Dec 2011 Preview

` 200 DEC 2011 VOL 25 (4) Cover Story: Raj Rewal Associates Architecture: Bharathi Prem Associates Urbanism: Edifice Consultants Pvt Ltd Prasanna Desai Architects

18 IA&B - DEC 2011

Bridging the Gap Smita Srinivas, Founder Director of the Technological Change Lab at Columbia University, speaks to IA&B about how urban planning and efficient implementation can promote tremendous change in our cities.

Photograph: courtesy Smita Srinivas

Smita Srinivas is the Founder Director of the Technological Change Lab at Columbia University and Assistant Professor of Urban Planning. She works on comparative institutional analysis in economic development with a special focus on ties in cities and nations between social welfare and technological innovation. She is also a Faculty Associate of the South Asian Institute (SAI), Columbia University and Senior Advisor at the Indian Institutes for Human Settlements (IIHS), likely to be India’s largest research and university effort on economic and urban and regional planning issues.

let’s partner

IA&B: You have researched, written and taught on industrial development and urbanism. What do you think about the processes of urban governance, and the way cities in India are governed?

SS: There are several challenges to industrial development. India is, of course, still industrialising extremely rapidly. However, there is a real disconnect between the industrial development ideas that proliferate at the national level and the kinds of challenges that the people, at the local level, face. Every aspect of industrial development is manifested within a city; but that is not how policy and ideas regarding India’s industrial transformation are actually mapped out. So, there several things that could be done for more efficient and equitable transformation, but are not being done.

IA&B: Further, do you think innovations have to be dealt with at the grassroots level, at the micro level or the centralised system that we have?

SS: I think there is a place for centralisation in all economies; there is no economy in the world which has not had some level of centralisation.

Having said that, there is a lot of innovation, particularly technological innovation, that occurs at the grassroots and unless you go there, map it, spend time with the people and ask them ‘what would you like to have changed?’ you can never know what needs to be changed. So, if we want to see urban India as an engine of innovation, we have to think differently about the way this is going to fit into our national setting.

IA&B: What about implementation? What is your take on the disparity we have between policy making and the policy being actually executed in a country like India?

SS: In a comparative perspective, a lot of the countries we tend to think of as developed are actually places where the relationship of urban governance has evolved very differently in industrial history. India, with the 74 th amendment, has struggled to know what to do with urban wards, how to think about the relationship of civic management and basic infrastructure, and the relationship of people and their work. Owing to this, policy governance became specifically compartmentalised. As there was little amalgamation between inherently related sectors, not surprisingly then, our cities have become unliveable.

IA&B: As an academician, do you think the present methods of teaching urban practice are efficient enough to translate the knowledge you assimilate in an institute to the field?

SS: Academic work is not expected to make things more efficient.

Learning is very indirect; it is not about taking ideas and applying them.

It is, in fact, looking very closely at what is out there and saying how does this make us theories differently?, how does it make us rethink our urban space? It is important for academics to re-conceptualise planning as traditionally, in India, planning has always been thought of as something that happens within the planning commission. Also, I am biased towards the thought that you cannot understand an economy unless you are thinking of particular places. However, most economics is not taught that way; most planning is not taught that way either. Some marriage in between will really help us.

IA&B: Do you think it is fair to blame, at some point, the process of implementation for an idea not being executed?

SS: Implementation is a very complex thing. We can treat implementation as putting into place an idea and making it happen. But you can also see implementation more broadly as the greater understanding of our own history. The average Indian idea of development has been very imitative.

Our cities mostly only try to emulate other cities. This approach does not work since different cities have different industrial and economic pressures. For example, Mumbai is very different from a city like Nagpur, and yet again, from one like Pune. There is little in common except for a narrow set of activities.

IA&B: Being a planner and economist, would you say managerial thinking in India is a little weak on the urban?

SS: In my opinion, it is very weak. We have historically had an anti-urban bias in Indian economic conceptions. Therefore, the idea of India as a nation has understandably been focused on rural issues. However, we need to rethink our definitions of urban and rural. We have very unique opportunities in India and hence Columbia is trying to partner with Indian cities; not so much that Columbia has more to teach, but it could perhaps lend a space to galvanise new kinds of conversations about this. A lot of particularly young urban administrators are trying to find a language because they don’t fit.

Maybe this is how we’ll eventually see things actually change.

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LET’S PARTNER Bridging the Gap Smita Srinivas, Founder Director of the Technological Change Lab at Columbia University, speaks to IA&B about how urban planning can promote tremendous change in our cities.

26 Chairman: Jasu Shah Publisher: Maulik Jasubhai Chief Executive Officer: Hemant Shetty

Events, competitions and news from across the globe.

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EDITORIAL

Assistant Editors: Maanasi Hattangadi, Ruturaj Parikh Writers: Rashmi Naicker (Online), Sharmila Chakravorty Design Team: Mansi Chikani, Prasenjit Bhowmick Events Management Team: Abhay Dalvi, Abhijeet Mirashi Subscription Team: Dilip Parab Production Team: V Raj Misquitta (Head), Prakash Nerkar, Arun Madye

SALES

General Manager, Sales: Amit Bhalerao, E-mail: amit_bhalerao@jasubhai.com Prashant Koshti, E-mail: prashant_koshti@jasubhai.com Brand Manager: Sudhanshu Nagar, E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com MARKETING TEAM & OFFICES Mumbai Godfrey Lobo/ V Ramdas/ Kumar Hemant Sinha/ Sameeksha Sharma/ Viresh Pandey/ Parvez Memon 210, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Tel: +91-22- 4213 6400,+ 91 -22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 Email: godfrey_lobo@jasubhai.com, v_ramdas@jasubhai.com, hemant_sinha@jasubhai.com, sam_sharma@ jasubhai.com, viresh_pandey@jasubhai.com, parvez_memon@jasubhai.com, shabnam_sharma@jasubhai.com Ahmedabad: 64/A, Phase I, GIDC Industrial Estate, Vatva, Ahmedabad – 382 445, Tel: 079 2583 1042 Fax: 91-079-25831825, Mob: 09725877660, E-mail: hitesh_parmar@jasubhai.com

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The Capital commercial complex by James Law Cybertecture is touted to be one of the most iconic commercial properties to come up in the Bandra-Kurla complex.

