SR NEWS UPDATES

Bengaluru To Have World-Class ‘design disTriCT’ inspired By duBai’s d3

Dubai Design District (d3) is a purpose-built hub, established in 2013, where the community of design, art, culture, and fashion co-exist such as famous international design and fashion brands, startups, and entrepreneurs. If everything goes according to Karnataka IT Minister CN Ashwath Narayan’s plan, Bengaluru will soon have its own ‘Design District’ on the lines of Dubai’s d3 or even far better than that. After returning from his four-day visit to Dubai Expo 2020, he said that a delegation of investors from the GCC countries is also showing keen interest to invest in the state. Arun, Director, Digital, ISDC, CN Meena Nagaraj, Director of IT, Sathar al Karan, founder of ArtUAE, and Ivan A Fernandes, Managing Director, Regent Technologies visited Dubai Design District and al Serkal Avenue, Dubai to explore the art, design and technology ecosystem in Dubai for the set up of a similar venue in Bengaluru. The IT minister also informed the media that the proposed Bengaluru Design District cost around Rs 1,000 crore, which seems worth it considering the state’s capital investment potential. Keen on investing in State CN Ashwath Narayan also spoke to media persons that the GCC countries such as the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman have shown keen interest to invest in the state.

“Investors from the Gulf countries agree that Karnataka is an ideal destination for investments. So it is time Bengaluru gets a world-class Design District, which is even better than Dubai’s,” he said. Further, the Gulf Islamic Investment Group will provide Rs 3,500 crore in Karnataka over three years. The group plans to set up its office in Bengaluru to reinforce Indo-UAE investment. The idea of a Design District that spans over 100-150 acres of land in Bengaluru comprises wonderfully crafted spaces and distinctive community offerings. Further, the Karnataka government plans to organize the ‘Bangalore Design Festival’, which is perhaps the world’s largest design festival, in the Design District. The minister said, “Here, everything businesses need at a global level will be designed. It will be a place where design, art, and fashion will meet.”

Investors from the Gulf countries agree that Karnataka is an ideal destination for investments. So it is time Bengaluru gets a world-class Design District, which is even better than Dubai’s.

rakaBganj saHiB gurudWara Will Have a unique dome-like audiTorium inside iT

The Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib is a historic Gurdwara near Parliament House, New Delhi. The ICSS Complex shall have a new auditorium constructed inside Gurudwara premises. Mr. Joby Joseph & er. Nitesh Agrawal have provided complete engineering under the guidance of er.(Dr) Abhay Gupta in creating another marvelous iconic structural engineering marvel in the historic city of Delhi. Excellent architectural concept from renu robin Design & SGPC have been made possible by structural engineering from Skeleton & Construction by MtFS. Design team has deployed an innovative concept of shell type of dome construction to give a sense of floating light space within the core of the building. The main challenge was to customize connections considering the existing structure. The construction sequence was meticulously designed so as not to adversely affect the strength and stability of the existing building. Space An innovative auditorium was created giving the sense of floating light space within the core of the building itself. This illusion was created with the help of hanging columns. It led to creating an open space for gathering on the ground floor leading up to the auditorium structure with ramps, making the building barrier-free. The innovative dome on top again gives a new outlook to the existing dome of the main Gurdwara building. The project consists of auditorium, gallery, and VIP lounges along with amenities. Requirements of erection-friendly structure in the existing building and time constraints, steel was a unanimous choice by the team. This building shall be mainly used for exhibition purposes; hence architects deployed an innovative concept of shell type of dome construction along with other amenities/services to meet the civic project requirement. The lower frame of the dome is erected as a hemispherical dome having 16.6m diameter & 7.5m height. The area inside the dome shall be utilized as an auditorium. A Pentagon RCC slab inside the whole dome has been constructed for sitting purposes. The entire auditorium has been housed inside a big hall which had a 225mm thick concrete slab earlier and a large opening of 22m diameter is cut at roof level and covered with a steel dome structure. The benefit considered for the design of the dome is the ability to cover a large distance with minimum thickness. Structural steel hollow tube sections have been used for the construction of the dome. The dome has been designed in such a way that curvature in both, radial & tangential, directions is maintained.

