ArchitectureDesign_2015-04

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A N I N D I A N J O U R N A L O F A R C H I T E C T U R EA N I N D I A N J O U R N A L O F A R C H I T E C T U R E

VOLUME 32 ISSUE 4

‘Smart cities would have to necessarily be humancentric. I would rather use the term – humane cities’—Rahul Mehrotra

‘Smart cities would have to necessarily be humancentric. I would rather use the term – humane cities’—Rahul Mehrotra

13 ABOUT THE ISSUE

16 REFLECTIONS

18 UPDATES

PROFILE: RAHUL MEHROTRARMA Architects, Mumbai

24 Ar Rahul Mehrotra in Conversation with Ar Rajnish Wattas

32 Structured around Courtyards

LMW Corporate Headquarters, Coimbatore

38 Interplay of Steel and Glass

Visitor Centre at CSMVS, Mumbai

44 A Play of Planes

Three Court House, Alibaug, India

54 Book Extract

RESIDENTIAL DESIGN62 Contemporary homes are extravagant in nature-

By Bhavesh Patel

64 Pronounced Texture

The Nest, Dumas, Surat, Gujarat

Architecture and Beyond, Surat, Gujarat

74 Incorporating Architectural Elements

from Rajasthan

N74, New Delhi

Anagram Architects, New Delhi80 Seaside Abode

Amchit Residence, Lebanon

BLANKPAGE Architects, Lebanon

88 EXPLORING DESIGN Innovative Office Furniture

VISTAS

96 Landmark in the City

Markthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

MVRDV, Rotterdam, The Netherlands106 Spatial Expression

Orange Corporate Office, Lucknow, UP

Archohm Consults Private Limited, Noida, UP112 Intersecting Volumes

Corporate Office, Milan, Italy

Maurizio Lai Architect, Lai Studio, Milan, Italy

118 PRODUCTS

9696

80

32

A N I N D I A N J O U R N A L O F A R C H I T E C T U R Eabout the issue

All drawings and visuals for theprojects and articles, unlessmentioned otherwise, are

courtesy the architects/authors.

Three Court House, Alibaug,India (Architects: RMAArchitects, Mumbai)

Not very many Indian architects have had the privilege to contribute sointensely to the profession- both at the academic level and also in thepractice of architecture. Architect Rahul Mehrotra is one of those few. With

studios both in Mumbai and Boston, his involvements extend to a purposefulcontribution to education as a professor and Chair of the Department of UrbanPlanning and Design at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. His timespread between Boston and Mumbai has given him that much more insight toplaguing issues in planning and architecture in a developed society and one which isnow emerging as a fast paced developing one. At the same time he has translatedhis focussed design approach in a number of projects that reflect his strength ofinterpreting tradition with a modern vocabulary of materials and technology. Hisarchitecture embodies communicative spaces that are enlivened with a sensitivehandling of elements of architecture to create refreshing environs with acontemporary idiom. We carry a profile of the architect -- he shares with us hisdiverse thoughts on varied issues in the profession. Also published are a few projectsof his exemplifying and innovative design methodology.Rahul Mehrotra expresses a strong feel for social responsibility in the profession.

He points out that “In India it is easy to be seduced by upper income commissions,the architecture of indulgence and luxury, and do precious pieces of architecture.Very early in the practice, I decided not to be limited by this path. We got involvedwith a range of advocacy work which had a direct bearing on the builtenvironment.” He has shown a respect for the context whether it be cultural orgeographical. And this gets reflected in some of his projects that we publish. Take theexample of the Alibaug house in Mumbai. The controlled scale blends it gently withthe surroundings of the village. There is natural flow in the interior spaces thatbecome meaningful with utility of appropriate materials with interplay of naturallight, water bodies and airy environs. His other projects too stand apart for their deft

architectural handling with ahumane spirit.And yes, our Exploring

Design section brings youdesigners who are takinghuge strides in evolving anaesthetic elegancecombined with functionalityin the production ofoffice furniture.

Architecture arouses sentiments in man. The architect’stask therefore, is to make those sentiments more precise…

—Adolf Loos

Monument in glory - The Washington Monument at the National Mall in Washington, DC

ImageMonthooff

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ARCHITECTURE+DESIGNA N I N D I A N J O U R N A L O F A R C H I T E C T U R E

“The job of buildings is toimprove human relations:architecture must ease them, notmake them worse... ”

– Ralph Erskine

AApprriill 22001155 ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN16

Reflections

The installation ‘When ideas Crystallize’ was designed by Bangalore-based firm Purple Turtles LightingIdeas Pvt Ltd for the India Design 2015 in Delhi. A giant paper “crystal cave” as its head that curved up to akind of tail that gave the installation a whale like silhouette was formed. A total of 39 different modules cametogether to form an installation of 8' height, 22' length and 9' width (in feet). The modules were made out ofmetal frames that were welded together and covered with banana fiber paper (crushed paper and plainpaper). The structure was self-supporting and it touched the floor at critical points and curved on the Z axis todistribute its weight.

When ideas Crystallize


Fast Track Architecture

The City of Paris has approved MVRDV’s ambitious plan forthe restructuring of the mixed-use urban block Vandamme

Nord at Gaîté-Montparnasse in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.Built in the 1970s by the French architect Pierre Dufau, thebuilding complex, comprises a shopping centre, offices, a publiclibrary, a hotel and an underground car park. All of which will beretrofitted so as to reintroduce the human scale to an urbanenvironment largely characterised by wide boulevards andmonolithic structures. In addition to the face-lift provided by anew facade, the accessibility and programmatic identity of eachof these programmes will be improved through a total internalreorganisation of the complex. The building’s restructuring alsoforesees extending the existing commercial spaces, creating anew office space, a new kindergarden, an expanded library, aconference centre, as well as a number of social housing units.

Enthusiastic about the challenge, Winy Maas, co-founder ofMVRDV, said, “This project is a fantastic chance to insert a littlebit of human scale into a megalomaniacal 1970’s development

in the very heart of Paris. We will bring order to the complexbuilding, making it accessible from all sides and intensifying itsuse through a higher density of programmes. On its façade, thebuilding will display all of the activities that are going on inside.For this we have developed a catalogue of façade elements thatare exchangeable, so that the entire ensemble can respondflexibly to changes in use over the coming years.”

Designed by Dutch architectural firmMecanoo, Delft’s new railway station

was officially opened to the public. Thestation, in combination with municipaloffices and the new city hall, sits atop anew train tunnel built in place of the oldconcrete viaduct that has divided the cityin two since 1965.

The design of the station comprises a

vaulted ceiling that features an enormoushistoric 1877 map of Delft and itssurroundings, connecting the station withthe city hall that is currently underconstruction. Within the station hall, wallsand columns are adorned with acontemporary re-interpretation of DelftBlue tiles. The glass skin of the building isdesigned to reflect the Dutch skies. The

panels of fused glass with lens-likespheres reference a vernacular windowdesign that can be seen throughout thehistoric city.

Throughout the design process, thebuilding volume has been shaved andreformed to create a compact, highlyefficient building form. The lowered rooflines at the corners provide a gradualtransition towards the existing small-scaledevelopment of the Delft city centre andthe adjacent Wester Quarter. Incisions inthe glass volume form a pattern ofalleyways and courtyards, which areinspired by the intricate structure of Delft.

Updates

Exhibition

The third edition of India Design ID2015 recently took place in Delhi. An

initiative by Ogaan, the event is India’sdefinitive and first-of-its kind design week.The event comprised three verticals—Exhibit ID, ID Symposium powered byRoca and ID Satellite. These three armsbrought together prominent design expertsand international design visionaries toshare their experiences, knowledge and

aesthetics throughexhibits, installations and discussions.

Exhibit ID is anexhibition space thatshowcased the finest inhome decoration withhigh-end brands anddesigners unveiling theirlatest collections. ID

Symposium powered by Rocafeatured engaging speakers fromdifferent walks of life, includingFumihiko Maki, Giulio Cappellini,GurjitSingh Matharoo, etc. IDSatellite, the hip offsite verticaldiscovered design districts of Delhiwith promotions, collaborationsand events across different andspecial events.


Updates

Award

The annual World Architecture Festival Awards, the ‘Oscars ofarchitecture’, was launched formally in London. The awards

will be celebrated at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) inSingapore this November, following three days of intensive livepresentations and judging.

Entries are invited from architects and designers for the 2015edition. The awards are expected to attract more than 750entries, about half of which will be shortlisted in 30 categories.Closing date for entries is the end of May, and shortlisting willtake place in early June.

Shortlisted entrants will compete for category prizes on thefirst two days of the festival. On the final day, category winnerswill present again to ‘super-juries’ of experienced judges, who willdecide on the world landscape, future project and completedbuilding of the year.

This year’s jurors include Sou Fujimoto (Japan), Kerry Hill(Singapore), Manuelle Gautrand (France), Benedetta Tagliabue(Spain) and Charles Jencks (UK/US).

In addition to the main awards, there are prizes for small

projects, use of wood and use of colour, decided by specialist juries.Commenting on the awards, Paul Finch, director of WAF, said,

“This is an exciting time for the awards, with no predictionspossible about this year’s result. Since our launch in 2008 withour founder sponsor Grohe, we have had entries from about 70countries round the world, and winners of every shape, size andtype.” He added, “Every year we find new talent competing withestablished big names, and that is part of the attraction of theevent, not just for entrants, but for delegates too.”

Competitions

Saint-Gobain Glass's Transparence 2014,the annual design competition held for

students of Architecture and Design,recently conducted its 9thedition’s Grand Finale atHindustan University in Chennai.Initiated by Saint-Gobain Glass,the event aimed at integrating thestudent community, architectsand the industry.

The competition was judgedby an eminent jury comprising Ar SanjayKanvinde from Kanvinde Rai andChaudhary Associates, Ar Sohrab Dalal

from DPA Design Plus and Ar Rohit Saxenafrom Perkins Eastman. SPA of Bhopalcomprising Swadheet Chaturvedi, Vipul

Jain and Aditya Singh emerged as thenational winners in the competition. IPSAcademy of Architecture bagged the first

runner up title and of SPA of Vijayawadastood second runner up.

Besides, the occasion witnessed thelaunch of the 10th edition ofTransparence 2015 by Ar RaviSarangan (Edifice). The theme forthe 2015 edition was alsolaunched by Padmashri Ar C NRaghavendran. The theme willfocus on ‘Social Mass Housing’ andthe edition will coincide with the

350th anniversary of Saint-Gobain.To know more, visit: www.saint-gobain.com

Tallinn Architecture Biennalehas announced the vision

competition “Epicentre ofTallinn” to find a design solution

for intersections in the future, when self-driving cars will drive onthe city streets. The international one-stage architecturecompetition invites entries till the end of May.

Tallinn’s central traffic junction, the Viru intersection, waschosen as the test site. The vision competition seeks answers to thequestions how driverless cars will alter the cityscape and the publicspace, and what will be the idea of the new public space.

Curated by Alvin Järving, TAB Tallinn vision competition is

organised in cooperation with the Estonian Centre of Architectureand Tallinn City. It invites architects, landscape architects, urbanistsand students from all those fields to propose ideas and methodsabout how to improve the quality of public space in one of thehotspots of Tallinn.

The jury, consisting of director and founder of MVRDV WinyMaas, Tallinn City Architect Endrik Mänd and Villem Tomistefrom the Union of Estonian Architects, will judge the entries tothe competition. The winning entries will be presented at theexhibition in the atrium of Viru Keskus shopping centre from9th September to 4th October.

TFor further information, visit: [email protected]


Updates

Trade news

French decorative insert door panelsdesigner EURADIF recently showcased

their latest innovations at FensterbauFrontale India 2015. The company hasdeveloped France’s extensive line ofdecorative panels for PVC and ALUMINIUMmain doors.

Considering the rising demand forcustomised and high-quality materials usedfor home interiors in India, EURADIFunveiled their panels for PVC1 andaluminium entrance doors tailored for theIndian market. Designed and manufactured in France, EURADIFpanels put at the disposal of home architects and doormanufacturers a wide range of original products easily

adaptable to various customers’ needs. Thecompany also showcased a PORTABLOCaluminum main door as well as aTHERMOSTYL main door in PVC/compositematerial during the exhibition.

