Cube on Cube

The exposed brick facade of the building runs evenly throughout the length fabricating a "Jaali look" composed Purely or raw bricks Placed strategically.  Brick is an incredibly versatile material, as evidenced in the use of a combination or full bricks and brick tiles in this project to create a screen That Allows the building to be shaded from the western sun. The resultant device play of light and shadow, solid and void changes during the course of the day.

Go down memory Lane !

The swirling staircase with a balustrade or luminescent gold adorns the building lovingly with its perfect curves. The perfection of its structure takes one back to times, When sliding down the smooth surface of the banister was a moment of glee and exhilaration. The stairs themelves draw one into a fantasy or gliding down them to make an entrance worthy of royalty. The combination of the masculine and the walnut quintessentially vibrant gold color palette complement eachother flawlessly and gives it a sense of solidity and strength.The circular structure takes one back to times, When sliding down the smooth surface of the banister was a moment of glee and exhilaration. 

Between the Lines - through Design !!

The traditional Jaali is an integral part of Indian architecture, used to screen the harsh summer sun, while allowing for air ventilation. The interstitial spaces created between the Jaali and the weather barrier provide another layer of thermal insulation, essential for the local climate. A modern interpretation of this element has been used in  this project in the form of a horizontal aluminum screen.Taking forward the archaic concept of screening the beauty,this screen acts as a aperture between the exterior and interior.

Villa Ravine

The picturesque village of Baldeyan is near the erstwhile British summer capital of Shimla. Famous for its subtropical highland climate, the area is a popular tourist destination, providing respite from the fierce summer heatwithin a reasonable drive from the plains. The project was conceived as a second home for a small family based in Delhi that chose the site for its magnificent views and a seasonal stream that runs through a ravine near the property. Sited above the road, the brief was to have valley views from all the principal living spaces. This became the parti of the plan, two parallel linear volumes perpendicular to the view.

Approached from a lower parking level, the entrance is from the main deck on the south east corner of the house. The living areas are centrally positioned, ensuring large uninterrupted views andthe corner are given to the bedrooms, which get expansive views on two sides. The services, including the bathrooms, kitchen and the staircase are part of the thin block at the rear. A large open deckon the upper floor is created by pulling in the fenestration line below the pitched roof. The staircase is placed within a double height space, adding to the expansive feeling of the house.

Grey slate and military green roofs were chosen as a reference to the pre-colonial British architecture of the region. Gables toward the valley enhance the views from within, and the resulting complex interior geometry of the roof is panelled in a local deciduous wood. The result is a warm, yet modern home that allows for engagement with nature.

Location

Village Baldeyan,

Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

Client  

Undisclosed

Typology

Residential

Climate

Cold & Cloudy

Built-Up Area              

3000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

2014

Playhouse Competition

BIG FAT MAGNET

 Magnetism is a source of wonder for all of us, the action at a distance remains one of the most evocative science experiments for children. The playhouse is a way to engage young kids and invite them the learn more about this fascinating phenomena. Consisting of a curved interior path inside the iconic shape, the magnet can be made from a basic wooden frame and covered with flexible ply. The trademark grey and bright red colors help define the shape. If the budget allows for it, magnets can be incorporated into the frame to allow children to experience the phenomena.

THE MAZE

The Maze is an architectural trick, a composition of passageways that lead to nothing and the elusive path to freedom. In the playhouse, an additional twist is added by way of vertical movement, with steps that lead nowhere and one set of steps that lead to a viewing spot, allowing children to experience the world from an adult’s perspective. Besides the photo opportunity, it also allows us to subtract volumes from what is essentially a modernist white cube. The interiors are painted in disorienting colors to add to the experience of being lost in a maze.

NUT & BOLT

The Nut & Bolt assembly is one of the great icons of the industrial age. Consisting of two simple interlocking components, they are a fundamentally recognizable shape. The playhouse is a means to educate children about how the simple act of rotation translates into a vertical movement. A locking mechanism is incorporated to prevent it from moving above the reach of children. Constructed on a basic wooden internal frame with ply covering, it will painted in bright contrasting colors.

