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88 Subterranean School

Professional School Hanna

Arendt,Italy

Cleaa Claudio Lucchin & architetti

associate, Bolzano, Italy

INTERACTION96 Search for Substance

A conversation between

William J R Curtis

and Rajnish Wattas

RESEARCH110 Intelligent Building Envelope

EXPLORING DESIGN118 Innovative Product Design

VOL X XX I NO 10 OCTBER 2014

13 ABOUT THE ISSUE

14 REFLECTIONS

16 UPDATES

AIRPORTS24 An Organic Form

Shenzhen Bao’ Airport, China

Studio Fuksas

34 Umbrella Structure

King David the Builder International Airport,

Kutaisi, Georgia

Ben van Berkel/UNStudio

46 Incorporating Regional Identity

Terminal 2, Mumbai

Skidmore, Owings & Merill LLP

JURY OUTCOME56 Architecture+Design & Cera Awards 2014

VIEWPOINTS62 Sustainability and Memory

By Niranjan Garde

INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN66 A Metaphor of Function

By Pramod Beri

70 Inter-connected Spaces

Polymer Science & Engineering Lab, Pune

Beri Architects and Engineers Pvt Ltd,

Kolhapur

80 Three-Winged Swastik

Emergency Management and ResearchInstitute (EMRI), Ahmedabad

Studio Eethetics, Ahmedabad

88

24

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFSUNEET PAUL

ARCHITECTURAL ASSISTANTASHNA PURI

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in partwithout theconsent of ExposureMediaMarketingPvt. Ltd.is prohibited.Requests forpermissionshouldbe directedto ExposureMediaMarketingPvt. Ltd.Publishedby Xavier Collacofrom Exposure Media Marketing Pvt. Ltd.,323 UdyogVihar, Phase IV, Gurgaon – 122016, Haryana, India. Printed at Galaxy Offset (India) P.Ltd. B-83, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II New Delhi-110028. Editor: Suneet Paul. Architecture+Design does not take responsibility

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

Urban Scape – Sky Lobby, The Palm Atlantis, Dubai

Image

Monthof

the

A I R P O R T P L A N N I N G

I N S T I T U T I O N A L A R C H I T E C T U R E

A I R P O R T P L A N N I N G


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

VOLUME 30 ISSUE 10

OCTOBER 2014 ` 175

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

courtesy the architects/authors.

Chhatrapati Shivaji

International Airport - Terminal

2, Mumbai (Architects:

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

LLP)

Photo credit: Harsh Varshneya

Any architectural project we do takes at least four or five years, so increasingly there is a discrepancybetween the acceleration of culture and the continuing slowness of architecture

—Rem Koolhaas

Just as there was a phase when hospitals all over went through a change in design

concepts, similarly in the recent times one witnesses a radical transformation in

the approach to planning of airports. With the increase in air traffic, security

issues, technology advancements and the initiative to revitalise the core functionality,

these structures have developed a vocabulary of their own. Modern materials and

advanced structural configurations have no doubt given flexibility to the planners for

visualising larger space volumes and grid spans. Along with increased efficiency,

there is also the attempt of making the whole experience of being at the airport

more satiating – both visually and physically. The interior treatments often tend to be

on the border of being lavish.

In this Issue we publish a few contemporary airports build in India and abroad and

which encapsulate an urban planning scale. The Shenzhen International airport in

China is an example – it is the largest single building complex to be built till date in

Shenzhen. Elements of architecture – whether it is lighting, texture, play of shadow

and such others – they all are artistically oriented. The King David airport in Georgiaboasts of a pleasant setting amidst the landscape of the hilly terrain. Elegant, smart,

sleek – are but some adjectives used to explain it. Whereas the new Terminal 2 of the

Shivaji International airport in Mumbai brings flavours of traditional and regional

architecture with a contemporary feel. The terminal’s roof is said to be one of the

largest in the world without an expansion joint. The entire airport building whether it

is the external façade or then the interiors – resonates with the vitality of informal

structured design.

Institutional architecture is another significant component of the contents of this

Issue. Bigger complexes, addressing sustainability concerns, more elaborate in design,

probing material dynamics – that’s the pulse felt here. The institutions published areclear headed design statements bringing forth the aesthetics of simplicity and the

positive relatedness that evolves with nature in exposing the rawness of materials.

Do not miss-out the product design section that explores meaningful innovative

design. And yes, the much awaited jury outcome for the ‘Architecture+Design &

CERA Awards 2014’ also finds itself cushioned in the pages that follow--.



Oc tober 2014 ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN14

Reflections

MobiVersum

MobiVersum was designed by Berlin-based architect Juergen Mayer H of J MAYER H Architects as an exhibition

and experience area for young visitors at Autostadt, Wolfsburg, Germany. It is integrated as part of the overall context

of Autostadt ‘People, Cars, and What Moves Them’. The installation provides an active introduction to the subject of

sustainability in all its facets for children of all ages. The shape of the imaginative, playful structures of solid wood is

reminiscent of roots and tree trunks. The sculptures, which can be used and entered, structure diversified spatial zones

with different thematic emphases and inspire the children’s curiosity to discover and explore.

Project architect: Christoph Emenlauer; Project team: Gal Gaon, Simon Kassner, Jesko Malkolm Johnsson-Zahn, Marta Ramírez Iglesias, Alexandra Virlan;

Architect on site: Jablonka Sieber Architekten, Berlin

Photo Credit: Uwe Walter / Autostadt



Octobe r 2014 ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN16

Updates

A rchitectural firm Jestico + Whiles

recently completed the new Alston

Bar & Beef restaurant for food and drink

group Glendola Leisure. The restaurant is

the first to open up under Glasgow’s

busiest railway station and boasts a

dramatic wall mural visible to passers-by.

The firm (responsible for the interior

design and the overall visual identity)commissioned and worked closely with

Timorous Beasties on the wall mural to

add unconventional touches of Scotland to

the stairway art work.

This 80-seat restaurant occupies a set

of forgotten arches in the catacombs

below Glasgow’s Central Station and is

named after Alston St, the main

thoroughfare of Glasgow’s mysterious,

forgotten Grahamston Village that stood

at the crossroads of the main north-south

and east-west axes of Glasgow, and which

was built over in the late 1800s to create

the station.

The design of the restaurant integrates

the rich historic layers of the city while

adding contemporary elements, creating a

brand new state-of-the-art venue that is

innovative and highly atmospheric. The

design draws on the rugged history of thestation, along with the wider context of

Scotland to create a retreat that is full of

oblique references. The materials and

finishes have been chosen to bring

together the restaurant’s distinctive blend

of local cuisine and specialist gin selection.

Fast Track Architecture

Goettsch Partners (GP), an architectural

firm, has been hired by Hong Kong-

based developer China Resources Land

Limited to design a project located in

Neighbourhood 2 of Shenzhen’s Qianhai

district. The project covers 6.18 hectares

and includes five commercial towers

total ing 450,000sq m—the firm’s largest

project till date in China. The overall

development totals 503,000sq m and

includes three office towers, a five-starhotel tower, an apartment tower, a

shopping mall and retail stores. GP is

designing all of the towers as well as the

hotel and apartment podiums and their

affiliated program spaces. GP in collabora

tion with UK-based design firm Benoy,

is designing the shopping mall and

retail areas.

The overall design concept is one of a

unified complex composed of buildings

with related yet individual exterior

characteristics and facades. A metallic-

painted aluminum frame with consistent

spacing between verticals prioritises

internal planning flexibility for the office

towers. The spacing between horizontal

frame elements varies from a two-storey toa four-storey rhythm in order to respond

more individually to each office building’s

height and proportions. The frame’s

vertical component is accentuated by

means of double fins; this character is

countered by an expression of double

horizontal fins on the hotel and apartment

towers that create a related yet different

appearance while affording flexibility for

views and natural ventilation.

For more information, visit:

www.gpchicago.com

The Regent hotel Porto

Montenegro designed

by ReardonSmith

Architects andReardonSmith Landscape

has been launched in Porto

Montenegro. Inspired by

the houses that grace the

region’s Adriatic coastline, the building’s architecture also

responds to the classical manner of the grand palazzos of the

Italian lakes. While the hotel’s scale and style is imposing

amongst its smaller neighbours, the relationship with them is

also clear. All the buildings are clad in Montenegrin stone and

render and are topped with terracotta roof tiles; the arched

colonnade that wraps around the hotel is typical in the region

and provides shaded areas

in the summer months as

well as protection during

the rainy season.Patrick Reardon,

executive chairman of

ReardonSmith Architects,

said, “We are delighted to

see the opening of Regent Porto Montenegro, the newest

achievement in our seven years-to-date programme to

transform what was once a decommissioned naval base into

what it is today – not only a spectacular yachting enclave but

also a thriving, working town. It has been particularly rewarding

since this is our first completed project involving both the

architecture and landscape teams at ReardonSmith.”




Updates

Competition

Z aha Hadid has been chosen to design a

new mathematics gallery at the

Science Museum, London. The £5 million

David and Claudia Harding Mathematics

Gallery will become a permanent addition

to the museum, as part of its planned £60

million redevelopment.

The gallery will present the tools and

ideas of the mathematicians who havehelped to shape the world from the turn of

the 17th century to the present. Zaha

Hadid’s practice has embodied this idea by

anchoring engineering and mathematical

thinking throughout their designs.

Zaha Hadid, who studied mathematics

at the American University in Beirut, said,

“The design explores the many influences

of mathematics in our everyday lives,

transforming seemingly abstract

mathematical concepts into an exciting

interactive experience for visitors of

all ages.”

The David and Claudia Harding

Mathematics Gallery will open in 2016 andwill be curated by David Rooney.

For further information, visit:

www.zaha-hadid.com

Exhibition

The 2014 edition ‘Towards 2050: Developing a Sino-Dutch

Approach for Sustainable Urbanisation’ was recently held in

Beijing. The event witnessed an intense Sino-Dutch cooperation in

the field of sustainable urban development. The goal of the

initiative was to explore how the Dutch integrated planningapproach can be adapted and implemented within the context of

the rapid urbanisation of Chinese metropolitan regions. To this

end, the event organised various programmes, such as Sino-Dutch

design projects, workshops, seminars and exchanges.

Initiated by the Creative Industry Fund NL, the theme this year

is Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) and Towards 2050 works

together with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban

Planning, Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Development and

Beijing Design Week, among others.

Ton Venhoeven, former Dutch chief government advisor on

Infrastructure and curator of Towards 2050, said, “I am delighted

with the broad background and expertise of the Chinese and

Dutch participants. There are various specialists and generalists,

policy makers and designers, from both public and private

institutions. With professors and students they work together on

projects that contribute to smart, competitive, sustainable and

healthy urban regions. "

Award

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the

shortlisted projects for the ‘Wood Excellence Prize’, which makes

it debut at this year’s WAF awards programme. Sponsored by the

American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the ‘Wood Excellence

Prize’ is the first of its kind to feature on the festival’s awards

programme with the only criterion that wood is an integral part of

the project. Over forty submissions were received for the award and

eight great timber projects will now be put forward for the final

judging in Singapore led by renowned architect, Matteo Thun.

The shortlisted projects, include The Tent by a21studio (Nha

Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam); Pittwater House by Andrew Burges

Architects (Sydney, Australia); Earth Wind and Fire Atelier by Arcau(Vannes, France); School 't Hofke by UArchitects (Eindhoven, The

Netherlands); Regional Terminal at Christchurch Airport by BVN

Donovan Hill (Christchurch, New Zealand); Salvaged Ring by

a21studio (Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam); Alex Monroe Studio

by DSDH (London, UK); and The Pinch by the Department of

Architecture, University of Hong Kong (Zhaotong, China).

Paul Finch, programme director, World Architecture Festival,

said: “This was a great way to appreciate how a traditional'

material can be used to transform exteriors and interiors in new

and unexpected ways.”



Das gute Licht.

For a welcoming reception.

Bollards optionally with LED or for conventional lamps, protection

class IP 65, 1320 to 7400 lumen. In this innovative, shielded bollard,

the light is directed by means of a cone-shaped reflector. The result

is rotationally symmetrical, broad spread and uniform illumination.

Available in two sizes. Ideal for footpaths, entrance areas and driveways.

Regional Manager Asia Pacific · International Projects · André Ng

10 Raeburn Park #02-08 · Singapore 088702 · Phone +65 6692 8029

Fax +65 6692 8001 · [email protected] · www.bega.com




Updates

Conference

The second edition of the Architecture &

Design Summit 2014 was recently held at

ITC Sheraton, New Delhi. The summit was held

in five cities including New Delhi, where a one

day conference was held highlighting the

architectural and design innovations to shape the future cities of

India. It aimed to bring together key stakeholders to deliberateon the current challenges through multiple focused panel

discussions. With the theme of ‘Tradition and Modernity in

Contemporary Practice”, the conference focused on 'C' level

executives leading the organisations from the fore front while

assessing the sectors course ahead and figuring out ways to

mitigate risks and future-proof the business profitability.

Participation of eminent personalities from the hospitality,

healthcare, social infrastructure, residential and commercial

space was seen at the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Deepak Lamba, president, Times

Conferences Limited – BCCL said, “After the phenomenal

success of the first edition of the Architecture and DesignSummit, we are elated to host the second edition of one of

India’s biggest Design summit- The Economic Times Architecture

& Design Summit 2014. The aim is to leverage the wealth of

experience, discuss research initiatives and discover the

opportunity in architecture and design implementation on a

larger scale. The summit is an endeavor to bring various

industry stakeholders together on a single platform and discuss

strategies and steps which will ensure that today's dream turns

into tomorrow's reality”.

This conference brought forth Indian and global industry

barons and visionaries on one platform to share their

knowledge and experience of creating structures that align with

the needs of a progressive nation with era-defining designs.

The special address was given by Abhishek Somany, joint

managing director, Somany Ceramics. Other prominent leaders

present on the occasion, included Karan Grover, founder, Karan

Grover & Associates; Sunita Kohli, president K2 India and J BKrishsagar, chief planner, Town & Country Planning

Organisation, Government Of India, Ministry of Urban

Development, among others.

The event was organised by Somany Ceramics in

collaboration with Economic Times. It was held in Ludhiana,

Lucknow, Chandigarh, Dehradun followed by the culmination

event in New Delhi.

For details, e-mail: [email protected]

Trade news

P hilips India recently created a LED lit ‘Arch and

Shankh’ structure on the occasion of Ganesh Ustav.

This structure demonstrated the benefits as well as

aesthetic possibilities of LED lighting.

With more than 11,000 coloured LED lamps, thestructure is stood at 24ft height, 20ft width, a depth of

10ft – the biggest techno artistic LED lit structure in India.

The unit is engineered with sound sensors and the shankh

lights up with the chant ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’.

The entire unit consumes less than 6 units per hour.

The LED lighting used is 96% more energy efficient

when compared to the normal incandescent bulbs

which are normally used in pandaals during fest ive occasions.

Sumit Joshi, marketing head, Philips Lighting India, said, “Through this

initiative, we are showcasing an innovative architecture that represents the

celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi in an environment friendly manner and

demonstrates the possibilities offered by LED lighting in terms of energy

efficiency and cost effectiveness.”

A rvicon International has unveiled its first

concept showroom in Dwarka. The store

houses products and design themes made of

stone veneers. From beds to side tables, bars to

walls, all the products are done in stoneveneers.

With the motto of fusing architectural

creativity with nature's legacy of stone, the

company highlighted the lifestyle and luxury

application of stone veneers.

Gaurav Jain, MD, Arvicon International,

said, “While stone, in all its forms and textures,

is a delight when it comes to architecture and

design, it is that difficult to work with. The

sheer weight and the ineffectiveness of cost

makes most people rule out using stone work

on a regular basis. But here is the perfect thing

for them - stone veneers.”



October 2014 ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN24

Project Feature

An Organic FormProject: Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

Architects: Studio Fuksas



ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN October 2014 25

SECTION



October 2014 ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN2 6

The terminal– the largest single pub lic building to b e

built till date in Shenzhen– encompasses 63 contact

gates, with a further 15 remote gates and significant

retail spa ce. It will increase th e cap acity of the airport b y 58

percent, allowing the airport to handle up to 45 million

pa ssenge rs per yea r.

