May 2012

` 200 MAY 2012 VOL 25 (9)

ARCHITECTURE

Lotus Praxis Initiative, New Delhi Hundredhands, Bengaluru

URBANISM Anagram Architects, New Delhi

YOUNG DESIGNERS

Sensen Designs, New Delhi Muse, Mumbai

18 IA&B - MAY 2012

Reverence Veteran South African architect Peter Rich talks about the essential understanding of culture in architecture that is primarily a reflection of values of people, in conversation with IA&B.

Image: courtesy Peter Rich Architects

By studying indigenous tribes, especially the architecture of the Ndebele, Peter’s designs are rooted in Africa and show a profound African understanding. The architecture of the practice is extremely diverse due to each project being specially formulated for the specific site in which it is located. His practice has been awarded many awards such as in the World Architecture Festival in 2009; The Fassa Bortolo International Prize for Sustainable Architecture, Silver Medal, Ferrara, Italy, 2011; The Earth Awards, London, 2010; Holcim Acknowledgment Awards, 2008, etc. His work is intense, sensitive and remarkably responsive to its context.

IA&B: You have played several roles - a practitioner, a professor, a facilitator and an activist. How have these helped you develop a better understanding of architecture?

PR: By getting off the professional and academic pedestal, and engaging people with deference as to their culture, who they are (their story), and what I can learn from them - what they can teach me, I became better equipped to translate their (the other cultures) needs into an appropriate built form.

Through the human factor, I became a better architect in translating and interpreting the needs of the ordinary people I was designing for.

IA&B: What, according to you, is the relevance of regional identity and social practices in architecture?

PR: A Ndebele matriarch said to me upon my enquiring as to the source and influence on her aesthetic decisions - made through sculpture and paint

let’s partner

adorning the courts of her homestead - in order that it functions as a stage set for rituals to be performed representing the rites of passage: “…..We see what we want to see – and make it our own………”

Through seeing and observing their own and other cultures’ images and usage of space, an image is translated by the women into something, that by virtue of its new context and re-interpretation, acquires a distinctive and different symbolic meaning. This is what ‘good’ architects do - an appropriate regional or hybrid architecture which gains acceptance. It is important for the designer to respect the nuances of order, hierarchy and space usage in their social practice.

IA&B: You have previously stated that “A house is not a home unless it is a village”. Can you please elaborate?

PR: This is a quotation which I coined as an outcome of my work amongst living Indigenous African cultures. I observed that to a Western mindset, the house and home were viewed and thought of as an object. To an African, the concept of home was not an object but a holistic vision of the entire designated landholding; the perimeter fence, the approach, the maize fields, the graveyard, the refuse heap, the cattle byre, the arrival area onto which the courtyards of the homestead fronted, and the ordered labyrinth of courtyards and detached pavilions which constituted the homestead. Hence, “to an African - a house is not a home unless it is a village”.

IA&B: Your work is recognised as a fusion of modernism and tradition. How is the understanding of such an approach born?

PR: I was privileged, as an undergraduate, to receive an excellent Western history of architecture education from many brilliant teachers i.e. from the Egyptians to modernism, inclusive of more recent movements. Nurtured on Le Corbusier and Aalto, South Africa has a proud tradition of good modernist architects with the banner being carried by a high concentration of talented Jewish architects between the two World Wars. Corbusier paid homage to them in a letter to South African architects who had visited him. This letter was published in the first edition of Corb’s Qevre complet. My surrogate father and mentor Pancho Guedes fostered my interest in contemporary African art and architecture (which, of course, was ignored in our colonial society and teaching). I went out as an activist on a voyage of discovery on what it meant to be African; an architect with the same curiosity as Rysard Kapuchinski has as a journalist. Synthesis in this climate came through doing - my 70s/80s house addition Westridge house in investigating Adolf Loos’s Raumplan alongside Ndebele spatial ideas of diagonal extensions, is a testimony to this.

IA&B: Do you think travel is important in architecture? How have your travels influenced your work?

PR: I am an architectural ‘junkie’. I benefit immensely from visiting and experiencing great architecture across the world. It is an essential part of my personal growth and pleasure. It is not just buildings, but a fascination with cultural diversity.

IA&B: Do you think your sketches are an account of how you perceive and understand the world? Can you please elaborate?

PR: “Sempere vedare” Leonardo Da Vinci - “to see with understanding”. You hold the autobiography of who you are in the palm of your hand. “Through drawing you synergise with the databank of your mind - the thinking hand,” wrote Juhani Pallasmaa. Without drawing how do you access this resource?

Linked in your intuitive ‘source’, coupled with reason and common sense, you have a winning combination.

IA&B: Does art significantly influence the tribal vernacular architecture of Africa? How so?

PR: Ndebele women, although illiterate, are extremely advanced and knowledgeable about architecture and art. The plan is in their mind.

Through personal adornment of the body and an innate anthropomorphic knowledge, they are very versed in the lessons of Classicism. They make design and compositional decisions as though they had Palladio’s Quattro Libri with them.

IA&B: Your work displays a commitment to the creation of architecture that is uniquely African. Which of your projects do you think represents your manifesto the most appropriately and why?

PR: The Kemp House in Natures Valley is my favourite built project in this regard - three detached pavilions linked by a covered verandah. The checker board of the pavilions defines outdoor spaces and articulates rooms i.e. a morning court, an arrival street court and an inner court. There are diagonal extensions of space at the corners of the inner court. It is a prime example of served and service-space articulation. This design idea of checker-boarding and creating spaces between has permutated through my recent work, too; Chicago office refurbishment, Learnt in Translation Exhibition layout and the new Capital City plan for Ramciel in South Sudan.

IA&B: From your studies on the tribal settlements in Africa, do you feel the need for better education of architectural practitioners/audience? How can this be achieved?

PR: I had, by virtue of my age, access to living peasant cultures - who are masterful at sustainability; making good, common-sense use of what they have (materials and skills in response to climate). In education, we need to get back to basics, in addition to the teaching of common sense and the grammar of our discipline so we can talk its language; history of architecture of the western world and an expanded teaching of architectural history in the context of where the formal school is located.

IA&B: Understanding of culture or vulnerability of ecology, which do you think is a more pressing concern? Why so?

PR: Both. As it is in the vocabulary of peasant vernacular architecture - a complete synergy between the two. Ecological, common-sense sustainability should be a given, as should be a profound deference to the culture you are designing for.

18

LET’S PARTNER Reverence Veteran South African architect Peter Rich shares his ideology of an architecture rooted in the sense of depth and spirit of culture and context with IA&B.

24

CURRENT Au courant updates on competitions, news and events.

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

EDITORIAL

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

Head Office:

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

Things, objects and designs for architectural spaces.

32

The AEARTH Resort in Manali by Delhi-based M:OFA Studios dramatises the formative tenancies of the local architecture with its bold geomorphic form yet not overwhelming the ecology of the context.

