Home Review February 2012

vol 11 issue 2 february 2012 RS 75

SAMIRA RATHOD’S heterogeneous exploration

GREENSPEAK : REVATHI KAMATH THE DOOR SPECIALIST amsterdam : a design destination

ayaZ basrai uncovered

sPASM’STIMELESS PARADISE

RAJIV SAINI’SHOUSE BY THE GANGES

THECAMERA

HOUSE

HOME-REVIEW.COM

Home Review Full Page (218x268mm)

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8 Home Review February 2012 Home Review February 2012 9 8 Home Review February 2012 Home Review February 2012 9

Nash Paul - Graphic designer, avid traveller and ultimate frisbee champ gave Home Review its new make-over. We just love the design and hopefully our readers will too. Thanks Nash!

It has now been close to ten years since the first Home Review hit the stands. Keeping in-sync with the changes in the design world, we too were keen to have a new cutting-edge avatar. We wanted to be more insightful, dig a little deeper, surprise, engage and delight. With our sights fixed firmly on showcasing the best of design from India and elsewhere, we hope we have got it right!

We kick-off with Samira Rathod’s ‘Camera House’ on our cover. What makes this house so special is Samira’s ability to mix heterogeneous elements into a cohesive whole. Working with a premise of displacing and tweaking common notions of architecture, her efforts speak of a new design vocabulary; one that is unpretentious, playful and has an on-going conversation with the inhabitants of the home and its changing surroundings.

Rajiv Saini and Spasm Architects have both created picture-perfect sanctuaries that are enveloped by nature’s bounty. Rajiv Saini’s house on the banks of the Ganges uses exposed concrete, locally quarried stone and timber to lend a rustic feel to this heavenly getaway. His trademark contemporary-chic interiors intersect and flow into each other, creating a set of seamless spaces that are striking in their execution. On the other hand, Spasm Architect’s retreat on the outskirts of Pune combines ingenuity and imagination. This country home traps pockets of semi-open living spaces within its folds enhancing the experience of its open-to-nature concept.

Our new ‘Uncovered’ section takes an inside look at the design firm The Busride, while in the ‘Specialist’ we spotlight a hero of the Mumbai timber market. Do take a look at Amsterdam in our ‘Design Destination’ section as well as steal a peek into Ajay Shah’s studio in ‘Myspace’.

The new Home Review is filled with plenty of exciting design which I hope will keep our pages turning. And lastly, don’t forget to share your feedback - we can’t wait to hear what you think!

Anish Bajaj, [email protected]

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The Camera House Samira Rathod’s design exploration - reinventing ideas of architecture

The Orange Bicycle store in Bangalore is a nice blend of bonhomie and quirky

FEBRUARY

42

26

art form

Dystopia - Seo Young Deok’s unique collection of sculptures

36

GREEN PROJECTCeejo Cyriac roots a design concept within a natural and cultural context

GREEN SPEAKKAMATH DESIGN STUDIO 122

124Landscapes

PETITEFORESTS

126

SUSPENDED ANIMATION 134

141

Mancini Architects have sculpted a no-fuss residence along the Coromandel coast

SYMPHONY OF LINES

152

RidingOn TheQuirky 148

“I could be designing one thing today and something totally different tomorrow”

20AJAY SHAH

Small enclosed landscapes made with plants, crystals and glass

Get your hands on the latest products to hit the market

THE MARKETPLACE

The house of Ipês grabs your attention with its dramatic cantilevered forms


A motorcycle trip, one pillow to the next.

Wanderlust is an eclectic hotel where no two rooms look alike

A design excursion with Ayaz Basrai of The Busride

We follow the journey of Dutch designer Maarten Baas

A DESIGN DESTINATION

Spasm Design Architects’

FEBRUARY

By Arpit Agarwal79

Rajiv Saini takes inspira-tion from the unbridled energy of the GangesTIMELESS PARADISE

48

94

UNCOVERED

56

A RIVERSIDE RETREAT60

68

Dutch architect Koen van Velsenhas’ design therapy for the Groot Klimmendaal Rehabilitation Centre

