IF J I S G ENI US, THA N K S T O THE GENI US WIT H IN
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With Index celebrating 30 years of business this year, it seemed like a good idea to make the IFJ tradefair special commemorative of the iconic fair, and of the industry itself in a broad sense. We thought we’d like to tell the story of this chaotic, exciting and fascinating industry as uniquely as we could. So we turned, as we do, to our friends; the architects, designers and manufacturers who create the products, interiors and built forms, to tell us their story. This would in sum also be the story of the industry itself, told by its key stakeholders. The sum of individual losses become the troughs of an industry while the entirety of individual accomplishments push out the growth curve and chart a triumphal path for the industry at large. This, I expected, and was prepared for. What swept me off the mundane path of ‘the final edit’ was the passion that communicated itself through several of the essays. The passion was for better process, for improved structure and the desire to create something new and positive for the broad mass of the India we know exists, but have rare contact with: the rural populace, the blue collar commuter, the denizens of the vast expanses of shanties, the floating population. In short, the dream for something bigger than the hopes and aspirations of an individual. And it was this that kept me inspired in these days of pre-fair chaos to continue the fairly challenging task of ‘getting the job done’! My thanks and appreciation to those whose generosity with their ideas and thinking flood these pages; you are the inspiration. We are all the richer for the words you have shared.
EDITORIAL
I look forward to hearing from you. Please send your thoughts to me at sylvia@ifj.co.in
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11 Dorset Kaba 12 IFJ 13 HAFELE 14 KRUEGER INTL. 15 AHEC 16 EBCO EBCO 17 PFEDA SYNTHETIC 18 19 SARAVAK 20 SICAM MODULINEA KITCHENS 21
editorial essays
81 SUBSCRIPTION 87 INDEX EVENTS
111 IFJ
125 IAFP
143 PACE SEATING
156 FEATHERLITE inside backcover CANADIAN WOOD backcover HETTICH
28 32 34 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 62 64 66 68 70 72 76 78 82 84 88 90 92 94 96 100 102 104 108 112 114 116 118 120 122 126 128 130 132 134 136 138 140 144 146 150 152
ABHAY WADHWA AR. B S BHOOSHAN AR. ABRAHAM JOHN AR. AHMED SHAIKH AR. ALFAZ MILLER AMAN NATH ANIL S MATHUR AR. ANIKET BHAGWAT ANUBHAV GUPTA AR. BAKIR BALDIWALA AR. BHARAT YAMSANWAR AR. BOBBY MUKHERJI AR. CHITRA VISHWANATH AR. CHRISTOPHER C BENNINGER AR. CONRAD GONSALVES AR. DHANANJAY SHINDE DEEPAK LULLA AR. DOMINIC DUBE ESHA CHAUDHRY AR. HAFEEZ CONTRACTOR AR. KAPIL SURLAKAR AR. KARTIK PUNJABI KIRIT JOSHI AR. KIRTEE SHAH AR. NINAD RANDIVE, AR. ATIN KULKARNI, AR. KSHITIJ LIMAYE, AR. SUMITA SUNDARAM MAHAVIR SHARMA AR. MILIND PAI AR. NARESH NARASIMHAN AR. NEELAM MANJUNATH AR. NINAD TIPNIS NITIN NAGARALE AR. NITIN KILLAWALA AR. PREM NATH AR. PRASHANT SUTARIA PRALHAD BHUTADA RAHUL NAHAR RAJESH AHUJA RAKESH KUMAR AR. REZA KABUL AR. SAMEEP PADORA AR. SANDEEP SHIKRE AR. SANJAY PURI AR. SHEILA SRI PRAKASH AR. SHILPA & SAMEER BALVALLY AR. SHIRISH BERI SNEHAL VASANI AR. SUCHIT GADAKARI TEJAS DOSHI AR. YATIN PATEL AR. YATIN PANDYA ZZ ARCHITECTS
ifj : the indian review of world furniture, interiors and design
cover design: harish raut
editor & creative head
sylvia khan
sylvia@ifj.co.in
ifj writetank editorial & interactions
simi kaur
simi@ifj.co.in
pr & social media manager
vaishnavi uchil
vaishnavi@ifj.co.in
senior visualizer
harish raut
harish@ifj.co.in
subscription support
sharon rahatwal sharon@ifj.co.in
to subscribe
jasmeet kaur
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to contribute editorial matter edit@ifj.co.in to advertise
jyoti agasti
jyoti@ifj.co.in +91 98924 85290
available online at:
published by Printed and published by Sylvia Khan on behalf of Liyakat Ali Khan. Printed at SAP Print Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Published by Index Media Pvt. Ltd. 401, Sanskriti Park, Commercial Block, 50B, Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai - 400 093. India. t : 91 22 2830 2870 / 71 f : 91 22 2821 6140 Editor : Sylvia Khan. While all constructive inputs and editorial material are welcome, the editorial team does not undertake responsibility for either printing or return of unsolicited material or printing of responses in an unedited form. While every attempt is made to ensure veracity of material, the editors are not responsible for verification of the accuracy of information which is accepted in good faith from contributors and shall not be held liable to any extent. All rights of printing and publication reserved by the publishers. No part of this publication may be reproduced elsewhere, without the written permission of the publishers.
