Volume 3 No 2 ` 250
Commercial Design Special
R.N.I. MAHENG/2013/50949
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Contents tHe GALLerY 8 DesIGn In COnteXt Products that fit like a glove in contemporary commercial spaces
16 PrevIew Small Stories: At home in a doll’s house takes you on a journey of vintage dollhouses
18 revIew Constructing Worlds, a collection of architectural images from 1930s to the present day
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18 DesIGn COnCePt James Hancock's All the Buildings in Sydney is a book of sketches of the city's buildings
21 PubLIC Art Transformative art that alters perceptions and neighbourhoods
buILDInG COnversAtIOns 24 IntervIew Rahul Shankhwalker of HBA, shares the secrets of his firm’s success in India
26 IntervIew Navin and Nayan Raheja of Raheja Developers talk about the Indian real estate industry
34 Cover
28 IntervIew A Singaporean residential development by RSP Architects gives a sneak-peek into the future of urban housing (see page 48)
Alan Abraham shares a proposal to revolutionise the city’s public spaces
30 MY vIew Leading architects explain the importance of colour in context to architecture
32 Guest COLuMn Architect Reza Kabul discusses the growing importance of mixed-use developments
POrtfOLIO Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014 & insights from festival director Bose Krishnamachari
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ICOnIC DesIGn 44
This month it's is L' Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile in Paris, France
IntervIews
Rahul Shankhwalker
Navin Raheja
Alan Abraham
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COMMerCIAL DesIGn 46 PrOJeCt POrtfOLIO Community spirit A residential development by RSP Architects hints at the future of urban housing
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Sense of place Sydney city block redeveloped into a mixed-use development by PTW Architects
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Miami vice A beach club by Old Field Knott Architects manages to capture Miami's Caribbean flair 64
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72 eDuCAtIOnAL InstItutIOns Not just another brick in the wall This Kolkata school by Abin Choudhuri catches the eye with its eclectic facade
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Right on track The Manukau Institute of Technology campus sits astride a railway line
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90 OffICes Sculptural forms The design of this office aligns itself with the reinvigorated approach to business
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Well connected P&G's Singapore Innovation Centre prioritises connectivity and transparency
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Employees first DSP Design Associates kept employees needs in mind while designing this office
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116 resIDentIAL
DesIGn
Back to the land This home by Vincy Hamp Architects mixes modern influences with traditional design 116 Commanding perspective In spite of being constructed with concrete, this home exudes an ephemeral quality
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New identity Find out how this Washington home was remodeled to reflect its owner’s identity
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Beside the sea For this bungalow, capturing the spirit of traditional coastal homes was paramount
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152 PrOPertIes On tHe bLOCk 154 sHOwCAse
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Mrigank Sharma (India Sutra)
from the editor This is an edition I look forward to more than the others. Although the magazine covers commercial spaces in every issue throughout the year, they are never like they are in a TRENDS Commercial Design Special. Inside the pages, you will find institutional spaces, hospitality projects, offices and residential high-rises; they are the best of the new projects from the world over. Must see is the Mumbai office designed by Planet 3 Studios, striking with its meandering wooden wall, the unconventional Kolkata school by Abin Design Studio, and One Central Park in Sydney by PTW Architects. One Central Park was once a brewery site, and this ambitious project has become a leading example of how to make a success of large-scale mixed-use development projects. Attention towards approaching mixed-use projects is also the point of discussion in Reza Kabul’s guest column this month.
InsIde the pages you wIll fInd InstItutIonal & hospItalIty projects, offIces and resIdentIal hIgh-rIses
In the Building Conversations section, do read the interviews with architect Alan Abraham, developer Navin Raheja, and designer/architect Rahul Shankhwalkar, where they give valuable insights into the worlds of public design, real estate and hospitality design respectively.
And in Portfolio, we revisit the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2014. It concluded early on in the year and inside is a photo-essay on some of the extraordinary artworks that were created for it. I visited Kochi just when the biennale was ending and met up with its founder Bose Krishnamchari. The first things I had said to him, was how proud I felt when I read ‘The Biennale City’ written boldly on top of the first archway that was the gateway into Fort Kochi. Happy reading. Preeti Singh
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The Gallery Latest products, upcoming exhibitions and must-attend design events
Design in Context
Preview
Revieww
Concept
Public Art
Design in Context
These products fit like a glove in contemporary, commercial spaces
folly by ron Arad Folly effectively and intelligently blurs the lines between sculpture and design. The soft lines and curves create a dynamic orientation that instantly attracts one’s attention to the piece. The bench, in rotational-molded polyethylene, is available in rust brown and is suitable for both outdoor and indoor commercial use.
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Home & Design Trends Vol 3 No 2 2015
Papilio shell by naoto fukasawa Originating from a shell with a design that enhances comfort, Papilio Shell expresses versatility that makes it a perfect option for office use. It is available in two versions: with a plastic shell in three colours (white, dove gray, black) or padded and upholstered in a wide range of fabrics and leathers.
season Chair by Piero Lissoni It’s time to bid goodbye to your boring chair thanks to the all-new Season Chair by Viccarbe. Deceptively simple and elegant, this upholstered chair consists of two rounded volumes, a cube and a vertical rectangular slab that express the act of sitting through a simple almost sculptural approach.
Oasis by bram boo This extended couch-cum-sofa allows you to sit, lie and work with its integrated table all at the same time. Perfect for a loft, a public space or a hotel lobby, Oasis has also been a recipient of the prestigious Henry van de Velde Design Award.
Husk by Patricia urquiola Husk is designed around a stiff body with soft cushions that are divided in portions. “Those who look at this must visually perceive a sense of mental and physical comfort,” says the designer, Patricia Urquiola.
Aura Chair by Mikko Laakkonen Winner of the Red Dot Design Award 2013, the Aura Chair by Inno is an intelligent and harmonious mix of a sofa and a chair. Aura can be used as a singular chair or can be clubbed together to make large seating groups.
taivu by Mikko Laakkonen If you are looking for a light and comfortable chair to liven up your lobbies and waiting areas, then the answer is Taivu. This upholstered lounge chair is a comfortable furniture piece seasoned with classic shapes, which is easily tailored to fit different public interiors.
Charlotte by Antonio Citterio This chair is designer Antonio Citterio’s tribute to lightness. The shell of the chair is completely covered, but the aluminum frame profile is visible on the sides, thus highlighting the line of the seat. The cover is made from raw cut thick leather in six different colours with an elephant printed surface.
Maui Chair by vico Magistretti The Maui Chair was first designed between 1995-96 and marked the era of single mould seats in material that had no ribbing, tracery, metal supports or reinforcements to support the back. Kartell gave it new appeal and brought it back in a fabriccovered version, with and without casters and arms, thus increasing its rich family of colours and functions, thereby able to satisfy the specific needs in the commercial sector.
Adriatic by theodore Alexander Most of the time, it is the simplicity of design that calls for attention. And that is exactly the case with Theodore Alexander’s Adriatic Writing Table. Cobalt blue leather is wrapped around the table and rectangular brass bound top accentuates the design. Three lockable frieze drawers with brass escutcheons are designed along the periphery.
In-tensive by Jouni Leino
Low table + Lamp by fien Muller & Hannes van severen
The modular meeting table In-Tensive was first designed in 1998 and has been launched again with an all-new look. The new version is updated with a wooden leg option. The versatile system offers solutions for every conference need with the capability of easy cable management and different connections.
Who said office furniture has to be serious and boring? Fien Muller & Hannes Van Severen give a playful twist to regular table and light to create this dual piece of furniture that brings in an element of playfulness with its contemporary design. Visit www. mullervanseveren.be for more information
eames Desk by Charles & ray eames Long before modularity and high tech concepts entered the design lexicon, Charles and Ray Eames used industrial production techniques to extend the boundaries of design and create a modern aesthetic. This desk by Herman Miller provides ample storage, work and display space.
Home & Design Trends Vol 3 No 2 2015
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surface by vincent van Duysen This series of multi-use low tables by Vincent Van Duysen effectively expresses best of his design poetics. The quest for balance is achieved by the use of understated features, small proportions, basic materials and natural hues.
storage units by Charles & ray eames Installation s by fien Muller & Hannes van severen
Liberté design studio, Fabrica
Merging light, seating and storage in a single piece, Installation S serves as a functional piece, especially for tight commercial spaces. The thin lines in unlacquered steel give it a lighter feel that is balanced with the use of leather and polyethylene.
Dv549 Lockers by Antonio Morello Created only on request, the DV549 Lockers is a fresh break from a regular locker design. The new series of storage units come with hinged doors and locks, to contain documents and personal belongings at work. The doors have special machinery that allows one to put in and not to take out standard sized documents, even with a locked door.
The Eames storage units are symbolic of the grace and vision Charles and Ray Eames used in solving commercial furnishing problems.The wire crosses support used in the storage units echo other classic Eames designs.
Autobahn by Alexander Lotersztain Autobahn by Derlot Editions is a modular seating system that is able to adapt to a variety of configurations suitable for commercial work areas and public spaces. Components include a straight bench seat in three lengths, with or without a backrest, and curved modules able to form a 1200mm, 1800mm or 2400mm radius, with the option of an internal or external backrest. A 400mm diameter table for working or relaxing may be affixed to the frame at regular intervals
C-Ply by Drisag The C-Ply is a circular lounge workspace, specifically designed for work or consultation in open spaces. Designed for Drivk, it comprises of a wooden frame, which is covered with high-quality foam that comes with a high acoustic value. The C-Ply consists of several curved elements, which forms the circular shape and all these elements can be linked in reverse, creating a 'sling' bench. - Compiled by Kamna Malik
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home & design
Why does Zarir Mullan of SEZA value TRENDS? In a very short period of time, TRENDS has managed to position itself amongst the leading publications catering to the field of design. The quality of articles and more importantly, the quality of projects featured make it an essential part of one’s reading material if one is interested in following innovative projects coming up all over India from a variety of designers. So far it has maintained an impeccably high standard of articles and projects featured. As a resource guide, there seems to be a focus on product design or at times products with a strong design sensibility. I would say the magazine and the projects it features are contemporary and up-to-date with the latest design trends.
Zarir Mullan founded his firm in 1994, and today he and his partner Seema Puri are the principal architects and designers at SEZA. The duo view design as something that blends landscapes, architecture and interior into something that can be interwoven into its existing urban context. Their portfolio includes corporate buildings, residential schemes, private bungalows, showrooms and cafeterias. They have been awarded multiple times for their work, including an award for Excellence in Architecture in the residential category in 2003 from the IIA and an award in 2009 in the Best Merchandise category from the IAD in association with the Council of Architecture.
HOME & DESIGN TRENDS
HOME & DESIGN
Volume 3 No 1 ` 250
A Times of India publication
awards
INDIA
Architecture
Interior Design Product Design Visual Design
VOL 3 NO 1 2015 A Worldwide Media Publication
R.N.I. MAHENG/2013/50949
Cover Trends-v301.indd 1
22/05/15 4:04 PM
Preview London, till September 6, 2015
Small Stories: At home in a dolls’ house exhibition reveals the fascinating stories behind some of UK’s best doll houses
A Night in the Studio by Ina Hyun K Shin
Home Is Bear The Heart Is by Mister Peebles
Showcasing the stories of 12 dolls’ houses from the past 300 years, the V&A Museum of Childhood in London is hosting a major exhibition called Small Stories: At home in a dolls’ house. Visitors can take on a journey through the history of each home; explore their everyday lives and changing family relationships. Curated by Alice Sage, each house tells small stories that are brought to life by the characters that live or work there. The exhibition encompasses country mansions, the Georgian town house, suburban villas,
Upcoming Events Sketch to Structure, Pittsburgh, till August 17
Saving Face: 50 Years of New York City Landmarks New York, till September 13
Jasper Morrison: Retrospective Belgium, till September 13
An exhibition that focuses on demystifying the process of architectural design
The city of New York’s many iconic buildings get an exhibition dedicated just to them
A retrospective exhibit that celebrates British industrial designer Jasper Morrison’s 35 year long career
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The Longest Party Table in the World by Paul Priestman PriestmanGoode
newly-built council estates and high-rise apartments. According to Sage, “Dolls’ houses can be autobiographical or create fantastical worlds. These special spaces are deposits for real memories, fanciful ideas and often a lifetime of dedication. The experience of peeking into the tiny rooms and seeing all the meticulous detail is fascinating for children and adults, and hopefully everyone will discover something new.” A further 20 dolls’ houses dating from 1673 to 2014 are on display within the Museum’s permanent galleries. The exhibition will go on tour in the UK, Europe and the United States.
Offline Hideaway by Dominic Wilcox
Library A Recent Plan by Liberty Art Fabrics Interiors
Llama Dreams by Donna Wilson
Wilderness Dreams by Orly Orbach
I Always Dreamed of an Underwater Aquarium Bathroom by Katie Christiason
Dialogues: Photographs of Hélène Binet Berlin. till September 21
Snøhetta - World Architecture Copenhagen, June 19 – September 27
Material Future: The Architecture of Herzog & de Meuron Vancouver, till October 4
By contrasting her architectural photographs against those of landscapes, this exhibition celebrates the talent of Hélène Binet
This exhibition celebrates the prolific Scandinavian firm Snøhetta by highlighting their international projects
An exhibition examining the oeuvre of Prtizker Prize winning firm Herzog & de Meuron over the last 15 years
Home & Design Trends Vol 3 No 2 2015
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Review London, February 20-May 17, 2015
Constructing Worlds brings together the works of 18 photographers from the 1930s up to the modern times
© Guy Tillim courtesy of Stevenson, Cape Town and Johannesburg, 2014 Eredi Luigi Ghirri courtesy of the Luigi Ghirri Estate, Nadav Kander, Simon Norfolk, 2014 Stephen Shore image courtesy of the artist, 30, Thomas Struth
Presented at the Barbican Art Gallery in London, Constructing Worlds was an exhibition that featured over 200 architectural and photographic works by 18 photographers from across the world. Some of the participating photographers included names like Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, Julius Shulman, Hélène Binet, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Andreas Gursky, Nadav Kander and Iwan Baan. The subjects in the photographs include structures by architects and designers such as Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Aldo Rossi, Charles and Ray Eames and Daniel Liebeskind. From New York's first skyscrapers, through the colonial buildings in the Congo to occupied high-rise towers in Caracas, this exhibition promised a visual treat. Constructing Worlds was a journey through a long history of photography that traced the development of architecture around the world. Despite Chongqing IV (Sunday Picnic), Chongqing Municipality
Guy Tillim, Grande Hotel, Beira, Mozambique, 2008
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Simon Norfolk, Former Soviet-era 'Palace of Culture', Kabul, 2001
Stephen Shore, Badlands National Monument, South Dakota, July 14, 1973 Luigi Ghirri, Cemetery of San Cataldo, Modena; the ossuary in winter, 1986
the distance in time and space, the photographers were united in a common resolve to observe and record the complex business environment. The exhibition was presented in chronological order and covered a large variety of photographic techniques and thematic areas. In this exhibition, photographers challenged the conventional norms of architectural photography and reinterpreted an architect's intentions by showcasing the lived experience of a space and the symbolic value that it bought.