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Rehabilitation Market is a fresh zephyr amidst modern, western architecture.

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Pune: Amit Bhalerao/ Sunil Kulkarni Suite 201, White House, 1482, Sadashiv Peth, Tilak Road, Pune 411 030 Tel: 020-24494572, Telefax: 020-24482059, Mob: 09823410712 E-mail: amit_bhalerao@jasubhai.com, sunil_kulkarni@jasubhai.com

Sanghvi Paradise A mega township in the Asangoan-Kalyan belt, Sanghvi Paradise is a blend of affordability and accessibility.

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Kuwait International Airport Foster + Partners’ new design for the majestic Kuwait International Airport seeks to provide maximum comfort to travellers.

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POST EVENT The GRIHA system - Going green Innovations in Green Buildings, a recent conference and exhibition held in Bengaluru, points to a conscious shift in the industry, towards sustainable building efforts.

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TECHNOLOGY Make it Bio-Sensitive

Delhi: Priyaranjan Singh/ Suman Kumar/ Manu Raj Singhal/ Ankit Garg 803, Chiranjeev Tower, No 43, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110 019 Tel: 011 2623 5332, Fax: 011 2642 7404, E-mail: pr_singh@jasubhai.com, suman_kumar@jasubhai.com, manu_singhal@jasubhai.com, ankit_garg@jasubhai.com

Kolkata: Kumar Hemant Sinha Mob: 09930336463, E-mail: hemant_sinha@jasubhai.com

The Connemara Recreating authentic Kerala architecture, the Connemara Mall, Business Hotel and

Bengaluru: Giri Shekar Mobile: 09600077161, E-mail: giri_shekar@jasubhai.com

Hyderabad: Sunil Kumar Mobile: 09823410712, E-mail: sunil_kulkarni@jasubhai.com

CONSTRUCTION BRIEF The Capital

Baroda: Samarth Vohra 202 Concorde Bldg, Above Times of India Office, R C Dutt Road, Alkapuri, Baroda 390 007 Telefax: 91-0265-2337189, Mobile: 09898010142, E-mail: samarth_vohra@jasubhai.com

Chennai / Coimbatore: Giri Shekar “Saena Circle“ No: 31/6, Ist Floor, Duraiswamy Road, T-Nagar, Chennai 600 017 Tel: 91-044-42123936, Mobile: 09600077161, E-mail: giri_shekar@jasubhai.com

PRODUCTS Things, objects and designs for architectural spaces.

Head Office:

JMPL, 210, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Tel: +91-22- 4213 6400,+ 91 -22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635

CURRENT

Adapting bionic architecture to the Indian context, Delhi-based CP Kukreja Architects design the Rajarhat Project in association with Spanish architect Cervera-Pioz.

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ARCHITECTURE Eloquence The Metro Bhawan, India, and The Embassy of India, China, by Raj Rewal Associates express modern sensible architecture by borrowing conceptual clarity from the forces of nature.

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Powerful Simplicity Bharathi Prem Associates-designed cottages and cafeteria at the Pyramid Valley International, Bengaluru, exude a raw and rustic appeal that complements the existing meditation Pyramid.

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URBANISM Primal Pattern & Modern Milieu Stimulated by the celebrated cadence of early civilisations, Edifice Consultants Pvt Ltd offers an appealing approach to the design of modern urban fabrics.

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Drawing the Lines Prasanna Desai Architects transform the erratic Indian road systems into multi-lane arterial thoroughfares to regenerate the city and build a sense of place for its users.

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INTERNATIONAL Identity & Elements Surreal but elegant, the physical manifestation of water and its moods defines the abstracted architectural form of ROCA London Gallery by Zaha Hadid Architects.

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HERITAGE Keeping up with Heritage: Tourism & Conservation at the Taj Mahal A research paper presenting a recent study brings to light informative evidence regarding the impact of tourism and continuous strain on the World Heritage Site of the Taj Mahal.

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BOOK REVIEW Talking Architecture: Raj Rewal In Conversation With Ramin Jahanbegloo The perceptions of ethics, the ideologies of ‘rasa’ and notions of architecture are constructed in a retrospective dialectic inspirationally appropriate in the architectural milieu of today.

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Printed & Published by Maulik Jasubhai on behalf of Jasubhai Media Pvt. Ltd (JMPL), Taj Building, 3rd Floor, 210, Dr. D. N. Road, Mumbai 400 001.

SPACE FRAMES Conditions of Urbanity Creative nomad Rishi Singhal looks for place of life, death and resurrection in the constantly recycling urban life.

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Printed at M.B.Graphics, B-28 Shri Ram Industrial Estate, ZG.D.Ambekar Marg, Wadala, Mumbai 400031and Published from Mumbai.

JMPL, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, 210, Dr. D. N. Road, Mumbai 400 001.

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.

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26 IA&B - DEC 2011

current The Green Design Competition 2012

Braun Prize 2012

Category Type

Deadline

Category Type Deadline

International Open to designers February 10, 2012

: : :

International Open to all March 31, 2012

The Green Design Competition 2012 requires participants to design a product and write a business plan that would significantly contribute to sustaining biodiversity, either by concept, design and production, or usage. The contest seeks to encourage entrepreneurs in the design industry, individuals or teams with a vision of the future of design. The competition aims to find new talent in the field of product design, while laying immense importance on sustaining biodiversity.