The concept o f the plan for Terminal- 3 o f the airport evokes

the image of a manta ray , a fish that breathes and changes its

own shape, undergoes variations, turns into a bird to celebrate

the emotion and fantasy of a flight. The structure of T3 — an

approximately 1.5km long tunnel — seems to be m odelled by

the wind a nd is reminiscent of the image of an organic-shap ed

N 1. BUS TERMINAL

2. BAR

3. DOMESTIC HARDSTAND HOLDROOM

4. HEALTH CHECK

5. PASSPORT CHECK / IMMIGRATION

PLAN AT LEVEL ±00 6. INTERNATIONAL ARRIVAL BAGGAGE CLAIM HALL

7. INTERNATIONAL ARRIVAL CUSTOMS

8. RETAIL

9. SPACE FOR BHS

10. GARDEN

11. INTERNATIONAL HARDSTAND HOLDROOM

12. CIP

13. GTC

14. VIP BUILDING

1

1

2

3

4 56

7

8

8

9

910

10

11

12 13

14



PLAN AT LEVEL +4.40M 1. WAITING AREA

2. RECEPTION

3. AIRLINE LOUNE

4. BAR

5. OFFICE

6. GTC

7 INFOPOINT

8 AIRLAIN LOUNGE

9 HOLD ROOM

10 VIP BUILDING

11 PROJECTION ROOM

12MASSAGE CENTER

13 INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS

14 BAGGAGE CLAIM

15OFFICE

16 RETAIL

17CIP

1

1

2 4

3 56

67

8

8

9

10

11

12

13

13

14

14

15

15

16

16

17

6




PLAN AT LEVEL +8.80M

SECTION

1. CONCOURSE DOMESTIC DEPARTURE

2. RETAIL

3. INFOPOINT

4. BAR

5. GTC

6. DOMESTIC ARRIVAL CONCOURSE

7. DUTY FREE

8. PASSPORT CONTROL

9. INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CHECK POINT10 BAGGAGE CLAIM

10. BAGGAGE CLAIM

11. OFFICES

12. INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE

13. VIP BUILDING

1

1

1

2

2

2 2

4

4

56

78

9

1011

13

11

12

12

10

3



ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN October 2014 2 9

SECTION THROUGH SKYLIGHT




sculpture. The profile of the roofing is characterised by

variations in height alluding to the natural landscape.

The symbolic element of the plan is the internal and external

double ‘skin’ honeycomb motif that wraps up the structure.

Through its double-layering, the ‘skin’ allows natural light in,

thus creating light effects within the internal spaces. The

cladd ing is mad e of an a lveolus-shap ed m etal and glass panels

of different sizes that can be partially opened .

The passengers accede to the terminal from the entrance

situated under the large T3 ‘tail’. The wide terminal bay is

characterised b y white conical supp orting columns rising u p

to touch the roofing like the inside of a cathedral. On the

ground floor, the terminal square allows access to the

luggage, dep arture an d a rrival areas as well as coffee houses

and restaurant s, offices and b usiness facilities. The d epa rtures

hall houses the check-in desks, the airlines info-points and

several help- desks. The double and triple height spaces of

the departure hall establish a visual connection between the

internal levels and create a passage for natural light. After

checking in, the nationa l and international p assengers’ flows

spread o ut vertically for d epa rtures.

The concourse is the airpo rt’s key-area and is mad e up of

three levels. Each level is dedicated to three independent

functions — departures, arrivals and services. Its tubular

shape chases the idea of motion. The ‘cross’ is the

intersection point where the three levels of the concourse are

vertically connected to create full-height voids, which allow

natural light to filter from the highest level down to the

waiting room set in the node on the ground floor.

The h oneycomb motif is transferred a nd replicated in the

interior design. Shop boxes, facing one another, reproduce

the alveolus design on a larger scale and recur in different

ELEVATION



October 2014 ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN32

art iculat ions a long the concou rse . The inter iors — p laced in

the in t e rne t -po in t , check- in , s ecur i ty -check , ga tes andpassport -check areas – have a sober profi le and a s ta inless

s teel finish that ref lects and m ult ipl ies the h on eycom b m oti f

of the internal skin.

Sculpture-shap ed ob jects and big s tylised whi te t rees ha ve

be en d es igned for a i r-con di t ioning al l a lon g the term inal and

the concourse , rep l ica t ing the p lanning of am orph ous forms

inspired b y natu re. This is also the case for th e b agga ge-claim

and info-point ‘ is lands’ . The des ign has been opt imised to

m ake be s t use of natu ral ven t i la t ion an d l ight . Pho tovol ta ics

wi l l mee t the e l ec t r i c i ty demand of T3 , making about 950

million electricity units each year.

The ma in b u i ld ing includes two-s torey und ergroun d and

four layers abo ve the ground (part ia l five s toreys). The fourth

floo r is the de pa rture ha l l. The th i rd f loor is con nected with

the d om es t ic depa r t ing p as sengers chann e l and th e cen t re of

i t i s t he in t e rna t iona l jo in t i nspec t ion zone , luggage

col l ec t ion /checkpoin t and the of f i ce a rea loca ted on both

s ide s . The d om est ic passage chann el , luggage cla im h al l and

part of the off ice area are on the second f loor. At the north-

eas t pa rt of the f i rs t floor is the intern at iona l dep arture h al l.

I ts centre is used for the internat ional joint inspect ion zone

and a l so the luggage c l a im ha l l . In f ron t o f the f i r s t f loor

s t and the CIP lounges . Be tween i t and the ma in bu i ld ings tand s the ou tdoo r cour tya rd .

Studio Fuksas a re engaged on two fur the r p hases of the

a i r p o r t e x t e n s i o n , s c h e d u l e d t o c o m p l e t e i n 2 0 2 5 a n d

2035 respect ively.

Photo credit: Archivio Fuksas

FactFile

Client: Shenzhen Airport (Group) Co, Ltd

Architects: Studio Fuksas, Shenzhen/Rome/Paris

Design team: Massimiliano a nd Doriana Fuksas

Interior design: Fuksas Design—internet-point, check-in ‘island’, security-

check, gates, passport-check areas, shop box, b aggage-claim ‘islands’, info-

point, ventilation trees, signage, commercial desk and washrooms

Developer: Shenzhen Planning Bureau; Shenzhen Airport (Group) Co, Ltd

Contractor: China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Beijing

Structures, façade an d p arame tric design: Knippers Helbig Engineering

Architect of reco rd: BIAD (Beijing Institute of Architectural Design)

Lighting consulting: Speirs & Major Associates

Cost of project: 734,000,000 Euros

Size: 5,381 ,955sq f t (approximate ly)

Year of co mplet ion: 201 3 (Phase-1)



Airport Design

Umbrella StructureProject: King David the Builder International Airport, Kutaisi, Georgia

Architects: Ben van Berkel/UNStud io, Amsterdam




ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN October 2014 35

SECTION

T

he recent ly completed airport serves domest ic and

international flights for use by tourists, national

politicians a nd international diplom ats. The airport isdesigned to become a central hub, with up to one mil l ion

travel lers targeted in 201 4-201 5.

The design comprises the fu l l airport development ,

including a revision of the runway, the master plan for the

landscape and p lanned fu tu re deve lopmen t , thereo f the

terminal building, offices, a meteorological station and the

air traffic con trol towe r.

The architecture of the terminal refers to a gateway, in

which a clear structural layout creates an all-encompassing

and protective volume. Both the exterior corner d etail, whichfunctions as a crossing-point and point of recognition, and

the so called ‘umbrella’ structure within the terminal building

which operates as a roundabout for passenger flows operate

as the two m ain architectural deta ils around w hich all of the

airport functions are organised.

The u mb rella further guara ntees v iews from the term inal

p laza to the ap ron and to the Caucasus on the h o r izon and




vice versa. The central point in the umbrella is an exterior

patio wh ich is used for d epa rting passengers. The transparent

space around this central area is designed to ensure that

flows of passengers are smooth and that departure and

arrival flows do n ot coincide.

The design organises the logistical processes, provides

optimal security and ensures that the traveller hassufficient spa ce to circulate comfortab ly. Serving a s a lob by

to Georgia, the terminal in addition ope rates as a café an d art

gallery, displaying works by young Georgian artists and

thereby presenting a further identifier of contemporary

Georgian culture.

The 55 m high Air Traffic Control Tower and its supporting

office/operational building is designed to complement the

design of the termina l. The to wer ’s strong app earan ce makes ita beacon of the a irport and surrounding area. The traffic

SITE PLAN




control cabin on the top level forms the focal point of the

tower, with a 36 0 d egrees view on the surrounding landscape.

A spacious and comfortable interior ensures a workspace for

four to eight operators with optimal concentration. The exterior

of the tower is clad with a perforated skin on a concrete core

to u se wind for ventilation pu rposes. LED light in-between the

skin and the core enhance the beacon effect of the tower at

dusk and dawn by changing colour whenever there is a

fluctuation in wind speed.

The design for the new airport incorporates numerous

sustainable elements. A large onsite underground source of

natural water provides the basis for the reduction of energy

consumption through concrete core activation and use for

SECTION



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GROUND FLOOR PLAN

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

1. COURTYARD

2. EXIT

3. ENTRANCE

4.LOBBY

5. CHECK-IN

6.LUGGAGE OUTBOUND

7. SECURITY

8. CUSTOMS

9. DEPARTURE LOBBY

10. TRANSFER DESK

11. LANDSIDE

12. LUGGAGE INBOUND

13. ADMINISTRATION

14. MIRROR BAR

15. AIRSIDE

1. COURTYARD

2. LOBBY

3. CIP FLOOR

4. CONGRESS ROOM

5. ADMINISTRATION

1

4

2 3

5

6

15

15

7

8

8

14

13

12

9

10

1

2

3

45

FactFile

Client: United Airports of Georgia LLC (Master Plan an d Termin al)

Sakaeron avigatsia Ltd (Air Traffic Control Towe r, offices and m ete orological bu ilding)

Architects: UNStudio, Amsterdam/Shanghai/Hong Kong

Project team: Ben van Berkel (Principal), Caroline Bos, Gerard Loozekoot withFrans van Vuure and Filippo Lodi, Roman Kristesiashvili, Tina Kortmann, Wendy van

der Knijff, Kristoph Nowak,Machiel Wafelbakker, Gustav Fagerström, Thomas

Harms, Dee pak Jawahar, Nils Saprovskis, Patrik No om e

Consultants: MTM kft (Structura l), SMG-SISU kft (MEP), OR else (Land scape

Architect), Arup (Structural expertise & Sustainability), Arup Aviation (Airport

planning), Studio ARCI (Local architect)

Contractors: Paul Schuler und Irao Group Ltd (Concrete Works); RutinKft (Steel

Structure); Hess Timber GmbH & Co KG (Wood Structure); Permasteelisa Interiors Srl

(Facad es & Term inal Interio r Ceiling/Trusses); Paul Schu ler un d Irao Group Ltd

(Term inal Interio r); Black Sea Group , Tbilisi (Lan dscap e); József and Zsuzsa

Keresztély (Site Mana geme nt)

Total floo r area: 4,50 0sq m (Terminal) , 1,8 00 sq m (Control Tower & Offices)

Year of co mplet ion: 2 0 1 3

TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER - ELEVATIONS




ELEVATION




sprinkler basins. The floors of both the terminal and the traffic

control tower utilise this water for maintaining a regulated

temperature in the two volumes. In the terminal building

cantilevered roofs provide sun-shading on south and south-west

zones. A hybrid low pressure ventilation system is integrated

into the terminal’s main structure and there is a grey water

collection system in the floor u ndernea th th e terminal bu ilding.

The project was designed and constructed in two years

with the airport already having begun operations by

September 2012. Both the design and construction saw the

involvement o f numerous local and international comp anies,

with open ness and knowledge sharing proving to be essential

to fulfilling the tight schedule. The steel structure of the

terminal, produced and shipped from Hungary recently won

a Europea n Steel Prize award.

The design for the airport further incorporates the po tential

for an expansion to double its size and capacity, should this

prove necessary in the future.

Photo credit: Nakanimamasakhlisi



Airport Designs

Incorporating Regional Identity

Project: Term inal 2 - Chha trapa ti Shivaji Intern ational Airpo rt, Mu m ba i

Architects: Skidm ore , Ow ings & M errill LLP

Located in the heart of India’s financial capital, the new

integrated terminal building at Chhatrapati Shivaji

In ternat ional Airport adds 4 .4 mil l ion square feet of

space to accommodate 40 million passengers per year, nearly

twice a s ma ny as the building it replaces. By orchestrating the

comp lex web of passengers and p lanes into a d esign that feels

intuitive and respond s to the region’s rocketing growth, the new

Terminal 2 asserts the a irport’s place a s a pre-em inent gatew ay

to India and underscores the country’s status as an international

economic power.





The new te rmina l in teg ra tes in te rna t iona l and dom es t ic

passenger se rv ices under one roo f , op t imis ing t e rmina l

opera t ions and reduc ing passenger walk ing d i s tances .

Inspired by the peacock, the four-s torey terminal s tacks a

grand ‘head house’ or central processing podium, on top of

the highly adaptable and modular concourses below. Rather

than comp artme ntal is ing term inal funct ions, four concourses

rad ia te ou twards f rom a cen t ra l p rocess ing co re and a re

therefore easi ly reconfigured to ‘swing’ between serving

domes t ic and in te rna t iona l f l igh t s . Jus t as the t e rmina l

SECTION




celebrates a new global , high- tech identi ty for Mu mb ai, the

structure is im bu ed with responses to the local setting, history

and culture. Gracious curb side drop-off zones designed for

large par t ies of accompanying well-wishers accommodate

traditional Ind ian arrival and de pa rture ceremon ies. Regional

pat terns and textures are sub tly integrated into th e termina l’s

architec ture a t a l l scales – f rom the ar t icula ted coffered

treatment on the head house columns and roof surfaces to

the intricate ja li window screens that f il ter dapp led l ight into

the concourses.

The terminal demonstra tes the potentia l for a modern

airport to view tradition anew. The project also makes a

significant positive contribution to the local fabric. By

integrating into the exist ing transporta t ion fabr ic and byfurthering connectivity through the simu ltaneous de velopm ent

of a new road network to service the a irpor t , the terminal

helps knit together the historic heart of Mumbai to the south

with the city’s burgeoning p eripheries to the east and north .

A 50 f t ta ll g la ss cab le - stayed wa l l—the longest in the

world—op ens to the soar ing space o f the check-in hall .

Once inside , the travellers enter a warm, l ight- f i l led

chamber , sheltered underneath a long-span roof supported

by an array of multi-storey column s. The m onum ental spaces

created beneath the 30 mushrooming columns call to mind

the a iry pavil ions and inter ior cour tyards of tradit ional

regional a rchitecture. Sm all disks of colourful glass recessed

within the cano py’s coffers speckle the hall below w ith light.

The constellation of colours makes reference to the peacock,

the n ational bird o f India , and the symb ol of the a irpor t .

The site of the n ew te rmina l building was located in close

proximity to the existing terminal which had to remain fully

operational dur ing the construction. This si te requirement

inspired the e longated X-shap ed plan o f the term inal , which

could bo th mould a round the ex is t ing s t ruc tures and

incorpora te modula r des igns to accommoda te r ap id and

ph ased construction. This inn ovative form also allows for the

consolidation of important passenger processing, baggage

handling and re ta i l /dining functions a t the centre of theterminal . On e ach f loor, radia ting piers perm it the shor test

possible walking distances from the centre of the terminal to

boarding areas, while a lso maximising the terminal’s

perimeter for aircraft gates.

All international and domestic passengers enter the

terminal head hou se on the four th f loor. At the en trance, the

lanes split , m aking room for wide d rop-off curbs with am ple

space for depa r ture r ituals . The cano py over the dep ar tures

roadway f lows seamlessly f rom the head house inter ior ,

through the glass cur ta in wall , to the outside . The 40m



canopy canti levers shelter travellers f rom the sun and

mo nsoon rain. Attention to d etail is paid to th e treatmen t of

the e xterior curb area , which is given th e sam e level of finish

as the te rminal’s po lished interior.

The terminal’s roof—one of the largest in the world

wi thout an expans ion jo in t—ensures fur the r te rmina l

flexibility. The long-span capabilities of the steel truss

structure allow for the sp acing of the thirty 130 ft colum ns tobe far eno ugh ap art to no t only give a feeling of openn ess to

the large processing areas below, but a lso to a llow for

maximum flexibility in the arrangement of check-in counters

and oth er ne cessary p rocessing facilities.

Taking cues from traditional Indian architecture, th e p eacock

feather an d th e existing logo o f the Mum bai Airport, the ceiling

and columns are defined by a coffered surface. The coffers

transition from th e ho rizon tal plane o f the ceiling to th e arch of

the column capitals. The result is a highly articulated and

undulating surface comprising individual cast units. The

individual coffers have lenses integrated into the cast form

which allow light to enter the hall from strategically placedskylights ab ove.

From the central retail area, passengers descent into the

concourses (or piers) where th e a ircraft gates a re located. Paved

in polished stone and warm wo ode n ceiling, the wa iting areas

LEVEL 1 PLAN LEVEL 2 PLAN



Octobe r 2014 ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN5 0

are lit by chandeliers that resemble lotus flowers, with cast glass

centres and cut metal petals. The warm ‘wood’ ceiling is

actually meta l, printed with a rea listic facsimile o f wood .

Although the terminal is four storeys, interconnecting light

slots and multi-storey light we lls ensure that light pe netra tes

into the lower floors of the building, acting as a constant

reminder of the surrounding city and landscape. At dusk,

illuminated from within, the terminal glows like a sculpted

chandelier. Custom sculptural lighting fixtures reference

traditional Indian textile motifs. In the baggage claim hall,

where heavy passenger congestion calls for a relatively

column-free space, columns were placed within the baggage

claim be lts.

The roof m ega-columns an d steel roof structure were keptcompletely independent from the base concrete structures

below. The final design resulted in a departure hall entirely

free of column s through th e use of com posite mega -column s

spaced 64m in one direction and 34m in the perpendicular

direction. The structural system for the head house roof is

akin to a two-way flat slab system. Increasing the depth of

the trusses near the columns and running trusses in an

orthogon al grid a s well as along a 4 5° grid results in an

overall truss depth of 4m for the roof system. The greater

truss depths near the columns create ‘column pod’ areas,

LEVEL 3 PLAN LEVEL 4 PLAN




HEADHOUSE ROOF 3D

3.5m to 4m Deep Steel Roof Trusses

Composite Mega Column




which seamlessly integrate into th e p yramidal skylights that

serve as ma jor architectural featu res.