Thomas Struth, Clinton Road, London, 1977
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Concept New York, May 2015
Author and illustrator James Gulliver Hancock traces his home town with his latest book All the Buildings in Sydney
All the buildings, Sydney- Kingstreet
James Gulliver Hancock x3
“I feel sick when I am not drawing. I panic that I may not be able to draw everything in the world… at least once,” says James Gulliver Hancock. Released in New York and expressed through his unique and charming cityscape handmade drawings, Hancock's latest book pays a tribute to the diverse architectural styles of his hometown, Sydney. Hancock’s buildings are colourful and full of fun and offbeat details. Though initially they may come across as gimmicky, in actuality they brilliantly capture the technical elements and the essence of the architecture that makes Sydney such a beautiful city. From icons such as Utzon’s Sydney Opera House to lesser-known gems like Mark Foy’s building opposite Hyde Park, All the Buildings in Sydney represents each building with utmost care, detail and precision. The other noteworthy illustrations include the terrace houses in Paddington, the bungalows by the beaches and the incredible sandstone buildings from Sydney’s past. Through these illustrations Hancock aims to encourage readers to explore the city with him, to take a step back from the everyday, pause and take notice of the little details that get missed out on in their daily lives.
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Public Art
Transformative art that alters perceptions & neighbourhoods Stain by Pejac
Untitled by Collettivo FX
Santander, Spain, 2011
Palermo, Italy, 2014
“Countries in the southern part of the planet are draining through a hole. As an act of justice, the northern countries will follow them. I created this in a reflexive time and to represent it on the street helped take away that anger.”
“We wanted to create a ‘game’ between reality and representation - a mural that is a depiction of a landscape that is true. This is an attempt to show the confusion that exists between reality and the representation of it.”
Mauro Filippi, FNA Photo
The Kinetoscope by Christina Angelina and Ease One Slab City, California, 2015
"Kinetoscope features two female faces that partially circle the inner walls. Each individual face embodies a specific emotion tied to a meaningful moment when I trusted my intuition, an inherent sense often ignored by society.”
- Compiled by Kamna Malik
21 more projects at trendsideas.com Home Trends Vol 3 No 9 2013
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Building Conversations Views and insights from architects, interior designers and newsmakers that are shaping the design world
Interviews
My View
Portfolio
Interview
Principal designer and partner of HBA, Rahul Shankhwalker elaborates on how his designs link the past with the future
When and how did you notice the potential for hospitality design in India? Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) has been designing fine luxury hotels in India for over 40 years now and has been significantly involved in the development of some of the country’s most iconic hotels. The last couple of decades have seen a substantial evolution of the Indian economy, including the hospitality segment. HBA believes in India’s long-term growth prospects, both economically and creatively. This last decade has also seen a surge of international operators opening up hotels in India, both in the luxury and budget segment. It was only prudent to set base in India to be able to grow HBA’s relationships further. Where does India stand in terms of world architecture? With its incredible cultural wealth, designs and designers from India are at an interesting threshold of global creativity. Very few countries in the world have seen the economic
growth that India has had. This makes the country a unique place to design and develop. How does the local context influence your approach to a project? Significantly. It is the DNA of our designs. No matter where our projects are, local context forms the base of our designs. For example, we are currently designing a spa for a luxury spa operator in Pune, which draws from and uses Warli art and artists to complete the guest experience. When designing a hospitality project, how does one maintain that balance between thematic influences and not making the space look gimmicky? I believe that while designs have to draw from the past, they also have to respond to the future, creating a visual identity that bridges the gap between the two. In doing so, I try to understand the spatial and experiential qualities of the local context and interpret this in my own way. Spa in Pune
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When you work with companies like Hyatt, St Regis, Marriot, etc. that have strong design identities, how do you balance it with HBA’s design philosophy? I believe the best designs come from the most challenging situations. While most international operators have design identities, they also give immense creative freedom to the designers. Guidelines come from well-researched client feedback and usage and serviceability surveys. As designers, this is invaluable for us in order to create something that is long lasting and which contributes to building brand loyalty. According to you, why are clients choosing you over Indian firms, especially in the hospitality market? HBA operates in multiple continents but we pride our selves as a ‘Local Global Design Company’. In India our staff is incredibly talented. We have designers, both homegrown and foreign–trained. Now, we want to work with local designers who understand the local context and work culture and who drive designs and build amazing properties. In all practicality, we are an Indian firm because we do a considerable amount of creative work out of our Indian offices. Amongst all the hospitality projects executed by HBA, which one would you term as the best, and why? My favourite is the Four Seasons Resort in Seychelles. The designs are simple yet elegant, and are powerful in a way that a guest who checks in there has no choice but to leave his worries behind him and unwind. This property really does fulfil its function and do what it was meant to do i.e. help its guests relax.
House in Australia
Double Tree Hilton, Goa
- Compiled by Kamna Malik Rahul shankhwalker joined HBA as a Design Director in 2007. Prior to this, he gained extensive work experience in Australia, singapore and India. Over his 15 years of work experience, shankhwalker has developed a deep and sensitive understanding of Asian design aesthetics and his current portfolio includes luxury and mid scale hotels and resorts, spas, retail, offices, private residences, club houses, restaurants and bar lounges.
Home & Design Trends Vol 3 No 2 2015
Spa in Pune
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Interview
Navin Raheja of Raheja Developers talks to Preeti Singh about all matters real estate. Gen next and executive director, Nayan Raheja joins in the conversation
What are your thoughts on the deadlock on the real-estate scene currently? Navin Raheja: It is mindless oversupplying brought into the market by so many inexperienced people with the view to make big money. That has spoiled the entire credibility of the sector along with the confidence of customers. On top of it, the last five years have seen a slowdown in economic growth. How does one break this real estate deadlock? Navin Raheja: It needs a trigger. Firstly, the government should understand that investment in real estate, in any country and in any economy has always proved to be a turnover for that economy. This sector is supporting more than 250 industries. The leather industry, steel, cement, copper or glass, wood, plastic mills, mechanical, plumbing, almost all these industries are directly affected by the real estate sector. The simple logic is to make people invest in real estate by bringing down the home loan interest rates. When they bring the interest rate down to 6-7% on home loans, the country will start growing in double digits. Secondly, please allow us to work. The government should ease the rules of doing business for us. They come up with something new everyday. One more legislation or one more rule to follow. We are not being given time to work. There are so many compliances to fulfil. Be it venue, electricity, water, environment, other local authorities, fire, labour and all the taxations. And all of these people are not actually supporting us. These problems need to be sorted out. The government can put all these things online. Currently, there is online approval as a single window clearance and we are stuck only with attending to them.
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Shouldn’t prices then come down considerably? Navin Raheja: Prices have come down already. But now bringing them down further is not possible because they are, I think, at cost or maybe below cost. It will be disaster for anybody selling below this. Real estate was not your first business venture. Navin Raheja: After passing out from college, I had savings of about Rs 5000 from a scholarship. With that I started my first business of providing accessories for scooters. It was a very innovative idea at the time, nobody was doing it. Then, in 1982, there was Asian Games, so I introduced colour TVs also for the first time in Delhi. I was one of the initial distributors for EC and Uptron tv sets. Because of these opportunities, I made good money and by ’83 I made my first investment in real estate. And it doubled in less than three months. That gave me a taste of how to bat faster, you know, a faster run-rate. You have made a sustained effort to work with international firms. Navin Raheja: The Burj Khalifa in Dubai has been made by Arab builders. So we tried to get in touch with them because they have the competency to create that level of work and those structures. There was a lot of resistance on their part; they were not willing to work with Indians. But ultimately, Nayan, my son, convinced them. Designing alliances are there with the best global companies like Thornton Tomasetti, who are also working on some projects with us. We are bringing in talented companies from all over the world, even to execute our individual modules, after construction. Even our architects are talented international names.
Home & Design Trends Vol 3 No 2 2015
Why don’t developers work with Indian architects and firms? Navin Raheja: I used to work with Indian architects about 10 years ago. But I always had to go back for frequent changes in the drawings. The quality was not really that good. Then we hired the best of the architects from the School of Planning & Architecture. We have a team of about 30 architects from the best of the institutes. They are good in local master planning and in their knowledge of by-laws. And they collaborate with our international architects too. What’s next for the company? Nayan Raheja: We are evolving with the times and there will be a dramatic shift in the kind of product mix that we do. Currently, it is probably 80% residential and within that 80% we have probably 50% of the luxury homes for the middle segment homes. I think that will dramatically shift to a 30% luxury and you know like 30% middle and a 40% lower-income group sort of a thing. That is the kind of demand pattern, which exists in the country. Also, we are in the process of creating smart technology for homes in the same way we see apps in our phone. I think the last frontier achieved for smart technology is going to be people’s homes. We are creating a new sort of technology where soon you will see lot of prototypes where you will be able to experience your lifestyle better. Through this technology, if you want to go for a game of tennis and you know that your friend might be available, you can check via this technology to see if a booking is available at the tennis court at 5 pm and ask if your friend is also there. It automatically communicates. It is almost like Artificial Intelligence (AI). The home starts having a personality of its own where you can communicate with it. Apple and Google are working on it as well. Raheja Developers Limited was established in 1990 by Navin M Raheja. He holds a MBE degree and is a post graduate in Journalism. His company is regarded as one of the biggest companies in India with executable and sanction projects over 60 million sq ft in hand with projects spanning over 900 acres of land at various stages of deliberations.
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Interview
Architect Alan Abraham’s radical proposal, The Bombay Greenway Project, has the potential to transform Mumbai’s landscape
What is the Bombay Greenway Project? The Bombay Greenway Project is a conceptual design to create a green umbrella over the city’s local railway system. If the Greenway Project were to be implemented, 114 km of railway line will serve as 114 km stretch of podium gardens that will be traffic-free and meant for pedestrians only. The sides of the tracks will be barricaded to discourage people from crossing and there will be entry and exit points at every 400 m intervals which would make it easy to access the greenway which serves as a North South connector and dissolves the East West divide. The three prime objectives of the project are to prevent railway crossing deaths, create 1000 acres of open space and to positively influence the lives of the 7.7 million people that use the trains daily. The project aims to improve the basic lifestyle that is less stressful and relatively safe. The Bombay Greenway Project is not about cleaning up or beautifying the streets. It is a simple, new idea. All it proposes is to rethink the use of public spaces that already exist. How did the idea manifest? This proposal was born out of frustration. We assessed the problems and the potential of the city and instead of complaining, we decided to create a concrete plan and present it. It’s easy to transform a project from bad to good through design. It even won the International Urban Planning & Urban Design competition, 2013 at VeloCity, Austria and we hoped that this would
create a fallout effect here. But the sad part is that locally people are not willing to listen. What feedback have you received from government that can help execute the proposal? We are trying to contact the right people, however, the Government bodies have been unresponsive. The important thing here is to create awareness amongst people. Is the recognition a challenge? Getting local recognition from the right people is the major challenge. The rest is mainly getting people to accept, study and take this new idea forward in a way that is feasible. The project requires coordination and involves major policy decisions. Given the general situation when it comes to policy makers, what encouraged you to conceptualise a project of this magnitude? We have proposed the concepts and case studies in individual parts to make it simple. This allows people to understand that it is quite feasible and not too ambitious if you break it into parts. The moment each component connects, it will transform the city. We can think of the designs, but we cannot execute every single one. In this instance, it is beyond our scope. To execute, you need the bureaucrat, the politician and policy makers to come together. These agencies have come together to relook at the development plan. This is an ideal time for discussing and integrating these ideas into the plan. - In conversation with Amanda Peters
Alan Abraham is the joint principal architect of Abraham John of Abraham John Architects. Founded in 1967, it is a multidisciplinary architecture, interior design, landscaping and urban planning firm in Mumbai. With a spectrum of clients, the firm’s design approach is to reconnect architecture with nature.
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1. Proposed design of the Bombay Greenway Project. This rendering shows the podium garden as they will be constructed above the railway lines as well as the barricades meant to prevent pedesterians from crossing over the tracks. The greenery of the podium gardens will have a positive impact on the surrouding urbanscape. 2. The Bombay Greenway Project future station section (Bandra Station, Western Railways) (i) Ramp access to the Greenway (ii) Skywalk access to the Greenway (iii) Staircase access to and fro from the station (iv) Skylight for the railway station on the Greenway (v) Greenway Ramping up to avoid disruption in cyclists movement (vi) Greenway access to the railway station 3. Walk, cycle and play routes on the Western Line between Khar and Mahim. 4. The proposed underpass for the Juhu Beach Project Plan
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My View
On: How a colour palette contributes towards the larger context of architecture Manish Dikshit Aum Architects, Mumbai Colour has a very powerful meaning in architecture. Contradictions can be easily found, because it is hard not to be subjective with such a topic. Another problem with making general conclusions is the fact that colours have different meanings in different cultures. For example, in Europe black is for mourning, though in northern parts of Portugal brides wear black gowns on their wedding day. In East Asia white is the colour of mourning and in most of Europe it is the colour of purity. Similarly, in the context of Indian architecture, earthen colours are used to blend with the surrounding macro environment.
Dexter fernandes uneven, vadodara Colour is not just an emotion but a part of the character of the structures we design. For example, earthen shades give a homely aesthetic and are used mainly for residential projects, whereas commercial and corporate projects are done in formal colours like greys, whites, walnut etc. Though most of our works have a basic tone of grey or light beige to help give a subtle, cool and pleasing look, our main enhancer is always green – adding freshness and life to the projects.
Indrajit kembhavi kembhavi Architecture foundation, bangalore Architecture is all about symbolism where infinite forms are created out of infinite spaces, hence I cannot associate this profound realm to a monochrome, but rather I do relate it to a spectrum, which is also defined as a condition, not limited to a set of chromatic values, but one that can vary within a continuum.
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Dikshu kukreja C P kukreja Associates, new Delhi In architecture, the entire colour palette acts a strong tool for any built form to communicate with the world. Therefore, rather than associating it with a specific colour, I think it is the entire colour palette that one should draw from in order to suit the specificities and the context of any project so concerned.
Percy kutar 4.4 Design, Mumbai Associating a single colour with the art of architecture is problematic; it’s like asking which colour would you associate with the art of painting, or for that matter any art. However, I believe that in architecture, colour is best expressed by an honest expression of its materiality- singular or plural and the way in which light plays with it.
Melissa smith banduksmith studio, Ahmedabad More than any particular colour it is the clarity of colour and its meaning for representation that I associate with the processes of architecture. Colour is powerful when used with restraint. In my first year of school, we were limited to the use of black and white, plus just one spot colour (either cyan, magenta or yellow, pure ink cartridge colours). What this taught me was all the things that organisation, scale and proportion can do and how careful use of colour helps to communicate. Colour restraint for communication is a practice I continue to use even today, both in the drawings we make, and in the materials we use on our sites.
