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 DESIGN FOR LEISURE

CONCEPTS
 EXPLORING CLASSICAL STYLE  BEYOND BOUNDARIES

V OL XXIX

NO 11
1

NOVEMBER 2012

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SUNEET PAUL
EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE
NIJITA NANDAN KADAM
ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATE
SANIL KUMAR
SUB EDITOR
POTSHANGBAM JULY
SECRETARIAL CO-ORDINATOR
PRITI SHRIVASTAVA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
BIPIN KUMAR
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
JOHN ROY
MARKETING:
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CHENNAI: D KARTHIK
Tel: 044-28141816, 044-28140159
KOLKATA: SUJIT BOSE
Tel: 033-22874298, 033-22805323

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MUMBAI: PRAKASH ANJALEKAR

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MANAGER SCHEDULING
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REGIONAL MANAGERS
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ABOUT THE ISSUE

22

REFLECTIONS

24

UPDATES

38

A Tribute to Mansinh M Rana

40

ESSAY
Taj Mahal Aspects of its Design Concept

Prabhakar V Begde

MANAGER HR
SONYA CAROLINE SHAH
EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE
Media Transasia India Ltd., Plot No. 323,
Udyog Vihar, Phase-4, Gurgaon-122016, Haryana.
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REFURBISHMENT CONCEPTS
48

PRESIDENT
XAVIER COLLACO

DESIGN FOR LEISURE

Tracing Tradition
Torre Del Homenaje/Keep, Granada, Spain

106

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Whitepod Exploitation SA, Switzerland

Redevelopment of a Station
Kings Cross Station, London

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Reflection of Rajasthan

John McAslan + Partners, London

RAAS, Jodhpur

Mangueshi Temple Complex, Goa

Lotus Praxis Initiative, New Delhi

and Bangalore

Rahul Deshpande & Associates, Goa

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Geodesic Structures
Whitepod Hotel, Switzerland

Antonio Jimnez Torrecillas, Spain

MEDIA TRANSASIA GROUP

CHAIRMAN
J S UBEROI

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Multi-functional Development

120

An Eco Retreat

DIRECTOR
AMRITA SHAHRA

Shanghai Museum of Glass, Shanghai, China

Gorukana, B R Hills, Karnataka

CEO
PIYUSH SHARMA

logon, China

Gayathri and Namith Architects

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
PUNEET NANDA
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY Xavier Collaco on behalf of Media
Transasia India Ltd., having registered office at 323, Udyog Vihar,
Phase IV, Gurgaon 122016 and printed at Aegean Offset Printers,
220B, Udyog Kendra - 1, Greater Noida (UP)-201306.
Editor: Suneet Paul. Opinions expressed in the articles are of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or
publishers. Material published in this magazine may be reproduced
only with written permission from the editors. Every effort will be
made to return submitted material if accompanied by a stamped,
addressed envelope, but the editors and publishers are not
responsible for loss or damage. While the editors do their utmost to
verify information published they do not accept responsibility for its
absolute accuracy.

82

Hotel Jukaso Ganges, Varanasi

90

Pvt Ltd, Bangalore

Balancing the Vernacular and the Modern

126

MAK Designs, Varanasi

Sofitel So, Bangkok

Reviving Cultural Flamboyance

The Office of Bangkok Architects Co, Ltd

(OBA), Thailand

Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville, Spain

HBA, London

132

Creations in Classical Style

D-Caves, Hyderabad

Sanjay Puri Architects, Mumbai

EXPLORING DESIGN
100

Creating Luxurious Environs

138

ART FEATURE

about the issue

NOVEMBER 2012 ` 150

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CONCEPTS
CLASSICAL STYLE  BEYOND BOUNDARIES

Kings Cross Station,

London (Architects: John
McAslan+Partners,
London)
All drawings and visuals for the
projects and articles, unless
mentioned otherwise, are
courtesy the architects/authors.

