October 2011 Preview

` 200 OCT 2011 VOL 25 (2)

ARCHITECTURE: House on the Ridge Sandip Foundation Campus Sachkhand Gurudwara Precinct

INTERNATIONAL: Samitaur Tower Cité de l’Océan et du Surf

20 IA&B - OCT 2011

Investigations through

Space & Time Eric Owen Moss talks about his practice and his method in conversation with IA&B as he insists on a rigorous pursuit to see a renewed, experimental and pragmatic spirit in architecture.

Photograph: courtesy Piero Codato

Eric Owen Moss practices architecture with his eponymously named LA-based, 25-person firm founded in 1973.

Throughout his career, Moss has worked to revitalise a once defunct industrial tract in Culver City, California. Eric Moss is one of the original radicals and treats architecture with an exemplary intensity in terms of research and practice. Eric Owen Moss Architects (EOMA) has designed and built many outstanding buildings that reflect a unique design vision specific to Eric Moss. The firm has designed and engineered some of the most awe-inspiring structures in contemporary world architecture.

IA&B: Can you tell us about your practice? What is the idea that drives Eric Oven Moss Architects?

EOM: I think my idea of architecture and my aspiration of architecture deviates from the system by resisting the system. Over a period of time, a lot of my colleagues and contemporaries faced the question and wondered about what architecture should be in terms of form, shape, materials and the organisational obligation. What begins as an experimental language or an investigatory language or a language that expresses a kind of dissatisfaction with the way architecture is done, becomes in fact another formula of practicing architecture.

let’s partner IA&B: A lot of critics in US and Europe have termed and continue to term your architecture ‘radical’. Do you think of your work as radical?

EOM: Well, the editor of Architectural Review once called me and asked me if I think anything of radical architecture left in the world. I think an urge to see something new or the urge to do something new has always been there. It is an old idea. I am one of the people who want to see architecture renewed and I think that makes me a radical. The reason why you or me want to see this change in architectural thinking and doing is because somewhere we believe that architecture can be something other than what it is. The reason why we think so is because we are dissatisfied or disappointed and sometimes angry about what we see as architecture. For example, look at Jantar Mantar in Jaipur.

The person who thought of it and created it and had the intent and the drive to make it happen would definitely have been a radical. He had a very different way of looking at the world and the architecture of Jantar Mantar is its manifestation. I think, for any radical architecture to develop, a fundamental dissatisfaction is generally the point of departure.

Whenever you find a certain disappointment in the way things are, you find a radical impulse.

IA&B: Talking about media, your office woks in multiple mediums; through traditional drawings and physical modelling to virtual, complex models and information systems. Do you follow a set process of work or each project is approached differently in terms of the tools and mediums of practicing architecture?

EOM: There are many sides to processing architecture. I am talking about the system of working. When you have a number of people working together in a team, there has to be some kind of project sequence, method and chronology in terms of producing work and producing it in an efficient way. One of the paradoxes I face in this view is that I can think of projects that we designed in a sense to express resistance to rigid systems. When you start to draw these projects, to engineer them, you realise that when on one hand the project was designed to resist the rigidity of a system, the engineering of the same is increasingly rigorous.

Thus, while the ‘image’ of architecture is liberating at the core, the process of production, detaining and engineering is intensely systematic. So, at times the need to express lack of control as an expression, forces you to control the process of production fastidiously.

IA&B: How important do you consider digital technology in your architecture? Do you see your practice being increasingly technology-driven or software-driven?

EOM: It is critical to define the word ‘technology’ in this question. I think that technology is a neutral idea. I think technology in terms of the capacity to understand is a very different issue from applied technology.

Applied technology can have consequences. Things like the internet have

to be understood before applied. Technology does many things; lot of them great and a lot of them disastrous. I would say that what drives technology or what obligates technology – the ‘tools’ are very productive and unusual. What we can engineer, design and construct today is very different than what we could do a decade ago. Paradoxically, a decade ago, if you look at some buildings which are truly experimental, the point of departure was not technology. When we used to look for tools to break from a ‘modernist’ idiom and look for another language, we contributed in the making of new tools. Our actions defined our tools and not the other way round. What interests me in technology is trying to find ways not by being subservient to the tools, but by interpreting the tools and by developing and evolving ways to do things we want to do. I am interested in seeing it develop into tools that can help accomplish evolved intents and not confirming what everybody knows as the contribution of technology.

IA&B: If you were to choose a project or an architect who influences you in a very significant way, which project or architect would it be?

EOM: Years ago, when I was a student in Harvard, must be in 1972, Philip Johnson, who later came to be a friend and a colleague, gave a talk. He said that you guys know very little about the world of architecture. He said that you talk about the same projects and the same references all the time. He asked if anyone in that class knew about Fatehpur Sikri.

A few years ago when I was travelling, and I like to travel when I have nowhere to go, I went to Fatehpur Sikri, beyond the obvious places. It is a magnificent place with its scale and its materials and it had had a great impact. I think Mughal Architecture in terms of its impact and its influence has given me such remarkable experiences. These buildings, with not only their grandeur but their economical, social and political consequences intrigue me. The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is another example of a building that moved me.

IA&B: Do you see your architecture as shocking?

EOM: I think if you are patient, then certain things that initially look difficult and complex and uncanny, eventually resolve into familiarity.

I think if you take architecture piece by piece, you understand how and why it’s done. I think initially that surprise quotient or factor is, in a way, important as eventually somebody will start seeing things differently. I think if you are open to possibilities and if you are willing to sit down and think for a minute, you will see that what we do is reasonable, practical and pragmatic.

To read more about Eric Owen Moss Architects and their work, refer to the feature titled ‘The Violence of Steel’.

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LET’S PARTNER Investigation through Space & Time In conversation with Indian Architect & Builder, Eric Owen Moss talks about his ‘experimental’ practice as a pursuit towards a renewed architectural spirit.

Chairman: Jasu Shah Publisher: Maulik Jasubhai Chief Executive Offi cer:Hemant Shetty

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CURRENT Events, competitions and news from around the world.

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: Sheetal Kamble, Dilip Parab Production Team: V Raj Misquitta (Head), Prakash Nerkar, Arun Madye

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Things, objects and designs for architectural spaces.

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Head Offi ce:

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

Combining aesthetics and functionality, One North designed by architect Suryakant

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Bhavsar for Panchshil Realty is visualised as one of Pune‘s prestigious addresses.

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Lavanya Apartments Bridging the gap between excellence and cost effectiveness, Vipul Group’s Lavanya Apartments offers an oasis of calm in the hustle-bustle of the city of Gurgaon.

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New Cuffe Parade New Cuffe Parade, is envisioned to be one of the most promising mixed use developments in Mumbai.

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Planet SKS Planet SKS, designed by architect Sanath Kumar Shetty, stands testimony to the realty

Ahmedabad: Hitesh Parmar 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 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

CONSTRUCTION BRIEF One North

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PRODUCTS

development in Mangalore by offering both, luxury and innovation.