- Compiled by Dushyant Shekhawat
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Guest Column
The design of a vertical mixed-use development must achieve an efficient solution to integrating spaces while isolating individual services, says architect Reza Kabul F
or centuries human settlements have developed in mixed-use patterns, that blend in a combination of residential, commercial, cultural, institutional and industrial zones. Knight Frank, one of the world’s largest global property consultancies, affirms that given the lack of housing supply and land constraints, mixed-use development is an important and necessary part of the urban renewal and regeneration process. The term ‘mixed-use’, though straightforward, varies in definition from different zones, cities and countries. However, key elements define the present mixed-use approach as a space that amasses different users, designed with a revenue generating approach, with a significant functional and physical integration of spaces and services. While developing mixed-use zones in entirety is often unfeasible, either by a single developer or without municipal support, vertical single unit mixed-use developments have been in play for a while. Early examples of these vertical mixed-use developments are apartment buildings with ground level retail spaces. Recently, major vertical mixed-use developments have presented themselves as a phenomenon, with the real estate industry investing in opportunities to create vibrant, sustainable and revenue generating spaces. Vertical mixed-use developments hold more potential and have an advantage over the typical single-use structures, thereby making them the next step for sprawling cities. The design of a vertical mixed-use development must achieve an efficient solution to integrating the spaces while isolating the individual services. They are also required to manage the sensitive spaces such as commercial offices and residences, with regard to potentially disturbing aspects of public spaces such as hospitality and retail outlets. 96 Iconic Tower (Colombo, Sri Lanka), designed as a ball balanced between four bats to commemorate the achievements of the winners of the 1996 Cricket World Cup, is an amalgamation of retail, commercial, residential, institutional, hospitality and public spaces. Mumbai-based architect Reza Kabul setup his own firm M/s Architect Reza Kabul in 1988. Kabul’s vision has lead to successful and path-breaking projects like Radisson Hotel (Mauritius), Arista (Mumbai), Earth Infra (Gurgaon), etc that are centred on his design philosophy of ‘liberating spaces.’ Some of his well-known clients are Le Meridien, ITC, Ramada and Ajmera Realty.
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The challenge while designing this mixed-use tower was to integrate five different users stacked on top of each other, while providing them individual and independent functioning. The commercial spaces, such as the multi-screen cinema on level four, offices on level five, and the panoramic restaurant on level 94 and 95 have the lift lobby located on the basement level. The public spaces, a 360° observatory on level
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92 and the Sri Lankan Cricket Legends Museum on level 93, have ticket counters and lift lobbies located on the south side of the ground level. The retail spaces, spread across the ground level to level three, are interconnected with a series of 18 escalators and six elevators. The north side of the ground level acts as a separate entry for the residential spaces, with six elevators taking them to the residential lobby situated on level six, which houses nine elevators for residents and their guests, and three service elevators, leading to the residential apartments across level 15 to level 90, punctuated by service floors and entertainment decks. Form and function, the most hackneyed words in architecture, have been major influencers of design the world over. Commercial structures, however, demand the additional integration of performance and management, which helps maintain the revenue generating component. Mixed-use projects offer developers the opportunity to spread risks while generating higher yields. At the same time, complementary tenants attract prospective consumers from a variety of sectors. Raghuleela Mall (Navi Mumbai, India) is a classic example, where the mall is constructed on an IT Park plot, giving the retail sector its prospective consumer. While the 60% of the plot consists of the IT Park, zoning dictated that 40% be used for commercial purposes, and we incorporated a mall, a multi-screen cinema, banquet facilities and swimming pool equipped gymnasium. The location, next to the local railway station, attracts an even larger number of daily commuters passing by. The commercial spaces have been designed to be open and permeable to encourage people to walk through the site, while the central atrium of the mall encloses a public piazza which establishes the social focus. The solution to smooth functioning of the mixeduse development is using the same space in different moods and different attires with different users, and separating the main areas from the service areas. Mixed-use developments, whether horizontal or vertical, promote smart growth. While creating new urban strategies and synergies in an existing city is challenging, it does lead to efficient land use. Integrating different zones makes them readily accessible in one location, while reducing the dependency on public and transport facilities. We stand at the beginning of a revolutionary era, where the mixed-use developments are substituting the high-street concepts of the mid 20th century.
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Iconic Tower
Raghuleela Mall - Central Atrium
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Portfolio
In this prelude to the photo-essay on the Kochi Muziris Biennale 2014, its founder, Bose Krishnamachari talks to Preeti Singh about responsibility, opportunity and struggle
Is it fair to say that the creative community in India, including architects, seems hesitant to acknowledge and take on social responsibility through their work? It’s a sad truth but also an indication of the system we have. Many of the artists/ architects are not really aware of what’s happening in the country. I hardly see people reading newspapers or trying to get news and information about what’s happening in the country. I don’t see a lot of people interested in politics, daily issues and policy matters, and I think this is a dangerous trend - to be disengaged from our daily reality. I think the Europeans, the Americans and the Australians have realised that their art and work can affect the culture and ethos of their communities. They realise the potential of this “soft-power.” And sometimes this becomes much more powerful than political diplomats and diplomacy, transcending boundaries and connecting people and nations. It’s also one of the reasons why internationally they do more cultural and educational exchange programmes. I think it is high time artists and architects of this country became more socially aware and responsible.
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2014 x9
Do you think it’s also a matter of conversation between the creative community and the political class? Can enough pressure from the art and design community enable the process? I am sure that there are other concerned people in the creative community and some steps had been taken in this regard. Many people have tried it; in 2005, the art community tried to start a biennale in New
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Delhi. The initial amount of three crores was not be given by the New Delhi government. They said, “Three crores? For art?” They should understand that it is public money and benefits the public at large; it brings tourists, national and international visitors and culture grows and proliferates through such kind of policy making. Culture tourism is good economic sense. Yes, but nationally, we have been a disappointment. Only 0.02% of the GDP is put aside for art. Compared to other public funding and public funded projects, 0.02% is almost nothing, not even an afterthought. I read somewhere that Britain generates 35% of its GDP through cultural tourism. This is huge. That is one of the reasons they are making more museums and protecting their monuments. Take for example, the Tate Modern. When the authorities felt that they could not accommodate five million people in a large 3,75,000 sq ft space, they decided to make another wing for performances, reading, exhibition spaces etc. They are also spending £260 million to create that building. We have to understand the value of investing in art and culture and the long-term benefits of it. India has such a rich heritage and cultural legacy. And it is time that we start telling our own stories rather than depend on someone else’s version of it. How did you come to organise a Biennale? We used to have something called the Triennale in Delhi, in 1968, which was started by Dr Mulk Raj Anand and some artists. It was a part of the nation-building programme at that time. But due to various reasons it
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ended in 2005. In 2009, MA Baby, Kerala’s then education and cultural minister had come to visit my house. He wanted to raise funds for education and culture. I told him it was possible, but it would take time and there will be, almost every week, an invitation to court, strikes, cancellations, many things. Name anything and it will keep on getting worse. Then I called artist Riyas Komu over for dinner and we agreed that the best thing that could be done culturally for Kerala was to have a biennale focusing on art. We decided on the biennale because it would be a recurring event and would create a platform and avenues for direct engagement with the public. It would also, in the course of time, create a vibrant and thriving economy around the Biennale and would benefit the state – not just economically but socially and culturally as well. Kerala does have other festivals –Trivandrum has a fantastic international film festival, a theatre festival in Thrissur, literature-wise Kerala is well known. But when it comes to visual art, it has always been sidelined and there is no infrastructure that takes care of that. The Biennale would change all that. So that is what we decided upon and presented to MA Baby who agreed.
Other than securing funds, what has been the second greatest challenge with the Kochi Biennale that you had to overcome? It was to create an infrastructure that was worthy of museum quality artwork, because otherwise no artist will send or exhibit their works. I can invite an artist for the Biennale but they won’t send their works without any kind of control of the space. Some works
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need to have a certain environment. And now, after all the preparations we have done in Kochi, we are confident that the space we have created can host exhibitions of Picasso, Van Gogh or Rembrandt. We are prepared for that kind of space and weather control. In fact, in the first year of the Biennale, we had the first exhibition brought from the Dresden museum; they wanted to know, every day, what the weather was, what the temperature was etc. This went on for 30 days after which they said, “OK, we’ll send the work.” These are the kind of things we have to manage carefully. We also created additional exhibition spaces out of unused buildings and warehouses. People were excited to not only see international quality art-works but also how artists utilise these old architectural spaces to appropriate their ideas. This has become an event for posterity. What is your vision for it? Definitely, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale will become the destination for experiencing contemporary art. We would also like to create infrastructure for education and make a museum, not in the sense just a museum that collects paintings but an interactive one. In future I hope that we can start an architecture biennale. We can imagine many things but I want to be able to do them. We can have hundreds of ideas, but we focus on the ones that reflect quality and elevate the space and region to a different level. How is the work invited for the Biennale? The artists chosen for the Biennale are chosen by its curator, who would have done his research on the region, its history,
politics, culture etc and will decide what one can call a “theme.” He will then conduct research trips to identify the artists who could take on his “themes” and best react to the site. We give maximum freedom to the artists, whatever the cost may be. We invite them, but one of the first conditions is that we want every artist to come see the site, because the site is an important space for creating the project. Then the city is very important; it is very important to include its history. During the first biennale 73% of the work was produced on-site and more than 60% during the second edition. You mentioned earlier, the environment in which the works are housed is essential. In that, I must say they are absolutely respectful. The sites and the works are so entrenched together. As the biennale director, I have something to do with that. When it comes to the design of a project like this, everything is decided through me. We can look at inviting any artist in the world, but if we cannot afford it, then I say no. You said somewhere that the challenges you faced organising the Biennale have added a unique flavor to it. Yes, you should have a challenging space otherwise there is no interest in creating something. Conflict is important. Conflict puts you in a certain kind of space and pushes you to innovate and create your way out, to survive. You need to understand conflict; you need to understand extremity. If you understand extremities, you can definitely create better. Conflict is very important. I enjoy it; I have no complaints. We did it against all odds.
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three decimal points/ Of a minute/ Of a second/ Of a degree by bharti kher This installation is artist Bharti Kher’s fascination with and research into several concepts; the Penrose triangle, medieval astronomical charts by the Arab scholar Al-Biruni and one of colonial India’s greatest undertakings, the Triangulation Survey of India. Through this piece, Kher seeks to undervalue that, which is not abstruse. The installation is composed of suspended triangles, each containing a swinging pendulum, creating an aura of instability but never actually collapsing.
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the Power of ten by Charles and ray eames The Power of Ten is a 1977 art film made by the designer duo Charles and Ray Eames. This piece of conceptual cinema offers a perspective of the universe from multiple scales, from the most expansive to the minutest. Beginning with an overhead shot of a couple in a park, the film zooms out by the power of ten every 10 seconds, gradually transporting the viewer to the outer reaches of space. At the point where human knowledge of the universe ends, the camera begins to zoom back in, at the power of minus 10, culminating in visuals of protons at a sub-atomic level, offering a reminder of the infinite worlds with which we share our universe.
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Mary wants to read a book by navjot Altaf Both a celebration of the state of Kerala’s literacy movement and an alarm call for the state of climate degradation, the Mary Wants to Read a Book installation by Navjot Altaf underlines the need for development that is not harmful for the ecology. The installation is an immersive, built-up space comprising over 2000 books made from recycled paper. The form of the installation is also a three dimensional recreation of a scientific chart documenting 2000 years of climatic change. By offsetting Kerala’s praiseworthy literacy rate and library culture with global environmental degradation, Altaf’s work is suggestive of alternative modes of development.
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untitled by unnikrishnan C This free-standing wall composed of more than 300 bricks is the work of Unnikrishnan C, one of the youngest artists that exhibited at this year’s Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Each brick serves as a miniature canvas for Unnikrishnan and he has covered them in paintings that recall his childhood in rural Kerala. The subjects of his paintings are often relics of a bygone era, including imagery reminiscent of professions and lifestyles falling by the wayside in modern times.
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the fires of faith by benitha Perciyal It is believed that St Thomas bought the Christian faith to Indian shores when he landed in Kerala in 52 BC. Benitha Perciyal’s installation delves into this history, examining the culture of religious imagery that flourished in India with the proliferation of Christianity. These sculptures are crafted from incense made from natural materials like aromatic herbs and spices and are intended to devolve to reflect the passage of time; cracks will appear and the fragrance will fade, turning these sculptures into a testament to impermanence.
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Matter by ns Harsha NS Harsha is a painter, sculptor and artist who likes to offer what he calls bird’s eye views of life. In Matter, he creates a bronze sculpture of a lone monkey grasping a spherical whilst pointing upwards at the sky. The imagery of the solitary primate silently gesturing at the heavens leaves the interpretation up to the viewer. “It is a work formed from the depths of speechlessness,” says Harsha.
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the Arrival of vasco da Gama (after an 1898 painting by Jose veloso salgado) by Pushpamala n Pushpamala N is an artistic performer whose pursuits include a series of masquerades where she subverts iconic images by staging recreations, which she inhabits herself. In this image, a recreation of Jose Veloso Salgado’s painting Vasco da Gama perante o Samorim de Calecute, Pushpamala essays the role of the eponymous navigator. This reconstructed photograph uses the element of theatricality to offer a critique on how this historic event grew into the status of myth over the passage of years.
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sun shadow by Pors & rao Sun Shadow is the creation of Bangalore-based artistic duo, Aparna Rao and Søren Pors. This illusory installation at first appears to be discarded material, the kind of unclaimed debris one might find at a large exhibition. But this sun, crafted from plastic, metal and rubber, hides hidden electromagnetic components that make it come alive. Intermittently, this melting outline of the sun moves upwards, attempting to rise before collapsing back down into its original state as if exhausted by the effort. The artist’s sense of playfulness and dark humour infects this piece, much like their other installations.
- Compiled by Dushyant Shekhawat
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Iconic Design Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile, Paris
Roger Viollet Collection/Getty
arched respect
It is 1806 and Napolean I, triumphant from his victories in Europe, commissions French architect Jean Chalgrin to design a monument that would be a fitting tribute to the French Army. Chalgrin’s design is that of an arch, inspired by the arches that successful Roman generals and their armies would later on march under to celebrate their victories during the Antiquity period. Named the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile (The Arc of Triumph) it is located on the Place Charles de Gaulle, Paris. It took two years just to lay down the foundations for the arch. And it took almost 30 years to complete it. The monument stands 50 m (164 ft) in height, 45 m (148 ft) wide and 22 m (72 ft) deep. Jean Galgrin passed away during its construction and the project was then completed under the supervision of Jean-Nicolas Huyot. The triumphal arch is adorned with many reliefs, most of them commemorating the emperor’s battles. At the top of the arch are 30 shields, each of them bearing the name of one of Napoleon’s successful battles. Below the arch is the Grave of the Unknown Soldiers, honoring the many who died during the First World War. It would be the biggest, widest and tallest triumphant arch in the world; (in 1919 Charles Godfrey successfully flew his biplane under the arch to showcase its width), till the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang was completed in 1982, but The Arc of Triumph still remains the most iconic in the world. - Written by Moshita Prajapati
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Commercial Design A residential redevelopment complex, a mixed-use structure and a beach club - the projects in this section showcase how commercial design is getting redefined throughout the world
Project Portfolio
Community spirit With its hexagonal matrix of interlocking building blocks, this residential development weaves a new sense of collective engagement
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Preceding pages:With its 31 stacked blocks arranged in a hexagonal pattern, The Interlace creates a new form of vertical village. The buildings enclose large courtyards that provide a wealth of recreational facilities. Below:Each block is six storeys high, but at no point does the development exceed the stipulated 24 storeys. The openings between the buildings create physical and visual permeability, providing cross ventilation and maximising views.
