Carlo Scarpa was a virtuoso of light, a master of detail, and a connoisseur of materials, indeed a 20th-century master of architecture writes Bhaswati Das.

Carlo Scarpa was an Italian designer with a profound understanding of materials, landscape, and the history of Venetian culture, particularly its tradition of painting. He belongs to the generation of Italian architects working in a period when political conditions placed severe restrictions on architectural expression. Scarpa’s achievements surpassed anything else being done in Italy between the wars and exemplified the best work done in the “Rationalis.

Early influences

He was born on 2ndJune, 1906 in Venice. Scarpa spent his early childhood in Vicenza. After his mother’s death, at the age of 13 he, his father and brother moved back to Venice. Carlo attended the Academy of Fine Arts where, after two years, he focused on architectural studies. Graduating from a non-professional program, although he apprenticed with an architect, he was not permitted to practice architecture without associating with an architect. Hence, those who worked with him, his clients, associates, crafts persons, called him professore, rather than architetto.

A vagabondage that opened his eyes

We can imagine the art of seeing, which Scarpa came to possess by the end of his apprenticeship, as the result of the intellectual vagabondage that characterized his education. He whiled away the time in gazing, portraying himself through drawing the objectivity of that which he observed. His peculiar formal culture derived from the eye, and by observation he mastered technique. For instance, when he was designing his glass objects in the ’30s, he was also observing contemporary figurative works. Other characteristic features of Scarpa’s culture confirm this attitude. For instance, he devoted himself to the study of the various techniques of construction, whether in glassware or museum design, in the use of materials or those involved in essential building skills. Hence, in his effort to break through a norm by introducing distortions and even flat contradictions into technical details and constructional solutions, one finds tangible evidence of his rejection of habits and the empty values of utility whose premise they are.

First projects

In 1922-24, he began his first project as a collaborator in the office of Architect V. Rinaldo and in 1926 obtained his diploma of Professor in Architectural Drawing at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Venice. He then began his career at the Royal Superior Institute of Architecture of Venice (subsequently Architectural Institute of Venice University) as assistant to Prof. G. Cirilli. He possessed an exceptional understanding of raw materials, and from 1933 to 1947, was artistic director of Venini, one of the most prominent producers of Venetian glass before he began the pursuit of his career as an architect.

Scarpa’s revolutionary breakthrough style

Scarpa’s architecture is deeply sensitive to the changes of time, from seasons to history, rooted in a sensuous material imagination and has been widely praised by highly sensitive from Tadao Ando to Mario Botta. Scarpa’s compositions consist of rifts and contrasts - his misgivings over the norm necessarily lead to difference. And difference is the hallmark of a Scarpian fragment. In fact, Scarpa’s design sensibility is all about details. In the typical Scarpian detail, deviation takes shape and the viewer’s attention focuses on it. The fragment compels a nearer view, it brings the object closer up. The Scarpian detail eludes the completeness of any ordering or systematic arrangement. It requires elasticity in composition and excludes general stylistic rules. The quest for quality is expressed in Scarpa’s profound attention to detail. Measure and harmony are also attributes of the enigma. Carlo Scarpa’s touch makes manifest memory and focuses the gaze. In the detail, he regenerates the space of the moment and the instinctive insight of observation. The quality of the fragment is thus essentially the outcome of discontinuity and not achieved in the modes of perspective arrangement.

Impact of his style

When he renovated the Galleria Querini Stampalia, a Venetian palazzo, he renewed the balance between structure and landscape by conceptualizing the building as a vessel that could contain the incoming tide within its foundations. Channels direct the water through the lower level of the palazzo, so that the building shapes the water. At the same time, the natural flux of the water shapes the building.

Right from the start, when Scarpa preferred to study with the master glass workers of Murano rather than bow to the restrictions of academic culture, one finds him using drawing and execution as part of the development of experience. The work he achieved up to the start of the ’50s reveals the role of visual memory in Scarpa’s work. Here he fine-tuned his appreciation of materials and the design of small-scale objects. The combination of this sensitivity for tactile detail with the use of spatial effect links Scarpa’s architecture to the De Stijl movement and Frank Lloyd Wright, an important co-believer in making buildings appropriate to their surroundings.

Memorable projects

His notable works are Gallerie dell’Accademia, Central Pavilion in the Giardini at the Venice Biennale,Palazzo Ca’Foscari, Venice, Venezuela-Pavillion, Biennale, Venice, Italy, Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona, Italy, Showroom of Olivetti, St. Mark’s Square, Venice, Italy, Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice, Brion Tomb and Sanctuary, at San Vito d’Altivole, Italy, and Banca Popolare, Verona, Italy.

Architect of Cemetery, celebration of death The Brion-Vega Cementery, San Vito, Italy

One of Scarpa’s most famous projects is the Brion-Vega cemetery of San Vito, Italy, where he created a series of family tombs and a landscaped garden around them (1970-1972). Using modern forms and materials (principally concrete), Scarpa responds to traditional funerary architecture, yet provides a bridge into the future. The cemetery becomes a transitional place where the corporeal becomes ephemeral, and solids slip away into voids. In the cemetery garden, the earth is raised in monolithic trays and separated from precinct walls by a narrow space. Brick paths cut through the raised earth, and large, curved concrete forms act as bridges, wells, and walls. The tombs themselves are partly recessed in the ground, yet also raised off the ground like freestanding sarcophagi.

Creator of museums, history revisited Exhibit spaces of the Castelvecchio, Verona and Accademia and Correr Museum, Venice

Scarpa’s blending of modern and historical forms allies him to Postmodern architecture. Scarpa’s museum work extended to designing the exhibit spaces of the Castelvecchio in Verona and Venice’s Accademia and Correr Museum. In each of his designs he keeps the human encounter with form and material at the fore, employing whatever aesthetic that will most enhance that experience. In his museum interiors, for instance, his designs make use of the comment unfolded around the historical items, themselves intended, moreover, to become part of the substance of the composition, as happens with the elaborate placing of the statue of Cangrande della Scala in the Castelvecchio Museum. The restructuring of the Olivetti Showroom in Piazza San Marco, Venice, or the arrangement of the Luzzato hall in the Querini-Stampalia Foundation are so many demonstrations of the mastery acquired by Scarpa in the eloquent matching of different materials. So great was Scarpa’s mastery by this time that he was able to sense the possibility of a symbolical function for certain elements in his compositions, like the water that appears in his designs or the handling of chiaroscuro effects (symbolical in the topological sense of the term, derived from sumba/lein, meaning to combine or fuse together).

Designer of gardens, paradise recreated Public sculpture gardens in Venice, Verons, San Vito di Altivole

The first public sculpture garden in Italy is designed for the Venice Biennale, and the gardens for the Fondazione Querini- Stampalia, the Museo di castelvecchio in Verona, and the Brion family Sanctuary in San Vito di Altivole. The gardens Scarpa designed evince a wide range of sources, from Persian paradise Gardens, the gardens of Classical China and Japan, and the Garden culture of Venice and the Veneto. The Venetian traditions that informed Scarpa’s work include the images of idealized landscapes produced by Venetian School of Renaissance painting and the techniques by which those paintings were produced. Scarpa’s design work was also located within tradition of architectural production in which architecture and landscape are understood in a degree rather than in kind. Scarpa’s work as a designer of landscapes and gardens was largely informed by his work as an exhibition designer.

Scarpa’s projects outside Italy

While most of his built work is located in the Veneto, he made designs of landscapes, gardens, and buildings, for other regions of Italy as well as Canada, the United States, Saudi Arabia, France and Switzerland. One of his last projects, left incomplete at the time of his death, was recently altered (October 2006) by his son Tobia—the Villa Palazzetto in Monselice. This work is one of Scarpa’s most ambitious landscape and garden projects, the Brion Sanctuary notwithstanding. It was executed for Aldo Businaro, the representative for Cassina who is responsible for Scarpa’s first trip to Japan. Aldo Businaro died in August 2006, a few months before the completion of the new stair at the Villa Palazzetto, built to commemorate Scarpa’s centenary.

In 1978, while in Sendai, Japan, Scarpa died after falling down a flight of concrete stairs. He survived for ten days in hospital before succcumbing to the injuries of his fall. He is buried standing up, in the outside corner of his L-shaped Brion family cemetery at San Vito d’Altivole in the Veneto.

The champion of craft, materials and metaphor

Scarpa’s decorative style has become a model for architects wishing to revive craft and luscious materials in the contemporary manner. Carlo Scarpa was such a visionary; he created the monumental through the personal, allowing a sense of place to guide his designs and the construction of metaphor to have equal weight with the demands of functionality.

Once a water-purification plant in the 19th century, today it is a stunning 32,290-square-foot Hotel Boutique in Peubla, Mexico. The Mexican hotelier Carlos Couturier's innovative project, La Purificadora was designed by Mexico's famous architect Ricardo Legoretta and his son, Victor, who took up the challenge and transformed this old ice factory and water-purifying plant into a stunning piece of luxury.

Ricardo Legorreta, though famous for his use of bold and bright colors and designs decided to shun all that and stick to minimalist colors for La Purificadora. With three more floors added to the original building, the architect duo stuck to black and white while designing the interiors of the hotel. Blending the old architecture with new, the stone and plaster façades are also incorporated in the interior designs. The primary materials used were the stone and wood from the original building, onyx, and specially fabricated glazed tiles were used for the floors and interestingly, materials such as bottles and glass fragments that were found in the original building have also been incorporated in the design.

La Purificadora boasts of an open-to-the-sky lobby area. Legorreta used the local volcanic rock as traditional raw material and combined it with the airy glass gallery. A sweeping staircase opens to a spectacular view of the next-door church. The hotel's interiors are a mixture of glass, dark stone and heavy wood features, and the color purple is boldly used in an otherwise minimalist background to give it a livelier look.

The lobby of the hotel and the rooms are arranged in L-shape around the lobby. The usual coffee tables made way for the more chic, open, stone fireplaces having open fireboxes for the guests and also a grand staircase adds much drama to the interiors. Glass open stairs are used from the second floor of the hotel to the third level and finally terminate into a sheltered roof terrace, presenting a stunning view of the city. All the 26 guest rooms have been inspired by colonial architecture and have been given a contemporary flavor. Another interesting feature of this hotel is its rooftop terrace's 30-meter glass-sided swimming pool, built like an aquarium; glass closets in guest rooms, and the glass balconies that are a regular design feature in this entire hotel building. The ground level finds an extensive use of timber and wood that was recycled from the original site of the purification plant.

This hotel can be dubbed as a 'recycled' master piece for its transformation from a purifying plant to a luxury hotel, fusing traditional architecture with contemporary designs and this innovativeness won the architect duo, Legorreta and his son, the World Architecture Festival Awards 2008 in the holiday category. The green hotel is a landmark in Mexico and also a source of inspiration for many who want to recycle and get the most of it.

The New Majestic Hotel in Singapore has surely lived up to its name ever since it was created. This boutique hotel was the brainchild of Loh Lik Peng, a 34 year-old former lawyer who eventually went on to win the Singapore Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year 2006. The hotel developed by combining existing buildings and shops managed to retain the old colonial past and combined it with contemporary designs to give it a modern look.

The reconstruction of the hotel was carried out by DP Architects who took a year to refurbish this 80-year-old hotel. Its stunning all-white concept lobby and the classic Compton fans gives it an unusually grand look. With strict regulations of the Urban Redevelopment Authority in Singapore, New Majestic's façade had to be retained in its original form but with slight cosmetic changes. The most striking feature of the hotel is that all the guestrooms have different designs and are a combination of contemporary styles fused with modern and vintage fittings, including customized copper bathtubs. Some rooms have dramatic floor to ceiling mirrors, while some are attic/loft-style having sleeping area, upstairs. A couple of rooms have 'aquarium' see-through bathrooms as its main attraction or some with striking features like a bed suspended by poles from the ceiling.

Another interesting fact about this hotel is that Peng used not one but several designers to do the interiors of the hotel. The rooms were designed by Colin Seah of Ministry of Design and five guest designers were appointed to give the hotel's five suites, a striking, magnificent look. These five designers included Glen Goei, Film & Theatre director, who designed the "Wayang Room," giving it crimson walls, black lacquer furnishings and red lanterns suspended from the ceiling. Daniel Boey, a fashion show producer designed the "Pussy Parlour" and used French chandelier, neon lights, crinkly pink linen, a brass four poster bed and mirrors for this suite. Fashion designer, Wykidd Song, took charge of "fluid" and ensured space, swirls and simplicity in it. Graphic designer Theus Chan used plywood predominantly to design "living in a box". Patrick Chia, a furniture designer, extensively used cement and gave "untitled" a majestic European design.

The hotel's original 50 rooms were brought down to 30 thus ensuring there was enough space and distinguishing features to make every room a statement. Another fascinating feature is the fixture of '1296', Lightouch Design Competition 2007 award-winning lights that adorn the lobby. These are light bulbs that are created with 1296 incised cuts in a two dimensional plane thus giving rise to an organic form, so the bulbs dance echoing through its layers. The New Majestic Hotel went on to win the Designs of the Year category in the President's Design Award 2006 and was also mentioned in the Condé Naste Traveller as one of the world's most hospitable hotels.

The Oddfellows Hall in Edinburgh's Old Town is an iconic bar/pub in this city. This once traditional building has now been refurbished to give it a modern look. The clients, Festival Inns Ltd commissioned architects and designers Lee Boyd to give it a more contemporary appearance and interiors. With the building's double height space, the architects made sure that the building was visible enough from the road side thereby giving it a transparent look from one side. Also the paint was stripped so as to expose the magnificent stone façade of the building.

Trying to incorporate the old and new in the refurbishment, Lee Boyd also utilized the services of Grum Anderson and his company Dynamic Productions for the renovation of the main room of the building. Grum's specialized and technologically advanced lighting scheme was used here at the Oddfellows Hall.


Here, he has created a unique design that uses individual single source LEDs in fixtures customized and set into polycarbonate baroque light fittings to light the points of the vaulted ceiling. More light fixtures under the ventilation ducts throw light on the exposed brick wall, with lights slowly changing colors while rotating and each revolution taking almost an hour to complete and also setting up sculptural plywood moose heads to add some drama to the interiors. Lee Boyd also got a local artist Gregor Laird to design a double height artwork, Garden of Eden piece-Utopia that was put at the bar's entrance.

New additions in the Oddfellows Hall also included setting up a new public house with kitchen facilities on the ground floor and additional public space on the balconies above. Lee Boyd completed the refurbishment of Oddfellows Hall in December 2006 and the entire project cost £1 million. The interiors renovated led to the Hall bagging the Roses Design Awards 2007 for Best Interiors. This once traditional meeting place for members of the Oddfellows order has now been transformed into a hip joint and is now quite a landmark in this part of the country.

Abu Dhabi, with distinct advantages of demographics, connectivity, and leadership, could be upstaging Dubai as the new realty magnet in the UAE, going by the spectacular realty boom that we are witnessing right now.

For the last decade, the United Arab Emirates has changed its image from a lonely albeit rich desert outpost, to the place where big things happen. Phenomenal growth, rising property prices, unbelievable returns on investment—these are the common perceptions regarding real estate in the UAE in recent years. Led by Dubai, one Emirate after the other has followed the trend of opening up real estate and offering freehold properties, backed by government built infrastructure. Tremendous wealth generation and creation of opportunities have made investors the world over flock to the UAE.

However, the complete domination of Dubai in the scenario has changed considerably and today other emirates are also coming up as attractive destinations. Of these, Abu Dhabi has shown the most innovation, leadership and vision as can be seen from the sheer scale of projects being built there.