34

International Hockey Stadium, Mohali Sculpted as a “spaceship” canopy with a modern façade and outlook, the International Hockey Stadium in Mohali by Delhi-based Incubis Consultants will

Brand Manager: Sudhanshu Nagar E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com

accommodate 13,000 spectators.

36

TECHNOLOGY Learning from Waste Consulting Kieran Timberlake Associates, landscape architects Andropogon Associates, and LEED consultants GreenShape, the school board of Sidwell Friends

Delhi: Preeti Singh / Manu Raj Singhal / Ankit Garg 803, Chiranjeev Tower, No 43, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110 019 Tel: 011 2623 5332, Fax: 011 2642 7404, E-mail: preeti_singh@jasubhai.com, manu_singhal@jasubhai.com, ankit_garg@jasubhai.com Gujarat: Parvez Memon Mobile: 09769758712, Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

CONSTRUCTION BRIEF AEARTH Resort, Manali

SALES

MARKETING TEAM & OFFICES Mumbai Viresh Pandey / Parvez Memon 210, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, Dr. D. N. Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001, Tel: +91-22- 4213 6400,+ 91 -22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 Email: viresh_pandey@jasubhai.com, parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

PRODUCTS

School, Washington, D. C aesthetically transforms the courtyard of the school into a waste treatment strategy.

40

ARCHITECTURE

Bengaluru: Viresh Pandey Mobile: 09833747615, Email: viresh_pandey@jasubhai.com

Essential Architecture

Chennai / Coimbatore: Viresh Pandey Mobile: 09833747615, Email: viresh_pandey@jasubhai.com

designed by Hundredhands, a Bengaluru-based architectural practice, emphasise

Hyderabad: Viresh Pandey Mobile: 09833747615, Email: viresh_pandey@jasubhai.com Kolkata: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: 09833104834, E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com Pune: Viresh Pandey Mobile: 09833747615, Email: viresh_pandey@jasubhai.com

Intimate with simple visual scale, TAAQADEMY, a music studio and NUA, a restaurant the quality of spaces through contrasts and material expressions.

56

RAAS Reminding of spaces that can be found in time, skills of craftsmanship with a contemporary outlook, RAAS, by the Lotus Praxis Initiative sits lightly amidst the historic context of the fort and the renowned blue-tinged lanes of the old city of Jodhpur.

72

URBANISM Retrofitting ‘Forgotten Spaces’ The Ring (T) Rail Project, New Delhi, proposed by Anagram Architects, negotiates with experiential notions of engaging with the community and antiquity, with traces of ideas to revitalise the co-extensive tensions and possibilities of a city’s ‘forgotten assets’.

80

BOOK REVIEW Yes Is More Expressive and multidimensional, YES IS MORE paces out more than a creative idea for a monologue by Bjarke Ingels.

82

YOUNG DESIGNERS ‘12 ARCHITECTURE: Resonance Imbibing the colour and texture of its context, Bissel Farm House in the Marwar region of Rajasthan by Delhi-based firm Sensen Designs is “a story in stone”.

88

INTERIORS Colours of Surprise The interiority of the Orbit Hotel, by Mumbai-based Muse stencils in an inviting contemporary retrofit boasting of minimalist glamour.

92

SPACE FRAMES

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

In Loving Memory of Dr. Deepak J. Mathew, in this issue of space frames, explores intimate objects of longing and memory and finds that the physical manifestations of nostalgia are just as profound as remembrance itself.

Co v e

ge: r Ima

Andr

anth F .

J é

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

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

Indian Architect & Builder: (ISSN 0971-5509), RNI No 46976/87, is a JMPL monthly publication.

Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or any other language is strictly prohibited.

We welcome articles, but do not accept responsibility for contributions lost in the mail.

ome

V

current Collaboration in Architecture + Design

Inside Outside Mega Show Coimbatore

Date Venue

Date Venue

June 15-22, 2012 Portsmouth, Hampshire

This end-of-the-year exhibition is a showcase of work of the Portsmouth School of Architecture. It features projects from the degree courses in Architecture and Interior Design and also displays exhibits from the post graduate study in architecture, interior, urban, sustainable and historic building conservation. The theme of this year’s exhibition is ‘Collaboration’, presenting different aspects of collaborative projects, the link to practice and life projects, connections with institutions abroad and the value of interdisciplinary engagement in architecture.

For further information: Email: architecture@port.ac.uk

2012 ACSA International Conference: CHANGE, Architecture, Education, Practices Date Venue

: :

June 20-23, 2012 Barcelona, Spain

The first ACSA International Conference since 2005 will focus on schools and intellectual leadership as we transition to new economic scenarios and professional cultures in architecture worldwide. It can be argued that architecture in both the academic and professional realms is experiencing pressures as never before, and is shifting due to multiple factors. These forces include globalisation, the expanding roles of technology, rapid urbanisation, new energy policies, and regulatory agencies, among many others. The 2012 ACSA International Conference will focus on CHANGE, and will explore these issues in relation to seven themes, civic engagement, academia, practice, technology, cities, globalisation, sustainability and one flexible open category.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.acsa-arch.org/programs-events/conferences/international-conference

Baicon Date Venue

: :

29 June - 01 July, 2012 Chennai, India

Baicon is one of the most reputed trade shows in the construction industry.

This event will be an extensive display of the latest and the most advanced equipment’s, machinery, technologies and materials that are related to the construction sector. This event has a record of bringing together more than 65 exhibitors from all over India and China and around 10400 visitors under one roof. In this event the attendees will also be able to meet eminent brands from the construction sector. Boasting of a large number of visitors, this event will provide the exhibitors with numerous opportunities to generate effective sales and business leads. Baicon is one of the best chances for the industry to see, compare and buy all the latest products, equipment and technology ultimately, as well as the chance to see a host of suppliers in one place over three days, saving businesses valuable time and money.

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

: :

July 05-08, 2012 Coimbatore, India

Inside Outside Mega Show Coimbatore is a event focused on interior decoration, furniture, furnishing as well as building and construction industries. Organised by Business India Exhibitions, this premier exhibition serves as an outstanding platform for national and international exhibitors to launch their innovative products and interact with their target customers.

Since its inception in the year 1988, the Inside Outside Mega Show exhibition has extended its exhibition centres regularly. The audience at the Inside Outside Mega Show 2012 Coimbatore will have opportunity to network with key players in the industry and to gather information about the latest design, products and services. The show has been acclaimed as one of the leading events of its category in India. Attracting the country’s top-rated architects, contractors, builders and interior designers, the exhibition, over the years, has become synonymous with what is new and exciting on the Indian design scene. One of the finest products and brands in India will be on display at the much-attented and appreciated industry show.