Distinguished architectural firms are most often commissioned to design prestigious projects for the high end of the market. But the experience and skills they can bring to a more populist market niche can have far greater ramifications. This Singapore project proves that innovative architecture is not the sole prerogative of an elite few. Rather, it can be accessible to a much wider market – in this case more than 1000 households. The Interlace, developed by CapitaLand Singapore, was designed by architect Ole Scheeren working for OMA. The design brief was straightf orward – the development needed to create an iconic urban habitat of the future, says Wong Heang Fine, chief executive officer of CapitaLand
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Singapore (Residential). “This was always going to be an exemplary development that would promote a sustainable, highly accessible and eco-friendly living environment, with a strong sense of community,” he says. “We set out to create an outstanding design for a development that is not only within reach of those who aspire to own a private residential unit, but also those who aspire to a unique lifestyle.” The design was driven by many factors, including the shape of the 8ha site, which completes a 9km green belt. It was also determined by the need to maximise opportunities for social interaction. “In Singapore, the standard typology for residential developments is a cluster of isolated,
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towers, which do little to enhance a sense of community,” the architect says. “This design, in contrast, explores a dramatically different approach to tropical living, providing an expansive and interconnected network of communal spaces within a natural environment.” Thirty-one apartment blocks, each six storeys high, are stacked in a hexagonal arrangement to create eight large-scale courtyards. The interlocking blocks resemble a vertical village, complete with cascading sky gardens and both public and private roof terraces. Extensive residential amenities and facilities are interwoven with the landscape, amid lush vegetation, providing opportunities for social interaction, leisure and recreation. “The architecture is more about the spaces between the buildings than the built-up areas themselves,” says Scheeren. “While the buildings provide the residences, they are more importantly a tool to generate the open spaces.” The architect says the company experimented with many different configurations to maximise the design of the courtyards and natural light. “In the end, it was the hexagon that won out over a square or rectangular form. The angles at which the buildings meet are 120°, not 90°. This means the buildings are slightly turned away from each other, which helps to open up the views and provides more privacy. It also creates well-articulated outdoor areas.” Scheeren says the stacking principle ensured there would always be openings in the blocks. “There are no sealed envelopes – the buildings are completely permeable,” he says. “This allows the light, wind and cooling breezes to penetrate. It also creates visual openings, so residents don’t feel
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cut off from the wider landscape. The development has a very different feel to a tower block – it is all about lightness, openness and transparency.” The architect says the exterior of the building is layered to create a stratification of outdoor living areas. These range from highly communal sky gardens to slightly more private terraces and very private spaces. All apartments have balconies, and many have protruding terraces that can become an extension of the living room. “It looks deceptively simple, but there is a richness and complexity to the architecture that helps to generate a sense of excitement and freedom,” says Scheeren. “The development never feels crowded.” “The accommodation itself is also varied within each block. While the overall building form is highly dynamic, each individual block is an entirely pragmatic rectangle that allows a very efficient layout. Spaces are also generously sized and light filled, and the quality of the fit-out is high.” As with all OMA buildings, sustainable design determined every aspect of the architecture. “We incorporated passive design strategies throughout the project,” says the architect. “Daylight is optimised, and there is shading in the courtyards. Apartments are positioned to minimise solar gain, while taking advantage of the breezes permeating through the building. The apartments also benefit from evaporative cooling over the various bodies of water, which remove humidity.” Communal facilities include an environmental deck, which is integrated into the green belt. This incorporates the eight themed courtyards created by the built forms, which in turn are linked by a 4m-wide jogging track. One of the courtyards is
Below:The hexagonal form can be seen from above, in both the plan and finished development. Right:Because the buildings are stacked on a 120° angle, views and privacy are maximised. The hexagon motif can be seen on the underside of the concrete slabs.
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designated as a community garden for use by residents. Art works, including sculptures by renowned artists, have been integrated into the landscape. Multi-generational interaction is encouraged, with children’s playgrounds as well as exercising equipment for adults and the elderly. Approximately 130 apartments are designed with ageing-in-place provisions, such as step-free bathrooms. There are also 16 dual-key units, which provide separate but adjoining apartments that will serve the needs of multi-generational families. Wong Heang Fine says that at the end of May 860 units out of 1040 had been sold. “The feedback from residents confirms The Interlace is like a self-sufficient community within a well-established development, with all the facilities they need available on site.” Wong says the development has already received several notable awards and has cemented its position as a new Singapore landmark.
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Project:The Interlace, Singapore Developers:CapitaLand Singapore; Hotel Properties Ltd Design architect:OMA – designer and partner-in-charge Ole Scheeren (now at Buro Ole Scheeren) Architect of record:RSP Architects Planners & Engineers Main contractor:Woh Hup (Private) Limited Civil and structural engineering consultant: TY Lin International Mechanical and electrical engineering consultant:Squire Mech Landscape architect:ICN Design International Quantity surveyor:Langdon & Seah Singapore
Above:Each of the eight large courtyards is themed and lushly landscaped. In time there will be cascading sky gardens as well.
Awards:Urban Habitat Award 2014; CNBC Asia Pacific Property Award 2010 Best Architecture (Multiple Units) Singapore; BCA Universal Design Mark Platinum Award; BCA Green Mark GoldPLUS Award Story by Colleen Hawkes Photography courtesy of CapitaLand Singapore and Woh Hup (Private) Limited
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Sense of place Defined by its green walls and cantilevered heliostat reflectors, this large-scale mixed-use development creates a new gateway to the Sydney CBD
It’s rare to acquire an entire city block for redevelopment, but when it does happen there’s an unparalleled opportunity for developers and architects to make a significant contribution to the fabric of a city. The former Chippendale United Brewery site on the western fringe of the Sydney CBD has been transformed by a masterplanned joint venture between Frasers Property Australia and Sekisui House Australia. But it wasn’t simply a case of throwing out the old for the new. While the developers of the 5.8 ha site were looking to raise the benchmark for innovation and sustainability, they were also wanting to preserve key heritage elements and give something back to the city. One Central Park, designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, France and collaborating architectural firm PTW Architects, consequently reflects an holistic
approach to urban design, says PTW architect Mark Giles. “This was an opportunity to reinvigorate an entire precinct in what is essentially a city of small villages. Connectivity was crucial – for so many years the old brewery site had been closed off to the public. We needed to open up the entire space, hence the idea of a park-like development that would provide through links along key axes. The site is close to Central Railway Station and two universities, so pedestrian traffic is high. “In designing the tall east tower, we took into account the height of the existing UTS building on the other side of road, where Broadway becomes Parramatta Road, a key arterial route. We chose to match this height so the two towers together create a gateway to the city from the west. There is also a strong urban edge to the development on this side. “In contrast, the residential nature of the
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Chippendale area to the south is reflected in an undulating facade treatment to the south of the two towers. There is also a liveliness to this elevation, with the balconies stepping in and out – this creates a softer facade.” One Central Park East tower, at 33 storeys, provides 383 apartments, while the 16-storey One Central Park West tower accommodates 240 apartments. Sky at Central Park, the precinct’s premium penthouse and sub-penthouse collection, comprises 38 residences in the top five levels of East tower. The development also boasts a five-level 16,000m2 shopping centre beneath a landscaped podium, a Sky Garden at Level 29, a 6400 m2 landscaped public park at ground level – Chippendale Green – plus new public pocket parks. Thirty-three heritage elements have been retained and are being restored for adaptive re-use. These include a prominent tiled archway at Carlton Street, terraces and warehouses, three pubs, the Brewery Yard buildings and brick stack, and the original brewery
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administration building. However, it is the East tower’s striking form, with its cantilevered platforms, that has transformed the skyline. The platforms have a highly functional role in terms of bringing natural light down into the park, and the retail centre below. “The smaller west tower has 40 6.2 m2 heliostat panels on top, which track the sun during the day,” says Giles. “Sunlight falling onto these reflector panels is bounced back up to 320 0.8m2 fixed reflector panels cantilevered off the taller east tower. These panels reflect the light back down, with 40% of the light falling onto a large skylight over the retail centre. “This skylight has a shallow pool of water over it, so the light shimmers down into the atrium, giving it an ephemeral look. Plants in the atrium thrive on that reflected light. The remaining 60% of the light from the reflector frame is directed down into the southern plaza.” The heliostat is believed to be the first of its kind to be used in a residential context in Australia, and
Preceding pages:A cantilevered Sky Garden and giant reflector frame are key features of the new One Central Park development in Sydney, designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel and PTW Architects. Vertical gardens are already transforming the exterior. Below:Central Park, in the lower centre of this aerial image, occupies an entire city block. The precinct is on the CBD fringe, close to Central Railway Station and two universities. Right:Chippendale Green is an open public space within the precinct, with pathways aligned with key through routes. Public artworks include Halo, a wind-powered 13 m-tall kinetic sculpture by Jennifer Turpin and Michaelie Crawford.
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the largest of its type in the world used in an urban environment. By night, the reflector frame becomes a giant LED-illuminated multicoloured artwork, titled Sea Mirror, by artist Yann Kersalé. The monumental form of the tower is further enhanced by the green walls that feature throughout One Central Park. Designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc, the vertical gardens cover more than 1200 m2, across 23 panels. “Every side of the building has a different microclimate that needed to be taken into account with the plant selection,” says Giles. “Plants were also chosen to flower at different times of the year, which is why there are 383 species, both
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indigenous and imported. These all help to create a discernible tiering of green, like a ribbon that winds up the building. The plants are watered by a gravity-feed system that pumps recycled water up to the top of the building, where it is enriched with nutrients, then drip-fed back down the facade.” The greening of the building continues on the top of the podium, which is a recreational area for residents. This features landscaped gardens, a long swimming pool and a number of Jacuzzis. The Level 29 Sky Garden on the cantilevered deck is another amenity for residents of the Sky penthouses and sub-penthouses. The garden is accessed through a darkened passage that opens
Below:The Best Tall Building in the World, as voted by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), One Central Park features walkways on the retail podium. These are illuminated by reflected natural light from the heliostats. Right:The reflector frame is positioned to catch sunlight reflected up from heliostats on the roof of the lower building. The height of the east tower matches the 1960s UTS building on the other side of the road.
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Left:The reflector frame shines light down into the retail atrium. Right:An orange-red glass box forms a transition zone that leads to the cantilevered Sky Garden.
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Left:Sub-penthouses in Sky at Central Park at the top of the east tower incorporate balconies that can be closed in if required. As with every apartment in the precinct, the interior features highquality natural materials. Below:Gardens right outside the apartments enhance the views. The gardens are watered and fed automatically by a gravityfeed system. Below right:Tiled bathrooms, mirrored walls and contemporary sanitaryware feature in the sub-penthouses.
into an area washed with bright orange-red glass. “This is a transition zone that heightens the sense of anticipation,” says Giles. “The natural daylight is a burst of colour at the end of the walkway, where you emerge to find yourself out on the cantilevered platform at the top of the building. This area is also beautifully landscaped, with gardens and a Jacuzzi.” A similar attention to detail can be seen on the interiors. Giles says every apartment, from the smallest studio to the penthouses, has a similar design approach and material palette. “The design needed to be of a signature quality that is consistent right through the building. Smart, articulate design has always been a priority for the joint venture developers, and this is a key part of the One Central Park experience.” Sustainable initiatives were another key driver of the design. One Central Park, Central retail and Park Lane have all achieved 5 Star Green Star ratings from the Green Building Council of Australia. While the vertical gardens are one of the most visible expressions of the commitment to sustainable urban living, other eco-friendly features are much in evidence. One Central Park houses its own central thermal plant and tri-generation power station, using low-emission gas to produce electricity and thermal power for heating and cooling. Rainwater is harvested, and grey water and black water retained for re-use in laundries, toilets and gardens. Other initiatives include a 44-vehicle GoGet car share service, and 94% recycling or re-use of materials removed from the site during demolition. Giles says the developers’ commitment to the community is already paying off, in terms of enlivening the precinct. The retail centre, hospitality venues and Chippendale Green are in constant use.
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And the apartments themselves have been highly sought after since day one. “The variety of units on sale ensured there was something for everyone, to the extent that Frasers was selling one apartment every minute during the launch,” says Giles. Central Park development director Mick Caddey says the completion of One Central Park is a significant milestone for the joint venture partners. “This is an outstanding achievement with the visually striking design representing the core values of Central Park in delivering an innovative, environmentally sensitive and sustainable design of high standard.” Project:One Central Park, Sydney Developer:Frasers Property Australia; Sekisui House Australia Architect:Ateliers Jean Nouvel, France; PTW Architects, Sydney interior design:East Tower by Koichi Takada Architects; West Tower by Smart Design Studio Structural engineer:Robert Bird Group Building services engineer:Arup infrastructure services engineer:WSP Group facade engineer:Surface Design Consulting Group Geotechnical engineer:JK Geotechnics Civil engineer (roads):Mott MacDonald Construction company:Watpac Construction Heliostat installation:Kennovations Living wall maintenance:Junglefy Artist, botanist:Patrick Blanc Lighting artist:Yann Kersalé Story by Colleen Hawkes Photography by Murray fredericks; aerial image by John Gollings
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Miami vice Bold, bright and a fun place to be, this beachside club combines the look of colourful Brighton beach huts with the razzmatazz of a South Florida resort Left, lower right and following pages :The outdoor area of the Matisse Beach Club in Perth, by Oldfield Knott Architects, comprises a central pool area and an adjacent covered outdoor space where a curved day bed doubles as a DJ stage at night. Right:The row of jaunty cabanas is set higher than the pool, to allow for an underground garage.
Hospitality can be a fickle business, with the success of a venue riding solely on the impressions its most avid promoters or detractors – the guests. One way to ensure a broad, ongoing appeal for a project is to draw on popular cultural themes and at the same time create an individual sense of place. For the Matisse Beach Club in Western Australia, the owner’s brief to architect Frank Iemma and interior designer Jenlin Chia of Oldfield Knott Architects was very much along these lines. Sean Reid wanted to evoke the lively, vibrant feeling of a Miami beach poolside club but with a local touch. The idea was to create a unique entertainment experience for guests, not simply a bright decor, says Iemma. Built on a long, narrow strip across the road from the beach, the site of a famous old band hall, The Lookout, the 2000 m2 venue has two environments. There is an indoor bar, dining and party space, complete with a meeting room; together with an outdoor party arena – centred on a pool – with a covered space at one end. This indoor-outdoor area overlooks the pool and is backed by a row of tinted operable glazing looking the other way, out to the street and the beach beyond. The windows are angled to mitigate onshore winds, and the space evokes the prow of an ocean liner. As well as roomy bench seating, this sheltered area includes a day bed that doubles as a DJ platform when night
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falls and the club’s main rival – the beach itself – is in darkness. Along with the blue pool and mature palms brought in from the United States, the most eye-catching feature is the row of six colourful poolside cabanas or seating booths. These are an abstracted, playful version of the historic Australian beach huts on Victoria’s Brighton Beach. A dramatic use of colour and light is central to the Matisse Beach Club experience. Not only are the six huts decorated with LED strip lighting, there are also matching bands of colour running down from each cabana across the wood deck and on into the pool. In addition, colour-changing lights glow through the laser-cut, aluminium-panel street facade and adorn the coffered ceilings indoors. The cabana theme is continued indoors, with six similar booths in bright colours, and two bench-size versions for larger groups. The angular lines of the huts are picked up in the geometric furniture, and in the white sculpted heads that double as tables in the bar area and poolside. Adding to the lively aesthetic, a zigzag carpet pattern and a ceramic tile, in a complementary herringbone layout, cover most of the floor. The tile has the casual look of weathered timbers, appropriate to the seaside location. Sculptural ceiling treatments contribute to the playful, beachy vibe too, their fluid lines calling to
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Below:Indoor bathing – these beach hut-style dining booths echo the six cabanas outside.