REHAB REDEFINED

82

reporton the current status of the Mumbai Metro

90

Singapore Bling

AMSTERDAM

product

designer

103

108

100

THEDEMOLITION

MAN


Editor & Publisher Anish Bajaj

Creative Director Natalie Pedder-Bajaj

Features EditorMala Bajaj

Assistant EditorShweta Salvi

Sub EditorAhlam Rais

Contributing WritersChryselle D’Silva DiasDeepanjolie Sonya FiggDhanishta ShahGopal MSHimali KothariKruti ChoksiK Parvathy Menon

DesignersAsif ShayannawarKrishnakant Surve

Magazine Redesigned ByNash PaulShamika KhanolkarNirmesh Narware

Sonal SundararajanArchitect and AcademicianSonal Sundararajan completed her Bachelors of Architecture course from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture (KRVIA) and has an Masters of Architecture degree with a specialization in Urban Design from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. She is currently full-time faculty at the KRVIA since September 2007.

MS GopalPhotographer and WriterMS Gopal is a photographer who comes from a background in hotel management and advertising. His photo blogs - Mumbai Paused and Indian Road Romeo - capture little known images and stories of the city and the country. His pictures have been featured in various publications and he is also the recipient of the inaugural T.S. Satyan Memorial Award for Photojournalism.


Editorial & Marketing

MumbaiMr. Ganesh Gurav, Mr. Vivek Jadhav,Mr. Rakesh Kini (Digital),B-62, Cotton Exchange bldg., Cotton Green, Mumbai 400 033T 022 23736133/1, 32958501 F 022 23743069E [email protected]

DelhiMs Sumita PrakashFlat F 304, Rajasthan C.G.H.S. Ltd,Plot No. 36, Sector 4, Dwarka, New DelhiTel 09899179540, Email: [email protected]

ChennaiMr S. VenkataraamanFlat No. 2, 3rd Flr, E-Block, Hansa Garden, 30 Madampakkam MainRd, Rajakilpakkam, Chennai 600 073Tel 044 22281180 / 09444021128 Email: [email protected]

KolkataMr Subrata Mazumder2, Nabapalli (Bidhanpalli). Kolkata 700084Tel 033 2410 4296 Mob 9831131395 Telefax 033 2410 7605Email: [email protected]

Publishing Director Mr. R.I. BajajDistributed in India by India Book House Pvt. Ltd. 412, Tulsiani Chambers, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

This issue has a total of 158 pages comprising of a 4 page cover plus 154 inside pages.

We welcome unsolicited material but do not take responsibility for the same. Letters are welcome but subject to editing. All rights reserved. Nothing may beprinted in whole or part without written permission of the publisher. The editors do their best to verify the information published but do not take responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information. All objections, disputes, differences, claims and proceedings are subject to Mumbai Jurisdiction.

Editor Mr. Anish Bajaj. Published and Printed by Mr. Anish Bajaj on behalf of the owner Marvel Infomedia Pvt. Ltd, B-62, Cotton Exchange bldg., Cotton Green, Mumbai 400 033

Ayaz Basrai‘Uncovered’. Page 56Ayaz Basrai setup The Busride, as an independent design studio specializing in the design and creation of built environments, ranging from hospitality and entertainment venues to film and production environments; from exhibitions and temporary installations to institutional and architectural environments.Its team of architects, interiors and industrial designers, pride themselves in looking for solutions ranging from the macro to the micro.

Samira RathodThe Camera House. Page 26.Having begun with a small farm house, and an avant garde portfolio of furniture, SRDA is presently commissioned with architectural and interior design projects across the country. Samira enjoys a reputation of being a person who investigates design with a passion. She treats every project with fervour for exploration and innovation in idea, and tests for relevance to physical and social contexts.

Sanjeev Panjabi and Sangeeta Merchant Timeless Paradise. Page 48.Principals of Spasm Design Architects, the duo believe two station points in an architectural perspective render greater depth to an image. Over the last fifteen years and through endless hours they have used each other as station points of revelation; evolving and developing their particular expression to specific conditions. Their practice is now 13 people strong and is busy with the construction and design of several residential, commercial and mixed use projects in India and Tanzania.

emails + feedback

Design Junkie

Your January Issue was delightful; I particularly liked the project Overlapping Vistas executed by Vastu Consultants. The two artists Alex Davis and Susan Stockwell’s work was not only interesting but also very thought provoking. From the international projects, I really enjoyed Yoo Miami and Daniel Libeskind. I am a total architectural junkie, so just can’t do without my monthly fix which gives me all the design news I need!

