November 2012

VOL 26 (3)

NOV 2012

` 200

MUMBAI

INDIAN ARCHITECT & BUILDER

Architecture

Net House, Matharoo Associates Birkha Bawari, Architect A. Mridul ‘Sneha Niketan’, Vikas Dilawari & Sidhant Dave

International

Herta and Paul Amir Building, Preston Scott Cohen Inc.

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Architecture of Reconciliation In conversation with IA&B, Sri Lankan Architect Anjalendran C talks about his work, his understanding of the tropical landscape and the idea of practice elaborating on the people and things that inform his work.

Image: courtesy Anjalendran C

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

let’s partner

IA&B: You have worked with Geoffrey Bawa and Surath Wickremasinghe. Can you tell us about your origins as an architect? What were the formative years?

C.A: Early on, I recognised Geoffrey Bawa as a great master. Despite a B.Sc from the University of Moratuwa (in Sri Lanka); a Diploma of Architecture and an M.Sc from University College London; two years’ work at Edwards Reid and Begg (the practice of Geoffrey Bawa) and 2 ½ years at Surath Wickramasinghe Associates, I was certain my understanding of architecture was incomplete. I also recognised that Geoffrey Bawa was NOT a teacher.

Hence, I started doing errands for him for nearly 10 years, spending most weekends during this period in his magical garden of Lunuganga. In this process - of no payment, but of close observation - I learnt my values and resolutions regarding architecture. This unfortunately stopped when I moved to the suburbs of Battaramulla to build my own house in 1992.

IA&B: Can you elaborate on your practice? Your work requires constant contribution from many skilled and intellectual individuals. What is the ‘method’?

C.A: I have a small practice. It used to have a maximum of two assistants in my mother’s verandah. Since I moved into my own house in 1993, it has increased to four or five students. My office is still folded each day. I also have little use for computers. My practice still mainly draws by hand.

I visit my sites regularly, and often resolve design problems at site, with master builders known as “baas unahe”.

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IA&B: Your work is greatly influenced by the art and craft of Sri Lanka. Please inform us on the contribution of artisans and craftsmen to your architecture. How do you collaborate?

C.A: I like my clients to patronise local contemporary artists: their paintings and sculptures. These are counterpointed with traditional colonial period furniture, which are readily available. Even as reproductions, these are often beautiful. Good, locally designed contemporary furniture is hard to come by.

IA&B: The influence of vernacular Sri Lankan architecture on your designs is apparent. Still, your designs are contemporary and formal. How do you read the landscape of Sri Lanka? How does it inform your practice?

C.A: Sri Lanka has excellent and still-visible vernacular architecture that goes back to 1200 AD. There is a great respect for the neighbouring landscape; often with sophisticated craftsmanship. And often the outside is brought inside. My favourite example is the Karagahagedrera Ambalama or rest pavilion in the wet zone of Kurunagale. This pilgrim’s pavilion is supported on four boulders, which in turn, stand on a larger boulder, to keep away the dampness and white ants. It is surrounded by paddy fields, which it idyllically overlooks.

IA&B: Tell us about SOS Childrens’ Villages. In a country that is wounded by years of civil war, how does architecture Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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help reconcile?

C.A: My work at SOS Childrens’ Villages of Sri Lanka, over a period of 14 years, could be considered my formative years, and has been described as where “every function has an aesthetic intent”. It showed that Bawa’s ideals could be afforded even by people of lower economic level. It also means that Sri Lanka is one country, where because of such precedence, quite a few architects build for ordinary people.

Most Buddhist complexes are tranquil and serene. This peaceful ambience is created by the spatial organisation of buildings. In a country that has been at war for over 30 years, it was essential to try and achieve such spatial reconciliation in my own work.

IA&B: Material and colour: can you elaborate on the processes of building?

C.A: Colour is an ingredient which does not cost extra, but could give great joy, particularly in projects involving children. Of course, I was

fortunate to collaborate with Barbara Sansoni, who had her own unique understanding of colour, based on the warp and weft of her fabrics, over 50 years.

IA&B: You have extensively documented Sri Lankan architecture and you collect art. What and who influence your work?

C.A: Firstly, an understanding of the site; secondly an understanding of the client. Both are essential for good architecture. Furthermore, an understanding of one’s own culture also helps to take such design to its logical conclusion in the making of the “place”.

IA&B: You teach architecture. Do you think that the modern architectural education justifies the commitment to the field?

C.A: Of course, all education disciplines the mind. My own teaching helps me to bridge the gap between what one teaches and what one practices.

This keeps me well grounded!!!

After brief spells in the offices of Geoffrey Bawa and Surath Wickremasinghe, Anjalendran C opened his own office in 1982. Since then, he has completed over a hundred projects including private houses, commercial and office buildings, and schools. His most significant work to date has been the series of projects undertaken for SOS Children’s Villages International over a period of 15 years, which have included orphanages in Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Anuradhapura, schools, retirement homes, and training centres. Anjalendran C has also functioned as a key commentator and has contributed behind the scenes to all of the major publications on Sri Lankan architecture that have appeared over the past two decades.

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

VOL 26 (3) | NOV 2012 | ` 200 | MUMBAI RNI Registration No. 46976/87, ISSN 0971-5509 INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER

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LET’S PARTNER Architecture of Reconciliation

INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER EXPLORE

In conversation with IA&B, Sri Lankan Architect Anjalendran C talks about his work, his understanding of the tropical landscape and the idea of practice, elaborating on the people and things that inform his work.

42 Chairman: Jasu Shah Printer, Publisher & Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah Chief Executive Officer: Hemant Shetty

EDITORIAL

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

Au courant updates on events, exhibitions, competitions and news.

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the globe.

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VGN Stafford at Thirumullaivoyal by Kharche & Associates is designed as a

SALES

luxurious, secluded environ amidst the chaos of the city of Chennai.

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VBHC Vaibhava Economically sound and ecological, VBHC Vaibhava designed by InFORM Architects is shaped by conscious choices and intent of sustainable development.

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POST EVENT With a stirring theme of ‘Rethink and Renew’, the World Architecture Festival 2012 held at Singapore highlighted the need for innovative and creative approaches to architecture, while raising essential questions.

Delhi: Preeti Singh / Manu Raj Singhal 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 Gujarat: Parvez Memon Mobile: 09769758712, Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

CONSTRUCTION BRIEF VGN Stafford

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

MARKETING TEAM & OFFICES Mumbai 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 Featured are contemporary, innovative and state-of-art products from across

Head Office:

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

CURRENT

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ARCHITECTURE Translucence

Bengaluru/ Hyderabad: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: 09833104834, E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com

Characterised by a nostalgic quality of canopied mosquito nets, the Net House by

Chennai / Coimbatore: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: 09833104834, E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com

Matharoo Associates in Ahmedabad delivers its intermittent relationship with the context and structural finesse.

Kolkata: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: 09833104834, E-mail: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com Pune: Parvez Memon Mobile: 09769758712, Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

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Looking-glass Logic The ‘Sneha Niketan’ at the Giriz village in Vasai by Vikas Dilawari and Sidhant Dave dwells on experiential aspects with elemental and cohesive expressions in

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

contingency with the context.

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Remnants of Culture Simplicity, eloquence of materiality and reminiscent inspiration of the ancient ‘Kund’ and ‘Bawaris’ form the ethos of Birkha Bawari, a rainwater harvesting structure in Jodhpur designed by architect A. Mridul.

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BOOK REVIEW Ahmedabad 600: Portraits of a City chronicles the art, culture and architecture of

INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER EXPLORE

the city in an evocative narrative.

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INTERNATIONAL The Crux of Transformation Light and pragmatic arrangement of spaces moulds the Herta and Paul Amir Building, Tel Aviv, Israel by Preston Scott Cohen Inc. as a versatile, radical construct.

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YOUNG DESIGNERS ‘12 ARCHITECTURE Earthy Essence A residence in Bengaluru by Monalika Nanda is principled by simplistic materials, techniques and a humble perception of space.

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INTERIORS Stark Geometries With neutral lines and planning notional of Swedish design aesthetic, Mercuri Urval’s Bengaluru office by Karun Kumbera Architects & Urbanists is tactile and purposeful.

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SPACE FRAMES The Metaphysical Realm In this column curated by Dr. Deepak Mathew, we explore the monumental anonymity of creation that represents a realm of thought that contemporary architecture seldom addresses – the mythical.

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

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Creative City Challenge at the Minneapolis Convention Center Category Type Deadline

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International Open to Minnesota Resident December 3, 2012

The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) and the Mayor’s Office of the City of Minneapolis announces a new, annual, two-stage competition for Minnesota-resident architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, scientists, artists, students and individuals of all backgrounds to create and install a temporary, interactive, site-specific, eco-focussed “portal” to the City of Minneapolis on the Plaza of the Minneapolis Convention Center beginning summer 2013. The aim of the competition is to connect with its community as an activity centre, while also acting as a gateway to Minneapolis for Convention Center visitors.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.minneapolis.org/art-in-the-plaza/about

Rudy Bruner Award Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all December 10, 2012

The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence celebrates urban places that are distinguished by quality design and their social and economic contributions to the nation’s cities. The entries of this competition offer a creative placemaking solution that transcends the boundaries between architecture, urban design, and planning, and showcase innovative thinking about American cities. The Rudy Bruner Award considers only one aspect of urban excellence. Places might be grandiose or modest, new or historic, but must be well designed.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.brunerfoundation.org/rba

2012 Design for Disaster – Student Design Competition

COMPETITIONS

Category Type Deadline

: International : Open to all : December 15, 2012

CAMBODIAN Sustainable Housing Competition Category Type Deadline

: : :

International Open to all December 15, 2012

A competition that aims to initiate thought over designs that can provide a sustainable future for housing in the Southeast Asian country. The designs must be cost effective and must be able to deal with the yearly flooding that affects most residential areas. The winning design will be built by Habitat for Humanity Cambodia and will influence the way they build housing in the region. This competition is a real chance to make a difference to a large group of working Cambodians lives. The competition through the project aims to raise the standards and create a sustainable agenda for future development.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.buildingtrustinternational.org/competition

d3 Housing Tomorrow 2013 Competition Category Type Deadline

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International Open to all January 15, 2013

The d3 Housing Tomorrow competition invites architects, designers, engineers, and students to collectively explore, document, analyse, transform, and deploy innovative approaches to residential urbanism, architecture, interiors, and designed objects. The competition aims to transform solutions that initiative sustainable thought, building performance, and social interaction through study of intrinsic environmental geometries, social behaviours, urban implications, and programmatic flows. The d3 Housing Tomorrow competition allows designers freedom to approach their creative process in a scale-appropriate manner, from large-scale master planning endeavours, to individual building concepts, to notions of the interior realm.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.d3space.org/competitions/

ADA 2012 - Architecture Dissertation Awards Category Type Deadline

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International Open to all January 15, 2013

During the past decade communities throughout the world have suffered losses of life, livelihoods, and dwellings as a result of blizzards, hurricanes, tornados, flooding, tsunamis, drought, wildfires, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. People affected by these disasters are often required to live in temporary or emergency shelters. This competition is aimed at Interior designers who have a social responsibility to join discussions and assume leadership roles in the design of emergency and temporary shelters.