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Left:An internal bar area can be walled off with bifolding doors to double as a quiet meeting room. Patterned vinyl wallpaper adds to the vibe and is easy to clean. Lower left:Giant skylights flood light into the heart of the interior. Below:Centre of attention – a dramatic ceiling treatment signals the location of the bar. Story by Charles Moxham Photography by Joe Barbitta
mind the waves and shoreline. A dropped waveform slatted ceiling signals the bar service space, and skylights draw in natural light in key areas. Despite its recreational feel, the venue caters to a business clientele as well. There are three main indoor areas, the bar, the dining area and a second bar space that can be enclosed with bifolding doors and used as a private, soundproof function room. This has its own decorative pool, separate from but in direct alignment with the open-air pool, offering another clearly visible indoor-outdoor connection. The Matisse Beach Club’s location had an influence on the choice of materials, too. Besides the durable, non-slip floor tiles, compressed fibre cement weatherboards were specified to combine good looks with durability – a must in the potentially damaging salt-laden air. Tinted, angled windows mitigate glare from the sand and ocean, and motorised sashless windows moderate onshore sea breezes. “Alive with LED lights, blue water reflections, swaying palms and sculptural cabanas, the club captures both the spirit of a Miami resort and Brighton Beach’s own slice of Australian seaside culture,” says Iemma. “At the same time, the entertainment venue has a presence all of its own.”
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Project:Matisse Beach Club, Hillarys, Perth, WA Architect:Frank Iemma AIA, Oldfield Knott Architects interior designer Jenlin Chia, Oldfield Knott Architects Construction company:Buckingham Redevelopment Co Cladding:Engrave Acrylic; fibre cement Stratum Cladding System roof:Suspended cement slab with columns Windows:Viridian Superblue toughened glass, installed with motorised Aneeta sashless servery windows flooring Stepping Out carpet tile in charcoal; Knitwear by EGE Carpet; Viva Statale 9 floor tiles Wallcoverings:Trends tiles in Brilliante and Vitreo; Dent cubes by Inex; Laminam Kauri in entry; Wallpaper vinyl in servery from Spice Digital; optical clear glass with graphics behind waiter station from Spice Digital; polished plaster Paints:Walls and ceilings, Dulux; doors, Wattyl Lighting:LED light boxes Heating:VRF by Toshiba Seating:Indoor and outdoor fabric seating by Austex; seat hubs and outdoor area by Instyle Tables:Laminate from Proform, designed by Atlam Designers Laminates outdoor decking:Modwood Natural Grain in Silver Gum Drapery:Création Baumann by Boyac on outdoor cabanas Ceiling:Barrisol ceiling by Barrisol Les Translucides
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Educational Institutions Modern campus architecture reinforces the concept of an open education facility, integrating effortlessly with the wider community
Not just another brick on the wall The structure of this school breaks the pre-conceived notion of a traditional school layout starting with its unconventional facade
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Home & Design Trends Vol 3 No 2 2015
Preceding pages and these pages
The facade of the New Town School, Kolkata has panels consisting of alphabets, numbers and symbols – all associated with learning. Spread across 1,60,000 sq ft, over 400 panels were built and warpped around the facades of both blocks. Interactive and free flow of spaces was one of significant design application in the school by Abin Chaudhuri of Abin Design Studio. Seen here is the reception (below right) in Block 1, a passageway leading to the top levels of the school.
“This educational institution project came to us when the construction of the two academic blocks was already underway. The blocks were your typical blocks with six floors each, consisting of spaces arranged towards the periphery of the central courtyards,” says Abin Choudhuri of Abin Design Studio. “Our brief was to work within these existing parameters to make a school. So we developed a design programme in terms of circulation, movement, ventilation, classrooms and other concerns.” Located in Greater Kolkata, which is an upcoming township, the New Town School Kolkata is the first school in the franchise started by educational teaching company ‘Savitri Education
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Foundation associated with Akash Institutes. The locality is planned in a radial grid and the site for the school is curved along the longer edges. One approaches the site along the inner curve and the blocks are placed at a slight angle facing each other very slightly. They are separated by a basketball court. The school also has a swimming pool on its grounds. Of a two acre plot, the school occupies approximately 1,60,000 sq ft of floor space. “The first step was to create an identity for the school. Our approach was to create a screen that wraps around the buildings and unifies them visually. We decided to go with graphical representations of symbols, alphabets and numbers
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Facing page Planters and bright colours highlight the different levels of this block, which serves as the primary department of the school. A transparent ventilated cover has been placed on the top, which allows natural sunlight to filter in and also protects the courtyard during the monsoon season. Below The library was designed
as an empty canvas with colour coming in from the hardwood floors and ceiling. This was done to create contrast within the space.
as students and people would be able to recognise and relate to them,” he explains. A small-scale study model was created in-house to understand the same and make a decision on treatment of the panels, the walls and the windows behind the screen. The bespoke stencil screens consisting of 488 panels made of Fibre-Reinforced Plastic (FRP), measuring 3.2 x 3.2 m. A mild steel framework was devised in a grid like manner on the projected slabs to align with the FRP panels. A fixing detail using steel Z-profiles embedded into the FRP panels was developed to fix these 70 kg panels to this M S support structure. The panels were designed with a combination of lowercase and uppercase alphabets in different sizes along with numbers and symbols. These have been placed in various orientations to achieve a randomised effect on the facade. Structural slabs were projected beyond the building surfaces all around in a way such that an exact number of panels would fit on all surfaces on the symmetrical cuboids. This also enabled simpler servicing of the panels from the back and ensured a better light quality for the building. They are wrapped around the school blocks, an area of 27,000 sq ft each,
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creating a visually appealing facade. The internal courtyards of both blocks were given structural slab projections of increasing size as one moved upwards. The corners of these projections were filleted into curves, transforming the rigid square courtyard into a free-form three dimensional sculptural space. The soffits of these projections were painted in various hues and the projections house plants and creepers bring vibrancy to the tot-lot (play area) while in the senior school block it serves as a landscaped extension between the reception and seminar hall. Another aspect that Chaudhuri kept in mind for the interiors was free-flowing spaces. “As a firm, this is the seventh school that we are designing. We have kept certain things in mind whilst designing schools – height ergonomics, corridors, classrooms. Now with classrooms, you need to keep in mind the direction from which the light comes in; in this case, from the left hand side – so we had to change the orientation of the classroom accordingly to that,” he states. Corridors lead to other spaces in the blocks, but Chaudhuri has ensured that they flow seamlessly without many steps in between.
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Facing page top The sports area in the school located in the secondary block is a balance of traditional forms of exercise and modern play tables such as air hockey, foosball etc. Facing page below The basketball court has been created in between the two blocks so when the students are out to play, the shadow from the Block 1 would allow for a pleasant atmosphere for extra-curcicular activites. Below The swimming pool is located adjacent to the first block in the school premises.
“We really felt that we didn’t want to break the momentum of the students as they walk from one area to another. So we designed the levels to merge into one whole space – so if you are coming in from the ground floor, to the court and from the court to the classrooms is almost one single space.” The corridors are designed such that a coloured panel of tiles abutt each other. The colours of these 4”x4” tile panels were chosen in a spectral sequence as one moved around the corridor and align the door frame of the classrooms. The school colours are of neutral shades – whites and greys. The only exceptions are the canteen, where bright primary colours are used to add vibrancy to space and the lower classes. “Young students respond more actively to bright colours and wall papers and patterns and textures. We have incorporated those in the playgroup and nursery and the primary sections,” he explains.
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Landscape also adds to the learning curriculum of the school. Solar panels have been used on the grounds to generate electricity and the flora and fauna planted on school grounds consists of plants and flowers that are found either locally or nationally. Location Kolkata, West Bengal owners Savitri Education Foundation Builder Savitri Education Foundation Architects SBA Spectra Consultants Pvt. Ltd. interior designer Abin Chaudhuri; Abin Design Studio Design team Paromita Chatterjee, Poorvi Dugar Ajmera Landscape design Abin Design Studio Story by Moshita Prajapati Photography by ravi Kanade
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Right on track This tertiary campus straddles a railway line, seamlessly linking a new business school with a transport interchange Modern tertiary education is a far cry from the ivory towers of the past. Not only has the whole concept of an elitist education been turned on its head in recent years, but tertiary facilities are actively merging with the community to remove barriers and encourage participation. The Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) takes this one step further with the opening of the new 20,000m2 Manukau Campus to accommodate the Faculty of Business and IT and the School of Distribution and Logistics. The campus is fully integrated with Auckland Transport’s new Manukau railway station and bus interchange. Architect Blair Johnston of Warren and Mahoney
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says the combination of education and transport facilities is unique within New Zealand. “The focus has centred on producing the best possible learning environment while also bringing commuters and the people of Manukau City into the heart of MIT, exposing its programmes to the widest possible audience,” he says. “The project is aimed at improved educational outcomes in Manukau, which statistically has a tertiary education uptake rate that is only about half that of the rest of the country. By identifying and removing barriers and thresholds, we have made a welcoming, all-embracing facility. Providing the interchange within the building enabled us to go
Below and following pages An exposed white diagrid defines the exterior of the new MIT Manukau Campus and Transport Interchange. The diagrid references traditional weaving patterns, while the triangular forms on the canopy present a similar motif in timber that carries through to the interior. Right:Stairs crisscross the atrium linking all six levels and helping to animate the student facilities.
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beyond mere co-location towards true integration. It is literally bringing education to the people.” On the exterior, the building boldly addresses the street providing a defining landmark that is a key part of the rejuvenation of adjoining Hayward Park. An exposed white diagrid, with a diamond-shaped grid, reinforces a sense of place. “This needed to be a cultural building that would reflect the community and express its place in the world,” says the architect. “So rather than using an orthogonal grid on the facade, we opted for the duality of a design that is reminiscent of traditional weaving patterns. It expresses the idea of both technology and craft. While this is a highly technical building we have imbued the entire campus with a sense of craft and textural richness.” The facade is further defined by layering. Beyond the diagrid are fixed louvres, angled to deflect the sun and reduce heat loads inside. Horizontal louvres feature on the east and north sides of the building, while the west facade has vertical louvres. Another key determining factor in the design was the existing rail trench. “The building needed to straddle the trench, so much of the structure is hung from the roof trusses – in part it was built from the roof down, rather than from the ground up,” says Johnston. “This has given the building a certain lightness that would not
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have been achieved otherwise.” This need to accommodate the trench led to the soaring six-storey atrium, which was not part of the original brief. “By enclosing this area, rather than having separate wings linked by an open courtyard, we created the opportunity for a major civic space at the heart of the building,” says Johnston. “Every floor has a mezzanine that opens into the atrium, enhancing a sense of connection at all levels, both horizontally and vertically. The learning process is highly visible and the entire building is animated – people are much more likely to use the stairs rather than the lifts because they are such a prominent part of the architecture.” At the west end of the atrium, sky bridges form social student hubs on each level. These are as much a part of the learning environment as the classrooms. “Modern pedagogy is much more focused on peer-to-peer learning. This building follows that trajectory. More than half the learning spaces are open and defined only by furniture and moveable screens. There is a lower proportion of traditional learning spaces,” Johnston says. The various levels on the building are defined by different colours, which help with wayfinding. The colours reference the baskets of knowledge from
Below:The triangular pattern reappears on the carpets, with each floor defined by a different colourway. Right:Glazing in the atrium is confined to clerestory windows and the ends of the buildings, rather than overhead. This ensures the interior is not affected by solar heat gain. Much of the atrium is suspended from the roof, due to the need to straddle the rail trench below ground. The building comprises three separate structures designed to move independently in a seismic event.
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traditional Maori mythology. Motifs introduced on the exterior also flow through to the inside. And the design team specified Southland beech timber throughout the interior to add warmth and to bring a residential feel to the building. Dramatic wood panels are a key feature of the atrium ceiling, and the auditorium, with the diamond motif repeated in both areas. Flexible learning environments are created by positioning columns at the perimeter of the building rather than in the centre. Johnston says it is difficult to know what the institute’s needs might be in 20 years, but these floorplates can be adapted easily. The sense of openness also extends to the train station, where the entry, in one corner of the atrium, is angled at 45°. “Again we wanted to remove barriers and make
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the entry as seamless as possible,” says Johnston. Peter Quigg, MIT director of academic operations, says one of MIT’s fundamental operating strategies is to make education accessible. “Having an integrated transport interchange fulfils that need almost to perfection,” he says. “Accessibility has a direct bearing on student numbers, especially in our catchment area, so to have rail and bus services bring people right to the door couldn’t be better.” Quigg says the new building is the first phase of a three-phrase project that will eventually see two further MIT buildings adding another 45,000 m2 to the facility. There are also plans to build Te Papa North Museum on the other side of Hayward Park, which will be an additional drawcard.
Below:Learning spaces include an auditorium, which is lined with beech timber, interactive classrooms and breakout student hubs on each level of the atrium. These feature colourful furniture and pods where students can meet and share ideas. Right:The student hubs occupy the sky bridges that link both sides of the atrium.
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Left and above:The entry to the train station near one corner of the atrium is angled at 45°. As with the MIT facility, there are few barriers to negotiate. Top and above right:Trains pull up right inside the building. Both MIT and Auckland Transport benefit from the greater exposure to the wider community.
Project:Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) Manukau Campus and Transport Interchange, Auckland Architect:Warren and Mahoney, Auckland Structural engineer:Holmes Consulting Group Services engineer:Aurecon New Zealand Acoustic engineer:Marshall Day Acoustics fire engineer:Holmes Fire & Safety Quantity surveyor:WT Partnership Project manager:Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner Main contractor:Hawkins Construction facade design, engineering and installation: King Facade International Lift services:Otis Elevator Company
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Air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems:Aquaheat New Zealand interactive classroom and theatre technology:Automation Associates feature timber panels:Southland beech from Lindsay & Dixon Story by Colleen Hawkes Photography by Jamie Cobel
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Offices Your premises may be designed based on an open plan, but does that mean a job well done? The offices featured here promote a whole new way of working
Sculptural forms Planet 3 Studios design a Mumbai office that is in sync with the company’s vision
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Preceding pages The sculpted wooden wall forms the spine of the office. Along its length are break out spaces intended for the employees. Below The 1,00,000 sq ft headquarters of Clariant sprawl across four levels. The reception is a voluminous space approximately 4000 sq ft in area that is also used as an exhibition space by the company.