E1B1

 Mohan Co-operative Industrial Estate in New Delhi is a thin sliver of land adjoining the Delhi-Agra railway line on the eastern side. Originally meant for manufacturers that required access to the nearby freight facilities, it has now descended into a civic mess of offices and aging warehouses with parking overflowing on the streets, leaving pedestrians to negotiate broken roads and constant traffic. The land for the E1B1 project had earlier housed a steel mill and hence, an aging metal structure occupied part of the site.

The brief from the owner was to create an office building that could have multiple end-users. At the outset, the strategy was to make a facility that was not only flexible, but also had a civic presence. A basement was created to accommodate parking, with a discreet ramp set below the building plinth. This freed up the front edge of the property and a wide walking area was created, leading up to the building entrance.

The building was organized into three basic areas;A central office block flanked by two service areas, one at the front and another at the rear. The centre block, a large 60’ wide column free space was repeated on the upper floors. The main stair, expressed in the façade as a tall grey volume, an elevator and a common conference room were accommodated in the front service area and the rear block housed the toilets, building services, a spare elevator and a fire escape stair.

The upper floor, designed as a private suite of offices for the client, was expressed a dark grey slab apparently floating on the glass wall below. Punctured with square windows, the horizontality provides a dramatic counterpoint to the verticality of the stair volume. A corner of this grey box was cut away on the front façade to reveal a shaded terrace, as a private area for refuge and contemplation. 

Location                                  

Industrial Estate, New Delhi

Client

Mohan Co-operative

Typology

Commercial

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area

25,000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

2010

Mitsubishi Engineering

Mitsubishi Heavy Engineering wanted to set up an office in India anticipating future growth. With limited staff and a fluid roadmap of the future, they wanted an office designed as per their global standards of quality and one that could handle sudden increases and decreases of people based on their on-going projects at any point.

The leased space was a quadrant in a high-rise tower in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi known more for its vertical dimension than for its civic spaces. The curved façade provided plentiful light, however the western aspect meant the evening glare would have to be mitigated. The brief called for open plan workstations with some enclosed meeting rooms and cabins for senior staff. Workstations were planned to be clustered in working groups, as per Mitsubishi ethos, with small open spaces that could provide places for spontaneous discussion.

Rather than following the “corner-office” approach that affords the finest views and natural light to the senior most people, the strategy was to give the maximum natural light to the open plan workstations. The enclosed cabins were aligned to the dead wall on either side of the quadrant, and were fitted with frameless glass panels overlooking the central workspace. The resulting clarity of movement combines with the clear sight lines across the office to aid better co-ordination between working groups.

A hallmark of this project was the commitment to avoiding on-site finish. As far as possible, design details were drawn to be manufactured off-site with components were ordered well in advance. Even the onsite work was detailed so as to limit the paint and polish surfaces. Specifications were redrawn and redesigned to ensure that fit and finish quality would match global standards. Muted tones of grey and blue, traditional Mitsubishi Engineering colours, were used in the furniture and wall panelling.

Location                                  

Gurgaon

Client

Mitsubishi Heavy Engineering

Typology

Commercial

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area

5000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

2011

Conference Center

Located in a tony neighbourhood of a Delhi suburb, the brief was to create an in house conference facility for a multi-national company. The building would have to accommodate several sizes of conference spaces, training rooms, a large dining area and several guest rooms.

A large existing tree at the site entrance provided the inspiration to create a naturally shaded entrance area. Planned to be an extension of the garden, this space leads on to a central spine along which the various facilites are distributed. The training rooms are situated below ground, to allow for better sound insulation and privacy.

The approach was to plan the building to make each space as naturally lit as possible, especially the subterranean spaces. This was achieved by carving out a long sunken area on the western periphery of the property. This brings in light to training rooms and a large dining area at the rear, which can also be approached via a stair from the rear garden.

A unique glazing detail was designed specifically for the lounge space that overlooks the front garden. Double glazed insulated panels are fixed edge to edge with custom designed stainless steel vertical supports. This detail allows for a seamless integration of interior and exterior space. The exterior of the building is finished in a beige sandstone, local to this region.