Highlighting the upcoming milestones forthe company in India, Jean-Gabriel Creton,CEO of EURADIF, said, “We will open soon arepresentative office in the country. We willalso launch an Indian version of our softwarewhich allows private individuals, specifiersor developers to create designed doors

according to their choice and requirements”. The company hasalready started establishing a network of PVC manufacturersand joinery professionals in India.

Stylam Industries Limited, one of theleading manufacturers & exporters of

high pressure laminates & high-techadhesives, has charted massiveexpansion plan with an outlay of 60crores in various segments includinglaminates, exterior cladding and exterior flooring.

The company is coming with one ofbiggest 8000 ton hydraulic press of 6X14ft and three 4x8ft complete productionline which will be first of its kind in terms

of technology and innovation in the worldof laminates. This environment friendlyand energy conservation range will result in low carbon emission and lesspower consumption .

Satish Gupta, executive director ofStylam Industries, said, “After thisexpansion the production capacity ofStylam will increase by additional 60lakh sheets per annum. This automatedcutting edge technology will not onlyboost the quality of products but also

increases the efficiency with less humanintervention. This expertise will cater thetrends of emerging markets with newmarket reach from big town’s to smallvillages with a world class product rangeat a low cost and having more satisfiedcustomers worldwide”.

The company is working with bigconsultants and technocrats nationallyand internationally to make this projecthuge success. The project is expected tobe fully operational by end of 2015.

CERA, a pioneer in the sanitary ware segment in India, hasbeen awarded the best mid-sized company, by Nav Gujarat

Samay and Times of India. The award was presented at afunction in Ahmedabad by Gujarat’s Finance Minister, SaurabhPatel and Education Minister, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

The awards considered companies which are registered inGujarat. To shortlist the winners, inputs were taken from Centrefor Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The inputs werecaliberated on statistical and qualitative parameters by the NavGujarat Samay editorial team.

A jury of eminent people comprising P K Laheri, ChinubhaiShah and Sunil Parkeh deliberated on the inputs and created ashortlist of five entries. Considering all the aspects, the jury thendecided on the winners, which was attested by a Delphi panelcomprising of Deepak Parekh, Bhikhu Parekh and YK Alagh.

CERA with its compounded annual growth of over 35% in thepast several years, was the winner among the mid-sized companies.

Accepting the award, Vikram Somany, chairman & managingdirector of CERA, said, “CERA will pursue its growth trajectory inthe comings years too to be ahead of its competition.”


ProfileRahul Mehrotra

Planning and urban design needs to and mustbe speculative, avant garde – not rear garde...

Rajnish Wattas (RW): A major agenda of your

work as an educator and practitioner is to

address the essential pluralism of Indian

architecture and its cities. In fact, the challenge

of your practice/activism/research has been to

‘evolving a theoretical framework for designing

in conditions of informal growth’ – what you

call as the ‘Kinetic City’. What are the key

challenges of operating in this realm?

Rahul Mehrotra (RM): I got interested in

articulating the idea of the Kinetic city simply because

in Mumbai and as in many Indian cities, I saw that

over 60% of the environment and the city was

defined by a somewhat temporary occupation of

space. Thus, the city was constantly in flux and

dynamic. While this was clearly my observation, all

the text and theory to understand cities, I realised

were all premised on the assumption that architecture

was central to the imagination of urban space. Or put

Achitecture+Design brings across a conversation between noted architect RahulMehrotra and architectural critic Rajnish Wattas...

Mill Owner’sAssociation building byLe Corbusier, 1954.Collage by David Wild,juxtaposing themodernist buildingagenda in India withthe political, social andcultural milieu-represented skillfullyand with critical edge

Rahul Mehrotra... (1959) Rahul Mehrotra is a practising architect and educator, currently

working in Mumbai and teaching at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, where he

is Professor of Urban Design and Planning. He is also Chair of the Department of Urban Planning

and Design as well as a member of the steering committee of Harvard’s South Asia Initiative.

Mehrotra has written and lectured extensively on architecture, conservation and urban

planning. He has written, co-authored and edited a vast repertoire of books on Mumbai, its urban

history, its historic buildings, public spaces and planning processes. He is a member of the Steering

Committee of the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture and currently serves on the governing board

of the Indian Institute of Human Settlements. As Trustee of the Urban Design Research Institute

Image courtesy: David Wild

ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN AApprriill 22001155 25

another way, the ‘static’ city was the preoccupation.

So my observations and writings on the Kinetic City

were really about creating a discussion for designer

on how to deal with this phenomenon – or at least

recognise it. In the social sciences there is an

incredible amount of writing on this but often does

not speak to design, to the visual culture of our cities.

The work on ephemeral urbanism was a mere

extension of this. The study of the Kumbh Mela andthe research it generated was the crucial link. As after

applying the Kinetic City ideas to the Kumbh Melaone saw an even broader and more expansive

landscape of large-scale temporary cities set up

around the world. This led us to develop taxonomy,

which is now the work in progress. Essentially we are

treating this as a critique of current debates on

urbanism and questioning the obsession with the

permanent solution when often our problems are

moments of transition or temporary problems.

RW: Recently the Indian Government has

undertaken a major initiative on building 100

new cities, smart cities, urban renewal projects

and going ‘Rurban’ (providing urban facilities in

villages). How do you respond to this?

RM: My response to this would be one of caution.

The clearest agenda in what has been so far defined

is the idea of the ‘rurban’. Where urban amenities

are provided to rural areas. This is a critical challenge

in terms of public health but also in today’s world of

connecting the urban and rural in a way that does

not necessitate in migration to urban areas. However,

on the question of smart cities I would be extremely

cautious. For example, why are we even discussing

the creation of 100 ‘new’ cities? I think the challenge

we should pose to ourselves is that by the time the

Republic turns 75 we should have 100 great cities!

Now, whether this means building new towns or

upgrading the over 400 small towns is up for

discussion. Furthermore how are these resources

distributed across the geography of the country and

networked to create synergies and leverage

development in the hinterland of these cities is

another critical question. In short, I think the

declaration so far made is clearly a political one.

Unfortunately, the imagination the government has

about these smart cities is a technological fix to any

problem. To be successful these cities or initiatives to

create smart cities would have to necessarily be

human centric. I would rather use the term –

‘humane cities’ over smart cities. Humane cities

where the human being is central to any imagination

of the physical form of the city. Where questions of

equity, sanitation, economic mobility, the

imagination of the public are central to the

discussion. I am afraid otherwise this smart cities

initiative is going to be one of real estate and we will

spawn a 100 more Gurgaons!

RW: How would you prioritise and calibrate the

above-mentioned initiatives, as they require

intensive capital?

RM: First of all this should be focused on small

towns mainly because these are places with the least

amount of political and real estate contestations.

Map showing theemerging urbanlandscape of India

(UDRI), and Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research (PUKAR) both based in Mumbai, he continues to be actively

involved as an activist in the civic and urban affairs of the city.

His practice, RMA Architects founded in 1990, is an architectural practice with studios in both Mumbai and Boston. The

firm has executed a range of diverse projects across India. These projects have engaged many issues, multiple constituencies

and varying scales, from interior design and architecture to urban design, conservation and planning. Led by a core group of

design associates, the studio works actively with local craftspeople to develop and refine construction details and methods of

building that are relevant, sustainable, and founded on local knowledge. By working with varied constituencies, and through a

multiplicity of modes of engagement with practice,

RMA Architects endeavours to develop and evolve culturally specific design solutions for each unique context.

Image courtesy: Urban India Atlas

Furthermore, these are places with very little

planning capacity in terms of both institutions as well

as individuals. There are often not even qualified

planners or urban designers working in these towns

and furthermore these are places where civil society

is not organised in the same way in the larger cities

in India. So while these will be seemingly difficult

places to intervene they are actually the landscapes

where design can play a key role in making them

better places in ways infrastructure and urban form

can be imagined simultaneously. The mega cities

have a way of sucking up the resources without

adequate effect on account of the contestations,

corruptions and resistances to any change on account

of the scale of these urban conglomerates. Thus, I

strongly believe that the 400 small towns of India

would benefit the most from these initiatives and

also dramatically change the urban Indian landscape

in terms of a stunning decentralisation it would

create. In fact this is an opportunity to turn around

India’s urban landscape with the least investments. If

you think about all the towns in Europe and the

United States we admire – they are never bigger than

100 thousand people if at all that large. Size is

important and in today’s world networking many

smaller towns to create lager metropolitan

conglomerations is a wiser strategy one that

communication technology now allows easily.

RW: Do you support the central agenda of

Edward Glaeser’s book ‘Triumph of the City’ in

the Indian scenario? Glaeser argues that

heterogeneously packed high densities are

economically more productive – what’s your view?

RM: I think it’s a meta view but his arguments

about density, etc., are bang on. However, the

problem with these meta views is they are

insensitive to the ground realities and the

despairingly terrible living conditions of what is

celebrated as economic success. While he rightly

argues that these can be solved more easily than

sprawl from an environmental perspective I am not

sure he understands their complexity and varying

nature across different cultures as well as political

systems fully. I guess for me the book lacks a

political edge.

RW: After the making of Chandigarh, the country

has not undertaken any urban experiment on

that scale; do you think there are still some

enduring lessons to be drawn from Le Corbusier’s

city and its architecture?

RM: Absolutely! I think we judged Chandigarh too

quickly. It was analysed to death within the first

five years of it being built – actually while it was

being built. I visited Chandigarh last year after 20

years and I was stunned how it had matured as a

city, as an urban system and how its architecture

had weathered – all rather beautifully. Of course,

there are some systemic problems with the basic

design of Chandigarh in the way it lacks public

transportation as being central to its imagination

The emergent urbanscape of Indian citiescomprise two worldsintertwined in closeproximity in the samespace. These adjacenciesof differing urban isemblematic of thecontemporary urbancondition in India

Phot

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Rahu

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rotra

and it creates segregations of classes, etc. But in

terms of being an armature, it is robust and

provides a fairly high quality of life to its citizens.

But most importantly the fact that its citizens are

proud of the city speaks volumes for the power of

architecture, planning and urban design. The lesson

that one would extract as being relevant is just the

simple idea that planning and urban design needs

to and must be speculative, avant garde – not reargarde – not respond to problems, or follow growth

but open up new imaginations of how we can live

– speculate about the future.

RW: As mentioned in your book – ‘Architecture in

India since 1990’, the driving force of ‘Impatient

capital’ is to ape skylines of Shanghai, Dubai or

Manhattan in developing nations like India. Will

that not flatten regional identities, impoverish

indigenous cultures and lead to the loss of

vernacular and traditional styles?

RM: Completely! And thus for architects in India

this is going to be a central challenge. How do we

resist this ’impatience of capital’? In today’s

globalised world, we can’t do without capital but

how we make it patient will push our imagination.

When capital resides in foundations and intuition it

automatically becomes patient and then produces

the most interesting architecture. But when it’s

fancy free and thrown around by corporations,

often-global corporations, all it’s concerned about

is a quick physical manifestation, which allows it to

realise its value. Thus corporate offices, 5 star

hotels and developer led housing projects are all

characterised by ‘speedy construction’. Dry modes

of building that can be erected instantly but then

also begin to loom large like their counterparts in

other landscapes created by the impatience of

capital such as Shanghai, Singapore and Dubai. So

to answer your question more directly: I would say

some forms of development and some programs

are more susceptible to the impatience of capital

and the limitations it poses on architectural

production. Others allow and support architectural

innovation in interesting ways. The challenge for us

as architects in India is to recognise this and then

find appropriate strategies to make relevant

architecture in both conditions.

RW: Do you discern any major creative surge or

ideology that is propelling architecture world

over? Or are we now in an era of celebrity

architects with their iconic projects, rather than

any dominant global ‘ism’?