When Clariant, a leading specialty chemicals company, moved into its new 1,00,000 sq ft office in Airoli, Navi Mumbai, they needed their new base of operations to reflect the company’s vision for the future. Kalhan Mattoo, one of the principals at Planet 3 Studios, explained the brief the firm received before undertaking the project, “The managing director was looking to make the organisation more open and connected. They wanted a more fluid atmosphere, less separation between activities and functions and wanted to consiously break down boundaries. We had to create an office to further that ambition.” Spread over four floors (eighth-eleventh), the project came with complications right from the onset, as the multiple levels did not share a structural core. Additionally, there were concerns about how the open floor plan might impact the usability of floor space in the office. However, meticulous pre-planning led to the project being one where the design best underscored the client’s vision. The problem of the multiple levels not sharing a single core was addressed by locating the main reception on the ninth floor, which served as a holding area for visitors as well as connecting the two structural cores. The reception is a large, approximately 4000 sq ft large space that has a dramatic backlit PVC ceiling and a sculptural central desk, as well as meeting rooms for visitors. “The thought behind the reception was to also have it serve as a staging area for the client’s brand,” says Mattoo. The large open space, wooden faceted wall and striking ceiling and table showcased in the reception area set the tone for the rest of the office, while also creating an awe-inspiring atmosphere. The spacious reception also doubles up as an exhibition area, with room for the company’s installations. Also, there is a large display screen installed here, which serves as the company’s public interface as well as a bulletin board. Perhaps the most eye-catching design element of the reception is the faceted wooden wall that runs off from the reception and continues through most of the eighth and ninth floors. Made using a dark, smoked veneer, this wall is a unifying element that ties together the separate areas and departments in the office. The sculpted form of the wall
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Facing page This faceted wooden wall is made of a dark smoked veneer and its wave-like form is a design element, which breaks up the monotonous environment so common at large offices. Below These wooden fins continue the design language seen in the wooden wall on the lower floors and also serve as a screen to the MD’s office, providing a layer of privacy while maintaining a sense of approachability.
also sets the tone for the design vocabulary seen elsewhere in the project. The inspiration for this wall came from a need to counter the monotony that is inevitable when designing large office spaces. Explaining how the wall serves as an identifying element, Mattoo adds, “Large offices tend to put the human scale in contrast to the space’s scale, creating a sense of aloofness. The wooden wall became a connecting element; a visual marker that gave employees a sense of visual context and ownership of the space.” The design of the staff’s working area was driven by efficiency. The nature of work carried out at Clariant does not lend itself to exuberance and creating an environment that was as neutral as possible was necessary. However, while grey and white are the dominant colours, the designers also remained sensitive to the local context and used brightly coloured cushions and chair covers to enliven the space. As the wooden wall winds its
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way through the staff areas, a dozen or so breakout spaces were created along its spine. Screened by acoustical panels from the workstations, these breakout spaces also serve as the setting for informal meetings, as they come equipped with monitors and desks. The company’s directors have their cabins on the corporate floor. The managing director’s office sees a continuation of the design language seen in the wooden wall, as the series of wooden fins forming a screen echo the sculptural form of the faceted wall. The wooden fins represent a convenient halfway point between privacy and openness. Moving on from the work areas, we come to the office cafeteria. The design thought for this space was performance driven, as Mattoo set out to address the problem of having a noisy, overstimulating cafeteria. In order to reduce the level of noise, special noise reduction panels were used on the walls. The acoustic performance of this space
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Preceding pages The large cafeteria has acoustic panels with linear groves mounted on the walls and ceilings. The cafeteria was designed to provide a less noisy environment and serves as a location for the company to hold large gatherings. Facing page Grey and white are the prominent colours around the staff’s workstations. The spartan design is livened up by bright splashes of colour for the cushions and chair covers. Meanwhile, the wooden wall and the furniture also add a touch of warmth to the office space. Below right The breakout spaces and informal meeting areas in the office are all enabled with monitors to permit employees to access data and make presentations even in a casual setting.
pleased the clients so that they also use the cafeteria for large meetings as well. Apart from the stretched PVC ceiling in the main reception, most of the materials used are simple and devoid of excess flair. Mattoo and his team used wood, natural stone, marble, and leather and fabric panelling. “The materials we’ve used are often seen in projects going for LEED certification. Not that we have, but we’ve kept those principles in mind,” says Mattoo. Indeed, active measures like installing faucets that use less water, adhering to norms on wattage per sq ft, using LED lighting and using low VOC paint illustrate how the office adopted environmentally friendly methods in its construction. By smoothly incorporating the client’s brief into their design, Planet 3 Studios has created an office that not only brings the client’s company back up to date, but also leaves it prepared for the future.
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Location Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra owners Clariant Chemicals (India) Limited. interior designers Kalhan Mattoo, Santha Mattoo; Planet 3 Studios Architecture P Limited Contractor RP Interior Projects, Kaishar Interiors Doors MTM Workplace Solutions Hardware Dorma, India Tiling Marca Corno by SB Projects Solutions Electrical Royal Electrical Co. flooring United Group, MTM Workplace Solutions, Asia Pacific Ceiling Saint Gobain, Euroceil Veneers Space One Lighting Wipro Workstations Workplace India furniture Multiseats, 90 Degrees HVAC HTL Aircon Story by Dushyant Shekhawat Photography by Mrigank Sharma – india Sutra
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Well connected Collaboration, connectivity and an acknowledgement of its Asian context sum up the interior design strategy for Procter & Gamble’s Singapore Innovation Centre
Business success today relies heavily on encouraging innovation and having the flexibility to implement changes quickly. And a major factor in achieving those outcomes is the workplace environment. When Procter & Gamble decided to build an innovation centre in Singapore, the goal was to come up with a radical design that reflected the company’s innovative spirit. The company says the new building needed to address the challenge of a tropical climate and be sympathetic to Singapore’s cultural heritage, but in a contemporary way. “While this is a highly sophisticated building from a technological point of view, we also wanted to create an inspiring and stimulating work environment to help drive creativity and innovation.” The 32,000m2 facility is Phase 4 in the Biopolis biomedical research hub, masterplanned by architect Zaha Hadid. It is Singapore’s largest private research centre, and is the first P&G centre to be
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built in a tropical and urban environment. One of the results of that is the intelligent facade design which uses clear glazing and louvres to give maximum access to daylight while controlling glare and heat. While P&G’s own architecture team worked with IDC Architects on the building itself, Orbit Design was commissioned to design the interiors and integrate corporate graphics and branding. Orbit design director Simon Drogemuller says this involved providing a host of functions – from research laboratories to training rooms and offices. “These were to house an army of engineers, researchers and scientists who develop beauty, hair and skin products,” he says. But instead of splitting these functions into separate wings, lab and office space was allocated to each floor. The lab areas were internalised in the building core, while the open-plan work areas were placed around the perimeter. “This open and flexible plan contributed to the
Below, right and following pages:The arrival process at the Procter & Gamble Singapore Innovation Centre sets the stage for design principles used throughout the interiors – transparency, connection and reflecting Asian culture. The impressive staircase cantilevers above the reception area and provides the main circulation path through the atrium.
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Top left:Areas adjacent to the atrium and staircase act as breakout spaces and include pantry facilities. Lower left:The abundance of open collaboration spaces throughout the building encourages staff to work together across organisational boundaries. Below:Circular meeting rooms mark the transition between office and breakout areas. Curved sliding doors open up the room or close it down for privacy.
innovative thrust by encouraging creative collaboration among P&G staff,” says Drogemuller. The biggest challenge in creating this open workspace was taking standard workstations and customising them to meet specific requirements. For example, much time was spent designing the partitioning between the labs and workspaces. These needed to provide storage for products and be very durable, yet still allow maximum connection and visibility between the areas. For P&G, the centre presented an opportunity to demonstrate that the company is at the leading edge of modern office workplace strategy. “As well as having open workspaces, the desks are not assigned,” says Drogemuller. “Staff have lockers where they can store personal items, but they don’t have a fixed workstation. When they arrive, they log in, choose a desk and the phone system automatically connects them to that workspace.” This gives workers the flexibility to work in positions most suited to their roles on a daily basis, or to form new teams for collaborative work, without having to make changes to the desking.
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Probably the building’s most impressive feature is its main staircase, located in the heart of the facility and linking all floors. It’s a dominant feature of the entry atrium, and its base overhangs the reception area. “The staircase is clad in a vertical wooden louvre carapace, which references Asian design,” says Drogemuller. “This created a design motif that recurs throughout the innovation centre.” The wooden slats on the staircase add another layer of connectivity and transparency to the design, highlighting the movement of staff as they walk up and down the stairs. The design encourages regular interaction in the multiple group meeting spaces that are arranged around the staircase and atrium. With a 6m floorto-floor height, some of these spaces have been located on mezzanine floors in the atrium. For Simon Drogemuller, the success of the design is in how it encourages new ways to work. “Removing the barriers between offices and labs, and having an abundance of collaboration spaces encourages staff to work together right across organisational boundaries,” he says.
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Project:Procter & Gamble Singapore Innovation Centre Architect:IDC Architects interior design:Orbit Design Studio Main contractor:CH2M Hill Singapore interior fit-out:Kenyon Base build mechanical and electrical:Trans Equatorial Engineering Civil and structural engineer:CH2M Hill Singapore Mechanical and electrical engineer:CH2M Hill Singapore Quantity surveyor:CH2M Hill Singapore facade consultant:HCCH Consulting AV and acoustic consultant:Hewshott International Lab consultant:SVR-Architects NV Landscape consultant:Peridian Asia Landscape contractor:Prince’s Landscape and Construction interior and furniture consultant:Orbit Design Singapore Timber screens:Accoya/Accsys by Titan Wood BV, supplied by MMF Timber Hub flooring:Beige terrazzo supplied by Sintal Enterprise; Shaw Vast carpet supplied by SMJ Furnishings; Mipolan Symbioz lab floor vinyl supplied by NSK Baustoffe High-gloss concrete wall surfaces:Armourcoat Glass panel feature wall cladding:Trend Glass Joinery:Kenyon
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General lighting:Philips T5 supplied by Kenyon Private lounge pendant lighting:Beat Light by Tom Dixon supplied by Kenyon foyer furniture:Coalesse Bob tables and chairs supplied by Steelcase Office Solutions Breakout space furniture:Hay About a Chair supplied by BW Furniture; custom tables supplied by BW Furniture; custom sofa supplied by Glo Design International; Allermuir Pebble stools supplied by MTM Solutions Huddle room furniture:Custom chairs and tables supplied by Kenyon Private lounge furniture:Custom fabric finished benches supplied by Kenyon; Hay About a Chair supplied by BW Furniture; custom tables supplied by BW Furniture Lab and facility room shelving:Custom, supplied by Acromec Engineers Workstations:Unifor supplied by Unifor Singapore Workstation seating:Humanscale Freedom supplied by Schiavello Singapore
Below:The lower level accommodates training facilities, as well as media rooms for press releases and product launches. Orbit Design Studio selected materials and a colour palette to provide a well-balanced interior that won’t date. Right:Natural materials, colours and the use of patterns in wall fabrics reflect Asia in a contemporary and subtle way. Story by Paul Taylor Photography by owen raggett
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Employees first The layout and design of this international brand’s branch office in Bangalore is driven by its employees needs These pages:The MAST Global’s branch in Bangalore is inspired by the ambience of a New York style loft. Spread over 38,000 sq ft, the office designed by DSP Design Associates has several pocket areas within, which are assigned specific purposes. Seen here is collaborative hubs, reception and meeting rooms.
Between design, the wow factor and aesthetic functions, sometimes the employee working in the office space looses out. Not in this office though. MAST Global, an international supply chain organisation hired DSP Design Associates Pvt Ltd to create an office for its Indian branch, where the functional needs and purposes of the employee would be put first via design. Principal architect Yatin Patel, who supervised the project says, “The MAST Global, a supply chain organisation is a subsidiary of L Brand, which is a supply chain organisation with international brands like Victoria’s Secret, Pink, Baths & Body Works, La Senza under its umbrella. The design had to serve a functional purpose, which would benefit the 250 employees working there.”
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Payal Sandhu Khurana, Associate Vice President – Corporate Real Estate (CRE) of DSP Design Associates who executed the design of the office echoes Patel’s thoughts on the project by adding further that the employee is the highest person for whom they were designing the office. She says, “And to aid in this we have given a variety of work settings for every individual employee. So we broke down the design into four work modes – Focus, Collaborate, Learn and Socialise.” Each work mode describes the employee functions. Focus consists of workstations and cabins, Collaborate comprises of collaborative hubs and meeting rooms, Learn marks out spaces such as training and conference rooms and Socialise are
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Facing page The polished cement flooring and the exposed ceiling along with earth colour tones bring in a subtle element. Industrial long hanging ceiling lamps complete the New York loft style ambience. Below Linear workstations are designed to allow for a more flexible work environment. They can also be re-arranged to fit new work settings depending on the needs of the employees.
the cafeteria and breakout rooms. Spread over 38,000 sq ft, the office is located on the fifth floor of a multistorey building. Khurana says, “The space was a bare shell when the project came to us. We had to make a few subtle modifications to the original structure as the design we had in mind for the space was not the space that the developer was providing us with.” The layout of the office follows a rectangular floor plan and is designed along the X and Y-axis of a graph. The design is an array of formal and informal spaces that facilitate these work modes. The collaborative and social areas are set within linear rows of workstations on either side of a large collaborative area.
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This collaborative area forms the main focus of the design and connects to the reception along a very spacious entry corridor flanked by visitor meeting rooms. Multiple smaller collaboration areas allow proximity of socialisation and collaboration settings to all workers. The entire workspace is flexible and scalable using the workstation as a planning module. Linear benching is used to achieve a high headcount with ample collaborative areas and efficient workspace. Workstations can be rearranged to fit new work settings and future expansion, which gives the facility more strategic viability. The workstations are laid out between built volumes and exterior windows to maximise day-
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Below The cafeteria is designed in the central part of the office so as to allow easy access to all the employees.
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light. The cabins and meeting rooms are moved away from the office’s centre to allow access to the workspace from all areas. A centrally located cafeteria with a smaller breakout cafe ensures easy access to all employees. Khurana says, “Recreating the New York style loft design, the ambience of the office is neat, clean and precise in its decor. Exposed and polished cement floor, bare polished columns and exposed true ceilings are juxtaposed against subtle shades of beige and gold and earthy tones of green and brown. Polished slats of oak are added to bring in a sense of warmth to the office’s otherwise stark appeal.”
Location Bangalore, Karnataka owners MAST Global Builder Embassy India interior designers Yatin Patel, Payala Sandhu, Sarla Rao, Angela Menon; DSP Design Associates Pvt Ltd, Geoff Smith, Damian Petrescu; MAST Global interior contractor Exotic Innovations Hardware Dorma Plumbing Exotic Innovations Electrical Shankar Electricals Mechanical KM Aircon Lighting XAL, Regent, Zumtobel Workstations Steelcase furniture Gordon International, Steelcase
Above:The bare exposed columns seamlessly complement with the beige coloured walls and carpet creating a serene environment for the meeting room.
Story by Moshita Prajapati Photography by Mani iyer
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Know Your Architect: Yatin Patel
DSP Design Associates Pvt Ltd is a multidisciplinary firm founded in 1989. The firm specialises in providing master planning, architecture and interior design solutions for corporate real estate, residential and commercial developments, IT & ITES parks, hospitality, stadiums, etc. An integral part of the firm’s design philosophy centers around the fact that ‘one size does not fit all.’ Every building should tell a story – it should convey its purpose of existence. The firm has been associated with many international design firms as well that are listed in WA100 as their strategic and local design partners, providing regional know-how and on-ground support for projects in India. The firm ranked 82nd globally in the World Architecture 100 2015 survey - an annual survey of the world’s largest architectural practices.