ADA 2012 - Architecture Dissertation Award is an annual international competition for Architecture final thesis projects, promoted by AWR Competitions - Architecture Workshop in Rome. ADA 2012 awards the most outstanding thesis on the topic of Housing. For centuries formal, technological, functional and aesthetic search for housing has been in the middle of a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural debate. The theme presented this year, is the archetype of architecture for design concept.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.design4disaster.com/

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

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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SCOPE Miami 2012 Date Venue

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December 4-9, 2012 Miami, FL

The art show that has established its name by curating cutting-edge contemporary art from around the world returns to Miami in 2012. This year’s Miami edition of the fair, will present 80 international galleries upholding SCOPE’s unique tradition of solo and thematic group shows presented alongside museum-quality programming, collector tours, screenings, and special events. The unique SCOPE experience expands this year in partnership with local and international cultural organisations, featuring: film, music, installation and performance.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.scope-art.com/

Date Venue

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December 11, 2012 London

A night at the museum a film that was inspired by the Architecture Foundation’s ‘If You Build It’ lecture programme and investigation of the use of architecture and art as agents of urban change - documenting two world-leading, yet very different, museums through the lenses of two of cinema and art’s greatest filmmakers. Roberto Rossellini’s beautiful final film, Le Centre Georges Pompidou, which documents the opening of Paris’s Centre Pompidou, will be shown alongside artist Fiona Tan’s tranquil work Cloud Island - a portrait of the small island of Inujima, in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. For further information, log on to: Web: N/A

Robert Jernigan Lecture: Gensler Los Angeles, Explorations within a Global Practice

Sounding Space: Emptyset

Date Venue

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December 5, 2012 Los Angeles, CA

Jernigan began his career at SOM, and led his own practice before joining Gensler Los Angeles in 1998, with the charge of growing the firm’s Los Angeles architectural studio. Since that time, he has built one of the most diverse architectural practices in Los Angeles, and has nurtured a thriving network of design professionals throughout Southern California. Rob Jernigan has devoted more than 30 years to design leadership. In this lecture, Robert Jernigan will explain that at the core of his success lies his unshakable commitment to design innovation, technical quality which will help the audience believe that each of us are only as good as the people we mentor to succeed us in practice.

For further information, log on to: Web: www.sciarc.edu/lectures

Acetech 2012- 2013 Date Venue

EVENTS

Architecture on Film: Le Centre Georges Pompidou/Cloud Island

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December 6- 9, 2012 Delhi, India

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December 13, 2012 University of Westminster, London

Emptyset, James Ginzburg and Paul Purgas’s experimental electronic music project, extend Sounding Space’s exploration of the resonant ways in which architecture can both shape and be captured by sound. In a method developed through their acclaimed album ‘Medium’ Emptyset will create a unique sonic portrait of architectural space, to create an original composition and site-specific sound installation for one night only. The production will be focused around the fact that when one amplifies the basic constituents of sound into a building such as sine waves and noise, what is reflected back contains an imprint of the space and all of its nuances.

For further information, log on to: Web: N/A

Vastu Shilpa Foundation Habitat Design Studio 2013 Announcement Date Venue

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December 31, 2012 (Registration) Ahmedabad, India

The Economic Times’ premium architecture, construction and engineering exhibition, Acetech 2012-2013, is solely dedicated to the fast-growing and the very popular construction industry. The Indian construction industry has a major influence on our nation’s economy.

The construction industry is amongst one of the fastest growing sectors in India and comes with a promising future. ACETECH 2012 is the perfect platform to showcase products, services, equipments and new technologies.

The annual Vastu Shilpa Design Studio – an International Studio on Habitat Design in an Urban Context, is to be held from 10 th February 2013 to 10 th April 2013. It is an International Studio on Habitat Design in an Urban Context, having an emphasis on contextually relevant design with focus on sustainable development and re-interpretation of traditions. It is a residential studio for about 25-30 students from different countries, conducted over nine weeks, with an intense 5-day orientation programme, site analysis, design evolution and resolution, and several guest lectures and in-house presentations.

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

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

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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Winners of RIBA 2012 Manser Medal and Stephern Lawrence Prize Announced

RUA Arquitetos to Design Olympic Golf Course Clubhouse

The 2012 Manser Medal for the best newly designed private house went to Maison L by Christian Pottgiesser - architecturespossibles, and the Stephen Lawrence Prize 2012 in recognition of fresh talent and smaller construction budgets went to a private house in Kings Grove, London by Duggan Morris Architects. The Manser Medal winner ‘Maison L’ an 18 th Century orangery on an undulating site in Île-de-France has undergone a major restoration and extension job to become an exceptional new house. The Maison L is an extraordinary construction that complements the needs of its domiciliary complete with private bedroom tower that can come together in a cave-like family room. Architect Christian Pottgiesser (architectures possibles architects) has responded to an extremely challenging site that hosts surprises and delights but has negligible impact on the mature landscape in which it is set. The Stephen Lawrence Prize winner ‘Kings Grove’ is the perfect example of detail designing and flawless quality of construction. It is an interestingly conceptualised design for the architect couple themselves. The simplicity of the design is realised with its usage of exposed brickwork, oak storage wall panels, stairs and flooring and dark stained timber-framed modified glazing.

The Brazilian Institute of Architects and Rio de Janeiro department (IAB-RJ) have announced architects Pedro Évora and Pedro Rivera of RUA Arquitetos as winners of a competition, the winners of which will be designing the 2016 Olympic golf course clubhouse. The competition which was open to all professionals who graduated within the last 15 years, attracted entries from over 82 teams of architects and landscape architects from all across Brazil. RUA Arquitetos winning design incorporates the highlight of Rio by featuring lush tropical landscape of Barra da Tijuca with a large verandah with lightweight roof that collects rainwater to irrigate the surface of the course. For the Olympic clubhouse RUA Arquitetos have chosen to design a building organised like a comfortable veranda, dissolving the limits between the landscape, the building, and its users. For this purpose they initially created a plaza which articulates the course with the programmatic volumes around it. The proposal also utilises traditional Brazilian architectural elements like parasols, brise-soleis and cobogós, in order to create comfort and appease the spaces between interior and exterior.

Herzog & de Meuron’s 56 Leonard Street Restarts after Four Years The construction of 56 Leonard Street that was stopped four years ago has finally started again in full swing. The 56 Leonard Street stands at a unique 57-storeys high and has been likened to a “Jenga” block for its offset slabs that alternate to a height of 830 feet. This building is situated in the lower Manhattan neighbourhood of Tribeca and will stand out from the surrounding low-rise houses at its base. The major reason for this project to stop construction was the opposition from the neighbouring communities; another reason was the economic melt down. Lend Lease US and developer ‘Alexico’ plan to rehabilitate the project when they bought the site for USD135 million, saying that construction will begin as soon as all required permits are pulled. The construction hosts 145 residences and interiors are detailed by Herzog & de Meuron. The highlight of this construction is an Anish Kapoor sculpture that might greet pedestrians at street level.

Ahmedabad’s Matharoo Associates Awarded RIBA International Fellowship

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The Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Council announced eight new International Fellowships of the RIBA. Matharoo and Associates represented India among the receivers of the RIBA International Fellowships reward.

The others on the list of International fellow were Alexander Brodsky and Ilya Utkin from Russia, Fabrizio Carola from Italy, Antón García-Abril, RCR Architects and Carme Pinós from Spain, Miller and Maranta from Switzerland and Jensen & Skodvin Architects from Norway. The lifetime honour allows individual recipients to use the initials Int FRIBA after their name and will be presented at a special ceremony at the RIBA in London on Wednesday, 6 February, 2013.

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

Kenneth Frampton Wins 2012 Schelling Architecture Theory Prize British-American architect and historian Kenneth Frampton has been confirmed as this year’s winner of the Theory Prize of the Schelling Architecture Foundation. The jury is honouring architect Kenneth Frampton for his fundamental studies on tectonics and the architectonic form as predominant elements of urban landscapes. The Schelling Architecture Theory Prize was conferred to him for his theoretical range that encompasses a vastness unlike any other prominent thinker in architecture has yet achieved. In addition to this highest honour he will also be honoured for his accurate studies in which he has been analysing current construction processes as well as the history of modern architecture since the early 19 th century. As the winner of the 2012 Theory Prize, Frampton will now participate as a jury member in the selection of the Schelling Architecture Prize winner.

Winners of Curry Stone Design Prize for 2012 Announced The Winners for this year’s most coveted Curry Stone Design Prize that awards talented designers who are capable of coupling their inventiveness and craft for social good have been announced. An awards ceremony will also take place to commemorate the winners at Harvard Graduate School of Design, followed by a foray of presentations by the 2012 winners and panel discussions. The winners for this years Curry Stone Design Prize are the Center for Urban Pedagogy, Jeanne van Heeswijk, Liter of Light, MASS Design, and the Riwaq Centre for Architectural Conservation. Clifford Curry, an architect and recognised pioneer in senior housing, and Delight Stone, a historic archaeologist and social justice activist, launched the Curry Stone Design Prize in 2008 to champion designers as a force for social change.

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American designer Cody Stonerock is passionate about user-focussed experiences and products, and derives inspiration for the Kurven Chair from a wide range of influences that include nature, fashion, architecture, people and places.

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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kurven chAir

Text compiled by: Parikshit Vivekanand Images: courtesy Cody Stonerock

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hicago-based designer Cody Stonerock takes utmost pride and passion in designs that are influenced by various aspects of the surroundings. The Kurven Chair is the sheer brilliance of this particular influence and brings out the panache of his design ideologies. The Kurven Chair features bentwood frame and leather upholstery that gives it a sleek and sharp figure. The design was inspired by the nautical influence which features curves and stretched sailcloth-like fabric similar to that witnessed on a wooden sailboat. The bentwood forms are made of Italian Poplar with a White Oak veneer, while the leather seat and back are cut from white chap leather, making the design derive its elegance at a glance. The Kurven Chair also comes with detachable leather seating. The leather is sewn on each end into loops and these loops are attached by being placed through slots in the wood and anchored with a dowel rod, making it feasible to assemble and disassemble the seating, allowing multiple seat material options.

The production of such a design complements the design thought put in to it. The final forms of the chair are constructed using moulds to bend and laminate the 1/8-inch sheets of Italian Poplar together with White Oak veneer. The seat and back is made of four ounce white chap leather, looped and sewn at the ends and held in place with one-inch White Oak dowels. A design of such demeanor is perfect for commercial as well as domestic seating arrangements.

Designer: Cody Stonerock Contact: Email: codystonerock@gmail.com Web: www.codystonerock.com

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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1502AX by Designworks, the winning entry of IIID-Godrej Innovations Awards 2012, has opened up new avenues in terms of office furniture and style.

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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1502AX Images: courtesy Designworks

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imple yet functional and elegant, 1502AX by Designworks stood out at the IID-Godrej design competition. IID began its endeavour to bring good design to people with its one-of-its-kind design-idea competition in collaboration with Godrej Interio. On winning this competition, the winning project will bemass-manufactured and the royalty of 1.5 per cent will be given to the creators of the design for a period of five years from the date of first sale. This winning design will carry the name of the designer till the product is manufactured.

This three-stage competition was initiated with the theme of high-end office suite this year.

Amongst an array of entries, the 1502AX by Designworks was chosen as the winner owing to its multi-functionality and simplistic design.

The criteria for judging such a design was based on originality, styling, flexibility, customisability, mass-manufacturability, cost-effectiveness, longevity of design, contextual relevance to Indian culture and ethos, local material usability, craftsmanship and, last but not the least, sensitivity to details.

The design of 1502AX adhered to these strict criteria. To create an office suite of a rather high-end nature requires extensive analysis of working patterns of the user, which will eventually be classified into activities, gadgets and accessories that respond to the classifications with products and details that are specific to a utility and are flexible and customisable. After this, the classifications are subtracted to eliminate all fixed components from the workstations like a pedestal, storage, apron and display, enabling greater flexibility and customisation in the process. This is then modified and re-drawn to accommodate gadgets and accessories. The work pad is designed in polished wood or leather to act as a signature element in the workstation. The addition to the design is done with a range of independent products like a discussion table, magnetic board, file holders, book ends etc. This, combined with primary products like the workstation, the side console and the storage console, create a range of opportunities.