Theresa D’LimaGoa

Impressed With What I See

I have seen that we in India are spoilt for choice where architecture design magazines are concerned. I feel that Home Review manages to outshine a lot of the others. I like the serious and varied content of your magazine. In your January issue your mix of national and international projects were real eye openers. Miami Yoo, Meat Liquor, Overlapping Vistas and Daniel Libeskind were some that left me impressed.

Sureema AhmedMumbai

Home Review To The Rescue

My husband and I entrusted our brand new flat to an interior designer but unfortunately our association with him didn’t last long. Stuck with an unfinished home I decided to take the help of Home Review. Yes, I have this growing stack of your magazines and using my sensibilities and of course tips gathered from the issues we have managed to complete our house. A big thank-you to you! By the way, I liked the project by Hiren Patel Architects a lot that you carried in your January Issue.

Nidhi SharmaNew Delhi

Brand new just for you! Let us know what you love and hate about the new Home Review. Mail us at [email protected]

14 Home Review February 2012 Home Review February 2012 15


E V E N T SPAST & FUTURE


5 FEBDutch Design Workspace India

2 TO 10 MARIndian Design Forum, New Delhi 2012

IDF is a nine-day celebration of India’s distinctive design language and the ways in which we continue to converse with the international design world.

Created by the Coimbatore Centre for Contemporary Art, IDF brings the stars of the global design world together. This inaugural event starts with Design Week (2-8 March), which features movie screenings, exhibitions and workshops in and around New Delhi. The trail ends with Design Forum (9-10 March) - two days of intense talks by design virtuosos at the Le Méridien, New Delhi.

Moving from a rich legacy through a thriving present day scene to a promising future, experts and key players will examine how design informs our world and changes our every day lives. Speakers like Bijoy Jain, Christian Louboutin, Jitish Kalat, Karim Rashid, Manish Arora, Michael Foley and Tom Dixon will discuss the role that India will play amongst other things.

A special panel will also judge three winners to have their designs shown at the IDF and get an opportunity to attend the two-day forum in the ‘Show your Design’ competition this year. For more details log onto

www.indiadesignforum.com

4 TO 12 FEBKala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is where one can experience a kaleidoscope of music, dance, theatre, literature, street stalls, films, workshops, visual arts and heritage walks. This year literature workshops, book launches and poetry sessions will see authors from the literary fraternity like Kiran Nagarkar, Deepti Naval, Bachi Karkaria, Naresh Fernandes, Arundatti Subramaniam, Loveleen Misra, Pritish Nandy etc, partake in the discussions. For cinema aficionados there will be an

companies wanting to establish themselves in India, and the first point of contact for Indian designers and organizations that want to connect with design, fashion and architecture from The Netherlands. The Workspace is located in the creative hotspot of Parel in Mumbai and officially opened on the 5th February 2012.

Workstations form part of a fully equipped shared office space and can be rented for short and long term use. Designers can plug in to work, and make use of communal facilities like the meeting room, reception and a cross-cultural library about Dutch and Indian design. The cross-disciplinary programme will facilitate a working environment where designers from different fields can interact and learn from each other.

The multi-functional space will also be used for hosting events such as lectures, exhibitions, presentations, workshop sessions, launches and design debates by professional designers, design companies and educational organizations. For more information about the Dutch Design Workspace MumbaiIndia, please

[email protected].

The Dutch Design Workspace India is a home base for Dutch designers and design

10 TO 12 FEBRGB at NID, Ahmedabad

This February, the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad will be host to one of the most prestigious design festivals in the country - RGB 2012. Events include The Mela, which brings together students from similar fields of

unforgettable selection of films retro, world, popular Bollywood, regional to documentaries, while theatre buffs can choose from 26 plays in Hindi, English, Hinglish and Marathi!The theme for the visual arts section ‘Let there

be Light’ will provide a platform for young creative people to display their artworks, while music lovers can groove on the Asiatic Steps and Cross Maidan to the soulful voices of many a leading artist from classical to Bollywood.

