January 2016

EXPLORE

VOL 29 (5)

JANUARY 2016

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MUMBAI

www.iabforum.com

INDIAN ARCHITECT & BUILDER

IN CONVERSATION Aniket Bhagwat ARCHITECTURE Raj Rewal Associates INTERNATIONAL Snøhetta LANDSCAPE Vo Trong Nghia Architects

EXPLORE

VOL 29 (5) | JANUARY 2016 | www.iabforum.com RNI REGISTRATION NO. 46976/87, ISSN 0971-5509 INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER

Chairman: Jasu Shah Printer, Publisher & Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah Chief Executive Officer: Hemant Shetty Editorial: Meghna Mehta Email: iabedt@jasubhai.com Design Team: Mansi Chikani, Prasenjit Bhowmick, Kenneth Menezes Subscription: Dilip Parab, Prakash Powar Production Team: V Raj Misquitta (Head), Prakash Nerkar, Arun Madye

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CURRENT

The latest news, events and competitions in architecture and design from India and abroad.

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POST EVENT

IA&B Forum’s event, “Structure, an Essence of Architecture” on 11 th December ‘15 at India International Centre, New Delhi.

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The Retreats The Interior Design and Landscape Retreats held on 17 th-18 th Dec ‘15.

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IN CONVERSATION

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Accentuating the Natural In conversation with IA&B, Aniket Bhagwat talks about the firm, the milestones that it has achieved and taking landscape architecture far beyond its perimeters as a profession.

ARCHITECTURE

Coal India Ltd, Kolkata Raj Rewal Associates enhances design through the collaboration of sustainable design with native techniques and forms.

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Noble House Office, Junagadh Designed by Sparsh Design Studio, it is a perfect amalgamation of a rich material palette and voguish forms to deliver a complete corporate ambience.

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INTERNATIONAL

Zeb pilot house, Norway Designed by Snøhetta, a fine example of modern architecture catering to human, technological and environmental needs.

Head Office: JMPL, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, 210, Dr D N Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001.

Tel: + 91-22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 SALES Brand Manager: Sudhanshu Nagar Email: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com MARKETING TEAM & OFFICES Mumbai Parvez Memon Taj Building, 3rd Floor, 210, Dr D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Tel: + 91-22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com Delhi: Suman Kumar 803, Chiranjeev Tower, No 43, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110 019 Tel: +91 11 2623 5332, Fax: 011 2642 7404 Email: suman_kumar@jasubhai.com Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Gujarat: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: +91 9833104834, Email: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com Chennai / Coimbatore: Princebel M Mobile: +91 9444728035, +91 9823410712, Email: princebel_m@jasubhai.com Kolkata: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: +91 9833104834, Email: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com Pune: Parvez Memon Mobile: +91 9769758712, Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

LANDSCAPE

Farming Kindergarten, Vietnam Vo Trong Nghia Architects redefine sustainable design through a unique combination of form and ecologically friendly approaches to the architecture of this institution.

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ACADEMIA

Traditional Houses and Housing in India

By Neeta Das

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SPACE FRAMES

Fish and Bridge Maniyarasan Rajendran graphically derives the coherence between land and sea expressing the power of nature.

Cover Image: © Raj Rewal Associates

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

Printed at The Great Art Printers, 25, S A Brelvi Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001 and Published from Mumbai - 3rd Floor, Taj Building, 210, Dr D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

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

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

ICON L 2016 ECTURER TOY O Japa ITO n Pritzk e Laure r 2013 ate

ICON L 2016 ECTURER SIR P ETER UK COO K Roya l Gol d of th e RIB Medal A

Architecture and the City

February, 20 th, 18 1 17 ntre,Mum 6 e C u bai Nehr th

Architecture | Urbanism | Sustainability

e registr legat a e d r gree tion: Fo e d 1 s .net.i .36 n www

Chri st Benn opher i India nger

Sanj a Puri y India

The conference intends to create a platform to allude that the ‘City’ transcends the discernible elements of concrete buildings and infrastructure, they also comprise of public spaces such as parks, squares, streets and alleys that are equally significant components which influence the everyday urban life. The conference will attempt to highlight the urgent need to comprehend the role of architecture as both an agent of change and a catalyst of survival to comprehend the micro and macro level issues of sustainable design towards the development of our cities.