RM: The iconic projects, and here I would include

weekend homes for the rich, are all about an

architecture of indulgence. Naturally, museums or

more broadly cultural institutions and weekend

homes are conditions where capital is a little more

patient and so they become venues for innovations,

somewhat. But they are essentiality about luxury for

a minuscule few. The elite in different countries now

establish their own status through these commissions

ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN AApprriill 22001155 27

Architecture is not the‘spectacle’ of the Indiacity nor does it evencomprise the singledominant image of thecity. In contrast,festivals such as GaneshChathurthi and manymore, have emerged as the spectacles andtheir presence on theeveryday landscapepervades anddominates the popularvisual culture of Indian cities

Photo credit: Rahul Mehrotra


and communicate to each other so to speak through

these projects. Architects have been completely

seduced by this cultural condition! These commissions

have become part of a kit for globalisation. The iconic

projects and even the star architect culture

perpetuated by several architectural prizes are really

detrimental for the profession in terms of the message

they send out to young practitioners in terms of the

detachment of architects from society. Architects no

longer take the risks of doing commissions where

surplus of capital does not exist and where failure is

possible. The profession is caught up too much in

self-aggrandisement.

RW: While conserving Modern architectural

heritage (places like Chandigarh and

Ahmedabad) is a major concern with architects in

India and other developing countries, the

concerned stakeholders do not connect with its

value easily. In fact, in your book you cover the

stream of ‘counter-modernism’ with resurfacing

of the ancient in Indian cities. Any thoughts?

RM: I think there are several questions embedded

in this question. The first is the question of

conservation and the detachment to our modern

heritage. The answer to that is a simple one. I think

aesthetic modernity arrived in India before social

modernity and this disjuncture is one our

generation has grown up with. Thus it’s very hard

to develop a narrative that seamlessly connects

people to this modern heritage or gets people

excited about something that’s abstract and was

intended, by Nehru as a neutralising instrument –

one which invented an identity for a complex and

extremely plural cultural landscape. The second

question is about revival tendencies. This is a

complex question and one that has to do with a

worldwide tendency in the postcolonial world for

indigenous identities to surface. This is a

reconciliation societies around the world that

suffered from colonisation are trying to reconstruct.

In some case it amounts to kitsch or literally

revivals, in other cases a construction of new

identities. In the book what I pointed out was that

in India this tendency is on the up swinging and

some of the largest commissions being executed

and built in India are employing ancient imagery.

These are projects that have deep social

transformation agendas, large budgets, extremely

committed patrons, but sadly no architects

involved. This speaks volumes of what we as a

profession think is important and where our

energies are focused – to what end? I am not sure?

RW: The sweep of your work is very wide-angled–

ranging from corporate projects to making a low

cost colony for 100 elephants and their mahouts!

And also so much of non-governmental

organisational (NGO) projects are for social

causes. What are the big lessons/quintessential

insights of working in such diversity?

RM: For me it’s been important to engage with a

range of problems that are relevant to the societies

we work in. In India it is easy to be seduced by upper

income commissions, the architecture of indulgence

and luxury, and do precious pieces of architecture,

etc. Very early in my practice I decided not to be

limited by this path. Thus as a way of connecting with

what we saw as a broader range of questions,

contingent on the profession to address, we got

involved with a range of advocacy work which had a

direct bearing on the built environment so to speak.

Over time the model of practice we evolved was one

of cross subsidy – where our projects for upper

income clients begin to subsidise our advocacy or

research work. Where we can engage with social

projects on our own terms and these are, sort of

subsidised by the other projects, which are propelled

by easy access to capital. So to answer your question

more pointedly, the lessons that are important for me

is that by being open to engage with a range of

projects one has a better pulse on the place, its

evolving culture and its social reality. The other is that

its immensely satisfying aspect is that one is not

making architecture for architects but struggling to

make places that are generally better for inhabitation.

Whether this is through engaging with conservation

projects or advocacy to recycle land or simply

taking on a project for poorer communities which is

often not a financially viable option. This notion of

an overall balance sheet without looking at each

Kumbh Mela settlement- an ephemeral Mega city!


LAYOUT 221X276.indd 1LAYOUT 221X276 indd 1 4/25/12 2:15:524/25/12 2:15:5


project as an exercise in fetishism of some sort is

immensely satisfying.

RW: You have made a huge contribution to the

conservation of architectural heritage in Mumbai,

how do you view the current pressure for

increasing permissible FAR in ‘India’s financial

capital’ to fund its urban renewal – and does the

city require special considerations?

RM: This is myopic thinking by the politicians in

conjunction with the developers in the city – two

professions or occupations, as we know that have

really morphed into one! What we are living in is the

speculative city, one where speculation about land

values trumps all considerations. Naturally this

approach attracts capital and panders to its

impatience, etc., but wrecks havoc for the city and its

fabric, memory, etc. For me conservation is merely a

planning instrument to be used by society to

modulate the rate of change in the built

environment. Some societies use this strategically,

others do not. I think Mumbai could and should be

more aggressive about resisting this mindless

transformation. In my view Mumbai needs to

become bolder in its planning imagination and

engage with metropolitan imaginations of its future

and not these involutionary gestures of making the

same limited space susceptible to malfunction on

account of its internal complexity.

RW: As the Chair of the Department of Urban

Planning and Design at the prestigious

Graduate School of Design (GSD), Harvard

University – and someone equally connected to

the Indian academia, how do you view the

mushrooming of privately run schools of

architecture here? What steps can be taken to

enhance their academic standards?

RM: The mushrooming of schools in India is

indicative of the great demand to study architecture.

Unfortunately, the capacity to ‘man’ these schools

just does not exist and this is going to be a massive

challenge for architectural education in India.

Education is a complicated question. I for one only

started teaching 14 years ago. Till then I had not

taught for a day. Something I have always felt

strongly about is that teaching has the dimension of

nurturing and this cannot be taken casually.

Architects sometimes come in and out of the US as

well as an Indian academy and teach for a term here

and there. I think this is a dangerous practice as it

defranchises the students and perpetuates the star

architect system mystifying the profession further.

Education has to be taken seriously and needs a kind

of commitment that I am not seeing enough of in

India. Naturally that is not to say there are no

committed educators; there are dozens of them but a

drop in terms of the massive demand from the new

schools of architecture mushrooming everywhere. As

a start we need to educate teachers before we can

ramp up our capacity to teach.

RW: You are a global, long-strider of diversity –

blending academics with practice (teaching in

the richest democracy of the world and

practising in the largest but one of the poorest)

writing books, researching on Kumbh Mela ‘pop-up-city’ and designing for corporates. How do

you manage your professionally diverse, eclectic

and nomadic life?

RM: It’s truly a schizophrenic existence. But is that

not the condition of the world today where all sorts

of contradictory conditions coexist? My interest is

really to see reconciliation. To blur the binaries that

we have tended to set up to understand the world.

For me architecture is about constructing spatial

imaginations that blur these divisions that allow

transgressions and create synergies that make

people collaborate or at least makes different

constituent groups become aware of each other.

Sometimes architecture cannot go beyond making

gestures of equity, of reconciliation of these blurs

that I refer to. Sometimes these illusions are a

necessary beginning where at least the problem is

manifested in explicit terms.

Rajnish Wattas is the former principal of Chandigarh College of

Architecture, currently distinguished professor at the Surya

School of Architecture. He is a well known writer and

architectural critic, and has written numerous publications.

Inequity is going to bethe greatest challengefor planning in India


vitra-india.com facebook.com/VitrAGlobal twitter.com/VitrAGlobal

Structured around Courtyards

ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN AApprrii ll 22001155 33

The LMW (Lakshmi Machine Works) Corporate Officebuilding in Coimbatore is structured around threecourtyards, each varying in scale. The entrance courtyard

is the most public from which you ascend to the more secludedinner courtyards. Therefore, the six large offices that cater tomaximum traffic and visitors were arranged around the firstcourtyard. The second courtyard has a private entrance for thedirectors of the company (who are located on the upper floor)

as well as the cafeteria, conference facilities and otherfunctions. The third courtyard is even more intimate in scale withthe boardroom and director’s area, and this overlooks all threecourtyards. These spaces are placed such that they provide a vistathrough the building, establishing the idea of centrality and aclear axis along which the various components of the buildingare organised while also respecting the privacy gradient that isnecessary of the organisation.

Project: LMW Corporate Headquarters, Coimbatore

Architects: RMA Architects, Mumbai

SITE PLAN1. OFFICE2. TOILET

3. SERVICE4. COURTYARD


The inner courtyards of the building contain waterbodies. This water is circulated to humidify the space for cooling–an ideal device for the hot dry climate of Coimbatore, which liesin the rain-shadow of the Nilgiri Hills, though in every otheraspect very much a part of the tropics. Furthermore, as thebuilding is never more than ‘one office thick’, cross-ventilationand air-circulation, coupled with the humidification of air, cools

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the building very efficiently. Local bricks with plaster and a claytile roof were the primary building materials that were sourcedin and around the city. The blue granite for the flooring is also alocal material and the wastage strips resulting from the dressingof the stone were salvaged and used to create ripples in thewaterfall that connects the two water bodies.

FactFileClient: Laxmi Machine Works Ltd

Design team: Rahul Mehrotra, Sanjiv Bajaj, Ajay Mirajgaoker

Consultants: John Mech-El Technologies, Sharad Shah, D R Bellare, Rajeev Sethi

Built-up area: 8,000sq m

Year of completion: 1997

Contemporary artists were specially commissioned to designthe building elements, such as railings, gates, trellises andinstallations in the double height spaces. The client is one of thelargest manufacturers of machine tools, and has enormous scrapmetal wastes. Using this scrap, artist Yogesh Rawal, incollaboration with Rajeev Sethi, created an array of screens andtrellises that not only secure the building but also facilitate themovement of air and light. The synthesis of these traditionalelements with a contemporary sensibility was a broader designconcern that was addressed in the articulation of the architectureof the building itself. Designed and built in the first few yearsafter India liberalised its economy, this corporate building was acritique and resistance to the numerous glass clad towers thatwere proliferating the urban Indian landscape in response toconstructing an image for India as an important player in theglobal economy. Here, the architecture attempts to appropriatea traditional vocabulary and spatial sensibility to construct a newtype for a programme of a corporate office which has realhistoric precedent in the architectural tradition of the region..

Interplay of Steel and Glass



Project: Visitor Centre at CSMVS, Mumbai



The visitor centre is located at the entrance of theChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS),formerly the Prince of Wales Museum, a Grade-I heritage

structure in Mumbai. The contemporary structure expandsupon the footprint of a previously existing multipurpose hall,

and is a part of an expansion plan for this prestigious urbanlandmark. The centre fulfils various programmatic functions,ranging from the integration of baggage collection and storage,to ticketing and security, as well as a museum shop, twohundred seat auditorium and restrooms.

N FLOOR PLAN 1. BAGGAGE KIOSK2. SECURITY CHECK3. TICKET KIOSK4. MUSEUM SHOP

5. MULTIPURPOSE HALL6. CAFETERIA7. TOILET8. VERANDAH


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FactFileClient: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

(formerly Prince of Wales Museum)

Design team: Rahul Mehrotra, Robert Stevens

Consultants: Vijay K Patil & Associates, Opolis Architects

Contractors: Likproof India

Built-up area: 1,000sq m

A lightweight, stainless steel clad elliptical roof creates acovered verandah for circulation, integrating disparate visitorprogrammes into a consolidated and modest, yetcontemporary form. Glass and metal surfaces exist as a visualcounterpoint to stout basalt stone of the local heritagestructures. Reflective material planes create a paradoxicalvisual poetry in which archaic forms of the adjacent museumare recast and distorted in a new perspective. The pre-defined footprint is organically punctured by existing treesthat project through openings in the roof, yielding localiseddeviations in the otherwise low-key scale spaces. Integrationof natural textures with modern means and materials furtherexpands the defining narrative of the centre, that of aculturally meaningful intervention within a monumentalhistoric context.