With the belief that designers can help co-create a more ecological economy, the competition aims to collectively explore new green design methods. The competition is open to all designers around the world and design students who will graduate 2012.

The BraunPrize 2012 seeks to celebrate the increased relevance of well-designed products in helping to improve all aspects of everyday life. With everyday needs becoming more challenging and demanding with every passing day, there is heavy reliance on ubiquitous technology, highly connected social structures and our ability to cope with a fast, 24/7 lifestyle. Our everyday life has therefore become an artificial environment of architecture and technology. With this as the central focus, BraunPrize 2012 is looking to award ingenious solutions and product ideas to make our ‘everyday’ easier. The concept should represent innovations in design and technology, focusing on the essential topics of today like sustainability, health and well-being, the aging population, mobility and individuality.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.thegreendesigncompetition.com

For further information, log on to: Web: secure.braunprize.org

National Recycling Awards 2012

The INTERIEUR 2012 Design Award

Category Type

Deadline

Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all February 24, 2012

: : :

International Open to all April 30, 2012

There has been significant progress over the years in the recycling and waste management industry, from a marginal issue to one in the mainstream.

Recycling is now being recognised as crucial for the environment, sustainability and the economy by countries across the globe. The commitment and need to support and boost recycling, energy from waste, and waste reduction has reached new heights of importance. The National Recycling Awards 2012 recognises excellence in all parts of the waste hierarchy and in all sections of the industry. The competition seeks entries that demonstrate effective strategy, tangible improvement, innovative and creative solutions, and a strong business case.

A biennial design competition, the Interieur Design Awards is organised since 1970 by the Biennale Interieur npo, Belgium. The Interieur 2012 Design Awards will concentrate on our everyday living environment – our habitat. Our habitat, whether space or object, takes a central place in this year’s competition; spaces that define where we live, objects that improve our daily life. For the ‘object’ category the competition seeks entries for a new object that is relevant to the living environment - objects that influence our living habits and than can change our way of living in a better way. The ‘space’ category invites entries that inspire the idea of future. It seeks to capture the essence of living within the future world and to translate their vision in a small experimental living space.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.nationalrecyclingawards.com

For further information, log on to: Web: www.interieur.be

Pentawards Concept 2012

Saint-Gobain NOVA Innovation Competition 2012

Category Type

Deadline

COMPETITIONS

: : :

: : :

International Open to all March 02, 2012

Based on the premise that creative ideas move the world, the Pentawards Concept 2012 promises to be an excellent opportunity for packaging designers, seeking entries for conceptual packaging. Packaging systems are constantly reinvented and provide innovative and intelligent solutions in order to improve our everyday life, as well as benefit our environment. Out of all the ideas that are conceptualised, many remain confidential and do not benefit humanity.

The Pentawards Concept competition invites professionals, students and freelancers to present their concepts that would be high on quality, pertinence, innovation and creativity. It will not be necessary to supply prototypes but only rendering images of their packaging concepts are expected. Similarly, it does not matter if they are not technologically feasible.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.pentawards.org

Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all June 30, 2012

Saint-Gobain’s team of analysts, NOVA External Venturing, identifies start-up companies that have potential and are a good strategic fit with Saint-Gobain businesses. The competition seeks to rewards innovations in the fields of construction products advanced materials, energy efficiency and environmental sustainability with cash prizes and consideration for partnership opportunities with Saint-Gobain. Winning companies thrive with access to the global market through Saint-Gobain’s established market knowledge and, most importantly, through the support, resources and expertise that comes from Saint-Gobain’s nearly 350-year history of building materials innovation.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.saint-gobain.com

IA&B - DEC 2011

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V

current India Art Fair Date Venue

54 th Annual NASA Convention : :

January 25-29, 2012 NSIC Exhibition Grounds, New Delhi

The 4 th edition of the India Art Fair will present an unparalleled opportunity for art enthusiasts and collection to view the largest and the most diverse showcase of modern and contemporary art in India.

The art fair will see 91 exhibitors from over 20 countries, in addition to an elaborate Speakers’ Forum Programme, a Collectors’ Circle programme and a series of art and culture collateral events all over Delhi. The prestigious Speakers’ Forum programme will feature 54 world renowned speakers.

The whole range of Speakers’ Forum sessions will be free of charge, encouraging wider participation and access. The academic partners for this edition are Asia Art Archive, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Asia Society, while the Speakers’ Forum is supported by the Goethe Institut and AVID. The venue for this edition of the art fair, the NSIC Exhibition Grounds, has been custom designed for the event, with over 12,000sqm of state-of-the-art German tents that would be set up under the supervision of UK-based event consultants, while the art fair venue has been designed

by Sumant Jayakrishnan.

With the art fair, the space will also showcase site-specific art projects, curated walks, a video lounge, an art bookstore, cafés and an open-air amphitheatre. The expected footfall for the art fair makes it one of the world’s most attended art fairs.

Also, it has received unprecedented interest from international museums and private collectors, and cultivated a whole breed of new collectors and art enthusiasts within India. The fair is collaborating with the best talents within the art circuits, making it part of one of the largest networks of art fairs in the world.

: January 27-30, 2012 : Gujarat University Convention Centre, Ahmedabad

National Association of Students of Architecture, briefly known as NASA India is hosting its 54 th Annual NASA Convention at the Gujarat University Convention Centre at Ahmedabad. Founded in 1957, NASA India is the student’s body association of undergraduate students of architecture in India. The association tries to achieve its aims and objectives through various events like panel discussion, seminars, and workshops, conventions at zonal and national level. This year the convention is expected to witness a foot fall of more than 5000 delegates from India and even abroad along with professionals in the field. Eminent architects will showcase their work along with seminars, workshops, interactive events covering a range of subjects in the field of architecture and allied faculty.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.nasadimensions.com

14th International Conference on Humane Habitat Date Venue

: :

February 3-5, 2012 Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai

Organised by the International Association for Humane Habitat (IAHH), the 14 th International Conference on Humane Habitat will focus on the theme, ‘Evolving Sustainable Humane Habitats: Critical Lessons of New Cities, Towns and Communities’. After a bout of rapid industrialisation and urbanisation in the 20 th century, many programmes of national development and modernisation were launched all over the world.