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Index Media Pvt. Ltd. 401, Sanskriti Park, Commercial Block, 50B, Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri (E), Mumbai - 400 093. India. t : +91 22 2830 2870 / 71 f : +91 22 2821 6140
CONTENT
00 SAVIESA 01 KAFF 02 OLIVE 03 CONTENT 04 EVERSHINE APPLIANCES 05 POLAND 06 KLITE 07 KLITE 08 BONTON 09 EUROTECH DESIGN 10 Dorset Kaba
AN IMPULSE DECISION, AN EXTRAORDINARY CAREER. 30 YEARS OF ARK The story
of my tryst with architecture is one of extraordinary experience leading to a satisfying career. The decision to be an architect was quite unplanned. After completing my 12th grade, like most students, I went for an engineering entrance exam in Vadodara. It was one of the favoured industries back in the day. During this time, I stayed with a friend, a final year student of architecture. His sketches and the representations had me fascinated. On impulse, I changed my elective; and before I could realize it, I had cleared the entrance exam for architecture at the Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara. I came back to Mumbai between academic years when Gujarat was hit with the massacre of 1985. My college was shut during those days, so with the guidance of a friend, I began my internship at a prominent design studio for 6 months. I graduated soon after and came back to Mumbai to set up my own practice. This studio began in the mezzanine of an Iranian restaurant owned by my father. After establishing my independent practice, I contacted acquaintances and family informing them of my venture and merely working on a bedroom or a bathroom at times. Gradually
AR. REZA KABUL ARK REZA K ABUL ARCHITECTS, MUMBAI I began designing stand-alone apartments and low-rise buildings on the outskirts of Mumbai, such as Kalyan, Badlapur and Thane. It was a humble beginning. With neither staff nor clients, I juggled between being the gofer, the secretary, and the boss. My clients noticed my dedication to their projects and the hard work that went with it. I believe that if an opportunity knocks on your door and you are not there to open it, it would not wait but instead knock at some other door. As projects slowly started pouring in the work force gradually started increasing. I always was, and still am, eager to try new things every day, as well as to learn with each project. The more I designed, the more I realized that my belief is in liberating spaces, not enclosing them. Every space needs to have a good optimum, be it a small sized apartment or large commercial offices. Every good designer analyses the plans from the client perspective, with regard to practicality, functionality and accessibility, before executing it. I don’t believe in confining spaces between four walls, on the contrary, I believe in open spaces, both for the interiors and exteriors. My first big break came with Sagar Classic, an 18-storied tower in Byculla, Mumbai.
