream studio. We found our treasure in the drawbacks of the apartment and which ultimately became the foci of the design. The studio interiors were actually developed by capitalising on all the negative aspects of the space. We simply picked up cues from the surroundings: from the rustle of the leaves, the tinkling of the raindrops, the drenching of the greens in the rains and the gurgling of water,” informs Deepak. An architectural studio is one place where creativity and ideas flow freely. In order to give an unbridled expression to the imaginations and creativity of the team the work space is left almost wall-free.

The once uninspiring and dirty building was dramatically converted into a visual delight by ushering in plenty of greenery and accentuating it with statement pieces and artefacts collected during various travels. The collection includes traditional pieces hand-picked from Cochin and Bali. Almost the whole periphery is dotted with surprise elements that make for charming decor.

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This leads one to the waiting area and reception which has IPS benches instead of the usual plush sofas. A coloured wall adds to the vibrancy while the subtle floors again in IPS and dark wooden furniture accents bring in earthiness. Traditional columns from Cochin frame the reception area and conform to the delicate balance of urban and rustic. The principal architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cabin enjoys a panorama on its two sides. While the rear set-back i.e. the east court is lush with bamboos and a fish-pond; the side margin opens up a view to gorgeous frangipani trees and huge pots sourced from Bali. Adding to the energy of the place is the north court with its vibrant coloured wall as the backdrop for a lot of greenery and artifacts. This court exuberates energy in all the seasons, be it the dark shadows it receives on harsh summer days, the soaked aromas it senses during the monsoons or the gentle warmth of the winter sun.

The design approach is simple: from total surprise to the absolutely predictable; in a hope that the predictable becomes a surprise by itself. The entry to the studio is through a series of pergolas blanketed with creepers and flanked by lush green plants. A ten feet wide pivoted door with interesting small details opens up to become the welcoming wall to the studio.

Home Review April 2015

While on one of the walls of the court, a traditional door hints to a surprise that lies beyond, the opposite side has an outhouse converted into a dining cum pantry. The outhouse has a series of white doors and windows with coloured glass in the cut-outs; this forms a beautiful picture altogether. The roof of the outhouse is pergolas and glass and the same is shaded throughout the year by the existing trees of the vicinity. The outhouse is reached by crossing a narrow fishpond on stepping stones that are actually precast concrete slabs with frangipani leaf imprints. The conference room is a rather cosy place on account of its utility.

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The lounge is a place where visitors are entertained and also serves as a reading room for the staff. It boasts of some of the stylish and traditional buys in terms of furniture and artefacts. All the spaces in the studio have been given an extended view to the greenery and these vistas are enjoyed by all, irrespective of their location in the studio.

Home Review April 2015

The material palette for the studio comprises IPS, basalt and kota. The waiting area and meeting room at the entrance welcomes one with its IPS flooring dotted with frangipani and monstera leaf imprints. The work space, conference and lounge have kota floors which open up to the basalt flooring of the spaces beyond. Black aggregate has been used to fill in the voids between the basalt steppers in the principal architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal area.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have tried to stick to the basics while designing this work abode. The material palette compliments the theme of the interiors very well. Further, strategic lighting employed throughout the studio that highlights only some walls and artefacts selectively has helped achieve an enigmatic feel,â&#x20AC;? adds Guggari. mailvdga@gmail.com www.vdga.in

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Home Review Now on Apple and Android Devices

All you need to do is download the free â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Magzter app. Apple users can download Magzter from the App Store.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Android users can download Magzter from Android Market.

Try it out today.

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Fits The Bill

Coast CafĂŠ in New Delhi, designed by Studio Lotus is a two-level culinary and aesthetic escape in the midst of the cultural hustle and bustle of Hauz Khas Village.

Coast CafĂŠ looks like the place where poems could be born. It has sublime interiors that are draped in sunlight. Its spaces are peppered with neat, potted plants, and its air is punctuated by just the right mix of pleasing colours. On its walls are collections of artistic inspirations, commissioned by Aashti Bhartia, the owner, particularly in favour of up-and-coming, young artists. It is a continuation of a trend that has gathered steam in recent years, and at this restaurantbar, it realises its potential of being an everchanging but grounded accent scheme.

Text By Shruti Nambiar Photographs Courtesy The Designer Home Review April 2015

In the lively environs of Hauz Khas, Coast Café is a gastronomic and visual break, and an example of mindful design. The team from New Delhi-based Studio Lotus aptly encapsulates the philosophy behind the restaurant-bar as “simplicity, modernity and attention to detail - with a focus on a hand crafted material palette.” Spread across two floors, this space earlier, was just a derelict rooftop that was assigned to the design team as part of their renovation commitment to the Ogaan fashion store. The spare brief asked for a coastal cuisine restaurant and bar on the store’s top floor, and Studio Lotus spun its own signature yarn around it and created a classic.

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The lower floor of the establishment is the bar, and up a sea-shell-inspired iron-and-teak spiral staircase is the resplendent, veranda-shaped restaurant. An erstwhile dank central bay was liberated during the renovation process and was turned into a courtyard, with a few nods to Delhi’s ‘Mughlai’ charm thrown in for good measure. The arches of brick on the renovated façade and of metal mesh on the restaurant floor form the perfect entryways to the acreage of sunshine and good air that informs the look of the café. “These arches will eventually get covered with creepers that have been planted on the terraces,” adds the team.

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While talking about the largesse of natural light, it is impossible not to mention the aesthetic magic of its shadow-play here. On the brick walls, stripped and clothed in white and aqua pastels, and on the marble-topped tables, the sunrays chase the contours of every piece of upholstery and cutlery. Sitting on the cane and teak chairs, with such beauty wafting over you, it will be difficult to resist the temptation to get wistful.

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The lamps of the space embody the theme of simplicity too, and range in shape from simple dark cones, to closed bowls made in cast-blown glass. The windows here are framed in steel and its ledges crafted out of teak. The white flooring is in situ cement terrazzo. Apart from the art, one of the walls features a series of rectangular glass encasings that further participate in the sunshinegrabbing game.

Carefully selected potted plants add to the elegance of the cafĂŠ.

}

Home Review April 2015

Coast Café’s ambience has been inextricably influenced by the overwhelming noise and clutter around it –a factor that is the focal point of the success of its design. In an indulgent atmosphere of colours and trinkets and drapes, it is restraint indeed to conceptualise a space that is populated by white walls and wisps of greenery. All credit then must go to Studio Lotus’ ingenious talent towards recreating the soul-refreshing magic of the coast right in the middle of urban sprawl.

contact@studiolotus.in www.studiolotus.in

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Bringing you the best in design and innovation for 13 years

The past 13 years have seen Home Review become a leading design journal in the country tracking the best in design, material and innovation. We have during this period provided our discerning readers thought provoking ideas and also fuelled the need for good architecture and design.

Axiom by Sanjay Puri Architects.

Contrary to popular belief about the number 13 falling under the ‘unlucky’ category, we at Home Review believe in turning the tables. That’s why our 13th anniversary special issue has been ‘sanctified’ by the (worldrenowned) architect, Sanjay Puri who dons the hat as Home Review’s Guest Editor for this section. A Pavilion by Sanjay Puri Architects.

As the titleholder of a thumping 55 international architecture awards, Sanjay evolves innovative design solutions that are contextual, contributing to sustainability and creating spaces that revolutionise the way they are experienced.

The Courtyards House by Sanjay Puri Architects.

In the subsequent pages, you will keep step with the latest trends in world architecture. Learn about the notions that inspire India’s starchitect to create exceptional design. www.sanjaypuriarchitects.com

Some of his most notable works include The Courtyards House, A Pavilion and Axiom, the office space. As our Guest Editor, Sanjay provides valuable insights on various topics in the sphere of architecture, design and its impact in India and internationally.

Auriga by Sanjay Puri Architects.

Chapel Church by Sanjay Puri Architects. Photo Courtesy: Sanjay Puri Architects

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WORLD ARCHITECTURE TRENDS

56 What Inspires Sanjay Puri

54 Future Forward: Parametric Design & 3D printers

60 13 Global Favourites

SUSTAINABILITY IN ITS PUREST FORM

64 REFLECTIONS ON THE INDIAN ARCHITECTURAL SCENARIO

Dharavi Biennale: ART OUTSIDE THE BOX

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What Inspires Sanjay Puri

“To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you.” Tony Dorsett. Indeed, that is the essence of success and something that, as an architect Sanjay Puri has embodied in his life and career. Photo Credit: Chrystal McKay

For Sanjay Puri, it’s a simple matter of perceiving how people use spaces and keenly observing the human interaction with built forms, then finally assimilating those astute observations to translate them into his signature architecture. We give you a glimpse of what inspires India’s very own starchitect, whose architectural practice has won over 50 international awards. Architects have always drawn inspirations from the ancient construction techniques and craftsmanship witnessed in some of the historical sites, as well as the organic layouts of old civilisations that seamlessly espouse the connection of nature with human habitation. The meticulous planning seen in most of these settlements harmoniously fused the socio-cultural and economical aspects of living. Sanjay sites an apt example of the old town of Kotor, Montenegro – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has great architectural influence and holds great value. In Gujarat, the Banni villages have been strategically planned with the round mud bhungas (circular huts with sloping thatched roofs) and the rectangular choki. Nature stirs the most vivid of imaginations. Unsurprisingly, natural formations such as rocks, quarried stone valleys, corals and leaf cellular structures are a source of inspiration to the architect. Their natural geometries and abstract shapes imbue a sense of manner and design, which we see reflected pragmatically in his architecture.

Photo Credit: David Boswell

A natural rock formation.

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Banni village, Gujarat.

The old town of Kotor, Montenegro.

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The Big Crunch, Germany by Raumlabor.

A sea-shell inspired fashion theme. © Cyrus Penarroyo © raumlaborberlin

When it comes to art, everyone perceives it in their own way. It is appealing to some, while to others it’s thought-provoking and motivating. Art installations specifically are a great source of inspiration to Sanjay, like Robert Bradford’s sculptures created out of old, discarded, plastic toys or the larger than life sculptures made with old magazines and newspapers by Korean artist Yun-Woo Choi. These innovative installations made from junk throw light on the endless artistic potential that redundant materials possess. Fashion shows with their glamorous themes, interesting backdrops and an ensemble of creative ideas can also be stimulating enough to inspire good architecture. Sanjay himself asserts that both the glitzy and the subtle, the colourful and the charming aura of a fashion show encourages him to envision beyond the ordinary. Waste has been known to inspire many people and create artists out of them when they reuse/recycle what we discard. Similarly, the regular and the mundane stimulate Sanjay; it could be anything from random arrangements of everyday objects, scrap found in heaps. For instance, pipes stacked over each other, crumpled G.I. frames or strips of plywood lying around could inspire structure ideation in architecture.

Jewish Museum, Berlin by Danel Libeskind.

It’s a prerequisite that for creating good architecture one needs to be exposed to some phenomenal design. For Sanjay, the most influencing factor is experiencing path-breaking architecture - spaces that leave a lasting impression on one’s mind, like the Jewish Museum in Berlin designed by Daniel Libeskind and the Ufa Cinema Center, Germany by Coop Himmelb(l)au.

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WORLD ARCHITECTURE TRENDS

Sanjay Puri handpicks two trend-setting world phenomena that have been gaining momentum over the last few years: parametrically-designed buildings and structures that are sustainable and contextual in nature. Read what the starchitect has to say about them. Photo Credit: Virgile Simon Bertrand

Exponents of parametric forms are creating their signature style of fluid buildings across the globe irrespective of contextual references to the surroundings, the climate or the architectural heritage of the region. Nevertheless, these buildings are being appreciated and applauded too. The complete deviation from what has been done before and the exploration of form and spaces is quite phenomenal in some of these path breaking projects even though they are not sustainable or contextual. Heydar Aliyev Centre, Azerbaijan, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Busan Cinema Centre, South Korea, BMW Welt, Germany, Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris and Cayan Tower, Dubai are but some buildings of this genre that are redefining the way spaces are perceived. At the other end of the spectrum there are buildings like Son La Restaurant, Kontum Indochine Café and Garment Factory in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre, South Africa which are sustainable, built with local materials and strongly contextual. These are the kind of buildings that one needs to see more of; buildings that redefine spaces and are sustainable. These are the two predominant trends in world architecture that have been emerging over the past few years.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza, South Korea by Zaha Hadid.

Garment Factory, Vietnam by Vo Trong Nghia Architects.

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BMW Welt, Germany by Coop Himmelb(l)au.

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Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre, South Africa by Peter Rich Architects.