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

Wastelands: Architecture Student Assembly Date Venue

: :

July 16-29, 2012 Helsinki, Finland

Over 500 young, emerging architects and artists from over 50 countries around Europe and beyond are invited to gather at the World Design Capital of the year, in the city of Helsinki, to take part in a two-week festival of workshops, lectures, social interaction and monumental experiences. The concept of this annual, pioneering summer-assembly was established in Liverpool in 1981 by local students, determined to organise an event which would later revolutionise the international scene of young European architects. The European Architecture Students Assembly is fundamentally different to all other student architecture organisations around the world; it is a network of students, by students, for students.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.wastelands.fi

India International Build Expo Date Venue

: :

July 20-22, 2012 Chennai, India

India International Build Expo is one of the largest Indian trade events, dedicated exclusively to the construction and building sector. The show is instrumental in helping qualified professionals from this sector to exchange topical industry information. Held at Chennai Trade Centre over three days, the expo boasts of more than 2000 trade visitors, hailing from multiple SAARC countries. A large array of building materials, ceramic tiles, electrical gadgets, roofing solutions, hardware tools, construction machines and realty services will be on display at the exhibition.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.prompttradefairs.com/international-buildexpo2012/aboutexhibition.asp

EVENTS

: :

26

Anne Feenstra wins Global Award for Sustainable Architecture Dutch architect Anne Feenstra has won the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture. The Award is presented every year to five architects who are committed to the notion of sustainable development and to a participative approach to the needs of society - whether in the northern or southern hemisphere. The award was created in 2006 by the architect and professor Jana Revedin with the help of French and European partners, and the work carried out in the last six years has given the Awards undeniable recognition. Anne Feenstra was one of the five awarded architects this year. Feenstra heads arch i, which operates in Kabul and New Delhi. He will be joining the likes of architects Bijoy Jain and B.V. Doshi, who have won this award from India for their contribution to Sustainable Architecture.

Anne Feenstra, originally from the Netherlands, practices a fine and subtle sustainable architecture with design philosophies based on innovative techniques and contemporary architecture, while respecting traditional skills and local building materials. With his design teams and extensive research, he has successfully developed community supported projects in India and Afghanistan.

‘Aga Khan Award‘ Prize Money Doubled The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, considered by many architects and urban planners to be one of the most important awards for architecture, has announced a doubling of its prize money - to USD one million. On the occasion of the announcement, His Highness the Aga Khan remarked that the doubling of the Award was meant to assist and support the recipients, many of whom are neither well-known, nor well-funded. “One of the important aspects of the Award,” he said, “is that winners should be able to reposition their future with the support they get from the Award, both professionally and institutionally.” The architectural prize, established by the Aga Khan in 1977, is presented in three-year cycles to multiple projects that set new standards of excellence in architecture. The projects can come from anywhere in the world, but must address the needs and aspirations of societies in which Muslims have a significant presence.

NEWS

Zaha Hadid’s Maxxi Museum Faces Closure Two years since its opening, the Maxxi Museum in Rome, Italy has run its course. It may now be shut down due the pressing economic crisis the country is stricken with, in addition to several major cuts in cultural funding, causing a great deal of stress on the arts. The museum authorities were told that the government’s contribution to the museum would be EUR 11 million, but due to the financial collapse the budget has been lowered to EUR two million for 2012. Now, as the museum officials failed to set a budget for 2013, the government has reportedly begun proceedings to put the high-profile museum under special administration. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the 2010 Stirling Prize-winning national art and architecture museum has attracted more than 450,000 visitors per year.

Hadid had exclaimed that the museum was an extraordinary success and had turned Rome into one of “the most important cities in the world for contemporary art”. However, projected losses for the museum could reach to the tune of EUR 11 million in the next three years.

RIAS Slammed for All-Male Convention Architects have hit out at The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) for failing to book a single female to speak at its high-profile annual convention and for the absence of women candidates in the upcoming council elections. Kieran Gaffney of Edinburgh-based practice Konishi Gaffney has written to the organisation about its line-up which includes Gareth Hoskins, John McAslan and Eric Parry but no women.

Commenting on the lack of women standing for RIAS council, Clare Wright of Wright & Wright Architects said that Scotland had a very longstanding reputation for encouraging and supporting women in the professions and in education. There have been excellent articulate candidates, who could have represented aspects uniquely relating to the 50 per cent of students and trainees who are women. However, in response, RIAS secretary and treasurer Neil Baxter said the organisation had approached women to speak but none were available. It has been reported that Kathryn Findlay was asked to speak at the RIAS convention, but was forced to decline due to a prior commitment to speak at the National | Architecture Conference in Brisbane, Australia.

Walters & Cohen scoops Woman Architect of the Year Award Michál Cohen and Cindy Walters topped a shortlist of strong competitors to win the coveted AJ Woman Architect of the Year award. The partners, who founded Walters & Cohen in 1994, have been recognised for design excellence, thought-leadership and being role models for aspiring architects. The practice is believed to be the first in the UK to be set up by two women. The AJ Women in Architecture Awards judges praised Cohen and Walters for the ‘consistent quality of their architecture, combined with the ethos of the practice,’ remarking upon their ‘active involvement with the RIBA and in teaching and examining at architecture schools’.

The company is currently masterplanning an arts hub for Godolphin and Latimer School in London and designing a new girls’ boarding house for Marlborough College in Wiltshire.

OMA wins Moscow City Agglomeration Development Concept Competition 1st Round Plans to increase the city of Moscow to 2.4 times its existing size took a big step forward as the ten shortlisted teams flew to Russia to meet with the Russian Federation Council and present their design concepts. For the first round of the competition, focussed on a plan for the Moscow Agglomeration as a whole, OMA proposed a joint framework for the development of Moscow and the Moscow Oblast, under which the administrative border and political mandate could address the entirety of the Agglomeration.

OMA proposed logistical hubs outside Moscow’s current boundaries which would be linked to the City and the Oblast through high-speed rail, integrating all forms of infrastructure: transport, broadband, industry, and energy provisions. On the proposed development strategy, OMA Partner-in-charge Reinier de Graaf said that they were honoured to participate in the ambitious project. The OMA team working with AMO, its internal research studio, is led by Reinier de Graaf and Associate Laura Baird.

28 IA&B - MAY 2012

Internationally acclaimed designer Paul Sandip redefines the art of drying clothes with his innovative ‘Clip’, keeping the simplicity of the design intact.

products

CLIP Text compiled by: Parikshit Vivekanand Images & drawings: courtesy Paul Sandip

T

he ‘Clip’ surpasses the regularity in design to bring the same functionality with maximum output. It is an attempt to redefine a mundane object to make place for fresh new thought in the field of mass manufacturing, while at the same time evoking the thought of ecological awareness and accountability. It is the stepping stone towards fighting the ever-so-large consumption of plastic housewares. The design tackled this dilemma by facilitating the prolonged life of the product. Increasing the life of the product has not only reduced wastage during manufacturing, but also conserved the embodied energy that was originally used to manufacture it.