Inherent advantages

Abu Dhabi has the distinct advantage of being the capital of the United Arab Emirates covering over 85% of the nation’s total land area. The biggest oil producing city in UAE and a popular trading centre, Abu Dhabi has first-class infrastructure for real estate development. There are no foreign exchange controls and trade barriers here, a boon for investors. Plus, no corporate and income taxes are levied on real estate. Moreover, it is a stable economy with high per capita income and high purchasing power.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has positioned the city as a major tourist hot-spot and the hotel industry is attracting a lot of investment. Expansion plans in all sectors by the government are also adding to the growth in real estate investment. As in Dubai, Abu Dhabi also offers 99-year leasehold agreements with developers to foreign nationals, enabling expats to invest in properties here. Excellent infrastructure facilities also add to the charm of the city. Property prices of both commercial and residential areas are steadily rising. Easy finance schemes being offered by financial institutions not only to UAE nationals but also to non-residents are further fuelling growth.

Abu Dhabi is being seen as a good investment opportunity for those who missed out on the real estate boom in Dubai.

Grabbing opportunity

On August 10, 2005 Abu Dhabi passed a new law allowing UAE nationals to own and trade land in Abu Dhabi for the first time. Before then, land tenure was on a ‘gifted’ basis and for the life-long use of the recipient only. Abu Dhabi’s opening up came at a critical time, when investors were looking at new opportunities and affordable options in Dubai were drying up.

Mega vision

A slew of new mega projects, akin to those initiated in Dubai, to be developed on land allotted to state-owned or supported real estate companies have set the ball rolling here. Though the development pattern is similar to Dubai’s, there are stark differences.

One, international real estate investment funds have shown more interest in Abu Dhabi than Dubai. Funds usually take a long term view, and Abu Dhabi had natural resources, political and economic stability and the world’s highest per capita income—three strong factors in its favour. It has a larger land area, a strong tourism initiative, a new airline and better access to boot. More importantly, for Abu Dhabi residents, this is the first opportunity to truly own real estate, and majority of the takers have been local, a very positive indication indeed. This is highlighted by demand–supply figures released recently by Shuaa Capital and Colliers International. In 2007, the demand for residential units in Abu Dhabi is estimated at 21,900 units against a projected supply of 1,100 units. In 2008, the supply is projected at 24,000 and just 11,000 units are scheduled for delivery. Only in 2009, with 150,000 new units, supply will catch up with demand.

Financing is no longer a problem, after the first few large projects have taken off with government backing. For instance, ‘The Park’ highrise towers on the Al Reem Island facing the Abu Dhabi Mall, promoted by Profile Group Properties, has been announced recently. Up to 20 years of finance is available for this project from Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank for both UAE nationals and non-residents.

Economic boom and huge investments

According to figures released in early 2007 by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, GDP for the emirate will reach $159 bn by 2010 with the share of non-oil activities rising from $44 bn to $72 bn. Investment totals are huge with $136 bn targeted for construction and building, $55 bn for tourism, $9.5 bn for water and electricity and $33 bn for industry.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi: Complementary markets

The confidence of the Abu Dhabi realty market is seen in the fact that the city has not under-priced its initial developments. In contrast, Dubai had done so when it was opening up the real estate market. Today, projects in Abu Dhabi are being sold out rapidly, even as certain projects in Dubai face slow sales.

However, contrary to perception, Abu Dhabi is not a threat to the Dubai realty market. If anything, in the long run, the two markets will complement each other and emerge as a strong magnet for UAE realty.

Some large projects

Shams Abu Dhabi on Al Reem Island, Golf Gardens and Central Park by Sorouh Real Estate and Al Raha Beach and Yas Island by Aldar Properties are some of these mega developments. The scale is truly unimaginable. For instance, the Shams Abu Dhabi will be a development of 1,560 million square meters, containing 80% residential, and 20% commercial space and will include the Sky Tower, the highest skyscraper in Abu Dhabi. Central Park will contain one million square feet of mixed-use development.

Renzo Piano is the “high-tech” architectural priest who, a generation ago, gave the world the Centre Georges Pompidou, or Beaubourg, in Paris, the incredible high-tech structure that is one of the monuments of 20^th century architecture. The proposed Renzo Towers, which would dwarf any existing buildings on the West Coast, and will reach a height of 748 feet, and a mast on the roof would bring it up to 1,140 feet.

Introduction

San Francisco Transbay Terminal, or simply Transbay Terminal, is a transportation complex in San Francisco, California, USA, located approximately in the center of the rectangle bounded north-south by Mission Street and Howard Street, and east-west by Beale Street and Second Street. Presently, it functions as a terminal for long-distance buses and transbay buses from San Francisco north to Marin County, east to the East Bay, and south to San Mateo County. Its largest tenants, in addition to San Francisco’s own Muni, are Golden Gate Transit, AC Transit, SamTrans, and Greyhound Bus Lines.

A plan was proposed by The City and County of San Francisco, the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (Caltrain) to replace the current underutilized and outdated building with an entirely new and more functional building at roughly the same location. In addition of maintain the current bus services, this proposed terminal would also include a tunnel that would extend the Caltrain commuter rail line from its current terminus at Fourth and Townsend Streets to the new Transbay Terminal. Hence, when this project is completed, Caltrain riders would no longer need to transfer to Muni in order to reach the downtown financial district. Additionally, the heavy rail portion of the terminal would be designed to accommodate the planned high speed rail from Los Angeles via the Caltrain line.

The Transbay Terminal–The gigantic replacement

The San Francisco Transbay development plan consists of three super–tall skyscrapers and ten other skyscrapers and high-rises proposed in San Francisco. The towers are proposed to fund the costly replacement of the San Francisco Transbay Terminal in the South of Market near the Financial District. "The super talls only comprise three of the thirteen towers of the Transbay Project. Five of the thirteen towers are part of Renzo Piano’s complex and the other eight are Transbay Towers. Along with the new terminal, thirteen towers have been proposed on sites around the new terminal, ranging from 300 (91 m) to 1,200-1,375 feet (366-419 m) tall. If built out the construction of the new terminal, San Francisco will have a new tallest building and thereby its skyline will be altered. This would reinforce this area, already zoned for the city’s tallest heights, as the center of the 21st century downtown, especially on the skyline. On December 21, 2006, Renzo Piano proposed a five–tower complex of one 600 (183 m) foot tower, two 900 foot (274 m) towers and two 1,200 foot towers (366 m)]. In addition, these towers will alter the city blocks surrounding the terminal, much like the ongoing change taking place at the southeast at Rincon Hill and right next to the current terminal.

The Renzo Piano Towers I & II

Renzo Piano designed two of the super tall skyscrapers -Renzo Piano Tower I and Renzo Piano Tower II on December 21, 2006. The location of the twin super tall terra-cotta towers of Renzo’s five-tower complex will be at the First and Mission Street. These buildings will tower 347 feet (106 m) over the current tallest in San Francisco - the Transamerica Pyramid. Adjoining the twin super talls are two 900 foot (274 m) towers and one 600 foot (183 m) tower in a dense tower complex said to resemble bamboo shoots. Another super tall Transbay Project I will be attached directly to the replacement Transbay Terminal and this tower will rise on Mission & Fremont Streets. Currently, there are three proposed designs for Transbay Project I, ranging from 1,200 feet (366 m) to 1,375 feet (419 m). The SOM plan consists of a 1,200ft (366m) 93 story twisting tower with a 175ft (53m) glass crown for a total height of 1,375ft (419m). On the ground, there would be a 70ft (21m) wide by 103ft (31m) tall open-air passage that will lead commuters into the new Transbay Terminal. The design includes a 1,300ft (396m) long park on top of the terminal with a 1,200ft (366m)-80-story obelisk office tower. Lastly, the plan consists of a 1,118.5ft (341m) mixed-use tower with exposed elevators. A 168ft (51m) steel-framed structure on the roof of this 82-story building will push the total height to 1,286.5ft (392m). All three designs include wind turbines on the roof. In addition, there are seven other towers of the Transbay Project located on nearby blocks ranging from 850 feet (259 m) to a modest 300 feet.

The Massive Plan

Renzo Piano is a Pritzker Prize-winning architect known for his work on such projects as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and The New York Times Co.'s new headquarters in Times Square. The Transbay Project Towers were proposed by Piano along with the replacement of the current, aging Terminal. The first version of the project had only seven towers with six towers from 550 feet (168 m) to 300 feet (91 m), and one 650 to 850 foot (198 to 259 m) Transbay Project I tower directly attached to the new terminal. However, in December, 2005, the plan was altered whereby the tower attached to the new terminal was proposed at 925 feet (282 m) and 70 floors. Again, in May 2006, the single Transbay Project I tower was proposed at 1,000 feet (305 m), with two additional 850 foot (259 m) Transbay Project towers located near the 1,000-foot (305 m) tower, bumping the number of towers to nine. Seven months later, Renzo Piano replaced one of the 850 foot (259 m) towers with a dense five tower complex with two additional supertalls and several other tall skyscrapers, leading to a total number of thirteen Transbay Project towers. There are 900 feet (274 m) and 550 feet (168 m) 181 Fremont Street and 350 Mission Street, respectively, office towers proposed around the terminal area also, but these towers are not part of the Transbay Project.

According to many observers, with the Transbay Terminal replacement project, the new terminal could potentially become the Grand Central Terminal of the West Coast. In 2005, this project has published its final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and is in the process of designing and securing the required funds. The new Transbay Terminal building, Phase I of the project, is currently scheduled to start construction in 2008 and open in 2014. Phase II of the project, the rail extension, is planned to begin in 2012 and open to rail service in 2019. Recently, the new Transbay Terminal has been tentatively named Transbay Transit Center.

San Francisco Due for a Change

This massive proposal to build a 1,000-foot, 75-story glass-and-steel building that would tower over all others is a bold move in a city that favors colonial era church steeples over skyscrapers. In a city that has managed to save historic structures such as King’s Chapel and the Old Statehouse from overshadowing highrises, reluctance to build high runs deep. A state law restricts new buildings that would cast a shadow on Boston Common, and past proposals to build 50 stories or higher in the Financial District have failed to secure city approvals. There is no specific timeline for the project, and the city says its review process could involve more than one stage before the final building design is approved. However, real estate industry officials say they are optimistic the project will be built, given the recent rebound in the downtown office space market. At current construction costs, the project would cost more than $1 billion to build. The zoning changes could bring as much as $250 million in new funding to the terminal project, according to the work of the planners.

The 1,200-foot proposed skyscraper, which would be the third tallest building in the United States, would lag only Chicago’s Sears Tower, which is 1,450 feet, and New York’s Empire State Building at 1,250 feet. San Francisco’s tallest current building is the Transamerica Pyramid, which is 853 feet tall.

The straight line is no longer the norm in hotel design and architects need to unleash their creativity, says Mr. Bibhash Chatterjee, a man with many feathers in his cap. A hotelier of repute with over 15 years experience, Mr. Chatterjee started Creative Interiors, an Interior Design Company and then ABG Management a hospitality consulting company. Today, he is a hospitality consultant, interior designer and fitness expert all rolled in one. In an exclusive interview with Mukta Naik, he sheds light on the business of hotel design.

You are involved in multiple pursuits with interior design, hospitality management, fitness, and the mainstream hospitality industry itself. What brought you into working in this particular combination of fields?

I always wanted to be an artist as a child. I could not pursue that as a career and ended up being an operations person in the hospitality industry instead. As part of my work, I was involved with many hotel projects and the renovation, design and redesign of these projects. My passion for creativity was so much that I decided to give up my job as the CEO of a hotel chain and pursue my heart. I started working on hotel projects on my own and with a team.

In my work, I do quite a bit of designing. I have been associated with several architects, though I never study architecture formally, I am always in the process of learning the trade from my associates. I focus on my ideas and creativity and on complete conceptualization of the project.

The hospitality sector in India is booming right now. As an industry insider, what do you see as the main opportunities for design, real estate and construction professionals?

Many people from the real estate segment are coming into hospitality today. This is either because they own land or because they have land banks. Hotels are preferred today because people are looking for a revenue business model that gives them a regular return on investment. This is only possible if you sell a service and that’s what we do in the hoitel industry. A large number of mid–market chains are coming up today. Comfort hotels offering rooms at Rs 2000-3000 per night and basic business hotels with room charges of Rs 7000-8000 per night are being made across the country. The real challenge for a designer is to give each client a different identity. Every hotel chain coming on wants to be distinct and this has to be achieved through concept and design.

How do you achieve this in terms of design?

You need to standardize the concept for the chain or brand and then mix in the local flavour of the state or city where the specific property is being developed. As a designer, you cannot replicate the same concept over several projects. What is important is that the same concept has to flow through from the exterior to the interior and in every aspect of design.

How seriously are quality and standards taken in the Indian hotel industry? Are Indian architects able to cope with the expectations?

Of course, Indian architects have no problems following standards and guidelines. The norms and requirements are very clear in the hotel industry for everything. The room sizes and bathroom sizes for each type of hotel room from a budget hotel to a 5-star hotel are recommended by the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA) and the FHRAI, the Indian body of hoteliers.

International architects definitely have an edge when it comes to master planning large scale projects, of the scale of 5-8 million square feet as they have more experience of these large projects abroad. However, in terms of understanding customer needs, market trends, products and pricing, Indian architects are comfortable.

I think architects need to understand who they are designing for. For instance, if you are designing a budget hotel room, the person who is paying for it would expect it to be better than his bedroom at home. In a 5-star hotel, the expectations are much more.

Coming to interior design, this is a dynamic field. What have your projects focused at and what is your personal design philosophy?

I have always had a flexible approach to design. As a designer, you need to listen to your clients and constantly educate your client as well. In terms of style, I prefer designing modern and futuristic interiors and am not much into ethnic design.

Do you see the interior design as someone who adds value to a project or as an integral part of the project team?

I think both roles go hand in hand. As an interior designer, you are integral to the project, yet you have to add value. The recall factor needs to be very strong for a hotel project, plus the design should blend together. As a designer, it is important to ensure that the elements match and the entire scheme does not go overboard.

What is the scope for outsourced hotel management in India? Is this a popular trend worldwide?

Yes, this is a well accepted trend worldwide and in India. There is tremendous scope for outsourcing specialized services in the hotel industry.

How should architects, designers and other construction professionals prepare themselves for the changes in the hospitality industry?

The key is to think ahead of the times. Designers should look at improving with every property. They should be flexible and think out of the box. Every design in the hotel industry needs recall and a wow response from the user.

Known for their flamboyant, stylish and original works, Mumbai based architectural and interior designing firm ‘Architect Narrayan & Associates,’ have specialized in all fields of architectural projects ranging from five–star hotels, malls, corporate offices, commercial projects, residential projects, hospitals & institutional projects reports Mariya Rasheeda.

With an experience of 12 years, Architect Narrayan started his own practice in 2002 in Mumbai, and within the span of two years, grown to 40 design team members and doing projects across the country. They are now exploring the possibilities of going global, so from the moment they started there was no looking back. Presently they have their other associates offices at Pune, Gurgaon and Baroda, with an over–all design team strength of 78 members.

They provide solutions which are long term, sustainable, reliable and optimal, focusing on the services with an artistic flair, based on a platform of experience, which gives the skill of management & engineering. Their key is focusing on team work, rather than individualistic orientation organization.

Principal Interior designer Isha Narrayan says "Their work is based on analysis and studying the mindset of the client. We visualize the entire concept and make the clients understand, even before executing the project. Interior designing has a number of layers to explore, there's no end to this exploration, it is an art, wheresin to achieve the balance between this exploration to the mindset of the user. It is an art to achieve an equilibrium of the concept desired. We always understand the projects, envisage the innovation in design and in form, invariably try to innovate the designs."

They work on visualization and understand each element and form of over–all development, before giving a shape to the project, as each project is different from other, so they have different opportunities also.