 

Location                                  

Faridabad

Client

Undisclosed

Typology

Commercial

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area

15,000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

Ongoing

Contemporary Penthouse

The top floor apartment of a decade old building was proving to be inadequate for a growing family. A fortuitous change in building laws permitted the addition of another floor with the possibility of an internal connection. Two bedrooms and a family lounge were planned for the upper floor, along with a small office that required independent access from outside the apartment. A double height volume was carved out around a light wooden staircase that connects the two floors and was covered with a skylight.

A terrace garden at the front of the upper floor provides views to the office and lounge spaces, while helping to insulate the living room below. Modifications to the lower floor included revamping the kitchen, dining & living spaces. The furniture was custom designed to fit the spaces, including a copper-clad curved bar counter. A signature product by AKDA, the yin-yang table, was reimagined as a leather clad piece and included as part of the interior design. 

Location

SukhdevVihar,

New Delhi

Client  

Undisclosed

Typology

Residential

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area              

5000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

2010

Urban Hotel

The Amber Hotels wanted to create a boutique business hotel in south Delhi to offer guests the luxurious ambience associated with larger hotels. The strategy was to create calm ambience in contrast to the bustling, invasive city. 

The public spaces aggregated at the entrance level, designed in crisply-detailed white finishes, while the rooms on upper floors employ richer palette of warm colours. A large central courtyard, enlivened by a mirror mosaic mural by Vivek Sahni, brings light to public spaces and doubles up as the breakfast area. At night, the terrace garden, is an excellent dining/lounge space for guests. 

The retrofitted façade is a juxtaposition of two wooden elements on white background; an off-center vertical screen and a cantilevered canopy on the terrace, curbing the street sound. The white block of rooms on upper floors floats over transparent public spaces at ground level. The contrast is heightened at night, with interior light and activity animating the dull nature of endless neighboring boundary walls.

Sustainability is a central idea to systems and finishes. Therefore, the hotel has a solar water heating system, key tags sense and control electrical usage in rooms, intelligent VRVII air-conditioning systems minimize energy usage, rainwater is reused and material waste has been incorporated. 

Bathrooms were designed to contrast richer tones of the rooms, and are finished in a muted palette of white and grey stone, blonde wood and glass with rigorous detailing to ensure sustained performance. Colourful Indian art of the pre-colonial era is used throughout the hotel as a counterpoint to the pristine white surfaces.

Designed with a contemporary minimal aesthetic and punctuated with local cultural references by way of art and furniture, the hotel successfully caters to the needs of global traveller while showcasing Indian crafts & tradition.

Location

Sukhdev Vihar,

New Delhi

Client   

Undisclosed

Typology

Hospitality

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area                

8000 Sq.Ft.

Completion

2009

Garage

Delhi’s urban villages have evolved from being sleepy hamlets surrounded by British era planned development to becoming the city’s design and entertainment hotspots. Free from the strict municipal regulations that are enforced in rest of the city, increased density and cheap rent attracts young entrepreneurs to set up shop in narrow lanes. Hauz Khaz village, located near the lake that once supplied Delhi its drinking water, represents the extreme end of this evolution. Divested almost completely of its original inhabitants, mostly fashion designers, art galleries and restaurants are to be seen here.

The client, an accomplished yet young chef, was already running a successful restaurant in another part of the village and was keen to set up a restaurant with a garage theme. The new site was located on upper floor, affording great views to the outside, but was burdened with sharing the entrance with a house and a few other restaurants. Keeping with the theme, the interior was designed with raw untreated surfaces - unplastered brick walls, grey epoxy flooring and even the ceiling plaster was removed to reveal the raw concrete roof. The view to the forest was opened up with an edge to edge glass wall that was recessed from the facade, creating shade for the glass and a verandah for outdoor sitting.

To create a distinctive character for the restaurant exterior, entrance was enclosed with a long membrane of curved corrugated metal. This corrugation forms the backdrop to the bar counter from the interior. Recalling vintage garage doors, the main entrance door is reinforced with steel tubes and painted green and is set in a distressed exposed brick frame. An added attraction to the area, Garage, Inc references the old, while catering to the new.

This project was done in collaboration with Archiopteryx Architects.

Location

Hauz khas village,

New Delhi

Client  

Undisclosed

Typology

Hospitality

Climate

Composite

Built-Up Area              

1500 Sq.Ft.

Completion

2013