The terminal building features two separate cable wall

systems totalling over 1km in length and 11,000sq m in area,

making it the longest an d largest cable wall in the world. Bothcable wa lls comprise unidirectional cables span ning vertically

betwe en two levels of the terminal structure. A large portion of

the wall follows the curvature of the plan of the head house

roof, a feature only achievable because the cable wall consists

solely of vertical cables. Variation s in height, chan ges in

anchoring cond itions, and th e inclusion of corners, curves and

entrance vestibules all worked to necessitate a very precise

design of cable pretension.

The roof measures approximately 17-acres in area. Each

column measures 4.2mx3.4m rising from the ground to a

height of 40m. The structure of the feature columns is

concrete en cased steel. The stee l has a cruciform plan and is

2.3 mx2.3 m. The concrete e ncasing is 2.7m in diamete r. Each

feature column ha s two drainage pipes which take the runo ff

water from the roof and drain it out of the building. Eachpipe is 400mm in diameter.

The exterior feature columns appear identical to the

interior ceiling and columns, which are rend ered in p ane ls of

glass fibre re inforced gypsum (GFRG). The ceiling in b oth the

interior of the check-in hall and international security

screening area and the exterior space which covers the

departures curbs is 15m in clear height.

Mega skylights are located over 28 of the feature columns

bringing natural light into the head house. As many as 244

minor skylights distribute natural light between the feature




columns enabl ing the head house to achieve dayl ight

au tonomy throughout the day for a ma jor i ty of the yea r .

There is a total of ap proximate ly 30 ,00 0sq m of skylight glass.

Term inal 2 uses a high-p erforma nce glazing sys tem with a

custom f ri t pa t t e rn to achieve opt ima l the rm al pe r formance

and m it igate glare . Perforated m etal pan els on th e term inal’s

cur t a in w a l l f il t e r the low w es te rn and eas t e rn sun angles ,

creat ing a comfortable day-l i t space for wai t ing passengers ,

and respon s ive dayl ight cont ro ls ba lance outdo or an d indoor

l ight levels for o pt im al en ergy savings . Strategical ly p laced

skyl ights throughout the check-in hal l reduce the terminal’s

energy usage by 23%.

The project has also been felicitated with many awards, such as

the LEED India for New construction Gold from Indian Green

Building Council, NCSEA – National Council of structural Engineers

Association - Excellence in Structural Engineering Award, Gold

winn er in The interior Finishes Cate gory - CISCA ( Ceiling & Inte rior

System Con struction Association, North Am erica), etc.

FactFile

Client: GVK, Mu mb ai Interna tional Airport Pvt Ltd

Architects: SOM, Location at Multiple Places

Structural & MEP Engine er: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLPArchitect, Structural & MEP Engineer of Record: Larsen & Toub ro Limited

(EDRC Division)

Gene ral Con tractor: Larsen & Tou bro Limit ed (ECC Division)

Lighting Design: Brandston Partnership Inc, SPIERS and MAJORS Associates

Retail Design: The Design Solution

Landscape Design: Hyland Edgar Driver (HED)

Cultural Design Collabo ration: Abu Jani – Sandeep Khosla

Art Scenographer: Rajeev Seth i

Com mu nication , IT, Security & Special Syste ms: Mulvey & Banani

Signage & Wayfinding: Pentagram & Entro Comm unication

Vertical Transpo rtation: Van Deusen & Associates

Year of comp letion: 2 0 1 4



Jury Outcome

Architecture+ Design and CERA take imme nse pleasure in anno uncing the jury outcome of the

e leve nth cycle o f the “Architecture+ Design & CERA Awards 2 014”. A pane l of thirty architects

participated in the recently concluded jury meet. There was a group of five jurists respectively for

each category. The jury panelists included eminent architects from all over the country as well as

from South-East-Asia and Europe. This led the jury meets to acquire a wider perspective in gauging

creativity. The jury conclusions we re at time s unanimous and at o ther times a healthy disagreem ent

of o pinions leading to debates and discussions for the final outcome .

Sandeep J Vimal JainBavadekar PraveenSharad Hiren Patel

Hiren Patel

Deepak Guggari

Award For Residence Design with a Difference

Sandeep JArchitecture Paradigm,

Bangalore

Wilson Garden House,Bangalore

Manish Gulati Anupam BansalRajesh ShivaramSanjay Puri

The Institutional Architecture Award for DesignDevelopment of Institutional/ Office Buildings

Manish GulatiMOFA Studio Pvt Ltd,New Delhi

National Institute o f

Fashion Technogoly,Kangra

Awardee Project

Architecture+ Design

Jury

Principal Awardee

Awardee Project

Principal Awardee

The Hall of Fame Award:

Shirish Beri

The Golden Architect Award-India:

Rahul Mehrotra

The Golden Award for Global Contribution in Architecture: William J R C urtis



Deepak GuggariVarsha & Deepak Guggari Assoc iates,

Pune

Jadhav House, Pune Hiren PatelHiren Patel Architects,

Ahmedabad

The Courtyard House,Ahmedabad

Vimal JainArchitecture Paradigm, Bang alore

Sheela Jain Residence,

Gundulpet Bavadekar Praveen Sharad

Third Sp ace Architecture Studio,

Belgaum

The house with two Sheesham

Trees, Belga um

Sanjay PuriSanjay Puri Architects,Mumbai

A Pavilion, Surat Hiren PatelHiren Patel Architects,Ahmedabad

A Comm unity Centre,

Ahmedabad

Rajesh ShivaramTechnoarchitecture Inc, B angalore

Technoarchitecture OfficeExtension, Bangalore

Anupam BansalABRD Architects Pvt Ltd, New Delhi

National Centre for Biological

Sciences, Bangalore

Awardee Project Awardee Project

& CERA Awards 2014

Outcome

Commendation Special Mentions



The award

function for this cycle

is slated to take place in

Istanbu l, Turkey, on the

15th of November, 2014.

Felicitations to the

Awardees!

The Golden Emerging Architect - Thailand:Patama Roonrakwit

The Golden Emerging Architect - Malaysia:Mohd Razin Mahmood

The Golden Emerging Architect - Singapore:

Chang Yong Ter

The Golden Emerging Architect - Sri Lanka:Narein Perera

The Awardee for The Golden Emerging Architect - Turkey is currentlybeing proc essed b y the Society of Practising Architects, Turkey.



Ambrish Arora Akshat BhattNamith VermaA Midrul

The Recreational Architecture Award

Ambrish Arora andRajiv MajumdarThe Lotus Praxis Initiative,

New Delhi

RAAS, Jodhpur

Kanhai Gandhi Madhav Raman MaheshRadhakrishnan

Sanjay PuriAmbrish Arora

The Innovative Interior Design Award for

Office/ Commercial Utility Interior Design.

Kanhai Gandhi,Neemesh Shah,

Shresht KashyapKNS Architects Pvt Ltd,

Mumbai

Space w ithin a Space,

Mumbai

Awardee Project

Principal Awardee

Awardee Project

Principal Awardee



A MidrulA Midrul Architect, Jodhpur

Birkha Bawari, Jodhpur Namith VermaGayathri & Namith ArchitectsPvt Ltd, Bang alore

Gorukana, BR Hills,

Karnataka

Akshat BhattArchitecture Discipline, New Delhi

Hotel Mana, Udaipur

Ambrish AroraLotus, New Delhi

Gaurav Gupta,

New Delhi Sanjay Puri

Sanjay Puri Architects, Mum bai

Auriga, Mumbai

Madhav RamanAnagram Architects, New Delhi

Anagram Office,New Delhi

Mahesh RadhakrishnanThe Madras Office for Architect s and

Designers (MOAD), Chennai

Book Building,

Chennai

st Jury Post Jury







Arjun Malik Tushar VPrasannaParvatikar

Shilpa Gore-ShahDeepak Guggari

The Innovative Interior Design Award for

Residence Interior Design

Arjun MalikMalik Architecture,Mumbai

The Architect’s Loft,

Mumbai

Akshat Bhatt Lester RozarioRajesh ShivaramSwapnil Valvatkar

Brinda Parth ShahSourabh Gupta

The Young Enthused Architect Award

Akshat BhattArchitecture Discipline,

New Delhi

Discovery Centre,Bangalore & Hotel Mana,

Ranakpur, Udaipur

Post Jury

Awardee Project

Principal Awardee

Awardee Project

Principal Awardee



Deepak GuggariVarsha & Deepak Guggari Associates,Pune

Jadhav House, Pune Shilpa Gore-Shah &Pinkish ShahS+PS Architects, Mum bai

Liminal Living, Mum bai

Prasanna ParvatikarCubism Architects & Interiors, Tirupur

Mrs Uma Raja's Residence,

Tamil Nad u

Shruti Keshavamurthy &Tushar VOchre, Bang alore

Shruti Tushar Ap artment

Design, Bangalore

Swapnil ValvatkarCollage Architecture Studio,

Bangalore

Marvel Domicilia, Bangalore& Cricket House, Bangalore

Rajesh ShivaramTechnoarchitecture Inc,

Bangalore

M House, Bangalore &Technoarchitecture Office

Extension, Bangalore

Lester RozarioKamat & Rozario Architecture,Bangalore

Stack hou se, Bangalore &

Hanging House, Bangalore

Sourabh GuptaArchohm Consults, Noida

Dilli Haat, New Delhi &

Yogananda Library, Solan

Brinda Parth ShahBPS Architects, Rajkot

Raj Samadhiyala House, Rajkot

& Sanjeevani - BiodiversityResource Co nservation Area








Viewpoints

Sustainability and Memory

This art icle is an a t tem pt to

express how the app roach o f

sustainab ility (or frugal living) is

related to the feel ings of mem ory,

belonging and in the creat ion of our

persona l ide nt i t ies and wha t ro le i t

plays in modern lifestyle.

My p aren t ’s and g randparen t ’s

genera t ion g rew up in the per iod o f

ju st m e a n s. N o th in g w a s a b u n d a n t o r

in plent ifu l and i t becam e a n ecessity

to use ea ch and everything sparingly,

to its fullest po ssible utility, e ven

surpassing the l ife cycle of the m aterial

itself. If the material was not fit for use

in its present form, then i t used to b e

ingeniously t ransformed (or reused)

into some thing else, t i l l ano ther such

cycle of t ransformation came about

and the p rocess continue d. Take for

examp le a s imp le shawl or a l ight

b lanket . The shawl wou ld b e used by

my gran dp arents , then successively

passed o n to m y paren t s and p robab ly,

i f the cond it ion wa s good eno ugh, i t

could come al l the w ay to m e. I t is with

everything – from best shirts to p hoto

frames, to cooking utensils. It is quite

ama zing to see tha t m any o f ou r

hou seholds have a col lect ion o f what

can be terme d as v intage col lect ion of

cooking ware, l inen s, woollen ware,

gadgets , p ens, let ters , wri t ing d esks,

By Niranjan Garde

Saleh Mo sque, Sanaa, Yem en




sewing ma chines , toys, do l ls , bats ,

rackets , boo ks and so on. They a re al l ,

wha t I call as ‘me mo ry ba nks’. They

perform the sam e role, as a loving

let ter that my father has wri t ten to me

a coup le o f t ime s . They deno te the

same care a nd love, as you glance

th rough your pho to a lbum and reca l lthe mo men ts tha t you had spen t as a

chi ld with your extende d family.

Although the old dusty, cranky, heavy,

oxidised copp er cooking ware wo uld

have now bee n rep laced b y the

slee k, shiny, light stainless steel,

peop le p refer to keep the o ld

cooking utensils in loft areas and

me ntal ly in one o f the

compar tm en ts o f the i r minds.

The o ld an d he avy copp er

cooking wa re ute nsil , now

redundan t , rem inds my paren t s

abo ut the d el icious dishes that

were cooked and cher ished a long

with the chi ldren a nd w hich

crea ted some spec ia l mom en ts o f

togethe rness . The d efunct

technology of heat ing water by

using copper cylindrical drum

and coi ls , replaced b y geysers

and consecutively by solar

pane ls , reminds m y fa ther andhis siblings of the ir childh oo d

and the qua rre l s and laugh ter

tha t they had shared in the

ba th room or the shou t tha t they

exper ienced f rom the i r mo ther fo r

lazing around in the bathroom. Herein

I wish to h ighl ight a conne ct ion – the

econom ic necessity of perpe tual use of

a part icular i tem resul ts in forming a

relat ion with that object . The

re la t ionsh ip d eepe ns as more and more

of our exis tent ial moments are spent

with the ob ject of use and e nriches as

more peop le ge t as soc ia ted wi th the

same ob jec t . Memories o f the peop le

in th is way get in ter conn ected w ith the

same ob ject and resul t in h ighly

nostalgic d ialogues when people meet

after a gap o f t im e. The o bject alread y

surpasses its primary role of utility and

gets highly ‘value’ ridden. The

memories , emotions get recal led as

long as the object is with you. The

object , without us be ing conscious of i t ,

has a lready become a par t o f ou r

consciousness that de fines ou r

iden tities. It is this effect of association

that com pe ls pe ople in a cou ntry l ike

India, to retain such ob jects long after

they m ight no t have a ny ut i li tarianvalue. Sometime s, long after chi ldren

have g rown u p an d the i r woo l len wa re

cannot f i t them, such i tems are reused

and transformed in to woollen socks or

woo llen scarfs. The form o f the o bject

migh t have changed , bu t the mem ory

lingers as on e sees th e socks again .

Another aspect of sustainability is to

do things by ourselves. In frugal

condit ions, there is no sublet t ing of

jo b s. We b u ild o u r o w n h o use s; w e

cook food ourselves because we cannot

afford to sublet it . But, building a

house toge ther as a g roup o f peop le

introdu ces nume rous instances of

in teract ions a nd l ively en counters .

There is hardship no doubt , but

col lect ive moments are spent , one

shares one’s life secrets as one is

engage d in plastering or pa int ing a wa ll

and the e nt ire process gets a h igh

em otional quo tient . Later on, as one

touches the fin ished wall or leans on i t

or looks at i t , these m em ories surge

back in mind. The w all might be

slight ly off-al igned or th ere might h ave

been some une ven ly pa in ted spo ts bu t

i t has become a fami ly mem ber, t e l ling

us of the people’s collective

involveme nt w ith i t . In such a scena rio ,would mechanical perfect ion or

aesthet ics of the wa ll ma tter? I t is the

same for cooking. Agreed , that I have

to spend t ime to cook food , b u t the ac t

of prep aring, cooking and serving

fami ly mem bers becomes a par t

of our exp ression to con nect with

them a t an e mo t iona l leve l tha t

canno t be unders tood by

intellectual a na lysis. Feelings of

be long ing and comm uni ty a re

created in this way. Objects can

be m ade va lue r idde n , p rov ided

we spend t ime wi th them.

Provided w e m ake a conscious

choice b efore an y object is

replaced. There might be

hardship and involvement of t ime

and ou r l abour fo r do ing th ings

ourselves, but it can also give us

the opportuni ty to form

connect ions with other people.

This brings me final ly to ano theraspect of m ode rn l ifes tyle.

The a bun dan ce of products in

the m arke t and the genera l t rend

of consumerisat ion, further fuel led by

robust econom ic cond itions have led to

fast turnover of objects of use and

lessening of our involvem ent with them

in the process of creation. It leads me to

ponder what sort of connect ion one

might de velop w ith the ob ject , i f we

ha rdly let it m ingle with us for a

sustained d urat ion? Can these

physically temporary objects (soon to

be rep laced b y their new com peti tors)

ever generate an y emotional t ies or

me mo ries with us? What wo uld

hap pen , i f we sublet al l our tasks to

external agencies? Do we give ourselves

a chance to m ake such ob jec ts a par t o f

our lives or, have our perspectives

towards look ing a t them been de tached

by the real isat ion tha t they are soon to

Creatio n of me aning by sustainable use of ob jects




be replaced by ne wer variety? If

everything around us is constantly

getting replaced by something‘different’ or ‘new’, where does that

leave us? Or, in terms of the aspect of

subletting, why should we ever bo ther

to cook or bu ild h ouses or mend lawns?

How, then, would our memories be

created by the fleeting interactions with

these objects and by increased

preferences to sublet things? Or would

memo ries remain transient as the

objects themselves, so that not even a

single memo ry ever gets a chance to b e

embedd ed in our minds and create

impressions of life? If memories remain

transient, what does that make us as

individuals? What sort of identity is

created and what sort of life is

experienced? This has repercussions on

our lifestyles, on the way we look at

ourselves and our people around us.

Personal space and liberty is fine, but

where does it lead us as a human

community? If we don’t share mome nts

of our time (and space) with other

individuals, if all our objects are

different (and transient as well) thenone must ponder on the quality of life

one is heading to. Abundan ce, luxury,

flexibility and the affordability to be in

constant change with regards to hou se,

job s (and even rela tions for that ma tter)

can have a d etrimental effect on the

nature o f relations we form amon gst

ourselves as communities. History and

culture is a product of memory.