Keeping the global trends in view, increasing demand and wide variety of projects, which are the need of the hour, Architect Narrayan's firm is using the latest computer aided tools and software along with the latest hardware available while designing and drafting the projects. They have separate architectural and interior teams, each having heads for their respective zones.

Architect Narrayan believes that "Architect is the one, who gives the right shape to his client's dream and vision, maintaining the Architect's creativity, to attain the originality of the concept of the entire project, till the last stone put." He further states "Architectural" is not only designing form, but to understand the long–term environment issues, using materials, which are sustainable, energy efficient, cost effective and maintenance free. Designing does not only include space utilization and innovative shapes. It should include objective of the intent, characters and creating aspirations among the users of the spaces, which should be beyond imagination. In most of the projects that are being carried out, the key is to maximize the space utilization, along with sufficient and effective captivity of natural light and ventilation. As the space problem is arising day by day, it is duty of the architect to do the needful.

They have witnessed the entire architectural boom since 2004, and have captivated the opportunities of the growing trends in their fields. Since its inception, the firm has received many awards and recognition. Narrayan has always committed himself to each of his projects, excelled in his field with his sheer hard work, dedication and respect towards his work and team, they have been awarded "Bharatiya Shiromani Purashkar" for "Excelling in Architecture of Mass housing" in 2006 and All India Achievers Conference - Architect of Excellence [Business] Award – 2007." In a short span of time, they have completed approximately 100 projects across country and there is many prestigious project in the design and concept stages.

Project Overview Mumbai, Worli project

The project has an overall development of 1.2 million sq.ft built-up area, divided into two phases, with the first phase being the Residential block, and the other is Commercial block. Phase-I has an overall built-up Area: 2,50,000 sq.ft

Status: Proposed

Commercial block, is an important aspect of the project, situated right at the main road of the Annie Besant Road. The height of the building is articulated carefully so that this does not obstruct the residential blocks view towards the sea, which is situated right behind. This building has four shopping level's at the ground approximately 16,000 sq.ft, 26 levels of Corporate offices of 10,500 sq.ft. Form and shape of the building has been designed in such a way that we can take maximum benefit as the floor area is not very large.

The web–like mesh structure on the glass is of aluminum box section, which makes the building look like a tightly gripped building. This is also part of the structure element of the building. The RCC periphery members are used as vertical movements i.e lifts and staircases. The boxes which are projected outside are made in such a way so that two sides of the blocks are opened out, to get maximum light benefit and also to enjoy the greenery which would be part of the structure.

Residential Block

Phase I

Built-up Area: 10,50,000 sq. ft

Status: To be completed in 2010

The residential block is part of the 1st phase of the project proposed to be constructed on an important landmark location. The building will get 2 blocks each, having 2 flats per block per floor. It will be 5 and 6 bedroom apartment with attached jacuzzi and lap pool for each flat which has an individual view, i.e. each owner has his own pool. Top six floors are duple flats with 8000 sq.ft. each.

The building has 10 podium level car parking and 65 story residential floor. The topmost podium has a high-tech club and gymnasium with all international amenities. The building has 2 basement level car parking. There are a total of 750 car-park slots for the residents.

The vertical movements consists of high speed 6 guest elevators, 3 service elevators and two fire escape stair cases.

Mumbai, Sion Project

Residential Block

Built-up Area: 2,62,555 sq.ft

Status: Proposed

This project is situated in a highly dense residential area having a mixed–used locality. The project comprises ground floor, which has shops & commercial establishment, 3^rd podium floor for club & children's play ground, 1^st and 2^nd podium floors for car parking, and 20 residential apartment floors.

The residential blocks have been designed for ½ Bedroom and 3 ½ Bedroom apartments. These are meant for a higher middle income group, which would have a carpet area approximately 1000 sq.ft to 1200 sq.ft each. The podium terrace would also be utilized for club activities. This is a typically re-development project, where the tenants are being re-located and the ground shops are for tenant and showrooms. There are three wings of the project, each having 4 elevators. All the toilets are inverts and the service blocks are designed so that no services are seen out.

Satellite Garden, Gurgaon

Tower – D2

Mumbai

Residential Block

Built-up Area: 6,00,000 sq.ft

Status: Due to be completed in 2008

This is a typically re-development project, where the tenants are been re-located and the ground shops encompass the earlier tenants, such as shops and offices. The project has gone through many changes due to the changing markets trends and scenario in the past 2 years, this project was conceived 2 years from now, meant for middle income group, and designed as 2 Bedroom & 3 Bedroom Apartments with 4 levels of car parking. The club level is at the podium top level having, all amenities for the resident. The residential blocks are being stacked up to 30^th levels with Architectural features going up another 10^th level, which also bears lightning arrester. The top 4 levels are being converted to duplex apartments each having an area of 2500 sq.ft.

Commercial Block at Bangalore

Built-up Area:1,65,000 sq.ft

Status: Proposed

The location selected for this project has been on a very busy and highly populated street of Bangalore. This is a building which has 1,65,000 sq.ft divided into 2 shopping levels 4 commercial levels and 2 basement for parking. The shape of the building is very interesting, this being a commercially important location. The terraces in the building would be exploited for restaurants with complete greenery. The building has 2 atriums, each for individual purposes. The drop–off for the commercial is at the rear of the building whereas the shopping drop–off is at the front of the building.

Mumbai, Worli Project

Mall, Hotel & Commercial

Built-up Area: 10,50,000 sq.ft

Status: Proposed

This is a mixed–used development project where in there are 3 different activities–Mall, Hotels & Commercial Complex. The plot ad joining the main road is the mall which has 45,000 sq.ft of high end shopping. The rear block is a 65 storey hotel & commercial block. The entrance for the commercial is from the west, directly from the main road, where there are 4 lifts and 2 service lifts of high speed. The commercial block starts from the 6^th level to 27^th level. Each floor plate is approximately 12,000 sq.ft.

The Hotel block has an entrance from the north east side, having 3 levels of atrium lobby and all public areas i.e. restaurant, Banquets Bar, Coffee Shop, till the 5th level. The rooms of the Hotel start from the 28^th level to 58thlevel, which has complete un-interrupted view of Mumbai. The top 7 levels are of Pub/disco & sky lounge restaurants. The top of the building has been designed in such a manner that the activities can have complete sky light and can be used both during the day & night, the Jaw light roofing is a natural light stimulated roof which is electronically operated, so as to not have direct sunlight on to the lounge above. The complete lounge has an atrium effect where in each lounge is overlooking the other.

Mumbai, Kalamboli Project

Commercial Block

Built-up Area: 65,000 sq. ft

Status: Due to be completed in 2009

Kalamboli project is a small commercial building located in one of the prime commercial hubs of Mumbai. This is being constructed by non–builder, who is a frequent traveler, very passionate about building designs and so found it easier to give a proposal for an Architect to conceive an idea. It has been a learning experience for us too for design and build this development.

This project has one basement of approximate 35 car parks, ground floor housing the entrance lobby and shops and next 2 levels of car parking, there are 2 car elevators for the vertical transportation of cars and the above ground floors have offices. The exterior of the building has been designed with granite cladding and glass. The building would be designed as a green building i.e. the green building concept would be take into account i.e. the led rating of silver or gold would be taken. Therefore all aspects of the building have been designed to use suitable and emergency efficient materials. The project would have a very high quality of such material to ensure the end user will benefit and enjoy an efficiently designed building.

Sowmya Acharya takes a look through the life and works of Sir Norman Foster, an exemplary architect who has truly lived up to the term “modernist.”

British architect Sir Norman Robert Foster is acclaimed for creating high-tech modernist designs which have gone on to become famous landmarks. His multi-million pound projects across the globe are a reflection of today's modern times, each work an ode to contemporary architecture. Celebrated for his clean, environmentally aware and slick design styles, he was knighted in 1990 and was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1999 and the renowned Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2007.

The early years

Norman Foster was born in June 1935, in Manchester. He spent his infancy in the working class neighborhood of Levenshulme. A good performer at school, he showed interest in architecture at an early age. He was particularly influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Modernist master Le Corbusier.

Though he considered a career in architecture from an early age, but National Service and a number of rather mundane day jobs intervened. During his stint in the contracts department of a small Manchester-based firm of architects (John Beardshaw & Partners), his sketching talents were noticed, and he soon moved into the drawing department.

At the age of 21, he began his architectural studies at Manchester University. Here, he won practically every prize and scholarship that was available. These enabled him to visit Europe and learn more about architecture there. He also won a Henry Fellowship to pursue graduate studies at Yale University, USA. Later, he extensively traveled across the USA and returned to England in 1962, where he began his professional practice and formed Team 4.

Career path

The company worked on many residential projects, most of which had laid a lot of importance to ecological sensitivity. However, the big break came with the 30,000 sq ft Reliance Controls factory in Swindon, UK. It was this project that brought them laurels and also proved to be a turning point in the company’s history. The construction was the earliest example of the use of light-weight construction and industrial components. This is largely seen as something that started the 'high-tech' trend in architecture that Sir Foster is famous for.


The company split in 1967 and members went their separate ways. Sir Foster went on to form what is today known as Foster and Partners. In 1968, the partnership which witnessed the construction of several memorable buildings that of Sir Foster and American architect Richard Buckminister Fuller was formed. Together, the two worked on famous constructions like Samuel Beckett Theatre Project. This collaboration provided inspiration for the office tower 30 St Mary Axe in the City of London. This was UK’s first-ever ecological skyscraper.

Famous constructions

Another landmark construction was the Willis Faber & Dumas headquarters in Ipswich, completed in 1974. This was a pioneering work. The brief was that the client, an insurance firm, wanted to restore a sense of community to the workplace. In this project, Foster created open-plan office floors long before open-plan became the norm.

The construction also had roof gardens, an Olympic sized swimming pool and a gymnasium as well. The building has an impressive glass facade. The building went on to win many awards and is, till today, seen as among Sir Foster's best works.

Another prestigious project that he worked on was the rebuilding of the Reichstag–the German Parliament building–in Berlin. This project was part conservation, part new build, and hence a huge challenge. The original building, built in 1884, was ravaged by fire and war. Sir Foster decided to keep the imposing exterior, which had 19th Century frescoes and the Soviet-era paintingsn but he radically transformed the interiors to make it energy efficient and ‘green.’ In fact, the building is totally energy self-sufficient, burning only renewable fuels such as rapeseed oil to provide both heating and electricity, and storing excess heat deep below ground in summer, ready for use in winter. All this, under an impressive huge glass dome, is open to public.

Also to his credit is the imposing Millennium Bridge, which was envisioned as a beam of light across River Thames. A must see on the itinerary of every visitor to London, this bridge links the city of London at St. Paul's Cathedral with the Tate Modern Gallery at Bankside.

e-architecture

Going green maybe the buzzword now, but Sir Foster had realized its importance several decades ago. Most of his constructions incorporate systems that make them environment-friendly.

For instance, some of his constructions have incorporated a method of fuelling the building with vegetable oils, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 94%. Some others have done away with traditional air conditioning - at least for 60% of the year and have adopted natural ventilation as a means of lighting. This can be seen in Frankfurt’s Commerzbank, where it was ensured that energy consumption was, in this way, cut drastically.

In his own words, "Anything that reduces fuel consumption and cuts down on greenhouse gases is good news."

His eco-friendly approach to architecture has altered many principles in the business and today, e-architecture is more of a norm.

The airports that he worked on- London's Stansted and Chep Lap Kok in Hong Kong are known for being among the most airy, impressive, spacious and open ones in the world.

His work is not just limited to big projects. His architectural zeal extends to relatively smaller and diverse projects even, such as a new design for a wind turbine, a partly solar-powered electric bus for Kew Gardens, and the sports centre for the spinal injury charity Aspire.

Awards

Sir Foster is a celebrated architect, who has won several awards that recognize his caliber.


Sir Norman Foster has received over 230 awards for design excellence. He has received Gold Medals from the RIBA in 1983, the French Academy of Architecture in 1991 and the American Institute of Architecture in 1994.

Among the other awards are Mies van der Rohe Pavillion Award Barcelona 1991, the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement 1995 and the RIBA Sterling Prize in 1998. Also, he was the recipient of a Special Prize at the 4th International Biennial of Architecture Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1999.

Apart from these, he has nine honorary university doctorates and memberships of 16 professional organizations around the world.

Foster & Partners

Foster and Partners has today grown to be a flourishing enterprise, with over 500 employees and several memorable constructions to its credit. It has offices in Hong Kong and Berlin as well. The company, guided by the principles of Sir Foster, works on projects with certain sensitivity to the land and people of the site, building constructions that are inspired by the local culture, even as they bring in modernity.


The company has worked on bridges, conference halls, residential projects, industrial projects, educational institutions, offices, mixed use spaces, and in the retail sector.


HSBC Bank, Hong Kong remains an imposing proof of Sir Foster’s characteristic style of structural expressionism. Key elements of this style include interior and exterior visibility of structural elements, detached frames, large, open interior spaces, and highly complex shapes requiring a typical engineering. Also, visible structural elements tend to be metallic.


Four masts on each side of the building are braced by an exposed rectangular truss system. A very complex "Sun scoop" system projects sunlight from a mirror on the eleventh floor down into the atrium via a series of computer-oriented mirrors. The impressive construction was structured to be reflective of Hong Kong’s culture. In fact, the ground floor plaza was tailored to reproduce Hong Kong's marketplace atmosphere.

For effective fire protection, the masts and truss system were wrapped in a stainless steel mesh and a flexible layer of ceramic fire blanket for protection. After this, the skeleton and its safeguard were then covered with an aluminum shell. The shell was later coated with fireproof paint designed for exterior applications.

The unique design of the bank was created with a view to facilitate its working, even while making it safe for employees and customers. Added escalators and elevators made working at the bank more convenient for employees.

The obstacles

Working on this mammoth project was no mean task. There were obstacles, like procurement of huge quantities of steel, which was made a challenge due to the ever-evolving design. Also, the bank was being rebuilt at the same location; hence there was hardly any extra space for construction available. Adding to the trouble was the fact that business was still being conducted in certain portions of the building, even as construction was on. Tropical storms and unstable ground beneath the construction were other issues to be tackled.

Sir Foster and his team worked under immense pressure to create a construction that is now a–jewel on the Hong Kong horizon.

Soane is the first architect of his time to engage in a radical reworking of tradition to respond to new circumstances and sensibilities. From banking halls to picture galleries, Soane was challenged to invent new types and forms of building to meet the changing social realities of the industrial age, reports Bhaswati Das.

Biography–A peek into the early years

Sir John Soane was born at Whitchurch in Oxfordshire, the son of a mason, in September 1753. His real name was Swan, which he changed, initially to Soan, and later to Soane. He trained as an architect, first under George Dance the Younger, and then Henry Holland. He also studied at the Royal Academy Schools in 1771. In 1772, Soane gained the Royal Academy silver medal with a drawing of the elevation of the Banqueting House at Whitehall. In 1776, he was awarded the gold medal with a design for a triumphal arch, a remarkable composition that also earned for him the travelling studentship. In March 1777, he went for three years to Italy, studying the remains of antiquity and making original designs for public buildings.

In 1788, on the death of Sir Robert Taylor, he was appointed architect to the Bank of England. This success proved the starting point of his prosperous career. He was required to enlarge and practically rebuild the entire structure of the bank, a Herculean task which involved many difficulties due to the form and character of the site. The architectural style which he employed i.e. Roman Corinthian of the variety found in the Temple of the Sibyl at Tivoli was a great innovation, and the result has been generally admired. He was knighted in 1831. In 1827, he published 'Designs for Public Improvements in London and Westminster' and, in 1828, 'Designs for Public and Private Buildings'. In 1833, Soane resigned all his appointments and retired from practice. In 1835, he was presented with a set of medals by the architects of England in recognition of his public services.