This need for social development was met by a revolutionary change in architecture, with urban planning gaining importance while designing new towns and cities. Brasilia, Chandigarh, Islamabad, Gandhinagar, and Navi Mumbai, amongst others, are exemplary works in planning of cities.

After more than 40-50 years of their existence, the conference aims to take a critical look back to identify the issues and lessons learnt.

The art fair will see a host of blue-chip international galleries participating for the first time including Hauser and Wirth (UK/Switzerland), Galleria Continua (Italy) and White Cube (UK), while Lisson Gallery (UK) will be exhibiting at the fair for the third time.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.humanehabitat.org

The India Art Fair has a Collateral Events Programme that offers exciting exhibitions, parties, and other public events at galleries, museums and cultural institutions around the city. The VIP Programme includes the Preview on 25 th January, private views, artist studio visits, cocktail receptions, VIP Lounge talks and curated walks led by well known curators.

Date Venue

International Conference on Environmentally Sustainable Urban Ecosystems

: :

February 24-26, 2012 IIT Guwahati, Assam

The art fair is supported by strategic partners including Absolut, Financial Times, Sotheby’s, Harley Davidson, Office Panerai, the Conde Nast Group, and over 50 specialist art publications from 15 countries. The art fair is a must-visit for all art enthusiasts and collectors from across India.

Globalisation and urbanisation are occurring at a very fast rate in the contemporary world. In developing countries, such as ours, the process of urbanisation is often disorganised and unplanned, making it susceptible to various hazards and problems as a result of ecological imbalance. With this as a frame of reference, the conference will provide a platform for discussion among various relevant disciplines so that some meaningful practical strategies can be evolved to ensure sustainable development of urban areas located in ecologically sensitive zones. There will be keynote sessions in the conference, and each technical session will have one invited lecture.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.indiaartfair.in/

For further information, log on to: Web: www.iitg.ernet.in/conference-workshop

Also taking place the week before the art fair is the Jaipur Literature Festival, which adds to the diverse cultural experience on offer for visitors from overseas and other parts of India.

EVENTS

Date Venue

30 IA&B - DEC 2011

current Chipperfield Appointed Director for Architecture for Biennale

Wall Street Journal names BIG as Innovator of the Year

The new Board of La Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta and composed of Giorgio Orsoni (Vice-President), Luca Zaia, Francesca Zaccariotto and Emmanuele Francesco Maria Emanuele, has appointed British architect David Chipperfield as the Director of Architecture with the the specific responsibility of curating the 13 th International Architecture Exhibition, which will be held in Venice, at the institutional venues of Giardini and Arsenale, from August 29 th to November 25 th 2012. The Board was aware that Chipperfield had already been contacted and that he has shown keen interest to be appointed as Director of the International Architecture Exhibition of the Biennale. The next Architecture Exhibition will be characterised by the emphasis on a series of relationships that connect great architects and younger generations that refer to them. This Exhibition will represent a major opportunity to bring both the general public and the world of architecture up to date. It has already begun to organise the programme involving Universities from all around the world, entitled Biennale Sessions, successfully tested during the last edition of the Exhibition.

The Wall Street Journal’s first annual Innovator of the Year award for architecture was bagged by Bjarke Ingels for BIG’s wildly expressive structures, including the radical re-imagining of the New York high-rise apartment building, the commitment to sustainability and the philosophy of pragmatic utopianism. The awards recognise the most creative, disruptive, and influential individuals in the world today. The prize was presented to Bjarke Ingels by author, architect and Founder of TED Conferences Richard Saul Wurman. Also, in October last year, Bjarke Ingels was selected as the winner of TRH Crown Prince Couple annual Culture Prize 2011, honouring the first architect since the foundation of the Award in 2004 and granted the 2011 Prize of Honour by Danish Dreyer Foundation.

‘Beautiful No?’ to Honour Dashrath Patel A group of NID alumni have initiated an annual lecture series, ‘Beautiful no?’ in honour of iconic designer Dashrath Patel who died in December 2010. Dashrath Patel was one of the first faculties to be appointed for NID. The lectures were attended by many famous personalities from the art, architecture and design circles including designer Subrata Bhowmick, art and culture critic Sadanand Menon, Director of CEPT University B V Doshi, Environmentalist Kartikeya Sarabhai and others. The first lecture of the series was delivered by eminent art historian B N Goswamy. In his lecture titled ‘Process and Product, Searching the Indian Painter’s Mind’, Goswamy spoke about paintings as a result of artists’ meditation and vivid imagination. Thus he quoted the famous poet, Mirza Ghalib who had once said that the screeching sound of his rid pen on paper was like the sound of wings of angels in the heaven. Goswamy presented a series of paintings, too, reflecting some careful and detailed imagination of the artists.

NEWS

`450cr Heritage Fund for Renovation of High Courts In a bid to conserve and protect the heritage architectural structures that house the various high courts, the government has established a fund of `450 crores that will be utilised for the maintenance of the buildings.

Most of these structures have been built around or during the British era.

The proposal of the Union law and justice ministry is aimed at protecting the historical and architectural heritage under the aegis of the judiciary.