Image
of
the

Month

A N

I N D I A N

J O U R N A L

O F

A R C H I T E C T U R E

nd September 2012 witnessed a huge loss to the architecture fraternity of

India, in the demise of renowned Delhi-based architect and professor
Mansinh M Rana. The extent of his dedication to architecture and education
gets exemplified in his being a participant in the process right till the last days. His
passion for the profession was very evident right from the earlier days. An architect
with a mission, he evolved over a period of time into an extraordinarily rounded
personality with a vision. It was this vision of his in the late eighties that made him a
founder member in establishing an architecture school in the precincts of Delhi
where he attempted to bring in a meaningful and innovative change in the very
perception of architecture education in India. With an international exposure and
having met the great masters of that time, he evolved his own vocabulary in
architectural practice and went all out in presenting a robust understanding of the
profession to the bureaucrats and the government of an emerging India of the
eighties trying to establish an identity of her own devoid of the British influence.
Apart from the immense contribution to architecture, M M Rana was also a
spontaneous human being with immense sensitivities. His skills as a teacher and
guide developed a natural and genuine rapport with his pupils who also became a
major source of his un-diminishing youthful energy. He always believed that
architects ought to strive with pardonable assumption, to aim for excellence
though there are no safe formulae and traditions for such preparation. Reacting to
the general disenchantment around, he once observed, I have under such
circumstances, resolved to go it alone, on my own terms and on my own steam. In
deciding to stand erect and be reckoned with, I am really not alone. Self-respect and
self-esteem are too dear a price to barter for a whole lot of ifs and buts and other
strings that come attached to unethical professional compromises. My khoj (search)
for our roots and fragrance continues...
Architect Rana would, of course,
for many years to come, be fondly
remembered as an iconic guiding
force to achieve rationalised
professional and personal pursuits.
We salute the inherent buoyant spirit
of his delightful soul and dedicate this
Issue to him

An architect never sleeps.

Brent Thompson
Architectt and
d educationist,, late
e M M Rana
a (1922-2012)

Updates
Fast Track Architecture

Award

B Honours 2012 recently

honoured 11 prominent
institutions and individuals at a
function held in Mumbai. This
year Delhi International Airport
Terminal 3 won the award for the Intelligent
Washroom Design at Airports. At the event, Godrej
Properties Limited received the award for the category
Efficient Bathrooms at Building Complexes. Benjamin
Beller, BaO Architects, Beijing, bagged award for the
Innovation in Public Conveniences. J W Marriott,
Chandigarh, won the award under the category of
Technology Driven Washrooms. Samode Palace near
Jaipur, also received award for the Washroom
Restoration in Heritage Building.
Other noteworthy recipients at the event included
Medanta- The Medcity, Pullman, Gurgaon Central Park
and ITC Grand Chola Chennai. This year a new honour
was instituted called WB Lifetime Achievement
Honour. R K Somany is the first recipient of this honour.

teven Holl Architects recently celebrated the pre-opening of

the Sliced Porosity Block-CapitaLand Raffles City in Chengdu,
China, with a visit of the Prime Minister of Singapore. The project
is scheduled to be completed later this fall.
In the centre of Chengdu, at
the intersection of the first Ring
Road and Ren Ming Nam
Road, the Sliced Porosity Block
forms large public plazas with a
hybrid of different functions.
Creating a metropolitan public
space instead of object-icon
skyscrapers, this three million sq ft project takes its shape from its
distribution of natural light. The required minimum sunlight
exposures to the surrounding urban fabric prescribe precise
geometric angles that slice the exoskeletal concrete frame of the
structure. The building structure is in white concrete organised in
6ft high openings with earthquake diagonals as required, while
the sliced sections are glass.
For more information, visit: www.stevenholl.com

Conference

Trade News

he Indian Stainless
Steel Development
Association (ISSDA) in
association with FICCI
recently organised a
series of talks to
celebrate the 100
years of Stainless Steel.
The event held at New
Delhi, saw the
participation of prominent industry leaders from around the world. The talks
involved stainless steel experts including Thomas Pauly, managing director, Euro
Inox, Brussels, who provided the audience with insights into the application of
the material and its sustainable characteristics. Further, Dr Peter Cutler of the
Nickel Institute, offered a glimpse of the evolution of stainless steel over the
years and asserted about its role in architectural applications. Markus Moll,
managing director of Steel & Metals Market Research, Austria, presented his
suggestions regarding the profitability of adopting stainless steel as a building
material. N C Mathur, president, ISSDA, who presided the session, concluded
the proceedings by detailing the vision for the future. A special edition of
Architecture+Design was also released on the occasion which documented the
contemporary trends in Stainless Steel.
For more details, visit www.stainlessindia.org

24

N ovember 2012ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN

era Sanitaryware Ltd has launched

an array of elegant range of digital
wall and vitrified tiles in Kerala. It was
launched at CERA Style Studio in the
presence of a large number of
prominent people from trade industry,
including S C Kothari, Atul Sanghvi and
Abbey Rodrigues.

At the event, Vikram Somany,

chairman of CERA, said, It is but natural
that CERA has now ventured into tiles
for the quantum leap it is planning in
the coming years.