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TECHNOLOGY Perceptual Tessellations

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

Glorieta Juan Carlos I at Mula, Spain being realised by ESC-Studio, integrates

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

contiguous urban fabric.

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computational design and pragmatism to develop a sturdy relationship with its

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Nerolac Earth Matters Reportage on the prolific ‘Earth Matters’ lecture series in four cities: Cochin, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Bengaluru with intriguing lectures and discussions.

Hyderabad: Sunil Kumar Mobile: 09823410712, E-mail: sunil_kulkarni@jasubhai.com Kolkata: Epsita Mitra Mob: 096991 94200, E-mail: epsita_mitra@jasubhai.com 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

POST EVENT

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ARCHITECTURE Poetics of Space Mumbai-based OPOLIS, Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore, design a House on the Ridge, as an extension of the site itself.

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A Tryst with Context Architect Sanjay M. Patil designs a contemporary institutional environment for the Sandip Foundation in scenic locale nestled at Trimbak, Nashik.

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Devout Dialects Architect Jyotsna Bantwal interprets the context of Sachkhand Gurudwara Precinct by designing through a singular cohesion of ideas.

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INTERIORS Sense & Simplicity Meister-Varma Architects’ Nandini Loft in Kochi showcases aesthetic beauty of a restrained material palette to define its simplicity.

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INTERNATIONAL

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DELHI DIALOGUES

The Violence of Steel

NO Kidding!

The Samitaur Tower designed by Eric Owen Moss architects stands at a strategic

The fifth instalment in this series discusses the role of children in a creative process and

focus in the re-generating Culver City area of Los Angeles as an architectural icon.

the value of engaging with the youth in urban interventions..

Sea, Sky & a Gesture

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SPACE FRAMES

Bold, yet tacit and unpretentious, Cité de l’Océan et du Surf is a modern construct

CONFLICT

by Steven Holl Architects in collaboration with Solange Fabiao.

In this column curated by Dr Deepak Mathew, Sharan Goel explores the boundaries between the natural and the man-made.

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LIGHTING Malhar Machi, A Mountain Resort Lighting designer Abhijit Salunke insists on a thorough understanding of the space while characterising the ambience.

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BOOK REVIEW Letters to a Young Architect Presenting a review and an extract as Prof. Christopher Benninger pens a long due memoir, chronicling thoughts on architecture, urbanism and the philosophy of practice in pursuit of truth.

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28 IA&B - OCT 2011

current Building Revolution: 2011 SMIBE Short Film Competition Category Type

Deadline

: : :

International Open to all December 31, 2011

SMIBE continues to bring together a growing body of moving image stories about the built environment with its third annual competition. The competition aims to become a forum for the exchange and discussion of persuasive issues about the built world, calling for moving image stories that investigate, explore, and entertain our communities about social, environmental, political, technological, and economic issues that designers of the built world should be discussing. Ten finalists will be selected to be featured on SMIBE website and at a film screening in Los Angeles, Chicago and at the Image Festival in Florence, Italy. Of these ten, a grand prize winner will be awarded USD 500 and a unique SMIBE trophy.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.smibe.org/competition_2011.php

eVolo 2012 Skyscraper Competition Category Type

Deadline

International Open to all January 17, 2012

Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all February 08, 2012

Red Dot Award: Product Design 2012 will honour the best, most outstanding and trendsetting product designs. For over 50 years now the Red Dot Award has been one of the most important and recognised international product design competitions. More than 4400 entries from more than 60 nations were received last year, confirming the Red Dot Award’s international reach and impact. An international jury of renowned design experts will decide upon the participating product designs, and honour the winners with the most sought-after “red dot,” the seal of quality for outstanding design, in one out of 19 different categories. Based on criteria such as the level of innovativeness, functionality or ecological aspects, the jury chooses who ranks among the best and deserves a ‘red dot’ for outstanding design.

For further information, log on to: Web: en.red-dot.org/product-design.html

2012 Bentley Student Design Competition Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all March 06, 2012

Established in 2006, the annual Skyscraper Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious awards for high-rise architecture. It recognises outstanding ideas that redefine skyscraper design through the implementation of novel technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics, and spatial organisations along with studies on globalisation, flexibility, adaptability, and the digital revolution. It is a forum that examines the relationship between the skyscraper and the natural world, the skyscraper and the community, and the skyscraper and the city. It is an investigation on the creation of a dynamic and adaptive vertical community.

The Bentley Student Design Competition 2012 seeks to gives students an opportunity to explore the crucial and rewarding work of designing, building, operating, and sustaining the world’s infrastructure making use of MicroStation or any of Bentley’s architecture, bridge, construction, road, geospatial, or engineering design software. An independent panel of distinguished educational leaders and industry professionals from around the world will judge the projects. The decision will be based on creativity and skill in applying design and engineering principles. The winning team or individual stands to win a scholarship worth USD2000 in each of the categories at the college/university level, and scholarship worth USD1500 at the high school/technical school level.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.evolo.us

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

35th Annual Source Awards

Michelin Challenge Design 2013: Lightweight with a Passion

Category Type

Deadline

COMPETITIONS

: : :

Red Dot Award: Product Design 2012

: : :

International Open to all January 31, 2012

Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all June 01, 2012

Cooper Lighting seeks entries for its 35th Annual Source Awards national lighting design competition. The competition focuses on complementing the understanding, knowledge and function of lighting as a primary design element. The competition is open to all lighting designers, architects, engineers, professional designers and consultants who use Cooper Lighting fixtures in an interior or exterior design project. Even students currently pursuing any of the mentioned disciplines are eligible, though they shall be judged in a separate category by a panel of expert and eminent judges. Projects will be evaluated on the blending of aesthetics, creative achievement, and technical performance and to the degree which the lighting met project constraints and design concept goals.

Michelin Challenge Design 2013 invites participants to explore lightweight vehicle development by designing a family vehicle capable of transporting between four and six people, meeting consumer demands for safety and comfort, usable on the current road infrastructure, and production feasible using materials, powertrain solutions, or manufacturing solutions that are in use today or in development for use in the foreseeable future. The competition seeks exciting and passionate designs that make use of employ innovative vehicle architecture for weight reduction, without compromising safety or comfort. However, the vehicle should be designed in such a way so that its lightweight characteristics extend to the tire/wheel assembly, including dimensional specifications and visual detail of the tire/wheel assembly.

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

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

IA&B - OCT 2011

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current Small Scale, Big Change: New Architectures of Social Engagement Date

: Until January 03, 2011 Venue : New York, US

The exhibition, held at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), shall showcase eleven architectural projects on five continents that respond to localised needs in communities that are underserved. These innovative designs indicate a renewed sense of commitment to the social responsibility of architecture that is now being shared by contemporary practitioners. A growing commitment to radical pragmatism can be seen in the projects ranging from a handmade school in Bangladesh to a reconsideration of a modernist housing project in Paris; from an apartheid museum in South Africa to a cable car that connects a single hillside barrio in Caracas to the city at large. The exhibits reveal a shift in the architecture-and-society equation, with the architect’s methods and approaches being re-evaluated considerably. Using design as a tool, the exhibition aims to guide and offer practical solutions to needs, with a broader, positive effect on the communities they benefit.