Constant change would mean no

memory and that would mean no

history at all. Part of who we are or

become depends on our association

with memories – peop le, places and

objects. Therefore, the experience of

constant newness and constant change

has to be viewed critically.

Sustained use has the power to form

relations with objects just as precious as

our relations with loving people around

us. Doing things by on eself may m ean

being frugal again, but that is what

leads to involvement. Thus the

necessity of reuse or recycle or

whatever term one wants to assign for

sustainability has an advantage of

mem ory creation. To b e involved with

such an approach would lead to

memories that we would dwell on long

after our ‘functional’ value diminishes.It is at that point of time that the

objects and the peop le around us

would b e ou r faithful friends telling us

about the trials, mistakes and moments

of joys that we had experienced

resulting in the ripening of our lives.

And it is therefore, in this context itself,

those important objects, landscapes,

architectural spaces need to be retained

sometimes, for, th ey vibrate with

stories of our conn ections with the past

and can make our present meaningful.

It is with this concept, th e en tire Indian

landscape across the nation can be

seen and experienced and which

fundam entally differs from the

industrial land scapes of th e North

Americas or Australia.

I hope, we understand, that ‘old’

does not mean o utdated or primitive in

anyway. What is required is the right

attitude towards seeing any object and

the realisation that every object thatwe keep for ou rselves has the

possibility to create value and be an

extension of our ‘Self’. What we wish

to p ossess starts to d efine wh o we are

or become. If we continue to replace

everything, there is no attachment with

anything and there is no association of

memory. Let not the ab undan ce of

objects and its faster replacement by

ever changing technology create a

situation that you are n ot ab le to

express yourself in terms of the

external environm ent. Or a situation,

wherein no object or a person or any

environm ent triggers your m emor y. Let

not you experience the modern

equivalent of ‘Alzhe imer ’.

Niranjan Garde is an architect currently

based in Pune, who has an interest on

issues related to history, culture and

identity in architecture.

Market Hall, Rotterdam; Archite cts: MVRDV, Rotterdam




T

he number of buildings being built under the

category of Institutiona l Architecture is growing

at a fast pace in post independent India and

especially in the last two decades. The main thrust has

been in educational and scientific fields, besides

public realm institutional architecture, which is

also n oteworth y.

In an institutional b uilding the users spen d time in

the spatio-form created by an architect for a longer

period o f time, comp ared to b rief usage in a museum

or a ho spital. Hence, the spatio-formal vocabulary of

such a building has to go beyond mere ‘objective

function’ and transcend into the ‘subjective feelings’

part of architecture.

A couplet from an Urdu gazal summarises the

emotive aspect involved (translation in English) -

The forms of the building, the doors and windows

have no relationship with u s, unless the building ties

us with its unseen emotional threads.

An institutional building’s spatio-formal

vocabulary should be a metaphor of its ‘function’, a

symbol for the act. The inner spaces should answer

the ‘feelings’ part of architecture as to what aspect of

feeling, be it that of impose, dignity, eminence,

solidarity, poise, grandeur, regimentality, solace,

warmth, affirmation, etc. The external envelope in a

subtle way should convey the p urpose of the building,

a kind o f metaphor of its function.

By Pramod Beri

Institutiona l De sign

A Metaphor of Function

Bhujpal Know ledg e City (MET, Lea gue of College ), Na shik




The bui ld ing should h ave circulat ion spaces w hich

g o b e y o n d t h e m u n d a n e a s p e c t o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n

from port ion A to B, but shou ld include nod al spat ial

po in t s wh ich p romote chance encoun ters . The

c i rcu la t ion spaces shou ld have pause spaces tha t

create and retain in teres t.

I t shou ld have dyna m ic in terrelat ionships betwee n

ou ter and inner space as wel l as be tween inner andsemi–enclosed spaces like the cou rtyard. Careful inter-

activene ss be twe en th ese spaces is the key. Courtya rds

are ded ica ted enc losu res o f the bo rrowed un iversa l

space and bes ides p rov id ing l igh t and ven t i l a t ion ,

should a lso p rovide spaces for informal in teract ions .

The bu i ld ing shou ld c rea te a spa t ia l exper ience

which touches deeper levels of consciousness in us ,

thereby , enab l ing us to see and fee l the wor ld in a

different way. As the fam ous saying goes , “We m ake

spaces and in tu rn spaces make us” , the qua l i ty o f

space shou ld enhance the qua l i ty o f l i fe . Wel l

executed spaces and bui ld ings are bound to effect a

new ges ta l t l ike change in behav ioura l pa t t e rns

be tween users.

An ap t re la t ionsh ip be tween serv ice spaces and

served spaces should be in effect . Any inst i tu t ional

bui ld ing is bou nd to h ave lo ts of service spaces wh ich

need to be discreet ly located with ski l l without

sacrificing the ir utility. The service spaces sho uld ha ve

an easy but d iscreet access and also should be close

enough to se rved spaces to save on t ranspor ta t ion

t ime. Service towers , i f required, should be

func tiona l ly l a rge e nough to a ccom mo date se rv ices

which can be in s ta l l ed and serv iced a t ease . In a l l

proba bili ty, they could b e turne d in to a n archi tectural

feature.

The latest techno logy available should b e exploited

to th e ful les t extent . All over the glob e, te chnology is

changing at a rapid pa ce. This confl icts with the fact

that bui ld ings are used for decades together. Hence

‘flexibility’ should be the key. Easily interchangeable

mod u lar spaces need to be p rovided to c rea te an ea sy

t rans i t ion f rom u t i l i za t ion o f a space to ano therpurpose . The var ious se rv ices tha t se rve the space

shou ld be eas i ly in te rchangeab le as t echno logy

advances . An equ ipo ten ta l ly des igned space

proact ively adap ts to chan ging needs.

To ha ve a m ean ingfu l in te r face be tw een a r t and

archi tecture, murals or sculptures can be in troduced

which immediately convey the ‘raison-d’etre’ of the

build ing. The archi tect needs to s i t with the art is t ,

proact ively suggest ing feel ings he wants to convey

th rough the po r t rayed imagery .

The bu i ld ing shou ld be eco -f r i end ly and

sustainable. Sustainabi l i ty has become an important

factor especially in design of an institutional building

where mul t ip le consu l tan t s a re employed . Carefu l

examinat ion of technologies and materials avai lable

and the i r app ropr ia te u sage shou ld be a par t o f the

main de s ign agenda .

In the Indian context , the las t important aspect is

to ‘think globally but act locally’. This involves

carefu l ly weigh ing the p ros and cons and dec ides

be tween use o f loca l mater ia l s / t echno log ies v s

outs tat ion/ impo rted on es . The five elem ents of nature

– the ‘Panchmah abhu tas ’ need to be d ef t ly resourcedto avoid o veruse of ene rgy.

Certain design vocabulary cannot b e conveyed at

an intellectual level, it should emerge from the intuitive

zone o f consciousne ss. Because of increased p ace o f life,

over populat ion, overal l public apathy, etc. , our

physical as well as emo tional spa ce is being encroached

up on, crea ting num bn ess in ou r sensitivity. The b uilding

we d esign nee ds to act as an oa sis which can rejuvenate

and regenerate. Only when the archi tectural space

designed by us gets a nod in the inner deep emotive

space of the person using i t , only then the dialogue

between him/her and the bui ld ing s tarts , creat ing a

deep sense of sat iat ion. The process s tarts when we

expend the b rief given b y the client a nd convert it into

value based d eep ly impregna ted spaces which will ad d

life and spirit. Let our designs answer these invisible

aspects creating a n a rchitecture of b elonging, hon esty,

simplicity and spontaneity.

Photo courtesy: A+ D archives

Pramod Beri is the chairman of Beri Archi tects and

Engineers Pvt Ltd , a Pune-ba sed fi rm.

University of Minne sota Science Teaching & Stude nt Service Cent er,

Minneapolis, MN



Institutiona l De signInstitution al Design




Inter-connected Spaces

Project: Polymer Science & Engineering Laboratory, Pune, Maharashtra

Architects: Beri Architects & Engin ee rs Pvt Ltd , Kolha p ur

The word ‘polymer’ in chemistry recal ls to our mind,

polygonal shap es with m ain/sub-linkages. Seeking th e

inspirat ion from this , a bui ld ing form akin to the

e lemen t ‘Benzene’ was exp lo red and used as a fo rmat ives ta temen t . The cen t ra l cou r tyard wi th an ‘a tom’ re la ted

sculptu re conne cts with the variou s lab orato ries while service

areas betw een the labo ratories act as sub-l inkages .

Creat ion of l inked yet sepa rate labo ratory wings has man y

functional ad vantage s — p ossibility of inter conne ctivity from

both oute r an d inne r corrido rs ; it is service-friend ly; has rear

access to each laboratory via an outer r ing road; there arelaboratory-wise separa te ene rgy controls for opt imum usage;

fire protection friendly; plenty of light and cross ventilation

is achieved through courtyard; and creat ion of microcl im ate




SITE PLANN



1. ENTRANCE LOBBY

2.ATRIUM

3. MEETING ROOMS

4. TOILETS

5. LECTURE HALL

6. CONFERENCE ROOM

7. CANTEEN

8. SCIENTISTS’ ROOMS

9. STUDENTS’ ROOMS

10. LABORATORIES

11. SERVICE ROOMS

12. LANDSCAPED COURTYARD

1. ATRIUM

2. HOD CABIN

3. OFFICE

4. TOILETS

5. SERVICE ROOM

6. SCIENTISTS’ ROOM

7. MULTIMEDIA ROOM

1. SCIENTISTS’ ROOMS

2. STUDENTS’ ROOMS

3. LABORATORIES

4. COURTYARDS

5. TOILETS

6. SERVICE ROOMS

7. FLOATING CORRIDOR

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

TYPICAL PLAN – LABORATORY WING

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

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FactFile

Client: National Chem ical Laboratory, Pune

Design team: Pramod Beri (Job Captain), Ar Moh an Bhasme, Er Hindurao Patil

Consultants: Upend ra Deu skar, M/s Anan d Electricals (Electrical), S C Garge, Ishaan

(Fire Hyd rant Consultant), Shri Shridhar Sanglikar, Apur va Service Consultants

(PHE /HVAC), Mahesh Nampurkar, Dream Presidency (Landscape Design),

Sanjay Newaskar (Interior Designer), N M Deodhar Consulting Engineers

Contractor: Engineering Projects India Ltd

Built-up area: 6200sq m

Cost of project: Rs 15 crore

Year of co mplet ion: 2 0 0 9

SECTION




by ‘green’ sheltered spaces between the laborato ries.

The building creates ade quate opp ortunities for chance

meetings betwe en th e scientists at every juncture of external

and internal corridors. Hexagonal form fosters closer bondsamong various research groups. Each laboratory is unique,

hence creates a sense of identity. Senior scientists have

privacy as well as proximity to their labs.

The ‘feelings’ part of architecture, which is invisible, also

receives equal impo rtance in th e spatio-formal context. The

building compliments and acknowledges the existence of

various buildings on the existing campus, especially the main

building, while proposing radical insertion of a new theme.

The result is a d ynamically vibrant spatial stateme nt, with its

own distinct identity.

ELEVATION




The administrative wing is partially separated with

controlled access to the research laboratory section. The

administrative section also has provision of an exhibition

room, a 1 00-seater auditorium and a canteen. The site slopes

gradually in east-west direction. As a result, the wings adapt

to the existing levels. The central ‘green’ space with a

sculptural statement is enhanced by stair-towers cladded with

reflective glass. The multiple reflection of the central

courtyard is a delight to experience.




Institution al Design

Three-Winged SwastikProject: Emergency Management & Research Institute (EMRI), Ahmedabad

Architects: Studio Eethetics, Ahmedab ad

The architectural solution for the EMRI stemmed from

the thought that preconditioned the simultaneous

involution of excelling in functionality, e nvironm enta l

concern/aesthetic values and depicting fresh approach with

reference to context.

The client’s complex brief, the location challenges (busy,

noisy traffic junction), scorching heat and symbolic iconic

value, time constrain (75,000sq ft state-of-the-art

type/completion time with interiors in 10 months), required

the architect to come up with an innovative design.




1. ENTRANCE FOYER

2. RECEPTION AND WAITING AREA

3. CLASS ROOM

4. STAFF ROOM

5. CONFERENCE ROOM

6.CABIN

7. ELECTRIC ROOM

8. STORE ROOM

9. LOCKER ROOM

10. TELEPHONE

11. CAFETERIA

12. TOILET

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

1. IT ROOM

2. ASSEMBLY HALL

3. CAFETERIA & RECREATIONAL

4. EXECUTIVE DINING

5. CONFERENCE ROOM

6. STORE ROOM

7. ELECTRIC ROOM

8. CABIN

9. CHILLING PLANT

10. TOILET

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

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The architecture was required to be right rather than good.

The d esign de rivation was integral and simultaneo us.

The EMRI got sub divided und er basic three types (nature)

of activity– administration, call centre and training centre

(educative), all of three required to be inter-connected and

interactive. This resulted in a simple triangular placement of

three blocks with a central cylinder, reception/foyer, commonly

allowing entry to all blocks.

The institute conceived to rend er service to man kind, being

dynamic in nature, it was responsible for the ‘three winged

swastik’ plan formation. The protective (sound/heat/visual

barrier) crescent-like service wing, placed in a pin wheel

shaped-position, balances and lands it a self contained/self

content equilibrium requ ired, resulting in a circle.

To be ab le to answer fastness, finesse and econo mic

execution p art, the architect followed a very simple th ought

common product module (flooring 2x2, shuttering 2x4) to

govern the plan– elevation making, resulting in floor lines,

and following up the exposed concrete walls. The curvilinear

wall shuttering was appropriated by wooden pattern. In

addition this helped to reduce the wastage.




These rat ional thoughts had al lowed the outcome to be

what ‘ i t wanted to be’ (unprecedented) as against

prejudiced, preconceived, predetermined biases, employed

as temp tations to make someth ing, rather tha n allowing it to

become a b ui lt form.

FactFile

Client: Govt of Gujara t

Design team: Team Studio Eethe tics

Consultants: Jhaveri Associate (MEP), Amee Associate (Structure)

Contractors: Shanti Constructions

Built-up area: 75000sq f t

Cost of project: Rs 14.5 crore

Year of com plet ion: 2010

SECTIONS

ELEVATION



Institutiona l De sign

Subte rranean School

Project: Professional School Hanna Arendt, Bolzano, Italy

Architects: Cleaa Claudio Lucchin & architetti associate, Bolzano, Italy


Hanna Arendt School in Bolzano is the first

und erground school in Italy. Designed as the extension

of the professional existing school, it highlights the

unexpected potentialities of the underground architecture,

challenging the limits of the sustainability culture thought so

far, as well as the contemporary design in historic centres.

The idea of no t altering the ancient architectural context of

the Capuchin friars convent – protected by the national

heritage association – but the need for new spaces and

classrooms, gave the architect the opportunity to create a

‘subterranean school appendix’: four levels excavated 17m

underground in which nine classrooms, six workshops, a winter

garden and a utility room were placed. The challenge led the

architects to solve consequ ent problems not o nly as structural,

but particularly environmental issues.

The connection between the old building and the n ew one

takes form o f an extension to the existing corridor located a t

the first floor. Lit through large glasses, and enclosed by a

wall acting as a scenic backdrop, this extension features as

the o nly new architectonic element visible above th e ground .

The four underground floors were built after an initial

stabilisation of the area with micro poles and a reinforced



ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN Octo be r 2 014 89




1. MAIN ENTRANCE

2. SERVICE ENTRANCE

3. SKYLIGHT

4. GARDENGROUND FLOOR PLAN

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ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN Octo be r 2 014 9 1

concrete structure. The rooms were distributed around the

central void; starting from the top, the first two floors host

classrooms; the third floor hosts the workshops and the last

one is a utility room .

The lighting design was one of the main topics of theintervention: constant use of glazed surfaces in the large

skylights and glass walls of the rooms lets natural light

penetrate through all the internal spaces, allowing a special,

continuous visual connection with the outside. Therefore, the

atrium garden, the small winter garden and a series of skylights

and solar chimneys give more light and air to the whole

building. The artificial lighting is controlled by neon sensors

varying temperature based on the time of the day and the

weather conditions outside.

1. CLASSROOM

1. CLASSROOM

2. LAB

1. LAB

2. INDOOR COURT

3. WINTER GARDEN

PLAN AT LEVEL -1

PLAN AT LEVEL -2

PLAN AT LEVEL -3

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Hum idi ty has be en rem oved insert ing in the wa l ls severallayers consis t ing of insulat ion, sheathing and plas ter spray

that a lso p rovide s protect ion agains t ingress of rado n gas ; to

recal l the excavat ion, the wal ls have an i rregular surface.

Vent i la t ion is guarante ed by p rogram m ed recycl ing of the a i r

regulated by a mechanical sys tem through cei l ing diffusers

or gri lles integrated into the bu i lt - in wa rdrobe s .

