November 2016 by Indian Architect & Builder Magazine

TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER 102 MUMBAI ` 200 NOVEMBER 2016 VOL 30 (3)

INTERVIEW Kazuyo Sejima, SANAA INTERNATIONAL MAD architects BOOK REVIEW The Structure: Works of Mahendra Raj SPACE FRAMES Urban Trance

PRESENTS

STRUCTURE

A R CHI TECTUR E

CONFERENCE CHANGING URBAN SKYLINE 2 ND DECEMBER, 2016, INDIAN HABITAT CENTRE, NEW DELHI SPEAKERS

CHIEF GUEST

Track: Architecture

Shri Suresh Prabhu Honourable Minister of Railways, Government of India OPENING ADDRESS

Shri Mahendra Raj Mahendra Raj Consultants Pvt Ltd, Chairman - Central Advisory Board

Balbir Verma Balbir Verma & Associates, New Delhi, Chairman Program Commitee

Christopher Benninger CCBA, Pune

Jasbir Sawhney Jasbir Sawhney & Associates, New Delhi

Ar. Mili Majumdar Managing Director, Green Business Certification Institute Pvt Ltd, India and Senior Vice President, USGBC

Track: Engineering

Delegate registration Fees: INR 1500/- per delegate For delegate registration email at iabevents@jasubhai.com Or log onto: http://361degrees.net.in/iab_delhi/index.html Sustainability Partner:

Organised by:

Knowledge Partners:

Mahesh Tandon Tandon Consultants Pvt Ltd, Chairman Program Commitee

Track: Construction & Quality Control

M V Satish Whole-Time Director & Senior Executive VP, L&T â&#x20AC;&#x201C;ECC

Dr. Jaijit Bhattacharya Partner, Infrastructure & Government Services, KPMG, India

NB: Remaining speakers to be announced shortly. The program is subject to last minute changes.

EXPLORE

VOL 30 (3) | NOVEMBER 2016 | ` 200 | www.iabforum.com RNI REGISTRATION NO. 46976/87, ISSN 0971-5509 INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER

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CURRENT

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

POST EVENT Architecture And The City

SALES Brand Manager: Sudhanshu Nagar Email: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com

Indian Architect & Builder presented a conference on the relationship between architecture and its urban counter-parts.

MARKETING TEAM & OFFICES

PRODUCTS

Information of state-of-art products, from across the globe, which are slick, contemporary and innovative .

INTERVIEW A lightness of being

In conversation with Suchitra Deep, Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA talks about generic styles of emerging architecture and the role of women in architecture.

INTERNATIONAL Theatrics in Architecture

An Opera House built by MAD architects explores an amalgamation of culture and innovation.

Organic Families

Urko Sanchez Architects promotes symbiotic communities in a neighbourhood scale village.

Cocoon in Nature’s basket

Sook Architects redesigns a family home using traditional Siamese architecture.

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

2b architectes creates interwoven private and community spaces in an urban environment.

INTERIORS Truly Madly Office-Cafe

The multi-faceted space designed by Studio Woods, serves as a gateway of inspired love.

Lookup HQ

The contemporary interiors designed by Bhumiputra Architecture, is conceptualised around the idea of fun and dynamism.

BOOK REVIEW The Structure: Works of Mahendra Raj

Delhi: Chitra Sharma, Manju Sinha, Suman Kumar 803, Chiranjeev Tower, No 43, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110 019 Tel: +91 11 2623 5332, Fax: 011 2642 7404 Email: chitra_sharma@jasubhai.com suman_kumar@jasubhai.com

Sympathetic Communities

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

SPACE FRAMES Urban Trance

Atik Bheda captures human settlements in an urban context.

Cover Image: © Hufton+Crow

Erratum: In September 2016, the images published under the project title “An Audacious Outlook” are from another project. Both the projects are re-published in this issue under the titles “Truly Madly Office - Cafe” and “LookUp HQ”.

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.