A Play of Planes



Project: Three Court House, Alibaug, India



The project is conceived as a series of similar but variedmodules that could be constructed incrementally. Theuse of discrete modules allows the form of the house

to conform to, and take advantage of, the unique shape ofthe site. By restricting the height to one floor, the house isable to blend in with its more humble surroundings. The

incremental nature of the plan breaks down the scale andmass of the house to relate to the adjacent village. This iscontrary to most weekend homes in the area that consolidatespace in a large ‘villa-like’ form. The approach ofdisaggregating form is a model that could be used for middleclass families whose economic condition forces incremental


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investments in their homes. A small outbuilding at the entry ofthe site, constructed with the same formal and material paletteas the house, contains a clinic —as the owner of the home is awell-known medical practitioner. Adjacent to the clinic arestaff residences, and together these two programmes create asocial interface and soft threshold with the village.

Articulation of materials further breaks down the scale of

the house, with a heavier base in locally sourced basalt stoneand an upper portion of lighter masonry materials, includingan inwardly sloping Mangalore tile roof. Specific detailing,including large splayed windows are finished in handcraftedcopper. The three modules that comprise the house areconnected via wooden walkways bounded by clear glasspanels, further accentuating the independent identity of each

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

1. ENTRANCE PORCH2. LIVING ROOM3. KITCHEN4. DINING ROOM5. DEN6. GUEST ROOM7. BATHROOM8. BEDROOM9. UTILITIES10. COURTYARD11. POOL12. COVERED VERANDAH

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module. The roofline features minimal copper flashing,which in addition to serving as a waterproofing elementcreates a visual highlight when caught by the sun.

Each of the modules contains programmatic elements thatare organised around an exterior courtyard. Large sliding glassdoors can be opened to connect the inside and outside,allowing the living spaces to expand into the courtyard. Thespaces are ordered by a privacy gradient, becoming moreprivate with distance from the entry. Furthermore, each modulecan be closed off from the rest of the house as and when

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FactFileDesign team: Rahul Mehrotra, Robert Stevens

Consultants: Aaryan Devcon Pvt Ltd, Vijay K Patil & Associates

Contractors: Impex Engineers

Built-up area: 700sq m


needed. The bedroom wing is collapsible, such that it can serveas one large family room or alternatively – with a series ofsliding doors – individual rooms with privacy for each person.

While the materials used are minimal and frugal, and basedon local availability, they coalesce in rich configurations.Through the use of simple materials and varied textures, thequality of light is modulated to highlight and enhance eachmaterial’s inherent richness. Tinted panes of glass filter squaresof colourful light, which move through the space during thecourse of the day. Reflections of the water and other surfacesprovide dynamic light into shaded areas. The combination of

a basic geometric formal language, constructed andaccentuated using modest materials, creates uniqueatmospheric qualities depending on the space, time of day andseason of the year.

It is here that the notion of cultural significance is of

importance, where culture and place seminally

influence the production of architecture—especially

in the face of globalisation. In fact, over the last two

decades, starting in the 1990s, the discussion of

architecture in India has witnessed popular notions such

as context, genius loci, sense of place, vernacularism,

regionalism and heritage conservation—all informing in

some way this all-encompassing notion of cultural

significance. When viewed from this perspective,

architecture is perceived to be culturally significant in so

far as it embodies a definable difference—typically, the

product of a distinct society, history and geographic

condition. In short, it is representative of a particular

culture. Unfortunately, more often than not these

trajectories between identity and culture rarely intersect.

Identity is discussed in terms of the discovery, rather

than the potent possibilities inherent in constructing or

inventing it. Cultural significance in a pluralistic society

like India will be ever evolving and transforming to

continually encompass changing aspirations and needs,

as well as to respond to new confrontations. Only

through this process of recognising the kinetic nature of

cultural significance will architecture respond to

contemporary realities and experiences and be truly put

to the service of emerging aspirations. Discerning and

understanding identity in this way will broaden our

perceptions, enabling us to encompass and engage with

reality beyond its formal readings through the

mainstream of architectural production. This reading will

be more open than before to other processes of

architectural production, and to the multiple identities

that are emerging or made manifest through varied

practices. Thus, for any exploration concerned with the

contemporary landscape in India, it is imperative to

represent the multiplicity of architectural production in

that context. It is precisely in the multifaceted nature of

production processes that we might find clues about the

form and nature of the emergent architectural landscape

in India—the new practices that are responding to the

contemporary.1

These emerging practices are in fact the indicators of

the architectural landscapes that we can anticipate in the

future, as they represent issues that society in India aspires

to as well as patronises. Moreover, such models of

architectural practice can easily be seen as a response to

these needs. Whatever form these practices take, they

strive for authenticity and identity while attempting to

resolve the monumental complexity and cultural dynamics

of India. Although the nature of these responses is diverse,

four distinct patterns of practice have become evident as

being emblematic of the divergent approaches emerging

to give expression to contemporary societal aspirations in

India. These are: the practice of constructing global

identities; the practice of regionalism; the alternative

practice, which recognises the presence of the subalterns,

or the unrepresented voices and communities in society;

and a pattern of architectural production based on a sort

of counter-modernism, which thrives on the revival of the

ancient and closes the loop (on this range of practices)

through its single-minded resistance to the global

aspirations of the nation.2


BookArchitecture in India since 1990

AuthorsRahul Mehrotra

PublisherPictor Publishing Pvt Ltd

Pages 312

ISBN 978-81-920432-0-7

Emergent LandscapesThis is an extract from the book ‘Architecture in India since 1990’, authoredby architect Rahul Mehrotra…


Global Practice

In today’s India, rocketing levels of consumption—

spurred by a rapidly increasing and economically mobile

middle class—are driving the construction of a new

landscape of global derivates, which constitute images

of globalisation. Given this condition, when capital

arrives in such an environment it is expected to take on a

particular character and is supported by freeways,

shopping malls, new corporate centres and global

suburbs. The pattern of architectural practice concerned

with the construction of these global identities is largely

a corporate one, and its influence is today probably one

of the most visible in the public realm. Assuming a

sophisticated building industry, this pattern of practice

communicates its design intentions through a well-

detailed set of instructions and documents that are

translated into buildings. The practice is usually

organised in the form of a large firm with in-house

specialisation and services. Although this pattern thrives

on client confidence to deliver competent and

predictable products, it perpetuates the rigid landscape

of global architecture devoid of any responses to the

local setting and social milieu. In the recent past, with

the acceleration of India’s economic liberalisation,

several Asian, American and European corporate

architectural firms have begun to build in India, further

perpetuating this pattern of construction as well as the

images that go with it. Curtain-wall-glazed, metal-clad

façades; central air-conditioning; and an emphasis on

providing adequate parking, security systems and

numerous other such features, combined with the

overarching sense of total containment, make these

“implants” recognisable in the Indian landscape.

This pattern of global practice has been patronised by

multinational corporations and developers and, starting in

the mid-1990s, by the government as well—usually for

their financial institutions. Similarly, given the boom in

software exports the information technology industry has

been a large emerging patron of this global architecture.

Software campuses in the outlying areas of Hyderabad,

New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai are becoming sites for

the manufacture of this imagery, which is rapidly being

emulated by smaller operators across the country. This

architectural response is desperately trying to seek a

dialogue with its client base in the United States or Europe

rather than establish any connection with its locality. Glass-

clad buildings of over-articulated forms, all held together

by (water-consuming) manicured lawns, are the form of

these campuses.3

The quantity of such architecture is increasing as

globalisation gains a foothold in India, and its impact on

the profession—as well as people’s perceptions of it,

perpetuated through the media—is immense. Projected

to make India appear more efficient and competent, this

representation also makes Indian architecture look

similar to manifestations of globalisation elsewhere in

the world. However, the limitations of architecture in

these circumstances are only too evident: a predictability

and detachment of the built form from its ambient

environment, a divorce from place and community, and

an indifference to the imperatives of tectonic innovation

and material resources. The resulting gated communities

and privately initiated housing projects are emblematic

of the emerging global suburbs characterising the

landscapes of India’s post-liberalised economy. The

manufacturing of global identities is also patronised by

the diaspora Indian community, who have become a

significant economic force as a result of the

government’s new liberal policies that permit the easy

flow of funds and the legalised purchase of property by

foreign investors—with those of Indian origin receiving a

special status and incentives.4

Historically, or at least since the country gained

independence, work in the Indian private sector has

always been small scale, focusing on artesian practice or a

boutique-like approach. This was a natural outcome of the

larger scale of work, whether it was institutional or

housing, being delivered directly by the government

through its own design agency.5 In the socialist economy,

any large private sector establishment was equated with


View of the pagoda looking towards the Gorai creek –Surrounded by dense vegetation, the built form is modelled onthe Shwe Dagon Pagoda of Myanmar, which preserves the non-sectarian Vipassana meditation practice. The building is situated

at the edge of the city but is visible for miles, thus exerting apresence in the landscape of Mumbai

capitalism, and consequently, was commercially and

morally on the fringe of societal acceptability. As a result,

India was ill prepared for large-scale global practice as the

country has had no tradition of this form of working. Thus,

no substantial tradition or capability existed in the

profession until the 1990s that would permit responding

to large-scale infrastructure or building projects. With the

sudden opening up of the economy, firms from Singapore,

Europe and the United Sates took the lead in bidding for

the new commissions that accompanied the liberalisation

of the economy and the processes of its globalisation.

Often the first capital that arrived was foreign capital, from

investors who brought their own architects to design the

form it took on the ground. These, often large,

corporations were capable of deftly and swiftly responding

to the “impatience” of capital as well as traversing the

obstacles on the ground through their confidence,

detachment and disengagement from local politics. This

situation introduced a new cultural paradigm for the

profession in India, with the bulk of indigenous firms

aspiring to remake themselves throughout the 1990s in

the form of corporate large-scale architectural offices.

Regional Modernism

A counterpoint to the corporate model of practice is

posed by the regionalist approach, which has evolved

beyond its modernist roots to respond to the locale.

Today, this form of practice does not reject modernism

but rather the new form of internationalism perpetuated

by the corporate pattern of practices in the face of

globalisation, and seeks to resist these flows on their

terms. In fact, regionalists see the importance of

modernism as a mechanism to view tradition anew. They

recognise that modernism demands a respect for the

inherent qualities of building materials, expressiveness

of structure, the functional justification for form and the

subtle integration of the icons and textures of the larger

landscape in which they are set. Regionalists clearly see

nationalism as being separate from the concerns of the

region, which is their context. Their endeavour is to

create a distinct identity without resorting to clichés or

literal references.

The chief patrons of the regionalist approach are the

various cultural and social institutions as well as private

bodies (e.g. schools, resort hotels and private homes).

In addition to institutional buildings, mass-scale housing

was very much in the realm of engagement of the

regionalist architects until the government began to

patronise and produce social housing. Since the

liberalisation of the economy, this area has been

squarely pre-empted by the corporate pattern of

practice—a contentious issue in the architecture

profession in India, and perhaps globally. However,

regionalist architects continue to build socially and

climatically responsible projects within this model of

practice. Despite patronage for previously government-

controlled projects transferring from the public to the

private sector, regionalist practice seeks to retain the

social and environmental commitment of these

programmes. As a result, these practices constitute

“centres of local resistance”, which produce alternative

modernities within the overarching narrative of

globalisation. In other words, while their patronage has

shifted their ideals remain.

Alternative Practices

The notion of the architect as the custodian of the

vernacular traditions of a region extended the

regionalists’ approach. This model emerged in India in

the 1970s as a counterpoint to modernism and the

perceived elimination of tradition that the modernist

project implied. This model first manifested itself in the

form of the architect as craftsperson, working directly

with the builders, more or less eliminating drawings as a

medium by which to communicate design intentions.

The buildings being constructed by these practitioners

display an energetic adoption of local materials and

vernacular building practices. This approach constitutes a

genuinely participatory process, with the craftspeople

and builders making the bulk of the decisions. The


Facade detail of women’s hostel – Curved surfaces increase the structural stiffnessof the facade, but also create wonderful diffused and changing light patternsthrough the jail, or screen wall

flexibility in design intentions and open-endedness in

these cases, where the final product is determined by

the construction process, facilitated the easy

incorporation of symbols and icons and also linked this

architecture to the larger religious and cultural traditions

of a region. Non-Government Organisations (NGOs),

cultural institutions and intellectuals are often the chief

patrons of this mode of practice.