Date Venue

: :

February 16-17, 2012 New York

The conference aims to bring together leading designers and fabricators to explore collaborations through case studies of recent work and round table discussions. Presented by the Ornamental Metal Institute of New York and The Architect’s Newspaper, this two-day event, with a workshop on February 17, is the first in a series of conferences created to help designers and builders understand the ways in which technology can transform design aspirations into reality. From using BIM for communicating effectively with fabricators, to examining new resources for curtain wall design, the conference offers an unprecedented opportunity to survey the possibilities of designing with metals in the digital age. Patrik Schumacher, Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, has been roped in to deliver the keynote.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.archpaper.com/conferences/facade/workshops

For further information, log on to: Web: www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1064

Build Intec 2012

Engineering Expo – Indore

Date Venue

Date Venue

Build Intec is one of the newest events for the building and construction industry. Build Intec 2012 will bring together eminent industrial professionals from all business spectrums under one roof, while focusing on providing opportunities to Indian builders at an international stage. Build Intec 2012 will involve the art, trade and work of a building to bring together all these areas of construction together to highlight the efforts, dedication and intelligence that goes into the art of building.

: :

January 06-09, 2012 Indore, India

One of India’s largest multi-location SME gatherings, Engineering Expo is expected to see profuse industry participation from various verticals, including machine tools and accessories, process machinery and equipment, material handling equipment, hydraulics and pneumatics, automation and instrumentation, electrical and electronics, light and medium engineering, safety and security, packaging machinery, etc. Presented by Network 18, the expo would provide a platform for both Indian and foreign companies to exhibit their products and services, interact with buyers and sellers, and tie-up with potential business partners.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.engg-expo.com

World Future Energy Summit 2012

: :

February 17-20, 2012 Coimbatore

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

Bauhaus: Art as Life Date Venue

: :

May 03 - August 12, 2012 Barbican Art Gallery, London

World Future Energy Summit (WFES) is the leading annual summit dedicated to advancing future energy, energy efficiency and clean technologies by engaging political, business, finance, academic and industry leaders to drive innovation, business and investment opportunities in response to the growing need for sustainable energy. WFES 2012 aims to be a world-class summit, with an international exhibition, the project village, round table discussions, the Young Future Energy Leaders programme, corporate meetings and social events. The summit presents an excellent platform for project owners and solution providers to pool resources with investors and buyers from both the public and private sectors.

The exhibition will feature an assorted collection of paintings, sculptures, designs, architecture, films, photography, textiles, ceramics, theatre and installations, in what is being touted as the biggest Bauhaus exhibition in the UK in over 40 years. The exhibition would delve into the core values and subjects of Bauhaus; art, culture, life, politics and society, and the changing technology of the age. Exhibited works will include those from Bauhaus Masters such as Josef and Anni Albers, Marianne Brandt, Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, Johannes Itten, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Hannes Meyer, László Moholy-Nagy, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Gunta Stölzl, in addition to other Masters and students. Bauhaus: Art as Life will also feature workshops, talks, films and performances as well as the Bauhaus Summer School, which will be an intensive two-week school held at the Barbican and led by leading practitioners from all artistic backgrounds.

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

For further information, log on to: Web: www.barbican.org.uk/artgallery/event-detail.asp?ID=12409

Date Venue

EVENTS

Metals in Construction 2012 Façades Conference

: :

January 16-19, 2012 Abu Dhabi

32 IA&B - OCT 2011

current David Chipperfield to curate 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale

Kerala Architecture to be showcased in Dubai next year

British architect David Chipperfield has been appointed to curate the world’s largest architecture exhibition, the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale. The award-winning architect has been allotted eight months to create a theme for the two major shows of Arsenale and Giardini. David Chipperfield is the first British architect to curate the event. Colleagues and fellow architects have welcomed the appointment, stating that Chipperfield would not use the opportunity for self-promotion, but treat it as research and urge people to contribute. However, Chipperfield has been reluctant to take up the role because of concerns over the proposed appointment of Giulio Malgara, a food importer and friend of Silvio Berlusconi, as the Biennale’s Director.

The Kerala chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects will organise the International Architecture Festival of Kerala in Dubai from January 26 next year. The three-day festival is expected to highlight the architecture of Kerala to take advantage of the increasing demands to avail of the opportunities in the state, as far as the built environment is concerned. Apart from the festival, an exhibition of building materials and built space will also be held at the venue. The focus will be on a special section portraying both the architecture of traditional Kerala, as well as the contemporary works of Kerala architects.

The festival will be an annual one touring many nations such as Germany, Singapore and Sri Lanka will host the event in the coming years. Around 300 delegates, including architects from Kerala, Dubai and other countries, will attend the festival. Nils Fisher from Zaha Hadid Architects, London, Christopher Benninger from Pune, Bimal Patel from Ahmedabad and Sanjay Mohe from Bengaluru will present papers at the festival.

Realty Bill to increase builders’ accountability Backed by stringent norms, the long-awaited legislation - Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill – will now infuse “accountability and transparency” in the realty sector. Builders and developers will now have to register each project, prior to its launch, with the real estate regulator.

They are also forbidden to advertise, invite bookings and receive advances or deposits from customers for the project without registering it with the regulator. Any deposit or advance can be taken only after entering into an agreement of sale with the customer, stipulates the new draft bill. Information related to the project such as plot size, layout plan and authenticated copy of approval and sanction by competent authority for registration, have to be provided by the promoter. Declarations such as 70 per cent of the money taken from customers for a particular project would be periodically deposited in a separate bank account and would be used for construction also have to be made, amongst other things. If a builder fails to register any project with the regulator, he may invite imprisonment that may extend up to three years or a penalty which may go up to 10 per cent of the project’s estimated cost. However, realty giants have expressed their dissatisfaction with the bill, calling it extremely impractical.

NEWS

Film on Kashmiri Architecture to be screened in Kolkata ‘Ancient Architectural Styles of Kashmir’, a documentary directed by noted filmmaker of Kashmir, Mushtaq Bala, will be screened at the 17 th Kolkata Film Festival at West Bengal Film Center. Bala’s documentary highlights the architectural excellence and blending of different architectural patterns in Kashmiri architecture. The film aims at exploring salient features of both the residential architecture and the monumental architecture to reveal how Kashmiri architecture, under various historical, social and cultural milieus has assimilated influences from Buddhist, Greek, Central Asian and Indian architectural styles and achieved an identity of its own. Featured in the documentary are historians Kapila Vastasayan and F M Hasnain, besides Conveyor INTACH Kashmir Chapter Salim Beigh, amongst others. The film was assigned to Bala by the Films Division, Mumbai, in 2010. Known for his skilful traits of filmmaking, he has earlier been felicitated for films “Budshah” and “Sufiana Music of Kashmir” in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Ancient Architectural Styles of Kashmir has won wide acclaim and critiques.