Fondation Louis Vuitton Paris, France by Gehry Partners LLP. Photo Credit: Hiroyuki Oki

With the proliferation of online architecture web portals, international events and exhibitions the awareness has substantially increased about everything that is happening around the world. Both these trends however encapsulate a very tiny fragment of what is being built worldwide. These are the most important buildings and constitute architecture in the true sense and yet are less than 5% of what is being constructed. What does the other 95% constitute? These are buildings designed by commercially driven parameters governing them. Either private developers or commercial architects or both are responsible for this segment of the built environment that has no real character. While creative minds evolve new vocabularies in built forms across the world, there is a long way to go to turn the other soulless buildings that proliferate exponentially towards being more meaningful. For this to happen, architectural awareness needs to further increase manifold across media via debates, discussions and events.

Kontum Indochine Cafe, Vietnam by Vo Trong Nghia Architects.

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kludi launches new products at ish 2015 Kludi is an international family business under the management of the third generation of owners. The specialist for bathroom and kitchen mixer taps, showers, bathroom accessories and entire bathroom designs was founded in Menden, Westphalia, in 1926. The company has launched the following new products at the recently concluded ISH fair in Frankfurt, Germany.

Kludi Push Concealed Thermostatic Mixers Kludi Push is a sophisticated user interface for the shower and bathtub. Ergonomic push buttons start and stop the flow of water at the push of a button, and the temperature can be pre-set on the thermostat handle. Thus it’s very easy to use for all ages and situations, as the handling is so simple and intuitive that the mixer can be operated without even a glance.

Kludi Push Concealed Thermostatic Mixers

Kludi E2

Sanjay Bankeshwar, Director, Kludi India Pvt. Ltd.

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Kludi E2 Away from everyday stress, the bathroom becomes a recreation area in your own home. Function, ergonomics and design - everything has to be just right. With the E2 collection, “drawing water” is a pleasure. With its sensual aura, the mixer communicates with the user on an emotional level and its wide range of products fulfills the desires of anyone in need of an inspiring, relaxing bath. The soft shapes, rounded corners and edges as well as the tablet-like levers are all timelessly modern. “It is made for modern living in all its facets,” comments designer Michael Stein. Kludi PLUS The art of bathroom creation is to ensure the optimum use of the space available. Kludi Plus was developed precisely for this. With its clean lines and aesthetic forms, the collection consisting of wash stand, counter top wash basin, toilet, bidet, mirrors as well as elegant bathroom furniture makes the most of the available space in the bathroom and provides plenty of storage space and a basic structure. The collection was designed in three different stages so that the guest bathroom, the small bathroom

Kludi PLUS

Logo Shower Programme

Kludi PLUS

as well as the family bathroom work in all settings. Freshline Shower Programme With the Freshline hand shower, Kludi offers a balance between awkwardly large and overly minimalist shower heads. Freshline combines the best of both worlds - maximum showering pleasure with a simple, sleek design that is comfortable to hold. Its handset is made of high-quality, gleaming chrome-plated plastic. The

Freshline Shower Programme

white shower-head base with antilimescale spray nozzles produces a clean shower even in hard-water areas. Simply wipe away limescale from time to time with a sponge. In addition to the usual one-spray pattern (Volume Jet), the hand shower is also available in a convenient threespray version. A highlight for all those who like to dry their shower area after showering is the three-spray version of Freshline, which offers a practical drain function.

Zenta Line Electronic Wash Bowl Sensor Faucets

Zenta Line Electronic Wash Bowl Sensor Faucets Non-contact Kludiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Zenta electronic fittings control the water flow. This ensures maximum hygiene in public and semi-public buildings such as schools, office buildings, service areas, venues and the catering industry. Different versions are available; for wall installation, the mixer has round and soft-edged rosettes and outlets of 190 mm and 240 mm in length. The sensor window is also designed to match the appearance of the soft-edge fitting. Made of high-quality cast brass and plated with a gleaming chrome layer, the wall fitting is suitable wherever the highest hygiene standards, durability, ease of cleaning and economical use of water is demanded. The mixers are available for either mixing water or cold or premixed water. For both spout lengths, the sensor size of the sensor field is pre-set at the factory. However, with an optional remote control, the sensor range, follow-up time and time interval for sanitary flushing can be customised at any time.

The Kludi booth at the ISH 2015 fair held at Frankfurt, Germany

info@kludirakindia.com www.kludi.com www.kludiindia.com

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Future Forward: Parametric Design

Parametric design is meant to revolutionise the way architects build and perceive. Sanjay Puri asserts that it creates self-supporting continuous structures that do not rely on point loads like conventional structures and thus is the way forward. Photo Credit: Philipp Rümmele

Parametric design gives architects wings to fly, literally. The use of algorithms and variables in parametric design generate a hierarchy of mathematical and geometric relations that create one design. It’s an opportunity to explore a whole range of other complex building typologies from a set of initial parameters. Antonio Gaudi’s physically-derived upside down model of the Church of Colònia Güell was a precursor to parametric design. However, the invention of Sketchpad, a computer based design program digitised the calculation process, whereby after experimenting with various designs Sketchpad would calculate and recreate the geometry accordingly. Now with latest softwares such as CATIA (Computer Aided three-dimensional Interactive Application), Grasshopper 3D and Rhinoceros, advanced architectural designs are possible just by moving your mouse around. As a valuable design tool it enables the design and construction of innovative buildings with challenging qualitative and quantitative conditions. Parametric modelling is being used not just to make buildings more visually compelling but to precisely tune nearly every aspect of their performance, from acoustics to energy efficiency. Thus a change in the height of the roof is followed by an alteration in the walls automatically.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, USA by Gehry Partners, LLP.

Photo Courtesy: Nox

Son-O-House, Netherlands by NOX.

Guangzhou Opera House by Zaha Hadid Architects.

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Photo Credit: Hufton + Crow

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Photo Credit: rat[LAB]

rat[LAB]’s prototype of cellular morphology façade, an algorithmically designed system.

Beijing National Stadium/The Bird’s Nest, China by Herzog & de Meuron Basel. © Archivio Fuksas

This saves a lot of time while simultaneously minimising the effort needed to create and test design variations. Not to mention the unimaginable outcomes generated with a slight tweaking of parameters, while also being able to make changes in the design without delaying the project. Architects have been using this technology in their large scale designs. Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, Zaha Hadid’s Guangzhou Opera House in Beijing and the latest Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport’s Terminal 3 in China by architect Massimiliano Fuksas were designed with parametrically controlled digital tools. This technology’s capacity for futuristic form making has created dynamic results in the field of architecture. It has all the right ingredients to be the future archetype.

Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, China by Studio Fuksas.

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Future Forward: 3 D Printers

Everything natural and man-made is meant to change, to evolve into something better. Architecture too has seen its strides in research, materials and technology. And the future has arrived now in the form of 3D printers which, according to Sanjay Puri have already changed how varied approaches, forms and spaces within can be created and perceived. © Dubai Government

Photo Credit: Imaginarium

A Greek style architectural model constructed by Imaginarium, one of India’s largest 3D printing and rapid prototyping company.

Museum of the Future, Dubai is to be partially 3D printed. Photo Credit: Matthew Millman Photography

3D printing technology is quickly emerging as a technology that could be applied at the scale of the built environment. That’s the future-ready idea that’s making waves in the architecture field. People want to be able to imagine what designs look like in space. 3D printing is a live demo of how a building will appear once it’s constructed before even breaking ground. Being able to produce a printed structure either directly on site or printing it in sections and then snapping it together is now our future. Traditional, handmade scale models are time consuming and difficult when compared to the ease of a desktop 3D printer. Creating complex yet durable building models via a 3D printer saves time, labour and expense and also gives the ability to explore complex architectural shapes and forms which would take months or years to complete. Recent times have seen an increasing number of architectural firms worldwide use this technology to create models. Museum of the Future in Dubai has been planned to be partially 3D printed while featuring holograms and robotics alongside. In China, the world’s tallest 3D printed building – a five storey apartment block has already been created demonstrating its potential for creating traditional building typologies.

Bloom, a pavilion consisting of 840 unique blocks 3-D printed from portland cement by Emerging Objects.

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Photo Credit: Bernard Gagnon. Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Experiments in exploring the possibilities of 3D printing are being explored the world over. Antono Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, conceived in 1882 was deemed impossible to complete due to its advanced design, until some years ago when 3D printing changed that. Its complex interior and exterior elements will be 3D printed faster with better accuracy and less waste. Emerging Objects, a firm specialising in 3D printing has constructed Bloom, a pavilion depicting Thai flower patterns consisting of 840 unique blocks 3D printed from portland cement. Another firm D-Shape in the UK, can print anything that can be enveloped into a cube 6x6 metres such as park benches, kiosks, fountains, playground elements, etc. It is frequently cited as the ‘future’ of production, focusing on its ability to bring new things into existence quickly and cheaply. It is safe to proclaim that the game changer for architecture design is here. Antono Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. Photo Credit: IMSTEPF Films

Photo Credit: Imaginarium

The Durotaxis Chair designed by Synthesis Design + Architecture and manufactured by Stratasys.

3D architectural model of a cone shaped building by Imaginarium.

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SUSTAINABILITY IN ITS PUREST FORM

Sustainability takes into consideration a lot of parameters available resources, ancient practices, technology, economy and demographics. Sanjay Puri critiques the core ideologies of this ‘green’ way of thinking which has been on a global upswing for the past decade.

Photo Courtesy: Sanjay Puri Architects

Photo Courtesy: Mayo College

Mayo College, Ajmer, Rajasthan.

Interior of the terrace view of The Village, Alibaug by Sanjay Puri Architects.

Developers across the globe as well as some in India are making a beeline for rating agencies to obtain a Green Rating for their projects, since sustainability has become the buzzword everywhere. Completely glazed buildings in Mumbai, Delhi and other Indian cities are in the race to go ‘green’. Why, one wonders would someone design a building in India with glass on all sides in the first place as the average summer temperatures are 30°C plus in most Indian cities? Sustainability in its present form can be studied from the vast heritage of India, its villages, forts, temples and palaces. Mayo College in Ajmer, Rajasthan is a perfect school campus for a case study on sustainability. All the buildings dating from 1875 to 1900 were built in local stone with sheltered arcades, courtyards, high roofs, ventilators, jali screens and other traditional elements. The moment one walks into any of these beautiful buildings even today, the inner spaces are cool without any air conditioning, whilst the external temperatures could soare above 35°C.

Aman Sveti Stefan, Montenegro by Denniston.

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Photo Courtesy: Sanjay Puri Architects

Subsequently as the school expanded, additional buildings were constructed in RCC and brick without traditional elements or planning principles of their predecessors. So naturally, these buildings are warm inside, while being devoid of any character as well.

Studying in Mayo College, I have experienced all the buildings there over a period of years. The oldest buildings in the campus are sustainable in the true sense. Built in local stone their internal spaces are designed to combat the excessive desert heat and be naturally cool and ventilated. The old villages in Kotor and Budva in Montenegro are more examples of true sustainability. Each of these are 400 to 500 years old and are built in local stone. These are vehicle free spaces that are successful shopping centres today visited by hundreds of tourists daily. The Aman resort in Montenegro is a 600 year old village on the Sveti Stefan Island where the original village houses are now transformed into hotel rooms. Organically laid out, every space within has its own character. The Village, Alibaug.

Currently, the materials used in architecture are non-sustainable and sadly even the planning principles fail to address ecological concerns. Glass with low emissivity does not make a building sustainable; facilitating natural ventilation and light does. While there are buildings being designed in strategically devised sustainable methods, these are few and far between. The Village, a project designed by us in Alibaug will be a completely sustainable design solution using the existing slopes of the land with minimal cutting, built in local stone and generating open spaces equivalent to the entire area of the plot for landscape. While also being planned with recycling of water, rain water harvesting, harnessing solar energy and orienting spaces towards the north for minimal heat gain. Sustainability is the need of the present to ensure a better future.

Budva, Montenegro.

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JAQUAR group MAKES A SPLASH AT THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BATH FAIR – ISH, Frankfurt

A union of style and substance is the perfect way to describe the Jaquar group stall created at the recently held ISH fair in Frankfurt, Germany. Jaquar made its presence felt with the world audience at the fair by launching radical new designs and concepts. ISH, the world’s biggest trade fair for the latest in bathroom concepts and products attracted over 198,000 attendees – the who’s who of the international trade community including the top architects of the world and of course, the best brands in the business from across the globe. The Jaquar group’s stall was designed by globally recognised experiential design firm, Foley Designs. The Jaquar group showcased its impressive conceptual and design skills as well as its high quality manufacturing capabilities to hundreds of trade representatives and visitors from Europe, Middle East, North America, AsiaPacific region and Africa.

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Jaquar stands out at ISH, the world’s biggest bathroom concepts and products fair held in Frankfurt, Germany, with its latest launches.

The stall was designed to highlight the bathing experience - focusing on the rich and complex emotions that people go through when they interact with Jaquar and Artize creations. The visitor’s journey through the stall was a delightfully layered discovery of the brands, guided by design, embellished by light and sound and peppered with elements of surprise – like the live, human demonstration of an innovative 360° showering concept called JoyRing.