In the 1990s, with the onslaught of globalisation and

the marginalisation and displacement that ensued from its

arrival in the altered economy, this model of practice re-

energised itself. Today, it encompasses architect-activists

and practitioners who have consciously chosen to be more

reflective and consider the consequences of their actions as

well as the ways in which they can effectively counter

global flows that marginalise both tradition and people.

These practitioners enter into a potentially more fulfilling

relationship with a site, its history, the community of users

whose needs they address and the members of the

workforce who are their collaborators. Yet these

practitioners are viewed with great suspicion by

mainstream architects—perhaps because they challenge the

more customary models of professional practice. In fact,

they focus on experiments and subversions that are carried

out at the margins of conventional practice. By electing to

work at the periphery of the prevailing model, these

alternative practitioners have declared their moral response

to the forces of globalisation. Their approach with respect

to both patronage and technology, is pioneering; their

projects may occasionally be commissioned by the state or

corporate sector in a benevolent mood (trusts, foundations,

etc), but stem or originate more usually with NGOs,

charitable trusts, and similar patrons. In fact, these

practitioners reject certain sources of patronage, such as

developers and real estate speculators, and treat

technologies of mass production (e.g. reinforced cement

concrete, glass and steel) with suspicion.

The most frequently recurring theme in this model of

practice is the exploration of alternative technologies

and construction methods that are often experimental in

nature and highly innovative. Moreover, attempts to

engage technology and building processes with

community participation aims to rescue architecture

from formal production processes and weave it

decisively into the fabric of the lived experiences of their

users. It further acts as an important counterpoint to the

protocol-driven corporate pattern, emphasising intimacy

of scale, direct involvement in the building and an

activist’s preoccupation with political and civic issues

that impinge on architecture. These practitioners

represent an argument for architectural diversity and an

acknowledgement of the differences that are critical to

the evolution of relevant architecture. Furthermore, the

recognition of human creativity acquires special meaning

in the age of atomising privatism. This access to a wider

base of skills and concerns is especially important in the

face of globalisation, which has reduced the character of

the built form to a thin veneer of glamour.

Although operating at an often limited scale, this

model of practice is entrenched in its socio-economic

setting. It incorporates local social networks into the

construction process, and offers cost-effective solutions.

The latter often involve the conversion of social assets into

financial ones, in terms of the use of local labour and

sourcing of materials. Unencumbered by aesthetic

concerns, the resultant buildings are often designed and

located with a “looseness” that permits a degree of

flexibility in terms of materials and the building process.

This mode of practice has seen popular support among

institutions, NGOs and intellectuals, producing as a result a

significant amount of building—yet it lacks the cohesion in

physical articulation emphasised by the regionalists, and is

often reduced to caricatures of local icons and images.

Thus, although it may appear to extend traditions and

attempt to express economies of means its literal visual

nature often subverts rather than enhances vernacular

traditions, and it can lack the aesthetic robustness that

renders the genuine vernacular timeless. However, and

more importantly, this model of practice demonstrates

new directions and interpretations for sustainable design

in the Indian context.

Counter-modernism

Simultaneously, an emerging phenomenon has


A typical glass clad corporate office - the symbol of global architecture


perpetuated a model or pattern of practice that is

facilitating the “resurfacing” of ancient Indian building

traditions—namely, the master craftsmen as decipherers

of ancient texts and scriptures. This resurfacing of the

past is a growing phenomenon, with numerous temples

and an entire range of institutional buildings being built

by these practitioners. In addition to religion-driven

fundamentalism, the quest for greater economic

mobility has triggered a growing interest in ancient

treatises, as industrialists and the business community in

India are seeking refuge in the security of ancient props

wherein pre-industrial, and even primitive, images are

confidently labelled as integral to regional identity.

These trends not only constitute clear strains of

resistance to the modern identity, but are also symbolic

of the collision course that religious chauvinism has

embarked upon with the integrative mechanisms of

globalisation, creating a situation in which communities

are concerned about the threat to their very identities

as well as their autonomy and freedom to dissent. This

phenomenon challenges the very foundations of the

Indian nation state, and its long-established ability to

absorb external influences and integrate them into the

forging of its own identity. In short, it is challenging the

inherent pluralism that has hitherto been integral to the

identity of the nation.

This model manifests itself in two clear ways. The first

is the construction of religious buildings, often employing

ancient imagery as a natural expression of the

fundamentalism that has grown to coincide with the

process of globalisation. These temples are built by master

craftsmen (often a hereditary position).6 The thousands of

smaller temples and mosques appearing across urban and

rural India are examples of the fervour with which this

counter-modernity has been asserting itself on the

country’s architectural landscape. Furthermore, an entire

landscape of faith-based architecture is also

simultaneously exerting its presence, wherein new forms

of expression are attempted but infused with inspiration

from familiar ancient imagery. The second way in which

this counter-modernity is manifesting itself is the

amazing resurrection of a belief in Vastu—or the sacred

rules of building. Much like feng shui, Vastu probablyhad its roots in geomancy and was later codified in

religion. Today, specialised practitioners hold the power

of interpretation and have turned Vastu into a full-blownpractice.

The rise of the interest in Vastu coincides rather

accurately with the liberalisation of the Indian

economy in the late 1980s and early 1990s—just

when global flows were sweeping across the Indian

landscape. Today, most middle- and higher-income

families (especially in the southern states of India)

would claim to follow Vastu principles in the design of

their habitat. Although it has no particular or specific

physical expression, the teachings of Vastu are often

limiting in what they permit. These rules determine

the disposition of rooms in a plan as well their

topological relationships in terms of the articulation of

the lowest and highest locations on a site. The rules

further micromanage the design in terms of door

locations, directions of staircases and the placement of

water bodies. Interestingly, these tenets are codified

with a certain abstraction that is not limiting to the

aesthetics of the building itself. The practice of Vastu and

its popularity are clearly bringing a new conservatism to

the realm of architecture and the innovations of form,

without necessarily challenging the emerging

vocabulary and imagery of global identities. Yet its

practitioners and patrons are setting specific rules

for the operation of Vastu, thereby localising the

spirit of global flows and constraining its operation,

thus implicitly resisting the universalising effects

of globalisation.

Conclusion

India seems to be experiencing the emergence of

Le Corbusier’s greatest impact was that he instantly solved thedebate between revivalists and modernists (the modernistswon). His progressive social ideals and architectural ideas fit inneatly with Nehru’s ambitions for India. For almost two decades,Le Corbusier’s work served as a model for an independentdemocratic India.

polarities or extreme positions taken by corporate

aspirations: the assertion of global identities on the one

hand and the resurfacing of the past on the other, with

the attitudes of regionalism and subaltern expression

poised in between. These are not merely models of

practice, but are also indications of the “cauldron” that

constitutes the emerging built environment—namely, the

inherent multiplicity of identities simultaneously

emerging on the Indian landscape in the face of

globalisation. From this churning, a celebration of fluid

identities seems to have emerged rather than an

assertion of the “pure” and the “indigenous” or the

complete capitulation to global flows. Interestingly, these

identities often coexist simultaneously, creating a unique

landscape of pluralism.

Architecture in India has clearly developed its own

resistance to the phenomenon of globalisation, creating

in the process a kaleidoscopic rendering of identity

rather than a singular, clear and tangible representation

of an Indian identity. Perhaps this process of forging

identities must necessarily be accompanied by ruptures

and confusions while, in the process, highlighting the

notion of identities as dynamic rather than static,

growing out of multiple as well as ever-changing societal

aspirations. In the words of Amartya Sen, “identity is not

a matter of discovery—of history anymore than of the

present—and has to be chosen with reasoning … and we

have to resist an often implicitly invoked assumption that

Ambedkar Park by Design Associates (detail). The blatant use ofelections symbols belonging to the political party that created thepark indicate the emergence of architecture in the representation

of power-wherein the resurfacing of ancient symbolism andpolitics are folded into each other.


we ‘discover’ rather than choose our identity”.7

Today, with its liberalised economy, unprecedented

social mobility and mutinous democracy, India is at a

critical crossroads and faces the challenge of choosing,

inventing and constructing its identity—a process that

focuses on questions and choices. One challenge stems

from how to facilitate the coexistence of multiple

identities—how they relate, contradict, oppose and yet

coexist, and are negotiated. Can extreme social diversity

and coexistence be addressed and manifested in the

designed built environment? Can architects design with

divided minds? This situation has resulted in critical

questions about the role of architecture in such

conditions and the immense possibilities thus available

to the profession.

It is perhaps through the articulation and expression of

these differences, rather than subsuming them in a

singular identity, that we can truly read the aspirations of

a nation and its regions—thereby moving closer to ways in

which to interpret these emergent architectural landscapes

where differences are no longer the source of animosity,

but are instead valued as the essential ingredient for

global and human harmony. Reading this diverse

landscape and representing it as accurately as possible is

critical for understanding the diverse architectural

practices in India on their own terms and accepting their

simultaneous validity. Through such a reading, we possibly

capture the potential pluralism that is being expressed in

the form of new architecture in India.

Image Courtesy: Architecture in India/Pictor Publishers

Notes

1. For a more nuanced and detailed argument about the politics of

representation and the question of identity, refer to: Mehrotra,

Rahul, Prasad Shetty and Rupali Gupte..“Architecture and

Contemporary Indian Identity” in Constructing Identity in

Contemporary Architecture, Technical University Berlin, 2009.

2. This overall concept, of the different models of architectural

practice, was first proposed in Mehrotra, Rahul, ed. World

Architecture A Critical Mosaic 1900-2000 - Volume VIII, South

Asia, a book documenting canonical works of architecture of the

twentieth century in South Asia, General editor: Kenneth

Frampton, published by the Architectural Society of China,

Beijing and the Union of International Architects, Beijing, 2000.

3. Mehrotra, Rahul. “Bangalore Dysfunctional Boom Town”,

Harvard Design Magazine, spring/summer 2007.

4. The NRI (Non-Resident Indian) and PIO (Person of Indian

Origin) population across the world is estimated at over 30

million. As per a UNDP (United Nations Development

Programme) 2010 report, after China, India has the second

largest diaspora (comprising first-generation emigrants living

abroad) in the world, estimated at 25 million—besides being one

of the largest “sending” nations in Asia, with an emigration rate

of 0.8%, out of which 72% work in other Asian countries. Also,

as per UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics the number of Indian

students abroad tripled from 51,000 in 1999 to over 153,000 in

2007, making India second after China among the world’s largest

sending countries for tertiary students. Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-

resident_Indian_and_Person_of_Indian_Origin. The NRI has, in

the last decade, begun investing in India more substantially. This

group is also characterised by a conservatism that is known to

support and fuel right politics and fundamentalism.

5. The Public Works Department (PWD) is a legacy of the British

era, yet it was powerful and held (and often continues to hold) a

monopoly on large-scale housing and infrastructure projects.

Similarly, each state had its own housing board which was

responsible for “turnkey” delivery of the various components of

infrastructure or housing in which that state was investing. In the

late 1990s, these bodies began slowly to be replaced by state

agencies responsible for delivering infrastructure and housing, as

the responsibility of the state is gradually being devolved and left

completely to the private sector.

6. Although temples form the bulk of this new construction, a

number of these structures are not specifically religious but are

faith based. Several new mosques have also been built recently,

but do not compare in terms of numbers to the Hindu temples

that have been constructed. However, the presence of religious

and faith-based architecture, and of cultural practises, has shown

a manifold increase in the last two decades, exerting a certain

visual presence that cannot be ignored.

7. Sen, Amartya. “Culture Matters and How” in special issue on

Culture and development, Humanscape, April 2002.