Why did you become an architect? For the sheer gratification that comes from the opportunity to design something on paper – out of mere nothingness and then watch it grow and take shape. It is immensely satisfying. Which works of yours are you most proud of? We won iFlex (then Citicorp subsidiary) project in a tough design competition against India’s largest architecture firms. The unique feature in its design is its ‘Cable Stayed Structure’, a technology similar the one used to build bridges till that time. It is the only one of its kind structure in South East Asia. For you, which is the best city in terms of architecture and why? Valencia – the architectural character of that city gives you a lot of food for thought. It is a paradise for people with passion for contemporary architecture.
Holiday Inn, Pune
An architectural or design trend, which you would like to put an end to. The current development control rules in Mumbai. I would really like to change them. They are detrimental to the architectural design possibilities and restrict architects to build boxes. They allow no room for play for architectural embellishments. The design language of Mumbai is governed and defined by this law and it is about time we rethink these rules and restrictions. One iconic architect/designer that inspire you the most and why? Renzo Piano. He has a unique perspective of looking at spaces and architectural design. I spent most of formative years as an architect, developing my design principles, being inspired by his work. Name a structure that you think challenges the boundaries of architecture and design The Opera House (Palacio de las Artes) in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences) Valencia designed by Santiago Calatrava. It has been designed as a series of apparently random volumes, which become unified through their enclosure within two symmetrical, cut-away concrete shells.
Microsoft Office, Gurgaon
What according to you is good design? Good design is functional, logical and simple. It has to be contextual to the purpose and surroundings of the project. Planning is the key aspect in play. If a project is well planned, everything else just falls into place.
XL Group India Office, Gurgaon
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Residential Design The residences on these pages are constantly being redefined by their location, materials and the changing needs of their owners
Back to the land With a profile evoking a humble rural barn, this vacation home complex offers spacious guest accommodation for several families
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We each have our own idea of what makes an ideal vacation home, but most would agree that it needs to fit with the surrounding architecture, and open up to the scenery. There can be some inventive ways to achieve both these goals. Architect John Vinci had already completed several projects on this historic farm property, including a barn, museum and bridge, when the owners asked him to design their vacation home there as well. This had to comfortably accommodate all their adult children and their families at any given time. “There was talk of a transparent structure, along
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the lines of the Farnsworth House by German architect Mies van der Rohe, who was head of the Illinois Institute of Technology when I studied there,” says Vinci. “A glass-walled home would have been ideal for looking out to the waterways and fields on one side of the farm. However, a Modernist appearance would have been at odds with the rustic old barns on the other side of the site.” To balance the need for harmony and views, Vinci took a dual approach to the design. And to address the issue of scale, the new house was built as two
Preceding pages Traditional standing-seam zinc roofs on this vacation home echo the pitch of the concrete slab roofs on nearby barns. The white stucco walls and tower are also in keeping with surrounding buildings. In contrast, the private side of the house opens up to the scenery with a wall of glass. Above The side of the house facing the barns has smaller windows and doors, more reminiscent of traditional farm dwellings.
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Preceding pages The great room follows the shape of the house structure for a voluminous feel. A stainless steel staircase leads to one of two master suites. All furniture pieces in the room were created by contemporary artists. These pages Carpenter Mike Jarvi gave the cabinetry in the master suites in both buildings a crafted, hand-worked feel. Scallops were carved out of selected wood surfaces for a textural finish.
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forms, linked by a glass walkway. While these twin forms are slightly taller and longer than the nearby barns, they have a similar footprint. They also look like classic farm buildings, with steep hip roofs and white stucco siding. On the facades facing the barns, Vinci has designed windows and doors to be in proportion with those in the century-old dairy buildings on the property. However, this is the conservative side of the design. The exteriors that look the other way are essentially Modernist walls of glass, punctuated by two-story inserts. These facades are only
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visible from the fields. Entry to the large living space is by a door halfway down the long side of the volume. The old-world farming environment outside gives way to an airy, modern interior. “You walk directly into the double-height, central living room,” says the architect. “This has a dramatically high ceiling that follows the steep pitch of the roof and is supported by exposed, painted steel beams. Dormer and clerestory windows flood additional light into the enormous space. Beyond this great room are the large kitchen and dining area,
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Above and far right lower The pool and pool house have a decidedly modern aesthetic, but as they are tucked behind hedges, they have little impact on the traditional architecture around them. The plantings will mature over time to bring further privacy to this area. Large glass sliding doors can open up the pool house to the outdoors as desired.
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while at the other end there is an office.” Sets of stairs at both ends of the great room lead up to the two private master suites, which are separated by the great room void. From the outside, these bedrooms appear as box inserts on the open side of the house. “The stainless steel staircases are leading features of the great room and were custom designed for the project,” says Vinci. “The owners had strict ideas about the furniture, too, and were instrumental in most choices. Together with interior designer George Larson and artistic advisor Jo Hormuth, they
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set about sourcing only classic Modernist pieces or items made by living craftspeople. For example, the chairs shaped from wood branches are by the famous British designer John Makepeace. The sculptural arrangement of cushions on the wall is by Jo Hormuth, while furniture-maker Mike Jarvi crafted the hand-hewn chair, reminiscent of a milking stool, out of local wood. The imported rugs are Iranian.” On the same axis as the main house and connected to it by a glass walkway, the bunkhouse has a nearly identical profile. A clear sightline runs
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Architect John Vinci, Vinci Hamp Architects (Chicago, IL); project architect, Paul Kraemer AIA interior designer George Larson, Larson Associates Artistic advisor Jo Hormuth Kitchen designer Bulthaup Builder Harold O Schulz Co Structural engineer Enspect Engineering Lighting designer Randy Burkett Lighting Design Mechanical engineer IBC Engineering Services Landscaping Peter Wirtz roofing Rheinzink, pre-weathered bluegray, standing seam Siding Portland cement stucco Doors and windows Hopes in steel and Fleetwood in aluminum, both from Assured Corporation; Velux skylights flooring Royal Mosa porcelain tile; white oak plank; travertine Wallcoverings Royal Mosa ceramic tile Lighting AJ Eklipta by Louis Poulsen; Lucifer Lighting; DeltaLight; Zaneen; Lightyears Heating Geothermal systems by Water Furnace and Munchkin Boilers; HVAC grilles by Titus and Kees Hardware Nanz, Rajack, Dorma, Sugatsune, Baldwin Glass PPG Solarbarn Starphire Ultra-Clear insulation glass; Starphire low-iron glass on interiors Stairs Custom, Antares Iron Workshop furniture Mike Jarvi; wood chairs by John Makepeace Bathroom vanity White oak Vanity countertop Petit Granit marble Basin Alape faucets Dornbracht, polished chrome Bathroom flooring Royal Mosa Roman travertine, cross cut Bathroom lighting Reflections recessed fluorescent from Dreamscape Lighting; Tableau surface luminaire by Alkco Pool Boilini Company External louvers on poolhouse Nysan Aluminum outdoor railings Custom, stainless steel, by Dynacoil
directly through both volumes, adding to the sense of connection. Shorter and lower than the main house, the bunkhouse also has windows of a similar scale as those in the old farm buildings, while opening up to the fields and waterways on the other side. A four-story observation tower at one end of the structure offers a birds-eye view of the surrounding farm. This element connects visually with silos on the adjacent barns and provides a focal point for the run of buildings. The bunkhouse has two bunkrooms, a family
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room downstairs and two bedroom suites upstairs. Separating the bedrooms out over two houses naturally makes entertaining large numbers a great deal easier, says Vinci. Beyond the bunkhouse, a swimming pool and pool house run perpendicular to the two main buildings, and are discreetly screened from view by maturing hedges. “The pool house is a deep, shady retreat that has a distinctly modern air – from its shallow hip roof to its large glass sliding doors,” the architect says.
Top The bunkhouse tower is in keeping with similar, older versions on two nearby barn structures. However, the clean-lined wraparound windows, together with another in the kitchen of the main home, are playful modern concessions. Story by Charles Moxham Exterior photography by William Zbaren, interior images by Eric Hausman
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Commanding perspective A man’s home is his castle. It’s a saying that resonates with this new house, which explores myriad ways to balance solid concrete forms with lighter, more ephemeral elements
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Initially contracted to design a remodel, the designer of this new house says the project escalated until it became clear the only option was to simply start over. Fu-Tung Cheng of Cheng Design says the owners of the existing house on site required a larger home that simply could not fit into the same footprint. Building anew was a better way to achieve what they wanted, and it did not need to cost much more than a total renovation. “Their home sat in a neighborhood of
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Before
Above left and left Before and after images tell the story of this transformation by designer Fu-Tung Cheng of Cheng Design. The original, traditionally styled house on the site was removed to make way for a new home with a much more modern aesthetic. The main house features solid concrete walls, poured in situ. The garage wing is stucco, and the cube-like volume near the entry is made from reclaimed wood from vinegar barrels. Above A lightweight translucent canopy balances the more austere, solid form of the concrete walls. Bamboo guttering is used for water run-off.
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houses in a similar traditional style – there were plenty of quaint gabled rooflines,” Cheng says. “But what they wanted – and what was ultimately proposed – was a complete departure. The owners had seen my work with concrete on smaller jobs and loved the modern aesthetic, and we could see there was a potential to do something similar on a much larger scale.” Cheng says that in experimenting with concrete walls, he wanted to move away from the “ordinary”. In doing so, he took a very
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hands-on approach to the house construction. “We chose to pour the concrete in stages, so it could be manipulated every step of the way. The formwork of each stage was just 4 ft high, and was wrapped in shiny Formica, which imparted a great sheen to the concrete. Concrete can appear as a very cold, forbidding surface, but these walls have a blue-black tint and are hyper smooth and inviting to touch. “Once the concrete was poured into each section, I introduced streaks of amber-
coloured concrete that could be pushed down into the walls. For added visual interest at the front of the house, the upper concrete walls were striated to resemble geological strata bands.” Cheng says the resulting walls, which are 14 in thick, with 3 in of foam insulation, convey a strong sense of substance and permanence. And because they make up the entire wall, there is no need for wallcoverings or veneers. “We introduced porthole windows to the walls in irregular positions, and added an
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elliptical-shaped window to the upper level. These apertures highlight the thickness of the concrete and you get a strong sense of the real mass of the house – it is almost castle like. And it has a solidity that simply cannot be replicated in a house built from wood.” In contrast, a lightweight, translucent canopy defines the entry, which is through a large zinc and brass pivot door. The concrete side wall extends right into the house, forging a connection between inside and out, and helping to screen the living area
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from view. An outdoor-indoor fishpond beside the entry, flows beneath the wall to the inside of the house. To relieve the austerity of the concrete walls and flooring, another wall beside the entry is covered in Japanese plaster in a rusty brick tone, with a glowing, illuminated yellow shelving niche. “It was important to keep the interior warm and inviting, and this applied to texture as well as colour,” says Cheng. “We were constantly looking for materials that would have a tactile
Facing page, top and lower A zinc and brass pivot door makes a bold statement at the entry. The water plants in the foreground are emerging from a long fishpond that flows under the wall and into the living room on the other side. To introduce a splash of colour, the wall opposite the door has a Japanese plaster finish in a rusty brick shade, with a bright yellow shelving niche. Above Solar tubes positioned at irregular intervals in the ceiling bring natural light into the center of the family living area. A large Japanese lantern-style fixture further enlivens the space.
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finish, to contrast the very smooth concrete.” Two suspended ceilings in the main living area feature Japanese plaster mixed with a fine wood fibre. This imparts a textural quality that helps to warm the space, visually. Similarly, a large red paper lantern with twig-like framing, is a bold contrast to the grey concrete. To bring natural light into the heart of the open-plan living space, Cheng introduced irregularly spaced solar tubes to the ceiling. These mimic the form of the port holes on the
Facing page Alno cabinetry was specified for the kitchen, along with concrete and stainless steel countertops, and a Cheng Design Zephyr hood featuring Venetian plaster. The backsplash is an Italian porcelain tile with the look of rusted steel. Top The master suite reflects a Japanese influence. The artwork at left is by Dave Ward of Sticks ’n Stones. Above This stainless steel soaking tub drops down lower than the level of the floor. It is paired with a concrete sink with mosaic-tiled trough.
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Above Cheng introduced a concrete Nemo kitchen island from his own collection. This conical piece incorporates a perforated stainless steel door that conceals garbage bins. The adjoining lightweight table, with its wood top and sculptural steel legs, provides another contrast to the solid form of the concrete. Facing page An extra-wide opening at the side of the main living room opens to a private terrace. Clerestory windows above the opening help to create the illusion that the heavy concrete is supported by the lightweight glass.
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exterior walls and serve a similar purpose. In the main living room, the focus of attention is the inset fireplace within the massive concrete end wall. Here, the concrete poured for the cantilevered hearth is a soft olive green shade. Concrete also appears in the kitchen, where it forms a conical island with a 5in-thick countertop, sculpted to create an organic form, and to provide estuary drainage from a cutting board. The solid, anchoring bulk of the island is balanced by the lightweight form of
an adjoining wood table top, which has fine steel legs. Another concrete countertop runs along one wall, while the rest of the work surfaces are stainless steel. The kitchen features another of Cheng’s designs – the rangehood with Zephyr ventilation is from the designer’s own collection. All these elements are complemented by a bank of European Alno cabinetry in a light wood veneer. Other highlights of the living space include
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Above At the rear the house opens up to a landscaped swimming pool area. The existing pool was refurbished, with the deck forming the coping. A round spa pool was also added. The existing mature trees lend an established look to the house. Rooms on the second level include a study and guest suite. Right The original house also opened to the pool. The multigabled form of the roof was similar to those of other homes in the neighborhood.
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Before
extra-wide openings to two terraces, which enhance the connection with the outdoors. One opening is straddled by a massive steel I-beam, with clerestory glazing above. This creates the illusion that the heavy concrete wall is suspended on top of the fine glass, which suggests a contradiction in terms. “On the outside of the house, we did keep a reference to the original property,” says Cheng. “The swimming pool is essentially the same organic shape, but we added a spa pool, and re-landscaped the entire area.”