Not to be missed is the interaction with leading chefs like Rahul Akerkar of Indigo, Alex Sanchez of The Table and Pooja Dhingra of Le 15 Patisserie country. One of the main highlights this year is the Heritage Bus Tour of South Mumbai’s landmarks or you can join your kids for a specially organized Treasure Hunt.

www.kalaghodaassociation.com





18 Home Review February 2012 Home Review February 2012 PB

UnBox strives to build skills, create solutions and in-depth discussions with the help of experts in fields as varied as sustainability, reform, architecture, design and food.

www.unboxfestival.com

design specialization to showcase their work alongside their fellow creatives from design schools all over India.

The Competition, gives young designers the opportunity to crack a super-challenging brief through multi-disciplinary design approaches, where participants will have an exclusive display during the festival at the end of which a winner will be chosen by industry panellists. The Big Stage, on the other hand gives every student a unique chance to be able to present and talk about his or her most outstanding piece of work before an audience of design students as well and professionals.

In addition to these three major events, there will a number of informal workshops, activities and games ranging from watercolour and origami tutorials to music jam sessions and just plain mindless fun!

www.nid.edu

2 TO 5 FEBThe UnBox Festival, New Delhi

UnBox celebrates interdisciplinary processes and experiences that shape contemporary thought and action. It is an amalgamation of different events - conferences, workshops, exhibitions and performances, all designed in sync with one another, to stimulate thought, debate and action.The UnBox Conference brought together

planning failed.” Her project takes into account the demands of a city, coming up with an ecological concept where existing communities are respected and addressed.

www.holcimfoundation.org

leading voices from varied domains catalyzing inspiration, debate and reflection. Experts from around the globe like Richard Van Der Laken and Pepijn Zurburg of Designpolitie and Venki Padmanabhan, CEO, Royal Enfield were just some of the speakers who discussed and presented material to inspire and provoke participants to re-imagine their own work and explore new practices.

The UnBox Workshops are an opportunity for participants to dive into more specific areas of interest, like the Street Art Techniques For Sanitation Promotion or Food Memory, where Dutch eating designer Marije Vogelzang worked with participants to explore the relationship between personal memories and associations with food.

25 JANHolcim Awards

The Swiss-based Holcim Foundation conducts the Holcim Awards competition to promote sustainable construction. More than 6,000 submissions from 146 countries entered the third cycle.

Mishkat Irfan Ahmed, a research scholar from the University of California, Berkeley in the United States won second prize in the Next Generation category for her approach to town planning that introduces focus and context-sensitivity into large scale urban planning for the revitalization and urban development of Navi Mumbai.

The jury commended her entry as being “a showcase of a conceptual framework for city expansion, applicable where classic urban

20 TO 24 JANMaison and Objet, Paris

Organized on the 20 - 24 of January at Villepinte, Maison and Objet captured the latest trends like never before. It was all bout design from The Spirit of Luxury to the unveiling of Crazy, 3 spaces staged by Elizabeth Leriche, Vincent Grégoire and François Bernard - quirky, festive creativity turned into whimsy and humor. Talents à La Carte saw a new generation of stores, mixing design with cutting edge methods, while lectures ranged from Sports Design to Sensual Cities!

One of the most talented Japanese designers, Tokujin transformed the invisible into the visible while subtly manipulating the design process, through glimpses of his projects.

The fair was indeed a great success where design took centre stage and talent was at the helm.

www.maison-objet.com

PB Home Review February 2012 Home Review February 2012 19


Creativity has no boundaries...and at Ajay Shah Design Studio (ASDS) it has no walls either. Steel grey floor to ceiling length curtains separate and merge spaces. Gleaming LEGO green and yellow chairs and tables lie scattered across the predominantly monochromatic studio. They are designer Ajay Shah’s own creations. “Designing furniture is what I love to do best...my kind of furniture. Not the chop-a-little-wood-here-saw-a-little-there carpenter kind”, he says as we step through one of the curtains into his office. Ajay has completed over twenty years in the profession but his newbie-like passion for design is unmistakable.