The design comes with two sets of jaws which end the dilemma, if one fails. The construction of the design is such that it increases the potential life of the cloth peg by at least double. It performs the action of smoothly sliding over the cloth rather than open-and-close spring-like action as most pegs do. The product is a single piece injection moulded component in recycled plastic with reduced number of parts. It is a clothesline clip to be used as a daily life utility product for both indoor as well as outdoor application. ‘Clip’ fulfils more than it promises, not only in use, but the perceived pleasure is far greater than expected.

Designer: Paul Sandip Contact: Mobile: +91 9899 302 457 Email: differentialdesign@gmail.com Website: www.differentialdesign.blogspot.in

32 IA&B - MAY 2012 View of the resort on the site.

AEARTH Resort

Drawing inspiration from the local architecture of Manali, the AEARTH Resort, by M:OFA Studios, flaunts a geomorphic design, the idea being to blend with the natural topography without intruding into ecological microsystems.

Text compiled by: Shalmali Wagle Images: courtesy M:OFA Studios

C

radled in a coppice of Deodar trees, looking out into the stunning Himalayan peaks, the AEARTH Resort by M:OFA Studios is envisioned as a boutique art resort in Naggar, a quaint little village in the Kullu district. Located at an altitude of 1760m above mean sea level, the highly contoured site is windswept throughout the year with extreme winter temperatures. The concept draws inspiration from the local architecture of Manali with its use of slate walls, pine wood windows and sloping roofs. The project is divided into two parts - the cottages designed as biomorphic pods emulating ant hills on a slope, and the main resort building striking a balance with traditional architecture featuring an origami roof unfolding over it.

The resort will offer six cottages, a main building and an amphitheatre among other amenities. The main building will comprise of a reception lounge, a restaurant, a spa and an art gallery with a bar, and will be

Units developed as biomorphic pods.

View from the units.

construction brief

The cottages and the integrated recreational block, both are constructed over a reinforced cement concrete raft foundation with a retaining wall of 9m to counter the earth pressure from the hill side. The cottages are shaped out from steel frames that will rest upon concrete slabs placed at various locations. This framework will be covered with glass and concrete. Construction materials and joineries have been detailed to employ recycled or renewable materials wherever possible. The roofs of the cottages are a hybrid; partially glass and partially green in a triangulated fashion with natural green growth over the walls. Local species of vegetation will be used on the green roofs and walls so that the entire resort acts as a part of the landscape itself. The spa will be carved out under the cottages.

constructed around the existing trees on site, conspicuously carving an entrance between the existing clusters. The reception block at the entrance level, with its folded roof and a transparent faรงade, will provide Development of the resort on site. clear unobstructed views of the panorama outside.

The idea of the design is to blend in with the natural topography without intruding into ongoing ecological microsystems. A geomorphic design, every unit within the resort is conceived as a cocoon growing sporadically from the land, as an anthill connected in parts, and not as individual components competing for attention. With the use of triangulated folded-plate system and a calculated balance of sky-lit and green-roof panels, each unit appears to emerge from the hill as a manipulation of the grass-covered slopes. Skylights will allow natural light into the construction during winters, washing the white interiors with sufficient light and helping passive solar gains.

The art gallery, restaurant, lounge and reception are clubbed together to form a single block wrapped around by a steel-and-glass structure with a triangulated grid. The roof skeletal will be formed using a structural steel framework made out of steel tubes which are further connected using steel pipe bracings to form the triangular grids. 25 per cent of these grids will be used as skylights covered with double glazing and the rest of it will be covered with a thin shell of ferro-concrete, finished using live green roofing system watered through a network of drip irrigation. The open areas are intended to be soft paved wherever possible. The project is under construction on site and it is projected to see its completion by April 2013.

FACT FILE: Project Location Client Architect Design Team

: : : : :

Project Area Structural Consultants

: :

AEARTH Resort Naggar, Manali, Himachal Pradesh Palak Singh M:OFA Studios Pvt Ltd Manish Gulati (Principal Architect), Tanushree Gulati (Principal Planner), Abhinav Chaudhary, Abhishek Sorampuri, Priyanka Mahajan 950sqm ROARK Consulting Engineers

36 IA&B - MAY 2012 Sidwell Friends School’s courtyard.

Learning from Waste A courtyard at the Sidwell Friends School, Washington, D. C., creates a centrepiece out of waste treatment.

Text: Uma Sankar Sekar Images: courtesy Andropogon Associates Ltd

P

rojects going for LEED Certification usually attempt Water Efficiency Credits 1 and 3. Most water conservation strategies such as drought tolerant planting, high efficiency irrigation and low-flow or waterless flush fixtures are relatively easy to pursue. They are either low cost, or have a short payback period. However, WE Credit 2: Innovative Wastewater Technologies is seldom pursued. On-site wastewater treatment is seen as a substantial investment, calling for considerable expertise to design, install, operate and maintain. It also suffers from image problems, with health and sanitation concerns.

Not so in Sidwell Friends Middle School, Washington DC, certified LEED NC Platinum 2006, where a constructed wetland was given a starring role during its expansion. The Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker school, which espouses environmental stewardship as one of its tenets. When it was time to expand

the Middle School, the school board decided to put these tenets into practice.

Says Michael Saxenian, CFO and Assistant Head of the school, “We saw here an opportunity, as a relatively high profile school in the nation’s capital, to demonstrate some solutions that others may emulate.”

With a high-powered team consisting of architects Kieran Timberlake Associates, landscape architects Andropogon Associates, and LEED consultants GreenShape, the school board looked for ways to integrate rain, grey and black water management into the architecture. The original inspiration for an on-site waste management system came from a visit to Oberlin College in Ohio. Here, waste water is treated inside a solarium through a plant and bacteria-based filtration process, or a “Living Machine”. The Board was impressed with the idea and initial schematic designs for the Sidwell Friends

technology Middle School expansion showed a similar concept. As the design progressed, GreenShape suggested that it might be more in keeping with the school’s core values to incorporate a constructed wetland. Unlike the indoor facility which uses tropical plants, a constructed wetland is outdoors and uses native temperate plants. This idea was warmly embraced by the school faculty, who recognised its teaching potential.

The constructed wetlands were a first for Andropogon Associates, and a search for an informed collaborator brought in Natural Systems International (NSI), a firm that specialises in ecological engineering. Craig Campbell and Michael Ogden, principals and founders of NSI, are co-authors of ‘Constructed Wetlands in the Sustainable Landscape,’ a textbook on biological wastewater treatment. The book and the firm focus on “natural systems that are self-maintaining, self-regulating and self-organising.” The team decided to place the constructed wetlands plumb in the courtyard created by the school expansion. Says Laura Hansplant, project manager, Andropogon Associates, “The client wanted the building to be a teaching tool; and locate a highly visible constructed wetland such that it cannot be overlooked.”