J K Cement Felicitates Architects at the 20th Architect of the Year Awards The 20th Architect of the Year Awards 2011, organised by J K Cement Ltd honoured 14 recipients with a sparkling golden trophy. The winners were selected out of the 206 entries after careful examination and scrutiny of the projects by an esteemed jury after intense debates and deliberations. The jury was chaired by Yadupati Singhania, Managing Director of J K Cement Ltd. Other jury members included senior professionals from the Indian architectural community. This year, an additional award felicitating outstanding contribution to Green architecture was also introduced. Amongst the winners were Madhav Joshi, KR Jaisim, Prem Chandavarkar, Apurva Amin, Deepak Guggari, Ashwani Sabharwal, Kanav Khosla, Alistair Macbeth, Md. Rafiq Azam and Prasanna Jayalath.

2012 National Architecture Conference imminent in Brisbane The 2012 National Architecture Conference will be held at Brisbane, for the first time in over twenty years. The creative directors, Brisbane-based architects and academics Shane Thompson, Michael Rayner and Peter Skinner, have extended invitations to delegates to ‘experience Queensland as never before’. The theme for the conference this year is ‘experience’ and the trio is keen to inject a strong Queensland flavour to the event. The conference celebrates and reflects upon the experience of architecture, and will explore the sensations of occupying and dwelling in thoughtfully considered environments. In an age besieged by visual and virtual stimuli, more tactile and sensory architecture are sought-after, responding meaningfully to space, time and city-making in shaping progress. Traditionally alternating between Sydney and Melbourne, the conference attracts more than 1,000 attendees from Australia and abroad, and plays host to international speakers including the world’s leading architects and Pritzker Prize winners, landscape architects, thinkers, philosophers, architectural critics and authors.

A distinguished group of keynote speakers has been invited to discuss their own experience; the experience of their buildings, their settings, their design and construction, their users and inhabitants, the enduring experience of architecture and the value of experience.

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products I am not your wine rack / Vinovoid 2011 “Stop. Take two steps back. Do a 180 degree eddy around me.

Blur your eyes till they flicker from figure to field and field and back … and till they no longer tell what is solid or what is void.

Step back slightly till the flurry of layers dematerialize into ashen self-silhouettes and coloured figures emerge and hover; creating kaleidoscopic sequences.

What is top is now bottom; what is front is now back; what is outline is now a thickness; totality keeps getting revised … possibilities remain to be realised.

Enjoy the wine. I am not (only) your wine rack …”

- Archana Kushe

installation

I am not your wine rack designed by Archana Kushe identifies with and explores the idea of subjectivity in design. Conceived with an understanding of the material, the installation is an interesting confluence of design and production techniques. This enabled the designer to actualise the conceptual approach as a perceptual journey revealing a layered purview. The materiality while restricted to digitally cut acrylic renders flexibility and scalability owing to its modular configuration. The installation was digitally cut where each rod was manually threaded piece-by-piece by the designer. The leverage of such an arrangement allows a supreme functionality, wherein the wine rack can hold bottles of various sizes. The design is tacit yet responsive to individual perceptions. Symbolic both in a physical and mental dimension, the abstract is to create an unexpected experience where one’s eye on beholding the object creates a kaleidoscope sequence of blurry shapes; as the designer says, “The top becomes bottom; front becomes back; outline becomes a thickness and totality keeps getting revised.” The genesis of the multiplied effect stemmed from a stretch of thought process in the designers mind involving a pairing of wine and half-eaten Emmental cheese, evolving into interpretations as “an accumulation of (Indian) glass bangles” to that of a bee-hive. Expressed in a three-dimensional depth, the sculptural installation is crafted with a mix of industrial production and high/low technology. It has been exhibited as a prototype for a wine rack at the 2010 Design Biennale in Belgium and has been recently put up in a restaurant in Mumbai. Dialectic with a modular approach, the framework can be set to adapt to any space.

Designer: Archana Kushe, © chiaroscura Image credits: Gautam Desai Contact: Archana Kushe Tel: +1.614.406.2843 Email: info@chiaroscura.com

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products Bar{k} Exploring amongst the wide range of sustainable materials, the designer has derived a new design by combining the bark of a cork tree with advanced processes. The genesis of this concept was furthered by an alliance with The Amorim Group, the world’s leading cork company. The ideal combination helped through the digital design and fabrication frameworks. The outcome is of solidity and stability in the form of a high density cork bar stool.

Sculpted from this bark, the stool is 100 per cent sustainable, renewable and biodegradable. The warm and smooth texture, brings together craftsmanship and production processes that elaborate on the new possibilities in the design industry. The solid mass of cork is a complementary and versatile insight into propaganda of greener agendas.

Designer: Brandon Kershner Contact: Tel: US. 308.293.1242 UK. 07596 129736 Web: bkdesigns.us

Waggtail

eco-friendly

Embodying a concept to pay a tribute to “handmade” manufacturing techniques, the designer collated rejected or obsolete components from renowned furniture company Ercol to create Waggtail. An intrinsic part of a larger project, “This is Ercol”, the piece is a simplistic and elegant product, allowing for a playful interaction. The designer says of each piece that it is chosen for their individual qualities, but more importantly, for their ability to interact with other components and how that relationship will benefit the overall piece. Layering references to Ercol, Waggtail is a sleek interpretation that aesthetics comfort and fun.

Designer: Clinton Sheldon Contact: Email: sheldon.clinton@googlemail.com Web: www.clintonsheldon.com

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products Cactus Sleek and sophisticated, Cactus extends the notion of the light to travelling more than in a straight line. The design exemplifies this approach. The derivation of the form provides ambient as well as directional focused beam that facilitates indirect lighting. Simplicity is at the core of the concept, leading to an elegant crafted lighting object for everyday use. The object is tactile; wherein the light travels from a light source embedded in a small base through optical quality, precisely bent, transparent acrylic rods and eventually culminates in a bright beam. The modular constitution offers the opportunity to style different lights in accordance to ones needs with minimal materials.

Designer: Parul & Mooshir Vahanvati Rayden Design Studio Contact: 202, Ventura, ITI Road, Aundh, Pune - 411007 Tel: +91 9405581139 Email: info@raydendesign.com Web: www.raydendesign.com

FRAChair!

interiors

Pronounced as ‘frak-cher’, the radical chair design by Paul Sandip is a derivative of the concept that ‘form finds function’. The design expands on a constructive meaning sought in destruction. The visualised evolution came from the sight of a cracked glass. The chair emerges a physical representation of this inspiration, creating a dynamic piece overall.

Designer: Paul Sandip Contact: Tel: +91 9899302457 Email: differentialdesign@gmail.com Weblog: differentialdesign.blogspot.com

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products Elda Introduced by Elda Bellone and Davide Carbone of GSelect as the product of their first collaboration under Scoope Design, Elda is a “chairstepladder” that reconfigures existing objects to contrive an identity of its own. Multifunctional, the usage considers all facets of design to create a surprise element. The chair’s uniqueness lies in its ability to transform into a variety of ideal furniture pieces – like the designer says, “Into something completely different but just as practical.” It can convert to a stepladder, a bookshelf, a small storage unit or whatever else it needs to be. A re-positioning can transfigure the open object. Adding to its playfulness, the designer has modified the back as a colourful felt “hood” which acts as an exchangeable accessory when used as something else. The chair is assembled with sustainable materials in its entirety; from its wooden structure, to the water-based paint varnish, the 100 per cent wool felt hood and the magnetic locking system to hold it in place. Sustainable and multifaceted, Elda is an exemplary design for multifunctional use.