Kanchanjunga Apartements, designed by Charles CorreaAssociates, was seminal in establishing a regionalist approachwithin the tenets and rigour of modernism


Residential Design

Continuously evolving in nature,contemporary architecturecomprises the running trends in

architecture. It is ‘multifarious’ in naturefor the reason that it isn’t defined by aparticular style, instead it has borrowedbits and pieces from a variety of stylesand eras. On one side it endorsesparametric and biomimetic architecturewhereas on the other side it is alsoinclined towards earthy and sustainablearchitecture. Not just imitating the pastarchitecture but rather absorbing,recreating and pointing towards thepotential remaking of the context. Thenew trends which are beingexperimented under contemporaryarchitecture is with the logical limits ofarchitecture, pristine forms, newparadigms in space conceptualisationand organisation, use of digitaltechnologies, combination of materials,fabrication interfaces and narratives ofsustainable designs.

Most commonly, all these styles seemto demonstrate an ability to root theirprojects more honestly in the context inwhich they operate without overt

references, stylistically speaking to theirregional affiliations and the architecturalroots can be found to a greater or lesserdegree in minimalism.

Down the line, if we go back to thenineties, minimalism was particularlydominant in sculpture, where many artwork of the artists like Sol Le Witt,Donald Indd, Carl Andrea and DanFalvin, are worthy of mention. Soon itstarted moulding the waves ofcontemporary architecture and began towin over followers among manycontemporary architects. Finding thephrase ‘less is more’ of Mies Van DerRohe justifiable, architects have agreedupon emphasising the idea of givingmaximum power to an architecturalspace by means of the suppression ofany accessories. As the conclusion of it,the fewer aesthetic elements that makeup a work, the more eloquent it will be.The distraction due to secondaryaesthetic resources should be avoided.

For swearing stark and sterileenvironment, contemporary residential

architecture has embraced stylishcomfort in today’s life. Unlike the pastresidential architecture, elements ofminimalism like large openings,flexibility of spaces, use of materials,integration of outside with inside,dynamic forms and oneness with thenature, are highly incorporated intoday’s houses. The contemporaryhomes are extravagant in nature; theyare usually much more refined andpractical in use. In flexible open plandesigns, the spaces delineate as distinctand independent from each other butseamlessly blur boundaries betweenthem, coming out as one whole chunk.

Splitting of levels is usually employedto help the house work better with theland around it resulting simultaneouslyairy and comfortable living. It involvesfocus on the connection between twoplanes, pure and ample lighting and thevoid spaces left by the removal of three-dimensional shapes in an architecturaldesign. As termination of this, a drama iscreated into the space. Not only the

Bhavesh Patel

Contemporary homes are extravagant in nature–

The Nest, residence, Surat , Gujarat Designer: Architecture & Beyond, Surat

Brick Cape residence, Surat , GujaratDesigner: Architecture & Beyond, Surat


physical qualities are incorporated, buteven the intangible dimension is takeninto consideration. Consequently, themeaning of the house is achievedthrough this.

Light being an important characteristicof this intangible dimension, highlightsthe qualities of the material and adds avalue to the dynamics of the space orsaturating it with the characteristic ofabstraction, like unreality. Large openingsencourage interaction between residentsand the outside natural elements,allowing vistas of the surroundinglandscape. For ample penetration of lightinto the space and to invite the diffusedlight, large windows and translucentparameters are incorporated into thedesign. As a termination of this, shadowsbecome blurred and objects tend tocreate a dramatic space and thus therelationship between the objects and thespace they occupy adopts a surrealisticexperience. With passing of the daylight,notable patterns in the space are observedand the different phases of the day andthe change in seasons come to one’snotice. Screens being an element to playwith this dimension, are used to giveprivacy to the resident by offering theflow of continuous spaces.

Materials also hold an importantposition. The house also demonstrates asymbiotic relationship with the use of thematerials and its minimalistic aesthetic. To

show different expressions of a building,architects explore with the materials likewood, plaster, stone, cedar, brick,concrete, aluminium, glass, etc. Apartfrom exalting the plastic qualities of thematerials, they also take the advantage ofthe material’s technical properties. Due tothe improved techniques of using severalmaterials, the heaviness in the elevationof a building is discarded and is replacedwith the sleek and light look of thebuilding. For example, use of glass andaluminium section in a residence foropenings yields a larger dimension withlight structure. Due to innovation in thetechnologies of building construction,concrete as a material has benefited us indifferent forms like fabric concrete,precast concrete panels, etc. Concretealong with the steel is used as a structuralelement and has given the liberty ofproviding larger spans for the spaces withcomparatively lighter structural elements,hence, resulting in the flexibility of thespace. Also, the structural elementsbecome a part of the designed elevation.

The dynamism in architecture hasstarted a new era in architecture. Thedynamic buildings have started a newconception in architecture: a concept ofbuildings in motion. It is beyond therelationship between buildings and wholives in them, and between buildingsand the atmosphere that accommodatesthem. The expression ‘dynamic spaces’

refers to two distinctive features, onebeing that these spaces are characterisedby moving elements resulting frommobility needs, other being that they areused differently at different times. Bothfeature contrast with the usual staticcharacter of the physical space. Thisgives liberty of more flexible use ofexisting spaces. Therefore, a moreefficient utilisation is derived from theparadigm of sustainable development.With constraints of land and theimplications of bye-laws, dynamism inspace helps in multiplying the spacerequirement in a house.

Briefing it up, contemporaryarchitecture is embracing all thearchitectural possibilities, while stilladapting our thinking to current designand social tendencies that are moreresponsive to the context of bothglobalisation and specific local contextsand personal tastes.

Bhavesh Patel is a practising architect based in

Surat, Gujarat.Earthy materials used in the interiors of a residence in Mogri, GujaratArchitects: HARMONY Planning Services Pvt Ltd, Vadodara, Gujarat

Klein Bottle House, Victoria, AustraliaArchitects: McBride Charles Ryan, Melbourne,Australia

Residential Design



Pronounced Texture

Project: The Nest, Dumas, Surat, Gujarat

Architects: Architecture and Beyond, Surat, Gujarat The programme was simple – a lounge and kitchen-dining to entertain friends along with personal gymand bedrooms. The site had old fruit trees and palms

in the forecourt which deserved respect, and hence, thehouse was pushed deep on the edge paying heed to theexisting landscape.

SITE PLAN

N


1. FOYER2. KITCHEN/DINING3. STORE ROOM4. FILTER ROOM5. WASH AREA6. BACKYARD7. SKY WELL8. OTTA9. GYM/ENTERTAINMENT AREA10. BEDROOM11. TOILET12. COURTYARD13. LAWN

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

2

1

12

2

3

4

5

6

78

2

9

7

9

34

5

6

7

7

7

8

9 1011

12

13

1. LOUNGE2. TOILET3. JACUZZI4. DECK5. SWIMMING POOL6. CONNECTING MS BRIDGE7. BEDROOM8. DRESSER9. OPEN SETTING SPACE


This relationship was twisted such that the public and privateareas got planned as two objects enclosing the landscape andconnected with the pool with a lounge deck. While the kitchen-dining and gym found their location on the ground, the loungeand bedrooms got lifted on the upper level to allow an elevatedconversation with the immediate landscape.

The house is entered through a mighty 18ft tall woodendoor in contrast against the concrete wall inviting to explorethe spaces housed within. The foyer then takes one to the

dining space on the ground floor planned as a verandahalong the landscape which seems cascading inwards andcreates a dynamic relation. The three shafts which areskylights interpret the fireplace which was an integral part inthe old British mansions.

The lounge on the upper level is a simple glass pavilion withfurniture planned to occupy less space and leave it more openfor a versatile use for many occasion. A big party space forfriends at one time, to a quiet space to relax and contemplate.


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The other wing with gym on the lower level and bedroomson upper is connected with a bridge through the pool andexpresses them as a nest covered with the shingles ofaluminium members from outside and inside. The interiors incontrast are open and warm. The spaces are simple and oftenact as a medium to experience the landscape.

Elements in the house be it furniture or staircase or storagehave been detailed with great care such that theycomplement the space and not occupy it.

Craft skill available locally with metal or wood or stonehas been reaped in to create many objects such as thefoldable seating in the bedroom which resembles a skeletonof a creature or the staircases in a plainly folded rustic metal,the other, a light wooden treads resting delicately on themetal frame. Great joy and love has gone into creating theseobjects in collaboration with the skilled craftsmen.

The material of glass, metal and concrete has beencelebrated in their own way as a craft such that they are readin harmony. The association between the many materials ofthe house is celebrated with the natural light that amplifiesthe sense of vastness in the spaces within the house.

Each of the space is complete in itself but converse witheach other as a series of events that are tied by memory inthe user's mind.

Each element, whether it is in the exterior or in theinterior, was detailed out very carefully, like the fabricconcrete ‘pardi’, aluminium cladding, staircases, 18’ highdoor, furniture, wash basins, etc.

FactFileClient: Mr Sanjeev Jain

Design team: Bhavesh Patel (Partner), Aashish Patel (Partner), Kruti Galia

Consultants: Dharm Bhagat and Associates, MKS Civil Project Consultants

Contractors: Mr Sujit Ijner


Cost of project: Rs 2.25 crore (Architecture and Interiors)


Residential Design

Incorporating ArchitecturalElements from Rajasthan...Project: N74, New Delhi

Architects: Anagram Architects, New Delhi

N74 is a contemporary articulation of a haveli-styleresidence. The attempt is to retain the traditionalspatial vibrancy and volumetric diversity while

expressing a more contemporary materiality and aesthetics.Built in New Delhi, the design is reminiscent of traditionalRajasthani haveli architecture where the dialogue of internalspaces, across terraces, chajjas, jaalis, chandnis, barsatis andjharokhas, is varied. Built volumes punctuate open space toincrease opportunities of interaction and sociability withinthe residence.

At the outset, the slim proportions of the plot wereanticipated to reduce the penetration of natural light andfresh air into internal living spaces. The design is a cleancomposition of disjoint internal volumes and voids(courtyards and slits), under a massive edge-to-edge skylight,fronted by an elaborate long jaali. Thus, the concept from itsinitial stages ensured that even the innermost spaces remainflooded with fresh air and natural light. All internal livingspaces have access to this central, staggered void in someform or the other.


N

1. LIVING ROOM BELOW2. KITCHEN AREA3. BALCONY4. OPEN TO SKY5. DOUBLE HEIGHT DINING AREA6. LOUNGE7. BEDROOM8. DRESSER AND TOILET9. POWDER ROOM

1. TV ROOM2. COVERED TERRACE GARDEN3. PUJA ROOM4. OPEN TO SKY5. CUT OUT6. LOBBY7. DRESSER AND TOILET8. UTILITY

1. MASTER BEDROOM2. DRESSER AND TOILET3. OPEN TO SKY GARDEN4. LAUNDRY

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

SECOND FLOOR PLAN

BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN

1

1

2

3

4

1

1

2

2

3

4

2 3

45

6

7

8

23

4 5

6 7

9

8

1. BASEMENT2. CUT-OUT ABOVE3. POWDER ROOM4. LANDING

The varying definition of the courtyard volume manifests inopen spaces that step up through the inside of the house, acrossfour levels, and is anchored by a detached monolithic glass boxpuja room, situated on the first floor level.

FactFileBuilt-up area: 7118sq ft


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There is a hierarchy of space as one moves from the morepublic front section of the house to the private back portions.Yet, the back portions, by design, still manage to retain theessence of an external facade flanking an open space, by virtueof enabling sit-outs and conversations with the courtyard. SECTION

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SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF DESIGN (SID)

For More Information:Mail: [email protected]: +91 20 2663 4546/47/48, 6561 3770 Visit: www.sid.edu.in

(For Undergraduate Degree Programmes) SET Date - 2nd May, 2015

Last date for registration: 12th April 2015Register: www.set-test.org

Symbiosis Entrance Test: 2nd May 2015

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Residential Design

Seaside Abode

Project: Amchit Residence, Lebanon

Architects: BLANKPAGE Architects, Lebanon

Amchit is a coastal town at the feet of Mount Lebanon,about 40km north of Beirut. The project is an elegantbeach house, perched along the ruggedly picturesque

coastline of Central Lebanon that uses its height and a smallfootprint to offer exceptional views of the Mediterranean Sea–a weekend beach house where the clients (a couple in their 50swith two kids in their 20s) can find respite from the daily grind,escaping the wear and tear of their everyday lifestyle.