The proposal was put forth after it was acknowledged that there was no dedicated funding for the maintenance of heritage structures from where various high courts operated. There were also demands from several quarters for providing more funds for the protection of these important buildings which are also a part of the country’s history. The Bombay high court, Madras high court, Calcutta high court and Delhi high court are expected to be covered under the first phase of the project.

Herman Hertzberger wins RIBA Gold Medal Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger has been named as the recipient of one of the world’s most prestigious architecture prizes, the Royal Gold Medal. The medal further adds to his international acclaim. The prize was established in 1848 and given in recognition of a body of work. It is approved personally by the Her Majesty, the Queen, and is given to a person or group of people whose influence on architecture has had a truly international effect. Born in 1932, Herman Hertzberger opened his own firm of architects in 1960, the present-day Architectuurstudio HH in Amsterdam. One of his major influences on 20 th century architecture was to challenge the early modernist belief that ‘form follows function’ – that the shape of the building was defined by its purpose. Hertzberger believes that the core function of a building does not provide the total solution to space usage: it is a framework that should enable its users to interpret and define how they inhabit it. His buildings offer flexible ‘in between’ spaces that encourage our deeper human needs of dwelling and social activity.

Herman Hertzberger was congratulated on having transformed the way people think about architecture, both as architects and those who use buildings.

Boris Johnson Awarded RIBA Honorary Fellowship London mayor Boris Johnson has been awarded an honorary RIBA fellowship. Johnson was among the 14 names given the prestigious title including dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and Civic Trust Award’s boss Malcolm Hankey. Johnson’s mayoral predecessor Ken Livingstone landed a FRIBA five years ago. The RIBA Honorary Fellowships are given out annually to people thought to have made a ‘particular contribution’ to architecture. Other winners included City of London Chief Planning Officer Peter Rees, former CABE Chief Executive Richard Simmons and RIBA British Architectural Library Assistant Director Robert Elwall. RIBA international fellowships were also awarded to Momoyo Kaijima and Yoshiharu Tsukamoto of Atelier Bow-Wow in Japan; Carlos Ferrater of Office of Architecture in Barcelona, Spain; Sou Fujimoto of Sou Fujimoto Architects, Japan; Germany’s Anna Heringer; Switzerland’s Christian Kerez and Francisco Mangado of Spain.

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products Geo The GEO by Dinar Shamed is a furniture piece meant for use in private as well as public scenarios. It derives its inspiration from nature, almost resembling a log of wood, and has been designed as a module as well as an independent object. The technology employed uses bent plywood in a mirrored fashion, capable of creating an associative array of multiple seats assuring comfort, if required. Though originally conceived with plywood, the flexible design allows for execution in acrylic, metal or corian, depending on the task at hand.

Designer: Dinar Shamed Contact: Tel: +7 921 757 02 18 Email: shamedd@yandex.ru Website: www.dinarshamed.com

Hemp Chair

eco-friendly

The Werner Aisslinger-designed ‘Hemp Chair’ follows the tradition of mono-bloc stackable chairs, previously made using reinforced plastics by shaping the complete structure from a thin layer of material. The Hemp Chair, with its soft curves and bead structure, embodies a new approach to this technique. It is the world’s first concept for a mono-bloc chair made of natural fibers; the chair has been designed with renewable raw materials, hemp and kenaf, compressed with a water-based thermo-set binder to form an eco-friendly, lightweight yet strong composite.

Designer: Werner Aisslinger Contact: Email: verena.gompf@aisslinger.de Website: www.aisslinger.de Photographs: courtesy Michel Bonvin (www.michelbonvin.com)

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Patatras The ‘Patatras’ is a rolling shelf designed using expanded polypropylene and is available in a range of bright colours. The shelf can be interpreted as a wheel of knowledge or a round library, and consists of several single cells capable of holding one book each. Though, with Patatras, one is required to be selective about the books one keeps, it ensures the introduction of an interesting addition in any modern interior.

Designer: Michael Bihain Contact: Tel: +32 (0) 472.707.202 Email: info@bihain.com Website: www.bihain.com

Loop

space-savers

Boaz Mendel-designed ‘Loop’ is made of seven boards of varying lengths that can be connected in a loop by hinges, and the complete object forms a platform for the creation of a wide variety of furniture. Folding the hinges and affixing the shape with the help of special connectors produces a different piece of furniture in each state. Every folding position has a defined function and it is possible to go from a television chair to a barstool; from a ladder to a chaise-longue; from a bookshelf to a coffee table easily as per one’s personal whims and needs. The 12 possible states for the product are printed on the case and one is simply required to imitate the shape and place the connectors in the right holes.

Designer: Boaz Mendel Contact: Tel: +972-(0)505-656021 Email: boazmndl@gmail.com Website: boaz.designgroup.co.il

products La4mp Boaz Mendel and Inon Rettig’s ‘La4mp’ is a decorative lamp whose shade can be easily replaced with any A4 format sheet that comes to one’s mind. The La4mp comes flat in its package and its base comprises of very thin stainless steel parts that can be bent to the right shape before attaching a light bulb and the electric cord to it. The A4 paper simply wraps itself around this stainless steel body to allow the user a self-designed lamp by merely printing out a nice graphic, a favourite photograph or a hand sketch.

Designers: Boaz Mendel & Inon Rettig Contact: Tel: +972-(0)505-656021 Email: boazmndl@gmail.com Website: boaz.designgroup.co.il

Desert Storm

Designer: Nir Meiri Contact: Tel: +972 54 4740865 Email: nirmeiri.com@gmail.com Website: www.nirmeiri.com

luminaire

Inspired by desert sand, the shape of these sand-molded lamp shades brings to mind primitive desert structures. The use of sand as the main material plays on the tension between its wild nature in sand storms and the delicacy of the moulded end design. Despite their apparent fragility, the bulbs are sturdy, and their strength partners with that of the fixture’s metal pole. Rough from the inside and gentle from the outside, the lit LED lamp spreads a soft light which accentuates the amorphous shapes on the lamp shade surface. The lamp bulbs are energy-saving LED bulbs and the material used to create the lampshades (sand) is available in abundance.