Designer: Elda Bellone, Davide Carbone © Scoopedesign.com, images by Citylifephotography.com Contact: 43 Wolcott st, #2 11231 Brooklyn, NY Email: info@eldabellone.com Web: www.eldabellone.com, www.scoopedesign.com

Cantilever Stool Inspired by the dovetail joint, the designer traces back the history of the joinery technique in various wood-working techniques. The distinctive joint was skillfully employed by George Nakashima as a dovetail key in his furniture to bind and hold natural distortions in the wood.

furniture

Drawing on this strong and stable asset, Kuldeep derived the cantilevered stool based on this method. Three wooden planks slide and interlock – conjoined by a dovetailed finger joint, from which the seat planks are cantilevered.

The material composition is confined to composite wood(MDF) to refine higher precision in the workability. It also offers a flat-packed approach, stackability and easy assemblage through disengagement of the planks and sliding them out.

Designer: Kuldeep Contact: 334, 2 A main, Domlur Layout, Old Airport Road, Bengaluru 560071 Tel: +91 98452 72320 Email: kuldeep@bent.co.in Web: www.facebook.com/bentbydesign Web blog: www.bent-by-design.blogspot.com

IA&B - OCT 2011

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products Riddled Buffet As part of the new riddled collection for IDUS, Steven Holl has designed the Riddled Buffet and Riddled Table. Riddled Buffet is crafted as a “furniture sculpture” comprising of five individual modules. The modules interact as an assemblage but vary in forms and dimensions, textures and formal planes. Each module is an experimentation with light effects and porosity of wood, revealing a cupboard equipped with a magnetic door closing and no hinges. The warm texture only relies on wood with no metallic fixtures in it and linked via aluminium shelves, forming a vertical totem a couple of metres high or a domestic sculpture just over a metre and a half tall. The resistant and flexible fabric, on the inside of the Canaletto walnut “sandwich” allows the doors of each of the “Riddled” cupboards to be opened. Detailed as a sculptural expression, the form is adaptable, flexible and decorative for all spaces.

Riddled Table

innovative

Defying the laws of physics, the Riddled Table is composed of a sheet of wood consisting of fabric sandwiched within Canaletto walnut to form the legs of the table. Solid in nature, the legs were shaped with small laser incisions to leave the upper part open – “almost like an origami with a life of its own.” An interplay with voids and fullness, the table is created by perforating, cutting and bending to allow light and shadows to enliven the room through the materiality.

Designer: Steven Holl Contact: IDUS 10/57, Industrial Area, Kirti Nagar, New Delhi -110015 (India) Tel: 011-45888000/088 Web: www.idus.in

48 IA&B - OCT 2011

Perceptual Tessellations Inventive strategies in computational design and digital fabrication can allow designers to plot user perceptions of a space and employ them in urban development. ESC-Studio designed Glorieta Juan Carlos I at Mula, Spain, pioneers one such sturdy relationship with its contiguous urban fabric.

Text: Shalmali Wagle Photographs: courtesy ESC-Studio

The ideation absorbs the aspirations of myriad mindscapes resulting in a universally congenial redevelopment.

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echnological innovations in architecture are habitually accompanied by personal agendas revolving around ambitions of conquering the most obstinate of complications. They constantly challenge the existence of insurmountable phenomenon and mock intractable stringency, all the while determined to bewilder human sanity. Seldom does one come across a movement in innovation that centres its development on a more benevolent cause or attempts to broaden its dominion to the erratic graphs of the human psyche. The perception of a space and the related expectations, in terms of experience, differ from one person to another, making universally congenial architecture ever so difficult to conceive. As opposed to the conventional reliance on denizen flexibility, the ESC-Studio designed Glorieta Juan Carlos I is a venture into digital re-organisation of strands of the user-space relationship to mould the site in accordance to myriad mindscapes all at once.

The People An intriguing progeny of digital definition, the redevelopment of the public square, Glorieta Juan Carlos I at Mula in Spain, intends to integrate a unique tessellation pattern in the aerial expression of the modest town. The public square, better known as “El Paseo” (the walk), vibrant with the dazzle of its fairs, festivals and “Tamboradas”, is a significant landmark within the town.

Shaping a vital part of the town’s immediate cultural pulse, an intervention on this site is definite to produce an enormous impact on the lives of the inhabitants of this intimate community. After winning a design competition for its restoration, the architects, recognising that input from the public is of prime importance to the project and its emotional reception, implemented the latest technology available in its conception, to not only permit the active participation of the citizens in the design process but also allow its physical modification as per their visions. ECS-Studio believes that, “Each

technology of the user’s proposals will be the reflection of the individual’s perception of the space and his personal approach to the new design�.

The Plaza Permitting a step-devoid access directly from the bordering streets, the 5400sqm plaza matures from a software generated pattern obtained from these public consultation processes, shaping a public promenade that ascertains a direct association between the city and the square itself.

The main circulation route of the Glorieta Juan Carlos I Public Square is crafted into variable levels on the site revealing a dynamic pattern that runs through the space amidst activity clusters hosting performance podiums and informal retreats. Effortlessly merging the plaza into the immediate urban fabric, the proposal eliminates the boundaries of the existing fencing and unlocks the pleasure of an easily accessible, pulsating environment bustling with customary social interaction and exchange. A simple symbolisation, this openness in planning emphasises the informal unrestrictive relationship a public space and its activities ought to establish with its community and its culture.

The sheer gesture of maintenance of the historically and botanically important green cover by means of minute alterations in the paving to accommodate the generative template, speaks volumes about the underlying principles of environmental sensitivity. The design strategy is to perform as an absolutely self-sufficient, carbon-neutral environment and the scheme incorporates a progression of climate control entities scattered purposefully throughout the public square. With electricity generating photo-voltaic cells, humidifying fog systems as well as solar powered lighting systems, the micro climate of the site is to consistently remain at a comfortable constant irrespective of unpleasant weather variations.

Running the extra green mile, the design also accounts for the self-reliant production of overall energy requirement of the square.

The demand for reasonable replenishment of consumed energy as an anticipatory measure is indeed essential in the present day. With the diverse effects of human behaviour on the environment expressing a conspicuous manifestation, a constant physical reminder of our continual symbiotic compromise with the environment in the heart of the city, interacting with its people and weaving itself into their lives, makes a bold global statement.

With the Voronoi algorithm at its ideation, the design mitigates the rigidity of the previous urban configuration via digital identification and subsequent segregation of the entirety into structured circulation strips and activity islands.

The involved computational software.

The generated tessellation pattern.