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Designer(s): Designworks Jinu Kurien, Ajay Pillai, Amit Dhanawat, Raj Singh, Amit Suthar, Rajesh Krishnan, Srinivasan Pillai, Rupali Sawant, Sanjivani Lokegaonkar Contact: Designworks A104/A510, Shiv Chamber, Sector 11, CBD-Belapur, Navi Mumbai – 400614, Maharashtra, India Email: info@design-works.in Web: www.design-works.in Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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View of VGN Stafford with its large, landcaped open spaces.

Located close to the city, yet far from the chaos of Chennai, VGN Stafford at Thirumullaivoyal by Kharche & Associates combines best of facilities in its mini township-like luxury residential project.

Text compiled by: Sharmila Chakravorty

Flat no. 103 1 BHK 576 SFT

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GN Stafford, one of the latest offerings from VGN Developers in Chennai, is a contemporarily designed luxurious residential complex at Thirumullaivoyal. Spread across 20 acres, it houses 2-BHK and 3-BHK apartments ranging from 572sqft to 1576sqft, making it one of the most luxurious residential developments in the neighbourhoods of Ambattur.

EAST FACING

1 BHK EAST FACING

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

576 SFT WEST FACING

Flat no. 105 1 BHK 576 SFT WEST FACING

Flat no. 101

VGN Stafford aims to elevate standards of living with best of specifications combined with Stafford’s locational advantage. On offer are amenities such as gymnasium, swimming pool, aerobics hall, party hall, multipurpose hall, indoor games, STP plant, convenience store, pharmacy, and ATM, amongst others.

1 BHK

Flat no. 102 572 SFT

Packed with superior specifications and lifestyle amenities to provide a comfortable lifestyle, the project comprises of 1176 units constructed in 24 blocks. Each block will have stilt+4 floors. The project will also feature a 42,000sqft Club House and a Retail block. The site is centrally located with the schools and hospitals in close vicinity.

Flat no. 104

1 BHK 572 SFT EAST FACING TYPICAL FIRST FLOOR PLAN - 1-BHK

Flat no. 106 1 BHK 576 SFT WEST FACING

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SITE PLAN

View of the entrance.

VGN Stafford will also feature a Planetarium, which will be one of the most unique offerings and a ‘first time ever’ such facility in any residential project in Chennai. The project boasts of good air circulation, providing its customers the feel of living in an independent house.

Located close to the Ambattur IT and engineering hub, the site is well connected to public transport facilities and seeks to accommodate residents within comfortable distances from their workplaces, while not having to live within the congestion of city life. VGN Stafford will be ready for occupancy by the mid of 2015.

FACT FILE:

View of the Club House at VGN Stafford.

Project Location Architect Client

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VGN Stafford Thirumullaivoyal, Chennai Kharche & Associates VGN Developers Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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Combining sustainability seamlessly with affordability, VBHC Vaibhava designed by InFORM Architects will efficiently abolishes the popular misconception that sustainability comes at a premium price.

View of VBHV Vaibhava, surrounded by green open spaces.

SITE PLAN SHOWING GREEN SPACES

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ne of the most affordable yet sustainable endeavours in Bengaluru, Value and Budget Housing Corporation (VBHC) Pvt Ltd’s Vaibhava designed

by InFORM Architects is an attempt towards sustainable living that seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of its residents by altering methods of energy consumption in their everyday life. 24 per cent of the total area has buildings, while 33 per cent of the site has green cover.

Being strategically located on Chandapura-Anekal main road, Vaibhava is close to industrial areas such as Bommasandra Industrial Area, Jigani Industrial Area, Veerasandra Industrial Area, Electronic City, SIPCOT Hosur and Electronic City.

Conscious choices towards sustainable development in all aspects of the project have resulted in evolving processes and adopting innovations to achieve sustainability and affordability in a mutually balanced manner; measures to reduce dependence as well as efficient use of natural resources.

Vaibhava has a ‘wealth from waste’ policy, and features biogas to generate power, avoiding landfill, modified DEWATS sewage, etc. Organic waste is used as fuel for the biogas plant to produce electricity, while the digested waste and organic manure that comes out from the plant is rich in nutrients and has good water retention capacity. Avoiding landfill will help to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions each year. The modified DEWATS sewage treatment plant will use no chemicals, very little mechanical equipment and will reduce power consumption. Similarly, solar energy for heating water, lighting street lights with LED lamps etc. will further use clean energy.

Further, metering of fresh water use will result in at least 10 per cent of fresh water consumption, while treated water from the STP will be reused for flushing, landscaping and car washing. Rainwater harvesting will supply about four per cent of total fresh water needs. Efficient water fixtures will

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SITE PLAN SHOWING TRAFFIC CIRCULATION

SITE PLAN WITH DEVELOPMENT PHASES

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WC

Kitchen

Bathroom

Utility Bath Living Room

Passage

En t r a n ce Bedroom 3

Bedroom 2 Balcony Bedroom 1

3-BHK PLAN - one of the options

result in 34 per cent savings. Thus, fresh water use within Vaibhava will be 53 per cent lower than a typical residential project in India. Energy used in handling water will be at least 75 per cent lower when compared to using municipal water.

Floor-to-ceiling openings in the living room will provide ample daylight and natural ventilation at all times. Spacing between buildings and their orientation is such, that even the lowest windows will get sufficient sunlight during the day.

Other amenities on offer are primary healthcare centres, 24x7 security, shopping complex, ATM, power back-up for common areas and lift, community centre, festival plaza, landscaped gardens with walking areas and club house, amongst others.

FACT FILE:

Form technology used at VBHC on-site.

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Vaibhava Chandapur Anekal Road, Bengaluru InFORM Architects Jones Lang La Salle Value and Budget Housing Corporation Private Limited 20 acres Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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World Architecture Festival 2012 With a stirring theme of ‘Rethink and Renew’, the World Architecture Festival 2012 held at Singapore highlighted the need for innovative and creative approaches to architecture, while raising an essential question; is it not time for architecture to reconsider whether or not it is fulfilling the role it should, and serving those it must?

Text: Shalmali Wagle Images: courtesy WAF, IA&B Archives

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striking, sterile ‘Utopia’ where graffiti-free trains run on time, traffic jams are non-existent and everyone looks sharp and wholesome; an extraordinary brew of culture and ideas from across the globe in a rich stew of architectural talks and seminars alongside live presentations to eminent juries; and a solitary united aim to ‘rethink and renew’ architecture and the very ground it stands on. After four years in Barcelona, now relocated to the bay of the ‘Lion City’, the World Architecture Festival 2012 was a three-day conference that explored the prospects of the emerging epoch based on visions for the future and the now-absorbed understanding that architecture may require to start again, possibly even from the elementals, to suitably mediate the relation between its influences and responses.

After a pre-event ‘PechaKucha’ night of fast-paced presentations, creative inspirations and visual stimulation, the conference was officially declared open by WAF Programme Director, Paul Finch, and Minister of State for Trade, Industry and National Development, Singapore, Lee Yi Shan. The event saw more than 1800 attendees from more than 60 countries at Moshe Safdie’s much-appreciated Marina Bay Sands. At the forefront of the festival were the WAF Awards, where 300 shortlisted projects under various categories were scrutinised by eminent juries and at its heart was an intention, the genesis of a new, sustainable world order.

Paul Finch and Lee Yi Shan officially declared the WAF 2012 open.

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The venue: The Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.

post event

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An exhibition of the shortlisted projects.

Concurrent talks at the Festival Hall.

A student’s competition in process.

All-day-long ‘crits’ of the shortlisted projects.

The bookshop at the festival.

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Keynote address by Moshe Safdie - ‘On Invention and Fitness: Humanising mega-scale’.

Liu Xiaodu of Shenzhen-based Urbanus Architects and Igor Peraza of Miralles Tagliabue EMBT raised the question of place, and architecture as an appropriate response to local tradition and culture. Deliberating on the pace of development in emerging cities, they noted that leaders from many Asian countries look to cities like Singapore as an example of a developed, modern Asian metropolis and attempt to imitate the idea. They agreed that the model works in its context, but questioned the very underlying attitude to architecture with an evocative enquiry, “Do we really want to do the same things? Can architecture not mature in spite of the rapid pace of development?”

Panel discussion: ‘Creating the Vertical Village: Delivering solutions for rapid urbanisation.

Liu Xiaodu adressing the audience.

Day 1: 3 October 2012 Almost a host at his designed Marina Bay Sands, the opening speaker, Moshe Safdie, emphasised on architecture’s inability to deal with the mega-scale of development that is happening, particularly in fast-growing Asian cities.

Safdie, having designed Habitat 67 in Montreal nearly 45 years ago with the idea of humanising scale and connecting with the city, announced that, “The tower is now the urban building block”, a problem with which architects have not yet engaged. We have not realised the kind of environment we are creating ourselves and still think of high-rise towers as artistic objects on the skyline. Instead, he argued, what requires tackling is the reality of the people living in these towers with no views, no access to external space, and a poor engagement with the street.

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As can be expected, a segment with the bureaucrat Dato Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abadin, Minister for Federal Territories and Well-being in Malaysia, company-head Sean Chiao, AECOM’s CEO for China, technology-leader, Gordon Falco of CISCO and architect, Jonathan Rose, a principal at AECOM, looked at the practical aspects of ‘Utopian dreams’, diagnosing the city in terms of its aspirations and challenging barriers to create efficient liveable cityscapes. Suggesting a public-private partnership to regenerate cities, they concluded that in the past, we were more controlling than facilitating.

However, now, due to technology, we are required to adapt to a changing role and hence, the sectors have to work together in a way that they have never before.

A session titled ‘Growing Cities in the 21 st Century’ included thoughts from Eva Castro, Principal at Plasma Studio and Rogier van der Heide, Vice President and Chief Design Officer at Philips Lighting on the current lack of attention to the real issues of liveable cities; and the fact that they have problems as well as potentials, but the general tendency side-tracks one into a search for an ideal lasting solution. “Thinking about the future is only an excuse for not thinking about today,” was Rogier’s accusation. In continuation to the subject, Rocco Yim of Hong Kong-based Rocco Design Architects considered the role of an individual building within its wider urban setting and posed the question: “Does architecture shape the city, or does the city shape the architecture?”

A pleasant conflict featured in the discussion on vertical villages, with Singapore-based Richard Hassell of WOHA and Belinda Huang of Arc Studio.

While replicating traditional gathering spaces in dense urban settings, WOHA established the importance of social spaces within high-rise buildings, by

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Keynote address by Peter Buchanan: ‘Rethinking architecture: A proposition for the future’.

introducing communal areas and abundant greenery; Huang discussed social housing projects that establish social spaces, both at ground level and in the sky. Joining the discussion was Sanjay Puri of Sanjay Puri Architects, exploring creative and sustainable alternatives to the dense urban sprawl consuming the Indian landscape, and Dr. Ken Yeang of Llewelyn Davies Yeang, who suggested that high-rise buildings simply need to replicate the order and variety of the ground plane vertically in the sky.

The highlight of the conference was the keynote lecture by writer and critic Peter Buchanan. A summarised version of his ‘The Big Rethink: Architecture for the Emergent Epoch’ challenged the “crisis of the imagination” in contemporary architecture, and modernism’s inherent unsustainability.