Also on display were the TumbleRain bucket showering concept, and the Rainjoy luxury shower. A whole new series of coordinated whirlpools, designed to match faucets with ranges of contemporary design caught the visitors’ imagination with their design innovation. The designs that were showcased included award winning bath fittings like Linea and Confluence, and soon to be launched ranges like Tailwater and Tiara. Also in the spotlight were designer ranges created by some of the leading names from the world

of design like Lisa Bosi of Italy, Claudia Danelon of the DanelonMeroni design studio from London and Michael Foley and Parichay Mehra from India. According to industry and trade reports, Jaquar’s stall and the concepts and products on display, have received the attention and appreciation of some of the global leaders of the industry. With such innovative bathing concepts and products, the Jaquar group is all set to delight its ever growing consumer base across the globe. www.jaquar.com

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13 Global

Favourites

Photo Credit: Duccio Malagamba

Architect Sanjay Puri highlights his top 13 favourite buildings and concepts around the globe.

Ufa Cinema Center, Germany by Coop Himmelb(l)au

Coop Himmelb(l)au incorporates the concept of Deconstructivism in the UFA Cinema Center, which is a result of an urban design concept developed for a planning competition. The interweaving of public squares and interiors was proposed for densifying Dresden’s new centre. The junctures between these urban vectors are defined as public spaces. The Cinema is positioned at one of these junctures, thereby transforming into a public space. The design is characterised by two interconnected building units: the cinema block and the crystal, a glass shell which serves simultaneously as a foyer and an urban passageway. www.coop-himmelblau.at

©FMGB, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, 2015. Photo Credit: Erika Ede

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain by Gehry Partners LLP

This structure is composed of swirling forms and glittering titanium, glass and limestone in a city that had never seen this kind of architecture before, which extended a ‘most important structure of its time’ status to it. Assigned to create ‘something daring and innovative’, architect Frank Gehry included features that embrace both the identity of the Guggenheim Museum and its new home in the Basque Country. The interior is designed around a glass atrium, the organising centre of the museum, which refers to the rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wright’s New York Guggenheim. www.foga.com

Norddeutsche Landesbank, Germany by Behnisch Architekten

The architecture of the building perfectly integrates with its surrounding landscape, while providing a sustainable solution in terms of environmental quality. The distinctive 70 metre high building rising from the central public courtyard, detaches itself through a series of horizontal blocks set at different angles from the formal order of the lower perimeter building, which establishes visual links to the city beyond. Here is a building that breaks the monotony and stands out in Hannover’s undeviating skyline. www.behnisch.com

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Photo Credit: Patrick Gillooly, copyright MIT

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Ray and Maria Stata Center, Massachusetts by Gehry Partners LLP

The Stata Center occupies the site of MIT’s legendary Building 20 built during World War 2. Its unconventional design, featuring tilting towers, many angled walls, whimsical shapes, bright colours and different materials is meant to reflect the freedom of ideas and challenge the conventional wisdom of a campus building. The Center is an example of Deconstructionist Architecture, even resembling something straight out of a Disney cartoon. Inside, communication and intermingling with other departments is encouraged through freeform spaces. www.foga.com

Translucent Concrete

Translucent concrete is a building material which uses optical fibres to transmit light. Thousands of optical fibres are placed in concrete to conduct natural or artificial light into all spaces enclosed by the concrete panels. Generally used for façades, interior claddings, stairs, floors, partition walls and even furniture, research and technology have opened the way for newer practical applications such as lighting of pavements at night. In 2012 the revamped headquarters of the Bank of Georgia sported translucent concrete and received worldwide acclaim. www.litracon.hu

Photo Credit: Jeff Millies

Photo Áron Losonczi © Litracon

Milwaukee Art Museum, USA by Santiago Calatrava

Conceived as an independent entity, the white steel and concrete form of this pavilion-like construction is reminiscent of a ship with various maritime elements like movable steel louvers. Burke Brise Soleil - inspired by the wings of a bird, a cabled pedestrian bridge with a soaring mast inspired by the form of a sailboat and a curving single storey galleria reminiscent of a wave. The design allows for future expansion, offset from but symmetrical to the exhibition facilities. www.calatrava.com

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Bringing you the best in design and innovation for 13 years Barcelona Pavilion, Spain by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Built from glass, steel and different kinds of marble, the Pavilion’s elegant and sleek design combined with rich natural material became a key point of reference in both Mies van der Rohe’s own career, as well as architectural modernism. Thus, when disassembled after the International Exposition in 1929 for which it was originally built, it was reconstructed and made open to the public in 1986.The pavilion’s design is based on a formulaic grid system that not only serves as the patterning of the travertine pavers on which it is raised, but it also serves as an underlying framework for the wall systems. www.miesbcn.com

Photo Credit: Iwan Baan

The Eye Film Institute, Amsterdam by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects

The Eye Film Institute builds upon the parameters of light, space and movement - elements intrinsic to filmmaking, creating a spatial experience with human motion. The building is conceived as a highly tense and dynamic geometric solid that is in a constant dialogue with its surroundings. The light is reflected in multiple ways by smooth, crystalline surfaces, thus subjecting the building’s appearance to permanent optical changes during the course of the day. www.dmaa.at

Photo Credit: Timothy Hursley

The Habitat, Canada by Safdie Architects

The Habitat or Habitat 67 is an affordable housing complex designed to give the quality of a suburban home, by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie as his thesis at McGill University. The Habitat was constructed from 354 identical prefabricated cubes or boxes, stacked in diverse ways to make 12 storeys. Its interlocking forms, connected walkways and landscaped terraces were key in achieving Safdie’s goal of a private and natural environment within the limits of a dense urban space. www.msafdie.com

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Photo Credit: Roland Halbe

Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete

Glass fibre reinforced concrete (GFRC) is a specialised form of concrete with ample of architectural and decorative applications. Traditionally used for exterior facades, wall claddings and panels, GFRC has now gained new ground and is used for surface cladding solutions, concrete countertops, artificial rock work and ornamental concrete such as domes, statues and planters. Its combination of being lightweight, yet durable and possessing high strength are the factors that make GFRC an apt building material. www.zaha-hadid.com

Photo Courtesy Wikimedia

MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Arts, Italy by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Aman Sveti Stefan, Montenegro by Denniston

The site of Aman Sveti Stefan incorporates two kilometres of coastline including islet Sveti Stefan, Miločer Beach and the famous Queen’s Beach which is backed by the resort’s expansive Aman Spa. It comprises seven different types of rooms, cottages and suites, each uniquely designed, having a 15th century fortress like feel. Its historic exteriors remain unchanged while the interiors have been restored to give a contemporary look. www.denniston.com.my

Cellular Structures

Akin to its name, cellular architecture takes inspiration from the building blocks of life - cells. In this kind of structure, individual space is composed from a unique cell-structural system, where a cell could be split, replicated and combined to form different spatial opportunities. Closer to home, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s T2 terminal in Mumbai boasts of a dramatic white concrete canopy and columns perforated by thousands of small cellular openings.

Photo courtesy: SOM. Photographer, Robert Polidori / © Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd.

www.som.com Photo Courtesy: Infiniski.

Recycled Materials Used Innovatively

One of the crucial limbs of sustainable architecture is the reuse of recycled materials as it’s an energy saving method and allows artistic expression of design. Basically reusing existing materials on site or redundant structural elements like recycled glass for decorative purposes, recycled wood, plastic and bricks for landscaping and so on. Recycled tyres are used liberally for acoustic barriers, pavements, artificial sports tracks, flooring and upcycled furniture. All-inclusive homes are created from mere shipping containers - the possibilities are limitless. www.infiniski.com The Manifesto House by Infiniski. Photo Credit: Antonio Corcuera.

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Sternhagen wins the prestigious Red Dot and IF Awards Sternhagen recently won the prestigious Red Dot and IF awards. Can you please let us know more about it? Are these products available in India? We are thrilled to let you know that our “Kristall” basin has received the coveted iF Design Award 2015 and Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015. The number of competitors was huge in both the cases; with regards to iF Mr. Chirag Parekh, Design Award the international Chairman and Managing Director high-profile jury assessed almost of Acrysil Limited 5,000 entries from 53 countries in order to determine who would receive this coveted seal of excellence. The product will also be featured in one of three subsequent special shows in the iF design exhibition Hamburg. In Red Dot we had to face 72 lesser entries but the number of countries increased to 56 the international experts discussed and assessed each of the 4,928 entries from 56 countries. But only the designs that displayed high quality and innovative power were given an award. Wash basin from Sternhagen won the award “Honourable Mention”.

What are your expansion plans for this year? Are you looking forward to make headway in a different vertical altogether? For 2015, we plan to extend our dealer network to 100 by the end year. Extending our reach into quickly developing Tier 2 towns. On a global outlook we are entering new markets in South East Asia, such as China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Singapore. What are the upcoming products your clients can look forward to? In 2015 we will launch 2 new exciting product categories: 3D wall tiles and WC’s. Sternhagen will be the first to introduce 3D highlight wall tiles, made of our patented highly durable engineered quartz material ‘SaniQ’. The 3D tile collection convinces though its smooth and silky texture and the unique conceptual 3D design, known from our wash basins. Sternhagen tiles will be available in a contemporary color palate and convince even outside the wellness areas in spaces that look for the distinguished Sternhagen look, such as retail spaces, hospitality venues, entrance halls and commercial outlets. To complete the bathroom suite concept, Sternhagen will introduce WC’s later this year. Our customers can look forward to water closets matching our inspired by nature design line - by Emami Design. Not only will the products excite through its typical Sternhagen looks, but also through our water saving flush technology and nano-glazing to ensure a stainless and antibacterial surface.

Has Sternhagen opened new outlets in India? How did you zero down on the locations of these respective outlets? Are these showrooms or experience centers?

In a time when most of the manufacturers have a positive approach towards the Indian market, what is your opinion on the same?

Over the course of the last 6 months we have made Sternhagen products available with 50 dealers. Our network now stretches across Indian Metros and Tier 1 towns, supported by a strong network of distributors.

The organised sanitary ware & fitting market is growing considerably year on year and within that, the luxury segment is rising by 10-12% itself. This trend we see continuing for the next years as the Indian household puts more attention on the bathroom interior and increases the budgets for the same. This development is mainly an outcome of increasing disposable income and the exposure to international bathroom trends and brands.

We take great care that the establishment of our sales channels is in accordance with our positioning strategy. In our dealer evaluation process we look at boutique showrooms catering to the high end segment. Company owned or franchised galleries will be introduced only at a later stage in our growth plan.

www.sternhagen.com

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REFLECTIONS ON THE INDIAN ARCHITECTURAL SCENARIO In 1981, Pune had a population of 1.2 million people. Three decades later the population is 4.4 million. Likewise in 1981, Gurgaon was just farming land with a few thousand farmers and after three decades Gurgaon’s population is 1.5 million people. Similar exponential growth explosions of urban areas and demographics are all over the country.

Within a short span of time, India has witnessed a rampant growth in population and urbanism. Sanjay Puri points out the shortcomings that have cropped up because of this explosion. Photo Credit: Rohinton Irani

These figures translate into 1600 million sq. ft. of construction in Pune and 1000 million sq. ft. of construction in Gurgaon over the last three decades. How much of this new construction can be called architecture in the true sense? How many of these buildings make one want to turn and look again at them in awe or simply in appreciation? India has witnessed a greater number of new buildings in merely three decades than the sum total of all the buildings that exist in Europe since the last few centuries. And yet of the millions of new buildings, the ones that can be described as truly celebrating space would be less than a hundred The lack of awareness and appreciation of architecture is blatantly visible all over the country. In a country where government apathy exists towards creating public architecture, where the number of educated developers are far outnumbered by the ones with a lack of education and awareness and where most architects look at projects only in the commercial sense, there are yet innumerable potentially exciting projects that can be transformed. But the real question here is; is anyone capable of finding the smaller picture within the infinite landscape of possibilities?

Kanchanjunga Apartments, Mumbai by Charles Correa. Photo Credit: Oberoi Hotels & Resorts

Thankfully, there are a few who are bravely trying to traverse the labyrinth of developers with restrained minds, archaic development rules, unskilled contractors and workers and limited budget to emerge with thought provoking architecture even though it may be one in a hundred. We need more of ‘architecture’ and less of ‘buildings’! We need more projects like Kanchanjunga Apartments in Mumbai and The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur and less of the mindless glass buildings that constitute Bandra, Kurla, Pune and Gurgaon.

The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur by Abhikram.