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Designer Principal Fu-Tung Cheng; architects J Chan and Ann Kim; designer Frank Lee, Cheng Design (Berkeley, CA) Landscape designer Ron Emerson Garden Design Structural engineer Calin Smith Engineering & Development Co Builder Chuck Hunt, foreman, Carlson Construction, Inc Concrete subcontractor Richard Sullivan, Artemio Zavala, FWS Construction Concrete polishing Gary Gan, Ganco San Francisco Geocrete Cheng Design, Inc Plaster artisan Thom Bruce Metalwork, including canopy Alan Sklansky front entry door Hans Rau Cabinet company Alno Cabinets Oak veneer in Moccapine
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Countertops Stainless steel; maple bar top; Geocrete cast concrete Nemo island by Cheng Design in Celadon Backsplash Italian porcelain tile in Argento Hood Zephyr Cheng Collection Padova with Venetian plaster in aubergine Cooktop Gaggenau range Wolf Dishwasher Miele flooring Plyboo Dining room light fixture and bedroom art installation David Ward, Sticks ’n Stones Decorative sconces Studio Technico recessed lighting Elco Exterior lighting Shaper Lighting sconces;
Lightology LED uplights Bathroom sink Ikea Hollviken Bathroom faucets Vola Tub Custom stainless steel by Cheng Design Story by Colleen Hawkes Photography by Matthew Millman
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New identity Every picture tells a story in this remodeled Washington, DC townhouse. The owners, one a photographer, moved from Guatemala
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A house is not a home until you stamp your own personality on the interior, at which point it truly comes alive. This remodeled townhouse is living proof of the transformation that’s possible, says architect Andreas Charalambous, who was responsible for the interior design. “The original interior was very dated, and visually cluttered, with a lot of different materials used in the various rooms,” he says. “The new owners, who were moving to Washington, DC from Guatemala, wanted to modernize the entire space. They wanted to incorporate some interesting furniture pieces
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they were bringing with them, and because one of the owners, Manuel Morquecho, is a photographer, they also needed an appropriate backdrop for his photography collection.” The changes begin at the entry, which leads directly into the dining area. To enhance the sense of arrival, Charalambous created a dramatic dropped ceiling with LED cove lighting and a sculptural pendant by Artemide. “The lowered ceiling helps to contain the space, visually, and makes it more intimate,” the architect says. “It also creates a contrast to the more
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spacious living area, which is three steps lower and therefore has a higher ceiling.” A large photograph by Morquecho, a walnut buffet in the modern style, and a crisscross wood base to the table are other key features of the dining area. The table has a glass top that enhances the light, spacious look, and highlights the sculptural quality of the base. To reinforce the visual drama, Charalambous widened the narrow steps leading down to the living room so that they run the entire width of the room. New wide-plank flooring is ebonized to provide a
Facing page This brick townhouse in Washington, DC has been extensively renovated by architect Andreas Charalambous. Above The dining room is the first point of entry to the living space. To create a sense of drama, Charalambous designed a dropped ceiling with an LED cove and a sculptural pendant light by Artemide. New wide steps lead down to the spacious living area, which has a mix of new and collected furniture pieces.
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Preceding pages Orange accents add visual warmth to the living area. With new, taller glass doors, the room now benefits from more natural light. Above and right The dining area is furnished with a square glass-top table, and a mix of chairs and bench seating. The bench seat can be moved down to the living room for extra seating if required. The large photograph is by one of the owners, photographer Manuel Morquecho.
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strong contrast to the walls. The fireplace in the living room was also transformed by the addition of stacked stone, with recessed niches for the fire and television. “We concealed the audiovisual equipment in two low wood cabinets either side of the fireplace,” says the architect. “These provide a perfect base for two of the owners’ traditional Guatemalan statues. “To create a restful look, the furnishings are neutral, but we introduced orange accents – this is a colour the owners like. We added a sculptural Shell chair, traditional Guatemalan stools, and a custom
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Above: Wolesectem quat. Duip erci bla faccumm odolore feu faccum dolore tet, consequatum qui bla feugait endrerosto con euipit lam dipis dolor siEx exeriure tin henisit acillandre elenim vel ulla feu feugiam quat. Above: Conulluptat venit am, commodolorem del ut wissis nim ipit ut dip et am do dolesse niscilis nonse essim dolorpe rostrud ex el dolor il utatueros nim velit ulla facil dit utatum iure faci
Above Hidden pocket doors at each end of the wall behind the bed open to a walk-in closet. The suspended ceiling is echoed by the floating design of the nightstands. Top right The upper landing was widened to accommodate a new shelving unit. Above right Red on white makes a bold statement in the remodeled master suite. The existing wood floors on this level were retained, but were stained to match the ebonised flooring on the main level.
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Cha-Cha coffee table that appears to float above the orange wool and silk rug – the table features concealed wheels.” To ensure the interior would be flooded with natural light, Charalambous raised the height of the glazed doors in the living room. Other changes to the main floor include new cabinetry in the kitchen, which is open to the dining area and the entry hall. The open layout ensures the natural light penetrates the interior from both ends of the townhouse. A dividing wall between the kitchen and hallway incorporates a large niche and floating shelf where
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artworks can be displayed. On the upper floor, the stair landing was widened to allow space for floor-to-ceiling shelving, where various art books, small artefacts and travel mementos are displayed under LED lighting. A new skylight floods the landing and stairwell with light. Crisp white walls and bed linen create a restful retreat for the master suite. The bedroom also features a dropped ceiling highlighted by LED lighting, and a bright red Womb chair and matching footstool. The tranquility extends to the master bathroom, which incorporates a shower.
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renovation architect and interior designer Andreas Charalambous AIA, and Juan Gutierrez, Forma Design, Inc (Washington, DC) Builder: MCA Remodeling, Inc Cabinet company Metropolitan Woodworking, Inc Paints Benjamin Moore Classic Colors Dining room pendant Artemide Wallcovering in dining room Wolf-Gordon Dining room table Falo by Riva Dining chairs Frame from Apartment Zero Buffet Sussex tall credenza from DWR fireplace surround Rustic stone from Architectural Ceramics Living room furniture Cielo from KMP Furniture; Cha-Cha coffee table by Forma Design; Shell chair; Saarinen side table; Line media console from DWR; Rubik service coffee table from DWR Living room rug Cha-Cha area rug in wool and silk by Forma Design Master bedroom rug West Elm Chair in master bedroom Saarinen Womb chair Story by Colleen Hawkes Photography by Geoffrey Hodgdon
Far left The wall between the kitchen and hallway was designed to accommodate artworks. Left The master bathroom incorporates a shower with natural pebble walls.
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Beside the sea Every detail in this remodeled 1940s cottage is designed to reference the architectural vernacular of traditional coastal homes
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While a seaside cottage that serves as a vacation home may be charming – if a little rough and ready – there comes a time when more comfort is called for. Architect Robert Hidey says this was precisely the case with his own family’s vacation home, which dated back to 1946. “With its solid redwood construction, the house had served us well over the years, and we still appreciated the small-scale cottage detailing. But many of the rooms were substandard, including the bedrooms,
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bathrooms and kitchen, which was in a separate room. And the flow was not ideal – the rear bedroom was reached through a second bedroom-office space.” Hidey says the position of the front door, at the side of the house, was also awkward – guests were squeezed into an unappealing 3ft-wide alley space. The architect consequently moved the entry to the front right side of the house, where he created a transitional lobby space. The entry now lines up with the stairs leading up from
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Before
Above left and left This beachside bungalow has undergone a major transformation that has greatly improved its curb appeal, as well as its functionality. The original entry (left) was out of sight around the side of the house. This has been moved to the front, with the front door now perfectly aligned with the stairs leading up from the street. The renovation was designed by architect-owner Robert Hidey. Above The front door now opens to a small transition zone, or lobby, lined with wainscoting and decorated with an antique railway clock and antiqued lighting sconces.
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Above and right Before-and-after images highlight the huge change to the kitchen area. Originally a separate room on the other side of the entry, the kitchen is now an integral part of the great room. The painted brick fireplace, on the left of the before image, was removed to open up the space. Facing page, top and following pages The interior furnishings and art were specified by interior designer Cee Atcheson of Objekt Design. Facing page lower 1 foyer, 2 great room, 3 kitchen, 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom, 6 laundry, 7 office, 8 master suite, 9 garage, 10 carport.
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Before
the street, and creates a much stronger sense of arrival. “Fortunately, the structure of the house had not deteriorated, nor had the exposed beams and tongue-and-groove ceilings on the interior,” says Hidey. “There was a character and a quality to the framework and form that I could work with.” On the exterior, siding was replaced as required, with new horizontal clapboard at the front, and vertical batt and board at the rear. “There had been several additions to
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the house over the years and there was a subsequent mishmash of window styles with many inconsistences,” the architect says. “I felt it was better to start over, with new doors and windows, and white-painted shutters that enhance the coastal aesthetic. It’s a very clean, fresh look that complements the cottage style of the houses in the neighborhood.” On the interior, Hidey removed a central fireplace to open up the great room. The existing bay window – the only original
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window that remains – was remodeled and is now a key feature of the room. The kitchen area was also absorbed into the great room to provide a social center for the family. “The island may be of a small scale to suit the proportions of the house, but it is very effective at creating a buffer between the living area and kitchen,” Hidey says. Shaker-style cabinets teamed with gray quartz countertops and traditional hardware complement the authentic cottage feel. And
new radius-curved openings to the hallway provide another nod to the traditional vernacular. “The ceiling in the hall is much lower than in the great room, and this difference is disguised behind radiused openings,” says the architect. “The curves also add character and introduce a little nautical attitude.” The architect extended the hallway to link up with the end bedroom, which is now the master suite. The office is open to this passage, with double French doors leading
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Above, facing page top and lower A new passage addition links the original hallway to the master suite at the end of the house. French doors in this passage and in the master bedroom open out to a tranquil outdoor living area. A wide opening in the office effectively borrows space from the passage at the side.
Before
Right and far right The leafy alfresco dining area was formerly a side yard that the owners passed through on their way to the garage at the rear.
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directly out to an outdoor living area. Similar doors open from the master suite, which was enlarged with a new bathroom addition. Interior designer Cee Atcheson of Objekt Designs was commissioned to furnish the interior for a tenant. “Everything had to be of a scale that would work with the proportions of the rooms,” she says. “I chose a lot of soft white and off-white linens, so there would be no distraction from the architecture – it is all very light and airy. I introduced bright colour accents through
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Architect Robert Hidey, Robert Hidey Architects (Irvine, CA) interior designer Cee Atcheson, Objekt Designs Builder Robert Hidey Architects Cabinet company Hartmark Cabinets Structural engineering Amid Engineering Group Siding James Hardie Doors and windows Sierra Pacific furniture Custom slip-covered sectional sofa and bed in white linen flooring Provenza white oak in Tumbleweed Kitchen cabinets Painted Shaker style Countertops Quartz Backsplash Daltile Brick Cooktop, oven and ventilation Viking
refrigeration Sub-Zero Dishwasher Bosch Kitchen sink Kohler faucet KWC Paving Flagstone outdoor furniture Crate and Barrel Story by Colleen Hawkes Photography by Toby Ponnay Photography
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Properties on the block
TRENDS selects premium properties making the rounds today Luminare
Price: ` 4.1 crore onwards Developer: Mahindra Lifespaces Location: Gurgaon Status of the project: Launched project – under excavation Area of project: Seven acres (approx) Residential type: Penthouses, three and four BHK apartments Residential area: 2985-4887 sq ft Architect: Morphogenesis, New Delhi Construction: Tata Projects, Secunderabad Special features: Private lift lobbies, wrap around balconies, gymnasium, spa, swimming pool with a separate kid’s pool, squash and tennis courts and a restaurant along with banquet facilities
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Nahar’s Amrit Shakti
Price: ` 2-12 crore Developer: Nahar Group Location: Mumbai Status of the project: At the enlargement stage Area of project: 125 acres Residential Type: Two and Three BHK apartments and four BHK villaments Residential area: 996-4700 sq ft Architect: Hafeez Contractor, Mumbai Special features: A club house equipped with a gym, yoga and meditation centre, spa, swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, indoor games area, multi-cuisine restaurant and banquet hall along with commercial and social infrastructure facilities, such as Nahar business centre, Nahar international school, Nahar medical centre, shopping plaza, mall and multiplexes
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Showcase
The latest in decor and kitchen accessories
Luxury crockery from Versace InV Home is a lifestyle products retailer that brings some of the world’s finest luxury brands and products to India. One such product is the latest Versace collection of crockery, available at InV Home outlets in Delhi and Chandigarh. Featuring dinnerware and tea sets, this collection boasts of a simple, unostentatious style that still manages to speak volumes as a status symbol. Additional table accessories and ornaments tie together the decor, thereby complementing the rest of the crockery collection. For more information, call +91-11-26801811/12/13
Bathroom elegance with Vitra Vitra, one of the leading bathroom solutions brand from Turkey, unveiled a new line in India. Titled Metropole, elegance is the defining characteristic of the series, which is a range of washbasins and toilets both in pure white colour options. The washbasins are available in mineral cast and ceramic finishes. The toilets are extremely hygienic, coming equipped with a detergent dispenser on top of the WC pan. For more information, visit in.vitra.com.tr
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India Circus comes to your table This summer, India Circus announced a new range of tableware that incorporates diverse influences and motifs from across India in their designs. Created by Krsna Mehta, the range includes tumblers, glass mugs, crystal mugs and an array of premium crockery. In vibrant colours like emerald green and royal blue, these elegant patterns are an easy way to bring some cheer into your dining room. For more information, call +91-22-30770256
My Tailor Home brings French upholstery to Mumbai The My Tailor Home studio located in Mumbai marks the arrival of a proponent of French design sensibilities. In this spirit, the studio has launched Ateliers Philippe Courdray, the couture upholsterers and interior dressers. With collaborations with well-established brands such as Hermes and Christian Lacroix under their belt, Ateliers Philippe Courdray now bring their approach to bespoke window dressing to India. For more information, call +91-2240043458 or email
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Visionnaire releases luxury furniture line In order to mark its 10th anniversary, the Italian luxury brand Visionnaire announced a collaboration with noted architect, interior designer and product designer, Steve Leung, at this year’s Salone Internazionale del Mobile. Titled Nature’s Jewel Box, this collection features luxurious armchairs, chaise lounges, dining tables, sofas, beds and bedside tables. For more information, call +91-11-26018740
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Sink into Italian sofas from Natuzzi The luxury Italian furniture brand Natuzzi announced a new line of high end leather sofas, now available in India through the lifestyle retailer ICasa. These sofas show a distinct Italian flavour in their designs and are available in a multitude of configurations and colour schemes. The Natuzzi Edition sofa range starts at Rs. 2,50,000. For more information, call + 91-98193 92242 or email
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A new range of vitrified tiles from H&R Johnson H&R Johnson (India) looks to define the next generation of tiles with its new range of glazed vitrified tiles, Johnson Porselano. The tiles in this range are segregated under six major themes - modern, contemporary, minimalistic, Victorian, retro and art deco. Available in three sizes, the tiles also possess joint-free and stain-free properties, while the various themes have a unique appearance and texture. For more information, call +91-22-30647484 or email customercare@ hrjohnsonindia.com
Veneta Cucine introduces Italian kitchens The Italian brand Veneta Cucine provides new kitchen solutions and with Liquida, they deliver a product that combines design with functionality. The Liquida kitchen comes with a built-in refrigerator and cooker hood, and it is made out of high-performance materials that are wholly recyclable. The Liquida series has variations like the Flipper, Condense, Light and Frame versions, but all variants share the same sleek and compact design aesthetic. For more information, visit www.venetacucine.com
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TFOD - the future of design A platform that showcases the latest in Indian architecture and interior design An online portal that serves as a global congregation spot for the design community, The Future of Design (www.tfod.in) is a resource guide and professional directory for all Indian architects and interior designers. After registering for free, users of TFOD.in can create a profile and list their areas of expertise, thereby making it easier for a consumer to reach them. This also enables meritocracy to take its course, and all the professionals can expect to be judged on the basis of their merit. While the site serves design
professionals such as architects looking to connect with contractors, TFOD.in also caters to the endusers by offering listings for all design needs. Concieved by Roopa Sabnis Pinge, TFOD.in has steadily grown into a lively community filled with every kind of design enthusiast, from designers to artists, landscaping contractors to plumbers, and even carpenters and civil work contractors. The website provides a hospitable virtual environment for these professionals to interact,
network and further their businesses. As it grows into the single largest professional networking platform for the community, there is palpable excitement over how TFOD.in will impact the design industry. The website also has a special space where industryrelated jobs are listed. This instantly allows newcomers and freshers to connect with the stalwarts of the industry. For more information, call +91-99303 50555 or email
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- Compiled by Dushyant Shekhawat
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