Back to the market “touch & Feel” takes the stage surFaCes reporTer markeT updaTe

With the onset of festive season and launching of new showrooms, the markets is starting to flourish. Brands are also accelerating the efforts towards attracting the customers with touch and feel again surpassing the COVID-19 fear. A report by SURFACES REPORTER (SR). NO MATCH FOR PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE A physical experience entails a customer to take the buying decision instantly after experiencing any product. Grandeur and opulence have almost become synonymous with the showroom design. However, with the onset of the pandemic, we saw a major decline in onsite activities leading customers to move to a safer online experience. Digitization became the key selling point in the branding activities. Nonetheless, there is still no match to the physical experience of browsing a slew of products and selecting among them. As soon as the pandemic started abating, brands have accelerated their efforts to bring buyers in the market again with the opening of more experience centers across the country. In the last few months, SR observed that many brands, spread across varied categories, have opened specialized showrooms and experience centers in various parts of the country. For instance, Somany Ceramics, a major brand in ceramic and allied products, has launched its largest experience center in Morbi, Gujarat, a city also known as the ceramic hub of the country. Asian Paints, one of the largest paint brands in the country has also forayed into the home decor segment with the launching of a Beautiful Home Boutique in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Asian Granito India Ltd has inaugurated a 10,000 sq. feet luxurious tiles, marble, quartz and bathware display centre in Kochi, Kerala. Beyond Design, a bespoke luxury furniture brands has also recently opened its second home store. Similarly, many brands have announced their expansion plans in recent months including mattress brands like Duroflex and Wakefit who have also opened experiential stores in the past year. According to the retailing Sector Analysis report, the Indian retail sector in India is emerging as one of the largest sectors in the economy. It contributes 10% to the GDP and 8% to the employment. The country’s per capita retail store availability is also the highest in the world. The report also suggests that the countrys retail sector is experiencing exponential growth with retail development taking place not just in major cities and metros, but also in tier II and III cities. It pointed out that the unfortunately, the retail sector was among the hardest hit sectors by the Covid-19 outbreak. Fashion, furniture, electronics, luxury retailers and automobiles were the hardest hit as consumers forewent discretionary purchases. Many brand strategists say that while currently brands are prioritizing the digitized experience, it is mostly complementary to the physical experience and there is no replacement to it. SURFACES REPORTER TAKE It is true that there is no match to the offline experience. While most of the brands have digitized their product experience, the need of Touch-and-feel remains the same particularly in the building material segment where the online look of the product often differs from what is being offered due to the peculiarity of colour, shapes, sizes and technical properties. Therefore, the move to launch and expand the in-store experience is very welcoming as SURFACES REPORTER (SR) hopes that it will help to bring back the customers again in the market.

a TransparenT, BuBBle-like dome To Cover a Car parking | london

Chilean architect Smiljan Radic has designed this transparent, bubble-like dome to showcase Alexander McQueen’s Spring Summer 2022 womenswear collection. The firm topped the 10-story car park in East London’s Tobacco Docklands with this bulbous dome for the show that took place on 13th October. The show marked the arrival of the latest British fashion house, which has been offering its array of collections for the last 20 years. It was designed as a temporary structure that could be dismantled and reused later on.

The clear, inflatable dome in the Tobacco Docklands will offer views across London. The architect was a long-time collaborator of the fashion brand and designed this unique structure on top of a carpark. The structure allows visitors to feel open to the elements and enjoy panoramic views across London. It further allows them to remain protected at the same time.