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WAF Light The WAF Light designed by Asaf Weinbroom is an innovative and elegant interpretation of a table lamp built from two maple veneer sheets folded and buttoned together. The upper folded sheet is adjustable and the two are glued together in opposite fibre direction so as to provide strength and flexibility to the final sheet. The crossing of the two layers easily roll into a cylinder and the design employs this natural tendency to replace the moulding technique in the traditional lamination process.

Designer: Asaf Weinbroom Contact: Tel: +972-054-694-4321 Email: weinbroom@gmail.com Website: www.weinbroom.com Photographs: courtesy Dan Peretz

Yumi

lighting

Japanese architect Shigeru Ban-designed floor lamp ‘Yumi’ enhances the lightness and extension resistance of carbon fibre. The inside of the 10cm-thick stem is solid and comprises of a sequence of different materials like fibre glass, aluminium and carbon fibre, layered in order to obtain a single element with high structural properties. The layers are visible in the lamp, and the cables are sunk into its structure, becoming an integral part of its form. The result is an ultra-lighting fixture with its arched shape depicting how carbon fibre combined with other materials produces extremely light-weight objects with high mechanical resistance.

Designer: Shigeru Ban Contact: Tel: +81-(0)3-3324-6760 Email: Tokyo@shigerubanarchitects.com Website: www.shigerubanarchitects.com

products OS08 On Site Furniture Programmable by Sebastien Wierinck is a production of unique pieces or prototypes of furniture, fittings and installations designed from standard industrial flexible tubes formed using structures designed to digitally offer a variety of seating options on the same piece of furniture. The bench OS08 is capable of offering 14 seating alternatives with an axis length of 4.8 metres with relaxed ends and an alert centre.

OS14

Designer: Sebastien Wierinck Contact: Tel: +33 (0)632493112 Email: info@os00.com Website: www.os00.com

installation

Pairing an unusual choice of material with a futuristic design, Sebastien Wierinck creates innovative furniture pieces by bending and shaping industrial flexible tubes to ultramodern forms. With this, he creates not just the furniture but a continuation of the introduced theme on the walls and ceiling uniting the whole, much like an installation.

46 IA&B - DEC 2011

Make it Bio-Sensitive Delhi-based CP Kukreja Architects design the Rajarhat Project in association with Spanish architect Cervera-Pioz, using the understanding of bionic architecture to adapt to the Indian context.

Text: Rajendra Kumar Photographs: courtesy CP Kukreja & Carvera-Pioz

A schematic sketch focusing on the ‘bio-climatic’ aspect of design – the ideas of energy efficiency.

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ooking at nature, the very first easy lesson for learning is the surprising beauty of natural forms. This natural beauty does not depend on aesthetic criterions. The design of forms in Nature is based on a very exigent logic fully involved with rationalisation of energy waste. “Saving energy” and “saving material” are the main principles for all species in nature.

The very first sketches for the Rajarhat Project took into consideration the above mentioned key purposes. However, the concept takes inspiration from Indian culture and the vernacular forms for high buildings and temples. During one of their trips to India, the architects enjoyed the spectacular construction of several palaces in the “Pink City” of Jaipur.

In spite the very hot day, the brilliant solution of lattices in the façade, playing as a semi-permeable set of membranes and letting fresh air cross

through the interior, ensuring comfort in a very natural and effective way, captured their attention.

They decided that an inspiration in both ecological principles in Nature and Indian vernacular architecture could be an interesting starting point for the ultra-modern design of the Rajarhat Project.

One of main targets for the Rajarhat Project is to improve environmental and bio-climatic conditions of the landscape. Several bio-strategies have been organised to achieve this important goal. First - a set of walking gardens, located at different height levels that can be used by pedestrians, or private users of the mall, retail spaces, and the Vedic Hotel. Second - a pool crossing the plot diagonally separates both sides of complex, providing humid and

technology

THE SCHEMATIC PLAN OF THE BUILDING

The general formal idea of the structure with a structural core and three wings.

fresh air, improving both beauty of the landscape and bio-climatic comfort of the pedestrians.

On one hand, the gardened roofs extend to the ground level by a set of sloped green gardened façades, creating a covered environment; on the other hand, both gardened roofs and gardened façades, due to their insulating action, contribute to saving energy consumption for air conditioning the interiors of the buildings. The gardened roof façades have been designed to keep a low maintenance level, using local vegetable species.

The third strategy is focused to fight against the effects of usual sand storms on buildings. To resolve this problem “folded skin” for skyscraper façades has been designed. This folded skin has been created to substantiate the

A TYPICAL FLOOR PLAN

A 3D model of the built form.

avant-garde investigations on folded skin vegetables and its performance against sand and dusty pollution. In accordance with this biological investigation, the more the skin is folded, lesser the sand remains fixed on façades. This strategy is expected to save a relevant percentage of cleaning expenses.

At the same time, the folded skin acts as an efficient sunlight membrane, providing shadows to outside glass and a natural vertical circulating movement of air, refreshing glasses on the façades, reducing interior radiation and further saving expenses for air conditioning.

In addition the folded skin reduces the effect of solar radiation projected on the pedestrian level. On conventional skyscrapers with large glazed

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Swimming Pool and Garden Terrace Facilities Swimming Pool Party Terrace Garden Party Terrace Garden Penthouses

Loft

Condominiums (11 Floors)

Common Areas

Condominiums (10 Floors)

Common Areas

SECTION THROUGH A TOWER SHOWING THE LEVELS AND DETAILS THEREIN.