“One cannot make architecture without studying the condition of life in the city.” – Aldo Rossi

es Jam Law ong K Hong

hane Step er i Paum India Sustainability Partner

Euge n Pand e a India la

Ton Venh o Neth even erlan ds

Associate Partner Presenter of Young Designers 2016

Media Partners

Scot t Hors USA

Yann in Folla ore p Singa

Presented by EXPLORE

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ACCENTUATING THE NATURAL In conversation with IA&B, Indian landscape architect, Aniket Bhagwat talks about the firm, the milestones that it has achieved and taking landscape architecture far beyond its perimeters as a profession.

Text and Images: courtesy M/S Prabhakar B Bhagwat

Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

in conversation

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Professor Aniket Bhagwat is a third generation landscape architect practising in Ahmedabad with m/s Prabhakar B Bhagwat, a firm started by his father four decades ago. Aniket Bhagwat studied Architecture from Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad and pursued his Masters in Landscape Architecture from School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi. Drawing on the depth of his familiarity with the specialisation since childhood, Aniket is known to be an outspoken and stimulating writer, thinker and an academician. He co-edits and writes for SPADE, a chronicle on design research, theory and narrative, the only peer driven design magazine in the country. Through his discourse and practice, he strives to bridge the gap between the profession and academics and evolve design through discussion and criticism.

IA&B: The firm has come a long way across generations in your family. Could you describe the journey from its establishment to the present – its achievements, hurdles and goals?

AB: My father started his life as a garden apprentice where my grandfather was the superintendent at the Empress Botanical Garden in Pune when he was about 15 years old. This was the 1940s and my grandfather did gardens for the royalty or for the cantonment.

After his education and experience of working with C. Th Sorenson in Denmark and then with Brian Hackett in England, he returned to India to practice. He practiced for a few years in Mumbai and then studied Town Planning at Kharagpur IIT, where he also established the first landscape programme in India in the 50s. By the early 60s he took up a job with NID(National Institute of Design) in its founding days, and worked there till the early 70s. Further he went to Delhi for a short stint as the first Head of the landscape programme there, and

then established the office in its present form in 1973. So while the office is about 4 decades old, the lineage is almost 9 decades. As he ran the practice, he also found the time to establish the programme of landscape architecture at CEPT in the 80s and also founded ISOLA the professional body of landscape architects in India. I joined the firm in the mid-80s after I graduated from Delhi. The world has really changed, even if one were to just map this from the 60s.

In the early days, the idea of gardens had a cultural and societal empathy; people invested time and energy in the making of the garden and had patience. So while the profession was not known, the skill or depth of knowledge about plants, or soils, or simple ecology that an individual had, was much respected. I think the gardens that my father worked on, say for Kanvinde’s houses here, or some of Correa’s houses, for NID, or even for IIM, or as the state capital Gandhinagar

To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/

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Sustainability derives from indigenous roots Coal India Ltd, Kolkata Raj Rewal Associates enhances design through the collaboration of sustainable design with native techniques and forms.

Text: Meghna Mehta Drawings and Images: courtesy Raj Rewal Associates

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oal India ltd is one of the world’s largest organisations in terms of coal production. Its offices are located in different parts of Kolkata and a new site on the adjoining Rajarhat area offers potential of a unified organisation within one complex. The total area of the Coal India Ltd land is about 15 acres. It is a corner site surrounded by roads on three sides. Part of the site abuts a major arterial road leading to the Airport. The lease deed divides the land between office zone and housing area. The surroundings of the site include a hub of information technology offices as well as housing societies.

The design for the Coal India office complex is derived from a number of diverse ideas. Above all, its architectural expression reflects progressive values based on sustainable growth, energy saving devices and incorporation of photovoltaic panels to generate electricity.

‘Form follows sun’ to harvest the energy is an appropriate symbol for an organisation dealing with coal extraction. In an age threatened by Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

global warming and carbon emission, the utilisation of photovoltaic panels in a sun-drenched country is a necessity and the design is based on embracing the sun.

Rigorous research has been done by scientists to develop solar cells that are flexible enough to be rolled around or transparent enough to be used as tints. In the Coal India complex conventional PV cells would be fitted on the inclined roof element facing south at 22 degrees to generate maximum electricity at the cheapest possible cost. The surface on the roof is based on the requirements of PV cells to absorb maximum energy as well as to fulfill the requirements of the office. The stepped section of the office permits green terraces, which are shaded by photovoltaic panels.