The idea of human waste/sewage playing a central and highly visible role in any landscape, let alone one that is so densely occupied, had many interesting reactions. Viewing wastewater as an undesirable liquid to a resource, and possibly an amenity, requires a fundamental change in thinking. Tori, an 8 th grader, who is one of the student guides for the school tour, confesses to being, like many others, both “amazed and grossed-out” when she first heard of the wetland. Some parents brought up issues concerning communicable diseases, mosquitoes, and hormones and pathogens in the wastewater. This being the first one in the district, local building and health authorities had to be both educated and persuaded.Two separate treatment systems for wastewater and rainwater runoff were located in the school courtyard. Wastewater, i.e., both grey and black water from the bathrooms

first collects in an underground settling tank and filter. Here it undergoes a primary treatment which removes solids from the effluent. It then flows beneath gravel through a series of terraced reed beds for the next level of treatment. This secondary treatment is one of bioremediation where plant roots and microorganisms in the soil treat contaminants, removing most pathogens from the effluent which, in turn, provides a growing medium for the plants. This requires a careful selection of plants for their ability to purify and treat water. Finally, the now almost pure water gets polished as it filters its way up the sand in the trickle filter. From the trickle filter, it makes its way by gravity back into the building to be reused for bathroom flushing and as make-up water for the cooling tower. The flow is all subsurface, creating a closed non-potable recycling loop. The users, building and landscape are thus, intimately linked in this constantly functioning cycle. The process requires no chemical input; it uses only low-energy natural aquatic and biological systems to treat the effluent.

The totally separate stormwater system, consisting of (1) a cistern, (2) a permanently wet or biology pond, and (3) a rain garden that could either run wet or dry, is also located in the courtyard. Rainwater from the roof of the existing middle school is collected in an underground cistern to be reused for outside watering. Runoff from the new green roof and any overflow from the cistern are collected in the biology pond. In case of heavy rain, water from the pond flows through slotted weirs into the adjacent rain garden. The rain garden has been designed to mimic a floodplain, its plants accepting both wet and dry conditions. Although located adjacent to each other, there is no physical connection between the constructed wetlands and the stormwater gardens.

The project was permitted with a “pilot” status. With several doubts floating in the air about system failure, and contamination of groundwater, caution was practiced to the utmost. To satisfy local authorities and any anxious parents,

DIAGRAM OF WASTEWATER AND STORMWATER SYSTEMS

38

SECTION THROUGH RAINWATER AND BIOLOGY POND

Sculpture wall.

Rain garden and biology pond.

the black/grey water never makes any appearance above the surface, and there is no human contact with the effluent at any stage. Any excess treated water not reused in the building flows into the city sewer. No infiltration takes place into the soil at any time; even the rain garden which only treats rainwater runoff is designed solely for biofiltration. It is fitted with overflow inlets and collection pipes underneath it which convey any unused or overflow water into the city storm system. The prevention of infiltration made it easier to obtain permits for the project although theoretically the treated wastewater and the stormwater runoff are both treated to near potable standards. The system has stood the test of a particularly severe winter of 2009-2010 when Washington D.C. faced record snowfall and sustained low temperatures. The wetlands were sized to allow only surface freezing during winter; and the temperature of the incoming effluent, along with the heat generated by the biological activity allow the treatment beds to function normally in severe winter conditions.

A project likes this requires intense collaboration. With NSI providing the wetland engineering, Andropogon focused on using the process to create an amenity for the school. Recalls Hansplant, “The whole process was one of learning: understanding the specific interrelationships between the components and their locations both in plan and in section, to facilitate proper sequential flow of water; and integrating the educational and interpretive aspects of the project with the engineering.� One of the challenges that the designers faced was the site which slopes steeply into the courtyard. This was solved by tucking the wetland cells like rice paddies into the grade. The trickle filter, initially required to reduce the footprint of the constructed wetlands, because of the limited land area, is treated as an interpretive element, its walls used to graphically illustrate the system. The functional requirements of what is essentially a working

39 landscape are integrated with educational and social amenities to create a multifunctional space, within a tight area.

As with any new technology, there have been, and still are, road bumps along the way. There being no local precedents and consequently no local installers, the team faced challenges with the pool contractor selected for the job. Maintenance and monitoring continues to be performed by NSI, with the hope of educating a local firm to do the same in the near future.

As Michael Saxenian puts it, “We understood that there would be mistakes, and committed to be part of the learning process.” It seems appropriate to a school project that the one word that one continually hears from the board, the designers and the users is “learning”.

And the learning still continues. The courtyard is a convenient location for the school faculty to teach about nutrient cycles and biological processes.

The school website lists enthusiastic sightings of birds and butterflies by students. A multi-year assessment of the educational and developmental impacts of the school retrofit is being conducted by Prof. Stephen Kellert’s team at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental studies with results expected toward the end of 2010. Andropogon has since gone ahead to use this experience to design projects with constructed wetlands at the Duke Farms Estate in Hillsborough, NJ, Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, Pennsylvania (both in collaboration with NSI) and at the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Students at the biology pond.

The awards have come pouring in, including the AIA Philadelphia Award for Design Excellence (2006), Top 10 Green Projects, Committee on the Environment, AIA (2007), Award for Excellence, National Committee for Architecture on Education, AIA (2007). More importantly, the school estimates that about 8,000 people have come so far to tour and learn in the past three years. These visitors include other schools which now find it easier to visualise having their own constructed wetland, bringing to mind the Board’s hope to “demonstrate some solutions that others may emulate.”

Any new proposal has two main hurdles, technical and human. The technical problem of how to create a functional working waste management system was solved by bringing in the right collaborators and technology. It is the human aspect that is far more complex; how to educate and convince a wide spectrum of people, ranging from parents and students to local authorities; to help them view sewage effluent as a resource rather than a liquid waste with all its undesirable connotations; and then to put it in the physical center of a project, and elicit responses from tolerance, acceptance to finally, approval. Early spring this year, the courtyard was the venue of the Middle School dance. That is a long way to come for students who were initially “grossed-out” by the idea.

A veritable vegetal muscle, integrated with the bridge’s structure.

FACT FILE: Landscape Architect

:

Architect Wetland Consultant LEED Consultant Photographs

: : : :

Andropogon Associates Ltd, Jose Alminana (Principal-in-charge), Laura Hansplant (Project Manager) Kieran Timberlake Associates LLP Natural Systems International GreenShape LLC Andropogon Associates Ltd

View from the building roof.

40 IA&B - MAY 2012

Essential

Architecture

Hundredhands, a Bengaluru-based studio, designs two spaces - TAAQADEMY and NUA, a music studio and a restaurant - through simple material expressions and structural compositions creating spaces that work through contrasts.