The Pattern A Voronoi output is a digitally generated template obtained from software designed to accept algorithmic activity inputs from potential users with the mere movement of the cursor on the screen, and digest this data to develop an intricate rational pattern. This generated pattern then assists in the functional designation of circulation corridors and activity islands of the public square to a high degree of accuracy. What fascinates one about the entire generative is that it completely eliminates the need for any traditional time-consuming techniques of activity, movement and perception documentation, gifting designers with a sophisticated substitute for the conventional complications of such research. A much-desired solution, this

Interpretation of the diagram on the site.

50 software narrows context study down to one simple precise formula, its accuracy directly proportional to its participation demographics.

The output itself is simple reasoning and its potential derivatives are purely logical conclusions. The Voronoi pattern developed comprises of a predefined set of generators and a simple assemblage of user experiences with regard to the same develops a heterogeneous tessellation of areas each governed by one such generator.

Developed recording community consensus, the scheme comfortably settles into the urban fabric of the city.

This area defined by all those points on ground whose distance to that generator is effectively lesser than that to any other generator on the site, forms its prominence bubble. Each of these in turn possesses a basic objective of activity and is capable of hosting an independent function, either of pause or of transition. An inventive ideation, the software urges one’s mind to stretch innovative boundaries and explore

SITE PLAN

The zoning template on the site demarcating areas of pause and those of transition, accentuated using level differences and material variations.

A series of climate control units spread purposefully throughout the public square.

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The self-sufficient, carbon-neutral environment displays a sequence of climate control entities and preserves the existing green cover.

the suggestion of a plethora of derivatives that can be formulated for a range of data requirements from software as precise, yet uncomplicated, as this.

The Possibilities Undeniably, the involved technological innovation is a pleasant zephyr of contribution to the altruistic design movement in contemporary architectural industry. The potential promising outcome, rather the optimism filled prospective vision of the scheme leaves architectural practicality in curious anticipation of the probable arrival of a momentous new era of definitive eco-friendly digital design. The arrival of such a significant phase in architectural history would pride on versatile environments, capable of being predesigned to adapt to all of its users and each of their diverse aspirations, establishing a strong forte for the much-desired universal agreement in terms of design deliverance. It would reject the notion of an eternal combat between the environment and technology and establish a strong foundation of a harmonious symbiosis between the two. Assuming a rather sanguine note one may symbolise this as a subtle preamble to a revolutionary transformation in design approach wherein the denizen is the focus, eco-friendly technology is the procedure, and the limit rests light years beyond the sky!

FACT FILE:

The square provides scope for social interaction and cultural exchange (Top, middle & bottom).

Project : Location : Architect :

Contributors :

Budget : Status :

Glorieta Juan Carlos I Mula, Spain ESC-Studio (Principals: Enrique Ramos, Silvia Polito, Ciriaco Castro) Maria Moreno, Lucia Manresa, David Mata, Maria Aguilar, Miguel Angel Gimeno EUR 1,000,000 Ongoing

54 IA&B - OCT 2011

Poetics of Space

Capturing the spirit of the landscape in an architectural form, House on the Ridge by Mumbai-based architectural firm OPOLIS, Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore, pursues an intuitive understanding and the sensitive ethos of the site.

Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Images: courtesy Ariel Huber and the architects

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way from the sea of modernity that is sprawled across it, the city creeps slowly and frays away at the edges. The networks are patchy, the pollution is diluted and the horizon is endless. If one would want refuge from the modern life, this is where one would find it. Can architecture play a role at this scale? Architecture then, is an operative word where its dramatic premise can influence a greater connection to this dimension through a designer’s thought process. At a comparable scale, House on the Ridge at Khadakvasla near Pune by Mumbai-based architectural firm

OPOLIS, Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore, uses pragmatism and expediency to gratify the inquest in a level of reality.

The silhouetted ridge on the windward side of a mountain at nearly 400ft height contains the plot - a site that lies oblivious to the dysfunctional context of the city. The contoured terrain ascends upwards through the extant teak plantation canvassing its slopes. The land looks back on panoramic views of Sinhagad Fort and the entire catchment area of The

architecture

The contoured topography leads upto the site located at a height of 400ft.

Legend 1. Entrance Gate 2. Driveway ( Gravelled) 3. Parking 4. Sunk Entrance Courtvard 14. Lawn

15. Lower Lawn 21. Landscape 22. Sunset Terrace 23. Lotus Pond 25. Kitchen Garden

SITE PLAN

“We intended to investigate the relationship between built form and nature to migitate the dominance of architecture over nature with balancing relationship.” – OPOLIS, Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore.

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As one approaches the house, the roof slowly reveals the construct inset within the landscape.

Legend 1. Entrance Gate 2. Driveway ( Gravelled ) 3. Parking 4. Sunk Entrance Courtyard 14. Lawn 15. Lower Lawn 18. Gardener’s Room 19. Court 20. Toilet 21. Landscape 22. Sunset Terrace 23. Lotus Pond 24. Water Body 25. Kitchen Garden

ENTRY LEVEL PLAN

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Legend 3. Parking 4. Sunk Entrance Colirtyard 5. Arrival Lobby 6. Entrance Lobby 7. Living 8. Kitchen 9. Dining 10. Bedroom 11. Toilet 12. Verandah 13. Terrace 14. Lawn 15. Lower Lawn 16. Mid Landing 18. Servant Room 19. Courttard 20. Toilet 24. Water Body 28. Water Harvesting Tank 29. Roof Over Bedroom Wing

MAIN LEVEL PLAN

SECTION BB’

LOWER LEVEL PLAN

Legend 7. Living 8. Kitchen 9. Dining 10. Bedroom 11. Toilet 14. Lawn 15. Lower Lawn 16. Mid Landing 24. Water Body 25. Kitchen Garden 26.Multipurpose Media Room 27. Bar Counter 28. Water Harvesting Tank

SECTION CC’

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The entrance, also known as ‘champa courtyard’ evokes a serene feel rendered by a water feature alongwith with the earthy tone of the landscape.

Khadakvasla dam. Sited at this extensive juncture, the plot enjoys the altering vistas under the ever-changing light of the day – especially enabling the view of sunrise and sunset while standing in a single location. The designers say, “The siting of the house was the most crucial part of the project. We intended to investigate the relationship between the built form and nature to migitate the dominance of architecture over nature with balancing relationship. The house is situated at a point where the ground begins to slope dramatically.”

A column-less opening spanning 12m proffers stunning vistas from the house.

On one hand, the site fantasises; on the other, the design is precise. A capricious weekend home of 250sqm of built-up area is suffused with basic necessities of shelter, tailored with inputs from the client. The presence of the site cleverly cast into the building framework. The identity of the built form resembles an interlude of mediums – the landscape and the materiality. On approach, the low-slung form is unassuming. The house is designed to be discovered; as one moves through the site, it unwraps from beneath the roof as a singular gesture. The order of elements is inset

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EAST ELEVATION

Legend 2. Driveway ( Gravelled) 3. Parking 4. Sunk Entrance Courtyard 7. Living 12. Verandah 13. Terrace 14. Lawn 23. Lotus Pond

within a charted set of focal points on two levels. The focus arrives from the experience of occupying; the upper level of the house and the lower level where the living spaces are located. When the site reveals the lower level, one can see that the surface of the earth has been scraped away to make way for a stone wall. Lending a greater depth to the visual image, the random masonry stone wall signifies the ‘non building’ rhetoric behind which the house remains centred. Oriented in north-south direction, the wall is directional in guiding the visitors towards the entrance.