A LIGHTNESS OF BEING Suchitra Deep spoke to Kazuyo Sejima about SANAA’s work and also her own journey as a woman in the profession. Kazuyo Sejima is associated with SANAA, the acclaimed Tokyo based practice where Sejima is a partner with Ryue Nishizawa. They were awarded the Pritzker prize in 2010, when they received international identity due to this notable achievement. Text and Images: courtesy SANAA, IMREY CULBERT, Catherine

Mosbach and Iwan Baan

Kazuyo Sejima was in Bangalore on the invitation of MASA (Malnad Architecture School Alumni) to talk about her work at SANAA, the acclaimed Tokyo based practice where Sejima is a partner with Ryue Nishizawa. Although SANAA had been steadily making inroads within their country, they became internationally known when they were awarded the Pritzker prize in 2010. The Pritzker sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize for architecture, has been awarded to just one woman before Sejima since its inception when Zaha Hadid won it in 2004. Architecture is a notoriously male dominated field, and the higher one climbs, the fewer the number of women one finds. Perhaps this is one reason that most awards in architecture seem to go to men. Given that, for Sejima to ‘make it’ in architecture, and so impressively, is not a small achievement. SANAA (acronym for Sejima and Nishizawa Associates) was founded in 1995 when Sejima invited Nishizawa to become a partner in her firm. Since then they have worked on many projects both inside Japan and increasingly now, in other parts of the world. The firm is unique in the manner that they operate as a practice. Alongside their combined work in SANAA, both Sejima and Nishizawa also work independently on their own commissions within the office, and these individual projects operate on very different scales. Sejima has designed houses on plots less than a thousand square feet in size, while a project like the River building at Grace Farms has 80 acres to spread out on. This diversity brings richness to their cerebration and an attitude of openness to work outside the envelope.

Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

interveiw

Suchitra Deep: Increasingly we find that buildings all around the world look similar. Since SANAA is also working in different parts of the world, do you feel that this is a good trend or should the regional differences be maintained? Kazuyo Sejima: I agree that they are starting to look similar, but then, each area also has its own characteristic architecture, which I feel is very important. In India, I see you have many different kinds of people staying here, and there also international visitors coming from outside. So you have the food that is made here, but you also keep a knife and fork, so both go side by side! So, in every culture, people keep their customs and it is very important because there is a history to these traditions. All these things make an impression on architecture. People tell me that SANAA uses glass everywhere, but I think glass is one of the most global of materials. When I use glass in the US, the material comes from Europe and it gets cut in China, and then it gets treated in Spain, and then it is shipped to the US! Even when the material is the same, there is a difference in its appearance. Each local area has something, some detail that makes it different. We try to use the materials that are available readymade in France, or in the US, and we add our own details. When it gets done, I am told, oh, this looks very French or American! This is an interesting process for me to go through. Suchitra Deep: But there is a feeling that some of your buildings built in different locations do look the same. KS: Yes, sometimes we also have to respond to what the people want from us. But I feel that they may seem similar to look at, but they are

also different. For example, in Japan, we prefer the glass doors to be lighter, but in Europe, they are quite heavy. We come from a place that is humid, and our buildings were made of paper. In Europe, they start with this (keeps her hands apart), and in Japan, we start with this (keeps her hands very close). So the proportions might be the same but the thinking is very different. In Europe, they need closed boxes with thick walls and insulation to keep out the cold. But in Asia, we need places like this (gestures to show the space we are sitting in, which is a pavilion with no walls), so we should think about space differently. Now, I feel the Westerners are also starting to respect this thinking. Many years ago, when I invited some Western architects to Japan for a competition, they could not understand the concept of openness. Now they understand what I mean when I say ‘open’. It is also about connecting to the outside. They are also trying to change their buildings to connect with natural surroundings. Suchitra Deep: Many of your buildings have practically no color and no sense of an ‘edge’. Why is that? KS: On reason is that is that we do a lot of museums, and for that we have to use just basic whites. The other reason is that our plans are made in such a way that there is no hierarchy of front, center and back. We generally use very few materials, and we do not want any shadows; and when there are no shadows, they appear quite white. Suchitra Deep: But traditionally Japanese architecture is all about shadows… KS: Yes. Earlier we used to think, we do not want shadows. But Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

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Sunset view of the opera house from the pond with the small theatre in the foreground.

Theatrics in Architecture Harbin Opera House, Harbin, China.

MAD architects explore a new meaning of culture combined with innovation imbibing the necessary technical aspects to create a local symbolic masterpiece. Text and Drawings: courtesy MAD Architects Photographs: courtesy Hufton+Crow & Adam Mørk

n 2010, MAD won the international open competition for Harbin Cultural Island, a master plan for an opera house, a cultural center, and the surrounding wetland landscape along Harbin’s Songhua River located in the Northern Chinese city of Harbin. The sinuous opera Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

house is the focal point of the Cultural Island, occupying a building area of approximately 850,000 square feet of the site’s 444 acres total area. It features a grand theater that can host over 1,600 patrons and a smaller theater to accommodate an intimate audience of 400.