We made the model and a perspective which itself achieved an overwhelming response, and the client’s satisfaction. It was the first time my name flashed across the newspapers. A great turning point, with no looking back. The growing fame bought along an array of well-known developers, who approached me for their projects. Our first international project was in Dubai in 1991, a 4-star hotel with 80 rooms. The next milestone for the studio was when a client walked into the office and offered us a project in Mauritius; a 5-star property and one of my life’s greatest moments. Marine Plaza Hotel, earlier Bombay International Hotel at Marine Drive in Mumbai, was another feather in our cap. The biggest challenge there was that an existing residential structure had to be turned into a 5-star hotel without demolition. The central atrium, a chowk with staircases and drainage pipes going through, had no open space for a swimming pool, leaving us with the only option - the terrace. The need for natural light in the atrium surfaced the idea of a glass-bottomed pool. With ideas aplenty, we were ready to experiment, step away from the conventional, to get better results. The idea behind the design of Shreepati Arcade, completed in 2002, was that the client wanted to build the (then) tallest
building. With no prior experience, and only the enthusiasm to take on the challenge, we undertook the project. In-depth research, visits with a few architects in Singapore and Hong Kong, technical discussions, and some pointers later we were ready to go. 153m tall Shreepati Arcade was recorded in the Limca Book of Records 2003 as the Tallest Building of India. Over the years we have established a proven track-record in project design from inception to execution ranging from master plans and townships, to hospitality, residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, and educational segments. Being multi-disciplinary, we are equipped to address the needs of such specialized segments. I consider that a good architect is capable of creating a successful design that proves functional and is aesthetically pleasing. Today, we are a well-known firm in India and globally, and our client list has expanded across segments; with a workforce of over 100 seasoned professionals. Strengthening our reach, we established our local presence in Pune in the late 2000’s as ARK Studio Pune, catering to the growing demands of the city, and work with some of the key players including Kolte Patil, VTP Group, and Bramha Realty. In a pursuit to establish a stronger international presence,
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we entered the American architecture and design scenario in 2010, establishing operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Setting benchmarks towards high-rise, we are currently working on a residential tower in Nagpur, India called Kukreja Infinity, and a mixed-use development in Colombo, Sri Lanka called 96 Legends Square which stand to be the current tallest in their respective cities. Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, with a dense urban core, has been another fascinating market that we have entered. Our recently completed projects: The Concord Hotel & Suites, a five-star luxury hospitality project and Diamond Plaza 2, a high-rise mixed-use development project are two iconic structures in the city. We currently have a series of ongoing residential developments in Nairobi: Silver Decks, Silver Stone Apartments, and Silver Edge Apartments. Accepting challenges brings out the best within you. My mantra is to overcome the challenges instead of looking back and running away from them. Students need to realize that architecture and design is a specialised field of practice. You need to have a flair for it, and certainly need to be good at sketching, visualisation and imagination. While we started our careers with T squares and drawing boards, the budding generation today has the advantage of technology. This generation has reached an age of transformation. With 3D drawings, advanced materials and new technologies evolving day by day, one can create wonders. It is good to be a dreamer, but it needs to be bundled with hard-work and dedication to actualize those dreams. There is nothing that is impossible. Keeping in mind the clients’ unique background and need profile, we at ARK develop innovative approaches to design, access cutting edge technologies, and implement advanced management practices to provide optimal solutions with a focus on quality, timeline, and cost economy. Behind a successful track record lies a solid approach to delivering functional solutions to our
customers. We strive to provide world class designs, which improve the quality of life where people live, work, seek education, and look forward for entertainment and leisure. The same effort has imparted a reputed identity, and I strongly believe in maintaining close contacts between my design team and the clients. Architecture is a very personalized and client centric profession. It requires analysing the clients brief and understanding his latent needs. Clients today want architects to function as partners in the project. They look at us for new ideas, trends, best practices, and technological innovations despite being well aware of the global trends. As an architect, it is essential to understand the client as well as the end-user’s perspective and use of the space, so as to provide a solution that offers functionality worth the investment. While our practice has changed a great deal since 1988, I believe that our 30th anniversary is testimony to two important constants here at ARK: great clients and great designs; we have been fortunate to have both. It takes exemplary quality to reach elusive heights. The vision to rank among the top most players in the world has fuelled and sustained our drive to deliver those exemplary projects which introduce customers to pioneering benchmarks in design aesthetics. The completion of prestigious projects in overseas markets further bolsters the track record of successes and credibility to deliver top-notch quality on time, every time. Our constant endeavour remains to be counted among the topmost architectural firms in the world. Maintaining a business for three decades is a challenging undertaking, especially in the service industry. It demands the ability to stay ahead of emerging technologies, as well as customer needs. We could not have achieved this significant milestone without the support of our dedicated clientele, vendors, media, and each one of the team members here at ARK. Our sincere thanks to all who have granted us the privilege of influencing and serving them for the last thirty years. We look forward to continuing this legacy for many years to come.