He died at his house in Lincoln's Inn Fields on 20th January 1837, and was buried in the mausoleum which he had erected for his wife in old St. Pancras' churchyard.

Memorable works

• Aynhoe Park, Aynhoe, Banbury, Oxfordshire
• Bank of England
• Chillington Hall
• Cricket House, Somerset
• Dulwich Picture Gallery
• Moggerhanger House, Bedfordshire
• Piercefield House
• Pitzhanger Manor
• The Royal Hospital, Chelsea
• St John's Church, Bethnal Green
• Holy Trinity Church Marylebone
• Tyringham Hall, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire
• St. Peter's Church, Walworth
• Soane's house in Lincoln's Inn Fields, now a museum
• South Hill Park
• Wimpole Hall, Arrington, Royston, Cambridgeshire
• Wokefield Park

All his other important buildings in the metropolis having since been altered or removed. At the request of Edward Simeon, the then Director of the Bank of England and brother of local parliamentary candidate, Sir Johnerected a bizarre obelisk as a triple lamp stand in the market place. He also made alterations at nearby Wokefield and South Hill Parks. In 1812, he erected the galleries at Dulwich College for the reception of Sir Francis Bourgeois’ pictures. In 1818, the National Debt Redemption Office in Old Jewry; between 1822 and 1827, the Royal gallery and library at the House of Lords, the law courts at Westminster), and the privy council and board of trade offices in Whitehall and in 1829, the state paper office at Westminster are some of his creations.

Sir John Soane's Museum–an architectural treasure

The Sir John Soane's Museum, which has been described as the most ingenious domestic architecture in Britain, is an amazing London treasure-house. He bequeathed his house to the nation on the condition that nothing be changed. (Sir John owned Nos. 12, 13, and 14, Lincoln's Inn Fields, and of Late No. 14 was added to the museum space.) Left to the nation, the house is full of architectural illusions and surprises, which showcase Soane's vast collection of antiquities and art.

He obviously had enormous fun with his home, having had the means to finance great experiments in perspective and scale and to fill the space with some wonderful pieces. There are also different exhibitions on subjects as broad and as varied as Sir John's interests: from early architecture to more modern art. In the Picture Room, two of Hogarth's Rake's Progress series are among the paintings on panels that swing away to reveal secret gallery pockets with more paintings. All around, mirrors and colors play tricks with light and space, and split-level floors worthy of a fairground fun house disorient you. In a basement chamber, the vast 1300 BC sarcophagus of Scti-1 is placed, lighted by a domed skylight.

His Style-Insight into his persona

Soane's buildings were generally well-planned. However, in his later ones the elevations rarely proved satisfactory, being marred by a profusion of ornament often mean and meretricious. He incurred much hostile criticism and ridicule, and a satirical attack upon his 'Baeotian' style. Different types of spaces are encountered. Often within a single room–physical spaces- one can walk through while others were virtual spaces such as the Monk's Cell, the reflected spaces in the mirrors, and the miniature worlds of the architectural models one could neither touch nor enter. The already hybrid and multivalent space, filled with mirrors, ornate and inconsistent decorative schemes, models, and objects of art, offers the spectator either two simultaneous yet incongruent views of the house or a single perspective divided and reproduced as its own reflection.

Contemporary Influence –Foot steps on the sands of time

After his death, Soane was hardly appreciated as an architect even though he was universally admired for the eccentricity of his Museum. It was not until the 1920s that his reputation as an architect was revived, entering the arena of Modernist polemics for the first time.

Today, Soane's strategies and ideas are recognized as being significant to the work of a number of post-war architects, notably Robert Venturi, Philip Johnson, James Stirling, Arata Isozaki, and Rafael Moneo.

Soane's ability to continue to engage the attention of architects working at the end of the twentieth century is possibly his greatest legacy.

An architect, a heritage activist and a believer in the GREEN concept, Karan Grover is a multi-faceted personality, who has given India its first Green building and has put India on the World Heritage Site map, yet again.

Mr. Karan Grover has been a name to reckon with when it comes to pioneering the Green Building revolution in India. An Internationally renowned architect, one of his major accomplishments has been the CII- Sohrabji Green Business Centre in Hyderabad, which is the first building in the world to receive LEED v2 Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Armed with a Degree in Architecture from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and a Graduate Diploma from Architectural Association, London, Karan Gorver established his own firm, Karan Gorver & Associates, (KGA) in 1975 headquartered in Vadodara. His company has concentrated on modern designs with traditional techniques of energy efficiency, catering to projects which include townships, corporates, public or commercial buildings, cultural and institutional projects and several other interior designing projects.

His 32-year old firm has designed and executed many award winning projects based mainly on the ‘Green’ concept, incorporating various designing techniques to suit the contemporary style.

Endeavours

Karan Grover’s major projects include:

• Goa Assembly Building at Porvorim, Goa, 1993-2002.
• CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre, Hyderabad, LEED Platinum rated building by US-GBC, 2002–2003
• District Office Complex at Bagalkot for Government of Karnataka, 2003-06
• Institute of Quality for Confederation of Indian Industry, Bangalore using Passive Down-Draft Evaporative Cooling (PDEC) system, 2000–2001

Other projects in execution stage are:

• Synthesis Business Park, Rajarhat, Kolkata for Bengal Shrachi Housing Development, sought for LEED Platinum rating of US-GBC, execution stage, 2005–2008
• Minestone Diamond Processing Unit at Navsari, sought for LEED Gold Rating, 2005–2008
• Garden of Peace at Dhauli, Bhubaneswar for Orissa Tourism Development Corporation
• Institution for Mathematics and Application at Bhubaneswar, 2006–2008
• Fort Jadhavgadhi conservation cum hotel project at Pune for Orchid Hotels
• Interior of Ahmedabad Branch of ABN AMRO Bank, sought for LEED Platinum rating, 2006–2007

Other projects also include three resorts in Oman, hotel projects and planning of which is being done keeping the international standards of Green building design and Operation in mind.

Achievements

KGA is a prestigious firm and has won many awards. The firm won five Architectural Awards in 1997, including the IIA-Snowcem Award for “Excellence in Urban Architecture” for General Electrical Plastics India project at Gurgaon; the JIIA Commendation Award for “Excellence in Industrial Architecture” for Castrol India Ltd. factory at Silvassa; the IIID-MK India Award for “Excellence in Commercial Interiors” for the Showroom of Sanghvi Exports Pvt. Ltd. at Mumbai; the IIID-MK India Award for “Excellence in Corporate Interiors” for the Godrej Transelecktra Research & Development Centre at Vikhroli, Bombay; and the JIIA Award for “Excellence in Residential Architecture” House for Urvashi Devi of Baria at Baroda.

It also won the Architectural Award in 2002 for CII/ABB Institute of Quality in Bangalore awarded the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) - Snowcem Award for the outstanding Public Building of the year. KGA also won the prestigious PLATINUM Award in November, 2003 under Version 2 of LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) from the US Green Building Council for the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad, making them the first architects in the world to get this highest possible award for Sustainable Architecture.

The Activist

Karan Grover is also the founder of the Heritage Trust, a professional group advocating protection and preservation of historical sites. His continuous effort of 30 years to give Champaner-Pavagadh, the medieval ruins of a 14th century city, its long lost identity, was finally awarded when Champaner was declared a World Heritage Site in July 2004, at the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO in Suzhou, China; thus, for the first time, making an NGO - Heritage Trust (of which Karan Grover is the President), instrumental in getting World Heritage Site status for a site - the first site in Gujarat and the 25th in India.

He has also formed the Heritage Club which involves school students in Western India to know about their natural environment through architectural heritage. The students learn how their ancestors built structures that were not only practical, but also sensitive to the needs of their civilization and surroundings, through his programs. His club has a membership of about 3500 members currently.

His quest for green architecture and setting precedents will go on as he continues to strive and spread the green revolution as far as he can and bring his extensive experience in Heritage conservation to more such forgotten sites!

Vision, rich cultural heritage and the will to do something extraordinary is what best sums up architect Gerard de Cunha’s life. Gerard, a Goan architect, has always been a name synonymous with usual but breathtaking architecture, inspired by the legacy and traditional style.

Gerard de Cunha’s inimitable projects are spread across the country that include resorts, townships, institutions and even private residences. Born in Godhra, Gerard traveled across the country since childhood as his father worked with the State Bank of India and had a transferable job. He did most of his schooling at St. Mary’s in Mazgaon and college in Delhi. He first came to Goa when he was 18 years old and fell in love with the place. It is then that he decided that Goa was ‘THE’ place for him. So, finally in the December of 1982, Gerard, then 27, came to Goa for good.

His Works

Gerard has been part of several projects which find places all across India. These include Nrityagram of Bangalore, Hampi’s Kannada University’s main building and its library, Bangalore’s Kutiram Tourist Resort, JVSL Township in Torangallu, Tourist village in Kerala and Jimi Gazhdhar’s lavish mansion on the banks of Goan river, to name a few.

His works are truly inspired by Kerala-based low-cost natural-material architect Lawrie Baker. Gerard’s projects mostly portray the use of natural material. One of the most impressive and unusual works of this architect has been the township which he has built for the JSW Steel Plant, about 30 kms from Hampi called Vidyanagar. The entire project was built at a cost of Rs 150 crore. This township is spread across 300 acres and the project involved creating housing to settle 10,000 people! With not even a single tree on the site, creating an entire housing project seemed to be an arduous task. To begin with, Gerard studied quite a few townships that included HMT in Bangalore and IPCL in Gujarat. So, starting from scratch, Gerard and his team put together everything from sewerage lines, transformers, treatment plants and telephone systems. He used granite for most part of the project and utilized pre-fabricated systems, and Cuddappah stone.

So, Vidyanagar finally had several sections with 18 houses each, an open space in the centre of the township, and kitchens overlooking areas where children could play. Traffic was mostly on the exteriors of the township, thus making it safe for children. The town operates on a sustainable sewage system, taking the sewage, filtering the water, and putting it back into the system. They have also introduced composting and vermi-culture to minimize their garbage. No plastics have been used inside Vidyanagar for the last eight years. All the houses have a garden or a terrace to make it green and reduce the heat.

The township also has a movie theatre, school, airstrip, parks, and botanical garden. It also houses a club, temples, shopping centre and restaurants, thus making it a complete city town. This unusual project of creating an entire township got Gerard, the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design offered by the Ministry of Urban Development in 1998-99.

Coming to Gerard’s ‘Houses of Goa’ Museum in Torda in the village of Salvador do Mundo, it is one of the most extraordinary architecture that one can’t miss while on way to Panjim. The museum is a three-storied triangular shape load bearing building that is built with exposed laterite stone and the actual triangular shape is formed only on the second floor, making it resemble a ship. This museum is constructed using cost-saving technology. Gerard’s ‘traffic island’ as this is known, has been designed by cutting the vertexes on the ground floor for the smooth flow of traffic. The museum then rises with its walls corbelling out, like a ship, in a triangular shape. The movement possible inside the ‘traffic island’ is only around 40 sq mts on each floor and within this; one can easily get a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage and history of Goa starting from 1300 BC and has photographs, skillfully drawn maps, models of ancient houses, collection of designed pillars, windows designs, carved furniture, false ceilings, tiles and literature of houses and the people of Goa even before the Portuguese invasion.

Gerard converted the ground floor café into a semi-museum by displaying photos of kitchens and bathrooms of different Goanese houses. With use of technology, Gerard has created 3D effects for the people to enjoy this virtual journey. The top floor has a 35-seater auditorium which has regular slide shows for people to get a peek into the Goan houses. This entire project was made at a cost of Rs two million and has been his dream come true!

Gerard’s other Interests

Gerard has already released his book ‘Houses of Goa’ which showcases about 150 houses in Goa, before the coming of the Portuguese. It also describes how the houses were built in mud and other material, and how this suited local lifestyles. He has also translated Japanese author Takeo Kamiya’s book on Indian architecture, after buying out its rights and publishing it in English. He has also come out with a website, www.goenker.com/goan-houses, which is a photo-exhibition that takes people through the rich, architectural heritage of Goa and the photography is done by Ashok Koshy, covering the myriad styles of buildings in the city state; an effort to make people realize the importance and richness of Goan architecture and help preserve it for generations to witness the extraordinary structures.

With so much on his hands, Gerard is surely on a difficult but attainable mission of giving back the dues to Goa by creating awareness about its architecture and preserving it as most old buildings are now being felled to create modern structures and his fear of the legacy being lost, might just come true! But, given his determination, this man is surely on a mission to succeed.

An internationally renowned architect and urban planner, Moshe Safdie is well known for his prefabricated housing complexes especially in the USA. He has many books to his credit and has also tried his hands at making movies! A sneak peek follows about his early days, his career and his magnificent works.

Moshe Safdie was the only student who got an opportunity to build his thesis as Habitat for Expo 67 in Montreal. The very idea that those cellular residences could be lifted like LEGO blocks and fitted on top of each other, gave Safdie instant recognition.

Moshe Safdie’s idea of diverse, irregular, informal groupings by the sensitive arrangement of repeated units has made him stand apart from his contemporaries in his field of architecture.

Born on July 14, 1938 in Haifa, Israel, Moshe moved with his family to Montreal, Canada, when he was a teenager. This quite unwillingly, as he dreamt of growing up in the socialist environment of Israel of the 40s. But, life had destined otherwise and Safdei moved to Montreal at the age of 15.

Career

Moshe Safdie established an office in Jerusalem in 1970 which was concerned with the rebuilding of the city; restoring old city and reconstruction of new areas. This included the new city of Modi’in, the new Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, and the Rabin Memorial Center. During this period, his work expanded to various countries like Senegal, Iran, Singapore, and the northern Canadian Arctic.

In 1976, Safdie took up teaching at Yale, McGill and Ben Gurion Universities and eventually set up his firm’s head office in Somerville, Massachusetts. He relocated to Boston and was Director of the Urban Design Program and the Ian Woodner Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1978 to 1984.

After establishing his practice in 1964, his firm has ever since been engaged in activities ranging from designing public institutions like museums, performing arts centers, libraries, and university campuses to designing of airports, housing, mixed-use complexes, and new communities.

Moshe Sadie operates out of his main office in Boston and has branches offices in Jerusalem and Toronto.

Writings

Moshe Safdie has been instrumental in writing several books inspired by his early years and his related projects. His publications include:

• Beyond Habitat–1970
• For everyone a garden–1974
• Form and purpose–1980
• Beyond habitat by 20 years–1987
• Jerusalem: The Future and the Past–1989
• The City after the Automobile–1997

Works

Safdie’s most astounding work could well be his award winning project ‘Habitat 67’ in Montreal, which has changed the way the world looks at urbanism and designing systems. This design of the residential complex with distinctive stacking blocks has completely altered the design ideas and has given a new dimension to the architects. This was the first major prefabricated housing project ever constructed, consisting of step like clusters of cubic pre-cast concrete units that interlocked to form apartments.

Besides his projects mostly concentrated in the US, Safdie makes it a point to spend time at his Jerusalem office where he has been involved in a lot of projects both public and private. One of his assignments includes the Mamila Development Project which is a mixed-use commercial centre located between the old and the new city of Jerusalem. This project also includes David’s Village, which is a multilevel residential center with 200 terraced apartments on the lines of Habitat ’67 but with old-world archways and domed roofs. The Village includes an entire network of parks, squares, housing, and a commercial center with a shopping and cinema complex.

Other major projects include a new museum in Jerusalem which is triple the size of the Yad Vashem Museum in the city, the site of the Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Memorial. This museum has amazing features like the way the prism-like structure changes in width throughout its length and has a constantly changing curvature.