Text: Ruturaj Parikh Images & drawings: courtesy Hundredhands; Mallikarjun Katakol, Neha Bajaj

H

undredhands makes good buildings simply. The schematics are logical, clear and fundamental. They develop from a modern, functional, stark vocabulary and then, the structures are slowly fragmented as the idea of quality and scale is introduced within. Spaces are structured and re-structured with ‘experience’ at the centre of all work.

NUA is a restaurant that has many functions and various levels of privacy and exposure. TAAQADEMY is a studio for a Bengaluru-based Indie-Rock band, Thermal and a Quarter and is primarily internal and introvert.

STARK, MINIMAL, EFFICIENT As one moves around and within NUA, the built form slowly opens up.

The plan is simple – there is a courtyard, a green space captured within a series of hierarchal spaces that open in the court. There is a particular emphasis on the quality of spaces within. Multiple levels and gradual rises ensure a continuity of movement. Concrete, steel, glass, bricks, white paint and stone primarily cover the surfaces. Concrete takes light well.

Natural light permeates within through multiple levels of transparency

architecture

Process sketch and models: NUA.

“This sequence in plan is the generator of everything and dictates the quality (in terms of materials, scale and light) of one’s experience through the building,” writes Bijoy.

SCHEMATIC DIAGRAMS AND VIEWS

42

NUA - View from the street.

The concrete wall and entrance.

43

10

9

11

5 8 7 6 8

12

2 4 5

3 1

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

ELEVATION

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

LONGITUDINAL SECTIONS

44

and apertures of varying type. There are few and basic elements, but the interactions are complex and multilayered. The variations are gradual and the changes blend seamlessly. Carefully placed objects occupy one’s attention for brief moments.

The glass reflects austere palette of materials.

Two curves - one complete and one incomplete - create the space within the TAAQADEMY studio; an opaque box within a transparent box. The insert within the transparent space of the complex encompasses three sound-proof jam rooms, practice pod for instructions, an office space and a small retail outlet. A wood floor, a brick wall and glass partitions create movement around and within the curves. At the core of the studio where the music is made, the surfaces are exhaustively detailed to absorb and respond to sound. “The shape of these rooms was also important because the normal orthogonal rooms tend to have echo and bass booms at the corners,” Hundredhands states.

CONTRASTS

The seating space overlooking the court.

Light filters through the glass: transparency and lightness.

Palette of many materials and compositions. The concrete stairwell to the first level.

The emphasis throughout NUA’s architecture is on the enclosure and not on the object. Multiple materials and details are synthesised within the sanctums of TAAQADEMY. There are opposites that blend to generate multiple reactions within both structures.

In NUA, rough concrete and granite are laid against smooth Jaisalmer and Sandstone. The walls vary from brick to concrete to matt-white.

Copper and glass stand against the cement floor, timber and Kota. Once the place is lit, the differences are highlighted. But the contrasts do not compete; they complement the total idea of an enclosed environment.

Solids are easily placed against the voids, transparent and opaque surfaces form spaces, glossy and reflective elements are placed within and around stark and matt finishes, while bare and finished surfaces alternate. Wood against steel, glass against concrete, stone against brick and white against grey. “A chance trip to Venice introduced me first hand to Carlo Scarpa. I saw the garden of the Querini Stampalia Foundation and it is easily the most beautiful garden I have been in. Small, almost insignificant, the garden is filled with exquisite details articulating junctions, establishing hierarchies, and providing enclosures. On coming back I immediately began imagining our little restaurant as a variegated plinth with a panoply of local materials and subtle level changes all articulated in the Scarpa tradition,” writes Bijoy Ramachandran of Hundredhands.

The brick sanctum of TAAQADEMY is seen from the street. The glass façade permeates vision and light to fall on the curve filtering through the screen introduced in the design. The spaces outside the terracotta enclosures are empty and the light filtered through the glass floods here during the day. By night, the visibility is reversed – the brick curve is highlighted and is seen from the street.

45

Foyer at the entrance: the courtyard suddenly reveals itself.

The court: artworks and objects within.

46

Water spouts.

Dijan Malla’s sketches and process for the spouts.

47

The lights and materials at night.

Spaces open into the court at night.

48

Everything is given an opportunity to reveal its true nature in the larger scheme of architecture where a meditative stillness prevails.

49

50

PROCESS SKETCHES - DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE

CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT

51

PLAN

LOGITUDINAL SECTIONS THROUGH SPACE

There are few and basic elements but the interactions are complex and multilayered. The variations are gradual and the changes blend seamlessly.

VIEW

52

Light filters through the screen printing a shadow on the curvilinear strip.

The two terracotta curves.

53

Instruments.

The glass separation and the double-door of the jam room.

Objects and spaces.

54

1/2” thk Rubber Mat RCC slab Eslastomeric hanger

Elastomeric hanger

Frame work = Glasswool 6mm ply sheet

GI Framework and Glasswool

20mm thk. gyp sheet 174 20mm thk POP punning GI Framework 6 mm Th ply Glass Wool

RCC Lintel

RCC Lintel U-PVC Door Brick Wall

PVC door fixed to the isolation layer

B

25mm thk. Gypsum Sheet

Framework

Flush Door

230 x 250mm concrete column, with reinforcement inserted into the floor slab by 100mm and sealed with lock set chemical Flush door (Timber) Concrete column

2438

Exposed brick work 20 mm thk. Antone board Glasswool

A

1’x3” Gl framework Brick Wall Wooden Flooring Glass Wool 19mm Thk. Ply

PLAN SCALE 1:10

50x50 mm Framework Wooden Rooring 65

125

Frame work

DETAIL OF THE SOUND-ENGINEERED ROOM BY DIDIER OF SOUND WIZARD

QUALITY “This sequence in plan is the generator of everything and dictates the quality (in terms of materials, scale and light) of one’s experience through the building,” writes Bijoy. In both the projects, the sequence of spaces, the experience of moving through them and subtle alterations in scale and ambience generates quality. The scale, once the box is fragmented and disjunct, diminishes as one moves around NUA’s spaces.

Everything opens up, overlooks and responds to the movement – the plinth, the window, the staircase, the courtyard, the flowing water and the light. Sequence of spaces – from open to semi-open to shut; public to semi-public to semi-private to even intimate and from brilliantly lit to comfortably dark govern many tactile experiences in the space. There is an urge to touch the surfaces and walk barefoot. In the scheme, the experience is controlled in movement. One enters a semi-open patio from an unassuming entrance, walk through or parallel to the courtyard, encounter artwork by Lijo Jos, Reny Lijo and Dimpy Menon, listen to water gushing through Dijan Malla’s bronze spout, move up on an open staircase, walk to the terrace that overlooks the court – one meanders through the scheme and discovers spaces.