SECTION AA’

The demands that it makes on the site are minimal. It takes on an easy genial manner on the ridge, following the orthogonal cardinal directions set by the contours so as to minimise the level changes in the house. The ability to adapt and surprise works well in reference to the directness of view and spatial extension of the landscape. To say it embraces nature is an understatement. The architects have conceptualised a pavilion through which the landscape just flows. The intent is validated by the undefined front or back to the house – the vagueness left to interpretation. At

The interiority is realised with minimal furnishings.

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The material palette is restrained and blends in the shades of the surrounding.

the edge of layout, the entrance exhibits water and landscape features.

Further on, steps lead down to a champa courtyard comprising of a water feature, marking the entrance to the house. One perceives the strategic points of revelation therein the stretch of 12m column-less opening in the verandah frames the scenic view. At such moments, the building becomes a piece of memorabilia, immortalising connections to its site.

The verandah is placed as a 4m cantilever with struts to brace its structural members against the uplifting pressure of the wind. The layout has been carefully engineered along two perpendicular circulation spines - one

of the spines runs parallel to the stone wall (the staircase spine) while the other is perpendicular to this and connects all the living spaces.

The design is quite blunt and the domestic character is upheld in the arrangement of the spaces. The main level integrates a small living area, an open kitchen, a dining space that opens out into a linear verandah and a small terrace on the eastern side. Clean flowing lines and an intimate atmosphere, subtly fine-tune the restful balance that the spaces create. Opportunities to adapt layers of the design and turn them into meaningful, vibrant places overlooking the natural surroundings are

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immense like where five sliding panels connect the main living space to the outside through the verandah. This level also accommodates a bedroom. The staircase winds up to the mid-landing which leads to the master bedroom, guest bedroom and media room below the terrace.

The alignment of the main bedroom spaces, facing to the east, reflect the clients’ daily routine of waking up early to the rising sun. The rustic charm of the unspoilt ambience washes the interiors through centrally pivoted doors in the media room. The project is an autonomous discipline of respite from ostentations by ensuring lighter furnishings. A greater

emphasis on the warmer textures contributes to its human appeal. Light is used as a material to enliven the earthy tones. The palette of rough limestone-flooring pleases the eye and flows as a continuum of the building, landscape and beyond. Its most impressive aspect can be found in the strong rhythm with which it associates to the context – locally sourced natural black stone, from the plot ground itself, is used to compose facets like the main character wall, intricacies in the landscape and its retaining walls. A steel shell supports natural teakwood planks and mangalore tiles as the roof, which is inclined towards the south to

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The architecture is not intrusive but silent, reciprocating the tranquillity of the ambience.

safeguard the house against natural forces of rain and wind rising up the windward side of the mountain. The variations retain a thread of an idyllic past, perfecting the art of material dialogue.

Moreover, these individual details and collective readings gather multiple uses, thereby defining the house for what it is; the subterranean quality of house is reinforced on the northern sides by retaining walls with an external sunk courtyard; two underground rainwater harvesting tanks foster protection against sliding down the slope and the landscape of the sunken courtyard and water bodies create a micro-climate during the harsh summer months and aid in ventilation and natural light. The rainwater from the two main roofs accumulates in two tanks each of one lakh litre capacity, sufficing the

The design is sited such that it traces the natural topography to ensure minimal level changes.

requirement of domestic consumption for eight months. The notion extends the amount of energy saved in the water pumping process to be carried out from Khadakvasla Lake 2km away owing to the altitude of the house.

Thus, sustainability has a broader definition here, with north light purposing maximal daylight into the spatiality and preserving the teak wood plantation through minimum cut and fill that informs the greener agenda. The symbolic function of the grounded materiality shows that the most sustainable thing you can do is to do less. The execution of materials that spatially engage with the context is commendable.

The engagement is of one whose footprint touches the earth lightly.

It is through these associations, the act of building and the putting

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The house is transparent in its layout; connecting to the outside at multiple points.

together of its various components, that the structure is responsive and enduring.

The presence is subtle, the design move silent and the modest scale is a patchwork of images woven with what exists beyond the envelope. The designers believe that “the co-existence of wilful architectural elements and the augmented landscape necessarily curtails conflict. ” The simplicity of the concept evident; the prominent lines of the construct divulge the clarity of the designers expressing itself easily in the context. The sense of seclusion multiplies the conceptions of space. With honesty of expression, the house is not about how to only build but how to involve the space in the process. The architecture speaks for itself.

A part of its sustainable agenda, two main roofs accumulate rainwater that lasts for eight months, in two tanks each of one lakh litre capacity.

FACT FILE: Project : Location : Architect : Design Team :

Client : Civil Contractor : Structural Consultants :

Approximate Cost : Initiation of the Project : Completion Year : Landscape : Landscape Contractor :

House on the Ridge Khadakvasla, Pune OPOLIS, Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore Sonal Sancheti, Rahul Gore, Sameer Insulkar, Akanksha Mahendru Dr KH Sancheti M/s RR Metha, Pune Mr Sudhir Deshpande – M/s Sewri Consultants Pvt Ltd, Mumbai `55,00,000 1 st January 2004 1 st April 2005 M/s Forethought, Pune Mrs Mohite, Pune

The essence of the concept is to harmonise the relationship between nature and architecture.

64 IA&B - OCT 2011 The symphony of building design.

A Tryst with Context

In the sensory environment of a scenic locale is nestled an institutional campus at Trimbak road, Nashik, where architect Sanjay M Patil designs a contemporary environment for education at Sandip Foundation.

Text: Ritu Sharma Images: courtesy Ar Sanjay M Patil; Environ Planners

Watch the institute emerge from the picturesque mountainside.

Enter the ambience of simplicity, suspended in a natural dreamscape.

Arrive and wander the corridors amongst the twittering swifts.

Watch green blend into green from lawns and manicured landscape to the natural surroundings.

Gaze upon the hills from any room window.

Experience the transcend time and reality.

The context here is not just a setting for the architecture but an integral part of the structure. The approach to the context is the recognition of the environment, by utilising the surroundings in the acknowledgement of topographical forms and existing landscape features.

architecture

The context here is not just a setting for the architecture, but an integral part of the structure.

I

n the sensory environment of a scenic locale is nestled an institutional campus at Trimbak road, about 10km from Nashik.

The symphony of the building design evolves out of several concerns – at a picturesque site of nature all around is the campus of ‘Sandip Foundation’. At a higher counter level of the undulated ground profile stands this magnificent but simple structure of the institute. Apart from the several design deliberations that have been discerningly addressed, the one aspect that stares you in the face is the belongingness of the built form with the landscape.