Photographs For Representation Purposes Only

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Dharavi Biennale: ART OUTSIDE THE BOX

Bringing you the best in design and innovation for 13 years

Dharavi witnessed an explosion of artistic talent during the three week Alley Galli Biennale held from 15th February to 7th March 2015. The festival, the first of its kind was a culmination of a two year process that consisted of workshops or ‘artboxes’. It was organised by SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action), an NGO that works to improve the health of women and children in Mumbai’s slums. The Biennale blends art and science to raise awareness about urban health and showcase the contributions of the people of Dharavi to Mumbai’s economic and cultural life. The project focuses on four themes - art, health, recycling and vitality. It invites Dharavi residents to meet and educate themselves on urban health new skills and produce locally resonant artworks.

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The Alley Galli Biennale exhibition featured multimedia works, performances, screenings and site specific installations. The artworks primarily made use of recycled materials sourced from Dharavi. The on display installations were the result of the artboxes conducted over the two year period. Each artbox consisted of about 20 local participants who collaborated with mentor artists and health scientists to develop artworks on important health themes.

Photo Credit : Benita Fernando Copyright: Dharavi Biennale

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6 1. Transmateriomutator - installation and furniture out of recycled plastic 2. Hope and Hazard - installation on occupational hazards 3. Priya’s Shakti - mural from multimedia comic on gender violence 4. Participants with their life size puppets for the play on TB awareness 5. Dharavi women make life sized puppet masks for a play on TB awareness 6. Portraits of traditional healers in Dharavi 7. Unblock - installation on depression using block prints 8. Provoke/Protect - appliqué saris 9. Still Life - sculpture made from discarded surgical vials 10. Air filter plants workshop 11. A Map of Hurt - installation on domestic violence

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11 8 The resulting artworks were diverse in themes, media and the materials used. They included images dealing with depression made out of traditional blockprints, appliquéd saris responding to the Nirbhaya rape, and a series of comics and wall paintings dealing with themes like nutrition, accidents and gender-based violence. Colour Box, situated on 90 Feet Road in central Dharavi, was the main workshop space where all the artboxes were held. It also served as the main exhibition area for large installations such as ‘Everything is Here’ (a cabinet of curiosities), ‘A Map of Hurt’ (on domestic violence) and a light-and-sound show.

There were several theatre events such as a puppet theatre play on tuberculosis by Dharavi residents and Ishara theatre group, a staging of the acclaimed play Vagina Monologues in Hindi and a youth sexuality play scripted by Paromita Vohra and performed by local youngsters. Other cultural events included a community film on toilets and gender, and Shane Solanki’s music workshop with women from Dharavi. Upcycled products made by Dharavi residents were sold at The Shop, a store at the Colour Box. With around 10,000 visitors this year, the Alley Galli Biennale looks to have made a promising start. db@snehamumbai.org www.dharavibiennale.com

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A SPIRAL OF KNOWLEDGE

Inspired in part by the Roman Colosseum, a new library in Sweden by ADEPT successfully integrates the needs of the University with those of the citizens of the town.

Text By Chryselle Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Silva Dias Photographs Courtesy Wilhelm Rejnus & Linus Flodin, Kaare Viemose

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In an age where e-books and e-readers threaten to outsell traditional books, it is reassuring to see new libraries being opened up. Swedenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dalarna University recently threw open the doors of the Dalarna Media Library (DML) to the public. Danish design firm Adept along with Japanese SOU Fujimoto Architects won a competition to create this new 300 sq m library with an adjoining plaza in Falun, Sweden. Adept is based in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Guangzhou (China) and practises architecture, planning and landscape design. The studio was founded in Denmark in 2006 by Anders Lonka, Martin Laursen and Martin Krogh. The Library takes some of its inspiration from the Colosseum in Rome with its deep arena from which rise several levels for the audience. Thankfully, there are no fights with lions in this modern interpretation. Instead, the brightly lit and welcome space houses students grappling with their studies and searching for information. The striking double facade has a layer of reflecting horizontal lamellae in front of Siberian larch wood cladding. The double facade protects the studio spaces inside from direct sunlight and enhances the effect of transition from the outside to the inside. The building itself is like a work of art with the lamellae (made from highly polished stainless steel) reflecting the surroundings and the people in it.

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The library is now the new hub and the entry point to the University. The surrounding landscape was redesigned to reflect this and now includes new parking lots with a ramp. The areas throughout the building are divided into clearly defined activity and recreational zones; these make the whole area come alive. Because the library is open to the public it also benefits the citizens of the town and local businesses who use it as a meeting space. New activities and events are in the pipeline to make the library more vibrant and useful throughout the year.

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Much like the Colosseum, the DML is organised as a “spiral of knowledge” with various levels rising from the arena pit to create self-sufficient and intimate areas at each level. Stairs curve around the central atrium leading to three floors of books and multimedia. The design successfully allows users to choose between participating in louder, communal events for group study in the ‘heart of the library’, or retreat into quieter study niches at higher levels which have views of the surrounding hills. There are also separate audio zones sealed off from the rest of the quieter space.

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The steps double up as seating space for concerts that are performed in the central atrium while a large television screen is used to project news, concerts, sport and movies. The white wall-to-ceiling shelving curves through the library creating both layers and niches. Interestingly, the shelves continue to flow along the staircases, creating additional, informal reading areas. A range of colourful furniture from long-legged chairs to squat loungers with round white tables creates an inviting atmosphere for study. Computers at eye-level make searching the library catalogue easier.

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“The library has really become just the study environment and the meeting place that we hoped for it to be. The students took it to their hearts instantly and have been using the various group spaces and the rest of the study options intensively. Often all the group rooms are fully booked. The Library has even become a very popular place to meet each other - and already we have a load of activities planned which will take place in the arena,” says Margareta Malmgren, Library Director at the University. The library successfully bridges the divide between private and public spaces in the town and becomes a new area that everybody can enjoy. Its thoughtful design has already received recognition with the first prize in the “Higher Education and Research” category at the World Architecture Festival 2014.

www.adept.dk

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DESIGN DESTINATION

DO WHERE Located along the coast of the Persian Gulf, Doha is the capital of Qatar. Despite its small size, the city has always caught the eye of the world, first thanks to its location along important trade routes and later due to its oil reserves. In the last few decades, utilisation of its natural gas reserves has boosted the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic status.

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HA WHEN

WHY

Doha experiences a hot desert climate which means almost half the year is too hot to enjoy all that the city has to offer. Betwen October and March the sun eases off and the temperatures drop from scorching to pleasantly warm making it the best time for a visit.

Until recently, Doha had been living in the shadow of its glitzier neighbours in the region. But grand-scale construction, modern infrastructure and a vibrant art and cultural scene have contributed to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise in stature. Dohaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s re-invention is pushing it towards claiming the title of the new cultural capital of the Middle East.

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TIMELESS BEAUTY In the context of Dohaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modern cityscape dotted with skyscrapers in glass and chrome, the Sharq Village and Spa appears almost surreal. The architecture of the Sharq steers away from linear and instead adopts the layout of a Middle Eastern village. The main building that houses the reception has been fitted with traditional Arabic interiors to make a grand first impression. Elaborate chandeliers, carved screens, a mosaic floor and plush furnishings give it a royal ambience. The building also contains a small selection of shops laid out to resemble an ancient souk.

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A maze of passages unravels from the main building and heads off in different directions leading people to intimate courtyards that house the rooms, the spa and other amenities. The paved paths, traditional structures and desertstyle landscaping, all come together to create a Qatari village atmosphere. But, the resemblance ends at the door to the rooms. Inside, the rooms are an epitome of luxury and comfort. The furniture, furnishings and artifacts in the rooms have been hand-picked to create a synergy in the look. The Sharq recreates a forgotten Qatari setting in the heart of the hustle that signifies modern Doha.

UNDER THE DESERT SUN Two rows of palm trees stand like sentinels leading to what looks like blocks stacked over each other, albeit artistically. It is Dohaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museum of Islamic Art. Master of modern architecture I.M.Pei was 91 years old and had to be coaxed out of retirement to design this masterpiece. The beige stone of the structure syncs it with the structures of the desert. Pei topped the structure with a glass dome to use the desert sun to create patterns with light and shadow and continually transform the interiors through the day. At the same time, its geometric structure impresses upon the visitor that it is quite different from its neighbours. Metalwork, ceramic, jewellery, textiles, woodwork and glass from across Spain, Egypt and Asia are housed here making it one of the most complete Islamic collections in the world.

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SPICE IT UP Located within the W hotel, the restaurant Spice Market reflects the chic design philosophy of the hotel. Candlelights in golden niches in the wall and bespoke glass lanterns suspended from the ceiling envelop the dining area in a warm glow. Hand-crafted wooden screens have been strategically placed to partition the large space into cosy pockets. Design details like intricately woven cane baskets on one wall, glass urns filled with spices and condiments on shelves and silk cushions imbue South-East Asian flavours into the exotic setting. The end result is the experience of a Vietnamese street market within all the comforts of luxury.

SHOP TALK Wind towers rise atop the clay and stone buildings, horses and camels clip-clop through the maze of alleys, carpets piled with handicrafts and jewellery lie on the pavements and Bedouin weavings hang on display. Time travel? Not quite. The Souq Waqif was renovated in 2004 but it has been closely modelled along the lines of the ancient markets of Egypt and Syria, thus its dated appearance. Its impressive design concept won local designer, Mohamed Ali Abdullah the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In a bid to maintain the authenticity, traditional construction style has been used, for instance the roofs have been made by binding together local wood and bamboo. With stalls selling a range of products and cafes and restaurants dishing out a variety of cuisines, the Souq bustles with life all day and late into the night. Text By Himali Kothari

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Full height windows face the garden, to maximise the view. As the site has no exterior view, the garden creates views for the spaces to enjoy greenery.

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Tradition and Modernity

Canna Patel of HCP Interior Architecture Pvt. Ltd. designs a guest unit for an existing bungalow in Bilimoria, Gujarat, while refurbishing the existing home. With optimal utilisation of the site, both structures enjoy the large garden which separates and yet connects them. A three-decade old family house full of memories. A large linear plot. A new contemporary guest unit to coexist within this space. As all of us know, an exercise such as this has more complex requirements, compared to designing a stand-alone structure. And to make the project more special to Canna, the architect of the old house was her father, Hasmukh Patel. Art consultant Sonal Patel, assisted Canna with the accessories and soft furnishings. Moreover, the client, Pramit Patel, is Canna’s cousin. Says Sonal, “What is visible now is only the glamour. We used to spend 10 hours travelling every day to and from the site, and were able to work only six hours a day. Typically, we would leave Ahmedabad at 4 am and return by 7.30 pm.” Mili Amin, Associate Designer, recalls, “This may be a second home, but it is used very frequently, especially by Pramit. His wife, Kinnary, usually visits only during the vacations.”

Text By Devyani Jayakar Photographs Courtesy Hemant Patil Home Review April 2015

A double height ceiling, sculptures and paintings animate the living room in the original bungalow.

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The Bilimora site where the existing house rested is a long narrow site with no views of the surroundings. The challenge was to create a building within the existing site without overpowering the existing house or blocking any views of a beautiful landscaped garden from the existing verandah and terrace. Dr. Mukesh Patel (founder of Lineworks, an art management company), has supplied the artworks, which include the white swans in the old house and the large swan in the garden. “We promote the works of young artists, resulting in artworks that are inspired and creative, yet affordable. Moreover, art is integrated as an element during the design process rather than as an afterthought to cover an area or just as ornamentation,” he says. “The older structure is a second home for Pramit, who uses it for about 15 days every month. His primary home is in Mumbai, but he owns a large industry in Bilimoria, and since there is no suitable hotel around, he needed the guest unit for clients from overseas,” says Canna.

A cool sophistication permeates the lounge and bar of the guest unit. The length of the wall sports a texture one would normally see on an exterior.

She is particularly happy with the utilisation of the plot, wherein its size does not appear diminished in spite of the new structure within its boundaries. Unexpectedly, the brief here was not that the new guest unit should appear to be an extension of the old, but rather that it should have an international feel to it. It is designed as a single storey linear structure, consisting of two bedrooms. a lounge space, a small pantry, dining room and swimming pool that stretches the length of the building. A small Jacuzzi area was also incorporated for the client to unwind at the end of a busy work day.

A bedroom in the new guest unit has an artwork with trees behind the headboard, consisting of stretched fabric on a frame.

The colours used are soothing - not the predictable vibrant colours of India. There is a five-star hotel feel to the space and the rooms even have luggage racks for the guests.