Due to the glass walls, many viewpoints allow to perceive

the bui lding in al l i t s depth. The central court and the ful l -

height voids play with the materiality of the exposed concrete

walls. The connection elements, such as the big yellow staircase

FactFileClient: Province of Bolzano

Design team: Claudio Lucchin/Cleaa

Contractor: ZH General Construction Company AG (Group leader);

Gaetano Paolin Spa, Gufler Bau Gmbh (Mandators)

Consultants: Herbert Mayer (Structure), Ing Marina Bolzan

(Mecha nical Plants), Ing Reinhard Thaler (Electrical Plants),

Arch Robe rto D’Amb rogio (Safety Coordinator)

Area: 2030sq m

Cost of project: 6 .420 .000 eu ro

Year of com plet ion: 2 0 1 2



ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN Octo be r 2 014 9 5

and the walkways punctuate the whole space; alongside the

paths, numerous niches have been created as small private

rooms for studying.

Particular attention has been focused on th e critical factors

of und erground a rchitecture — natural light, space feeling and

humidity. The architectural choices have been a consequence of

the importance given to natural light. The result is a play of

solids and voids, where light permea tes throughout the d igging

through horizontal skylights and vertical windows that overlook

inner and outer shafts. The classrooms, labs and common areas

have always one or more natural light sources making the

building similar to a building above the ground.

The a rtificial lighting is controlled b y sensors that regulate

it according to natural light coming from the outside to

promote energy saving. In addition, the use of lights

changing temperature dep ending on the time of the day has

been included to get closer to the real conditions of the

external environment.

The intention was to create a space in which the user can’t

run the risk of being in narrow or claustrophobic. The idea

was to give the building a large visual permeability:

classrooms have one or more sides fully glazed in order to

promote the perception of a wide space. Many glimpses

reveal to the user the building in all its depth.

The main court forms an underground urban square. The

large skylight above the court makes the sky visible from the

square and the classroom. The visual connection with the

outside world is found also in other places through smaller

skylights offering impressive views.

A mechan ical ventilation system he lps mainta ining healthy

air in various environments, guaranteeing a constant

replacement four times an ho ur. Because of the need to cool

it even d uring the winter, th e classroom s are air-cond itioned

with an implant, which also ensures the necessary air

exchange and the control of radon concentration.

The system is organised in zones equipped with post-

heating batteries; there is the independent regulation of the

individual environments. The air is pre-treated in an air

hand ling un it equipp ed with built-in refrigerator for cooling

in the mid-season and during the summer.

Photo credit: Alessandra Chemollo

SECTION

ELEVATION




I n t e r a c t i o n

SEARCH FOR

SUBSTANCE

TH E RO LE O FC RITIC IS MArchitecture+Design feels proud to onceagain have had the opportunity to bringacross to our readers the diversity andrationality of the thoughts of notedarchitectural historian and critic,

William J R Curtis.

On behalf of the magazine, architecturalcritic Rajnish Wattas interacted withWilliam J R Curtis —

we carry a few extracts...

Timele ss but o f i t s t ime ; ray o f l ight in the Orato ry of the Mo naste ry of La Touret te , Le Corbusier, 19 54 -8

P h o t o c r e d i t : W i l l i a m J R C u r t i s ,

2 0 0 9



Rajnish Wattas (RW): You a re known as a h istor ian an d

cr it ic, bu t you a re also a photo graphe r and a n ar t i st .

When n avigat ing through the a rch itecture of the recent

past you insist up on th e centra l ity of the a rch itectural work

itself as the true subject of crit icism as against the theoretical

rat ional isat ions which are of ten deployed as promot ionalrhetor ic by arch i tects or thei r suppo rters . Are you a b le to

sketch a cr it ical m ap of recent a rch itecture including som e o f

t h e p rev a l en t t h em es?

William J R Curtis: First o f al l le t me say someth ing abou t

crit icism itself. The w ord ‘crit icism ’ come s from a Gree k wo rd

signify ing the sep arat ion of the goo d w hea t f rom the b ad . I t is

abo ut iden t i fy ing q ual i ty and reject ing the lack of it . In m y

opinion there are no recipes for crit icism. Architecture is a

co m p lex p h en o m e n o n wh ich t o u ch es p eo p le o n m an y

differen t levels . Bui ld ings ma y fuse togethe r ideas a nd forms,

images an d m ater ials, funct ion a nd s t ructure, social myths and

poetic spaces. They occupy time in complex ways, crystall izing

a present , t ransforming d iverse pasts , an t icipat ing unknown

futures . Architecture i s concerne d w i th pow er b ut i s never a

direct expression of an ideology: i t is an idealization of social

and polit ical processes and of insti tutions. Architecture is

rooted in society b ut p ossesses a real ity of i t s own.

As a h istor ian an d cr i t ic I am in terested in pen et rat ing to

the an atom y of in ten t ions wi th in a work , the s t ructures of

though t , and th e wa ys in wh ich the a rch itect t ranslates

mu l t ip le real i t ies th rough th e langua ge of arch i tecture. What

archi tects create i s more imp ortan t tha n wh at they say , and Iinsist up on the d i rect exper ience of b u i ld ings them selves.

Works of real in terest t ranscend mo veme nts and ‘isms’ and

possess a un ique o rder of thei r own . The cr i t ic must rem ain

ope n to f resh innovat ions, whi le retain ing a sense o f h istory

and of what i s fundam enta l in the ar t o f arch i tecture – a v ision

of what coun ts in the long term . I am in terested in qual i t ies

which carry wel l beyond t ransien t fash ions. There i s no th ing

more provincial than the present .

One n eed s to exper ience bu i ld ings fi rs t hand on th ei r si tes,

wi th peo ple in and a round th em , wi th unfo ld ing vistas , wi th

ma ter ials , textures and d etai l s und er changing l igh t . One ne ed s

to grasp the gene ral ide as and to sense the in ternal conf licts of

the d esign . There is no subst itu te for the de ep rea ding of a

work . I t is especial ly impo rtan t to do th is at a t ime of spur ious

theor is ing w hich asphyxiates arch i tecture wi th clouds o f

ja rg o n . It is cru cia l ju st n o w to d e b a te th e p a st , p re se n t a n d

fu ture of arch i tecture, to open the doors to younger

genera t ions who are o f ten kep t ou t of the account . I t is always

good to be surp r ised by f resh new idea s, as long as they are

substan t ial and no t just market ing t r icks in the m edia gam e of

fash ion and promot ion . The cr i t ic needs to approach recent

work undogmatically, to let the architecture speak for i tself.

RW : Can you discern any single big idea or ‘style’ that is

prope l ling arch i tecture the world over tod ay?

WJRC: There is no single key to contem po rary architecture just

as there is no shortcut to unde rstanding the recent p ast. This has

been a confused and pluralist period covering a very wide rangeof produ ction in an e ver wider field o f globa l practice. At one

extreme are the mu ch d iscussed ‘iconic’ buildings, often linked

up with real estate capitalism, cultural marketing and th e

bran ding of cit ies in the netw orks of investmen t and tourism. At

the other are works of such immense subtlety and topographical

sensitivity that the y almost disapp ear a lthough the y touch all of

the senses and reveal something about the spirit and history of

p laces. You ha ve only to s top for a mo me nt and compare the

Dubai phenomenon on one side with a lone wolf figure l ike

Peter Zumthor on the o ther to see wha t I mean. In these

circumstances one cannot speak abo ut a d ominant tend ency or

ab out an y obvious cano n. The crit ic has to b e on th e alert for


Colum n of l ight: the Church of t he Jacobins , Toulo use , 1 4t h centu ry


2 0 0 4



interesting or a wful work in ma ny shap es and sizes. As usual

qua lity transcend s style.

Whi le the arch i tectu ral p roduct ion of recen t yea rs has

suffered f rom arch i tectu ral excesses and f rom a th ought less

process o f f ran t ic u rban isat ion (especially in China and the

pet ro leum states) it has also been a pe r iod r ich in new creat ive

d i rect ions an d i t wi l l take som e t ime to d iscern the overal lshape . Just th ink of the vast range in the las t few yea rs a l l the

way f rom the spat ia l gymn ast ics o f the Guangzhou Ope ra

House in China by Zaha Hadid to the res t rained and

und ers tated Fo lkwang Mu seum by David Chipperf ield , to the

r ich spat ia l qua l it ies o f the Fund acao Ibere Cama rgo in Por to

Alegre b y Alvaro Siza, to the coo l res t rain t o f the Ne w M edia

Lab at M IT by Fumih iko M aki . Are an y of these works

‘m asterp ieces’? No, b u t they do bea r wi tness to the d i fferen t

express ive ter r i to r ies that are being opened up . Moreover each

h as a d i ff e ren t p ed i g ree an d o r ien t a t i o n t o t h e p as t .

RW: So an y at tem pt to spe ak of a ‘sty le o f the t imes’ o r a

pr ivi leged theo ret ical posi t ion i s doom ed f rom the s tar t? Does

that m ean that th is is an era o f s tar arch itects and ind iv idua l

landm ark pro jects wi thout a ny do m inat ing ‘i sm ’?

WJRC: When a t temp t ing to d raw a cri tical map of recen t

architecture there are possibly two extremes to be avoided. One

says that an ything goes; the oth er tries to claim a dom inant

discourse for a pa rticular schoo l of though t. The first app roach

em braces a to tal pluralism. It im plies that e verything is abou t

equal and that we are floating on the surface with trend

following trend like changes of clothes. This position often hidesbeh ind the star system b y reducing architecture to l ists of fam ous

nam es an d p rizes. It is the vanity fair of architecture.

The second approach res ts upon the bel ief that each per iod

has i t s dom inan t fo rma l express ion . In th is mod el an

individual or group elects i tself as the exclusive owner of the

h isto r ical p rocess . Toda y some t ry to p rom ote ‘para m etr ici sm ’

as the ‘architecture of the t imes’ as ‘a new global style’. But

thei r argum ent i s s im ply rhetor ical especial ly in a p er iod w hen

t h e re a r e so m an y d i f fe r en t ap p ro ach es. M o reo v er n o t wo

p eo p l e can ag ree o n t h e m ean i n g o f t h e t e rm ‘p a ram et r ic ’. I s

i t refer r ing to a m ethod or a s ty le? If it i s a m ethod there i s no

reaso n a t a l l th a t t h e fo rms sh o u l d en d u p w it h co mp l ex

geom etry . If it i s a s tyle there a re m any w ays o f ach iev ing

comp lex geom etry wi thout an y s ing le me thod . The l inks in th is

ideo log ical f ic t ion are ra ther loose. Anyway the real qu est ion

for the cri t ic is this: do the results succeed as architecture?

RW: So cr it ical judge m ents m ust be b ased o n bu i lt

arch i tectu ral resu lt s , no t on t ransien t images o r fancy sounding

theoret ical agendas?

WJRC: Archi tectu re spea ks it s own langua ge an d tha t i s wha t

we have to react to . I t i s no t th e funct ion of cr it ici sm to t ry to

ram individual buildings into simplist ic stylist ic or theoretical

categor ies . One needs to d is t ingu ish between mediocre and

quality results. Putt ing i t simply: there are complex curves,

fo lds and i r regu lar geometr ies which mean someth ing and

which ad d to the s tock of au the n t ic arch i tectu ral inven t ions;

and there are o thers ( too many in fact ! ) that are meaning lessand arb i t rary, that are ug ly to look at , h el l to live in a nd

de st ruct ive o f thei r set t ing whethe r in landscape or c i ty. Ma ny

of the bu i ld ings that f ly the f lag o f ‘geom etr ical com plex ity ’

are in fact ra ther s imple minded and have no s tay ing power .

One h as to keep com ing back to the rea lm of speci fical ly

arch i tectu ral ideas an d to bu i ld ings in rea l space no t jus t to

seduct ive ima ges on a com pute r screen in v ir tual spa ce.

Mathemat ical t r icks on the computer are no subst i tu te fo r

substan t ial arch i tectu ral th ink ing , a r igorous a rch itectu ral

l an g u ag e an d a cu lt u r e t o b ack t h em u p . I s t h e re an y o n e

aro u n d t o d a y wh o can e q u a l t h e scu lp t u ra l p o wer an d


Mode rn te chnology, abstraction a nd de mate rialisation: the St Louis

Arch by Eero Saarinen, 19 49 -60


1 9 8 3




symbol ic resonance of the shel l s of Sydney Opera House? Or

who can m a t ch t he haun t ing p r e sence , mul t ip l e mea n i ngs,

spat ia l and geometr ical sophis t icat ion of the curved funnel of

the Assem bly bu i lding in Chand igarh? In the se cases the cur ves

a r e em bed ded i n t he deep o r de r o f t he bu il d ing i ts e lf and i n

the m ythical st ructure of th e a rchitect ’s creat ive u niverse .

There i s a huge di f ference between an abst ract ion which dis t i l sexpe r ience and con t en t , and one w hi ch end s up w it h me r e

shape making for the sake of shape making. The la t ter resul t s

in empty ges tures : a vapid formal i sm.

RW: In som e recen t l it era ture techno logical myst i ficat ion i s

over la id wi th smo kescreen s of theoret ical jargon.

WJRC: Yes certainly. Nee de d is an un do gma tic ap proach

considering how buildings may contribute something substantial

to their place while also add ing to the gen eral culture of

architecture. Architecture spea ks to u s directly throu gh space,

form, material , image, detail and touches us on many levels

m enta lly an d ph ysically. That is why i t is so imp ortant to b ase

ju d ge m en ts o n th e ex p e rie n ce o f w o rks th em se lve s an d to gr a sp

the structures of inten tion beh ind them . Interesting works of

architecture do no t reduce them selves to ‘posit ions’ or to

theo retical slogans. They a re no t there to fulfil academ ic agen da s.

Many works that are proposed as radical innovations fade away

because they are transient, without formal presence or underlying

conten t. One m ust ma intain the long historical view.

The ete rnal presence of great architecture: Saqqara, Egypt, 3 rd

millennium BC


1 9 8 9

William J R Curtis

(1948) is a historian,

crit ic, p ainter a nd

pho tographer . He s tudied

at the Courtauld Insti tute,

Lond on an d Harvard

Universi ty and has taught

at many universi t ies

including Harvard a nd the

Architectu ral Association .

In 20 03 -4, he was Slade

Professor of Fine Art at

the Universi ty of

Cambridge. Among his best known books are the classics

Mod ern Architecture S ince 1 90 0 (Phaidon, 3rd edi t ion,

19 96 ) and Le Corbusier : Idea s and Forms (Phaidon, 19 86 )

(both translated into numerous languages); also Balkrishna

Doshi: an Architecture for India (Ma pin, Rizzoli, 19 88 ) and

Denys Lasdu n: Architecture, City, Lan dscape (Phaidon ,

19 94 ) . Cur t is has wr it ten over a d ozen othe r boo ks as wel l

as texts on Indian a rchi tecture , ancient a nd m ode rn,

including introductions to monographs on Raj Rewal

(198 6) an d Anant Raje Archi tect (201 2) .

Curtis often si ts on juries, and has o rganised exhibit ions on

subjects as d iverse a s Australian Aborigina l spear-throwe rs

and the sketchbooks of Le Corbusier (shown at Harvard,

NY, Ahmed abad and Chand igarh) . He cont r ibutes

regularly to critical journals, such as the Architectural

Review a nd El Croqu is (with n um be rs on Alvaro Siza,

Rafael M on eo, Tad ao Ando, Miralles/Pino s, RCR

Arquitectes etc). Curtis exhibits and pu blishe s his own

paintings (Mental Landscapes, Circulo, Madrid, 2002) and

ph otogra ph s (Structures of Light, Alvar Aalto Mu seum ,

20 07 ). Am on g his nu m erous aw ards: the CICA Critic's

Award (1985), a National Honors Society Gold Medal in

Architecture an d Allied Arts, USA (19 99 ) and a M ed al of

the M useum of Finnish Architecture (20 06 ). Curtis is

currently prepa ring an exhibit of his own wo rk ‘Abstraction

and Light ’ for the Alham bra, Granad a (201 5) and ano ther

of his pho tograp hs of Le Corbu sier ’s architecture for the

CMAV, Tou louse (20 15 ).

William J R Curtis



RW: So the best works of a period transcend the p assingagend as of that period? Isn’t that parad oxical?

WJRC: This has been true throughout history. Profound works fit

into time in complex ways. I think of this in terms of three

wavelength s. First, th e b uilding ad dresses issues of its time .

Second, it extends a tradition, in this case the tradition of modern

architecture which is anything but monolithic. Third, it may rely

upo n long and slow wave m otion in the history of forms, even

enga ging with issues basic to the me dium of architecture itself. It

is the level of the longue durée , which can take us back over

centuries or engage with certain archetypal situations.

RW: Does this mean that one should ab andon any hope

of discerning comm on ground shared b y architects of the

recent past?

WJRC: There may not be any single dominant trend in recent

architecture but th ere are some shared territories of

investigation. There are p roblems tha t are ‘in the air’ partly

because society and the cond ition o f the world require that they

be solved, partly because the discipline of architecture itself is

searching for generic solution s. Take for examp le the q uestion o f

the natural and its relation to the artificial. This has led to a richrange o f work emb racing b oth a rchitecture an d th e larger scale

of landscape architecture. Take the que stion of ornam ent. This

has led to grotesque d ecoration in som e cases, formal

enrichment in oth ers.

RW: Architecture the world over is becoming the same. Wha t

hap pen ed to regional iden tities? Will the loss of vernacular and

traditional styles not impoverish culture?