The office complex is located prominently facing the major arterial road. However, the entry and exit to the office is through a side road to avoid conflict with the fast moving traffic.

architecture

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Entrance atrium.

To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/ Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

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Terraces redefined Farming Kindergarten, Vietnam

Vo Trong Nghia Architects redefine sustainable design through a unique combination of form and ecologically friendly approaches to the architecture of this institution.

Text: Meghna Mehta Drawings: courtesy Vo Trong Nghia Architects Photographs: courtesy Hiroyuki Oki

Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

architecture

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ietnam, historically an agricultural country is facing changes as it moves to a manufacturing based economy, taking its toll on the environment. Increased droughts, floods and salinisation jeopardise food supplies, while numerous motorbikes cause daily congestion and air pollution in the cities. Rapid urbanisation deprives Vietnamese children of green lands and playgrounds, thus affecting their relationship with nature.

Farming Kindergarten was a challenge to counter these issues.

Located next to a big shoe factory, and designed for 500 children of the factory’s workers, the building was conceived as a continuous green roof, providing food and agriculture experience to children, as well as an extensive playground open to the sky.

To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/ Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

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A home to man and nature Zeb pilot house, Larvik, Norway The zeb ‘plus’ house is a fine example of modern architecture catering to human, technological and environmental needs.

Text: Meghna Mehta Images and Drawings: courtesy Snøhetta

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ontemporary architecture of the 21 st century is often looked upon as an amalgamation of minimalist, sustainable and environmental friendly impressions. Building professionals persistently come up with new breeds of large and small scale buildings that are both habitable and environmentally benign. The ‘Plus’ house in Larvik, Norway, is a design drawn on the same lines. The house is a result of a collaboration between the architecture and design firm Snøhetta, Scandinavia’s largest independent research body SINTEF, Zero Emission Building (ZEB) partner Brødrene Dahl, and Optimera.

In addition to satiating the basic necessity of providing shelter, the house also adheres to the energy consumption needs of the family.

Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

The family consumes an approximate of 7272kwh per year, whereas, the house produces 19200kwh annually; enough to keep a car charged all year round. This single family home stands as a benchmark and a prototype learning model for houses of tomorrow.

Judging the solar positions, the ease of construction and the aesthetics, architect Anne Cicilie Haug tilts the roof at an angle of 19 degrees. The slope clad with solar panels and solar collectors give a distinctive character to the ‘house in the garden’ as referred to, by the studio. Geothermal energy from wells from the ground and the solar energy, together generate energy for the house. The house has achieved ZEB-OM classification that documents and verifies a

international

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The roof tilted at an angle of 19 degrees to align with the solar positions and give it a distinct character.

To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/ Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

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Fish and Bridge Maniyarasan Rajendran graphically derives the coherence between land and sea expressing the power of nature.

Text: Meghna Mehta Photographs: courtesy Maniyarasan Rajendran Curated by: Dr Deepak John Mathew

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ne can be jaded by the mundane visuals of popular destinations. However once one enters Pamban and approaches the new bridge, the sea view revealing itself creates a unique conandrum.

Pamban bridge, located in Tamil Nadu, is India’s first sea bridge, and was the longest sea bridge in India until 2010. Pamban is a great example of how humans can carry both the past and the present without destroying each other; how new ideas do not harm the old and ancient traditions. Sometimes, visually there is not much entropy to see a rail-track besides a bridge. The awe of the sea helps one appreciate this composition of the land and the sea. The entire atmosphere starts transforming when a train start to approach the scene.The boats, the patterns and their arrangements in the sea, could generate forms in angles to generate design patterns. People unloading the boat, some sailing

Indian Architect & Builder - January 2016

those boats, while on the other side, a train approaching makes it a surreal moment. A kind of theatre starts to begin as the train approaches the setting.

The fishing boats attract bird life creating a sense of harmony between air, water and land anchoring the belief that the survival of these together creates a visual composition of coherence. The natural colours of the sea, incidentally even the train along with contrasts of the land remind of the power of nature over anything manmade.

Probably, Pamban is one of those destinations which shows the might of human power against nature. Like the stories from Greek mythology when humans fought against gods. In myth or in reality, humans will continue to, if not win, but survive the war against nature.