Buchanan opened his talk with the statement that architecture has been unable to keep up with what is going on in the larger world due to an all-encompassing stranglehold by ‘post-modernism’. New ideas have not been allowed to develop, and where they have, they are superficial and don’t relate to the issues in-hand. Instead of looking at the world as fragments, Buchanan argued, architects need to consider a “complete” architecture, adopting integral thinking. “Modernity is coming to an end, but a new order has not yet emerged”. Buchanan called this a transitional period of “confusion” and explained that despite architecture having reached a level of maturity and expertise, the new era has not emerged because of “the stranglehold of relativism” in academia blocking theoretical evolution, and because we are “paralysed by the scale of the problems we face”.

Jury presentation by Sanjay Puri, Sanjay Puri Architects.

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Day 2: 4 October 2012

A lecture by Kerry Hill: ‘Singapore’s Story: Building a liveable and sustainable city’.

Panel discussion - Renewing the architect’s office: Architecture, technology and the future.

In an assorted panel, Mah Bow Tan, a member of the Parliament, Kerry Hill, Principal Architect at Kerry Hill Architects and Dr. Cheong Koon Hean from Singapore’s Housing & Development Board, the conversation steered towards what it meant to create a distinctive style while meeting local needs. It outlined the importance of an integrated and comprehensive approach to planning while rethinking land and energy usage to address key issues. This was taken a step further to explore the fast-paced, high-energy development of Singapore in the context of retail and commercial development by Angelene Chan of local firm, DP Architects. Though part of a discussion on regeneration, renewal and retrofit as a more sustainable alternative to building, the discussion ventured into the redevelopment of buildings and revamping of roads and neighbourhoods to introduce variety and texture to the streetscape. Chan’s understanding of the rapid pace of urban renewal in Singapore was contrasted with the slower scale of change in Istanbul and Melbourne by Emre Arolat of Emre Arolat Architects and Don Bates of Lab Architecture Studio respectively.

Talking about the longevity of buildings, Ivan Harbour of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Mike Stych of Arup and Murat Tabanlioglu of Tabanlioglu Architects said that architecture should be flexible today to allow for future use through smart design and adaptability. Ben Van Berkel of UN Studio and Ralph Johnson of Perkins + Will, on a parallel subject, contested that the key was to retain design quality in projects by delivering innovation and originality at scale, maintaining the human perspective and preserving design integrity and social responsibility at all scales.

Exploring the subject of sustainable urban growth in contemporary cities brought up the concept of ‘liveable cities’ and liveability ratings that are a significant driver in the success of the human scale in a city. A panel discussion with Will Alsop of All Design, Wong Chiu Man of WOW Architects, Ted Kane of Morphosis and Edouard Francois of Maison Edouard Francois shed light on the Vitruvian model for architecture: commodity, firmness and delight. Questioning if we are living up to these ideals, it focussed primarily on ‘delight’, and what delight in architecture might mean in terms of beauty and experiential richness.

Keynote address by Enric Ruiz Geli.

A lecture by Dilip Da Cunha: Water, its use and abuse.

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Rethinking not just at the level of architecture, but at the level of the processes involved as well, a discussion with Enric Ruiz Geli of Cloud 9, Sir Peter Cook of CRAB Studio and Matias Del Campo of SPAN established that an architect’s office has undergone a revolution in terms of design, production and technology in the recent years. The unravelling of the implications and opportunities created by this change brought forth an amusing battle of generations.

The festival closed for the day with a keynote lecture by Enric Ruiz-Geli, the recipient of WAF 2011 Building of the Year Award. Ruiz-Geli spoke of his collaboration with Ferran Adria of famed Spanish restaurant, elBulli, on the elBulli Foundation. Discussing his concept of “an architecture of particles”, he examined the environment as a cloud of particles. With a particle scanner collecting data on the specific location, he created a high-tech building with bio-sensors linked to surrounding nature and technology embedded into the skin, collecting and reading data so as to enable automatic response and adaptation to the environment.

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The super-jury panel, chaired by Neil Denari.

WINNERS: The WAF 2012 winners in the various categories were as follows: ‘World Building of the Year’ Award: Cooled Conservatories at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore by Wilkinson Eyre, Grant Associates, Atelier One and Atelier Ten Presentation to the super-jury by Fernando Menis, Menis Arquitectos

Day 3: 5 October 2012 The festival culminated with a series of ‘crits’ chaired by Neil Denari of Neil M. Denari Architects Inc. and a highly esteemed international judging panel including Ben van Berkel, Moshe Safdie, Mok Wei Wei, Jürgen Mayer and Yvonne Farrell.

“This project was a fine and deserved winner, especially as it was an immensely collaborative effort. It features a series of radical and technical examinations, comprising some truly experimental aspects and lines of enquiry that will be immensely useful to the profession.”

- Jury Citation ‘Landscape of the Year’ Award: Kallang River Bishan Park, Singapore by Atelier Dreiseitl

The climax was a keynote lecture by Thomas Heatherwick of Heatherwick Studio. The designer of the Seed Pavilion for the Shanghai Expo and the London Olympic Cauldron, accompanied by drawings, photos and video footage of completed works, described the creative process behind some of his celebrated projects. With regard to the cauldron, Heatherwick confessed, “I realised a cauldron was just a bowl on a stick, and I had a vision of whatever we designed just sitting there in the Olympic Park ten years after the Games with pigeon poo on it.” Instead, he decided the cauldron should symbolise the peaceful coming together of international athletes, and their subsequent scattering after a brief two weeks. The cauldron had over 200 copper flower stems and petals, which rose and came together to shape the basin.

“This remarkable project fundamentally transforms the urban landscape of Singapore by reversing the fundamentals of 1960’s thinking on drainage canals into an ecological and people-friendly urban sponge.

It powerfully embraces the extremes of flooding disasters, while providing a rustic and poetic simplicity with its landscape strategy for the public. Its large scale with subtle local effects also showcases truly sustainable strategies.”

- Jury Citation

The festival then concluded as an important first step in the establishment of a new world order in architecture. It established the importance of rethinking and reconsidering all that has been blindly followed in the last couple of years and challenging these pre-definitions with logical questioning. An inception, the next step would be to frame the relevant questions.

“It has a highly intelligent set of guidelines for the re-creation of the city. It understands the implications of culture and substance; we have much respect for the Qatar Masterplan.”

- Jury Citation

‘Future Project of the Year’ Award: Msheireb – Heart of Doha, Qatar, by AECOM

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Of radical simplicity and elemental rationale, the Net House in Ahmedabad by Matharoo Associates challenges the notion of a conventional wall, of finite space.

Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Images, Drawings & Data: courtesy Matharoo Associates

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s one moves to the idyllic, greener suburbs of Ahmedabad, the city sprawl slowly ceases to a passiveness. The pace is unhurried and the horizon caves in around trees, rather than jostling constructs. Set in one of these ponderous fringes, the 10,000sqm bosky site unfolds sequentially amidst grassy knolls. They ebb away gradually to reveal the Net House by Matharoo Associates, standing lofty and light as a diaphanous silhouette.

Despite the site’s suburban outlook, the careful curation of design is a narrative. In its starkness of material, it bears the trace of Matharoo Associates’ aspirations to innovate with the starkness of a material and edgy ideations.

The House, born of this sentiment, is reawakened by a design both radically nostalgic and unconventionally transcendent. As explained by the architects, “The relentlessly varying weather of the city of Ahmedabad exemplifies the typical tropical climate of extremes: short winters, wet humid monsoons and long dry scorching summers. Though less prevalent today, in our childhood we slept outdoors when the cool night breezes came as a reliever. We would tuck ourselves under a ‘machardani’, a simple net held up by four intersecting

Designed as a 12m x 12m cube, the Net House has been visualised as set in a clearing within a forest.

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Visible slightly against landscaped lush green mounds interlocked with each other, the construct is neutral and modern in expression.

A concrete slab is suspended from a hand-fabricated structural framework of steel.

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Flexible PVC insect nets, counterbalanced by pulleys above and separated by thin mullions of aluminium, form the skin of the House.

bamboo poles, locked between the legs of our ‘charpouy’ cot. This would become our private domain, a safe haven protecting from insects, harsh light and parents’ eyes. When the design brief for a weekend house in the fringes of the city asked for a place that is open to the wilderness of nature, yet offers all creature comforts, it brought back memories of the net and the shelter it offered.”

The concept of the screed shell was derived from the nostalic experience of sleeping under canopied mosquito nets.

The design has a sense of modernist inevitability infused with an almost tactile quality.

The environment is mostly coarse but congenial, a fusion between tropical exuberance and temperate restraint, much like the House itself, which enriches the experience of subtropical living. Building on the school of thought of being “visualised as a clearing amidst the forest”, the landscaped mounds slope down to meet the 12m x 12m house. In one sudden expose, the planning for a programme comprising of living, dining, bed, bath and storage abandons any illusions of self-contained domesticity. Forming a floating edge to the open court, the modest cube is discrete in its impact and whimsically porous.

The geometric apex clarifies the spatial order - a single monolithic 90-tonne concrete slab suspended by an intricate hand-fabricated steel framework that drifts downwards shaping into thin mullions binding an envelope of net shutters counterbalanced by cylindrical weights suspended from pulleys above.

“This steel trellis,” the architects elaborate, “makes the transparent volume below evident by stark contrast, reverberating the image of the virtual jungle of hoardings, telecom towers, satellite dishes and temporary structures that now make up the Indian city skyline.”

The design has a sense of modernist inevitability infused with an almost tactile quality. It is not for what it includes, but for what it leaves out. The perception of space dissolves as layers of sliding PVC insect nets, roll-up Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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SITE PLAN

PLAN AIR CONDITIONED FOLDING GLASS LAYER ROLL UP BAMBOO CHICK LAYER SLIDE UP NET LAYER SOLID CABINET LAYER WATER 1 - KITCHEN 2 - AC 3 - DINING 4 - POWDER ROOM 5 - SHOWER 6 - WASH ROOM 7 - LIVING SUITE 8 - VERANDAH 9 - JACUZZI 10 - STEAM ROOM 11 - LILY POND 12 - MILLION LITRE TANK

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SECTION AA

blinds and folding glass panels veil the outer shell of the House. It evolves as a permeable open screen at the boundaries, in place of walls. Through the staggered arrangement of visibilities, the extents of the House are inclusive and elusive at the same time to nature, privacy and weather.

A long slice of the column-less, generous living space below the framework is composed as a 2m-high cabinet. The living space and the ancillary bathing areas are arranged around this intersecting volume that serves as a planned divider and is co-opted as a volume of repurposed functionalities.

It recesses to enfold a dining table with chairs and slides out to transform into a kitchenette replete with cooking appliances including microwave, refrigerator and cutlery. Stark, it has been custom-designed and locally made as an assemblage of concealed systems such as an air-conditioning unit, music system, television and speakers, storage for clothes and accessories and an embedded lamp along with the kitchenette that allow for utilitarian composition. The diffusive light from the lamp illuminates the concrete slab and attracts no insects. Sculptural and suspended, a stairway takes flight from the corner of the volume connecting the closed masses and relating to the sense of openness of the design through its material expression of slender glass treads and a steel handrail.

As the planning retreats into the intimacies, the overt intention of transparency trails off. The architecture is sparse but impregnated with innate detailing. A minimalist approach is adopted for the shielded bathing area that clarifies into two 2m x 7m private washrooms, wherein the cabinets cache the entire plumbing, drainage and storage Further on, the environ relaxes in presence Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

of the eclipsed light straying in from the netted envelope as it unwinds into an area of solitude, inclusive of a Jacuzzi, steam bath and reconciles with the elements of nature with a sundeck and a vast lily pond nestled in stone walls.