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“The guest unit has its back to the wall which separates the plot from the road. All windows are facing the garden within, with full height openings,” says Canna. In addition to creating the new guest unit, she also handled the refurbishing of the old home and the landscaping of the garden. This is not a typical home for a nuclear family with two children. Canna maintains that the arrangement of the furniture and particularly the headboard can suggest a different feel to the design. “Just as a turban can identify the social standing of a person, the headboard of a bed can be qualified in a similar way,” she asserts. Adds Mili, “We’ve used warm tones and the living room is a gathering space for many friends. In the master bedroom, peach tones emphasise the high sloped ceiling, while a big hand painted flower on the wall is a motif picked up from the curtains.” Canna maintains that all the senses should be stimulated by a design. Here, in addition to the visuals, there are different textures: the sound of water and the fragrance of the garden. Nature is romanticised, with the greenery, the water body and the Jacuzzi. Moreover, she believes that design should be contextual not only in terms of the site, geography and weather, but also in the social milieu…which may be getting increasingly western, but within which we continue to reflect our Indian roots in many ways. hcpia@hpcia.co.in www.hcpia.co.in

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A lot of thought goes into the display of the products. Colour co-ordination has been put to good effect; the products normally coordinate areas of the store colour wise, thereby maintaining some uniformity.

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Retail Therapy

Spices And Flavours What does ‘cinnamon’ evoke? I would say most definitely a stimulating smell…of a bespoke flavour that grows on you capturing the essence of refined taste.

Text By Dhanishta Shah Photographs Courtesy Tasveer

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The original kotah stone flooring was retained which adds to the charm of this 2000 sq ft area.

‘Cinnamon’ may not be a common name for a store. But it justifies the spirit of this Bangalore based shop. “Cinnamon, as a spice appeals to more than just one sense; similarly at the store, we appeal to the sense of touch, smell (we have cinnamon agarbattis) and of course the other senses,” explains Radhika Poddar, who along with Abhishek Poddar runs this lovingly curated space. The store was incepted in a modern space in the year 1999. However, over a year back, it shifted to its current location where it is housed in a traditional bungalow, which happens to be a heritage property. Neverthless arched doorways, porticos, beautiful columns and a wide sense of spaciousness are the key elements of the space.

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The original kotah stone flooring was retained which adds to the charm of this 2000 sq ft area. In fact, some of the ceilings also feature original wooden rafters that again add their own touch to the place. The walls have been deliberately kept white so as to highlight only the products featured. The space also features some exposed brick walls, which are intentionally not painted to maintain the old look. At the heart of the property, and undoubtedly the star attraction, is a resplendent courtyard, a characteristic feature of old houses. “Since this is a heritage building, the courtyard has been left just as it was. We have let out spaces to other stores in the courtyard. Our cafe in the courtyard will also be starting soon,” explains Radhika.

Some of the ceilings also feature original wooden rafters that add their own touch to the place.

The availability of the courtyard inside the store was a design feature that naturally added a different angle to the store. The rooms around the courtyard are thus different little stores (including the main bigger one, that is Cinnamon) and yet, all are unified by the café in the middle. It seems as if one is in the midst of a little shopping village. The store stocks a plethora of interesting products. The Poddars design some of the products themselves and have them manufactured. The others are sourced from all over the country. There is just one rule - they sell only ‘Made in India’ products.

At the heart of the property, and undoubtedly the star attraction, is a resplendent courtyard, a characteristic feature of old houses.

Another factor that they take into consideration is product pricing, the products are not only well made but also carry a precise price tag. The extensive home section includes metal ware, Bidri work, candle stands, vases, frames, tableware and accessories in metal and wood. This is in addition to beautifully finished stoneware, glassware, leather, aluminium and acrylic. The store also houses interesting stuff that has been creatively designed by product designers. For example, a coconut shell is reimagined and reworked as an evening bag! Or, glossy Sunday supplements are reborn as mats.

Housed in a heritage house, Cinnamon invites customers to shop in a traditional setting with arched doorways and porticos.

A lot of thought goes into the display of the products. Colour co-ordination has been put to good effect, the products normally coordinate areas of the store colour wise, thereby maintaining some uniformity. On the other hand a mix of different kinds of products, prods the customer to explore the store thoroughly to discover the entire range. The displays are taken quite seriously, because to put it in Poddar’s words, “If a customer sees something that is well displayed, it helps them imagine how it would look in the space they have in mind.” It thus goes without saying that the displays are changed as often as the owners please!

It has been few years since the store opened. But the concept has not yet outlived itself. “Fortunately, the philosophy of the store is what has sustained it. I basically wanted to have a store that would sell things that I would like to buy,” concludes Poddar, capturing the simple essence of the Cinnamon magic. www.cinnamonthestore.com

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An assortment such as this is sure to add spatial grandeur to any indoor space, be it home or office.

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Landscapes

MOBILE LANDSCAPES In this age of heightened portability and all things going the mobile way, one may well ask, why not gardens? Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the solution - container gardens; carry them where you go and if desired even use them as gifts!

Text By Mala Bajaj Photographs Courtesy Living Gardens Landscape Design

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Cute as a button, this arrangement of sixteen ‘hen and chicks’ variety of succulents is surprisingly low on maintenance and easy to grow.

The sheer paucity of space keeps many people just dreaming of having their own little patch of green. Such people satisfy their desires of owning a verdant piece of land they can call their own with mere cut flowers. These come and go and the latent urge keeps growing unassuaged. However now there is an answer - here’s something which can fill an indoor space with spatial grandeur, needs low maintenance and is simple to grow. I am talking of succulent container gardens. Living Gardens Landscape Design Inc. is a boutique garden design firm based in South Orange County, California known for creating outdoor rooms.

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Head designer, Sacha McCrae strives to create elegant and functional spaces that allow families to relax, play and entertain in an extension of their home that blends effortlessly with the interior. From container gardens and intimate courtyards to large estates, the firm’s attention to detail strives to create the beautiful space you long for. Born in London, England, Sacha McCrae was raised by parents who love to garden. Sacha has traveled England and Europe extensively, she arrived in California in 2000 and has been greening people’s lives here ever since. Amongst Sacha’s repertoire is the range of succulent container gardens that are Lilliputian patches of sheer joy.

This family of succulent container gardens is busy soaking up sun, which is so good for them.

Fun can be had right from the participation of putting them together and then finally owning them. Growing succulent plants in a container garden is easy and immensely satisfying. These come in an amazing array of colours and leaf textures and combining them is nothing short of exciting and interesting. Colours and textures that you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think would go together are put together in beautiful arrangements by Sacha. Pot choice is another aspect that she innovates with and all containers are filled with an ideal mix of potting soil well suited for growing succulents.

Sacha plays around with a variety of containers such as small latticed metal fruit bowls lined with sheet moss, white hand poured concrete troughs, clay containers, glazed clay containers, casted concrete shell shaped pots, wooden boxes, etc. Client owned containers which just sit around the house too can be transformed into these delightful microcosmic gardens.

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The white of this innovative casted concrete container sets off the beautiful green, red and blue tones of the succulent plants.

There is a whole gamut of varieties of succulent plants that Sacha uses to create her one-of-a-kind container gardens. Echeveria Elegans, Sempervivum Sunset, Kalanchoe Tomentosa, Pachyveria Glauca, Phormium ‘Yellow Wave’, Senecio Rowleyanus ‘String of Pearls’, Echeveria ‘Alma Wilson’ and Sempervivum ‘Ruby Heart’ are just a few that belong to her comprehensive arsenal. About the care involved for keeping a succulent container garden looking its best, it just cannot be simpler. The soil part is taken care of by Sacha and she merely advices her clients on three issues, those being water, sun and fertiliser.

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Watering has to be done only when the soil has dried out completely; this could mean once in anything like 5-10 days. Full sun is good for these arrangements and one must strive to give them as much sun as possible.

A shell encrusted casted concrete container; just one more from Sachaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s innovative collection. Home Review April 2015

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A casted concrete shell shaped pot adds to the inherent charm of the succulent plant assemblage.

Feeding with a controlled-release fertiliser in the beginning of the season or weekly with a weak liquid solution is also advised. A periodic removal of dead leaves from the bottom of each plant helps control pests; and that is it! Succulent container gardens provide a convenient way to green your indoor space be it office or home; one that is low on effort and high on result and which ably underlines the key relationship of mankind with nature.

www.livinggardenslandscapedesign.com

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The designers nailed the raw, rustic look in the interiors with repurposed furniture, unfinished white brick walls, naked bulbs, overturned crates and raw timber flooring.

Zero Becomes Hero

GREEN PROJECT

From ensuring zero-waste in its kitchen to using repurposed furniture in its interiors, Silo is a new-age restaurant thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taking brave steps towards creating a sustainable and ethical eating place. Text By Christabelle Athaide Photographs Lisa Devlin Courtesy of Seen PR

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Silo is one of UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first restaurants to adopt a zero-waste approach to the commercial food making process. Anything edible that enters is either consumed or converted into biodegradable compost. The end goal: an empty trash can.

A mĂŠlange of bulbs of different shapes and sizes somehow fits in perfectly with the rustic and low carbon scheme of things.

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At Silo, Douglas Mc Master serves seasonal, local food, grinds wheat for making bread, brews his own alcohol and e-mails receipts to save paper.

Based in Brighton, Silo is one of UK’s first restaurants to adopt a zero-waste approach to the commercial food making process. While it’s tempting to roll eyes in cynicism, even suspicion, at the grand claim of ‘zero-waste’, there’s enough evidence to prove that Silo’s founder - Douglas McMaster has gone beyond mere tokenism and has created a restaurant that is genuinely sustainable and ethical in its functioning. In McMaster’s kitchen, all food that enters is either consumed or converted into biodegradable compost. His zero-waste philosophy is not confined to the kitchen alone; the restaurant’s interiors too echo the revolutionary concept with bare walls, naked bulbs, unfinished timber flooring, overturned crates and repurposed furniture.

Silo’s raw, undone design is not just for effect; it is an absolutely real and honest interpretation of zero-waste.

McMaster’s resolve to not be wasteful is further reflected in his open kitchen that is minimal and practical with tableware that includes old glass jars that serve as drinking glasses and mugs that double up as cutlery stands. In many ways, Silo is a restaurant that harks back to the pre-industrial era when people were resourceful and used what was available or thought up new uses for old things. For the interiors, McMaster found natural partners in Baines & Fricker, a local design firm with a passion for ‘long-lasting design’ and ‘an ability to elevate the mundane and unremarkable’. “Douglas McMaster wanted an overall design that was pure, raw, undone and in keeping with the philosophy of his food,” elaborate the husband-wife team of Baines & Fricker, a firm recognised in Brighton for its robust, utilitarian furniture.

Staying true to the brief of zero-waste, the designers contacted ‘Freegle’, a not-for-profit community group who ‘use and share unwanted goods’. Through this group the duo managed to locate old school desks that they then repurposed into tables, benches and chairs for the restaurant. The designers add, “The tables were topped with off-cuts of tiles used to create floating floors in offices. We simply cleaned the tiles up and butted them together to make the required length.” These are further coupled with modular stools and chairs made from sterling board (OSB). The designers have nailed the raw, rustic look in the interiors with the addition of coarse, white-brick walls and unfinished timber flooring. “Everything was produced from abundant, readily available materials and follows the restaurant’s belief in using everything including the overlooked,” they share.

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The repurposed benches, tables and chairs were made from old school desks sourced from a not-for-profit community group that shares and uses unwanted stuff.

The design firm’s resourcefulness is a quality to be admired, although the comfort quotient of the wooden, utilitarian furniture leaves us wondering. “It is as comfortable as any un-upholstered chair or stool,” reason the designers. Perhaps the real question here is whether the restaurant’s patrons are willing to sacrifice comfort and luxury for a reduced carbon footprint; are diners finally ready for a paradigm shift in the whole eatingout experience? Since completing the interiors for Silo, Baines & Fricker admit there’s been a spike in the demand for repurposed furniture. They say, “We have been contacted several times regarding both commercial and residential projects.” So, the ‘repurposed’ trend is obviously catching on.

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Douglas McMaster wanted a design that was pure, raw, undone and in line with the philosophy of his food.

In its first avatar, Silo started off as a popup restaurant in the Sydney Harbour inside old shipping containers and with a kitchen garden on its roof. Now at Brighton, McMaster has thought of everything. He serves seasonal, local food, grinds wheat for making bread, trades directly with farmers, grows his own mushrooms, brews his own alcohol and e-mails receipts to save paper. Most importantly, he maintains a broad network of ethical farmers, growers, waste management groups, tea merchants, beans to bar cacao producers and coffee roasters who work together without ‘waste’. “In our journey to achieve zero waste we discovered primitive food systems that not only support our package-free lifestyle but has led to a way of preparing food in its wholest form,” he adds.

This is the exterior of brand Silo’s branch in Brighton.

McMaster is a lot like the thrifty grandmother we all know, except he’s got the edge; his vision is backed by technology that helps him install an expensive filtration system to produce electrolyzed alkaline and acidic water; or link waste water from the coffee machine to the toilet’s flush tanks; or speed up composting with a machine. Is it possible then for a commercial restaurant to be ethical and profitable at the same time? It’s still too early to predict if Douglas McMaster will end up being wildly successful or not, although one thing is for sure: he’ll definitely be earning lots of goodwill from Mother Nature. baines@bainesandfricker.net www.bainesandfricker.net The composition of the chairs which are made from sterling board has a charm of its own.