Design Details

The globular form of the structure was supported and constrained by tensile cables that stretched between channels of the swollen membrane. Structural specialist ES Global and creative agency Gainsbury & Whiting worked painstakingly with the architect to supervise the fabrication of the area. A proper scaffolding system supports the platform on top of which the space is constructed for the show. The scaffolding work was left intentionally opened at its sides to disclose the bones of its built. The physical space was formed using a transparent paneled membrane, attached to a twisting circular pipe at its foot. The main entrance to the interior of the show is located at the rear of the rooftop.

Inside the Dome

Inside, the transparent structure, the design team has organized two sets of circular rows of folding wooden chairs for the show’s audience. The center of the space contains a loose circle of chairs that is combined with a row of chairs mounted from underneath the wooden platform where models entered the space once the fashion show had started.

There were several vents placed on the floor that pumped air to this cloud-like structure to ensure it sustained its inflated form. It also had air-locked, revolving doors to control escaping air. The lower level of the car park contains a generator that provides electricity to the space for its various functions. It was powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which is a renewable diesel substitute made from grease, vegetable oils, food waste, and agricultural residues. The show space can be disassembled post use. It can easily be uninstalled, transported, and reused for several different occasions, such as cultural and educational events.

naredCo launCHes FirsT Women Wing ‘naredCo maHi’

Indian Real Estate is taking major stride towards empowering women in the realty sector. In a major move, under the leadership of newly appointed President Mr. Rajan Bandelkar has launched, ‘NAREDCO MAHI’, the women’s wing of the realty body. The newly elected body aims at empowering women entrepreneurs and encouraging participation of women in the real estate sector and allied fields. It will also strive to create an environment where women in real estate sector can come together, to share experiences, harness their skills, draw on their resources, influence, grow and bring about lasting change. NAREDCO MAHI will ensure active engagement of members with other stakeholders in the sector and work towards the development and growth of the sector, with due recognition for the contribution of women in India’s real estate journey. The activities of the newly formed wing would range from mentoring, networking and access to capital for women entrepreneurs to inspirational talks from women in real estate sector and their journeys. The NAREDCO MAHI members will have access to exclusive training programs and opportunities to sharpen their presentation and business skills along with availing great networking opportunities. The first panel discussion NAREDCO MAHI was on ‘Women in real estate sector’ by the distinguished founder members where it was noted that initially NAREDCO MAHI will focus on providing access to women entrepreneurs to a world of opportunities, from direct interaction with policy makers, networking with corporate majors of Indian real estate industry and close linkages with the government.

Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary for the Union Ministry

of Housing and Urban Affairs, who was also the chief guest for the launch and first panel discussion stated, “Now you are bringing a new force, this will increase your strength by twofold.” He also said that all initiatives under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs are focused on empowering women. Talking of major changes in the Indian real estate sector, he said that the RERA Act has brought about confidence towards the sector. “There is going to be a great development in the real estate front in the country. A lot of young management professionals are now entering the sector and more women should follow suit,” Mr. Mishra said. On the potential opportunities in the sector, he said that in the next 30 years there will be great growth of urbanization, construction and infrastructure development and there will significant requirement of skilled people.

Mr. rajan Bandelkar, President, NAreDCo India said “We would strive to mobilize women power at NAREDCO MAHI this year and garner more visibility for the organization. The initiative comes at a crucial time, as it would help more and more women entrepreneurs shed the impact of the pandemic and support economic recovery. The members of the newly-formed women arm are likely to avail unparalleled business growth.”

Ms. tara Subramaniam, Founder President, NAreDCo

MAHI said, “Better gender diversity and representation would not only unlock several opportunities for Indian women, but will also accelerate our great country’s growth momentum and help achieving the target for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.” she said. In the world and India, as women are taking centerstage in every walk of life, real estate was pre-dominantly dominated by men, owing to the facts that women were not properly represented in the field. only will propel it’s greatness further.

SUrFACeS rePorter and WADe ASIA, The Largest Platform for Women in Architecture Design Construction in Asia recognize and accolade the step taken by NAREDCO as it was one of the most awaited moves that will lead to a sure change in the gender topography of Indian real estate scenario.