TAAQADEMY, on the other hand, conceals the music-making spaces. The layers behind the terracotta curves are compositely made from steel

SECTION A SCALE 1:10

SECTION B SCALE 1:10

wool, gyp board, plaster of paris and Anutone acoustic panels. There is a 1” rubber mat to insulate the floor. The ceiling panels are suspended on elastomeric suspensions to minimise the transfer of sound to the building structure. Hundredhands worked with Didier Weiss (Sound Wizard, Auroville) to design the sound-proofing and treatment components. The design ensures loud music stays within the confines of the curves, and sounds optimally within the space.

In both the projects, there is remarkable attention to detail. The joints between materials of a diverse palette are treated, the structure is accentuated and elements are highlighted. There is a certain honesty with which architecture is made. An unfinished brick wall is left untreated and the textures are rich. Every element is thought through; the pieces of furniture are carefully selected, lovingly crafted and thoughtfully placed.

There is no exaggeration or understatement – objects are revealed in their true nature. Everything from a chair to a ceiling fan is designed for the scheme. Small glass studs fill the shuttering apertures in concrete walls and allow light. Everything one touches is warm; irrespective of the steel, the concrete and the glass. The material palette is minimal and simple but the variations and combinations are complex. Structure is readable and there is no attempt to conceal. Everything is given an opportunity to reveal its true nature in the larger scheme of architecture where a meditative stillness prevails.

55

swool

eet

Reverse visibility at night - the lighting highlights the curve that is visible from the street.

FACT FILE:

There is no exaggeration or understatement – objects are revealed in their true nature.

NUA Project Location Architect Design Team

: : : :

Structural Consultants PHE Consultant Electrical Consultants Civil Contractors Client

: : : : :

TAAQADEMY Project Location Project Team

: : :

Acoustical Consultant Civil Contractor

: :

Interior Contractor Client Project Type

: : :

NUA Bengaluru, Karnataka Hundredhands Bijoy Ramachandran, Sunitha Kondur, Ruchi Patel, Kanika Thomas, Maya Lakshmanan, Harish Kumar Krishna Hegde, Consulting Engineer Electro-Mech, Bengaluru Riddhi Consultants, Mumbai Arun Constructions (Biju), Bengaluru UKN Properties Pvt Ltd

Studio for Thermal and a Quarter Bengaluru, Karnataka Harish Kumar, Pallavi Rai, Anisha Malhotra Sound Wizard (Didier Weiss), Auroville Jayaganga Constructions (Ravindra), Bengaluru Pooja Woodworks (Dorai), Bengaluru Thermal and a Quarter Recording Studio/Music School Interiors

80 IA&B - MAY 2012

An innovative crossover of a monograph and a comic book, the contained outlook of YES IS MORE is more than a BIG storyline – it explores moments, narratives and extras in an architectural process with an edge of creativity.

“R

ather than whining about resistance, obstacles or failure, we say yes to reality, the city, the life when we bump into it - and get so much more in return. YES IS MORE!” And thus, a journey is established in an unusual structure from the start – as “an archicomic on architectural evolution”. It is full of stories pulled out of twelve years of BIG’s sojourn in the architectural realm. That Bjarke Ingels finds room for such newness in a monograph of such ambitious scope shows how impressive his achievement is.

If at a glance, one is tempted to dismiss YES IS MORE as a glorified creative attempt, one is mistaken; it is inventive and intriguing as one of the prose monographs. Bjarke Ingels deals with the medium with the right balance of dialogue, narrative and humour to keep the story moving, all the while using all to convey information efficiently. To set the stage, YES IS MORE opens with a straight yet humourist portrayal of ideologies or insights as quotes from Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, Robert Charles Venturi Jr, Philip Cortelyou Johnson, Rem Koolhaas, Barack Hussein Obama II ending with Bjarke Ingels himself.

Cover.

Scans from YES IS MORE.

What begins as a set of complex outlooks contributing to the theory of architectural evolution, slowly transforms into a nuanced investigation of ways to express the workings of BIG. Thus starts a journey where struggles serve as metaphors guiding architecture.

It is far from being a novelistic account of an architectural practice.

One doesn’t really move forward but identifies with the simple solutions, chances and imagination that allow the art, architecture and an easy format to fold a new wave of architecture in form of story-telling for itself. Bjarke Ingels’ sprightly presence streamlines the unique evolution of over 35 projects in a comic book layout.

Things happen at the same time. Associations are made. Graphics are superimposed on complex approaches like hedonistic sustainability. As Bjarke Ingels says, “What if we could focus on examples where sustainability actually increases the quality of life? Where a sustainable life isn’t a pain, but pleasure!” All the projects reflect and define a certain philosophy – sensibilities and techniques that structure an insight in BIG’s response to the site, context, typologies and dead-ends. The projects are not just informed by political, economical, functional, logistical, cultural, structural, environmental and social conflicting forces, but also shaped by it. The practice is steeped with projects like The

book review Battery, WTC2 and more as references to it. Thought bubbles and squares complicate and illuminate flippantly through the pages. It loosens the idea of a biographical stay. Humour textures the apologue, and if one is looking to capture a monographic essay, one would be disappointed.

Like at one point, the architects influence a warm palette of colours in a psychiatric hospital, they had to resort to pipette the range from Van Gogh’s sunflowers – at this point, they explain, “Who could help us that would claim natural authority without appearing arrogant? Eureka! An artist we thought!

Or even better, a dead one! So we looked at various paintings by dead artists and ended up with a handful of Van Gogh’s sunflowers! He was dead, and even better he had been clinically insane!” The projects flow, well-paced, weaving diagrammatic narrations from inception to execution (or not). At moments, it falters when it betrays two similar design conceptualisations.

Connectivity unfolds with perfect simplicity and Bjarke Ingels also finds times (bubbles) to opine on culture, social infrastructure and iconography.

There’s consistency to the interaction between representation and words tangentially recounting conversations related to each project. The choice of the format, a populist means of communication, provides the immediacy and drama, it wouldn’t otherwise have. Gathering little bits and snatches of design conversation, the book ends on a graceful note with an outline of YES IS MORE exhibition at Danish Architecture Center and an interview of Bjarke Ingels by Jeffrey Inaba for Volume Magazine. The personality of the book and practice are both driven by solid artwork and an engaging ideation quality built around punchlines and invisible stories; it speaks of an inclusive architecture rather than exclusive.

Politics, revolution, poetry, evolution, competitions, ecology, Bjarke’s own house and its context, Lego models, renewed typologies, baroque networks, mountain topographies, zero-energy islands, superharbours, the designing. The essential beauty of the book lies in the enthusiasm of the work tempered with excellent narration of an intense design mind. This is how it starts and how it ends.