The idea was two-fold: integrate the house within a ruggedterrain, sloping from east to west, while commanding the bestsea views for its occupants. The architects demonstrate aparticular sensitivity to the landscape, integrating the buildingwithin the topography, avoiding major disruptions to the land.This sensitivity is also reflected in the plans of the house, whichshow the interrelation between inside and outside, betweenarchitecture and nature.


FIRST FLOOR PLAN

BASEMENT FLOOR PLAN

GROUND FLOOR PLANN


Built on a narrow 10x44m lot, the three bedroom househas three levels, with the master bedroom situated on thetop floor to take maximum advantage of the sea views. Allelements of this residence including the tall glass walls, theoutdoor deck and the infinity-edge pool were, in fact,designed for optimised views and openness to the sea. Thestructure is distinguished by its large single-plane terrace,which accommodates an elongated lap pool and an

expansive sun deck, both directly accessible from the masterbedroom. The external promenade, with its ramps andterraces, is an extension of the building and connects it withthe surrounding landscape. The interiors, uncluttered andminimalistically furnished, reflect the easy livingrequirements of the clients. A neutral palette of colours – thegrey of the ceramic concrete-finish tile in the reception andbedroom areas, the warm brown of the Burma teak flooring

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A few glimpses of the interiors...


in the master bedroom – complement the reddish timber andthe concrete finishes of the interior walls. At the centre of thehouse, a rectangular void is cut out to reconnect the interiorwith a view to the sky. The warm, wooden inner core of thedwelling flirts with light coming through the skylight and theexpansive windows, reflecting the infinite change of light andshadow as it evolves throughout the day.

Conceived as a layering of decks, the beach house seeks tomaximise its relationship with the sea through a visual andcompositional celebration of horizontality in general and theMediterranean horizon in particular. The slabs are held by a

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minimal steel structure made of equally sized square columns on a regular module of 2.55m, as well as a discreetglass enclosure.

Given the inclined nature of the site, the house isapproached by a car on the street level just below the upperdeck. At the external landing entrance, the circulationinterconnects the three levels of the house. The upper platformcontains the master bedroom that opens up on the lap pooland sun deck. The middle platform houses two bedrooms anda family living. Finally, the lower deck serves as a reception

area that extends outdoors towards the sea through an infinitypool as well as a staircase to the shore. In addition to the innercirculation core, a smooth promenade formed by a system ofexternal ramps and staircases connects the platforms, linkingthe various levels of the rocky landscape that stretches betweenthe street all the way to the sea.

The rhythms of the steel structure and wooden deckingcreate a multiplicity of overlapping patterns of shadows thatvary in direction and length all through the day rendering thesimple structure complex and alive. At the particular momentof the sunset, the house, oriented almost due west at theelevation that faces the sea, acts as photographic diaphragmthat invites the rays of the setting sun into the depths of thehouse, dashing the prototypical spaces in a horizontal glow ofdeep red.

Photo credit: Ieva Saudargait�

FactFileDesign team: Karim Nader, Patrick Mezher, Walid Ghantous

Collaborators: Jemma Chidiac (Architect-in-charge), Bachir Saade (Mechanical),

Roger Noujeim (Electrical), Antoine Bou Chedid (Structural)



Exploring Design

Architecture+Design presents some elegant and flexibleoffice furniture designs that merge functionality with

aesthetics...

Innovative Office Furniture

Omega Chair & Desk

Designer: David Münscher,Germany

Made by a single bend surface, Omega desk has a bigdesktop with two storage shelves formed beneath. The chairis created on the same principal. Its floating seat enhancesthe feeling of lightness. The two tone styling visuallyenforces the geometric structure.


Asis Off ice Table

Designer: IDUS Team, New Delhi

It features rosewood coat with special hardware base within the caisson,chromium-plated joints, leather coated bases and central locking systems.It also has LED light application in drawers and cabinets, optional desktopsocket system and monitor lift.

Apol lo The chair features the swooping wrap roundarmrest, multi-position lock and pneumaticseat height adjustment. The back shell ismade of recyclable polypropylene.

Gl ide TableThe multi angular shape of the table empowersthe executive table, making it a highlight of theoffice space. It is available in high gloss whiteand black lacquer finishes.


Lineo Workstat ion Designer: Spacewood Furnishers Team,New Delhi

It is made up of 50mmX50mm metal pipe legs, trendychrome plated leg cap and double level cable tray forelectrical and data. It also features a sandwiched glassprivacy screen mounted on die-casted bracket.

Vienna Off ice Chair

Designer: The Furniture Republic,New Delhi

Ergonomically designed with armrests, this chair is madewith swivel tilt mechanism, flexible back and mesh fabricupholstery seat. It has a metal base with chrome finish.


Intersect TablesDesigner: Herman Miller,Zeeland, Michigan The tables help employees to collaborate and share spaces

outside individual workstations. It can be folded up eitherside for a productive place to work or meet, and can alsobe folded down to save space and store easily.

The Avive Table

Designer: Jeff Weber, Minneapolis

The components of the table are constructed of 81percent recycled materials, such as wood, aluminum, steel and plastic.It can stand on their own in private offices, team areas or other totally freestanding environments.

Source: Herman Miller, Zeeland, Michigan


Str ipes Table

Designer: Fantoni Team,Italy

This office table is a combination ofthree different colours that createchromatic effects. It conveys a messageof personalisation, experimentationand freedom.

Source: Studio Creo, New Delhi

Mult ip l i CEO TableThe natural beauty of wood envelops the table tocreate new sensory emotions and aesthetic values.Light oak or walnut veneer completely covers the 5cm

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The covered market is located in the City Centre ofRotterdam and comprises 96 fresh produce units and20 hospitality and retail units. The roof of Markthal is

shaped by an arch of 228 apartments. A four-storeyunderground car park offers 1.200 parking lots. Markthalincludes a huge market floor on the ground floor under anarch of apartments. Its shape, colourful interior and theheight turns it into a unique spectacle. Unique is not only itsshape and size, but especially the way the different functionsare combined. The combination of an apartment buildingcovering a fresh food market with food shops, restaurants, asupermarket and an underground parking.

The centrally located building is rooted in the city’s history,located parallel to the late medieval ‘Laurenskerk’ (Laurenschurch) and at the location of the former dike along the riverRotte. Markthal is accessible by all means of transport. Blaaktrain station is right in front of the building and also serves asmetro, bus and tram hub. In 2015, the city of Rotterdam willconstruct a recessed bicycle parking right next to Markthal witha space for 800 bikes. As part of the general transformation ofthe ‘Laurenskwartier’ (Laurens quarter) neighbourhood theseparking places are not only available to inhabitants but alsoopen to visitors of Markthal, the library, the outside market and

tourist attractions in the area. A new traffic plan in the vicinityof the car park entrance will avoid queues. The undergroundcar park is open 24/7 and equipped with latest technology suchas a parking guidance system, licence plate recognition, onlinereservation system and charging points for electric vehicles.

Markthal means an important impulse to its surroundingarea which is a strong contribution to the urban economy. Withits daily fresh food market, shops and apartments, Markthalcreates coherence and connections in the neighbourhood whichwill reach a new centrality. It draws inspiration from foodmarkets in Barcelona, Valencia and Stockholm. Market vendorsoffer a diverse range of regional and international productssuch as fresh fish, poultry, cheeses, coffee, vegetables and fruit,besides a crockery and wine shop. Next to the sales units, ‘TheWorld of Taste’, a centre for education, information andinnovation in the field of healthy eating and ‘The Time Stairs’aim to engage the visitors in the history of food and itsdevelopment. ‘The Time Stairs’ is a permanent exhibition alongthe central staircase of Markthal which showcases thearchaeological finds discovered during the site excavation.

A highly public, open building with good accessibility wasneeded. The team decided to just flip the two slabs andmarket which led to a larger hall with two wide openings

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Photo credit: Bas Czerwinski

FLOOR PLAN 01


FLOOR PLAN 02

FLOOR PLAN 03


towards the city. In order to make the construction moreefficient, a curve was chosen that fitted a traditional elevatorcore. By adding some space to the lower floors for extra retailspace, the current volume of the arch emerged 120m long,70m wide and 40m tall.

The building needed to be as open as possible to attract thepublic and at the same time it had to be closed off due toweather conditions. Keeping the closure as transparent aspossible a cable net façade was chosen which needs very fewconstructive elements. Its principle is comparable to a tennisracket in which steel cable is used as strings in between whichthe glass is mounted. This cable net façade is the largest-of-its-kind in Europe. Because of this, the art piece inside is visiblefrom the outside, its lush shapes and colours invite the publicto enter the building. The exterior is executed in grey naturalstone, the same as on the pavements, to put the emphasis ontothe interior.

Markthal is a building without a backside. All sides of thebuilding are accessible or shop windows. The entire supply forthe hall, the shops and restaurants is therefore locatedunderground. The first basement floor features an expeditioncourt to which the delivery can happen with vans; from thisexhibition court freight elevators reach the market hall. In thisway inhabitants are not hindered by distribution activities thatoften occur in the early hours of the morning. Also in thebasement is an Albert Heijn supermarket, Etos and Gall & Gall.The delivery for these stores is organised through an

underground tunnel leading to hidden elevators at Binnenrottesquare, in this way larger lorries can operate in distance to thehall. Inhabitants have storage rooms and shared bicycle roomsin the basement.

Inhabitants can reach their apartments through six separateentrances leading to elevators and double helix flight stairs.Due to the curve of the structure, the elevator hall is gradually– floor by floor – changing in size and location. At the groundfloor, the elevator is located at the inner façade, at the top floortowards the outer façade. Each elevator hall services amaximum of four apartments, two of which have windows tothe market and all have large glass fronts towards the outside.

Markthal received a BREEAM Very Good certificate. Thebuilding is connected to city heating and a thermal storagesystem underneath the building which will also heat and coola number of adjacent buildings in the surrounding area. Thevarious functions in the building can exchange heat and cold.For the hall itself extensive research was conducted to create acomfortable interior climate with an extremely low energy use.The hall is naturally ventilated, underneath the glass façadefresh air flows in; it rises towards the roof and leaves the hallthrough ventilation shafts in the roof. This is a thermic systemwhich can function without any installations. A centralmonitoring system is used to exchange heat and cool betweenthe different programmes, in this way less installation could beused than normal for these programmes. The combination ofhousing, shopping centre, parking and market hall makes the

SECTION


installation technology more efficient. Inside the market, aninformation panel illustrates the energy use and CO2 savings ofthe building. A smart sanitation system is designed to save water.

The design vision of MVRDV describes Markthal as urbanism;the function mix is an integrated design, a 24 hour buildingwhich is a public and lasting addition to the city of Rotterdam.

The interior of the arch is covered by the gigantic art pieceHorn of Plenty, a multi-coloured creation by Rotterdam artistsArno Coenen and Iris Roskam. The art piece is made with PixarAnimation software depicting a photographic 3D illusion of freshproducts such as fruit, fish, bread, flowers and also the tower of

adjacent ‘Laurenskerk’ (Laurens church). Horn of Plenty refers tothe great still-lives of the Dutch golden century, to the Greekmythology in which Cornucopia is a legendary object and to thetradition of artistic arch decoration known from places such asthe Sistine Chapel. The artwork evokes the illusion of lying onyour back in a meadow, looking up and right through Markthaltowards the sky. The sun in the centre figures as Horn of Plentyfrom which the fresh produce falls down to earth.

Horn of Plenty is one of the largest art pieces of theNetherlands. Its technology is unique. The fresh produceseems photographed but is built in the computer, piece by

Photo credit: Woon Beter

piece. The 3D impression is detailed in the same resolutionsuitable for a glossy magazine. In total the image consist of400.000 megapixels.

The 11.000sq m art work has been screwed against thewooden interior facade of the hall. Each of the 4.500aluminium panels sized 1,52cm by 1,52cm needed to bemounted in the right way at the right spot. The 2mm thickpanels are perforated in order to absorb noise from the hall,this helps to create the excellent acoustic profile of thehalls interior.