I caught up with Ajay Shah for a chat on his design philosophy and what drives the creative juices.

Interview by Himali Kothari


What is the one thing that you like most about being a designer?

For me, the best thing about being a designer is that I can work on a variety of subjects.

I love the fact that I can apply design thinking to various scenarios and scales, be it a 4 or 5 lakh square feet mall or a pen. I love the challenge. Of course sometimes it can really also get to you!

Did you get formal education in design?

Yes and no. I studied furniture design at NID but the rest of it just happened by default. I started my first design company 4 years after graduating and took on every project that I was approached for from designing fans to touch-screen kiosks. We never said no…we still don’t. We have stumbled into various different design spheres because somebody found something we had designed interesting and approached us.

I could be designing one thing today and

something totally different tomorrow

my space


Our internal perspective as a

team is to be ableto tickle ourselves.

What projects are you currently working on?

Our largest thrill currently is our in-house stationery brand, Rubberband. We are focusing on expanding its scope by developing a range of pens, folders, document holders, etc.

We are also designing a mall which we are hoping will provide a completely unique experience to the visitor. We are trying to create the DNA of the brand, define it like a person and then transfer the attributes into the design, interiors, graphics, signage, etc. The goal is to impress our belief that architecture is not just about the buildings, it runs much deeper.

Whose designs do you admire?

Vitra, a German furniture design company. All my favourite designers design for Vitra. It has a fabulous campus at the German-Swiss border where each building is designed by a different architect.

Any driving principle on design?

The end result should always be profit for the client. I am not an artist and for me, designing is not about self-expression. If the design does not drive the profitability of the space or product then it is lacking.

Design is not about structures and materials, it is about ideas and the ideas that excite us are those that are most ticklish!


Do you have to generally work around the client’s wishes or are you able to mould the client as per your design sensibilities?

It works both ways. Sometimes the client trusts us to match their vision with our design sensibilities. At times, it has also been that client interactions have pushed us to stretch the boundaries and achieve a final product far better than what he had imagined it to be.

Of the various domains that you design in, which one is your favourite?

Furniture. Our furniture is modern, unique. You could say that we take an almost industrial design approach to furniture; it requires a real sense of precision. Sheet metal folded into chairs, fibre glass moulded and cast into tables and benches...lively colours. It has not been easy to market our vision of contemporary furniture as India is only now changing its perception of modern furniture. But we have plans for our furniture line in the near future.

What would you like to change about the city you live in?

So much! The list is endless! I strongly feel that everyone is focussing too much on the larger changes. Why not assign a small stretch of land, say a road from point A to point B, and let somebody re-organise it?

Design needs to become an integral

part of the education process from very early

on to develop more evolved aesthetics.

[email protected]




CAMERA HOUSE

THE


Samira Rathod’s camera-house is an exploration in design reinventing for itself ideas of what architecture can be, from its elements, language and assumptions of appropriateness.

You take the ferry across the mass of water with its floating metal architecture of ships and yachts to reach there. It seems like a strange mixture - a collage of fragments of city /village /town. The padas and wadis in the peripheries of the old town are dotted with farmhouses and weekend homes, intermingled with resorts towards the beaches that are the retreats for inhabitants of the city just across the water. The houses designed by Samira Rathod sit within this landscape, negotiating with these overlapping and intersecting geographies. One of these houses, the camera-house, stands in an anonymous flat landscape that eludes the desire for the picturesque. Here, trees and fields create an amorphous borderless expanse with hills rising in the distance. The house itself is a low sprawl of rooms and corridors that allows it to disperse amongst the general scattering of trees and wild grass.

Text By Sonal SundararajanPhotographs Courtesy SRDA


The house is made up of two volumes of living spaces connected by a bridge. It sits in a rough landscape with a few trees. As you enter the home, you are led by a long path flanked by a concrete block wall on one side, into a space that is at the intersection of the living spaces. This is a provisional verandah-like space that overlooks the pool. From the verandah space you perceive multiple scales - a stair rises from it, the bridge cuts through it, the study-box overlooks into it, and tall steel columns prop up its roof while the space opens out to the expanse of pool and land. To the right of this space, the living room opens out. The living room is an open box, one side held by a huge wall that is assembled out of lens-like openings that read simultaneously as camera lenses, portholes and pipes.