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One of main targets for the Rajarhat Project is to improve environmental and bio-climatic conditions of the landscape.

MASTER PLAN WITH TWO TOWERS AND PUBLIC AREAS

surfaces in façades, a very important part of the extra heat received by the pedestrian comes from the sunlight reflected on the façades. The jointly curved shape contributes to reduce the reflection effect and to increase the level of natural comfort while walking on the streets of the complex.

Project could be a very iconic project not only in terms of avant-garde architecture, but also as the first example of “bio-architecture”.

A set of Photovoltaic panels contribute to the overall electricity used. These panels, similar to a conventional glass finishing, are on blind parts of the glassed façade.

Natural ventilation is combined with traditional system for air conditioning, but the overall system is very efficient from the energy point of view. In addition, ventilation is controlled by a system able to regulate the necessary amount of air, depending on the number of people occupying the particular public space at that point in time.

The design of the buildings is based on improving the level of natural illumination to utilise minimal artificial light during day time. The Rajarhat

The project under construction.

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Eloquence Raj Rewal Associates complete two projects - The Metro Bhawan in India and The Embassy of India in China - as expressions of modern, simple and sensible architecture that takes its conceptual clarity from the forces of nature and movements of the sun.

Text: Ruturaj Parikh Images and Data: courtesy Raj Rewal Associates

architecture

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The atrium – an impressive vertical volume acts as a central element binding the building elements geometrically and physically.

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A contemporary ‘Chattri’ projects from the corner of the built form – a space to overlook.

102 IA&B - DEC 2011 The dynamic shell of ROCA London Gallery translates the rippling of water in form of a layered façade.

Identity & Elements The physical manifestation of water and its moods sets the abstracted architectural form of ROCA London Gallery

by Zaha Hadid Architects apart in the dynamics of brand experience; a surreal but an elegant insertion.

Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Images & Drawings: courtesy of ROCA; courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

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n architecture, “form” has a well-placed understanding. It portrays the defining moment for a building. It is the identity; often a way to re-question functionality as a work of art. As a practice, Zaha Hadid’s body of work replays these experiential and experimental tangents of architecture in form of fragmented geometries. ROCA London Gallery, recent amongst her projects, puts these principles at the core of its work resulting into a fluid volume clad in white with an artistic temperament as a point of departure. The objective was the creation of a versatile reference space that translated the essence of ROCA as a brand and its values.

Sited in Chelsea Harbour, ROCA London Gallery captures the movement of water as though in a frozen position; wherein time stops, and the building were rushing through. It is like the architectural romanticism

of water in its different states over an area of 1100sqm. The perception and expectation of the physical engagement of water as an element is outlined in the words of Zaha Hadid, “It acts as a transformer moving, without interruption, through the façade, carving the interior and flowing through the main gallery as drops of water”. Conceived, understood and designed not as a simple overlay, water shapes an intricacy between the spaces and exhibits, creating a blend or melting between both.

As one approaches the building, the integral referencing to water morphs and changes. The form unfolds as a series of impressions – an examination and interpretation of water through layered spatiality. The personification is immense and endless. The thematic focus of water ripples are extruded onto the façade in a singular reading of tacit formulations on the exterior. The outside peeks through three organic

international 10. Roca Environment O1 11. Meeting Room 12. Rituals Projection 13. Bath/Shower Environment 14. Washrooms 15. Managers Office 16. Staff Kitchen 17. Tiles Display 18. Laufen Environment

1. Reception Desk 2. Gallery Space 3. Lounge Area and Look Up Space 4. Bar 5. Armani Exhibition 6. Fluxus Screen 7. Novelties Area 8. Roca Environment 02 9. Interactive Touch Screens

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Main Entrance 10

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Roca London Gallery

Secondary Entrance GENERAL PLAN

The visual connect from the outside to the interiors is extended through transparent organic portals in the shell.

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Main Entrance

East Elevations

South East Elevations

Secondary Entrance

Roca London Gallery

ELEVATIONS

portals in its porous façade that manage to expand on the formal link between water erosion and design. Through this sculpture, the visitors’ vision opens up to a white interior beyond. The circulation strategy seems unusual, owing partly to the subversion of the idea that the interiors intuitively follow the elemental quality of the flow of water itself. Fluid volumes influence and move around each other and grow into spaces.

The narrative is a journey of surprise, punctuated by interconnected and overlapping zones with movement, facilitated by one to another through openings in the semi-enclosed spaces. The glimpse of an organised chaos; a complexity of glowing ‘pods’ composes the central spine which leads to the knowledge, research and multi-media seating area next to the main reception. Drops of water become the landmark modules for spaces like the display areas, meeting room, multi-media room etc., evolving into an encrusted scape of uninterrupted scales. The spine then diverges into five bathroom areas along the backbone of the main gallery where sensory environs showcase ROCA’s inventive products. Contrasts reveal themselves and become visible in a stark play of white concrete and drops of light used as the materiality inside.The sophistication is reflected in its simple material palette. “A flowing, all-white space made of faceted GRG (gypsum) panels serves as a central axis of the Gallery. All the panels, which are made of GRC, or fibre reinforced concrete and extend up to 2.20 metres in height, have been pre-fabricated in moulds and constructed on-site. The façade is made of 2x4 metre panels of 800kg each. The panels creating the interior walls are 6cm thick and made of two waffled concrete layers, sandwiching a honeycomb mesh that can stress in different directions and is very robust as a composite material. The furniture is made from GRP, or reinforced plastic, including the cove-shaped reception desk. The lighting scheme created by Isometrix is also innovative in a complementary way,

The furniture blends in the elegant ambience through the application of similar materiality.

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The concept of water in its different states is adapted by shaping intricate details like lighting fixtures and series of elongated illuminated droplets cascading on the ceiling.