Experienced in fragments, the spatiality seems expansive and the bathing pool is partially extruded, embodying it as extensive a volume as the living spaces. In deference to these netted confines, solidity of a concrete mass juts out in the green mounds beyond to form an outdoor shower. The gesture surprises, yet complements the inherent sense of design.

The intimate connection to the outside continues and amplifies on the upper floor as it opens its length to a netted space for yoga, sunbathing, a walkway on the periphery and tangibly afforded views from a gazebo.

The proportions scale and absolute material purity of the design relies on well-resolved details. The sleek profile of its structure is accentuated by the singularity of a 150mm steel pipe tying the disparate floor and roof together.

The detailing of this pipe allows for rainwater harvesting - the water from the roof to be collected and transported to a 1.4 million litre underground tank and reused to form a fountain. The distinctiveness lies in its emphatic rawness and restrained material palette, majorly deliberating on reinforced cement concrete, steel, glass, and kuddapah stone.

The plan evolves as continuous, comfortably contained as its subtle interventions suggest a living pared down to the essentials. The floating screed spaces held by parallel planes engage in an easy and unforced dialogue with surroundings. Flexibility and versatility of the programme, orchestrated interactions subservient to the elemental qualities of the

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A 2m-high multipurpose cabinet subtly divides the living space below from the private domesticities.

The cabinet encloses a furnished kitchenette, storage systems, music speakers, TV, accessories and air-conditioning units in addition to a concealed lamp within.

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The spaces are column-less, expansive and revel in all-pervading connections to the surrounds.

The design comprises of living and bathing spaces below and the upper space unfolds as a composite of netted space for yoga, sunbathing, a walkway on the periphery and a gazebo.

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A slender stairway with glass treads and winding steel handrail is thoughtfully placed in the corner of the living space.

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The lily pond in a stone-wall basin is set adjacent to the secluded bathing spaces.

A concrete outdoor shower is constructed away from the main house.

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The parallel planes bound together with a porous faรงade lend the texture and aesthetic quality to the structure.

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A 150mm steel pipe allows for rainwater harvesting - the water from the roof to be collected and transported to a 1.4 million litre underground tank and reused to form a fountain.

design – the mounds, the lily pond, the transparent sky, deliberate juxtaposition of space and mass, void and solid, bind the idea into a coherent spatial balance. With deceptively simple demeanour, it embraces complexities that emphasise the integrity of experience more than form. In its encounters, character and spirit, it revels as accretions to the landscape than a singular reading of a residence. The deliberateness of its intent inscribes a new fragment of absolute architecture, where the building acknowledges the place – in way of being reverential and progressive, reflective of a depth of understanding.

FACT FILE: Project Location Architect Design Team

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Interior Designer Landscape Architect Mechanical Consultants Water Supply and Drainage

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General Contractor Landscape Contractor Initiation of Project Completion of Project

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Net House Ahmedabad, Gujarat Gurjit Singh Matharoo Prof. M.C. Gajjar – Architectural Advisor Nauka Baxi – Architect, Dilip Revar – Architect Structural Engineer(s): Matharoo Engineers, Mr. Rajendra Singh Matharoo, Hitesh Rathi Water Supply and Drainage Engineer(s): Vraj Sanitation, Vadodara, India Matharoo Associates Vagish Naganur, Bengaluru Jhaveri Associates, Ahmedabad Furaat Earth Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad Site Supervision: Dilip Revar Keval Parikh Fali Kekobad 2007 2010 Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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The sensitive application of hand-hewn stone and Mangalore-tiled roofs.

Developing a language that resonates with the rawness of its natural context, yet is continuous with the conventional order of its adjacent farms, the ‘Sneha Niketan’ at the Giriz Village in Vasai by Vikas Dilawari and Sidhant Dave disregards the reserves of typology-based architecture to make ‘user experience’ its prime focus.

Text: Shalmali Wagle Images & Drawings: courtesy Vikas Dilawari, Sidhant Dave

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he role of architecture in shaping the lives of its users is not as trivial as one may consider it to be. The very origin of typologies in building – residential as a refuge, office for work, clubs for entertainment, resorts for retreat, prisons for punishment and hospitals for nourishment – is not merely the consequence of the activity they house, but also the proficiency of architecture in announcing that activity to the user. Typologies however, sometimes, tend to be interpreted on a rather restrictive note for considerations in design. The ‘Sneha Niketan’ in Giriz Village at Vasai by Vikas Dilawari and Sidhant Dave negotiates this in

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relation to the institutional and residential aspects of an orphanage to come together as a logical, comprehensive whole. Flanked by the simplicity and tranquillity of the fields, farms and local houses in its contiguous milieu, the ‘Sneha Niketan’ is located on a rather tight site in the village.

Initiated with the intention of relieving the pressures of overcrowding in the existing analogous home in Vasai, the residential care centre is designed to accommodate around 60 to 70 children and house ancillary accommodations for an attendant’s living, an informal office, a kitchen and utility rooms.

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Perched modestly in the midst of fields, farms and local houses.

The two-winged building provides accommodation in one wing and ancillary requirements in the other.

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TERRACE FLOOR LAYOUT

FIRST FLOOR LAYOUT

1 Multi-Use Terrace Area 2 Clothes Washing & Drying 3 Water Tanks

1 Dormitory 2 Wash 3 Toilets

ROOF FLOOR LAYOUT

SECOND FLOOR LAYOUT

1 Study Library 2 Balcony 3 Attendant’s Living Room

4 Attendant’s Bedroom 5 Toilet 6 Double-Height Dormitory Below

1 Entrance 2 Office 3 Multi-Use Room 4 Prayer Room 5 Spare Room 6 Verandah 7 Courtyard 8 Kitchen 9 Store Room 10 Toilets 11 Electrical Main Room 12 Pump Room 13 Fountain

GROUND FLOOR LAYOUT Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

The building is a contemporary, vernacular two-winged structure. The main wing of the building houses facilities catering to the children in the home and the service wing accommodates a consistent provision of ancillary requirements at all levels.

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The residual space with lush pockets of greenery.

The building is located on a rather tight site.

SECTIONAL ELEVATION DORMITORY, SERVICE WING Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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This courtyard forms the heart of the premise.

The approach into the 4200sqft pentagon shaped plot is entirely paved with the residual space around the envelope, flaunting lush pockets of greenery sprinkled with the vibrant colours of native fruits and flowers. The local natural surroundings provide significant indicators in the direction of the overall design pattern and its variations. Contained within is a contemporary vernacular two-winged structure with the sensitive application of hand-hewn stone and Mangalore-tiled roofs. Steering clear of any right angles at most corners, the architecture attempts to develop a language that resonates with the crudity of the natural surroundings, while maintaining the natural order of the cultured farms. While the main wing of the building houses facilities catering to the children in the home, the service wing accommodates a consistent provision of ancillary requirements at all levels. The frame structure is composed of plastered brick walls and masonry wall ‘ghutai’ internally.

The building greets one with an informal office; the only obvious hint of an obligatory facility essential to the organisational setup of such an institution.

Here on, the institution transforms itself into an intimate residence, echoing with the sounds and smiles of little children.

Continuous seating along the outline for performances.

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The starting point of the day for every resident, the prayer hall, is connected to the adjacent multi-use hall which hosts socio-cultural gatherings and performances. The variation of the rough and polished ‘kotah’ stone flooring, the sincerity of the ‘kapur’ wood used for the staircase and the louvred teak wood doors and windows together give the overall setup a warm and familiar residential dialect. The multi-use hall of the main wing and the kitchen of the service wing open into an irregular open-to-sky courtyard demarcated by

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The courtyard surrounded by the ‘verandahs’.

The fountain at the rear end of the courtyard.

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A playful entry of multi-coloured light.

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The main wing and the service wing open into an irregular open-to-sky courtyard demarcated by high compound walls and lean-to-roof ‘verandahs’ which imitate the profile of the structure to frame the court.

The teak wood staircase employed in the RCC framework.

high compound walls and lean-to-roof ‘verandahs’ which imitate the profile of the structure to frame the court. Here, the fact that the entire structure is designed as a raised plinth, housing the bore-well, underground tanks and septic tanks to form usable platforms at varying levels, becomes evident.

The courtyard, ‘verandahs’ and the glimpse of the blue sky between the Manglore-tiled roof embrace a traditional semantic to create a vibrant space that negates distinction between the indoor and the outdoor. The electric room and pump room cover the underground water tank and hold a shallow micro-climate modifying fountain in-between, while a stone bench runs consistently along the ‘verandah’ perimeter. This courtyard forms the heart of the premise allowing for multiple activities like studying, eating, informal gathering and play with its options of open and semi-open space.

A flight of double-height stairs forms the fulcrum of the two wings and twists and turns to connect multiple levels of the main and service buildings. An interesting feature is the teak wood staircase employed in the RCC framework.

This is done by the insertion of a 3”-thick tread into the masonry with an additional 3” plank above it; the two sections together make a 6” riser, which is finished with teak battens. The open stairwell on the south face, designed to be a shaft for ventilation, is walled externally with hand-hewn stone and allows a playful entry of multi-coloured light.

The staircase leads to a double-height dormitory on the first floor level and the study-cum-library that peeks into it from the floor above. The end wall

The balcony with chic blinds.

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A striking pattern of criss-cross beams created in the ceiling.

Floor-to-beam and clear-storey windows ensure flood-lit spaces and cross ventilation.

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The study-cum-library peeks into the dormitory from the floor above.

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A flight of double-height stairs forms the fulcrum of the two wings and twists and turns to connect multiple levels of the main and service buildings. It leads to a double-height dormitory on the first floor level and the study-cum-library that peeks into it from the floor above.

The purlins and rafters of the roof employ the familiar criss-cross alignments.

Sleek vertical windows on the façade.

is purposefully kept slanting to ensure that there are no right angles in the building at most corners. Incorporating this idea, the RCC structure is designed to reflect the philosophy in the ceiling with a striking pattern of criss-cross lines of beams, reminiscent of a basilica, almost as if symbolising it to be the ‘home of God’. The criss-crossing of the beams serves a dual purpose, for it also imparts rigidity to the frame, providing it with sufficient resistance to earthquake vibrations. The custom-designed, logically positioned sleek vertical windows allow for adequate ventilation while obstructing heat gains and undesired glare. Unconventionally, panels of fully louvred, glazed doors and windows alternate the façade to offer light, view and ventilation within. Floor-to-beam and clear-storey windows ensure flood-lit spaces and cross ventilation. Heat gain is curtailed and ventilation enhanced from the southwest by elements like the courtyard, thick masonry walls, tall linear windows, stairwell cavities, lean-to-roof ‘verandahs’ and a roof-protecting terrace slab. Multi-levels, varying volumes, lit and dark spaces, changing aperture sizes in varying heights together offer multiple dynamic experiences in the interior. The multi-use terrace and its service zone on the topmost level reveals the consistency in pattern with the purlins and rafters of the roof, designed employing the familiar criss-cross alignments. Interestingly the rafters cross each other at the cantilever projection outside, displaying a fine-looking pattern in development in the exterior as well. A continuous built-in seating along the terrace outline defines an area for intimate

performances. The odd combination of normal burnt-clay tiles resting directly on the mild steel roof presents the risk of cracking of tiles, which is tackled with a rubber cushioning in the form of an inverted ‘U’, clamped on top of the purlins.

‘Sneha Niketan’ understands architecture through a looking-glass. It disregards the notions that are considered to be normal or familiar, and recognises their irrelevance in the face of circumstance. It attempts to dominate neither the surroundings nor the inmate. Shedding all excesses, what essentially shines in the conception is the inherent logic, the reasons that support the design decisions. Indeed, the preservation of tranquillity is a challenging demand to meet in a bustling city where the impulse to create icons is so strong. In this circumstance, ‘Sneha Niketan’ makes a quiet, modest but penetrating impression.