Other works include, amongst many

• Coldspring Newtown, Baltimore, Maryland,
• Gepson Centre for the Arts, Savannah, Georgia
• The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
• Vancouver Library Square, Vancouver

Forthcoming projects

One of the biggest projects under construction is the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore which is being built in an area of 6 million Square Feet and is estimated to cost about $3.6 billion. This is a new type of urban place that integrates the Waterfront Promenade with a grand, multi-leveled retail arcade combining civic space, shopping, indoor and outdoor spaces endowed with city skyline views, daylight and plant life, providing an abundance and variety of activities.

Marina Bay Sands, which is scheduled to be open in 2009, will feature three 50-story hotel towers containing 1,000 rooms each, crowned by a two acre Sky Garden bridging across the towers, offering 360-degree views of the city and the sea, outdoor amenities for the hotel such as jogging paths, swimming pools, spas, and gardens; an iconic Arts and Sciences Museum on the promontory; one-million square feet of integrated waterside promenade and shopping arcade; a state-of-the-art one-million square foot convention center; two 2,000-seat theaters; a casino; and a 4,000 car garage.

Other projects are the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Kauffman Center, the Performing Arts Center, and the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. About fourteen major complexes are currently under construction, including the Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex, the national museum of the Sikh people in Punjab, India.

Accomplishments

Moshe Safdie is a name to reckon with when it comes to modern architecture. His designs have earned him accolades and have changed the way the world looks at modern architecture. Safdie has been the recipient of numerous awards like:

• Gold Medal, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, 1995
• Fellow, American Institute of Architects
• Award for Excellence, The Canadian Architect, for Western Wall Precinct Plan
• Massey Medal, Royal Architectural
• Institute of Canada, for Habitat ’67
• The Order of Canada

Moshe Safdie’s designs demonstrate how uncommon forms can actually be made into comfortable livings. Initially, his designs and concepts have been difficult due to expensiveness and implementation of ideas but Safdie has made sure that with his cellular scheme, nothing can stop his designs from being implemented and make a success out of them.

A journalist, a script writer and finally an architect, Rem Koolhaas is a multi-faceted personality whose extraordinary journey has resulted in a world class architect and his work, astonishingly different and speaks for itself.

Rem Koolhaas is a renowned Dutch architect, an urbanist and an architectural theorist. He is the founder of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in London, which was set up in 1975 along with architects Elia and Zoe Zenghelis and his wife Madelon Vriesendorp. An author of various books, Rem Koolhaas had started his writing career long before his stint as an architect. Here, we take a look at this visionary architect, his life, his works and his various achievements which set him apart from his peers.

Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands on November 17, 1944, Rem Koolhaas was the eldest of the three children and spent the early years in Indonesia where his father served as a cultural director. Inspired by his father, he began his literary career, writing mostly in the field of architecture.

He began his career as a journalist with the Haagse Post in the Hague, and then started script writing both in the Netherlands and Hollywood. He co-wrote his first script in 1969 called 'The White Slave', produced by Dutch director Rene Daalder. But his main interest lay in building something and that’s when he realized that he wanted to be an architect.


He enrolled himself at the Architecture Association School in London in 1968 to realize his dreams.

His Career

He continues to inspire lots of youngsters with his creative designs and urban architecture. Rem Koolhaas has made major contributions in this field and is believed to enjoy a 'cult status' amongst his contemporaries. His style signifies the concept of asymmetry, nonlinearity and the use of inexpensive, everyday materials. The first building to be designed by him was the Office for Metropolitan Architecture in London. Koolhaas then went on to design several other buildings including his contribution to the Venice Biennale in 1980, which was curated by Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi, titled "Presence of the Past", in which the OMA was the only modernist scheme!

The Literary Genius!

Rem Koolhaas's writing gave him early recognition even before he started on with his architectural career. After accepting a research scholarship in the United States, he wrote his first book 'Delirious New York' there, which he described as a "retroactive manifesto for Manhattan", discussing patterns of urban growth and earned him laurels in this field. This work emphasizes the contradictions between the two concepts, viz. architecture and urban design. His next work was 'S,M,L,XL,' along with Bruce Mau and Hans Werlemann in 1995, a 1376-page volume combining essays, manifestos, diaries, fiction, travelogues, and meditations on the contemporary city.

After having taken up his job as professor at Harvard University, he came out with three remarkable publications, firstly, the 720-page book 'Mutations', then 'The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping' in 2002 and then lastly, 'The Great Leap Forward' also in 2002. All these books were based on functionalities of non-cities, influence of shopping habits and the recent rapid growth in cities of China.

He also co-founded 'Volume Magazine,' which deals with global views on architecture and design, broader attitudes to social structures, and creating environments to live in.

Changing the Skylines!

Rem Koolhaas has many unusual building designs to his credit. He had his first exhibition at the New York's Museum of Modern Art, which drew sold-out crowds. His major milestone project till date has been the Euralille, which is the train hub in northern France that is the exchange between the Chunnel (the rail tunnel beneath the English Channel that connects England and France) and the European railway system.


His other works include the Beverly Hills' Prada store, the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, China, The Netherlands Dance Theatre at the Hague, the Second Stage Theatre in New York, and the Seattle Public Library, Washington amongst others.

His offices are spread around the World and Koolhaas now heads offices in Europe, North America and Asia. His on-going projects include a master plan for the White City Area in London, a harbour redevelopment and contemporary art Museum in Riga, the Cordoba Congress Centre in Spain; the redevelopment of the Mercati Generali in Rome, an architectural centre, offices and housing in Copenhagen, the new head office of Rothschild Bank in London and multi-use towers in Rotterdam and The Hague. One of his biggest projects under construction is the the 575,000 m2 China Central Television Headquarters CCTV and Television Cultural Center TVCC, currently under construction in Beijing and due for completion in 2008.

Achievements

Koolhaas, though a controversial architect, has made remarkable contribution to the field of architecture and has won many awards, including the Pritzer Architecture Prize in 2000. He was also awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium in 2007.

Koolhaas is termed as a modernist by many and controversial by some because of his unusal sense of design, but Rem Koolhaas has established himself as a visionary and the most influential architect of today. He is definitely here to stay and the choice for tomorrow! As Koolhaas once said, "There is no plateau of resting or stabilizing."

A look through the life, works and achievement of Frank O Gehry, Known for his dramatic and influential designs.

Frank Owen Gehry, is a Pritzker Prize winning architect based in Los Angeles. Gehry is considered a modern architectural icon and celebrity, a major “Starchitect”—a neologism describing the phenomenon of architects attaining a sort of celebrity status.

Having grown up in Canada, Gehry is a huge fan of hockey. He began a hockey league in his office, though he no longer plays with them. In 2004, he designed the trophy for the World Cup of Hockey.

Personal Life

Gehry was born into a Jewish family in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1929 and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1947. He holds dual citizenship both in the United States and Canada.

Mr. Gehry received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California in 1954, and studied City Planning at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. In subsequent years, Mr. Gehry has built an architectural career that has spanned four decades and produced public and private buildings in America, Europe, and Asia.

Professional Experience

Frank Gehry is Design Principal for the firm of Frank O. Gehry and Associates, Inc., which he established in 1962. Before founding the firm, Mr. Gehry worked with architects Victor Gruen and Pereira & Luckman in Los Angeles, and with André Remondet in Paris.

Over the years, Gehry has moved away from a conventional commercial practice to a artistically directed atelier. His deconstructed architectural style began to emerge in the late 1970s when Gehry, directed by a personal vision of architecture, created collage-like compositions out of found materials. Instead of creating buildings, Gehry creates ad-hoc pieces of functional sculpture.


Gehry’s architecture has undergone a marked evolution from the plywood and corrugated-metal vernacular of his early works to the distorted but pristine concrete of his later works. However, the works retain a deconstructed aesthetic that fits well with the increasingly disjointed culture to which they belong.

In 2002, Gehry Partnership, Gehry Partners, LLP, was formed and currently supports a staff of over 175 people. Gehry Partners, LLP is a full service firm with broad international experience in academic, commercial, museum, performance, and residential projects. Gehry Partners employs a large number of senior architects who have extensive experience in the technical development of building systems and construction documents, and who are highly qualified in the management of complex projects.

Every project undertaken by Gehry Partners is designed personally and directly by Frank Gehry. All of the resources of the firm and the extensive experience of the firm’s partners are available to assist in the design effort and to carry this effort forward through technical development and construction administration. The firm relies on the use of Digital Project, a sophisticated 3D computer modeling program originally created for use by the aerospace industry, to thoroughly document designs and to rationalize the bidding, fabrication, and construction processes.

Works

Some of the architectural marvels of Mr. Gehry include the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles, Experience Music project in Seattle, Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic, and his private residence in Santa Monica, California, from where his career takes a high jump, lifting it from the status of “paper architecture.”

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Designed as the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world, providing both visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience, it is recognized as an internationally architectural landmark.


The hall opens in 2003 and seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

From the stainless steel curves of its striking exterior to the state-of-the-art acoustics of the hardwood-paneled main auditorium, the 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

The new Guggenheim Museum Bilbao by Frank Gehry was probably the most often mentioned new building of 1998 and 1999 in architecture circles. It is a modern and contemporary art museum, being built alongside the Nervion River, which runs through the city of Bilbao to the Atlantic Coast.

World-famous architect Philip Johnson called the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao “the greatest building of our time.” It is “a miracle,” said The New York Times. Certainly, few buildings in history have generated so much praise or have so greatly changed a city as Frank Gehry’s museum on the industrial riverfront of Bilbao.

The museum’s design and construction serve as an object lesson in Gehry’s style and method. Like much of Gehry’s other works, the structure consists of radically sculpted, organic contours. Sited as it is in a port town, it is intended to resemble a ship. Its brilliantly reflective titanium panels resemble fish scales, echoing the other organic life (and, in particular, fish-like) forms that recur commonly in Gehry’s designs, as well as the river Nervión upon which the museum sits.

Visitors remain unmoved upon entering the museum’s 150-foot-high atrium, from which glass elevators and metal walkways lead to 19 exhibition spaces—including the world’s largest gallery, measuring 426 feet long and 98 feet wide. The ground-floor galleries suit large-scale artworks and installations, and some pieces were specifically made to fit their exhibit spaces, among them Richard Serra’s Serpent.

Dancing House

‘Dancing House’ in Prague, designed by Frank Gehry is located about 800m along the river Vltava, south of the Charles Bridge, and next to Jiraskuv Most. The building houses offices and apartments. The site of Gehry’s Dancing House was originally occupied by a house in the Neo-renaissance style from the end of the 19th century. That house was destroyed during bombing in 1945, its remains finally removed in 1960. The building is an example of deconstructivist architecture, with an unusual shape.


Built between 1992-1996, the Dancing Building is crazy looking, and appears somewhat out of place amongst the usual Prague architecture. The building is nick-named Fred and Ginger (Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair), as it looks like two people, a man and a women dancing. Construction is from 99 concrete panels each of different shape and dimension, each therefore requiring a unique wooden form.

Awards

Gehry’s architecture has received worldwide recognition and scores of awards. In an article published in the New York Times in November, 1989, noted architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote that Mr. Gehry’s “buildings are powerful essays in primal geometric form and... materials, and from an aesthetic standpoint they are among the most profound and brilliant works of architecture of our time.”

His work has earned Mr. Gehry several of the most significant awards in the architectural field. In 1977, Mr. Gehry was named recipient of the Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1989, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, perhaps the premiere accolade of the field, honoring “significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.” In 1992, he received the Wolf Prize in Art (Architecture) from the Wolf Foundation. In the same year, he was named the recipient of the Praemium Imperiale Award by the Japan Art Association to “honor outstanding contributions to the development, popularization, and progress of the arts.”

In 1994, he became the first recipient of the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Award for lifetime contribution to the arts. In 1998, Mr. Gehry was awarded with the National Medal of Arts, and became the first recipient of the Friedrich Kiesler Prize. In 1999, Mr. Gehry received the Lotos Medal of Merit from the Lotos Club, and the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects. In 2000, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Americans for the Arts.

You may see glass buildings and structures wherever you go, but there are some who are trying out new concepts in buildings. Here’s taking a look at some international out-of-the-box designs.

Gateshead Millennium Bridge

• Architect: Wilkinson Eyre
• Where: Between Gateshead and Tyne on Rive Tyne in England
• Estimated total cost: £22 million
• Weight: more than 800 tons
• Height: 50 m (in normal state)
• Width: 126 m
• Awards: 2002 Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize, 2003 IStructE Supreme Award, 2005 International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering Outstanding Structure Award, and many others .

A pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge, Gateshead Millennium Bridge opened officially on May 7, 2002 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II. It is the world’s first and only tilting bridge and is powered by eight electric motors (equivalent to 589 horse power). It is made of two steel arches, one that works as a pedestrian and cycle path and the other that works as a supporting arch. The two are connected with the help of suspension cables and enable the bridge to tilt as a single, rigid structure, allowing ships to pass. As the arch lowers, the pathway rises, counterbalancing each other and using the least amount of energy per tilt. Each opening and closing takes four and a half minutes.

Dusit Dubai

• Architect: Khatib and Alami
• Where: Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
• Height: 150 m

The Dusit Dubai is a fork-shaped building, in which the left side consists of apartments and the right, hotel apartments. The two join above, with the hotel’s gym and swimming pool at the top floor. Construction on this 40-floor, 321-room hotel was completed in 2001. The interiors of the hotel have Southeast Asian influences, particularly from Thailand. Facilities provided by the hotel include a ballroom, four conference rooms, a florist, and a boutique amongst others. Dusit Dubai also serves a number of dining options including Thai and Italian.

Taipei 101

• Architect: CY Lee and Partners
• Where: Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan
• Estimated total cost: $1.76 billion
• Height: 509.2 m (antenna)
• Awards: 2004 Emporis Skyscraper Award

Taipei 101 is currently the world’s tallest completed skyscraper according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and holds several other records including the fastest ascending elevator speed and largest countdown clock. The skyscraper has 101 floors above the ground and five underground. Construction on the building started in 1999 and ended in 2004 and the tower opened to the public on December, 31, 2004. It is a mixed-use building and has houses offices, restaurants, a fitness center, a mall, etc.

The building is designed to specifically withstand the typhoon winds and earthquakes in the area and is supported by thirty-six columns, including eight packed with 10,000-psi concrete. The engineers designed a $4 million steel pendulum to act as a tuned mass damper weighing 660 metric tons. It is suspended from the 92ndto the 88thfloor and offsets the building movements due to strong wind movements. Two tuned mass dampers also protect the tip of the spire.

Museu Oscar Niemeyer

• Architect: Oscar Niemeyer
• Where: Curitiba, Brazil

Museu Oscar Niemeyer was inaugurated in 2002 as Novo Museu (New Museum), but was later rechristened Museu Oscar Niemeyer after remodeling and construction of a new annex. The museum complex consists of two buildings the first of which was designed by the architect in 1967 as an educational institute. This was later remodeled as a museum, with Oscar Niemeyer designing the annex similar to an eye.

Museu Oscar Niemeyer is characterized by bold geometric forms, curves in contrast to rectangular forms, large white spaces, and stunning murals and paintings. The museum is located inside a garden designed by Burle Max. The architecture is reminiscent of Niemeyer’s postmodern influences and international styles.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

• Architect: Frank Gehry
• Where: 111, South Grand Avenue, Downtown Los Angeles, California
• Estimated total cost: $274 million

Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the Walt Disney Concert Hall is being hailed as one of the most acoustically sound structures in the world. The hall houses the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale. Though the project was launched in 1987, with a donation of $50 million by Lillian Disney, construction was completed only in 2003.