Updates

AK Ceramics & White Flag Publishing recently celebrated the

World Architecture Day 2012 for the first time at
Renaissance Hotel, Powai in Mumbai. Leading national and
international speakers from diverse fields shared their views on
various issues. It focussed on topics like urban design, public
squares, landscape architecture, public art and water fronts.
Premium delegates like architects, town planners, urban
designers, builders, government bodies, bureaucrats and
academicians graced the event.
For more details, log on: www.whiteflag.co.in

he Indian Council of Ceramic Tiles &

Sanitaryware (ICCTAS) recently
organised an interactive session where they
discussed the challenges faced by the
ceramic tile industry. Shreekant Somany,
Chairman, ICCTAS shared interesting facts
and figures of the Indian ceramic industry
and showed concern on the consumption of fuel. He said,
Ceramic industry is a fully energy driven industry which
require LPG, natural gas, furnace oil and producer gas. Lack of
natural gas availability forces tile industry to use alternate and
expensive sources of fuel which hazardous and carbon
intensive. It also causes escalation of input costs and impact
the survival of the manufacturers. Hence, it was decided
during the session that ICCTAS would appeal to the Ministry
of Petroleum & Natural Gas to include ceramic tiles sector in
priority sector under Natural Gas Utilisation Policy and
allocation of natural gas to ceramic manufacturing unit; and
effective implementation of swapping arrangement by all
concern entities for natural gas supply.

S based Pella Corporation has recently announced its

foray into the Indian market. The company has
collaborated with Abir Trademart Pvt Ltd to expand its
presence in the country. It is currently looking at all the
major metros across the country for the first phase of its
expansion. The company aims to garner 20 percent market
share of the
wooden windows
and doors industry,
with 10 percent
each coming from
company owned
outlets as well as
franchisee and
distribution
network.
The price point of Pella products will range from Rs 1.5
crore to Rs 2.5 crore, and an average 3000sq ft house will
range from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 42 lakh.
For more information, visit: www.pella.com

P recently unveiled the industrys first web-connected, entry-level printing solutions

for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) students and professionals,
making in-house, large-format printing accessible to more users.
In delivering large-format printing through the cloud from virtually anywhere, the new
HP Design jet T120 and T520 ePrinter series provide on-the-go professionals with simple
and affordable printing solutions. The compact 24-inch HP Designjet T120 ePrinter series
is ideal for students and freelancers, while the 24-and 36-inch HP Designjet T520 ePrinter
series is designed for small AEC teams in need of fast, professional printing.
HP also announced the second generation of its free web service for AEC professionals,
HP DesignjetePrint and Share, which makes it easy to access and print large-format documents using an iOS or Android tablet or
smartphone, a laptop or ePrinter touchscreen.
For more details, visit: www.hp.com/go/designjet

26

N ovember 2012ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN

Updates

FERIA HABITAT

he month of September 2012 was witness to the annual

international furniture event Feria Habitat at Valencia, Spain.
Top Spanish and European brand names along with participation
from across the world were part of this mega exhibition of furniture,
lighting, textiles, home dcor products, etc. Organised by ANIEME
(the Spanish national association of furniture manufacturers and
exporters), this fair saw over 55 national and international firms
exhibiting their products. The Designers Association of the Valencian
Community was an active participant in bringing around an
atmosphere of talking about energised design during the course of
the five-day event. This was achieved through a series of talks,
discussions and a conference on different aspects of design
development. The lead speakers were a mixed lot of professionals
from architecture, interior and industrial design, textile industry and
also the government bodies. The focus was also to debate on greater
opportunities between different countries to evolve newer venues for
trade and commerce in todays economic environs.
The highlighting feature of the exhibition was the large-scale
innovation and creative surges on display in the whole range of furniture whether it was contemporary or the classical style. The
exhibited furniture no doubt brought to the forefront the Spanish sensitivities for quality workmanship and detail. The lighting
fixtures section also reflected the same. Another section, which caught the eye was the pavilion dedicated to around 31 young
studios and design schools. The participants here under the forum nude had on display diverse and experimental design whether
it was for office or residential dcor. They added a very refreshing mood to the occasion with a practical and futuristic approach to
design. The president of ANIEME was upbeat about creating more business opportunities within and outside Spain for the
participating firms and designers. All in all, the fair generated some very constructive dialogue and business associations between
the industry and the consumers from all across.

28

N ovember 2012ARCHITECTURE+DESIGN