The comic book format is an interesting choice and its inclusion adds flavour and acts as an adjective to the selected works. It is meant to be a whole, but one can keep going back to one or two things that stand out in the largeness of spirit. Maybe it is a step towards that kind of openness in a manifesto of perfect balance of imagination and accessibility. The whole story of time and phases put together factually in frames comes across as a madcap experience that would have been as much fun composing as breathing in the portrayed energy and enthusiasm in their projects. Finding an aesthetic to match the exact dynamic of BIG’s vivacity, YES IS MORE wraps twelve years’ worth of action and sets the stage for future projects. urban typography, wooden carpeted decks , a water culture house layered in a video game level (that also tried to adapt itself to seven sites), football fields, engineering feats, inverse skylines and imagery of personas on structures – the manifesto for BIG sets in motion an architecture of their own, exemplifying their level of design immersion. Maybe that is something that BIG believed in wanting to do and delivered. It is not idealism but reveals an irresistible logic as one observes the honesty and deliberation woven in

FACT FILE: Book Author Published By Language ISBN Reviewed By

: : : : : :

YES IS MORE Bjarke Ingels Taschen English 978-3-8365-2010-2 Maanasi Hattangadi

88 ideas to innovate‌designers to deliver

Colours of Surprise

Muse, Mumbai

Muse is a Mumbai-based practice comprising of young architects and designers, primarily focussing on parametric and generative computational design techniques operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, research and development.

Sited in the picturesque locale of the Himalayas, the interiors of the Orbit Hotel, designed by Muse are an attempt to create an idiosyncratic contemporary look, while steering clear of the superciliousness that usually comes with it.

Text: Sharmila Chakravorty Images: courtesy Muse

The contemporary, chic look that the lounge sports.

The interior spaces project a vibrant, youthful appeal which is perhaps a reflection of the rather young designers. The spaces are designed to be unique, contemporary and exude a sense of unusual richness in texture and lighting.

interiors

T

ucked away in the small, sleepy town of Siliguri overlooking the Himalayas, one would hardly expect to find a boutique hotel this grand in sense and décor. A hotel so exquisite that no two rooms are identical - every room brings out a characteristic flavour. Designed by Shanky Jain and Ankita Jain of Muse, the interiors of Orbit Hotel, Siliguri, suggest a rather promising future for the young designers, who give the hotel a delightful aura of minimalist luxury.

The fairly rectangular floor plate located on the top floor of an existing shopping mall has its own advantages and disadvantages. The 20,000sqft area gave the designers ample space to compose the various aspects of interior space design, while insufficient provisions for building services, and minimum natural light shackled the design process to some extent.

Similarly, the use of the space previously as an office resulted in a lower floor height, making it imperative for the designers to “cleverly re-organise the unused volume into different types of rooms and public spaces considering the site constraints.”

While conscious effort seems to be taken so that the space is designed in a fashion no less urbane than any other place in the country, the design is simple, austere and artistic. The idea, to design the hotel as an art hotel, is executed by highlighting visual relationships that are abstract, yet aesthetic. Within the hotel, spaces, shapes, patterns and colours evoke reactions and expand the scope of spatial experience; working cohesively with the textures and lights to create a dynamic visual experience for the hotel’s guests.

Unusual room number panels add a quirky, fun quotient to the design language.

The arrangement of the room along the periphery of the site ensures natural light and ventilation for the rooms, while the communal areas such as the reception, restaurant-bar, kitchen, and ballrooms for events, meeting rooms, and gymnasium within also remain insulated. This also facilitates ever-changing views of the magnificent Himalayas, with the ingenious use of large, glass window panels looking scenically outwards.

The reception area works as the main welcoming space, which makes the first sensory connect with the guest. Shades of white LED lights with a composition of horizontal organic bands welcome the unassuming guest, continuing and leading towards the conference and banquet areas.

Once the initial connect is established, the whole space unfolds itself to the guest, as one moves along the interior spaces, radiating a sense of richness and luxury that awaits them beyond that point.

The 25 rooms within the hotel, a judicial mix of twin-bed and double-bed configurations, as well as the two suites, have only one thing in common – their distinctive uniqueness. The differences are remarkable, with some featuring an abstract grey-and-white minimalism, while the next sporting a creatively mellow salt-and-pepper appearance. As the designers put it, “The colour palette of each room was uniquely designed so that no two rooms in the hotel are identical, thus providing a wide range of experiences reflecting the personality of the individual guests.” The range of colours and patterns is carried on to the design of the wall panels and bathrooms as well, in keeping with the sense of design coherence. The passages are, too, thoughtfully designed with an assortment of backlit acrylic bands that are randomly scattered across the

1. Entrance lobby 2. Reception/Waiting area 3. Restaurant 4. Pre-function area 5. Banquet/Conference area 6. Kitchen 7. Passage 8. Lift lobby

LAYOUT

90

Play of light within the corridor.

Every room has a different style in terms of colours and textures used.

TYPICAL ROOM LAYOUT

Rooms are designed to be unique experiences.

91

One of the rooms exuding a bright, vibrant appeal.

The use of minimalist accessories makes the hotel cluster free.

wall, embodying the exceptional spirit of place: luxury and innovation.

As one reaches the banquet area, the earth-based colour and materials, and a contemporary laser-cut pixel panel are revealed; a sense of warmth and tranquil emanating from the lavish illusionary space. The ceiling has bands in a bar code fashion, making the space look larger than its actual volume.

The interior spaces project a vibrant, youthful appeal which is perhaps a reflection of the rather young designers. The spaces are designed to be unique, contemporary and exude a sense of unusual richness in texture and lighting. Some rooms are warm and cosy, while others are bright and effervescent. Though the hotel belongs to a small, tier II town, the design is extremely urbane and chic in its appeal. However, having said so, the design is not pretentious or out of context, too. It complements the context it is in, even while contrasting with it; posh yet rustic, classy yet quirky.

FACT FILE: Project Location Architect Design Team Client Area Cost Completion

: : : : : : : :

Orbit Hotel Siliguri Muse Shanky Jain, Ankita Jain Begraj group, West Bengal 20,000sqft `1200/sqft April 2010

Laser-cut panels with LEDs at the reception.

92 IA&B - MAY 2012

in loving

memory of

Dr. Mathew explores intimate objects of longing and memory and finds that the physical manifestations of nostalgia are as profound as remembrance itself.

Text & images: Dr. Deepak J. Mathew

space frames in loving memory of

We are surrounded by memories. In our home, in the garden, on the street, through the window; what we build, retain or create reflects not only our desire to live and prosper, but also our longing for things we have lost or people who have left.

Space Frames investigates issues of architecture and environment through the medium of photography.

Dr. Deepak John Mathew Dr. Deepak John Mathew is a professional photographer, illustrator and painter.

He holds a PhD in Design Education and a Postgraduate Degree in Graphics.

Dr. Mathew is a faculty at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He has an experience spanning 20 years in photography, graphics and painting.

Dr. Mathew is the Curator of the column ‘space frames’ in the Indian Architect and Builder Magazine.