international

Embedded within Harbin’s wetlands, the Harbin Opera House was designed in response to the force and spirit of the northern city’s untamed wilderness and frigid climate. Appearing as if sculpted by wind and water, the building seamlessly blends in with nature and the topography—a transfusion of local identity, art, and culture. “We envision Harbin Opera House as a cultural center of the future – a tremendous performance venue, as well as a dramatic public space that embodies the integration of human, art and the city identity, while synergistically blending with the surrounding nature,” said Ma Yansong, founding principal, MAD Architects. On the exterior, the architecture references the sinuous landscape of the surrounding area. The resulting curvilinear façade composed of smooth white aluminum panels becomes the poetry of edge and surface, softness and sharpness. The journey begins upon crossing the bridge onto Harbin Cultural Island, where the undulating architectural mass wraps a large public plaza, and during winter months, melts into the snowy winter environment.

The architectural procession choreographs a conceptual narrative, one that transforms visitors into performers. Upon entering the grand lobby, visitors will see large transparent glass walls spanning the grand lobby, visually connecting the curvilinear interior with the swooping façade and exterior plaza. Soaring above, a crystalline glass curtain wall soars over the grand lobby space with the support of a lightweight diagrid structure. Comprised of glass pyramids, the surface alternates between smooth and faceted, referencing the billowing snow and ice of the frigid climate. Visitors are greeted with the simple opulence of natural light and material sensation—all before taking their seat. Presenting a warm and inviting element, the grand theater is clad in rich wood, emulating a wooden block that has been gently eroded away. Sculpted from Manchurian Ash, the wooden walls gently wrap around the main stage and theater seating. From the proscenium to the mezzanine balcony the grand theater’s use of simple materials and spatial configuration provides world-class acoustics. The grand Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

54 © Adam Mørk

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Detail of the sculpted wood surfaces.

Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

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Mezzanine and balcony seating.

theater is illuminated in part by a subtle skylight that connects the audience to the exterior and the passing of time.

Within the second, smaller theater, the interior is connected seamlessly to the exterior by the large, panoramic window behind the performance stage. This wall of sound-proof glass provides a naturally scenic backdrop for performances and activates the stage as an extension of the outdoor environment, inspiring production opportunities. Harbin Opera House emphasizes public interaction and participation with the building. Both ticketholders and the general public alike can explore the façade’s carved paths and ascend the building as if traversing local topography. At the apex, visitors discover an open, exterior performance space that serves as an observation platform for visitors to survey the panoramic views of Harbin’s metropolitan skyline and the surrounding wetlands below. Upon descent, visitors return to the expansive public plaza, and are invited to explore the grand lobby space. Surpassing the complex opera house typology, MAD articulates an architecture inspired by nature and saturated in local identity, culture and art. As the Harbin Opera House deepens the emotional connection of the public with the environment, the architecture is consequently theatrical in both its performance of narrative spaces and its context within the landscape.

FACT FILE: Project : Location : Building Area : Initiation of Project : Completion of project : Architect : Client : Development Group Co., Ltd. Directors : Design Team : Associate Engineers : (BIAD) Institute No.3 Façade/cladding Consultants : BIM : Landscape Architect : Interior Design : Interior Decoration Consultants : Acoustics Consultants : Lighting Design : Stage Lighting and Acoustics Design : Stage Mechanical Engineers :

Harbin Opera House Harbin, China 850,000 sqft 2009 2013 MAD Architects Harbin Songbei Investment and Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano Jordan Kanter, Daniel Gillen, Bas van Wylick, Liu Huiying, Fu Changrui, Zhao Wei, Kin Li, Zheng Fang, Julian Sattler, Jackob Beer, J Travis Russett, Sohith Perera, Colby Thomas Suter, Yu Kui, Philippe Brysse, Huang Wei, Flora Lee, Wang Wei, Xie Yibang, Lyo Hengliu, Alexander Cornelius, Alex Gornelius, Mao Beihong, Gianantonio Bongiorno, Jei Kim, Chen Yuanyu, Yu Haochen, Qin Lichao, Pil-Sun Ham, Mingyu Seol, Lin Guomin, Zhang Haixia, Li Guangchong, Wilson Wu, Ma Ning, Davide Signorato, Nick Tran, Xiang Ling, Gustavo Alfred Van Staveren, Yang Jie, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Inhabit Group, China Jingye Engineering Co., Ltd. Gehry Technologies Co., Ltd. Beijing Turenscape Institute MAD Architects, Shenzhen Keyuan Construction Group Co., Ltd. Harbin Weimeiyuan Decoration Design Co., Ltd. Acoustic and Theater Special Design & Research Studio of East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI) China International Engineering Design & Consult Co., Ltd. Acoustic and Theater Special Design & Research Studio of East China Architectural Design & Research Institute (ECADI) Beijing New Era Architectural Design Ltd.

Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

External view of Urban Villa 4 in 1. Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

international

Sympathetic Communities Urban Villa Beaumont 4 in 1

Designed by 2b architectes, the building is an exemplary instance of a design principle which creates dichotomous spaces, to enable privacy and communication simultaneously. Text: Dhwani Shanghvi Drawings: courtesy 2b architectes

ocated in Lausanne, the Urban Villa Beaumont 4 in 1 is set within an estate with several 19th century buildings. Borrowing from the proportions of the historic buildings in its vicinity, the housing block is designed as a complex composition of four multi-storied apartments. Accessed via a square courtyard in the centre of the irregularly shaped, six-sided building, the apartments are all of varying sizes. Not dedicated to any floor or portion of the building, the apartments grow spirally around each other, interlocked across the double helical staircase that borders the centrally placed courtyard. The largest apartment is a family unit of four bedrooms, which, in addition to spanning across the entire top floor also occupies spaces on the lower floors. On the other hand, the smallest apartment consists of only one bedroom, a multi-purpose living area and three garages. The remaining units have three bedrooms each, along with a parking space at the ground level. Not only do the apartments have their individual entrances from the courtyards, but can also access the garage and garden areas. Although the architects have created an interwoven geometry for the apartments, each of the houses have a typological identity and the unique composition affords the spaces an opportunity to benefit from the various vantage points that the asymmetrical profile of the building allows. The complex layout of the interior is reflected on the exterior with the aid of different finishes on the façade of the building. In order to distinguish the four apartments, the architects have divided the façade into four parts, to mark out the profile of the layout within. Some parts thus have a grained texture, which are cast against timber boards while others have a smooth texture. Yet others are treated with a chemical wash to create a graphically enriched surface texture. The windows, the proportions for which are inspired from the traditional buildings in the vicinity, are another element of distinction, not only through their size, but also through their position along the section of the wall- where some are flushed along the wall surface while others are recessed. Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

interiors

Truly Madly Office-Cafe A Shakespearean theme merged with the contemporary commercial space, Studio Woods has given their clients a gateway of inspired Love through their interiors. Text and Drawings: Studio Wood Photographs: courtesy Arvind Hoon Compiled by: Divya Pai

onverting an art gallery into an organised commercial space asks for major internal changes. To begin with, the designers had to initiate their plans with the inherited darkness observed in the primary version of that area and inserted artificial lights into their functional spaces. The client had specified the number of people working and expected segments yet visually open working space. The 5000 square foot space of Truly Madly was segmented into three zones as per their requirements, namely ‘UnRavel’ - the working space, ‘UnSingle’- the conference area and ‘UnWind’ - the basement cum cafeteria.

The planners emerged with the concept of ‘finding love anywhere’ while putting up the layout of involving their outdoor ambience and blending the interiors accordingly. On same plane there lies a double heighted area with a metaphorical window and words in Shakespearean English adorned on the wall. The real effect in their project is that in its ceiling-scape; inspired by a growing tree, it depicts the rapid growth of the dating application. The acrylic pendant lights, spots and tracks are all suspended from this royal blue structure. Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

Urban Trance Atik Bheda here has given us a glimpse of how human settlements have piled up over a period of time on an urban level. Text: Divya Pai Photographs: courtesy Atik Bheda

hen one exclaims to be an individual residing in in city, enjoying their city life, they do tend to miss the freedom of “Space”. The fight for every inch of free space in cities like Delhi and Mumbai has now started creating its psychological impact on an urban scale. Time rolling faster in these overcrowded cities has made every individual feel like a loner shielding itself in their shell like private space accomplished here. The environmental impacts are all forgotten since human race in these cities are trying to make evolution in every square foot area that they settle with. There are dreams that every individual runs here for even in this clogged situation which keeps the hope of achievement alive for them. Every corner of the street carries a sporting enthusiasm which gets denser day by day and is tagged with “Urbanisation”. This photo essay tries to capture the urban daze that every dweller comes across when they step into this civility in their life.

Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

space frames

Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016

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Atik Bheda is an architect from Navsari, Gujarat, who graduated from Hubli, Karnataka. With a keen interest in urban design, he tries to study urban settlements through his lens. He enjoys experimenting in different styles and his genre is architecture, streets and travel photography.

Space Frames investigates issues of architecture and environment through the medium of photography. To contribute, write to us at iabedt@jasubhai.com or to the curator Dr Mathew at dr.djmathew@gmail.com.

Indian Architect & Builder - November 2016