FACT FILE: Project Location Architects Client

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Structural Consultant Contractors Completion of Project

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Sneha Niketan Giriz village at Vasai Vikas Dilawari, Sidhant Dave The Handmaids of the Blessed Trinity supported by JP Morgan Chase Kiran Bhavsar Sean Noronha and Company January 2011 Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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In the coarse land of Jodhpur, Birkha Bawari has been designed as a sandstone reservoir for harvesting rainwater from an 110-acre catchment.

“In the semi-arid regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, water was a scarce resource. Water from both, high-up in the sky and deep-down in the earth, was difficult to obtain.

So, it was highly valued, respected, revered and almost worshipped. Intricately crafted well structures, step-ponds, step-wells and ponds were built to draw water from the earth or to collect water from the sky. Man brought to water the gift of his best skills in building structures to hold it. These exquisitely built structures to store and conserve water in these regions bear testimony to the worship-like value people attached to water. This survived through centuries, through changing times, changing regimes, till these regions remained water-scarce and arid.

In beginning of the last century, technological changes bore an illusive impression in the psyche of people of this region with regard to abundant availability of water.

Canal-drawn river waters from neighbouring states and rainwater collected in dams were supplied in never-before volumes. Plentitude of piped water supply altered the concept of consumption and conservation of water.

The new generations could never venerate water as it became easily available. The traditional water bodies were neglected, treated with contempt and banished to open sewers. The best of architectural structures of these regions were abandoned and were left to dilapidate. Temples of water turned into tombs of water.

That water would always be available in abundance soon proved to be a misconception. The government could not cope with the ever-escalating water demand of a proliferating population and its new developing needs. Both, government and public, started heavily drawing and draining groundwater. In the wake of ruthless groundwater exploitation leading to its depletion and ever-shrinking volumes of state-supplied water, realisation finally dawned that conserving rainwater by ancient wisdom is most relevant.

It was only in the last quarter of the 20th century that a slow, but determined, movement was initiated to preserve water-conserving structures and restore their value and glory. The movement gradually gained momentum and at the end of the century, the government mandated construction of rainwater harvesting structures through bye-laws. Notwithstanding the mandating through law and its weak enforcement, there are visionaries and committed people who have realised the importance of water conservation. One of the finest examples of this can be found in the creation of a unique water-harvesting stone structure, ‘Birkha Bawari’, in Jodhpur, a semi-arid region of Rajasthan. It kind of marks the return of the golden era of water harvesting structures.” - A Mridul Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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Remnants of Culture Birkha Bawari, designed by Jodhpur-based architect A. Mridul at Umaid Heritage, a township at the foothills of Umaid Bhawan Palace, is a contemporary reliquary of addressing cultural and ecological issues as a propitious incarnation alluding to the built heritage of ‘Kunds’ and ‘Bawaris’.

Text: Maanasi Hattangadi Writings & Data: A. Mridul Images: Paramjit Singh, DARIRC, New Delhi ; courtesy A. Mridul

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he reciprocal and sometimes antagonistic relationships between architecture, landscape and water form the resonant legacies of the different languages of how we inhabit our cities. Design has always taken its cues from such histories and ecologies. These nuances also situate cities of India within this collective - water is developed as an individual manner such as water is itself, as well as within its environmental context and within the frames of a polarity of a typical city like Jodhpur.

On one parched edge of the Thar Desert, Jodhpur revels in the immediacy and grandeur of monuments, blue laneways and a curious zest for life.

The daily trials of life are dealt amid the sun-ravaged summers, where the temperature rises upto 48°C and is fraught with frequent sandstorms and unpredictable, low rainfall around an average of 300mm. Beyond dry and dusty everyday mundanities, its architecture has been privy to prescient disciplinary notions set by nature that question the limits of each construct and instil new flows of communication across them in order to address contemporary societal concerns. Today, at a unique crossroad when everyone is aiming to implement a vision for finding a balance between a culture of consumption and the need for protection of our natural ecosystems, the ironical discovery is that it has been always the way of life here.

A shell for emotional and physical existence of the ubiquitous preoccupation with preservation of water and the impact of its value – the thoughtfully designed ‘Birkha Bawari’ is a unique water-harvesting stone structure by A. Mridul, an architect based in Jodhpur.

In a picturesque setting, the Umaid Heritage Township expansive over 2km, sits lightly at the foothills of the Umaid Bhavan Palace. Complementing the historic fabric, the set of buildings shapes the urban living amidst Jodhpur sandstone finishes and endemic landscapes extending over half the stretch. Much like a diaphanous edge, Birkha Bawari as a sandstone reservoir for harvesting rainwater from an 110-acre catchment embraces its site physically and in consequence, is in one of the deeper troughs of the central core – enveloped in a sense of familiarity and undisturbed within the rhythms of the place.

As Antoni Gaudi once said, “Originality is returning to the origin”. A place of seclusion and serenity, the visual narrative resembling the formal presence of traditional harvesting systems like ‘Paar’, ‘Talab/Bandhis’, ‘Saza Kuva’, ‘Johad, ‘Naada/Bandha’, ‘Rapat’, ‘Kuis/Beris’, ‘Jhalaras’ in our collective imagination evolves into a modern ethic. Delving into the respository of the latent spirits of the vernacular as a point of both, arrival and departure, the architect says, “Bawari, in the vernacular, means a stepped well. Unlike Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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PLAN AT SUBTERRANEAN LEVEL

PLAN AT GROUND LEVEL

L - SECTION

Set in Umaid heritage township, the construct explores one of the deeper troughs in the central core.

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STRUCTURAL SYSTEM DESIGN OF A SINGLE MODULE OF BAYS

SKETCH OF A BAY SHOWING ARCUATED WALLS CONVERGING ON TRABEATED FRAMES

The bay from bottom upwards.

Arcuated walls converge at the trabeated frames interspersed in between the structure.

a cylindrical well, where water is drawn through Persian wheel or its equivalent, Bawari is a linear step-well, where steps lead down into the well water. ‘Birkha’, in local dialect means rain. Aptly enough, this unique step well-shaped rainwater harvesting structure has been named ‘Birkha Bawari’.

The centuries-old exquisite Bawaris of Rajasthan and Gujarat are brilliant examples of art, architecture and engineering, interlaced together. The design idea of ‘Birkha Bawari’ was inspired from that of myriad traditional ‘Kund’ (stepped ponds) and ‘Bawari’ or ‘Vav” (stepped wells). Though there may not be examples of both forms in simultaneity, ‘Birkha Bawari’, essentially a water-harvesting structure, has been designed as a unique combination of ‘Kund’ and ‘Bawari’. The former is only symbolic, to be used as a forecourt and grand entrance into the earth and the latter.”

The interpretation of the design has been striking in many ways and it is rewriting of history as designers. It is looking at the same possibilities, but has a complete different reading of them.

The initial encounter is arcane, shyly grand. The architecture is a spontaneous process and receptive to the surroundings – explorating gently as six storeys of depth at the farthest end perforate its surface and around 18m below the surrounding ground. The formal construct is over 224m in length, average 10.5m in width with an average depth of 11m from ground level and an average water depth of 7m. The mass was open to modification from two conceptual

“A novel composite structure for the subterranean reservoir has been created by a series of segments of such ‘vaulted walls’ placed opposite one another and held against each other by a trabeated (post and beam) structure. The vaults on opposite sides nullify each other’s thrust and counter-balance each other. The thickness of these arcuated ‘vault like’ walls is merely 0.7 metres, very slender relative to the average thickness of a conventional dam-like retaining wall. Consequently, minimum excavated space was displaced by the structure of the step-well, allowing for a larger volume of water storage.” - A. Mridul Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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Double trabeated frames tied together as a single structural unit.

In the process of site development, the residue from the flattened hillocks was reused for various material expressions in the project.

The extracted stone in the process of cutting hillocks for making roads was re-invented as the principal material for masonry of arcuated walls.

“Its creation is especially significant as it is constructed of locally available natural building material (majority of sandstone quarried from the site), built by local craftsmen, to collect nature-generated water; rainwater from the township’s catchment, by help of natural energy, gravity, without resorting to mechanical and electrical means. This clean, energy-saving method, using natural energy to collect natural resource for sustaining nature, should go a long way in alleviating the acute water shortage faced by the region and contribute to the efforts in mitigating the threat of global warming.” – A. Mridul Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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The trabeated frames are aligned sculpturally in a linear fashion.

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The entrance to forecourt, the Kund of the Bawari has been visualised as a plaza for gathering, recreation or introspection.

The entrance to the step-well.

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Verandahs have been designed as bridges on the trabeated system at two levels - one at the ground level and another one, a storey below, touching the water level.

For the structure, the concept of tunnels or barrel-vaulted roofs has been re-interpreted as retaining walls in form of upended ‘barrel vaults’.

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The starkness of material has been used to defines its spaces.

“Pillars of the conventional vaults that transfer load on-ground, here become beams transferring thrust on the opposite sides and the pillars of this system only hold-up and provide bearing plate for connecting these short stone beams, there being structural and physical constraints with long single-piece beams. “ - A. Mridul forces – the inner idea of the volume and the external characteristics like the foreseen geological impact, wherein investigations revealed the first subterranean stream at 20m from ground level. In view of this, the depth was resolved at 18m to serve its purpose as a rainwater harvesting structure.

The horizontally striated organisation seems simple and pragmatic. A forecourt, in form of a stepped Kund, conspicuously occupies the foreground devised as an inviting communal space towards which people gravitate to meet, introspect or recreate. The architecture retreats silently from here, offering only tantalising glimpses of the landscaped promenade along the two walls of the Bawari. As one begins the journey into the lofty spaces contained by the arcuated walls interrupted gracefully by vertical frames of the trabeated system, the effusing light concocts the aesthetic experience.

The abstracted columnar space that encloses the volume allows controlled connects into, and out of the Bawari beyond with verandahs that have been designed as bridges on the trabeated system binding the parallel walls at two levels - one at the ground level and another one, a storey below, touching the water level when the Bawari is at its fullest. The inscribed circular opening enfolds rays of light as they pierce through, illuminating the stillness of water in an elegant stance.

The mediation between the ground and water was progressively choreographed. Taking a complex, holistic idea and explicating it within Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

the extant site condition, rife with wild vegetation over solid rock-bound contours was difficult. “Excavations for the ‘Bawari’ were incepted in December 2005,” the architect explains. “After excavating the top layers, it became an arduous task as the soil was rock-like, hard, and offered tremendous resistance to digging. No kind of mechanical means could help in digging further with facility. Controlled explosion through dynamite sticks had to be employed. One of the greatest challenges was to obtain maximum volumetric space for the water by displacing minimum excavated space by construction of retaining structure.”

While the design abstains from overt interventions, it is equivocal in investigation of form and material. Its sculptural form is carved out, navigating the constraints of ecology and economy in justification for RCC and steel, and around the traditional stone-retaining wall that would have retained lesser amount of water than required. These constraints grounded the architecture in the search of a new structure that was principled by reinvigoration of age-old barrel-vaulted roofs and local construction practices. Owing to this, the extruded retaining walls, anchored unto a depth of 18m, exhibit uniform slenderness.

The essential functionality of the vaulted roof is simplified by A.Mridul, who expands on its concept, “In ‘Birkha Bawari’, in simple terms, a conventional vaulted roof has been upended as ‘vaulted wall’ (standing on ends).

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The geological equilibrium has been conserved by sourcing structural stones for posts and beams, flooring and steps from the local quarries within a radius of 15km of the site.