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DESIGNTREE Their pieces are designed to age gracefully so people can develop rewarding and lasting relationships with them. The couple strives to make products that resist obsolescence and use materials and processes that reflect their respect for the environment. The Wellington Sustainability Trust found Designtree and engaged it to produce a suite of furniture for their new offices and community space in Wellington city in 2013.

Designtree exists in a small studio in the industrial town of Wellington, New Zealand and is run by a like-minded, husband and wife duo, Tim and Rebecca. The couple develop innovative furniture and lighting for homes and businesses. They not only create their own products but also work on commission for a variety of clients on their interior/exterior projects. “We design everything with lots of care and attention. We search for materials at great lengths, which have the best social and environmental credentials. All of our products are made in New Zealand,” say the proud couple. Designtree’s mission is to create beautiful experiences, through objects that are well-made and well-loved.

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The list of pieces which were ordered were reception desks, point of sale display units, indoor and outdoor planter boxes, seedling trolleys, room dividers, a window garden as well as some generic items such as seating and storage units.

The brief called for a family of functional pieces that could be made quickly and economically using recycled pallet timber. Working closely with architect Joseph Nicholls and the staff at the Sustainability Trust, Designtree developed and produced 35 pieces of recycled furniture for the trust. The Giddyup Rocking Stool developed from exploring less static ways of sitting. The designers wanted to combine the use of the saddle with the idea of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;activeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sitting, and by doing so provide a fun experience for the user. The saddles they use to make the stools are all pre-owned.

Designtree was also commissioned to make a wooden crate for a local startup company which made fresh green smoothies and delivered them to local Wellington businesses.The designers developed a simple crate made from recycled wooden weather boards. Each smoothie crate holds six glass bottles, and with the use of a simple carry handle, 2 crates can be carried in each hand.

They often find themselves wondering about the stories ingrained in the scruffs, scratches and wear marks of the old saddles: where did the saddle come from? What sort of person owned and cared for it? And what was the horse or pony like that wore it? www.designtree.co.nz

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TRANSGLASS

Glass bottles are some things that form a major portion of the trash of any household. Many a times we have all taken an empty bottle and turned it into something else: we pop a candle into the neck and it is a candelabra, we fill it with flowers and it becomes a vase.

Tord Boontje was born in The Netherlands in 1968. His education at the Eindhoven Design Academy, class of 1991, and the Royal College of Art London, graduate of 1994, set the foundation for Studio Tord Boontje which makes the eco friendly range of home accessories called Transglass. The idea behind the label Transglass was â&#x20AC;&#x153;to use what we have around usâ&#x20AC;?. The firm has developed a one-of-a-kind home accessory range by just recycling glass bottles using relatively simple machines that they have in their workshop.

Transglass have refined this act a little more and have literally given an edge to the glass bottles which have finished their original function. So a diagonally-cut wine bottle becomes a jug, two wine bottles come together and become a carafe. Some more discarded wine bottles are transformed into a vase for orchids and the bottoms of beer bottles make a group of drinking glasses.

The first pieces for Transglass were designed in 1997 and were originally produced by Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden in their London studio. Since 2005 Transglass is produced in Guatemala City in a newly created workshop where young people learn the skills of glass making and out of which many have become experts in cutting and polishing. Tord Boontje has worked with a range of international companies such as Shiseido, Yamaha, Hewlett Packard, Bisazza, Target, Philips, Kvadrat, Alexander McQueen, Perrier-JouĂŤt, Nanimarquina, Artecnica, Authentics, Meta and has continued his work with Swarovski, Moroso and Habitat. The range of products includes lighting, graphics, textiles, ceramics and furniture. www.tordboontje.com

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lanzavecchia

wai

Airplane interiors, senior-friendly aids, and furniture that makes you smile. Lanzavecchia + Waiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thoughtful designs are useful, practical and so very poetic. Text By Chryselle Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Silva Dias Photographs (Various) Courtesy The Designer

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Charles Eames once said, “The details are not the details. They make the design.” Nowhere is this more true than in the practical, yet poetic designs of Lanzavecchia + Wai. Lanzavecchia + Wai is a creative collaboration between Francesca Lanzavecchia and Hunn Wai. Wai hails from Singapore and was educated as an industrial designer at the National University, while Lanzavecchia received her BA in Product Design from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. They met at the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, where both graduated with Masters in Design under the direction of Gijs Bakker, co-founder of Droog Design.

Spaziale Series

The studio was officially established at the end of 2009 at the Danish Art Workshops to realise their inaugural collection “Spaziale Series: New Expressions of Skin and Structure”. Interestingly, their individual interests are very different. Lanzavecchia’s main interest lies in the relationships objects have with the human body, as well as a deep interest in future trends. Wai, on the other hand, is fascinated by “the collisions and fusions of materials, meanings and forms”. What this translates into is design projects that are award-winning, unique and very user-friendly.

No Country For Old Men

The Spaziale Series (2010) of “organic domestic creatures that will live with you and your possessions” are a family of furniture pieces including bookshelves, chairs and commodes (tables). The furniture is sensuous, all tactile texture and bold colour. Their unexpected shapes defy conventional design and bring an element of fun into a space. The Chair is “a personal sanctuary for one or two”. A slit-like opening on its face transforms the chair from public to private by extending the textile upholstery around the hands on the armrests. An interesting concept, for sure. The Spaziale Commode has a similar quirk. The thin material covering the frame is stretched in such a way that its openings can be wherever you like. Store your keys and wallet in a little dip on the top or go digging through its interiors via a butterflyknotted entrance on the side.

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The Monolight

No Country For Old Men

Lightmate

Rockers n°1 & n°2

Following this very interesting collection is ‘Lightmate’ - soft anthropomorphic pillows and warming lamps. They were created with the question “Can electric energy fill the void of human absence?” Would you sleep with a warm pillow that curves around you like a comforting blanket? It’s a very tempting proposition indeed. And plus, it doesn’t snore. Lanzavecchia + Wai’s work is characterised by this thoughtful glimpse into human nature. What do people want from good design? Sometimes, it just boils down to having things that are useful, comfortable and as a bonus, pretty. The studio’s ‘No Country for Old Men’ series is my favourite. If you’ve lived with an elderly relative in your home or if you are getting on in years yourself, you will appreciate these designs very much. The Assunta chair (2012) “helps us to get up.” Using body-weight as leverage, the chair tilts forward, allowing the user to stand up without external help. The Together Canes (2012) double up as a walking cane and a tea-time tray. This unique design gives the elderly mobility and the freedom to carry things around without assistance. The Monolight (2012) is a light that illuminates and magnifies. It comes in either portrait or landscape mode, which means simple tasks like threading a needle or reading your favourite book should never be a strain again.

The Circus Collection

Rockers n°1 & n°2 (2013) is a series of rocking see-saws, for want of a better description. These beautiful rockers are meant to demonstrate how children’s toys, when seen through a sophisticated design lens, can be transformed into “refined grown-up objects.” Mimesi Urbane

The levity in their designs extends to kitchenware as well, with the ‘Circus’ collection of glass cloches (2013) with elephants, monkeys and a trapeze artist at the top. The “Mimesi Urbane” series of ceramic sculptures are equally exquisite and charming with our urban landscape making these animals “invisible”.

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More recent designs have included the Mutazioni for Nodus High Design rugs where two fictitious insects (Amaurodes Chernobilis and Tacua Fukushimae) were invented by the designers to refer to the two natural disasters that have occurred in their lifetime. The MyCocoon (2014) is a futuristic chromatherapy device that boosts wellness with a “light-bath”. Also pretty out there, is their Metamorfosi Vegetali, a “future sensing protheses”, two sets of fingerimplements that will allow us to “produce the oxygen we breathe, feed directly off the ground and even grasp the more subtle changes in the weather.” With every new design, Lanzavecchia + Wai are firmly cementing their position in the design world. Because of their thoughtfulness, their designs will stand out among the thousands of new designs flooding the market every year. Whether it is interiors for an airplane or a walkingstick for the elderly, the attention to detail, as Charles Eames said, says it all.

Mutazioni For Nodus High Design Rugs Metamorfosi Vegetali

info@lanzavecchia-wai.com www.lanzavecchia-wai.com

MyCocoon

Photography Spaziale Series (Scaffold, Lights-hanging) by Daniel Peh K.L.

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KMG Rolls Into India

The Khater Massaad Group (KMG), a rising star in the global ceramic sector, marks its entry in the Indian market with a new plant for tableware.

The KMG brand is the brainchild of Dr. Khater Massaad who is a recognised entity in the field of ceramics. It was his idea to explore the Indian market and its demand for quality ceramic tiles. Together with his investment company Star Investment Holding (SIH), they aim to develop KMG in India and worldwide. KMG Ceramics promises to offer excellent, unique products of superior quality at reasonable prices. Their portfolio comprises of products of different sizes and styles providing a variety of interior home solutions under one brand. Vitrified floor tiles are available in a variety of sizes and Italian wall art tiles in the size of 300x 1200mm. Mr. Sudhir Malesha, CEO, KMG Ceramics, shares details about KMGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans for the Indian market. Please share information about KMG. What are your areas of operation? KMG is an international brand where we will be developing products like ceramic tiles and table ware with SIH. SIH will operate with local partners all over the world, and the brand will be KMG worldwide. There are already plants operational in India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and very soon in Ethopia and Nigeria. These are our five projects till 2015. In 2016 we will start with our next five projects that will end by 2017. Can you tell something more about the table ware rollout by KMG in India? We have just opened a plant for table ware. The company under which table ware is manufactured is known as Umberto

Dr. Khater Massaad, The Chairman, KMG Group

Ceramics International Pvt. Ltd. Under this company, there will be brands of table ware available known as Ariyan and Stella. The ceramic tiles will remain under the name of KMG, while the tableware range will be available in the market under the brand name of Umberto Ceramics. Our focus will be on developing both these segments in India. What is your strategy for the next three years? In the next three years, we will probably be in the band of six prominent ceramic tile players in India. After we reach our goal of being in the top six, our plan for the next two years will be to upgrade ourselves and climb the ladder higher. We have started marketing our products through OEMs first, making a base for KMG. Having an experienced team, we know how to go about it. It will take about one to one and a half years till we start servicing the market with our own plant. Within three years we have a plan of establishing two plants and a network of OEMs.

What are the products that KMG will offer the Indian market? We will bring new trends into India. Innovation is our strategy - we will deliver new and technologically advanced products to India. New innovations, sizes, better quality are some of the things that a consumer looks out for. Porcelain tiles which are also known as vitrified tiles are our main product portfolio but we will also be catering to wall tiles, ceramics, etc. Sanitary ware will also be a part of our portfolio but at a later stage. Can you tell us more about your sales and distribution strategy? Currently in Maharashtra we have three distributors - in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur and one in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. We have plans of having around 2,000 dealers all over the country. We have started with both distributors and dealers to cater to different markets. We are dealing only with a few states as of now, namely Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. Also, we have started targeting the Upper North starting with Chandigarh and Punjab. However, there are a few places left to be catered by us, like the East. We have plans to start in Orissa, West Bengal, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Patna, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan soon. What is the revenue target you have for KMG for the next three years?

Mr. Sudhir Malesha, CEO, KMG Ceramics

We are looking at a target of Rs. 800-1000 crores in three years and for the first year our OEM target is Rs. 100 crores. md@kmgindia.net www.kmgindia.net

Advertorial

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A Modern Haveli

When contemporary design weds traditional lifestyle, what you get is a house filled with comfort, functionality and a strong sense of rootedness.

The right way to introduce this spacious 8,470 sq ft haveli or villa in Vadodara, Gujarat would be to first start with describing its contemporary architecture and charming exteriors. We could then move inside to its light-filled atrium and weave in and out of rooms that spell understated luxury. But for once let’s abandon the formal approach to reviewing and plunge right into this haveli’s most alluring feature - its windows. To be sure, this is a house besotted with light. Architects Shourya Patel and Dexter Fernandes, co-founders of Uneven, an architectural design firm in Vadodara, have spared no opportunity to carve out as many windows as possible across this two-storeyed, five-bedroom haveli. Broad, floor-to-ceiling windows invite natural light into every corner creating an irresistible feelgood ambience. “We make it a point to educate all our clients about the benefits of natural daylight and try and install as many windows as possible across every project”, emphasise the designers at Uneven. Vadodara is also notorious for its dry, stinging heat and windows like this can be such a comfort during the worst of summer. The airy living room on the ground floor throws itself open to light with windows and doors that spill onto a private garden. One of the children’s bedrooms on the first floor flaunts an entire wall of glass overlooking the garden and a mango tree. This romance with light continues even on the topmost level with several sliding windows bathing an entertainment room with the ephemeral colours of dawn and dusk. Obviously Vitamin D is never in short supply at this residence.