Most of the exteriors are designed with stainless steel, and the building stands in a 3.6 acre complex. The main auditorium has been designed by Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics and has been sculpted using Douglas fir and cedar. A giant pipe organ stands directly behind the stage, having an estimated 6134 pipes ranging in size from a pen to an electricity pole. The stage is made of cedar wood, with four concentric circles set on risers allowing for flexibility in positioning the orchestra during performances.

Tying in economic growth with ambition, China is developing its urban centres with a vision for the future. Well-designed and innovative buildings signify that the country recognizes architecture for the powerful language it is. Here is a peep at some of the masterpieces that are coming up now.

Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai

Slated to be completed in 2008, the Shanghai World Financial Center will have 101 floors above the ground, three below and stand about 492 meters tall. Located in the Lujiazhui financial district in Pudong, the skyscraper has been designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Architects. It is intended to be a mixed-use building with luxury apartments, a hotel, shops, and offices. An interesting design element is the trapezoidal aperture at the top, which in addition to reduce the wind load will also house the world’s highest outdoor observation deck.

National Stadium - Beijing

Being constructed to host the main track and field events of the 2008 Olympics, the National Stadium in Beijing is more popularly known as the ‘Bird’s Nest.’ Designed by the Pritzker Prize winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, the facility is being hailed as one of the most eco-friendly ones around. Computer controlled heating and air conditioning increase power efficiency, and solar power is utilized for some lighting systems. In addition, rain water is going to be utilized for use in the stadium as well as for watering the gardens and parks outside. The design of the structure enables natural ventilation and the huge window shades help in climate control.

Donghai Bridge

Connecting Shanghai and the offshore deep-water port of Yangshan, the Donghai Bridge is one of the longest cross-sea bridges in the world, with a total length of 20.2 miles (32.5 kilometers). The bridge is designed for speeds upto 80 kilometers per hour and has six traffic lanes. Four arches underneath the bridge are provided for ships to pass, with the largest having a span of 420 meters. The structure is S-shaped to improve driver safety.

Beijing International Airport

London-based Fosters and Partners have designed the third terminal at the Beijing International Airport, which is to come into operation in time for the 2008 Olympics. Covering more than one million square meters, it will handle 43 million passengers a year initially and 55 million by 2015. The aerodynamic roof resembles an airplane wing and uses traditional Chinese colors and symbols. The terminal is to have state-of-the-art security and navigation systems, including a US$ 240 million luggage-transfer system.

National Aquatic Center - Beijing

Suitably nicknamed the ‘Water Cube,’ The National Aquatic Center in Beijing is made to resemble a formation of soap bubbles. It will be the venue for the swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming events of the 2008 Olympics and stands opposite the National Stadium. A simple rectangular form, the structure is made of panels of over 100,000 m² of ETFE. The cladding is not only lightweight, but also allows results in decreased energy costs as it allows light and heat penetration. Solar energy will be utilized to heat the pool and the inside of the building and the water in the pool will be continuously recycled, going through several filtration systems first. The facility has been designed by PTW Architects and Arup.

CCTV headquarters - Beijing

One of the most innovative buildings of its time, the new headquarter of Central Chinese Television (CCTV) is an engineering wonder. Formed of two towers, joined on the 10th and 37th floor, the building forms a continuous loop that seems like an optical illusion in itself. Designed by Rem Koolhas and Ole Scheeren, the building is to accommodate more than 10,000 staff members and visitors. The building will comprises a structural tube with diagonal supports to distribute forces across the surface of the tube.

If you think that all the major construction activities in the world are concentrated in Dubai, think again. China is racing in and has several futuristic projects, some finished and some under construction; most done in view of the 2008 Beijing Olympics coming up. Take a look of those futuristic buildings that are coming up in China or Dubai.

Dubai's Arch Bridge

This Arch Bridge will be one of the world's largest and tallest arch bridges. It is designed by the New York architecture firm, Fxfowle. The construction will begin in March this year and some of its features are:

• It will be one mile long and 670 feet tall
• Will have 12 lanes for traffic
• The cost of construction is estimated to be $ 817 million
• The bridge would be able to carry 2000 vehicles per hour in each direction
• A metro line will run across the bridge
• This amazing bridge is slated to be completed in 2012.

Rotating Tower, Dubai

This skyscraper is dubbed the "rotating tower in motion" and is based on the 'Dynamic Architecture' concept by Florentine architect David Fisher. Some of the features in this skyscraper are:

• The Dynamic Architecture building will be constantly in motion changing its shape, with each floor being capable of spinning, moving and rotating 360 degrees independent of one another.
• With at least 48 wind turbines fitted between each rotating floor, the building would be able to generate electric energy for itself as well as for the surrounding buildings.
• The solar panels positioned on the roof of the building will produce pollution-free energy from sunlight.
• The floor would only rotate at a speed of about 6 meters a minutes, so that people inside won’t feel it.
• All acoustic problems will be handled by the futuristic design of the building and the special shape of the carbon fiber wings.
• The rotating tower skyscraper will have 68 floors and will be 313 meters (1,027 feet) high.
• This will include a 6-star hotel, offices and apartments of various sizes besides five villas on the top floor.
• Villas will have designated parking on the same floor with vehicles brought up and down in special elevators.
• The tower will also have a retractable heliport, a platform that will extend from the shell of the building at the 64th floor at the moment of landing, thus maintaining the dynamic aesthetic architecture of the tower.
• The project is expected to be complete in 2009.

Shanghai World Financial Centre, Shanghai

This financial centre is coming up in Lujiazhui financial district in Pudong. It would have:

• 101 floors and will be amongst the world's tallest buildings.
• To encounter the challenge of swaying in high– rises, the architects have devised an innovative solution of adding a rectangular cut-out at the building's apex.
• There would be an observatory deck at the 100^th floor, which would be the world's highest observatory deck.
• It is expected to be completed in early 2008.

National Swimming Centre, Beijing

The National Swimming Centre in Beijing is being constructed for the Olympic Games scheduled in 2008. It is made of:

• Panels of a lightweight form of Teflon that transforms the building into an energy-efficient, greenhouse-like environment.
• Solar energy will also be used to heat the swimming pools, which are designed to reuse double filtered, backwashed pool water, which is dumped as waste.
• Excess rainwater will also be collected and stored in subterranean tanks and used to fill the pools.
• The swimming centre is nicknamed as the 'Water Cube.'

Beijing National Stadium, Beijing

This Olympic Stadium in Beijing is currently under construction. It has been designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron. Some of the features include.

• It is a 91,000-seat structure, the largest eco-friendly sports stadium.
• Each discrete space within the facility, from restrooms to restaurants, is constructed as an independent unit within the outer lattice—making it possible to encase the entire complex with an open grid that allows for natural air circulation.
• The stadium's outer grid resembles a bird's nest constructed of delicately placed branches and twigs.
• There is also a layer of translucent membrane to fill any gaps in the lacy exterior
• This stadium is expected to be completed by March 2008.

Paving the way for new architectural methods and designs that defy the norms, these futuristic buildings are taking the world's architecture to new heights, literally.

Mercedes-Benz Museum takes the visitors on a voyage of discovery along a spiraling route that traces the history of the automobiles from its beginning to the latest vision of future. It is an architectural marvel, reports Mariya Rasheeda.

The Mercedes-Benz is an automotive museum based in Stuttgart, Germany, and has been designed by the architectural firm UNStudio. The firm has developed a basic design around a simple, geometric figure of three loops that turns endlessly around each other, rather like the three-leafed clover structure of the nearby road intersection.

The project includes principally an exhibition space for the historical collection of the marque, as well as a number of shops, a restaurant, offices and a panoramic viewpoint. The museum was reportedly built at a cost of $192-million. The building’s height and “double helix” interior design maximize space, allowing 16,500 square meters of exhibit space on a lot of just 4,800 square meters. The museum contains more than 160 vehicles. With 450,000 visitors a year the existing Mercedes-Benz Museum is one of the most visited museums in Stuttgart.

According to architect Ben van Berkel, ‘The Mercedes-Benz Museum binds together several radical spatial principles, and generates a wholly new typology as a result. It does this partly in response to its museum function, partly in response to its peripheral situation, and partly in response to questions and concerns that belong to the discipline of architecture itself.’

The routing inside the museum extends from the upper level to the ground floor by means of two spiral ramps. The first section presents to the visitors, exhibitions of the history of Mercedes-Benz. The second presents the entire collection of cars and trucks. Both trajectories cross regularly, mimicking the interweaving strands of a DNA helix and allowing the visitors to vary the routes they take.

Structural Geometry

The structure of the museum is based on a trefoil. The cloverleaf structure consists of three circles bounding a triangular void at the centre: the atrium. The general stability is provided by the three vertical hubs at the limit of the atrium. Ramps, acting as viaducts, extend in loops from the hubs. The vertical loads are transferred without intermediate supports to the façade posts to the central hubs.

To reduce the loaded inertia of the structure, the engineers decided to use steel girders for the central zones. To meet the demands of shape and resistance, the façade posts are mixed steel-concrete structures, with steel tubes and connectors embedded in the structure. The posts form isosceles triangles and follow the lip of the ramp. They carry the transition floors between the ramps. Geometrically, they follow the bends of the glazed façade strips, their inclination and their length, which differ according to their location.

Interior Design

The design of the building is beyond one's expectation. The Museum experience begins with visitors traveling up through the atrium to the top floor from where they follow the two main paths that unfold chronologically as they descend through the building. The two main trajectories, one being the car and truck collection and the other consisting of historical displays called the Legend rooms, spiral downwards on the perimeter of the display platforms, intersecting with each other at several points allowing the visitor to change routes.

The museum has no right angle. All walls and ceiling's, some rising as high as 33 meters are either concave or convex and flow from one to the other in gentle, undulating forms. With a total display area covering 16,500 square meters, the museum's nine levels offer the visitors a truly dynamic spatial experience.

Ben van Berkel explains the project by comparing the building with three emblematic projects of the twentieth century: the National Gallery by Mies Van der Rohe in Berlin for the use of wide spans and free plateaus, the Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright´s in New York, for the use of ramps and the integration of routes of movement and as exhibition locations, and finally the Pompidou Centre by Rogers and Piano, for highlighting the spaces reserved for circulation of the public on a special design allowing the technical constraints to be considered.

Exhibition Halls

The two types of museum spaces have diametrically opposed characters. The Legend rooms are sheltered and artificially lit like theatrical spaces. Entering them is like entering a stage. The Collection rooms are exposed and day-lit, surrounded by huge, panoramic windows. The two aspects of the collection, the cars and the trucks are organized thematically starting with the two oldest cars at the top floor in the display dedicated to the invention of the car. The Legends are arranged in a chronological way. However, this chronology is not rigid; the visitor is free to cross time zones. The structure enables the individual, dreamlike wandering that to our mind is part of the attraction and inspiration of the museum visit, but at the same time encourages the visitor to interact more consciously and dynamically with the displays by showing the items from unusual angles, perspectives and backgrounds. In the Mercedes-Benz Museum, wayfinding and orientation are intuitive and individual; the organization offers a rational framework, which the visitor is free to follow or to deviate, from when attracted by a specific display or program feature.

Façades

The route the visitors take inside the museum is also reflected in the facades. Two spiral-shaped continuous strips envelop the building. One consists of glass walls; the other is constructed from swaged metal sheets. The outer surface of the glazing follows the geometry with the aid of triangular glazed facetted panels. The inclination of the vertical and diagonal lips of the glass partition modules correspond to the position of the posts and enable the structure to be read from the outside. The glass partitions are screen printed through points having a density ranging from 12 to 28%. The latter varies according to the exposure of the façade to solar radiation. A second glazed wall following a parallel surface inside the posts.

The metal envelope has been designed to give a smooth appearance. The specific detail of the joints renders the surface covering almost invisible. The sheets are bent and therefore perfectly match the shape of the building. To the right of the curves the stampings become denser, thereby increasing the dynamism of the sets of reflections on the façade.

Materials

The outer skin of aluminum and glass lends the building an air of transparency and weightlessness despite its 110,000 tons. The polished aluminium panels intertwine like strips of ribbon, while the darker glazed areas, consisting of 1,800 individual panoramic glass panes, mysteriously draw the mind's eye into the interior.

Collaborative Effort

For the complex innovative character of the museum and the limited timeframe for designing, planning and realizing the project, various forms of expert knowledge have been combined and interwoven. This initiated an intense collaboration with the client DaimlerChrysler Immobilien (DCI) GmbH, engineers, climate experts, interior architects, landscape architects and exhibition concept designers.

The success of this building results from an inventive consideration of the circulation and function of the spaces for a museum. The successful adaptation of the interior volumes, the routing logics and the structure is achieved by a complex geometric composition.

Design: UNStudio van Berkel & Bos, Amsterdam 2006

Client: DaimlerChrysler Immobilien (DCI) GmbH Advisors

Structure: Werner Sobek Ingenieure,Stuttgart

Geometry: Arnold Walz, Stuttgart

Climate engineering: Transsolar Energietechnik, Stuttgart

Cost estimation: Nanna Fütterer, Stuttgart/Berlin

Infrastructure: David Johnston, Arup, London

Zaha Hadid announces the design for a new architectural marvel in Singapore. The overall project is organized into seven 36-storey residential towers and twelve villas on a 838,488 sq. ft. area at Farrer Road which is highly visible site across the whole city.

The Farrer Court site is located in a strategic position within the residential area of Singapore, close to the amenities of Holland Road and the future MRT station. The absence of highrise buildings in the near surroundings and direct connection to the main traffic route of Farrer Road make this a prestigious project.

Ms Patricia Chia, CEO of CapitaLand Residential Singapore, commented: “With a reputation for constant innovation, capital and seeks to work with architects who share our vision of building distinctive homes for global citizens. The new condominium to be built at Farrer Road is one such project. We are confident that Zaha Hadid’s signature style of flowing lines and sensuous architectural silhouettes will bring out the best in the site. The development will be a jewel in Singapore’s popular Holland-Bukit Timah residential precinct.”

Site Proposal

Zaha’s proposal for the Farrer Court site is generated by the study of the existing alignments and the main axis surrounding the site, which are brought in and connected to generate a series of construction lines highly connected to the neighborhood. The ground landscape level is visualized as a very green layer, which wants to emphasize the presence of florid vegetation in Singapore’s climate. The site levels are re-organized into a series of terraced plateaus to maximize the area dedicated to communal site amenities. The orientation and placement of the buildings is optimized in relation to the local environment as well as to maximize views out towards the surrounding city and landscape.


“We have been working in Singapore for almost a decade and the Farrer Road development is a continuation of our detailed research into the urban fabric of the city. The seven tower development on one of Singapore’s most prominent sites represents further exploration into the tower typology and our studies into organizational systems and growth in the natural world. The towers are subdivided into petals according to the layout of each level to form a series of diverse and distinctive towers,” says Zaha Hadid.

Design of Buildings

The program is organized into seven towers, which grow from sunken private gardens within the site landscape. The lower floors kink into highlight the point where buildings meet the ground, enabling yet a greater open area and the creation of highly private gardens which are quite unique given the scale and density of the development.

The towers are subdivided into petals according to the number of residential units per floor; with a common principle a series of diverse and unique towers can be generated. The petals are expressed in three dimensions to vertical cuts which give definition to the building’s façades and at the same time, allow for cross ventilation of most of the flats. The buildings culminate at the top with a series of fingers stepped at different heights, which blend the transition between the architectural fabric and the sky. Through rotating the buildings across the site and the careful use of balconies and façade panelling, a combination of self similar towers produce an incredible amount of diversity across the development.

The orientation and placement of the buildings generates a complex level of diversity across the development and optimizes the views of Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore Botanic Gardens, MacRitchie Reservoir and the Orchard Road city skyline. The Singapore $3 billion (approx £1.1 billion) development is by a Capital and-led consortium; other partners include Hotel Properties Limited, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Special Situations Fund III, L.P. and Wachovia Development Corporation. It will be the largest residential development in Singapore’s history.