Instead of conventional retaining walls for countering the earth pressure, the concept of tunnels or barrel-vaulted roofs has been re-interpreted as retaining walls in form of upended ‘barrel vaults’. Pillars of the conventional vaults that transfer load on-ground, here become beams transferring thrust on the opposite sides and the pillars of this system only hold-up and provide bearing plate for connecting these short stone beams, there being structural and physical constraints with long single-piece beams.

A novel composite structure for the subterranean reservoir has been created by a series of segments of such ‘vaulted walls’ placed opposite one another and held against each other by a trabeated (post and beam) structure. The vaults on opposite sides nullify each other’s thrust and counter-balance each other. The thickness of these arcuated ‘vault like’ walls is merely 0.7 metres, very slender relative to the average thickness of a conventional dam-like retaining wall. Consequently, minimum excavated space was displaced by the structure of the step-well, allowing for a larger volume of water storage.”

The urban insert appears to contain a fragmented rationale – providing a range of scales and moments. The inherent philosophy is to evoke an experience through honest expression of materiality. Extracted from the residuary obtained from levelling the contoured site to integrate roads and plots, the site-quarried red sandstone defines the coursed masonry walls of the step-well and the additional scrap was used for in-fills and base and foundation concrete. The material appropriation is a more utilitarian approach to retain a geological equilibrium by sourcing structural stones for posts and beams, flooring and steps from the local quarries within a radius of 15km of the site and layering the undulated silhouette of the land

with excavated earth. From water to earth, the elements of architecture have retained the naturalness. Its rock-faced stone finishes with subtle chiselled shapes create a visual continuity that ties the stark, disparate spaces together. Contrasting with the rawness is the precise geometry and singularity of its planning, emerging as an authentic stratum of its prevalent culture.

It paraphrases the architect’s ethos, jointly authored by the skilful instinct to preserve, “Its creation is especially significant as it is constructed of locally available natural building material (majority of sandstone quarried from the site), built by local craftsmen, to collect nature-generated water; rainwater from the township’s catchment, by help of natural energy, gravity, without resorting to mechanical and electrical means. This clean, energy-saving method, using natural energy to collect natural resource for sustaining nature, should go a long way in alleviating the acute water shortage faced by the region and contribute to the efforts in mitigating the threat of global warming. Designed to hold about 150 million litres of harvested rainwater when at its fullest, it shall serve as a rich source of water for irrigation and for sustenance of the huge tracts of green, in an otherwise water-scarce region.”

At the heart of its vision is a timeless truth. As contemporary as it is traditional, the spontaneity between these interactions jointly author a pure geometrical object secure in its harmony and aesthetic unity. A paradigm for the present, it depicts a reconnect in a fresh light, as part of a more extensive and continuous tradition with water itself. It is celebratory in its capacity for perceptual self-renewal of water in the congenial context and kind of cultural objective of embracing a space and creating a forum Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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Trabeated frame structure of last bay.

Its rock-faced stone finishes with subtle chiselled shapes create a visual continuity that ties the stark disparate spaces together.

in the traditional sense in conjunction with interrelated technologies for exploration. The emphasis is on the local assets as it organically seeks to create a living urban corridor, cohesively bridging a lacuna in the city. The art of finding impulses from within itself has the volition to develop solutions and ultimately meet the challenges of our time. What distinguishes its architects is the deliberateness of its intent and design; slow in pace, but dynamic; in a state of transformation, yet in a state of equilibrium as water itself; analogous to its characteristic spirituality, both as a force of transformation and that of cultural renewal.

FACT FILE: Project

The trabeated frame structure with pergola and bridges across the Bawari.

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: Birkha Bawari, (Sandstone Step-Well for Rainwater Harvesting) Location : Umaid Heritage Housing Township, Jodhpur, Rajasthan Architect : A. Mridul, Jodhpur Design Team : A. Mridul - Principal Architect, Rajendra Roop Rai & Hitesh Rathore Landscape : Kishore Pradhan, Mumbai Structural System : A. Mridul Structural Design : Saurabh Varshney, Jodhpur Client : Ess Gee Real Estate Developers Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai Contractors : Civil - M/S Sana Constructions, Jodhpur Excavation - Rb Stones, Jodhpur Project Estimate : `8 crore Initiation of Project : 2006 Completion of Project : 2009 Project Area : 5750 sqm

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The design progressively descends into a depth of six storeys, providing a range of scales and moments.

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Cover Page.

A spread from the book.

Ahmedabad 600: Portraits of a City chronicles the image of Ahmedabad through the perspectives of culture, art, architecture and life taking slices out of time and place that makes the city what it is.

Images: courtesy Marg Foundation

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hmedabad recently turned 600. A casual city, life in Ahmedabad has a unique pace of forward motion. Being in Ahmedabad, one realises that the idea of living is very close to celebrating life. Ahmedabad has a rich legacy of culture and entrepreneurship. The old ‘Manchester of India’ has played many roles and assumed many responsibilities - each epoch has contributed substantially to the richness of the multi-layered image of the city. Ahmedabad has always been a prosperous city. What then is Ahmedabad at 600?

Over the years, Ahmedabad has seen many transformations – the Sultanate power centre, the Mughal administrative office, the pivot for the freedom movement, the institutional hub, centre for education and the centre for culture and arts. Many individuals – industrialists, academicians, artists, architects and many communities have contributed substantially to the city. Illustrious names and unanimous artisans have always had an equal stake in the making of the metropolis we know now as ‘Amdavad’.

This book, edited by Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan and Sharmila Sagara presents an insightful chronicle of people, things and places from the city that contribute to the culture, social and economic milieu and the rich legacy of institutions.

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

A page from Himanshu Burte’s essay on ‘Indian Modernism’

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Photograph from the essay by Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan.

With essays by Rabindra Vasavada, Shridhar Andhare, Mohiuddin Bombaywala, Himanshu Burte, Sharmila Sagara, Sheela Bhatt, Aditi Ranjan, Suchitra Sheth and Yatin Pandya, the book explores the facets of modern art and architecture, history and layers of past, cultural practices, life and food, and traditional crafts and skills that are intrinsic to the city. The essayists and contributors view the city from many lenses and present ideas that are not just important to the city but that they love about the city.

From the way kites are made to the legacy of block-printed textiles, from modern architecture and Louis I Kahn to street food and kitsch, everything finds a mention in the book. Images and reproductions from various collections nourish the narrative – photographs from Dashrath Patel and Pranlal Patel, reproductions from historic manuscripts and paintings, archival information and documented work.

The notes are simply written and illuminating.

FACT FILE:

Archival images like Dashrath Patel’s photographs of the Sabarmati reproduced in the book.

Book Editors Published By Language ISBN Reviewed By

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Ahmedabad 600: Portraits of a City Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan and Sharmila Sagara The Marg Foundation English 978-81-921106-0-8 Ruturaj Parikh Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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The Crux of Transformation Designed by Preston Scott Cohen, Inc. and built within a defined space, the Herta and Paul Amir Building, Tel Aviv, Israel is a radical structure that delivers astounding flexibility of space and thought.

Text: Rashmi Naicker Photographs: courtesy Preston Scott Cohen, Inc.

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ocated in the archaic land christened as the “White City”, with its undulating proportions, the Herta and Paul Amir Building is a sight to behold. Nestled in the centre of Tel Aviv’s cultural hub, on a triangular footprint of 4500sqm, the sculpturesque structure designed by Preston Scott Cohen, Cambridge, Massachusetts is an addition to the existing Tel Aviv Museum complex and houses a comprehensive collection of Israel’s modern and contemporary art.

The project, the dénouement of a competition launched in 2003, involved the development of strategic staging areas to be built within an aberrant triangular site. The solution instigated creation of cubical spaces constructed on different levels, at different axes. Thus, the resulting disparate elements of the building fit together, to exhibit a descriptive geometry essential to Cohen’s design.

The Herta and Paul Amir Building, the new wing of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, is designed by Preston Scott Cohen.

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With its undulating proportions, the building is located in the archaic land christened as the “White City�.

The radical property of the project is primarily constituted by the façade composition which renders a highly engineered juxtaposition of pre-cast reinforced concrete panels.

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Cohen’s pragmatic approach in designing crucial spaces in the public realm testifies his thoughts of geometric transformations through oblique projections.

The sharp, sinuous shapes, the modulated use of light lead to a spatial and functional framework of great complexity of form and organisation.

The disparate elements of the building fit together, to exhibit a descriptive geometry essential to Cohen’s design.

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BERKOVICH ST.

GARAGE ELEVATOR CAMERI THEATER

TEL AVIV MUSEUM OF ART

SCULPTURE GARDEN

LEONAR DO

DA VIN

CI ST.

AMIR BUILDING TEL AVIV MUSEUM OF ART

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

OPERA SQUARE

WEITZMANN ST.

COURT HOUSE

“BEIT ARIELA” PUBLIC LIBRARY

SHAUL HAMELECH BLVD.

20 m

SITE PLAN

The entrance of the Herta and Paul Amir Building.

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24 23

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FIRST FLOOR PLAN

GROUND LEVEL PLAN

1 - Lobby 2 - Bookstore 3 - Coat check 4 - Lightfall 5 - Architecture and design gallery I 6 - Architecture and design gallery II 7 - Architecture and design gallery III 8 - Library 9 - Architecture and design curatorial offices 10 - Israeli Art promenade 11 - Gallery of Israeli art I (pre-1948) 12 - Gallery of Israeli art II (1948-1970) 13 - Gallery of Israeli art III (1970-present) 14 - Video room 15 - Israeli art curatorial offices 16 - Classrooms 17 - Photography gallery 18 - Photography archive and study room 19 - Auditoriums 20 - Special exhibition gallery 21 - Reception hall 22 - CafĂŠ & Bar 23 - Classrooms

24 - Loading dock 25 - Preparation kitchen 26 - Glass connector 27 - Lobby 28 - Gallery 29 - Gallery 30 - Gallery 31 - Conference room 32 - Restaurant 33 - Restaurant terrace 34 - Sculpture garden 35 - Library stacks 36 - Classroom 37 - Library offices

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A

C

B

C

B

A

KEY PLAN

26 - Glass connector 27 - Lobby 28 - Gallery 29 - Gallery 30 - Gallery 31 - Conference room 32 - Restaurant 33 - Restaurant terrace 34 - Sculpture garden 35 - Library stacks 36 - Classroom 37 - Library offices

14 - Video room 15 - Israeli art curatorial offices 16 - Classrooms 17 - Photography gallery 18 - Photography archive and study room 19 - Auditoriums 20 - Special exhibition gallery 21 - Reception hall 22 - CafĂŠ & Bar 23 - Classrooms 24 - Loading dock 25 - Preparation kitchen

1 - Lobby 2 - Bookstore 3 - Coat check 4 - Lightfall 5 - Architecture and design gallery I 6 - Architecture and design gallery II 7 - Architecture and design gallery III 8 - Library 9 - Architecture and design curatorial offices 10 - Israeli Art promenade 11 - Gallery of Israeli art I (pre-1948) 12 - Gallery of Israeli art II (1948-1970) 13 - Gallery of Israeli art III (1970-present)

10 9

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BREAK LINE

SECTIONAL ELEVATION - A

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SECTIONAL ELEVATION - B

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SECTIONAL ELEVATION - C Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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The design gives cognisance to the potent tool of light that can be extremely decisive in a design with respect to giving the space its inherent definition.

The defining element of the structure is the dramatically facetted 87-foot spiralling atrium called “Lightfall� piercing its centre.

NORTHERN ELEVATION

SOUTHERN ELEVATION Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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The complex geometry of the Lightfall’s surfaces connect the disparate angles of the galleries.