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Coming back to the heart of the home - the family area on the ground floor, Dexter says, “In a traditional Gujarati haveli, this area would have been utilised as an open courtyard.” In this case, the sense of openness is recreated by the triple height of the atrium. “This space has its own traditional charm, with a wooden Jharokha with traditional carvings, and railings punctured through an exposed brick wall, under a huge skylight comprising a wooden flower and brassflower hanging lamps.” This atrium thus encourages the three generations of family members to keep up old traditions of spending time together as a family, chatting or watching TV. “In a sense, here was a very traditional Gujarati family and we decided to implement earthy materials and textures that would resonate with their traditional outlook”, point out the Uneven team. Everywhere you look, the space is invigorated by traditional Gujarati motifs, colours and furniture that keep the haveli tied to its cultural roots. These days, it’s considered chic to flaunt walls of exposed brick, more so in an urban dwelling. But rustic elements that are not backed by any real sense of traditional lifestyles often land up looking incongruous. In this haveli however, exposed brick is used judiciously and in harmony with wood to create a natural, cosy atmosphere. The thick brick walls further help in keeping the interiors cool, say the designers. The earthy atmosphere is effortlessly maintained with a colour palette of cream, deep browns and russets. “At the end of the day, this is a residence, and overpowering colours or elements are best avoided,” says Dexter, adding, “We tend to favour earthy colours…they never go wrong.”

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The common area on the first floor provides the three generations ample space to intermingle.

The designers struck harmony with the family by sticking to neutral dĂŠcor in the common spaces and allowing individual expression and personalities to emerge only in the bedrooms.

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In order to please all three generations of family members, the haveliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common areas sport neutral dĂŠcor whereas in the bedrooms, we see individual personalities and expressions emerge. Clutter-free, with high ceilings and a walk-in closet, the bedrooms delight with their sweet simplicity. Their spaciousness - a luxury in these times - inspires an irresistible urge to stretch, stretch and stretch. A modern luxury that defines this residence is the private gym and sauna located on the first level. The topmost level of the house indulges the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s craving for entertainment and need to socialise. This level, which boasts a wide terrace also houses a bar and lounge, pool table and home theatre. Each of these areas can be sectioned off or opened up to create one big entertainment space. In the end, guided by light, harmony and Uneven, this haveli nimbly occupies a space that is comfortably modern and traditional.

uneveninterior@gmail.com www.uneven.in

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IN THE BATHROOM WITH SIEGER DESIGN Duravit made design the cornerstone of its strategy more than 25 years ago. At the time it found the right designer in Dieter Sieger of Sieger Design

Michael Sieger. The veteran duo have together revolutionised the ceramic world by creating many remarkable and award winning designs like 2nd Floor, Darling New, Bagnella, Happy D.2 and X- Large for Duravit. They combine sanitary ware, bathroom furniture and accessories that all fit together perfectly and create a new image of what is possible in contemporary bathroom design.

Products, creations and architecture by Sieger Design are one thing above all - trend-setting. They appeal to people all around the globe. The result: versatile, stylish and affordable bathrooms - and the story continues...

Duravit partnered with Dieter Sieger in its quest for becoming a design conglomerate. Duravit with Dieter Sieger made its mark in the world with innovative designer products that were value for money.

Sieger Design was founded by Dieter Sieger in 1964. In the early 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Now this legacy has been carried forward by brothers Christian and

Duravit has been the proud recipient of numerous international awards like the Red Dot Design Award, Good Design Award, Iconic Award, German Design Award, etc. These awards celebrate cutting-edge design which has become Duravitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hallmark over the years. tel: 079 66112300 respond@in.duravit.com www.duravit.in

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A wordsmith plays with words and a interior designer with the finer aspects of beautifying a home; just like a wordsmith can turn out to be a lawyer, speaker or a script writer similarly the interior designer too can redeem himself into a home accessory designer or still better a furniture designer. Today we profile one such couple. More than often the interviews I have conducted for this section primarily began with the designer narrating their design analogy which formed the basis of the products they designed, but this one began on a different note. “I was delighted by Prime Minister Modi’s Red Fort speech where he mapped out his 10 plans for change over the next 5 years. Few of them such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill Development’ and ‘Adopt a Village’ gives a very special resonance to us patrons of the industry who value our great craft culture,” began Preeti.

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ACROSS THE SEVEN SEAS TEXT BY VIKAS BHADRA

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Considering the fact that over 45% of India’s exports come from the Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE’s) and the majority of this is craft based; being a furniture designer/maker is not a bad idea. As Mike points out, “It is our great joy to eulogize the skilled crafts folk we still have and to work hard to maintain their jobs.” Mike and Preeti Knowles are equally well-known for their defined skill sets in interior design and designing furniture.

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After over 40 years of a collaborative experience in professional practice and education besides consistently working with many leading London designers, Mike setup his own practice with his wife Preeti. Incepted in London in the mid 80s, he christened it as Mike Knowles and Associates. A passionate believer in the societal value of design and craft skills, the couple shifted to India few years ago. The idea among other things was to develop jobs in the local market and highlight Indian design sensibilities. This led to the origin of The Hidden Gallery which apart from offering interior designing solutions caters to bespoke furniture needs. Speaking about her experiments with wood, Preeti says from intricate wood carving to traditional polishing methods and finally the new procedures in furniture design, she likes to engage with the past, present and the future. The karigars at Hidden Gallery too are adept at this aspect of creative time travel. “My signature piece, the Kahaani chair,” says Preeti, “really does tell the story of my design thinking. Based on a classic bergere chair with traditional barley twist legs and a part cleft arm, I found myself reworking the piece by leaving off the top arm rail. The team thought I was mad. But it’s proven to be a great success and still performs all the major tasks of a chair, comfort being paramount.” The Kahaani chair is just a small part of a bigger story. One look at the pieces of furniture showcased at the gallery is good enough to validate the fact; pieces of reclaimed wood have been put to use in a number of products and the end result is as grand as it gets. Mike designs dramatic one off pieces using reclaimed and new wood whereby wax and oil finishes are preferred rather than synthetic sealers. Having started their careers in the UK, both Preeti and Mike have a strong European sensibility in their designs.

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Mike and Preeti are proud of the team of karigars they engage with. Mike cites, “We have the best polishing team on the planet! We can take five days to polish a piece to perfection unlike most manufacturers but it is worth the time and patience.” At the Hidden Gallery, Preeti and Mike still design sofas and fabric chairs using age old upholstery techniques. The solid wood frames, webbing and hand tied springs make way for the best pieces possible. Adds Preeti, “Everyone has their own ideas when it comes to comfort; we invite clients to try out the sofas before the final fabric is applied. Customised service is what it’s all about, and we most certainly can do that.” So you may want to rev up your interiors or add a bit of bespoke furniture, Hidden Gallery is a good place to take a look at. And since the gallery is hidden, a telecon to set up an appointment prior to your visit would be a good way to unearth the secret.

Hidden Gallery F 322A Adarsh House Lado Sarai New Delhi-110030 011-41006803, +91 9810124917 www.hidden-gallery.com

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DESIGN SPEAK

By Pragya Chhajer

DESIGNQUEST

Ever wondered what happens to all the flex used in billboards that litter the cityscapes today? You see, flex, for all its intents and purposes can sustain a life of 4-5 years without discolouration. However on an average, these massive advertisement bearing, non-biodegradable, sheets are brought down and discarded within 6 months of use. Only a mere 30% is then resold to farmers, truck drivers or shack owners. The rest is burnt down, adding colossal amounts of toxic fumes to the already polluted air.

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Rubber One more major pollution-causing element is rubber, especially the discarded tubes from tires.

Combining both, I came up with a solution wherein I designed a shoe, which has been constructed entirely with discarded flex and rubber tubes. As a part of one of my courses, which concentrates on environmental design, I took up the challenge to work on flex. The inherent benefits of such footwear will be durability, water resistance and funk. Who am I? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Pragya Chajjer.

Shoe The shoe has been constructed entirely with discarded flex and rubber tubes.

Flex Flex has a life expectancy of 5 to 6 years but it is non-biodegradable.

Just to give you a fair idea, about 9000 square metres of flex is printed every day in the city of Pune itself, which is equivalent to the size of 1.2 average football fields! One more major pollutioncausing element is rubber, especially the discarded tubes from tires.

I believe that design is not only about innovation, but an aid to improve society, and bring in a positive change. I was born and brought up in Kolkata. And as the saying goes every one from the city has an inclination towards some form of art. My early love for colours and paper was a direct inheritance from my family which consist of numerous artists ranging from dancers and painters to sculptors. Also doodling in class was my all time favourite activity in school, and I always looked forward to the art class. The interest for space came with an interest in travel. It planted the seed of curiosity that how similar things are interpreted differently in different cultures. I am grateful to the MIT Institute of Design for offering a course in Retail and Exhibition Design that allows me to explore both commercial and industrial design.

Redesign for Brand Noritake The display system is easy to install and cheap but at the same time it allows the product to be highlighted.

A hypothetical project required me to redesign a store for the brand Noritake, a high end Japanese crockery brand. The idea was to create a space that is well organised, decluttered and inviting.

I designed a display system that is cheap and easy to install but at the same time highlights the brand’s high quality by focusing on the end product. The racks are made up of bent and polished ash wood; the frame is made from mild steel square and ‘C’ sections. The entire setup is easy to dismantle, stack and transport. Knoware, a retail store in Kolkata for all IT related solutions and sound and security systems is a brand that believes in being approachable, modern and is also known for availability for all variety of products. Though the display and shelving that followed, doesn’t compliment the products and looks very bulky for modern technology and solutions.

Shelving system for Knoware The system utilises glass with orange vinyl sticker, a hidden t-section made out of mild steel painted black and stainless steel face-outs with acrylic panels.

Tensile Structure The inspiration for this project was derived from the Indian spicebox.

Other projects that are covered in my course structure include tensile structures. Different grids and patterns were projected onto the tensile surface to understand the variation of surfaces. The inspiration for this project was derived from the Indian spicebox.

In achieving all these parameters I utilised glass with orange vinyl sticker, a hidden t-section made out of mild steel painted black and stainless steel face-outs with acrylic panels. There is a possibility for the client to run LED light cables from behind the acrylic panels giving a glow effect to the products. My design journey in the professional sense has just begun and I believe there are many more milestones which I wish to uncover along the way.

pragyachhajer92@gmail.com

So it was but ideal to design a shelving system that would be easy to clean and maintain; the shelving would be easy to assemble, accomodate various sizes of merchandise and encourage customer interaction.

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Mumbai-based Rushabh Parekh Design Studio (RPDS) channels a remarkable acumen for texturing, customised fabrication and digital styling to create highly interactive interior projects. Rushabh Parekh Design Studio (RPDS) was established in 2008, and has built a repertoire that can become a studybook of exploration of textures, shapes, and fabrics in design projects. Led by Rushabh Parekh, the team is stringently committed to juxtaposing different design elements and expertly making them look like cohesive spaces. The projects, like the three mentioned below, also often contain smaller, individualised pockets of privacy for the residents and guests.

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This project is representative of RPDS’ leitmotif - playing with seemingly contradictory design elements and fortifying them into one appealing whole. The interiors of this bar and café have the solid, industrial quality of old English taverns, but they hide subtleties galore in their crevices. True to its name, sweeps of exposed brick walls dominate the 1,500 sq ft space, and are aided in their brooding aura by slats of wood that make up parts of the ceiling and floor. Bunty Arora, the owner, had envisaged an ensconce in the midst of the boisterous Lokhandwala Complex, and RPDS took that brief to heart to build a sound-proofseeming escape filled with natural light, minimal frills and all the possibilities of alcohol-induced revelry. The bar, in spite of its simplicity or possibly because of it, is a visual spectacle that has a rough-hewn brick background and bar-table base; the latter topped with wood and lit up by a neat cluster of delightfully artsy Edison bulbs. The carefully unrefined edges are contrasted and complemented by the shiny black sofa upholstery, green-and-black chairs, stone surfaces and polished wood. The bar top breaches its boundaries on one end and slides into the exterior terrace - another contrast in that is the canopied, greenery-adorned and sunlight-drenched neighbour to the subdued seriousness of the main area. RPDS couldn’t have thought up a better escape from the location’s market forces than this.