WJRC: With rap id mo dernisation and urban isation there is a loss

of contact with the rural base, an d e ven this base is being

uproote d by fluctuations o f globalized m arkets in a gricultural

produ ce. But there is no going back. The conte mp orary architect

seeking ‘identity’ (always a nebulous notion) is obliged to

reinvent local traditions, usually through a screen o f national or

regional myths of ‘continuity’ or ‘roots’. He or she is also part of

the international culture whether h e likes it or not. In the present

interconnected world one can no longer speak of centres and

peripheries. ‘Centres’ happen to be wherever there are potent

buildings. Neither simplistic narrative of ‘globalization’ nor

reductivist notions of ‘regionalism’ can explain the complexity of

the present.


The refinement of a type over the centuries; a lota in an Indian village

P h o t o c r e d i t : W i l l i a m J R C u r t i s , 1

9 8 8

A sublime sense of order; the Partheno n, Athens, 5 th century BC

P h o t o c r e d i t : W i l l i a m J R C u r t i s , 1

9 7 7




Influen ces jum p from p lace to place in a series of

transforma tions a cross frontiers.

Actually it has be en l ike this for a long t im e. In the 1 94 0s,

Aalto reformulated the Finnish landscape through the lens of

Greek ruins and the Mediterranean world. Siza rediscovered the

southern European patio by bouncing off Aalto’s Nordic

interpretation s of courtyard s. Balkrishna Do shi, when ad dressingissues of ‘Indian identity’ in ‘Sangath ’ thi rty years ago, drew

upon inspirations as varied as Buddhist chaitya halls, mud

vernacular buildings, southern Indian temple spaces, Le

Corbusier’s vaulted proto types an d Frank Lloyd Wright. And so i t

goes on. You need to go som ewhe re e l se in order to d iscover

where you are .

RW : You som et i mes r e fe r t o t he no t i on o f a d ynam i c mo der n

t radi t ion in which cent ra l pr inciples are extended

and t r ans f o r med .

WJRC: Yes the re are con stan t ‘re’read ings’ of ba sic spa tial

concep ts of ear ly mod ernism such as Le Corbu sier ’s free p lan

and his ear l ier Dom-ino skele ton. The Dom-ino crops up a l l

ove r t he p l ace i n t he w or k o f Rem Kool haas and Dut ch wo r k

bu t in Jap an ese archi tecture too: Toyo I to’s Send ai

Med i a t heque ( 19 98 ) was bo t h a t r ans fo r ma t ion and a c ri ti que

of the skele ton pr inciple . As for the Corbusian ‘ free p lan’,

eve r y gene r a t i on com es back t o i t , t h ink o f N i eme yer f o r

examp l e , who t r ans f o rm ed it i n r e spo nse t o t he s ensua li ty o f

the Brazil ian t rop ical land scape. In the recen t pa s t the concep t

has be en t r ans f o r med ye t aga i n i n t he d e l ica t e s ti lt s and ope n

latera l sp aces o f SANAA’s bu ildin gs (which a lso echot radi t ional Japanese f rame archi tecture) .

RW : With rap id urb anisat ion in em erging Asian cou nt r ies like

India an d China, increas ingly the t ren d i s to go ver t ical–

comp e t i ng w it h Ma nha t t an and Chi cago sky lines– how do you

view this ‘skyscraper worship’?

WJRC: A l ot o f t h i s has t o do w i t h land specu la t ion a nd t he

am assing o f interna t ional capi ta l . Socia l con cerns such as

pub l ic space a r e l ow o n t he agend a . The b as ic pa t t e r ns o f the

skyscrape r as a type a re repe ated lazi ly across the b oa rd: a

skele ton , core o f ver t ical c ircula t ion a l l wrap pe d in a

de corat ive and envi ronm en tal ly inef ficient skin. Usual ly there

is some at tempt a t making an ‘ image’ , of ten car icatural . The

resul t is a species of urba n an archy wi th the m aking of an

en vironm enta l di sas ter.

In 1 99 2 , I was i n S hangha i a s pa r t o f a de l ega t ion inv it ed

by t he Mayor i n o r de r t o r e fl ect upo n t he p r opo sa ls fo r

Shan gha i Pudo ng whe r e hund r eds o f tower s wer e env i saged .

Af ter three days I s tood up and asked; what was a cul ture

5 ,00 0 yea r s o ld d o i ng imi t a t ing a l l the e r ro r s we have m ade i n

t he W es t ? Many wer e shocked bu t a f o r mer h i gh r ank ing

The intensi f ication of perception: ja li s c re e n , th e M o s q u e , Fa te h p u r

Sikri , 16 th ce ntury

P h o t o c r e d i t : W

i l l i a m J R C u r t i s ,

1 9 8 4

M e d i ta t i on an d th e s e n s e o f i n f in i ty: Ze n ' d r y s e a ' gar d e n , K yoto ,

15 th c e n tu r y


1 9 9 7



per son cam e t o m e an d sa i d ‘ Mr Cur t is , Ch i na shou l d r ega r d

you a s a r ea l fr iend a s you a r e t he o n l y pe r son t o t e l l t he

t ruth’ . There are som e ef for t s a t reformulat ing the ta l l bu i lding

t o m ake i t re spond be t t e r t o c li ma t e . I t h ink f o r examp l e o f t he

t ower d es igned by C ar me P inos n ea r Guada l a j a r a , Mexico ,

which opens up a concrete core for the s iphoning of a i r ,

a t t aches a s t ee l s tr uc tu r e , t hen han d l e s t he f açades a sad j us t ab le wo ode n sc reens .

RW: To recap i tula te : you re ject any m on ol ithic descr ipt ion of

the recen t pas t . You ins i st upo n the im po r tance of individu al

works . You sugge st som e com m uni t ies of concern. But wha t

abo u t t he ove r a ll shap e o f r ecen t h is t o r y?

WJRC: Rou ghly twenty f ive yea rs ago I pub l ished a p iece wi th

the t i t le ‘Con tem po rary Transforma t ions of Mod ern

Archi tecture’ which compared the s i tuat ion to a del ta wi th

several s t reams. In cont ras t to post modernism, I suggested

that there were more l ines of cont inui ty than was usual ly

admi t ted. In the 3rd edi t ion of Modern Archi tecture s ince

19 00 ( 199 6) I deve lope d t he app r oach st il l f u r the r i n chap t e r s

dea li ng w it h t he 1 98 0s and ea r l y 19 90 s , in e f fec t d r awi ng up

a c ri ti ca l ma p o f t he t i me . I n con t r a s t t o f a sh i ons t hen cur r en t ,

I suggest ed t ha t t he t r u l y sem i na l wor ks o f t he t ime wer e

bu i ldings such as the Koshino H ou se by Tad ao And o, the

Sangath s tudio in Ahmedabad by Balkr i shna Doshi , the

Presiden t ia l Guest House in Car tagena d e Indias , Colom bia , by

Rogel io Salm on a, o r the Spil ler H ouse by Frank Gehry. All are

uncategor i sable , a l l r i ch in meaning.

RW: So h ow do you cha r ac t e r is e con t emp or a r y s it ua t i on? Can

one speak of coherent nat ional cul tures of archi tecture?

WJRC: Tod ay the s itua t ion i s a b i t more l ike an archipelago a t

t he m out h o f an e s t ua r y bu t on e s t il l nee ds t o s ides t ep t h e

me r e ly f a sh i onab l e and f ocus upon bu i ld i ngs t ha t r ea l ly

crys ta ll ize the s i tuat ion . The re are m an y di f feren t ‘cul tures of

a r ch it ec t u r e ’ and whi l e t hey may ow e som et h i ng t o na t i ona l

cu lt u r e s , i t do es no t m ake mu ch sense t o box t hem i n t ha t

way. Take the ca se of Jap an w hich for several genera t ions has

bee n i nvo l ved w i t h c ros s b r eed i ng i deas f rom i n t e r na t iona l

mo der n a r ch it ec t u r e w i t h i n t e r na l read i ngs o f d i ff e ren t ph ases

of Japanese t radi t ion. Archi tect s of the generat ion of Kengo

Kuma and SANAA are keeping thi s process going but in new

ways. But i t makes no sense to refer to ‘Japanese’ archi tecture

as a di s t inct e nt i ty.

Or t ake t he case o f Ir e land whe r e wor k o f h i gh q ua l it y has

bee n p r oduced by seve r a l fi rm s such a s Tuom ey and

O’Don ne l l or Graf ton Archi tect s (She l ley M cNam ara a nd

Yvonn e Farre l l) . Som e cla im th at o ne can reco gnise an ‘ Ir i sh

con t em po r a r y bu i ld i ng t h r ough i ts r igour o f cons t ruc t ion and

i t s Kah nian e choe s , but th i s i s too vague . Graf ton’s Boccon i

Univers ity Bui lding (20 05 ) in M i lan i s surely one o f the

outs tanding works of the t imes wi th i t s bold s t ructure , i t s

sub t l e ye t m onu m ent a l p r e sence i n t he c it yscape . Unl ike

m any o f t he ir con t em po r a r ie s , Gr a f t on r ead t h e con t ex t o f t he

ci ty - again a case of recent work of qual i ty that does not f i t

t he f a sh i onab l e d i scour ses.

Or t ake t he case o f Fi n land . A younger gene r a t i on i s

em er g ing t ha t i s op en t o r ecen t d eve l opm ent s in t e r na t i ona l ly

but a t tempts to mainta in a cr i t i ca l di s tance f rom fas t t rack

g l oba l ized i ma ge p r oduc t ion . The r e a r e subs t r uct u r e s t o d o

wi t h l andscape , l igh t , m a t e r i a li ty, f r agme nt a t i on , n a t u r e , e t c ,

whi ch a r e i nhe r it ed a l mos t un consci ous ly f rom ea r l ie r

gene r a t i ons go i ng back t o Aa l t o and b eyond . Does t h is mean

tha t the re i s a spe cif ical ly F inn ish a rchi tecture? Rather th ere

may be a speci f ical ly F innish way of occupying the space of

interna t ional mo de rn archi tecture . Yea rs ago th e Mexican

pa inter Ruf ino Tam ayo suggested tha t ‘Art i s un iversal , the

accent i s local ’ . I qui te l ike th i s form ulat ion.

RW: You h ave be en involved wi th Me xican archi tecture ,

October 2014 ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN1 0 4

Reve lation throug h re flec tion : wa ter in the M adrasa of Be n Yousse f ,

Marrakech, 15th century


1 9 8 1



signs of a cr it ical react ion in a country whe re cr i t ic ism is no t

much to lerated . Desperately needed is a cr i t ical and ref lect ive

cul ture of arch i tecture which among o ther th ings could

engage wi th the problem of t ransforming spat ial , social and

cl imat ic lessons f rom the past . Those who have seen the

Nin g b o Hi s to ry Mu seu m (2 0 0 8 ) b y Wan g Sh u c l a im th a t t h i s

bui ld ing invest igates just such i ssues, b u t I ha ve no t seen i t , so

rese rve j u d g em e n t .

RW: It is evident that your ‘crit ical map’ takes into account a

vast var iety of recent arch i tecture around the w orld includ ing

bui ld ings that d o n o t f it an y obvious category .

WJRC: Take France w he re I l ive. This is organ ized on a

cent ral ized Jacobin mod el which is ref lected in the pow er and

fashion structure of the architectural profession which is very

concentrated on Par is. But som e of the f inest recent wo rk is

be ing produced e lsewh ere, no ta b ly in p laces l ike Bordea ux ,

Toulouse o r Nice. I have also de veloped a ‘d ialogue’ wi th

d i f feren t reg ions of Spain over the years . There a re m any l ines

of cont inu i ty. The be st Span ish w ork respond s to p lace,

topography , t rad i t ion and cl imate wi thout b randish ing the

slogans of ‘sustainable architecture’.

RW: You se em to ha ve severa l styles of crit icism ra nging from

cool ana lyses to qu i te p o lemical tex ts , such as your at tacks on

the excesses of the s tar system .

WJRC: Th e t o n e a n d m eth o d ch an g e t o so m e d eg ree acco rd in g

to the subject . There i s a po lemical ‘mo de’ , the a t tack on

th ings that seem wrong, false or corrupt . Here the medium is

of ten the d ai ly or weekly press, even the web . There h ave

be en catast roph ic pro jects such as Peter Eisenm an ' s Ci ty of

Culture in Galicia which have to b e expo sed for wh at they a re,

empty exercises in computer generated shape-making . The

article I did on this, ‘The Illusion of Plans’, was first pub lished

in the Archi tectural Review in Octobe r 201 0 , bu t then w ent

rap id ly around the w orld in several languages. With pro jects

l ike th is par t o f the problem is the gu l f betwee n prete n t ious

theo r is ing , espe cial ly in the ga ga wo rld o f North Ame rican

acad em ia, and the d isastrous arch itectural real ity. In these

cases so called ‘theory’ (usually a recycled diet of French post-

mo de rn wri t ings) is used a s a too l o f obfuscat ion .

RW: These strong crit ical stances sometimes put you in conflict

wi th inst itu t ions which consider them selves to b e a u thor i t ies

on a rch itecture?

WJRC: Yes of course. Behind th e Eisenm an p roject were

problem at ic po l it ical ma chinat ions in Gal icia a nd th ese ne ed ed

exposing . It i s one of the d u t ies of a f ree p ress in a dem ocracy

to quest ion publ ic decis ions and the manoeuvres of power .

The cr it ic has to be prep ared to chal lenge the inst i tu t ions of so

cal led cu l tural au th or i ty, to rem ain v ig i lan t a nd to keep a

distance from the cliques of sycophants and ‘useful idiots’. In

my v iew one of the ro les of the cr it ic is a lso to safeguard

pat r imony, modern or ancien t . That i s what I d id when

crit icising Holl’s horrendous addition to Mackintosh’s

ma sterp iece, the Glasgow School of Art , o r P iano’s ex tension

to Roncham p w hich has unde rmined Le Corbusier ’s sub l ime

ch ap e l . Th a t i s wh a t I am a l so d o in g wh en d efen d in g m o d e rn

masterpieces in India!!!

RW: Which br ings us back to Chandigarh and Ahmedabad in

pa r t icu lar : wha t ro le can the p ress have in he lp ing to safeguard

th is m o d ern p a t r im o n y ?

WJRC: The ar t ic le I p ub l ished in the Archi tectural Review a

few m onth s back wi th the t i t le ‘Noth ing is Sacred : Threats to


Light and space as pe rennial mat erials of architect ure: Le Corbusier,

the Mill owne rs Association Building, Ahmed abad


2 0 1 4



M od er n M as t e r p i eces in I nd i a ’ has had a n i mp ac t . It

encour age d t h e T im es o f Ind i a , Chan d i ga r h ed i ti on , t o p ub l ish

t wo m a i n p i eces on m y v iews . M y ‘ Conver sa t ion w i t h an

Unknown Ind i an’ ( pub l ished i n t he S ep t em be r is sue o f A+ D,

ampl i f ies the argument in a less polemical s tyle . DOCOMOMO

and o t he r w ebs i t e s have p i cked up on m y c r it ic isms , a s have

the Archi tectural Record in N ew York a nd Archiscop ie in Par i s.Now t ha t t he Ind i an e l ec t ions a r e o u t t he way i t i s po s si b le

t ha t som e of t hese i ssues w il l come t o t he a t t en t i on o f

pol i t ic ians and the legal es tabl i shment . For as s ta ted ear l ier ,

wha t r ea l ly has t o be t h ough t t h r ough i s t he q ues t ion o f

app r opr i a t e leg i sl a t ion f o r de f in i ng and p r o t ec t ing m od er n

archi tectural her i tage in India .

RW: W hat ab ou t t ex t s t ha t expr es s en t hus ia sm f o r recen t

archi tecture?

WJRC: W hen i t com es t o t ex t s on r ecen t a r ch it ec t u re I r em a i n

t r ue t o my own c r it ica l p r ecep t s , a lways t ak ing t he t ime t o

vis it bu i ldings , wr i t ing o nly af ter a pe r iod o f ref lect ion . As

said ea r l ier, for m e th ere a re several ‘mo de s’ of cr it ici sm . The

mo s t ag reeab l e is t he an a l ysi s and exp l ana t i on o f wo r ks t ha t I

think are posi t ive cont r ibut ions , such as the Catalan archi tects

RCR’s subte r rane an winery a t Bel l -Lloc, the subject o f a l i t t le

mo nogr ap h I wr o t e ca ll ed La est ructura d e las somb ras/The

St ructure o f Shado ws ( 200 9) , o r t he i r j ust com pl e t ed M u sée

Soulages i n Rod ez on wh i ch I have j us t pub l i shed a b a l anced

ar t ic le in Archi tectural Review, Septe m be r i ssue.

Som et i mes t hey a r e wor ks so m od es t a s to b e a l mo s t

invis ible such as the Water Organ at Zadar (2004) , Croat ia byNikola Basic and others , which uni tes a sor t of theat re of s teps

f o r the en j oymen t o f t he s ea w i t h mus i c gene r a t ed by t he

r hy t hm of t he waves push i ng a i r t h r ough sub t e r r anea n p i pes .

My a na lysis of SANAA’s Lou vre Len s in th e Architectu ral

Review a-year-and-a-hal f ago assessed the archi tectural pros

and cons in a b a l anced wa y whi le a l so t ak ing i n t o accoun t t he

geographical and pol i t ical context .

RW: But you have a l ways hes i ta t ed t o b e a s soc ia t ed

wi t h ‘m ovem ent s ’?