The radical property of the project is primarily constituted by the façade composition which renders a highly engineered juxtaposition of pre-cast reinforced concrete panels that evoke a sense of movement and sculptural mystery. It formulates a graphical sensibility with the continuous recesses and projections contained within an ordered territory of lines emanating from the lowest to the highest floor.

The other radical property of the structure constitutes the dramatically facetted 87-foot spiralling atrium called “Lightfall” piercing its centre, through its five distinctively stacked floors, three below ground and two above. Formed as a result of these very distinctively stacked floors plates the helical atrium connects the various spaces and contains the complex functions of the building, in a continually changing ensemble. The atrium also gives cognisance to the potent tool of light that can be extremely decisive in a design with respect to giving the space its inherent definition. Cohen’s pragmatic approach in designing crucial spaces in the public realm testifies his thoughts of geometric transformations through oblique projections.

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Adapting a unique way of developing and configuring different spaces the design is not just a simple manipulation of form but also construction of space and light.

It is striking to discover the unabashedly futuristic architecture against the architectural artefacts of Tel Aviv’s neighbourhood, which are often best known for their Bauhaus-styled structures. This pronounced disconnect between the Amir Building and the city may be unintentional, but it seems to underscore Tel Aviv’s desire both to acknowledge its historic patrimony and establish a critical distance from it.

The sharp, sinuous shapes, the modulated use of light lead to a spatial and functional framework of great complexity of form and organisation. The endeavour to amalgamate the logical with the intangible aspects of designs is perennially present and manifests both in art and architecture and it is this very essence that the structure signifies.

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FACT FILE: Project Location Architect Project Team

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Site Area Cost Materials

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Consultants Project Managers Structural Engineers HVAC Electrical

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Lighting

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Herta and Paul Amir Building Tel Aviv, Israel Preston Scott Cohen, Inc. Preston Scott Cohen, principal in charge of design Amit Nemlich, project architect; Tobias Nolte, Bohsung Kong, project assistants 18,500sqm USD55 million (estimated) Pre-cast reinforced concrete (faรงades), cast-in-place concrete (Lightfall), glass, and steel (structural frame) CPM Construction Managment Ltd. YSS Consulting Engineers Ltd., Dani Shacham M. Doron - I. Shahar & Co., Consulting Eng. Ltd. U. Brener - A. Fattal Electrical & Systems Engineering Ltd. Suzan Tillotson, New York

The atrium is defined by subtly twisting surfaces that curve and veer up and down through the building.

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ideas to innovate…designers to deliver

EARTHY ESSENCE

Monalika Nanda, Bengaluru

After graduating from the National Institute of Technology, Jaipur in 2001, Monalika went on to work with Chitra Vishwanath Architects for six years and is currently with Biome Environmental Solutions. Till date, she has worked on over 75 projects.

Taking inspiration from Mother Earth and using elementary materials in the architecture, Monalika Nanda brings a residence in Bengaluru to life.

Text: Alifiya Mehamdabadwala Images & Drawings: courtesy Monalika Nanda

Front view of the residence, Bhuvi.

E

veryone wants their homes to be a sanctuary. A place where the world fades away and one can recharge in an environment of peace and solitude.

In a quaint and quiet neighborhood in Bengaluru, is situated ‘Bhuvi’, the cozy and earthy home of Mrs. Ramya and Mr. Sudhindra Aithal, designed by Monalika Nanda. The client’s brief was to have a cost-effective, sustainable, home that adhered to the ancient principles of vastu.

The 2,000sqft space has been designed in a way that accommodates the basic functionalities of a residence. Despite being crammed up with houses on both sides, leaving no space for oxygen-generating pockets, the house breathes through its minimalistic and simple architecture.

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architecture

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

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1.PARKING 2.ENTRANCE LOBBY 3.LIVING ROOM 4.DINING 5.KITCHEN 6.COMMON TOILET 7.BEDROOM 1 8.UTILITY 9.RAIN WATER FILTER 10.BACKSIDE GARDEN 11.RECHARGE WELL 12.GARDEN 13.LOUNGE 14.STUDY 15.BEDROOM 2 16.FIRST FLOOR UTILITY 17.TOILET 1 18.TOILET 2 19.DRESS WITH SKY LIGHT 20.BEDROOM 3 21.STORE 22.BALCONY

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

SOUTH-EAST VIEW SECTION B-B’

SECTION C-C’

SECTION A-A’

SOUTH-WEST VIEW

FRONT ELEVATION

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Setting a warm, earthy tone, the structure resonates with a sense of being.

SOUTH EAST VIEW

NORTH WEST VIEW

As one enters the lobby, one is greeted by the sight of a small stone bench under a stone arch; perhaps a place to sip some tea in winters, welcoming the low-angle south sun. The design encloses a lush garden in the hindermost part of the house to ensure privacy. Once inside, subtle details define the living room; be it the minimal use of furniture or French windows that bring greenery indoors. A low wall and a twisting stone pillar separate the living room from the dining area and kitchen. The lime green cabinets liven up the otherwise constrained kitchen space.

A Jaisalmer staircase leads to a lounge and a study on the first floor. By installing a sky light in the lounge, ample natural light floods in during the day, while the soft golden glow from the lamps in the night creates a soothing effect, calling its inhabitants to relax and unwind. A south-facing balcony stretches from the lounge to the master bedroom. The bedroom is highlighted with a green textured paint. Hues of deep green strikingly contrast with the brown of the roof.

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NORTH EAST VIEW

SOUTH WEST VIEW

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Use of stabilised mud blocks gives a rustic look to the house.

A small stone bench under a stone arch at the entrance lobby.

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The kitchen lightens up with the use of lime green cabinets.

The design created from the glow of the lamp adds a romantic touch.

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A Jaisalmer staircase leads to the first floor.

Green textured wall in the master bedroom.

The walls of the two-storey structure have been constructed using stabilised mud blocks and the feature wall in living room is with rammed earth with horizontal grooves. Jack-arch panel roofings and hollow ‘hourdi’ blocks filler slab make the buildings cooler and also enhance the rustic look of the structure.

The muddy-browns running throughout the house create a semblance while the specks of yellow and orange break through, transcending the limits of space. Setting a warm, earthy tone, the structure resonates with a sense of being. Also, the architectural vocabulary that rejuvenates a uniformity out of the lack of painting or plastering, not only adds to the appeal of the house, but also reduces maintenance cost.

While at first glance, one may feel that the house tends to look rather one-dimensional, the use of mud blocks and bricks, the spouts of colour in the kitchen and the master bedroom, the odd little lamp in the living room, etc. lifts the mood of the space, making it homely. When looked at in its entirety, the strength of the design lies in its materiality. It speaks out the sensibilities of its inhabitants and the vision of the architect. In its simplicity and earthiness, lies the essence of both the idea and the reality.

FACT FILE:

The skylight in the lounge area creates an atmosphere of warmth.

Project Location Architect Client Project Area Civil Contractors Initiation of Project

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Bhuvi Bengaluru Monalika Nanda Mrs. Ramya and Mr. Sudhindra Aithal Site -1500sqft, Built up - 2000sqft Ranganath L February 2010 Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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ideas to innovate…designers to deliver

stark geometries

Karun Kumbera Architects & Urbanists, Bengaluru Karun Kumbera Architects & Urbanists was formed with the intention of catering to the holistic aspects of human living in relation to the physical, spatial, environmental and spiritual needs with emphasis on respecting the elements that help human living to flourish.

Blending Swedish design aesthetic seamlessly within the Indian context, the interior design of Mercuri Urval’s Bengaluru office by Karun Kumbera Architects & Urbanists is elemental, while inspiring awe.

Text: Sharmila Chakravorty Images & Drawings: courtesy Karun Kumbera Architects & Urbanists

‘A

piece of Sweden’ was probably the fundamental principle that designers at Karun Kumbera Architects & Urbanists followed when designing the interiors. From the moment one enters through the main entrance door, a muted sense of Swedish aesthetic takes over. Warm golden light washes the light-coloured wooden furniture, wooden flooring and the cream walls of the office space. The space, as intended by the clients, instinctively makes one feel at ease; the warmth the space exudes inspires awe. The sparsely furnished bareness of the reception and waiting area quells any kind of questions relating to the credibility of the establishment, while reinforcing its brand equity. At the same time, the space does not intimidate its users, or visitors.

Entry to office from stairwell.

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

Beyond the reception and waiting area lies a balcony which serves as a lounge area for employees. The waiting area spills onto the balcony, separated by a floor-to-ceiling glass sliding door. The balcony frames slow and relaxed views of the Bengaluru skyline; the boxy, cubist furniture add a rather quirky touch. The balcony runs alongside the employee kitchen area, also perhaps serving as the outdoor eating area during lunch and other break times. These spaces; the reception and waiting area, the balcony-cum-lounger, the kitchen and restrooms; are on the semi-public side of the office. The interior design resourcefully creates this differentiation, partitioning the semi-public and the private areas.

interiors

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negotiation rooms waiting lobby

test room reception

conference room

back office

kitchen

restrooms

PLAN

3D VIEW OF THE OFFICE Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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View of the back office, with its light-coloured wooden furniture.

View of waiting lobby spilling onto the balcony, framing views of the city.

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View of the kitchen spilling onto the balcony-cum-lounge area for employees.

The private spaces such as the conference room and the back office are carefully tucked beyond the reception area, visually inaccessible to the unassuming visitor, yet managing a seamless flow and transparent circulation of movement for the employees; the services follow the structural grid and the organisation of the plan allowed for the same.

The furniture is almost no-frills; basic, essential and mostly unembellished.

Clean, geometric wooden chairs and tables dot the balcony and waiting area, while functional wooden tables and cabinets are aplenty in the back office area. Mercuri Urval’s office interior design recreates the Swedish touch; with its clean, sharp lines, light wood and sombre walls. The use of unembellished, almost-cubic geometry in furniture design, vitrified and handmade tiles, plywood with beech wood veneer, and combinations of stainless steel and glass too uphold the embedded Swedish sense of aesthetic.

FACT FILE: Project : Mercuri Urval’s Office Location : Indiranagar, Bengaluru Architect : Karun Kumbera Architects & Urbanists, Bengaluru Client : Mercuri Urval Business Consulting Area : 2616sqft Cost : `48 lakh Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

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The Metaphysical Realm

In this edition of Space Frames curated by Dr. Deepak John Mathew, we explore the monumental anonymity of creation that represents a realm of thought that contemporary architecture seldom addresses; the mythical.

Text & Images: IA&B

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There is great power in the anonymous. Unattributed, the architecture of great temples overpowers by sheer generosity. Designed to represent a mythical image, the power and ecstasy of expression overwhelms and the domain of the sacred is defined. Built by collective intent and built over time, temple architecture has the intensity and patience that our contemporary spaces lack. Religious spaces understood local materials, exploited the skills of the craftsmen, and pushed limits of possibilities and experience.

The temples of South India present immense wealth of knowledge and incredible intensity of skill. These enduring images represent the contained energy of years of careful and intense work. In the search for a manifestation of the sacred, these spaces are designed to represent the cosmos. It is surprising how quaint and humble monumental architecture can be – not a contradiction in terms.

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In the search for a manifestation of the sacred, these spaces are designed to represent the cosmos.

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Space Frames is curated by Dr. Deepak Mathew. The column investigates issues of architecture and urbanism through the medium of photography.

Indian Architect & Builder - Nov 2012

Space Frames Nov 2012: The Metaphysical Realm Indian Architect & Builder Magazine

INDIAN ARCHITECT & BUILDER

SpaceFrames is curated by Dr. Deepak Mathew. The column investigates issues of architecture and urbanism through the medium of photography.

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