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The circulatory spine opens up into various semi-enclosed and distinctive spaces housing ROCA’s innovative product range.

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“It acts as a transformer moving, without interruption, through the façade, carving the interior and flowing through the main gallery as drops of water.”

- Zaha Hadid

with special features including washing the walls in light and a mix of direct and dispersed mood lights,” say the designers.

The aesthetisation relies mainly on the negotiation of undulating character of elongated and illuminated water drops moving along each surface inside. The main design axis guided by the state-of-the-art lighting seeks interaction with the functional and flexible interiors. The galleria, meant for ROCA’s extensive product range, takes on a museum-‘esque’ feel, sinuously mysterious in its possibilities. Embodying the latest technologies, projections are looped on video walls and interactive touchscreens with sound and lighting equipment, immersing the visitor into a transformative experience and into a close conversation with the brand.

The detailing in the transformed versions of movement of water and the technology in its truest form are synchronised to connect to the company’s history, its landmark achievements and the values on which all of Roca’s work is based - the commitment to sustainability and particularly to innovation, design, wellness and saving water. It is a kind of new mediated brand experience where the design establishes the relationship between the architecture of space and ROCA’s products. The versatile dialogue that recreates diverse interests will also develop as a cultural centre for ROCA to cater to exhibitions produced in-house and externally, meetings, presentations, debates and receptions. The inherent outcome is a platform for merging of form and function, and to promote and foster a holistic aura of ROCA amongst the visitors.

It is the dynamism of water which envelops the design in its entirety – from the curved courses that take you into the sheltered concourse through the display, distinctive lighting systems hanging from the ceiling like droplets of water and a bulbous shell that wraps all the way around the ground. The difference made is in the intimacy which is remarkable where although each space pushes the design harder, the basic premise of exploration of water remains unchanged. The regenerative concept deploys a series of formal and material strategies to re-engage the notions of aesthetics to refresh the functionality. It is a transparent space where three dimensions contribute to the making of a new kind of building – one being space, second being the experience and the third being the notion of water.

The assertive frame, predominately white and organic, symbolises an anticipated architectural style with an approach that is beyond just retail or artistic expressions but enriches simultaneously both the worlds of brand experience and architecture.

The experience imbibes the brand values and identity of ROCA in its designing to conceive the space as an ‘edutainment’ centre.

FACT FILE:

Project : Location : Architect : Design Team : Project Directors : Project Architect : Design Development :

Concept Design :

Structural and Façade & Engineering : MEP and Acoustics Consultant : Lighting Design : AV Consultant : Cost Manager : Construction Manager : Client : Materials: Façade : Interior :

Furniture : Flooring : Project Completion :

ROCA, London Gallery London Zaha Hadid Architects Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher Woody Yao, Maha Kutay Margarita YordanovaValova Gerhild Orthacker, Hannes Schafelner, Jimena Araiza, Mireia Sala Font, Erhan Patat,Yuxi Fu, Michal Treder, Torsten Broeder Dylan Baker-Rice, Melissa Woolford, Matthew Donkersley, Maria Araya Buro Happold Max Fordham Consulting Engineers ISOMETRIX Lighting + Design Sono Betlinski Empty, S.L. ROCA Ltd Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC), Glass Reinforced Concrete (GRC) and Glass Reinforced Gypsum (GRG), Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP), Resin and Tiles 2011

116 IA&B - DEC 2011

Condition Of Urbanity

space frames urban villages

Creative nomad Rishi Singhal looks for place of life, death and resurrection in the constantly recycling urban life. He is intrigued by constant change and presents the metaphoric transformations in this issue of Dr. Mathew’s Space Frames.

Text and Photographs: Rishi Singhal Curated by: Dr. Deepak J. Mathew

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he world today is changing at an unparalleled pace in human history, and human conditions throughout the world are being redefined constantly by the shifting social, political and economic forces. My work investigates this continuously evolving world-order through explorations of natural and built environments and their inter-relationship. I am particularly drawn towards transient zones in urban environments, where the dualities of chaos

and order, death and revitalisation, and spectacular and banal constantly refer to our transforming world, both physically and metaphorically.

This selection of photographs is from a series that I started in Europe in 2004. Initially when I began working on this series, I was deeply interested in creating comparative typologies of street views, public places and urban

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I am particularly drawn towards transient zones in urban environments, where the dualities of chaos and order, death and revitalisation, and spectacular and banal constantly refer to our transforming world, both physically and metaphorically.

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These voids, or non-places often provided strong references to the cities past - the glory, the loss, abandonment, appropriation, subversion, and in some cases, revitalisation. infrastructure in various Western European cities. I wanted to observe the post-World War II reconstruction of these cities with specific references to rational-order, standardisation and urban segregation. With time, I also became acutely aware of significant presence of urban voids within the city fabric of these cities. These voids, or non-places often provided strong references to the cities past - the glory, the loss, abandonment, appropriation, subversion, and in some cases, revitalisation. These spaces at some level also mirror the vulnerability of society and the alienation present within.

Rishi Singhal Rishi Singhal (1975) is a photographer currently based in New Delhi. He studied Construction Technology at Center for Environmental Planning & Technology, Ahmedabad, followed by Masters in Fine Arts from the College of Visual & Performing Arts at Syracuse University, NY.

Dr. Deepak John Mathew can be contacted on dr.djmathew@gmail.com.

Space Frames December 2011: ‘Condition Of Urbanity’ by Rishi Singhal Indian Architect & Builder Magazine

Dr. Deepak John Mathew can be contacted on dr.djmathew@gmail.com.

Rishi Singhal Rishi Singhal (1975) is a photographer currently based in New Delhi. He studied Construction Technology at Center for Environmental Planning & Technology, Ahmedabad, followed by Masters in Fine Arts from the College of Visual & Performing Arts at Syracuse University, NY.