WJRC: I have a l ways t hough t t he i dea o f c r it ic s f ound i ng

mo veme nt s t o be r id i cu lous . I do no t cons ide r t he r o le o f t he

c r it ic t o be t ha t o f a p r om ot e r o f g r oups o r t end enc i es. I t is

bu i l d ings o f qu a l it y t ha t p o i n t t he way , no t ‘ isms ’, an d t he

cr i t ic comes along af terwards hopeful ly cas t ing some l ight .

Anothe r ‘mod e’ of cr it ici sm is tha t of th e ref lect ive

mo nogr ap h . Over t he yea r s I have p ub l ished seve r a l o f t hem

in El Croquis on f igures as d iverse as Miral les /P ino s , Mon eo ,

Si za , Navar r o Ba l deweg , Ando , an d Her zog & de M eur on –

t ha t i s be f o r e H & de M ' s r ecen t d escen t i n t o f a st t r ack

supe rf ic ia l ‘ iconic’ archi tecture . The se essays an d interviews

ba l ance u p f o r m, f unc t i on , s tr uc t u re , i deas , and m a i n t a in

his tor ical perspect ive. They are the opposi te of polemical .

They a r e a na l y t ica l and ca r e fu l ly me asur ed , b ased u pon

evidence of the bui ldings themselves . But I t ry to maintain

perspect ive – for example I s t i l l think Igualada Cemetery

(19 85 ) is Miralle /P ino s 's be s t work, an d I s t il l think tha t Ando

has no t m a t ched t he Kosh i no Hou se ( 198 1) . In f ac t thesewri t ings are a sor t of prel iminary ve rs ion of a his tory of

recent archi tecture .

RW: Do you cons ide r yo ur se lf t o be mo r e a c r it ic o r m or e

a h i st o r ia n ?

W JRC: Primar i ly I am a his tor ian but wi th a s t rong

comm i tm ent t o r ecogn i s ing an d e ncour ag i ng qua l it y in

contemporary archi tecture . These two act ivi t ies re inforce one

ano t he r, and a r e i n t u r n re i n f o rced by m y wor k a s a pa i n t e r

and a p ho t ogr ap her. I do f ee l i t is e s sen t i a l t o use on e ’ s eyes ,

r ea l ly t o s ee and expe r i ence a r ch it ec t u r e , fo r w i t hou t t ha t

t he r e i s no t h i ng . M y pho t ogr aph s a re ano t he r way o f

gr asp ing an d evok ing t he p r esence o f a r ch i tec t u r e bu t

t h r ough a d egr ee o f abs t r ac ti on . They a r e a l o t abo u t

a r ch it ec t u r a l f undam ent a l s whi ch t r anscend t i me and p l ace

such a s li gh t and space , and t hey i nc lud e i mages f rom ma ny

par t s o f t he wor l d and ma ny pe r iod s . An exh i b i ti on o f my

work a few years back in the Alvar Aal to Museum in F inland

wa s cal led s im ply ‘St ructures of Light ’. My ‘Menta l Lan dscap e’

pa int ings and dra wings a l so dis t il exper ience in lyr ical ,

abs t r ac t fo r ms , and r ea c t t o na t u r a l phe nom ena . They evoke a

m edi t a t ive space .When i t comes to cr i t ic i sm, I am interes ted in

und er s t and i ng t he p r esen t in t he l igh t o f t he p as t and v ice

ve r sa : r emem be r my ‘ mod e l ’ o f t he t h r ee wave l eng t hs . I am

f or eve r d i gg ing i n t o t he wor k o f m ode r n a r ch it ec t s and

cons ide r i ng how t he y t r ans fo r me d t he p as t . We have b een

d i scus si ng a t im e span o f a de cade o r t wo b u t t h i s is

abso l u t e l y no t h i ng i n t he h i st o r y o f a r ch i tec t u r e . W hen I need

t o b e r em i nded o f t h i s, I jus t cas t my m i nd b ack t o t he g r ea t

wor ks in h i st o r y, such a s t he Thea t r e a t E p i daur us , t he s t epp ed

p l a t f o rm s o f Uxmal , t he S t upa a t S anch i, t he Tem pl e a t

Ranakp ur or th e m agical spa ces of Fateh pu r Sikr i . Timeless

works l ike these hold out lessons for every age. In France I

l ive c lose to the caves of Pech M er le wi th the i r as tonishing

rock paint ings created thi r ty mi l lennia before our era . These

sub t e r r anean c rea t i ons ob l ige us t o r e f lec t upo n t he l ong wave

m ot i ons o f t im e .

Copyright: William J R Curtis

Rajnish Wattas is the former p rincipal o f Chan digarh College of Architecture,

currently distinguished professor at Surya School of Architecture. He is a well

known writer, architectural critic who has written numerous publications.




9 – 10 – 11 – 12 October, 2014B an d r a – Ku r l a Co m p l exMumbai

INDEX FAIRS 201 4

Com m emora t i ng the 26 th ed i t i on o f

Ind i a ’s la rgest B2B in t er io rs t radeshow,

I NDEX 2 0 14 we l co m e s a st r i k i n g a r r ay

o f supp l i e rs f rom d i st i nc t segmen ts :fu rn i tu re , fu rn ish ings, decorat ive l igh t ing

and a r t i facts; k i t chen and app l i ances;

o ffi ce and con t rac t fu rn i tu re and fi x tu res;

in t erm edia tes for in ter io r s such as

floo r i n g , doo rs , shu t t e rs, l am ina te , pa in t ,

a rch i tec tu ra l and bu i l d i ng m a te r i al s ;

arch i tectura l hardware, spanning an

im pressive 300,000 square foot area. Over

the years Index Fa i rs has c lung tenaciou sly

t o i t s g u i d in g p r i n ci p l e o f b ei n g a f o cu se d

B2B even t , w i t h a c l ea r focus to the

a rch i tec t , designe r and bu i l de r comm un i ty ,

and ove ral l goal o f creat i ng a t rue p la t fo rmfo r the i ndu st ry , p rom is ing to w ow th e

ind ustry wi t h i ts signature bu siness +

design in i t i a t i ves.

Global Participants @INDEX 201 4Always a key feature o f the I ndex Fa i rs is

the la rge a r ray o f i n te rna t i ona l p roduc ts,

t h e 2 01 4 e di t i on i s t h e p r o u d h o st t o

compan ies f rom I ta l y, Spa in , Po r tuga l ,

Turkey, the Uni t ed Kingdom , Malaysia ,

Ch ina , Taiwan and t he Un i ted A rab

Em irat es. IND EX 2014 presents i ts visi to rs

w i t h t h e o p po r tu n it y t o n et w o rk w i t hde legates f rom var ious nat iona l p avi l ions.

T h i s i n c l u d es t h e UK P av i li o n h o st e d b y

Br i t i sh Con t rac t Fu rn i sh ing Assoc iat i on

(Residen t i a l and Con t rac t Fu rn i tu re

Group); I ta l ian Furn i ture Group, fu rn i ture

pavi l ion f rom the Associa t ion o f Wood

and Fu rn i tu re Indus t r i es o f Po r tuga l ; the

Malaysian Timb er Coun ci l incorporat in g

several leading Malaysian brands such as Eastern

Eve rhome In te rna t i ona l (M) Sdn Bhd , Hu psheng

Furn i tu re In dustr ies Sdn Bhd, Isel la Sofa Design Sdn

Bhd , Marcoco Fu rn i tu re Indus t r i es Sdn Bhd ,Seni Daya Woods Indu str ies (M) Sdn Bhd, Tam ar ind

Furn i tu re Sdn Bhd, Trop i ca l I Sdn Bhd, J in Sheng

Furn i ture Industry Sdn Bhd, Hup Chong Furn i ture

Sdn Bhd , and Feng Yuan Indus t r i es Sdn Bhd ; and

compan ies unde r the l eade rsh ip o f Ta iwan Fu rn i tu re

Manufacturers Association, Acme Group, Bear Asia

Co Lt d , a n d Su n Ch a i n Co . Lt d . T h e Ch i n a g r o u p o f

m anu fac tu re rs i ncludes the Dongguan Fu rn i tu re

Group, Yabo Hot e l Furn i t ure Co. L td , An j i County

Shengxing Offi ce Furn i tur e Co L td , and Foshan

Sanshu i Zhengyu A lum in ium Profi le and Produc t Co

Ltd . Other key brand s inc lud e Alessanderx Sr l ( I ta ly),

Cign in i Arredam ent i ( I ta ly) , Si lver Meta ls Pvt Ltd(Duba i ) , and Ci l ek Mob i l ya (Tu rkey ).

M a l ay si a n T im b e r Co u n c i l i n c or p o r at i n g

Init iatives @IN DEX 2014Hosted Buyer Program

Se t t i ng the t rend fo r i n te r i o rs i ndus t ry , the 26 th

ed i t i on o f INDEX FAIRS, Mum ba i i s p roud to

anno unce i ts Exclusive Hosted Buyer Program . Th is

in i t ia t ive is ‘by- inv i ta t ion on ly ’ fo r the crème de la

crème of the arch i tect-bu i lder-designer and trade

comm un i ty across the coun t r y. A l so i nc luded i n

th i s p rog ram a re key spec i fie rs f rom the hosp i ta l i t y

and reta i l indu str y (corpor ate , hot e ls, purch ase

m a n a g em e n t c o n su l t a n t s) a n d g ov er n m e n t b o d i e s

invested in in te r i o rs, a rch i tectu re and design . Th i s

i n i t i a t i ve i s deve loped i n coope rat i on wi th hosp i ta l i t y

pa r tne r : Grand Hya t t and a i r l i ne pa r tn e r : Ind igo .

The Art Enclave @ IN DEX

I n l in e w i t h t h e I N DEX v isi on o f p r ov id i ng

an in teg ra ted p la t fo rm fo r i n te r i o rs and

design , UBM Index Fai r s annou nces

a l o n g- t er m c ol l ab o r a t io n w i t h A u r a

Ar t Developm en t Pvt L td , to hos t The

Art Enclave at INDEX 2014. Featuring

the works (pa in t i ngs, scu lp tu res andpho tog raphs ) o f upcom ing and celeb ra ted

ar t is ts and c iv i l so lu t ion s ( f rami ng, g lass

casing, restora t ion , in suran ce) re levant

t o t h e a r t i n d u st r y , t h e f o u n d a t io n o f t h i s

ar t- focused in i t ia t i ve is to show case the

b e st o f I n d i a n a n d i n t e r n at i o n a l ar t , o f f er

a ‘Business + Design ’ p l a t fo rm fo r a r t i sts,

and p rov ide an oppo r tun i ty to connec t

wi th the a rch i tec t , bu i l de r , designe r and

hosp i ta l i t y comm un i ty . The i nv i ta t i on to

th i s stand s open for ar t ga l le r ies, ar t ists

(pa in ters / scu lp to rs / phot ographers) and

designers al ike!

In keep ing wi th the Index repu ta t i on

of creat ing stron g events to create

m ean ing fu l i ndu st ry i n te ract i ons , Index

Fai rs hosts events for the k i tch en ind ustry

wi th the successfu l Cook ing Up a Sto rm ,the l i gh t i ng design i ndus t ry w i th L i gh t

U p ! a n d i n a n e w i n it i at i ve , cr ea t es a

p o we r f u l f o r u m f o r t h e h o s p i t al i t y i n d u st r y

w i t h a n e xc lu si v e p ar t n e r sh i p w i t h t h e

Hosp i ta l i t y Pu rchasing Manage rs Fo rum o f

I n d i a (HP M F), UB M I n d e x f o r ge s a n e t wo r k

wi th pu rchase m anage rs f rom ac ross the

coun t ry and the supp l i e rs who serve them .

Special Focus :Delhi Designers @IN DEX 2014

• Si t a N a n da (H a ci en d a )

• A sh i sh A n an d (L iv i n g Sp a ce s)

• N i t i n K o h l i (Fu r n c r af t D e ’ Co l l ag e)

INTERNATIONAL INTERIORS & DESIGN EVENT




Research

Intelligent Building Envelope

So la r Skin & Op erab le Sto m a

Bui lding p hysics and the

im provemen t of ene rgy

efficiency a ssociate d with it , is a

ve ry imp or tan t a rea o f enginee r ing

resea rch and d eve lop me nt in the wor ld

today , w ith 40 pe rcent o f the wo r ld’s

ca rbon be ing consum ed in m a in ta in ing

a comfor t ab le in t e r ior environme nt [1] .

Dur ing the pas t few d ecades , bu i ld ings

have b een im po sed to p rogres sive ly

extend the ir fun ct ion al i ty. Increas ingly

vary ing and complex demands re l a t ed

to use r comfor t , ene rgy and cos t

eff ic iency have led to an extens ive use

of bu i ld ing au to ma t ion sys tem s to

create sat is factory indoor c l imate . The

expand ing app l ica t ion of cont ro l

technology in this context has led to

the em ergence of the t e rm In te l ligen t

Bui lding Envelope (IBE) to de scribe a

b u i lt f o rm t h a t c a n m e e t s u c h d e m a n d s

[2]. An IBE adapts itself to its

e n v ir o n m e n t b y m e a n s o f p e r c e p t io n ,

reasoning and ac t ion . Thi s inna te

ada pt ivenes s enab les i t t o cope wi thnew s itua t ions and so lve prob lems tha t

arise in i t s inte ract ion w ith the

envi ronm ent [3 ] . Despi t e the i r

e n d e a v o u r t o w a r d s a g r e e n i m a g e ,

their high-tech a ct or so-cal led

in te ll igence a re suspec ted to u se m ore

energy than th ey s ave in op e ra t ion [2] .

O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , t h e a n n u a l so l a r

ene rgy rece ived a t t he e nve lope

surfaces of a bu i lding is in th e sam e

o r d e r a s t h e e n e r g y n e e d e d f o r

op era t ing the bu i ld ing , even a t h igher

la t itud es . With b et ter u t i li sa t ion o f this

ene rgy , one should po ten t i a lly be a b le

to create bui ldings that are sel f-

sufficient wi th ene rgy [3] .

New generat ions of high-performance

envelopes have contr ibuted to the

emergence of sophisticated assemblies

comb ining real- time environm ental

respon se, advanced ma teria ls, dyna mic

automat ion with embed ded

microprocessors, wireless sensors and

actuators, and design-for-manufacture

techniqu es. This practice h as

fundam ental ly t ransforme d the way in

which architects approach building

de sign w ith a shift in e m ph asis from

form to pe rforman ce and s tructure to

envelope. In the realm o f high-

performance b ui ldings, the en velop e ha s

becom e the primary s ite of innovat ive

research and developm ent [4] .

Until no w, architects, engineers an d

scientists interested in a rchitecture havefocused o n the m orpho logical im ita t ions

of nature. Sometimes, natural forms,

includ ing b iological forms ha ve inspired

our constructions. Few famous examples

de picting such form s are - Bion ic towe r

[5] , Gardens by the Bay [6] and Lotus

Tem ple [7]. In ord er to prod uce

genu inely sustainab le architecture, i t

need s to be p art of the biosphe re . Bio-

inspired de sign is relevant to a wide

array of ap plications – includ ing places

(communities, landscapes, buildings and

room s), furnishings, too ls and

techno logies, etc.[8] Therefore, there is a

need of und ers tand ing the biological

roots of architecture and urb an ism . It is

anticipated that this change in

architecture with Intelligent Building

Envelop es is going to take place in futu re

as a pa rt of our d esign p rocess. The

propo sed IBE concept h ere is an a t temp t

to accom plish th ese ob jectives through

its application in Intelligent Building

System and susta inab le developm ent .

Propose d Conce pt for Intelligent

Building Envelope

The prop osed IBE concep t is highly

inspired by the b iological pheno me non

of cl im ate ad apt ive natural plant and

an imal species. Vasod ilation a nd

vasoconstr ic t ion bo dy m echanisms in

response to amb ient t em pera ture a re

other related biological processes. The

propo sed IBE respond s to the cha ngingenvironm ental condi t ions outs ide and

physical requirements inside, in the

same wa y as outer pe tals and inner

stigm a o f a flower [9]. Sim ilarly, the

innovat ive role o f ope rable s toma in

controlling m icro-climate is inspired by

the role of stom ata in ph otosynthes is

[10]. In this way, the bo tany an d

architecture can b e integrated togeth er

as shown in Fig 1.



ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN Octo be r 2 014 111

Design Development

The proposed IBE has been

conceptual ised for double-s toreyed

medium s ize res ident ia l bui lding of

300sq m p lo t a rea , w i th 40 pe rcent

ground coverage to b e b ui lt a t CSIR-

CBRI cam pu s . The p yram id form o f the

IBE with s lop e an gle of 60° from

vertical is ideal to utilise maximum

solar efficiency of rota tab le solar pa nels

for Roo rkee [11] and will a lso be

sui table for the ent i re North India with

composi te c l imate . The s lope angle

could be de te rm ined us ing so la r angle

calculator or s tereographic sun-path

diagram for specific locat ion. The

prop osed IBE is des igned with t russ

frame s t ructure to provide high

structural stability for large spans, fit ted

wi th so la r sk in a nd ope rab le s toma .