The new building concept designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in Farrer Road in Singapore would be an architectural wonder if one looks at the designs. The overall design wishes to communicate the florid vegetation in the Singapore’s climate.

41-story Great American Building at Queen City Square will be city's tallest tower, crowned by a distinctive Tiara.

The crown jewel of Cincinnati's skyline the Great American Building at Queen City Square is moving toward reality.

Designed by HOK, the 41-story, 800,000 square-foot office tower awaits final approval from the City Council before taking shape as the city's tallest and most iconic structure.

HOK Founding Partner Gyo Obata designed the building and its unique tiara top to serve as a distinctive landmark for Cincinnati, the "Queen City."

"This building will redefine the Cincinnati skyline and serve as an instantly recognizable beacon to the city," Obata said. "There is no other building in the world that resembles this."

Structural Design

The façade of the building will include a contemporary look, constructed with glass and aluminum. The building will include numerous environmentally sustainable features and is expected to be the "greenest" office tower in downtown Cincinnati.

A 25,000-square-foot promenade, lobby and retail areas will welcome occupants and visitors inside the building, creating a spacious internal streetscape adjacent to a 1,700-space parking structure. The tower is sited on the southern portion of the site to provide unobstructed views in all four directions, including of the city, the riverfront and the HOK-designed Great American Ballpark.

The building will be developed and managed by Eagle Realty Group, a real estate investment and management subsidiary of Western & Southern Financial Group.

"This world-class, signature office building will complete our one-million-square-foot Queen City Square master-planned development," said John F. Barrett, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western & Southern Financial Group. "It is the fruition of a long-term vision for Western & Southern and adds to the vitality of Cincinnati."

American Financial Group, Inc. (AFG), the anchor tenant, will occupy 22 floors, or about two-thirds of the building. AFG will consolidate many operations of its subsidiaries, Great American Insurance Company and Great American Financial Resources, into a single location, while allowing for future growth and expansion.

Accent lighting at the upper levels of the building will illuminate the distinctive tiara, and additional lighting will also illuminate the building's architectural massing at the corner and center of each façade. Great American's logo, a red eagle with blue script, will be illuminated in an area beneath the Tiara.

The first phase of Queen City Square the 303 Broadway building was completed in 2006. This HOK-designed office building includes eight floors of office space atop a 665-space parking facility.

Construction of the Great American Building at Queen City Square is anticipated to begin in mid-2008, with completion expected in 2011.

HOK is a global architectural firm that specializes in planning, design and delivery solutions for buildings and communities. Through its collaborative network of 26 offices worldwide, the firm serves diverse clients within the corporate, commercial, public and institutional markets. HOK is committed to developing resources and expertise to help lead the world toward sustainable communities and building environments. Founded in 1955, the firm's expertise includes architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, lighting, graphics, facilities planning and assessment and construction services.

An Icon in the modern architectural landscape, Xeros Residence is distinguished by its unique bold design, impeccable detailing and construction with genuine materials. Glass glazing on the other hand has also enhanced the artistic appeal of the building.

Project title:	:	Xeros Residence
Project location	:	(Town/ city and country) Arizona USA
Client	:	Matthew + Lisa Trzebiatowski
Architectural design by	:	(blank studio, inc.
Energy Saving design by	:	Architect (blank studio, inc.)
Structural design by	:	The BDA Group
HVAC design by	:	Kunka Engineering, Inc.
Lighting design by	:	Architect (blank studio, inc.)
Landscape design by	:	Debra Burnette Landscape Design
Main Contractor	:	180 Degrees Design + Build
Landscape contractor	:	ALG Landscaping
Site Area	:	12,500 SF (1161 SM)
Built up area	:	850 SF (79 SM) – footprint of building on site
Budget	:	$650,000 (USD)
Cost per sq. metre/ sq. feet	:	$289 per SF ($3110 per SM)
Project Status	:	Construction Complete January 2006
Photographs	:	Blank Studio, Inc.

Located in a unique double-lot condition in the valley of the sun, adjacent to the Phoenix North Mountain Preserve in a quiet neighborhood in the heart of North Central Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Xeros Residence is one of the most critically acclaimed residential architectural project that has earned recognition among the most prominent and elite residential projects in the world.

The project is being designed by architect Matthew Trzebiatowski of Design Studio who is also the owner of the house with the help of his wife Lisa. Design decisions are taken keeping in mind the environment condition of the project site. Matthew Trzebiatowski matched an extreme aesthetic to an extreme climate, but his sustainable moves took a gentler approach.

Called ‘Xeros’ (name derived from the Greek word for ‘Dry’) as a reminder that all solutions should be in direct response to its environment — the building has several environmentally responsible designs. The form turns an opaque face towards the intense western afternoon sun and the more exposed faces to the south and east are shielded by an external layer of woven metal shade mesh. The long, narrow lot precipitated very tall form with a petite foot print allows the maximum amount of site to be retained for vegetation. The low-water use vegetation adds to the shading effects of the screen.

Design of the Building

From various angles, the Xeros Residence looks like a treehouse or a huge periscope—or both, combined.

The building part includes a two-storey lower level design studio that descends down into the earth with a single storey residence that exists above the studio that is accessed solely by an external stair. The path to the studio level requires that the guest pass behind the mesh screen and descend a short flight of stairs into an exterior, mesh-enclosed forecourt. A stainless steel water feature leads you down the steps and terminates at a reflecting pool. A 3-1/2 foot wide by 19-1/2 tall steel-framed glass door offers entry into the studio from the courtyard.

To access the residence, the visitor ascends an exterior steel staircase to an upper level balcony before entering the common room (sitting, dining, and kitchen). The visitor continues through a central gallery towards the cantilevered master suite / media room. This space is completely glazed on the north facade to enjoy the mountain preserve views. To complete the cycle of movement, a cantilevered yellow-glass framed ‘Romeo and Juliet’ balcony allows views back to the city and across the long axis of the building.

Building Materials

The primary building material used in this project is exposed steel (as structure, cladding, and shading) that is allowed to weather naturally and melt with the color of the surrounding hills. Mr. Matthew considers a totally steel house a “kind of holistic notion that works well with the parched and rocky landscape.

Glass has also found great acceptance in this project for structural glazing which give wonderful exterior views of the mountains. Glass was also used in the steel framed glass door that offers entry into the studio from courtyard.

Awards

The project is highly successful winning design awards and gaining an international reputation for excellence. Xeros was named a Record House by Architectural Record (2006), has been awarded Honors from the American Institute of Architects (2006), selected by World Architecture News as a finalist for Project of the Year (2007), and in 2008 has just been awarded Project of the Year by Residential Architect Magazine.

A brief discussion with Mr. Matthew G. Trzebiatowski and Lisa Trzebiatowski on this world recognized project. Excerpts…..

What is the specialty of the project which makes it unique in terms of client’s expectation?

The project needed to accommodate the private residence of the owners in addition to the public, working component of the architecture studio. The two components were to be kept separate and therefore not to share a common link between the areas.

Your design philosophy in approaching the project and how was this implemented?

Xeros is a Greek word meaning ‘dry’ so the name of the project itself, the Xeros Residence, is a reminder that all design decisions should be made with regards to how the project is to integrate with it’s place (neighbourhood or climate region). Blank studio’s design philosophy is inclusive and seeks solutions from a wide arena of influence (arts, sciences, etc – not solely from architecture).

What criteria are being used to define the various spaces in response to the clients brief?

There is a clear separation of private (residence) and public (architectural studio). The residential portion is lofted into the air above the studio below – the visitor ascends an external stair to the residence passing through the common spaces (dining, sitting, kitchen) to the private spaces (bathroom, master bedroom) that are positioned to enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the mountain preserve to the north of the residence. To enter the studio, one passes behind the steel mesh, descend down into an external courtyard then into the studio space through a 3.5’ wide x 19.5’ tall door. A mezzanine level exists in the high vaulted space of the studio.


What makes the building eco-friendly?

Site Decisions – selected an infill site near to existing community resources, transportation infrastructure and green spaces; utilized a minimal building footprint and developed greater than ¾ of the site as a green space with permeable landscape; added no hardscape; used no turf and planted low-water use trees to shade the structure and the site and to control potential erosion; used no toxic pest control methods.

Water Efficiency – selected dual flush, low-water use toilets.

Materials and Resources – materials that are traditionally used for utilitarian purposes such as building sheathing or concrete formwork are used in aesthetic applications (oriented strand board and euroform board); these materials are used in their original size module to minimize waste; no tropical hardwoods were used; all materials selected for low VOC content.

Energy and Atmosphere – the building is designed as a well-insulated, light-weight envelope; mass construction (that absorbs heat and re-radiates throughout the night) is not used above ground (insulated by earth); the overall size of the home is smaller that the national average.

Innovation and Design Process – external shade system is employed to modulate daylight and keep the radiant heat energy out of the building; mindful placement of fenestration keeps heat out of the building during the late afternoon (period of greatest heat gain)

What steps are taken in the design to incorporate passive energy-saving features? Please provide as much information as possible.

The biggest challenge in an arid climate such as this is to admit light where desired, modulate it as necessary and keep the radiant heat energy out of the building. This project employed a hanging, exterior woven steel wire mesh on the east, south and west facades to shield the building from the sun. Ample daylight exists in a shallow floor plan that eliminates the need for artificial illumination at any point during the daytime.

What technology is used to further the building design?

“Low-technology” solutions are employed in the residence such as basic exterior sun shading screens and careful placement of fenestration.

What is the structural design philosophy of the building?

The building is constructed of a steel frame with insulated lightweight steel frame infill. The structure does not employ mass anywhere above ground where heat gain and re-radiation can occur.

What exceptional materials are used?

The ‘exceptional’ materials are the commonplace materials that were utilized in a unique way for their aesthetic value. Materials such as concrete, oriented strand board, euroboard, woven wire steel mesh are materials that are not usually used for ‘finish’ materials– here they find expression and bring beauty. Aesthetically, the steel structure, corrugated steel wall cladding and the woven wire steel mesh are all not protected and allowed to patina naturally – the rusting tones of the steel meld with the surrounding exposed rock hillsides of the neighborhood.

How is the building skin detailed to deal with the weather and saving of energy?

Because of the ‘heat island’ or ‘heat sink’ generated by the mass of the buildings, roads, etc in the Phoenix valley the most important solution in the skin / enclosure system is the lack of material mass. Mass construction is necessary below ground but is insulated by the surrounding earth and is not exposed to the sun or ambient hot air.

What makes this building smart / avant guard in its standing?

The simplicity of the architecture and the manifested application of environmentally–conscious solutions makes this a project worthy of acclaim and study.

Any innovative solutions?

Natural ventilation is available in the residence and the studio spaces but the HVAC systems are relatively conventional. The exterior shading solution is the highest innovation.

How is the landscape integrated into the project?

Landscape and building are holistically intertwined. Plantings were selected for low-water use and drought + heat tolerance and positioned adjacent to the building to provide an additional layer of shading (along with the woven wire mesh enclosure). The site has no hardscape – this allows for water to permeate into the soil and reduce runoff erosion and eliminate heat storage.

From carrying tea around the world to being admired in a specially created museum, Cutty Sark has come a long way. And a special creation by Grimshaw Architects gives Cutty a wonderful new home.

She sailed the seas as the last clipper to serve as a merchant vessel. Built in 1869, the Cutty Sark went on public display in 1954 after serving as a training ship. The clipper was preserved in dry dock at Greenwich, London where a fire damaged it on 21st May 2007. One of the most famous ships in the world, the Cutty Sark is the only surviving extreme clipper.

Having sailed around the world, under both the Red Ensign and the Portuguese flag, Cutty Sark touched every major port in the world. Her first voyage was from London to Shanghai via Cape of Good Hope. Though largely a tea clipper, her captain George Moodie describes her carrying ‘large amounts of wine, spirits and beer’ on the first voyage in the log.

Cutty Sark is also one of three surviving composite-built vessels. It has a wrought iron framework onto which teak and rock elm stakes are fastened. In the late nineties, it was found that the wrought iron was corroding and 50 years away from sea were having a terrible effect on her shape as she had started sagging under her own weight.

The Cutty Sark Conservation Project, an initiative of the Cutty Sark Trust, started in November 2006. The fire in 2007 was a major setback, pushing the re-opening date forward by 14 months to the spring of 2010. But surprisingly, the fire did not damage a large part of the original woodwork.

The aim of the Cutty Sark Trust is to conserve as much of the original ship as possible, rather than to replace or restore. So much so that upon completion of the project the ship will still be around 90% original! Treatment of the corroded metal frames and consolidation of wooden hull planks will guarantee that there is no further wear and tear of the structure. In addition, a new support structure will relieve the pressure on the keel and provide support around the hull.

The conservation of the ship is being undertaken by Grimshaw Architects in association with Youmeheshe. The idea is to lift the ship three meters above her current position in the berth, giving visitors a clear view of her hull. An enveloping glass bubble will be attached along the ship’s waterline and supporting struts provided. The space below the ship will be used for education facilities, a café and a shop. Using a combination of electrolysis, mechanical cleaning and preventive coatings, future degradation will be prevented.

Conservation efforts

• Specialized paint systems to protect ironwork
• Consolidation and removing of hull planks
• New support system to the hull
• Replacing keel, main deck, sheathing
• Glass canopy at waterline level to protect restored/conserved hull
• Replace false deck placed in the fifties with a ‘lily pad’ deck
• Providing a lift for better internal access

Cutty Sark Fact Sheet

Designed by	:	Hercules Linton
Year	:	1869
At	:	Dumbarton, Scotland
Launched	:	22nd November, 1869 by William Denny & Brothers
Completion of restoration	:	2010
Cost of restoration	:	£21 million
Architects	:	Grimshaw Architects and Youmeheshe

The world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city is being built in Abu Dhabi. It might sound a little ironical that an oil-producing nation will be home to a sustainable city like this, but that doesn’t mean that the developers don’t mean business.

Masdar, which means source in Arabic, is being developed by the government-owned Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company and master-planned by London-based Foster and Partners as an integrated green community. The ground-breaking took place in February and the city is scheduled to be completed by 2015. The first phase will be habitable by next year and the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology will be its first tenant.

Even though you might think that ‘zero-carbon, zero-waste’ is unachievable, the ultimate aim of Masdar is to surpass the 10 sustainability principles of One Planet Living, an initiative launched by the Worldwide Fund for Nature and environmental consultancy BioRegional.

Masdar has been carefully designed keeping this goal in mind. As per Masdar representatives before deciding on the location of the city, a carbon dioxide contour study was carried out to identify the best location. The present location was decided upon making sure that there were minimal carbon dioxide deposits from outside sources like air traffic.

The principle of the Masdar development is a dense walled city to be constructed in energy efficient two-stages. Stage one relies on the creation of a large photovoltaic power plant, which later becomes the site for the city’s second phase, allowing for urban growth.

City plan

Masdar is being planned as a traditional Arabic city, where ‘the person, not the vehicle is paramount’. It will come up as a compact city allowing easy pedestrian movement. Heat will not be too much of a problem for the city-dwellers as narrow shaded paths will reduce the temperature by as much as 20° Celsius. The city walls will also serve as a guard against the harsh local climate. Carefully planned landscape and water features will aid in reducing temperatures while enhancing the attraction of the street.

The city is aiming to provide all necessary facilities to its residents including commerce, education, sports, and civic functions. Of the total area, 30% is being allocated for housing, 24% for business and research, 19% for service and transportation, 13% for commercial purposes, 8% for civic and cultural pursuits and 6% for the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology.

