IA&B July 2014

VOL 27 (11)

JULY 2014

www.iabforum.com

INDIAN ARCHITECT & BUILDER

In Conversation Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, URBANA Competition: TATA TISCON RAISE Street House: Sensen Designs, New Delhi Architecture KPIT Cummins Campus, Pune: Venkatraman Associates Academia Knowledgescapes : Neha Koul and Dr Gaurav Raheja Young Designers ‘14 Architecture: Of Mud And A Moat Product: 3Rs Chair

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VOL 27 (11) | JULY 2014 | www.iabforum.com RNI Registration No. 46976/87, ISSN 0971-5509 INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER

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34 CURRENT

The latest news, events and competitions in architecture and design

from India and abroad.

38 PRODUCTS

Crafted or manufactured products of use in contemporary settings.

42

IN CONVERSATION

Kashef Chowdhury, founder of URBANA, identifies the spirit

of his architecture in a follow up to his presentation at the

361 degrees conference.

47

COMPETITION : TATA TISCON RAISE

Spirit and Context

Street House

A design proposal that spells a hypothesis that gives a positive

insight to what futuristic homes must develop as.

54

ARCHITECTURE

Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah, 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Angular Rhythms

Indian Architect & Builder: (ISSN 0971-5509), RNI No 46976/87, is a JMPL monthly publication. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or any other language is strictly prohibited. We welcome articles, but do not accept responsibility for contributions lost in the mail.

KPIT Cummins Hinjewadi, Pune campus, an award winning facility

designed by Bangalore’s Venkataraman Associates.

62

YOUNG DESIGNERS’14

Architecture – Of Mud And A Moat

“A House in Auroville” caters to one’s modern needs and comforts

despite having been expressed in an exquisite vernacular fashion.

68

Product – 3Rs Chair

A chair inspired by, and almost assembled from a motorbike.

72 ACADEMIA

Space-Sense-Chai

A research paper on a paradigm shift in the design of

educational campuses.

76

BOOK REVIEW

Shekhawati: Havelis of the Merchant Princes

A conglomeration of works by experts on various aspects of

architecture and history.

80

SPACE FRAMES

Polygons

Architectural photography practice merges with contemporary

documentary practice.

Printed & Published by Maulik Jasubhai Shah on behalf of Jasubhai Media Pvt Ltd (JMPL), 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Printed at M B Graphics, B-28, Shri Ram Industrial Estate, ZG D Ambekar Marg, Wadala, Mumbai 400031and Published from Mumbai - 3rd Floor, Taj Building, 210, Dr D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah, 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Indian Architect & Builder: (ISSN 0971-5509), RNI No 46976/87, is a JMPL monthly publication. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or any other language is strictly prohibited. We welcome articles, but do not accept responsibility for contributions lost in the mail.

Kash © : e Imag r e Cov

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42

SPIRIT AND CONTEXT

Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

in conversation

43

SPEAKER

Friendship Centre, Gaibandha by URBANA.

In a follow up to his presentation at the 361 degrees conference held in Mumbai, Kashef Chowdhury, founder of URBANA, identifies the spirit of his architecture. Kashef has previously described his practice, as an island, and in a conversation with IA&B, further explores the contextual nature of his practice.

Images: courtesy Kashef Chowdhury

A graduate from the Department of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in Dhaka, Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury established URBANA with Marina Tabassum in 1995. After 15 years of remarkable creative resilience, the practice was nominated for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2010 for the design of the Chandgaon Mosque in Chittagong.

IA&B: How has your practice evolved since we last corresponded in 2013?

KC: It has grown busier and new projects are nearing completion.

But we are published more, something that I was not comfortable with earlier on. In fact, until last year, we never had a website – as I did not believe in the idea of ‘seeing’ architecture as opposed to ‘experiencing’ architecture. But, I have been converted by the wonderful architect and friend, David Adjaye, and we do have that now. We also had a major exhibition in Europe, which may travel. New things for me, but I am adjusting.

IA&B: Can you tell us about your time at the Glenn Murcutt Masterclass and how the experience contributed to the continuation of your learning?

KC: Australia was a revelation, and so was Glenn. My little time there taught me there really is no need for aimless rushing and hurried conclusions. And of course, there arose the opportunity to meet one of the most wonderful architects I have come to know till date: in the form of the uninhibited personality of Richard LePlastrier.

IA&B: How do you balance the increasing number of projects and your desire to give each project the time it needs?

KC: Mine is a studio based practice and therefore, it is a conscious decision and effort not to overburden it with projects. I am personally involved in the design and detailing of each project – in that way, I guess, I am a traditionalist. But, I feel that what was and remains the true spirit of architecture is to be a true builder of places and spaces and to be a master at some stage of one’s life. For me, where design Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

46

Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

competition

47

TATA TISCON RAISE A belief of universal accountability, of professional chain reactions, of the significance of every element of the chain and the necessity of responsible endeavours, is what stimulated and maneuvered RAISE (Responsible Architectural Initiatives And Structural Engineering). From designer to builder, vendor to client, every aspect of the AEC (Architecture Engineering and Construction) Industry is accounted for in the manifestation of an infrastructural end product. A periodic nudge on the path of “Responsible Architecture” through competitions, studios, interactive forums and awards on professional forums, tends to bring awareness and sustains a continuous ongoing dialogue on responsibility in this field.

As a part of this very initiative, the India Homes 2020 contest was conducted with an aim to design prototype homes for the future. Through a pan-India contest, most creatively buildable ideas were evaluated by eminent jury members on parameters like stability, flexibility, economy, ease of building, and creativity. The designers were put through a constraint of space of 3000sqft. and a built up area of 1500sqft. Out of the more than 740 participants the designs from the following Architectural Firms made it to the top 3 slots.