The climate respon sive d es ign is

propo sed cons ide r ing the sun-pa th an d

wind direct ion. The orientat ion and

movement of IBE is planned

stra tegical ly to get the advantage of

favorable condi t ions and protect ion

agains t excess ive hea t and cold as

shown in Fig 2.

The proposed IBE model is des igned

us ing s ing le e l emen t – d oub le func t ion

concept to save ins ta l la t ion as wel l as

running cos t t o m ake i t more cos t -

effect ive. The s t ructural de s ign a nd

othe r de ta i ls aga inst w ind and s e ismic

loads a re be ing worked o ut to ma ke

the bu i ld ing e conom ica l ly v iab le a s

well as structurally safe. As the PV

pan e l s a re s lide ab le an d ro ta t ab le , the

running pow er requi remen t w il l be

auto m atical ly fulfi lled b y the solar

po wer genera ted by these PV pan e l s.

Solar Efficiency

A major problem with the solar

ene rgy usage n owa days is the lack of

solar efficien cy of PV pa ne ls. One of the

key reasons for this is the du st dep osition

over pa nel surface and lack of

maintenance. It is observed that the

efficiency of PV system gets reduced by

du st dep osition. As a result of

experimen t, it is ob served tha t gene rally

5 to 10 g/m² of sand, red soil, calc ium

carbon ate or ash dep osit ion reduce PV

volt age by 4 %, 6% , 5% and 25 %

respectively [12 ]. So to overcome this

prob lem, self-clean ing me chanism is

prop osed for the solar skin. Anoth er

reason for lesser solar efficien cy is the

solar rad iations cap turing angle.

Automatic solar tracking systems (using

light intensity sensing) m ay b oost

ArchitectureBotany

Fig 2 Bio-clim atic de sign for an Intelligent Building Envelop e

Fig 1 Proposed Concep t of Botecture (Botan y+ Architecture) for In tel l igent Build ing Envelope

Stoma

openings in

N-E to gain

sufficient mo rning

light & diffused

daylight light

Venturi effect of wind slits

formed by ro tat ion of

wes tern p anels towards

south

Horizontally

rotatable Solar

panels towards South

& Vertically rotab le

pan els in West for

increasing solar

efficiency

Hot air

blockage in

summe rs &

cold air

blockage in

winters through

closed stoma




consisten tly the conversion e fficiency of a

PV panel [13]. Hence, the solar tracking

system is opted for the proposed

intelligent solar skin. The p ane ls in w est

are vertically rotatable towards south to

increa se the solar availab ility period.

Similarly, the pa nels in south are

rotatable from 36 ° to 84° from verticalas per mo nthly requ irem ents shown in

Tab le-1 an d Fig 3 [11 ].

Plus-Energy Model

To fulfill the en ergy de m an ds of an

intelligent bu ilding in future an d to

reduce the pay-back period for the

add itiona l investmen t, a p lus-energy

mo del of building is propo sed. The 1 8.6

kWh capacity of solar skin is capable of

generating approximately 30,000 kWh

of pow er an nua lly, wh ich is abo ut triple

as comp ared to annual energy dem and

of a conventional hou sehold. Thus, the

surplus energy will be sold to electricity

grid, such that the add itiona l investmen t

can b e recovered quickly. The propo sed

solar skin concept provides 65% mo reene rgy produ ction cap acity than a

conventional solar roof system.

Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ)

The process of achieving indo or

environm ent qua lity is a continual one

throughout the design, construction,

com m ission ing an d facilities

ma nagem ent etc. [14]. For improving

IEQ and thermal comfort, active and

pa ssive d esign strate gies, such a s sha ding

effect and Ven turi effect are ap plied.

Propo sed m ode l favours dual layer check

of IEQ through micro-climate ; for mo re

control over indoor-outdoor e nvironme nt

qua lity with ap proximately 5-7 airchanges/hour in semi-open condition.

There is a choice of natural environment

assimilation as well as artificial

environment creation. In this way, one

can either en joy the essence of nature

and/or self-controlled environment

when ever required, as shown in Fig.4

Fig 3 Rotation angle o f PV pan els

Com parison o f conventiona l solar roo f v/s

proposed plus-energy model using IBE

Plo t area 3 0 0 m ²

Ground coverage o r roof area @ 4 0 % 1 2 0 m ²

Solar roof capacity @ 0.0 93 kWh per m² , 11 .16 kWh

if install conventionally on roof top

Propo sed surface area of solar skin 20 0 m²(120 m² in sou th+ 80 m ² in west )

Solar skin capacity @ 0.0 93 kWh pe r m ² 18 .6 kWh

facing south & west in pyramid form

Annu al ene rgy produ ction from 27 0 sunny days, 30 ,00 0 kWh app rox.

8 hrs./day @ 80 % efficiency in south & 60% in west

Annu al ene rgy saving through passive cooling & ventilation 1,5 00 kWh app rox.

(assumption of annually 5 kWh per m²)

Optimum solar angle available

Month Angle

Janua ry 4 4 °

Feb ruary 5 2 °

M arch 6 0 °

Ap ril 6 8 °

M ay 7 6 °

Jun e 8 4 °

Ju ly 7 6 °

Au gust 6 8 °

Sep tem b er 6 0 °

Octob e r 5 2 °

N ovem b er 4 4 °

Decem b er 3 6 °

Open Semi-open

Closed

Fig 4 Climate responsive

design concept for an

Intelligent Building

Envelope

Table 2. Comparison of conventional solar roo f v/s propo sed plus-energy mod el using IBETable 1. Optimum so lar angle available

Summer

Autumn or

Spring

Winter




Mechanism and Materials for IBE

The m echan i sm i s ba sed upo n s ing le

e l ement -do ub le func t ion d es ign tha t

means t he componen t s i n ac t i ve mode

provide help in passive cool ing and

vent i la t ion. For example , when a PV

pa nel rota tes as pe r solar di rec t ion, i t

a lso provides shad ing effect accordingt o s o la r m o v e m e n t a n d a t t h e s a m e

t ime crea tes wind sli t s for Ven tur i

effect. Solar tracking system offers an

op t imum cos t/pe r fo rm ance ra t io [15 ] .

Similarly the EPDM gasket (ethylene

propy lene d i ene m ono m er i. e . M-c la ss

rubbe r ) p rovided a t t he ba se o f each

slide ab le PV pa nel he lps in sho ck

resistance as we l l as pa nel c leaning

wh i le sl iding, a s shown in Fig 5.

Likewise in case of operable stoma,

the a lum inium fram e ac ts as a pipel ine

for filling glycol water in PBE

(Prop ylene-b ased Elastom er) ba l loon , as

show n in Fig 6. To red uce th e we ight

and op era t ion cost of inte ll igent

bui lding e nvelope , l ight w eight

po lym eric solar p anels wi th a lum inium

fram e are preferred.

In this way, the p ropo sed IBE

collectively covers all four physical

domains useful for a c l imate adapt ive

bu i lding sh el l i) the rma l comfort i i) a i r

flow ii i) op tical/visual con trol an d iv)

e lec t r ic ity gene ra t ion [1 6] .

Payback - Period Study

The com plete insta l la t ion o f such an

IBE will result in an additional cost of

Rs 61 50 pe r sq m . But , s t il l th is much

cost wi ll be com pen sa t ed b ack th roughp lus-ene rgy m ode l . The payb ack pe r iod

sha ll be abo u t 5 t o 6 yea r s .

Conclusion

The p ropo sed concep tua l IBE mod e l

is designed for a double-storey

bu i ld ing bu t can a l so be used fo r m ul t i-

storey b ui ldings. Likewise w e can use

the concep t fo r l a rge com m uni t ie s t o

deve lop sma r t and sus t a inab le

se t t lem ents an d c i t ies . The con cept i s

r e co m m e n d e d f o r d e v e lo p i n g n e w

inte l ligent b ui ldings. The concep t

imp arts a la rge scope of research in

bu i ld ing au toma t ion and ma te r i a lscience in nea r future . Apart f rom the

t ang ib le ben e f it s m en t ioned ab ove ,

there are many intangible benef i t s a lso

in te rms of c lean energy genera t ion

wi th r educed po l lu t ion fo r

environm en ta l susta inab i li ty; se l f -

sufficient en ergy gene ra t ion w i th

payb ack gua ran t ie s fo r econom ica l

susta inabi l ity; and t ransfer of surplus

energy for social sustainabili ty. For

recom me nding the concep t a s a g reen

building retrofit strategy for existing

bui ldings, fur ther research is needed to

work out in de ta i l by studying di fferent

bu i lding typ ologies in var ious c l im ates.

Acknow ledgem ent: The study p erformed

in this article forms a pa rt of research

being carried out at CSIR- CBRI, Roorkee,

and is funded by CSIR, New Delhi. The

authors wish to thank Prof S K

Bhattacharyya, d irector, an d other experts

for their guidan ce and suggestions. The

p ap e r is p ub lish ed with th e p e rm issio n o f

director, CSIR- CBRI, Roorkee.

Calculation o f payback pe riod

Cost of solar skin @ Rs 50 /W ( in range of Rs. 30 to 60 /W) Rs 9,3 0,0 00

Cos t o f ope rab l e s tom a cove r @ Rs 150 0 pe r sq m Rs 3 ,00 ,000

Addi t iona l cost of f rame & other eq uipm ent @ 50 % extra Rs 6,1 5,0 00

N e t in sta lla tio n co st Rs 1 8 ,4 5 ,0 0 0

Annua l ene rgy dem and pe r househo ld @ Rs 4 .5 /un i t Rs 40 ,5 00

for 900 0 kWh

Cost of surplus ene rgy genera ted by solar skin per year Rs 3,1 5,0 00

@ Rs M 1 5 / u n it fo r 2 1 0 0 0 k W h

N e t sa vin g p e r yea r Rs 3 ,5 5 ,5 0 0

Pay-b ack p e rio d 5 Yrs 2 m o n th s

Fig 5 Concept o f Operab le Solar Skin

Fig 6 Conceptual Detai l of Operable S toma

[Calculate d as pe r Table 3]

Ball & socket joint for rota tion (23 ˚

t o 7 0 ˚ , o p t im u m @ 4 3 ˚ )

Service shaft cum light

well

Aluminium fram e cum pipe line for fluid

Pressure Nozzle

Truss frame cum balloon h olderGlycol water filled PBE/EPVC balloon

Triangular ba lloon with thick exposed

surface & thin extruding surface to

ma intain pressure while expand ing

Glass brick/ Tran spare nt

ConcreteSkylight

Light weight po lymeric Solar pan el

Wind slit with Venturi effect

Guide chann el for sliding

EPDM gasket for shock resistance &

pan el cleaning while sliding



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Exp loring De sign

Innovative

Product Design

B o o m C a b i n et

Designer: Jud son Beau m on t, Canada

The cabine t i s mad e of m aple and map le

veneer. The dim ensions of the cabinet are

52.5”Wx21.25”Hx12”D.

S q u i d d yIt is a s ide ta ble m ade out o f

a lder wood tha t can be

custom ised to suit the client ' s

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Architecture+ Design b rings a cross som e

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ou t-of-the -box forms, d esigns an d m ulti-utilities…



ARCHITECTURE+ DESIGN Octo be r 2 014 1 1 9

J e n g a C a b in e tThe storage cabinet is ma de o f com m ercial board an d wh ite

ash veneer. It creates a three-dimensional illusion with its

colours, thicknesses and forms.

Mul t i - l eve l Accen t Tab le

Designer: Stud iow oo d Collective Tea m ,New Delhi

The table is made of mildsteel pipe, rubberwood board

and mirror. The slender lines of this metal structure hold a

mirror at the bottom reflecting the screen-p rinted ope n-

gra in rubber wood.

Oc t opus T ab le

Designer: Isaac Krauss, Los Ange les

A functional art sculpture is ma de

comp letely of casted a nd carved

silicon bronze. The eyes are hand

blown glass and d etailed with gold

leaf. sIt weighs nearly 225kg with a

height of 73cm.




W o o d L a y e r A r m c h a ir

Designer: Fredrik Färg

and Emma Marga Blanche,Sweden

Employing wood tailoring technique, the armchair

is made by stitching together thick plywood layer

on layer. The sewing creates a topographical map

with an organic pattern tha t resembles the growth

of wood.

H u s h

Designer: Freyja Sewell, London

Hush is an enclosed space th at p rovides a pe rsonal

retreat in the midst of a b usy hotel, airport, office

or library. The internal padding is made from

recycled wool fibers.




O p u n t i aMade of stainless steel, the

dimensions of the sculpture

are168cmx110cmx50cm.

L o g Ce n t r e Ta b leThe ta ble is made of stainless steel 304 grade with

collapsible legs measuring 10cm (height). The

dimensions of the table are 40cmx120cmx120cm.

R a in d r o p C h a n d e lie r ‘ T h e P o u r ’

Designer: Alex Davis,

New Delhi

Designer: Lisa Hinderdael

and Dara Huang, New York City

This light installation is created in the shape of chandelier which

imitates raindrops. Each raindrop is hand blown by a rtisans and

intricately engineered to house the lighting strategy for the chandelier.



A

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P L A N N I N G


A I R P O R T

P L A N N I N G


ARC H I TEC TURE+ARC H I TEC TURE+ D E S I G NA N I N D I A N J O U R N A L O F A R C H I T E C T U R E

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VOLUME 30 ISSUE 10

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1 Year 12 2100 1650 450 Satya Paul Tie worth ` 1500

2 Years 24 4200 3100 1100 Arise Electric Kettel worth ` 2250

3 Years 36 6300 4600 1700 Zippo Lighter worth ` 3599

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SATYA PAUL TIE WORTH ̀ 1500

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2 YEARS

ZIPPO LIGHTER WORTH ` 3599

3 YEARS




M i rro r B a ll Tr ip od S tand

Designer: Tom Dixon, London

Made o f stainless steel, the stand has a

capacity for up to 6 mirror balls. These

balls are available in three sizes—25cm,

40cm and 50cm.

Designer: Shiva ji, New Delhi

M o o n L ig h tThe light displays the waxing and waning

effects of moon in a controlled mann er, the

crescent of lightning can be adjusted a nd a

soft diffused lighting can be enjoyed.




Products

Grandeur In ter iors has launched a German k i tchen brand

‘Bal ler ina Küchen’ for th e Ind ian m arket . The b rand is

avai lab le in var ious f in ishes—laser b oun d h igh pressure

laminates and d ig i tal ly pr in ted g lass and melamine, among

othe rs . Rohin Ram chand ani , d i rector of Grand eur In ter iors ,

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Vizion Lights Pvt Ltd has launched a new product t i t led the ‘Glide

system ’. The system is a con tem pora ry luminai re special ly de signed

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green s tain less steel . These k i tchen s have bee n de signed and m anu factured

keeping in mind the cooking s ty le o f g loba l Indian customers , wh ich

essent ially com prises wet a nd o i ly cooking . They com e in th ree d ist inct

s tyles in the mo dular k i tchen space, including contem pora ry, l inea r and

minima l . They are a vai lab le in ma ny colours and design pat terns .

Bathroom SolutionsGROHE has introdu ced ‘The Authe ntic Range ’ to help create a p ersonal

space of relaxation w ithin on e’s hom e. The range com prises

GROHE Kensington, Bridgeford, Some rset an d Grand era

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Contemporary Lighting

Modular Kitchens




Products

Bathroom FaucetsNewform has launched its ‘Royale

Collection’ of faucets. The collection

is a perfect blend of Italian lineage

and Indian sensibility. Made of brass

and gold polish using Physical

Vap ou r Dispo sition (PVD) p rocess,

the collection comprises three

prod ucts, such as Royale Collection,

Royale Classique and Antea. They

are available in numerous finishes,

including chrom e, gold , b rushed

bronze, shiny chrome with swarovski

and chrome gold with swarovski.

For further information,

visit: www.newformindia.com

NOTION ha s com e up with new

laminate w ood en f looring col lec t ion.

The collection ha s protective layers

wh ich p rotects from UV rays that can

discolour flooring materials . The wear

layer prote cts it from stains and

smud ges due to d irt . The range

resembles na tura l wood and is hygienic

and easy to c lean. I t i s idea l for any

functiona l dry kitchens, children’s

room s, living areas and s tudy room s.

To know more,

visit: www.notion.net.in

Digital Wall Tiles

Kajaria h as launched a ser ies of 40x80 cm d igita l

glazed vitrified tiles titled ‘The Collection’ for walls

and f loors . This range of t i les captures the p ower of high definit ion and innovat ive p rints c rea ted by

retina imaging technology. It comes with various

finishes, such as Matt, Lappato, Stone and

Polished. Lappato finish radiates the edginess of

‘urban chic’. Roto Matt finish gives a satin-like fee l.

Stone finish exudes abrasion resistance and stain

proo f cha racteristics.

Wall Tile s

Laminate Woode n Floo ring

NITCO ha s launche d a co llection of wa ll tiles titled ‘The Royale Treasure’. The

collection takes its cue from natural elements as well as from various day-to-day

essentials . To create true to life surfaces, NITCO uses six colour p rism printing HD

Digital technology that provides an impression of colours and textures like stone

and wood bringing the minutest details alive. They are available in five variants,

includ ing Ma rvelous Ma rble, Stunn ing Stone, Tem pting Textiles, Lavish Leathe r

and Gorgeous Geome try.

To know more, log on: www.nitco.in.



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

architecturedesign_2014-10

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