One piece in the centre of the art work is left white; herethroughout the entire year an animation will be projected inthe evening, this ‘video-mapping’ will change and respond tothemes such as season and food. Markthal Rotterdam is acompletely new concept, the first building-of-its-kind, a hybridbetween market hall and housing. Rotterdam experiences aworld-wide scoop with this new urban typology. By using theapartments to create an arch that covers the market a newpublic building emerges, which could not have been this grandwithout the housing.

The horse shoe shaped arch of Markthal consists of housingfrom the third to the eleventh floor, in total 102 rentalapartments and 126 apartments for sale. Each apartment hasan outside terrace over the full width of the unit and the 24penthouses on the top floor have – thanks to the arch shape –a very wide roof terrace. The apartments can be accessed via sixentrances at the street level.

Half the apartments have windows to the market, thesewindows are triple glazed to avoid sound or smell nuisance.There is a broad choice of apartment types, from free layoutloft apartments to duplex with multiple bedrooms. Theproperties vary from 80 to 300sq m. The penthouses have theirentrances on the tenth floor and inside stairs and room for anelevator to the eleventh floor, in this way the arch of Markthalcould be realised without any elevator boxes on the roof.

Markthal distinguishes itself by its special design andfunction of food related events and meetings. It is a meetingplace for all those who enjoy eating and drinking, in the heartof Rotterdam.


FactFileClient: Provast Nederland bv

Design team: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries with Renske van

der Stoep, Anton Wubben, Marc Joubert, Sven Thorissen, Monica Freundt, Laura

Grillo, Joeri Horstink, Tadas Jonauskis, Diana Lopez, Gijs Rikken, Elsbeth Ronner,

Yvo Thijssen, Johnny Tsang, Anet Schurink, Jeroen Zuidgeest, Michele Olcese, Laura

Grillo, Ivo van Capelleveen

Consultants: Royal Haskoning DHV, The Hague, the Netherlands (Structure),

Peutz & Associes Zoetermeer, Netherlands (Services/Acoustics), Techniplan, the

Netherlands (Installations)

Contractors: Mobilis + Martens en Van Oord (Underground - four-storey car park),

J.P. van Eesteren (Above ground - market, commercial and apartments)

Built-up area: Building Area – 8.300sq m; Total GFA - 95.000sq m

Cost of project: 175 million Euro


Photocredit:OssipvanDuivenbode

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Vistas

Spatial Expression

Project: Oranje Corporate Office, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Architects: Archohm Consults Private Limited, Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Corporate interior design is one of the most powerfultools to express a philosophy through design, to thecommon man. The fundamental question of

understanding the identity and character of the company andits subsequent manifestation into the built form is an interestingphenomenon. By addressing the larger question on spatial andvisual design, its legitimacy and its power, it allows for anopportunity to talk to a varied audience. It distils thecompany’s corporate identity for the owners and stake holders;it unites and inspires the employees with a strong ideology andcommunicates an introduction to the company for visitors andthe larger external audience.

In the case of Oranje, the real estate office for Suraj Infra,the design journey had a twist. The two issues of identifying anidentity and suggesting a spatial solution went hand in hand.

The office is a crisp 4000sq ft facility that has three zones–one for visitors, another for the owners and the rest for theemployees. Being a marketing and sales office, it needed anelement of style and surprise. The entrance is a large volumestripped off any ceilings or coverings to enhance the sense ofscale. It has a stone mural with a skyline as an extension of theflooring. The minimal steel reception desk is a functional foldthat presents all the company collaterals. The seating borrowsits form from one of their first housing projects. A series of


FLOOR PLAN


SECTIONS

concrete planters and bamboos, encased in glass, pull themovement to the inside. This combination of coarse concreteand glass with green screens marks the partitions in the office.

The large meeting room with its monolith calibrated stonetable and massive winged lights bring in the required form andformality to the space. The twin cabins lend a sense of luxury

to the office with real wood furniture, LED task lighting as wellas mood lighting and Italian seating furniture. The mainworkspace is again a large volume exaggerated with longlengths of random lines of light. The desks are custom-madewith white corian and brown woods. The corian is mouldedwith inbuilt functionality of stationery, lights and a green relief.


This space is also marked with a machine cut etching of lordGanesha for a graphic spiritual presence. The bathroom andkitchens also take corian counters as a mark of continuitycommunicating high design. Storages are built and dissolvedinto walls.

The flooring palette is grey with streaks of white, justifyingthe use of a combination of grey William stone and carpet.The office has its greens with plant life which is complimented

FactFileClient: Mr Ashish Khemka (Suraj Infraventures Pvt Ltd)

Design team: Sourabh Gupta (Principal Architect), Aditi Sharma,

Geeta Lunial, Tarak Murari, D D Sharma, Shivdutt Sharma

Consultants: Roark Consultants (Structural), Archohm (Electrical,

Civil, Landscape, Façade & Engineering), Abid Husain (HVAC),

Techno Engineering (Plumbing)

Built-up area: 1345sq ft (125sq m)



by ‘orange’ renderings like wall coverings, fabric panels andart. This choice of orange subsequently went well with the‘Oranje’ nomenclature for the business. This cooperation ofdifferent businessmen was given a corporate identity thatspoke of ethics and efficiency, through the built expression oftransparency and contemporary look and feel. The bold useof forms and finishes reflected the liberal mindset. Thecollection of fixtures and fittings explained the technologydriven and market savvy mindset.

Last but not the least, as one leaves the office into the longcorridor carrying a strong image of a smart company, onecontinues to see a loud light. This sculptural installation ofpiercing rings of light is symbolic to this corporate as a closeand collective cooperation of its stakeholders, physically and metaphorically.

Photo credit: Humanyun Khan

Vistas

Intersecting Volumes

Project: Corporate Office, Milan, Italy

Architects: Maurizio Lai Architect, Lai Studio, Milan, Italy

The recovery of a semi-industrial space leads to theconception of an environment by intersecting volumes,where floors and surfaces immerse in each other,

looking for the light. The space consists of two large openvolumes, one located on the ground floor with its own accessdirectly from the street and a second in the basement. Thevolume on the ground floor is also divided in the middle by

the communal stairwell and concierge, separating the frontportion of the unit in two parallel sections.

Initially a mechanical workshop, these premises withoutwindows, used to get light from the large windows at therear, overlooking a small courtyard, as well as throughskylights from the ceiling. The project of restoration andtransformation of the space in the representative office of a



ELEVATION

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

SECTION

1. EXECUTIVE OFFICE2. PASSAGE3. TOILET

4. RECEPTION5. DISENGAGEMENT6. CAFÉ

7. CONDOMINIUM SPACE8. ENTRANCE9. MEETING ROOM

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real estate development company grows around the need ofmaximisation of natural light.The project involves the demolition of part of the ground

floor and favours the glass as a structural material in theconstruction of most of the partitions, so as not to hinder thediffusion of natural luminosity coming from a large double-height opening at the bottom of the space.The light coming from the skylights, originally quite

fragmented and looking decidedly industrial, is maximisedby the construction of an extended row of diffusers onto theceiling, lined with an elegant silver metal mesh, which givethe space a more homogeneous feeling.The court turns into a nice green backyard which features

a double height vertical garden, thereby bringing light andoffering a relaxing view to the administrative offices locatedin the final part of the basement. On the ground floor, the

SECTION

FIRST UNDERGROUND FLOOR PLAN

1. COURTYARD2. BUSINESS OFFICE3. OPEN SPACE4. TECH ROOM5. TOILET

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entrance is marked by a scenic 17m long corridor, highlightedby recessed light strips that run along the ceiling and thefloor, where a geometric pattern of false perspective deceivesthe eye of the visitor.Along the corridor, a large furnished niche serves as the

main waiting area, closed at the bottom by a large slidingwall that works as a second entrance. The parallel volumecontains some of the functional areas of the office, such asthe small kitchen and the bathrooms, cleverly hidden by asystem of sliding panels placed along the corridor that leadsto one of the meeting rooms, provided with its own exit doorback on the street.All technical areas were obtained from the accurate cutting

of the main spaces, both on the ground floor and in thebasement, remaining invisible to the eye of the public andthe operators themselves. The executive offices overlook aglass catwalk that delimits the fragmented portion of theground floor and ends in the office of the presidency, a greatvolume provided with its own conference room, where thevertical garden provides a lush green background from thelarge glass window.

A few glimpses of the interior shots...

(Left and this page)


The main staircase that winds its way from the catwalk lookslike a great metal band on the outside – it accommodates palecolour steps made of kerlite slabs and light holes along the way,which are reflected to infinity in the mirror covered parapets,creating a kaleidoscopic effect.The staircase leads to the basement where the architecture

and design department of the company is located, divided intoa long strip of workstations and an area used for internalmeetings and design reviews. The secondary staircase, instead,connects the administrative offices positioned at the rear of thebasement with the management, upstairs.A third staircase leads to a further basement, where the

archives and technical facilities are found. All fixtures andfurniture are custom-designed and manufactured – the tablesin lacquered wood fitted with steel pockets, the libraries, the

big neon lamps and the seats, as well as the integrated systemsof tables and dressers and the double-height wall with itsbacklit slots that characterises the central part of the location.

FactFileDesign team: Maurizio Lai (Senior Architect); Giuseppe Tallarita, Michele Capra,

Marco de Santi (Architects); Elena Mazzoleni (Materials Selection & Styling);

Beatriz Jam de Leon, Nella Figueroa (Junior Designers)

Consultants: Riccardo Schironi (Engineering)

Contractors: Magistri Costruzioni Srl, Ciro Monguzzi, LCS – Laboratorio

Costruzioni Scenografiche, Talmax, Oltrevetro, Climarredo

Built-up area: 610sq m (approx)

Cost of project: € 1,830,000



Shower CollectionH&R Johnson, one of India’s leading

integrated lifestyle solution providers, has

announced the launch of its latest range of

products under the brand name ‘Elite Collection’.

With an aim to enhance the bathing experience, the shower

collection has been designed using stainless steel and silicon

nozzles, making it easier to clean while ensuring uniformity in

water flow from all nozzles. The collection also comprises

chrome-plated faucet that uses brass to ensure uniform flow and

temperature of water. To match the customer’s expectation of the

luxurious bath experience, the collection of faucets has been

grouped in six sub-ranges – Elite 1000, Elite 2000, Elite 3000,

Elite 4000, Elite 5000 & Elite Rain Showers.

Products

Wooden Deck Tiles NOTION has launched Wooden Deck tiles for exterior use. Made with tropical

wood and assembled on a high density engineered plastic base, these tiles can be

used in two different ways with staggered or aligned joints. Due to their various

colours, designs and shapes, these deck tiles can easily fit almost every surface of the

house. These decking tiles are provided with non-toxic chemical coatings that ensure

resistance against termite and moisture. They are safer to walk on as they offer more

toeholds to prevent slipping.

For more information, call: 91-8010-450-450

Classy Bathroom FaucetsCrystal Sanitaryware has launched a new product

‘Aura’ in the market. Aura is a classy range of single

levers and allied faucets from Ark Rubinetterie. Ark

Rubinetterie is an effort by Crystal Sanitary to bring

forth the latest in water deliverance implemented in

Europe to Indian customers.

The company has collaborated with Swiss, German

and Italian faucet manufacturers and also with

Swarovski, the renowned crystal maker, to help realise

this venture. Crystal Sanitary aimed at providing

customers a range of faucets and showers that combine

European style and grandeur, yet maintain a tough

Indian core, a confluence of the two worlds.

To know more, visit: crystalfaucets.com

Contemporary SanitarywareCera Sanitaryware Ltd, one of the largest

sanitaryware companies in India, has launched a new

contemporary faucet series ‘GAYLE’. The series of

faucets is a fusion of modern straight lines and classical

curves—giving it aesthetic style and functional utility. The

blend of sharp edges and curved contours, the series, has both single lever and

quarter turn ranges and comes with a coin-slot aerator for easy maintenance. Gayle,

conforming to green norms, is crafted by in-house designers of CERA, in its IAPMO

recognised lab, which incidentally, is the first of its kind in India.

Regd. No. R.N.I. 42924/84

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