Intricate simplicity, meticulously a snug fit into a practical and clutter-free space that is designed to grow with time. Playing on a plate of clean lines and aspirations for communicating spaces, an effort has been made to infuse warmth, based on the Indian culture. Working on this premise of unifying Indian ethos into a contemporary aura, the material, colour palette as well as the functional demarcation has been administered to suit the activity pattern.

The context here is not just a setting for the architecture, but an integral part of the structure. The approach to the context is the recognition of the environment, by utilising the surroundings in the acknowledgement of topographical forms and existing landscape features.

Climate responsiveness and issues of sustainability play a strong role. A design appropriate to the atmosphere of a place like Nashik, where people enjoy a semi-outdoor lifestyle and different seasons as the climate is conducive.

So the architecture reflects this preference – constructed with shady patio and surrounded by green landscape with a design signature which is more structural then ornamental, and blends modern architectural techniques with the traditional building elements.

The design ventures arise from a strong belief in spatial integration of indoors and outdoors. The design process begins with the planning, where plans and views are juxtaposed in order to evolve the project as a series of spatial relations. The primary emphasis is placed on the programming of spaces, with careful attention paid to efficient functioning of space, circulation patterns, and area distribution.

With an emphasis on passive cooling the louvres of cement fibre planks with wooden finish are generally used for wall cladding. Other green features include turbo wind extractors and rainwater collection system. Experimentation with materials: using conventional materials in an unconventional manner, for instance as louvers and the sculptural expression of the wind extractors, display mature and innovative ways of using and detailing materials.

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Inspired by the natural surroundings, the plan is like the open fingers where each finger houses a department of the institute.

To take advantage of views, the entrance foyer has a glass faรงade framed in a stone feature wall.

67 The simplicity of structure belies its multifaceted functions. Inspired by the natural surroundings, the plan is like the open fingers where each finger houses a department of the institute, thus facilitating the view for each zone. All such zones are clustered around a central open space serving as an amphitheatre.

Various zones are internally connected where each zone has a court that makes for a heightened sense of visually linked indoor and outdoor spaces. Each floor plan is basically the same, yet accommodates radically different uses. Layering of spaces adheres to the functional requirements of the institute. The built areas extend to a small pocket of green tying up the indoor with the outdoor.

Volumetrically, the entire composition is viewed as a double-height structure with the overlooking entrance extending as a part of the foyer and drop-off.

Cross ventilation, especially in summers, is ensured through the open design and placement of openings. To take advantage of views, the entrance foyer has a glass faรงade framed in a stone feature wall. Skylight in the entrance foyer emerges as a playful design detail that transforms the relationship of the indoor and the outdoor. The stairway endows a touch of elegance to the layout. The exterior treatment of the dissimilar faรงade represents an architecturally diverse urban block. Stone-clad walls give the construction a certain raw edge.

Shady patio and surrounded by green landscape with design signature which is more structural than ornamental.

The architect did not wish to obstruct the natural appeal of the surroundings and thus built a lavish canteen along with a courtyard that is all underground, inside one part of a hill providing a breathtaking view of the hills. One of the most amazing green roofs is of this canteen block. From a distance, one can barely even make out that the structure is a building; it blends in so well with its environment. The faรงade of glass allows plenty of natural light to illuminate the interior, whereas the wind tunnel with extractors ensures

With an emphasis on passive cooling the louvres of cement fibre planks with wooden finish are used.

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Dynamics of design: the visual link prevailing throughout and stimulating play of natural light over varied shades and textures of material used.

Volumetrically, the entire composition is viewed as a double height structure.

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The skylight in the entrance foyer emerges as a playful design detail that transforms the relationship of the indoor and the outdoor.

From a distance, one can barely even make out that the structure is a building; it blends in so well with its environment. The faรงade of glass allows plenty of natural light to illuminate the interior, whereas the wind tunnel with extractors ensures efficient ventilation. efficient ventilation. Thus, the curving green roof distinguishes the building from among the other structures on campus, but the line between landscape and building is blurred. The roof serves as an informal gathering space, challenging linear ideas and stirring perception, creates open space, insulates the building, cools the surrounding air and harvests rainwater for landscaping irrigation. Planted grasses mix with native greenery to colonise the building and bond it to the setting.

Taking these minimalist features forward, the spaces seem to flow from one into the other without any defining lines of division. The dynamics of this design were controlled by two main elements - the visual link prevailing throughout and stimulating play of natural light over varied shades and textures of the material used.

An architectural endeavour integrating natural landscape, light, air and varied textures in innovative colour tones of minimalist creation of a dynamic staggered geometry, to ensure maximum natural light and unconventional space and quality.

FACT FILE: Name of Project Location Total Area Client Project Architect Other Consultants Structural Electrical Services Landscape Contractors Civil Works

: : : : :

Sandeep Institute of Research and Technology Mahiravani, Trimbak road, Nashik, Maharashtra 26 acres Sandeep Foundation Ar Sanjay M Patil

: : : :

Shailesh Dhumne Agnihotri Thakre Milind Shete Roots Landscape Architects

:

Horticultural Work Irrigation Water Feature Electrical Work

: : : :

1. Rajhans Construction, Nashik 2. Kranti Construction, Nashik Papaya Nursery, Nashik Renuka Agencies, Nashik Renuka Agencies, Nashik 1. B.J.Electrical, Nashik 2. Ekveera Electrical, Nashik 3. Praj Electrical, Nashik

Year of Commencement and Completion Project Cost

: :

2008 to 2010 Approx `44 crores

112 IA&B - OCT 2011

CONFLICT

Sharan Goel explores the precarious boundaries between the natural and the man-made by capturing the forms of the friction between the two in this edition of Dr Deepak Mathew’s ‘Space Frames’.

Text and Photographs: Sharan Goel Curated by: Dr. Deepak J. Mathew

space frames urban villages

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ature is always pushed further and further down due to development, but nature has a capacity to adapt and often make its way back.

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An architectural piece keeps the integrity of the relationship of context, form, and material in its dialogue with nature.

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When a person views nature, he finds that comfort and inspiration are integral parts of the whole. An architectural piece keeps the integrity of the relationship of context, form, and material in its dialogue with nature. Nature and architecture work together to create a peaceful understanding of how man should appreciate the landscape and be aware of the natural beauty that surrounds us. Places where this balance is established, there are traces of conflict.

Sharan Goel Sharan Goel is a Commerce graduate and an MBA dropout. He completed his Post Graduation in Photography Design from National Institute of Design, India, before pursuing his Masters of Fine Arts in Photography from the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK. His work concentrates on long exposures at night. He is also interested in the relationship of people with their surroundings in their life.

‘space frames’ investigates issues related to architecture, space and environment through the medium of photography.

Space Frames Oct 2011: ‘CONFLICT’ by Sharan Goel Indian Architect & Builder Magazine

Sharan Goel Sharan Goel is a Commerce graduate and an MBA dropout. He completed his Post Graduation in Photography Design from National Institute of Design, India, before pursuing his Masters of Fine Arts in Photography from the University for the Creative Arts, Farnham, UK. His work concentrates on long exposures at night. He is also interested in the relationship of people with their surroundings in their life.