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“Tryst is not just a place to dance, but rather it is designed to maximise individualised sensations,” states the design team. Located in Lower Parel at the Phoenix Mills Compound, this nightclub’s 2,500 sq ft of interior swathe has been built to incorporate ‘hard’ and soft’ personalised spaces, along with the fluid segments that will tempt guests to move and dance in. Tryst looks like the realisation of every music fan’s dream - of moving to music inside a record player; of riding electric notes like waves in a trance. This space brings together RPDS’ ingenious treatment of geometric shapes and custom lighting - here spewing or wrapped in psychedelic neon colours to create a breath-taking effect of movement. From the seating coves to the walls and the consoles, here exists an almost mathematical commitment to lit-up lines and angles. The bar’s background wall is a phalanx of graceful, customfabricated flaps that will effortlessly move in the imaginations of many a patron on many a night. RPDS was asked to design “a space of intimacy and exclusivity”, and the team successfully added a defining element of movement to the scheme. After all, how many nightclubs can claim to move with the music, just as its guests do?

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RPDS likes to push boundaries in spatial conception and over its lifetime the firm has relied on mixing textures, digital design and imaging and innovative fabrication to create a unique language of interior and exterior design. Lattices, meshes, lines, and waves, all live in harmony in this design team’s work landscape. This effect is greatly enhanced by a bold bent towards a kaleidoscope of materials and colours. The firm’s proposed designs often straddle a range from pristine white fiberglass that creates futuristic spaces, to carbon-like geometrical shape-shifting on façades, like for ‘Parinee 1’ and other building towers. Sharp, neon-lit lines often cleave through standard glass façade surfaces, or split them into more visually digestible sections. Be it through impetuous encasings, or tight mesh wrappings, façades here are not allowed to be ordinary. Just like with the interiors, where there are wisps of deep shades of colour, smooth and knotted upholstery, and renderings of Rorschach to avoid creating anything even remotely boring and predictable. info@rpds.in

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THE WORLD OF ABACA

It all began almost a decade ago when Rashida Baker-Asrani gave up her successful legal career to pursue her first and true love-her passion for design. ABACA was established with a view to bringing high end furniture and home accessories to the burgeoning Indian market. Her innate sense of style and attention to detail is apparent in the personal selection of each item in the store. Largely made out of eco-friendly and natural materials like bamboo, water hyacinth, wool, stone and shell every article has been chosen for its exquisite workmanship, its comfort and aesthetic appeal. Abaca’s collection of impeccably crafted indoor furniture, made from nature’s finest materials, infuses a sense of calm and serenity to any office and home. Large roomy sofas, elegant tables and consoles merge with the ambient milieu, yet manage to redefine the space with their sleek, modern, minimalistic lines. Using fabric and material that is easy to maintain, our furniture and

furnishings are much sought after by those who value quality. Our matchless quality of outdoor furniture makes it the first choice of top flight interior designers when it comes to furniture for patios, gardens and open spaces. Combining utility and beauty, our hammocks, deck chairs, bean bags and poolside furniture are sturdy and long lasting, fabricated from water resistant and all weather proof material. Sturdy and hardy, our dining sets and outdoor seating are ideal for al fresco dining and entertaining on wide verandahs or open to sky terraces. ABACA PUNE Level 1, Business Square, Lane No. 5, Above Godrej Nature’s Basket, Koregaon Park, Pune 411001 Tel: 02026153522/44/66 Email: pune@abacaindia.com www.abacaindia.com

Advertorial

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Historically Aligned

In the heart of the historic downtown of Vienna, Austria is situated the DO & CO hotel; happy to offer no competition whatsoever to its neighbouring structures, its architecture holds its own as a futuristic design composed of glass and steel.

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This multi-cuisine restaurant is an apt showcase for DO & COâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well known competence in the field of catering.

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The DO & CO hotel is a member of Design HotelsTM and is located in the Haas Haus building in Vienna designed by the famous architect Hans Hollein, directly across the St. Stephen’s Cathedral on the square Stensplatz. Hans Hollein subsequently renovated the Haas Haus building assisted by the very able team of interior designers FG stijl. With DO & CO, FG stijl, a Pritzker prize-winning firm has created an ultramodern interior that seamlessly blends both high-tech and low-tech accents. The firm DO & CO is well known for its excellent competence in the field of catering and with the opening of the hotel DO & CO it has only succeeded in exceeding those standards. Four floors of the sparkling glass and metal structure have been transformed into 43 spacious guestrooms and suites that offer luxurious comfort as well as unparalleled views of the city’s most majestic square. Personalised service and plenty of luxurious details are underscored at the DO & CO, such as in addition to a mini-bar, a fully fledged bar too exists in the rooms which are furnished with only high quality natural materials. Talking about the high tech furnishings, each of the rooms has generous two square metre showers, Bang & Olufsen mega flat screens and even a Nintendo Wiis. Of course the beatific views this hotel offers are a pretty unique bonus in themselves. Helmed by the gastronomic genius Attila Dogudan, the property’s culinary offerings include dining and bar options that span three floors, including the chic, sixth-storey Onyx Bar and the Temple, a 12-seat private dining pavilion.

Temple, a 12-seat roof-top event location, may be used for both formal and informal meetings.

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From the restaurant on the top floor of the building a magnificent view of the St. Stephen’s cathedral may be enjoyed while one is indulged with a global cuisine created using only the freshest of produce.

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The Onyx Bar on the sixth floor is not only the perfect location for a cup of coffee through the day, but also becomes the ideal place for the night birds to hang out as it transforms into a pulsating hot-spot of the town, come evening. Event rooms on the 7th and 8th floor are ideal for meetings up to 25 guests, who may be spoilt with the hotel’s excellent catering which is part of their forte in any case. Stephanplatz dominated by the Romanesque and Gothic form of the St. Stephen’s church offers a sizeable car-free zone full of both branded and non-branded stores and several eateries. A stay at DO & CO allows one to sip, savour and slowdown as it offers a soothing counterpoint to its history laden surroundings. Providing an unforgettably comfortable stay it lets you soak in Vienna’s history contentedly at your own pace. The historic district and the old city are literally blanketed with historic attractions. You may easily spend your days reveling in the various must-do sights of Vienna such as the Schonbrunn Palace, the Belvedere Palace and the several museums. The Viennese Opera House, the Hofburg Imperial Castle and the Albertina Museum are conveniently at a mere walking distance from the hotel. Stay here and you will only be a stone’s throw away from the iconic Sacher Hotel famous for its original recipe of the SacherTorte cake. Coming to Vienna and not eating this cake with coffee at their always full cafeteria would be nothing short of blasphemy. Personalised service and plenty of luxurious details are one of the highlights at the DO & CO.

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The hotel terrace provides a bird’s eye-view of the city which is literally blanketed with historic sites.

Take advantage of the complimentary entrance to the nearby Holmes Place Health Club, Börseplatz before enjoying a drink at the Onyx Bar and finishing off at the ultramodern restaurant on the seventh floor which has a wonderful adjoining terrace and the view of St. Stephen’s Cathedral really up close. This is one of the city’s culinary hotspots and the open kitchen produces Southeast Asian dishes including chicken kaow soy and sushi alongside Austrian classics such as braised calves’ cheeks and goose liver with creamed celery. American writer and cartoonist once said, “Sometimes you’ll never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” A stay at DO & CO is guaranteed to supply you with ample such moments.

www.designhotels.com

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THE MARKETPLACE Villeroy & Boch Introduces Outdoor Tubs

Villeroy & Boch offers high quality outdoor hot tubs with individual configuration options, allowing everyone to benefit according to their individual needs and requirements. In contrast to other models on the market, the massage functions in the outdoor hot tubs from Villeroy & Boch are not restricted to specific seats, but can be freely exchanged and installed on any seat. This is made possible by the

patented JetPak™ II technology. The back parts of the seats equipped with massage jets are available with a wide range of jets, colours and forms, additional options and accessories which can be combined with complete flexibility. Choose between 16 different JetPaks™, all of which can be combined with each other and easily exchanged via a simple click

system. Whether deep, gentle or vigorous, whether for the neck and shoulder area, the middle back or the lumbar spine, whether for special massage points and muscle regions in your body, as an allover kneading massage or simply just as a relaxing wellness indulgence - JetPaks™ offer everyone a perfect personalised massage in either a seated or lying position - even when there are several people in the tub at the same time. www.villeroy-boch.com

Elementto Launches New Wallpaper Collections

Interiors are an extension of an individual’s personality. The décor is derived from the imagination and creativity of the designer and of course keeping in mind the personality of the client. The Indian customer is warming up to newer trends and ideas with abstract designs and prints which has accelerated the demand for themed wallpapers. Keeping this in mind Elementto has launched

three new collections to help you rev up your interiors Mille millions - This collection of wallpapers features a labyrinth of corridors, arranged as a special cabinet of wonders. Around every alley, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, embroiderers, illuminators reveal the mastery of their art. At the crossroads of civilisations, precious metals inspire our imagination since the dawn of time.

L’original - The Sun of Palermo, the dazzling light at the end of the dark and cool narrow lane is palpable. One discovers while still blinded, bas-reliefs carved by the sun. Pottery, scrolls, sculptures invite the touch. Charm, softness and inventiveness inspired these new designs. Mémoires - The panther, the zebra and the lion - the lords of Africa are featured in this collection. The skins are adorned with flock or metal which morph and become rugs or are printed on leather. The plain range is revamped with shimmering metallic glints and changing inks colours. www.elementto.in Home Review April 2015

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THE MARKETPLACE Polar Lighting Pole By K-Lite

Studio Creo Introduces Living Moss Tiles By Italian Company Benetti Stone Studio Creo brings a revolutionary way to dress up the walls of homes and workplace interiors with a touch of contemporary gorgeous greenery with ingenious Living Moss Tiles by Italian company Benetti stone. Benetti Stone took the ‘green wall’ trend one step further with the production of lichen tiles for interiors.

‘K-LITE’ surface mounted Polar Lighting Pole, integrated with LED lighting module is an exclusive choice of designers for city beautication lighting blended with architectural appeal. It is designed for a complete range of contemporary designs with single arm, double arm, L-arm, V-Arm, Square arm and Parallel arm. The pole is engineered to meet the adverse conditions and the pole sections are duly welded using special grooving techniques and high end MIG/ TIG welding process. The control box is integral and built-in with a service door, locking arrangement and safety chain. The galvanized pole is coated with epoxy zinc phosphate primer and finished using environmentally stable polyurethane based paint. The pole is supplied with necessary foundation hardwares for normal soil conditions. The Polar Lighting Pole lighting arms are integrated with the LED modular lighting system, which is environmental friendly under green lighting category. The LED lighting offers more lumens with lesser power consumption. The luminaire is IP 68 protected and the various models were evaluated by an extensive research and understanding of illumination requirements for urban spaces. Choice of drivers for LED takes into consideration the harmonic distortion level (not exceeding 10 %) power factor greater than 0.9 and surge protection. The LED modules are individually rated 42 watts. The control gear tray is prewired with terminal connectors, MCB and loop-in loop-out arrangement and located in the control box, integral with the pole. www.klite.in

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Moss Tiles is a panelised interior vertical garden product composed of stabilisedlichen assembled on 29.8 x 29.8 cm panels ready to be installed so within just minutes your green wall is ready. These tiles harvest enough moisture from the atmosphere to live, grow and thrive in your home or office. What’s more , these moisture feeders do not require irrigation or fertilization, nor does it need to be pruned and can be easily placed in rooms without natural light as it is not dependent on any particular environmental conditions. These moss tiles are available in different shades and shapes to spruce up your space in unique ways. Being modular, they can be placed in any configuration, as a pattern, as

a whole wall or in shapes of a square, circle and rectangle whether single or multiple. Available in 9 natural shades of green, ‘Moss Tiles’ can be used alone or in combination with other Benetti products that symbolise and re-create tranquil moments. www.studiocreo.com

Notion Launches Exterior Cladding For Front Elevations also adds an aesthetic effect. The product is 100% natural and quality is assured through trustworthy production methods. From the crucial drying process to the expert grading selection, we care intensely about the wood types we select and the way we handle them and treat them. All our collection is well suited for exterior use and protects your walls from extreme cold to hot and dry to humid weather conditions.” Giving a magical face lift to the exterior, the all new range of exterior cladding by Notion is the first choice of elite section. Available in a wide range of species, colours and grains, the eye pleasing natural finish of these claddings make them ideal for adding a beautiful touch to the exterior decor. Inherent insulation properties, low maintenance and high durability are the salient features of these deck timber cladding offered by Notion. According to Mr. Akash Saini, Director Sales, Notion, “This magnificent range of cladding adds additional layer of material on walls, which provides protection and insulation but

Exterior wall cladding by Notion is a best choice to revamp your dull walls. All fixing of this cladding is done by means of a U shaped stainless steel clip. All boards are manufactured with a double groove profile and don’t need to be drilled. A safer and smooth uniform surface which remains untouched, minimises the risk of splinters and fissure forming. 4mm gap between boards is the optimum space for wood to expand and contract and allow enough expanses for air circulation. www.notion.net.in

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