1. Sensen Designs, New Delhi 2. SHROFFLEoN/Arup, Mumbai 3. Between Spaces, Bangalore To exhibit each firm’s ingenuity in conceptualising, a challenging topic such as this, IA&B brings to you each of these designs in its issues starting July Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

48

↑

A basic zoning process namely residential, natural and community unfolds itself to take the form of a “street” merely by the pattern of arrangement of the houses each extending into a “farm” which in turn together constitute the agricultural zone.

Imagining a neighbourhood that will bridge the rural and urban.

Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

49

An agrarian approach for an agrarian India.

STREET HOUSE Sensen Designs, New Delhi

A focus on holistic societies, retaining the essence of India that was, that is and that will be, the design proposal spells a hypothesis that gives a positive insight to what futuristic homes must develop as.

Text: Aastha Deshpande | Drawings & Images: courtesy Sensen Designs

I

ndia’s distinctive identity, stems from the fact that it is an agrarian country, with most of its population residing in rural areas of the country. This particular design postulate, emulates the very fabric of India: its farms, small scale industries, blend of varied cultural practices and typical lifestyles. An elementary yet futuristic alternate way of anticipating lifeis, envisioned to result in what is defined by Sensen Designs as an ideal house in 2020. Acceptance over renunciation of the country’s virtues, that have survived over the years, and a conjecture, that it shall prevail in the coming years, is an underlying truth behind the design.

energy, are two endeavours of the design, defined by an attempt to explore the co-existence of: the city and the village, the manmade and the natural, the individual and the collective, the global and the local, production and consumption and constancy and evolution.

The Scheme: Mahatma Gandhi’s model development vision of a “gram-swaraj”, literally meaning a self-sustainable village, is translated into a functionally feasible balance between the urban and rural. Revival of a sense of community and the need to share resources and

A “Glocal” phenomenon, defined by attributes both global and local, ensures a neighbourhood that grows its own food, generates its own energy and recycles its own waste. The scheme attempts to address this dichotomy at all scales of design, from neighborhood plans to design construction detail.

A basic zoning process, namely, residential, natural and community, unfolds itself to take the form of a “street” merely by the pattern of arrangement of the houses, each extending into a “farm”, which in turn together constitute the agricultural zone.

Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

72

Space-Sense-Chai Challenging traditional assumptions, rethinking informal spaces – A paradigm shift in the design of educational campuses Text: Neha Koul & Dr Gaurav Raheja

Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

academia

73

ABSTRACT he paper challenges the traditional assumptions about learning spaces and rethinks over informal spaces as the torchbearers for knowledge creation. It also reviews the growing literature on knowledge architecture, critiques it, and develops some of the research questions that could be explored to contribute to campus planning and to the theoretical perspectives that underpin the literature. Space-Sense-Chai: Challenging traditional assumptions, rethinking informal spaces on educational campuses

T

The campus is a scaled down version of a city, where experiments are easy to implement and the results clearly visible. If this knowledge creation model can be effectively applied at campus level, strategies can be drawn from it to make the whole city a knowledge hub.

INTRODUCTION The word campus immediately strikes a positive chord. It recreates an image of buildings spanning across lush green lawns, dotted with benches and well pruned trees and echoing with the energy of the students engaged in invigorating discussions, often over a cup of Chai. Famous Urbanist William H Whyte in his book, “The Social Life Of Small Urban Spaces”, states that food serves as people’s magnet “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.”

Food attracts people who attract more people.

Chai is an activity that Indians indulge in. It is not just a hot drink… but an act of socialising, of banter, of discussions as well as formal affairs. In institutional spaces, one would find students perpetually hanging around the cafeteria or the kiosks in groups, or pairs or alone… engaged in the thick of their academic life. Campus Adda (informal places), as these spaces are popularly known for the levels of association and engagement they create with the students, become the landmarks of a campus. Informal, interactive and several meaningful deliberations of a campus life emanate from the spaces that connect sense over a cup of tea/coffee. A Symbiotic relation between space-sense-chai has brewed many ideas and breakthroughs that have later translated into works of art, research, literature, theatre and science of phenomenal stature…in India it all started with a cup of Chai.

“It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished.”

– William H Whyte The student interactive spaces being the most stimulating spaces in a campus, have witnessed drastic variations, many degrading over time. Issues of rising absenteeism and increased engagement among youth on social networking platforms bear a testimony to the fact that our spaces fail miserably in inviting and engaging students.

Besides lacking any spatial and architectural definition, educational campuses are also failing as centers of knowledge creation.

Indian Architect & Builder - July 2014

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IN CONVERSATION Mario Botta, Mario Botta Architetto ARCHITECTURE Delhi Public School, Bengaluru: Khosla Associates Lateral House, Bengaluru: Gaurav Roy Choudhury Architects HERITAGE Adaptive Reuse of Jal Mahal Bijolai, Jodhpur: Grup.ISM Pvt Ltd CAMPAIGN: Architectural Education Women Students, Culture and Pedagogy: Madhavi Desai DELHI DIALOGUES Dwarka is the Chosen One

In Conversation Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury, URBANA Competition: TATA TISCON RAISE Street House: Sensen Designs, New Delhi Architecture KPIT Cummins Campus, Pune: Venkatraman Associates Academia Knowledgescapes : Neha Koul and Dr Gaurav Raheja

Free supplements: Asian Paints ColourNext 2011 • Birla Yuvaratna 2010

Young Designers ‘14 Architecture: Of Mud And A Moat Product: 3Rs Chair

Cool Crossovers Innovations in Sustainability

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