Tenants

• Masdar Institute of Science and Technology
• Masdar Research Network
• Light industry
• Development units and laboratories
• A carefully selected pool of international tenants

Transportation

As already said, Masdar is to be a car-free city. Transport will be provided in the form of personal rapid transit (PRT) and material rapid transit (MRT). This will be the world’s first carbon-neutral and emission-free large-scale transportation system. Together with pedestrian and public transit methods, the city’s transport system will safely move people, goods, and emergency services.

Water

Masdar will heavily utilize local water resources and brackish water. It will require about 8000 m3of desalinated water per day, which is astounding compared to the 20,000 m3a city this big would normally consume. High-efficiency appliances, grey and black water recycling, seawater greenhouses, dew catchers, and rainwater harvesting will aid the city in reducing its water consumption.

Water will be available from a solar-powered desalination plant, while the landscaping and crops in the city will be watered using grey water and treated waste water from the city’s water treatment plant.

Waste

Even during the construction of the city, 90% of the waste is being targeted to be diverted from landfills. The city will provide an environment that enables a zero waste lifestyle through the reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery of waste materials. To this effect the following steps will be taken:

• Utilization of organic waste for compost and energy production
• Recovery and reuse of metals, glass, paper and plastics
• Thermal processes will convert residual waste materials into energy
• Divert 98% of waste from landfills by 2020, with the ultimate goal of zero waste to landfills

Energy

The city will fulfill its energy requirements using state-of-the-art renewable technologies like photovoltaics (for electricity), concentrated solar power (for heating and cooling needs), waste to energy etc. A conventional city of this size would need 800 MW of installed power capacity. Masdar, on the other hand, will require only 200 MW!

Decks with interactive lights 850-feet in the sky along with a breathtaking view of the city-sounds too good to be true! But is a reality at the Rockefeller Center in New York. Shut down for the last 20 years, this amazing blend of innovation and technology is now finally open to the public to experience this new-age marvel.

The Rockefeller Centre in New York is a popular destination and with the breezeway opened to public, it is bound to be more famous. The Target Interactive Breezeway is in between the observation decks on the 69th and 70th floors of the building. This passage is the brainchild of Electroland, a Los Angeles-based company that utilizes LED lighting to create an interactive channel to engage visitors while they pass through it by simply tracking their movements.

The Breezeway consists of a ceiling and walls that are lit by LED systems. About 1300 iColor Cove MX Power core units are fitted as individually controllable, one-foot “pixels” that receive power and data from compact data enabler devices avoiding any need to receive low-voltage power. These are built-in all throughout the walls and the ceiling, covered with translucent glass and backlit by white LED strips.

This feature automatically picks up the identity of the visitor passing through it and follows through the passageway. Four stereo video cameras provide data that is then combined to locate and individually track up to 30 separate visitors as they enter and walk around the space. On entering each visitor is automatically assigned a “personality” by its 3-D tracking system. The movements are regularly monitored through a live web camera and high-speed Internet connection and are able to upload and adjust to new patterns remotely.

Opened after 20 years, this Target Interactive Breezeway is surely a treat to walk through!

A new landmark tower of glass and steel, designed to become the heart of a new arts, culture, and sports quarter for the city of Ekaterinburg also houses a vertical garden’ the only one of its kind in the world.

An international design competition for a new landmark development in Russia’s third largest city, Ekaterinburg has been won by an alliance between developer Vector-Stroy and French holding Vinci Construction Grands Projets with UK-based international architectural firm RMJM. Capital of the vast Ural region on the edge of Siberia, Ekaterinburg is currently enjoying an unprecedented level of investment as the city aims to become a regional business hub on par with Moscow.

In June 2008, RMJM, unveiled exclusive images of a tower building with vertical ‘hanging garden’. Believed to be one of its kinds in the world, it is also topped by a public sky park at the building’s pinnacle offering panoramic view of the city!

Matt Cartwright, a director of RMJM said: “Tall buildings will play an important role in the future of modern cities and the focus for all cities, including London, should be on making these buildings environmentally sustainable so we preserve the environment, conserve energy and provide healthy working and living spaces.”

He added: “Building tall can mean a smaller building footprint, allowing for more space for the parks, rivers and green public space that are vital for a city.”

Inspired by the city’s heritage and developed for the Red Group, the tower has a contemporary vertical evergreen park running through the core of the building demonstrating that tall buildings also provide an opportunity to create new green public space for a city. The project is designed for the enjoyment of the general public as well as those who live and work in the building.

The proposed development will not only provide the city with 46,000m2of serviced apartments and an international standard five star hotel but also the world’s first vertical park. Forming the heart of a new arts, culture and sports quarter on the banks of the river Iset, the arched form of the proposed 100 metre structure echoes the poetic curves of the city’s Byzantine Temple of Blood. And behind the glass and steel exterior of the tower will lie a vertical, hanging evergreen park running through the atrium at the heart of the building.

Matt Cartwright, the architect behind the scheme, explains the thinking behind the unusual idea: “Like many cities in Russia, extreme climates in summer and winter prohibit many people from enjoying public parks and spaces. We decided to bring the outdoors inside and provide the public with a park they can enjoy year round.

“We are delighted to have won the competition and to be able to see our designs become a reality. Ekaterinburg is a city steeped in tradition but which also has a bright future ahead. This new development heralds the start of a new era and signals the investment being made to return Ekaterinburg to the great city it once was.”

The design team explored ways of reducing the energy consumption of the building and it is expected that this development will become a new environmental benchmark for the city. The atrium, for example, will also act as thermal buffer zone to control the building’s temperature.

RMJM has offices in Moscow and St Petersburg and has an estimated £2.5 billion worth of projects in Russia. These projects include the design of the twisting City Palace Tower for the new business district of Moscow and the 396-metre Okhta Tower in St Petersburg. In Ekaterinburg, the architect is also developing designs for a Hotel and an office development for the diplomatic quarter of the city.

Visually stunning, functionally efficient and a futuristic design concept is The School of Art, Design and Media, in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU-ADM).Blending into the landscape of a vegetated corner of the campus it has been described as ‘a vegetated form that blends landscape, structure, nature, high-technology, and symbolizes the creativity it houses’. Not too far in Seoul a green structure stands out in an otherwise stark, modern landscape— Belgian fashion designer Ann Demeulemeester’s flagship store in Seoul, Korea. A step ahead of NTU-ADM, this structure has green walls too. The trend is certainly interesting.

Green roofs and green walls are precisely that—green living structures. They are usually created with perennials planted on a membrane which is then attached to the structure. In these days of sustainable and environment friendly architecture, living walls or botanical architecture are popular for their climate control and freshness of aesthetic values.

School of Art, Design and Media, Singapore: A stunningly modern building, it blends into the surroundings, with a grass roof that gives it a warmth it would otherwise lack. Allowing the landscape to play a critical role in molding the building, the NTU-ADM is the creation of a “non-building”, allowing the original greenery of the site to creep and colonize. The architect was required to work to preserve the wooded valley as a green lung. Designed by the CPG Consultants Pte Ltd for the Nanyang Technological University, the 18,000 m2project was completed in 2006 at a cost of Singapore $35.39 million.

The curving green roof gives the building its own distinctive personality on the campus. A five-storey facility, with an all-glass facade to provide a high performance building envelope that reduces solar gain and heat load, while allowing the benefits of natural views and daylight into creative spaces. The roofs create open space, insulate the building, cool the surrounding air and harvest rainwater for landscaping irrigation. Inside different spaces are created—from the formal auditorium seating to the more informal studios, lobbies, passageways and breakout lounges. There are also cozy outdoor corners, a sunken plaza formed by the embracing arms of the building and the turf-top roofs.

The glass façade with its transparency and connectivity is maintained throughout the exterior and interiors. The sense of continuity is carried through the interior, from the entrance to the main foyer to various spaces inside and right into the turfed roofs. Internal glass walls enhance this visual connectivity and flow, allowing one to see beyond rooms to develop the interaction and creative exchange. There are full exterior views providing visual connectivity with the lush landscape. At night, the lighting reverses the connectivity allowing the activities of the school to be observed from the outside adding an angle of dynamism with the changing character.

Anne Demeulemeester Shop, Seoul: A multi-level green marvel appears to be growing up from underneath the greenery in an alley near Seoul’s fast upgrading Gangnam district. Anne Demeulemeester flagship store of Korea stands three floors tall. This project takes living with nature to another level with green walls and green roof. Just a year old, the building appears to rise up underneath the greenery—a glorious merging of ornamentation and structure. Foliage covers both the internal and external wall surfaces. The designers worked to incorporate as much nature as possible into the building within the constraints of a low-elevation, high density urban setting. They strived to smoothly flow the natural and the artificial, as well as interior and exterior to present an amalgamation,rather than a confrontation.

Designed over three-four months by architects Minsuk Cho and Kisu Park of Mass Studies and effectively constructed in five-six months, the colors and size are impressive. The parking is at the center of the site, the entrance to the Ann Demeulemeester Shop is on the western side of the courtyard and the stairs for the multi shop and the restaurant are on the eastern side.

The herbaceous perennials Pachysandra terminals are planted into “geo-textile” which is a “woven, non-woven or knitted permeable sheet, usually but not exclusively, non-biodegradable.” The living walls in the form of replaceable tiles are covered with this evergreen ground cover. The plants as natural air-purifiers literally offer that fresh breath of air to the mind and body. They cool the building naturally and absorb rainwater.

Botanical architecture is certainly becoming —”a synthetic organism of nature and artifice.”

James Law Cybertecture International has designed a new form of architecture, typified by new intangible materials of technology, multimedia, intelligence and interactivity, reports Mariya Rasheeda.

Details
Location	:	India
District	:	Mumbai
Use	:	Office
Site Area	:	6676 sq.m.
Bldg. Area	:	4025sq.m.
Gross Floor Area	:	32,000 sq.m.
Bldg. Coverage Ratio	:	60%
Gross Floor Ratio	:	80%
Bldg. Scale:	:
Stories above Ground	:	14 Levels
Stories below Ground	:	3 Levels
Structure	:	Reinforced Concrete and Steel Structure
Max. Height	:	62m
Landscape Area	:	2800 sq. m.
Parking Lot	:	450 Lots
Exterior Finish	:	Curtain Wall

Vijay Associate (Wadhwa Developers) has assigned James Law Cybertecture International, a global consultancy specializing in the design and strategy formation of Cybertecture project, to design a building ‘unlike any other’ for Mumbai, India.

Plot C70 of Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, which is the new ‘Manhattan’ of India and currently the most expensive plot of land in the country, has been selected for this unique and innovative project that will be the first office building with an egg-shaped, accommodating 13 floors and providing enough space for customizable living and working spaces.

What's Special?

According to the James Law, the Chief Cybertect and Chairman of James Law Cybertecture International, "in this 21st Century, buildings will be different from 20th Century; they are no longer about concrete, steel and glass, but of the new intangible materials of technology, multimedia, intelligence and interactivity. Only recognizing this will bring a new form of architecture to light ¬namely a Cybertecture.”

This “Cybertecture” office building will bring together iconic architecture, environmental design, intelligent systems, and new engineering together to create an awe-inspiring landmark for the city of Mumbai and for India in the 21st Century.

Sustainable Ecosystem Concept

Cybertecture design offers provocative intelligence systems in india with the cybertecture egg office. The concept for this most innovative building was inspired by looking at the world in terms of the planet being an ecosystem that allows life to evolve. The concept for this building is rather like planet earth, where a sustainable ecosystem is derived from an integrated and seamless cybertecture that is evolving to give the building’s inhabitants the very best space to work in. Within the building, there will be a series of innovative systems such as ‘cybertecture health’ in the washroom which is designed to keep track of the inhabitant’s health including blood pressure and weight. The data collected may be retrieved and sent to a doctor if deemed necessary.


Technology and the working environment are united in the use of ‘cybertecture reality’, which allows you to customize your favorite view and have real time scenery all around the world instead of the view the user currently has.

The analogy to the form of the building is for the beautiful planet form to “land” on the site in Mumbai, and create a new Cybertecture ecosystem for people who will use this building.

Like all the buildings of the future, the 32,000 sq m Cybertecture Egg will be self-sustainable and environment friendly as it will make use of solar-photovoltaic panels and wind turbines on the roof.


The cooling of the Egg-shaped building will be provided by an elevated garden consisting of natural vegetation. Another important element is the water conservation feature that will be controlled thanks to a greywater recycling system for irrigation and landscaping.

Egg Shaped Building

The form of the architecture is one that symbolizes with optimism about the future and of the 21st Century. The symbolic “planet” form is further stretched to cater for ground floor plus 13 levels of office space derived an “Egg” shaped building. This “Egg” is further orientated and skewed at an angle to create both a strong visual language as well as to alleviate the solar gain of the building. By using this “Egg” shape, compared to a conventional building, this building has approximately 10–20% less surface area.

The architecture is sleek and computer designed, with engineering that creates a building of extremely high quality and geometric sophistication. This building will act like a “jewel” for the new Central Business District of Mumbai, and a worthy neighbor to the esteemed neighboring buildings of the district. Within the building, an innovative structure derived from the skin of the egg creates upto 30m spans of columnless floors. Also within, innovative Cybertecture Technologies empower people to work in a better way.

A brief discussion with James Law, the Chief Cybertech & Chairman of James Law Cybertecture International on this unique project: Excerpts.

What led to the inception of this structure?

My concept for this structure was to create something never yet done in conventional architecture...to create a structure in the form of a shell that is able to support floor plates that does not need any columns. This will allow commercial space to have no obstructions to tenants to use the space...truly affording 100% flexibility. The structure solution came from a study of geometry and nature, where we can see organic symmetrical forms allows for exceptionally stable and interesting...and embodies a level of beauty more akin to nature than architecture. In reality, this is a piece of Cybertecture...because it is designed beyond architecture.

How did you zero-in for this structure and design? Elaborate

It was my intention to create an ecosystem for this building which was inspired by Planet Earth. In an early sketch, imaginatively, the planet is “landed” onto the site and slightly deforms from a sphere into an oval egg shape. In these sketches were the genesis to the form of the building, and from that I had a commitment to creating a piece of Cybertecture where we do not engineer this in a conventional architectural way, but to instill into the project the other knowledge of bespoke engineering, such as aeronautical engineering that allows for new forms of structural solutions can be used to give the benefit of open space and to hold a building up unlike any other building in the world.

Has the construction started? If yes what is the status?

Yes, the construction has started. The site is being excavated at this time.

What is the overall floor-plan/plan in terms of designing, engineering? Give us the break up?

The floor plates are averaging around 30,000 sq.ft open plans for international A grade standards. There are extraordinarily high ceilings of over 3 meters clear height, with the most extraordinary column free space. The exact breakdowns of the office spaces are currently not available.

What is the material used? Which are the major components used in this construction?

The building is predominant a steel frame structure with a concrete core and basement. The steel diagrid is precision manufactured off site with solid steel diagrid nodes that do not need fire protection due to its high steel mass.

How big this structure would be once completed?

14 floors high at 62m height with 3 basements. The cantilever part of the egg spans more than 40m.

What will be area distributed per floor wise?

Approximately 30,000 sq.ft per floor of open office space.

What are the unique features of this construction?

The structural diagrid is one of its kinds in the world, and uses cast steel nodes of solid steel to create a fire resistant structure.

What are the structural difficulties and challenges faced?

No structure like this has ever been built for an office building in the world. It will require new techniques, tools and methodologies from the manufacturing to fabrication stages of the project.

How do we overcome them?

There is a very close integrated team work between client, design team and contractors. This is seen as an integrated design approach which is necessary for a project of such innovation and complexity to be achieved.

When is it scheduled for completion?

We aim to complete construction by the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010.

Anything else about this project?

This is the first Cybertecture Office Building in the world, and India will be the location which will nurture some of the new architecture of the future.