The house on the ground floor can be completely opened to the outside with low plinths that seem continuous with the ground. Windows outline views that reveal the textures and frame views of the landscape.

The main bedrooms of the house are elevated on the upper levels to let the space at the ground become continuous with the landscape. These are connected to each other by light bridges, suspended between the trees. The bridge that connects the two volumes intensifies the feeling of suspension and airiness with its light railings and floors, and a roof that hangs precariously. The bedroom on one side is a scaled up bunk bed that is accessed by a long walk across the bridge. The guest bedroom is tucked away underneath it. As the rooms are lifted and moved apart spaces emerge in between and under the rooms.


MATERIALS.

The house is not a tight organization or unit but a playful collision. It is an assemblage of heterogeneousexperiences

forms,spaces

and


It makes references to the form of the camera - dismantled, tweaked and reassembled to become camera/house. The play of meaning continues into the materials used. These come together with their own logic, as you read bison board, wood, and steel mesh - each carrying its own association, while becoming window, railing and structure. Elements such as walls scaled up, exaggerated and dislocated, become actors setting up the drama of the house, where everyday acts of inhabitation become performance, poetry and play. The spaces, materials and elements of architecture are audaciously displaced, tweaked and inverted where the notions of the architectural object, building type and vocabulary are completely dismantled, reassembled and made anew.


As a weekend house or an idea of alternate lives outside the city, the house becomes a pavilion. It is a collection of spatial experiences, elevating everyday acts of living into sensorial pleasures. It is an encounter - between the body and materials, architectural elements, the outside and inside, spaces and forms. Each part is separate and spliced together and the vagaries of weather are allowed to transform spaces and materials as they weather, rust, erode - or are overgrown. The house itself becomes somehow a wild place that allows for the rough, the surprising, the mixed and the contrary.

These peripheries of Mumbai stand in a strange inversion of their mainland geographies as islands of alternate living or utopia for inhabitants of the city. Here, farmhouses, weekend homes and resorts stand in simulacra of the vernacular among the rural landscape. Most of these houses seem crystalline and perfect - embodying the fantasy of alternate lives for the inhabitants of Mumbai.


Samira’s houses instead are unabashedly themselves: setting an urbane eye upon, and striking up conversations and frictions with the amorphous rough landscape. They create their own architectural language in these negotiations for pleasure and sensorial experience that overturn conventional and notions of the home, of appropriate material, of comfort and of design.

[email protected]





art form

Interview By Mala BajajPhotographs Courtesy the Artist

Seo Young Deok of Korea has a profound apprehension; he fears for the well-being of generation next. Using his unique and distinctive style he addresses them in ‘Dystopia’- a collection of sculptures.

Questioning Sensibilities


Art is often referred to as a product or process of deliberately arranging items with symbolic significance in a way that it influences one or more of your senses.

Seo Young Deok an artist from Seoul, South Korea and a part of the Department of Environmental Sculpture there, tries to put a face on the anxieties of the modern human being - especially the younger generation. With his work he brings to the fore a strong sociological meaning that references the fragmented world we live in - a world which is strife with huge problems and self made pitfalls.

Why the name Dystopia?Dystopia means a gloomy future, a society characterised by human misery. With the help of my art I have tried to deal with the pain and solitude of humans. I present a look into our future, which seems to be full of infection and addiction and requiring an enduring all by ourselves. I have tried to involve humans struggling with Dystopia in this part of my body of work.

The human form in various poses, sometimes only parts of it, showing how we carry on in life yet being only partially there.


The human head in a reflective state. The artist urges us to introspect - that being the only cure according to him.


A face half eaten away; a depiction of the human being consumed with several worries, diseases and mind boggling occupations.

Fragmented forms reference the several infections contained within the human body which continue to fester on it imperceptibly.


Why have you used welded metal chain links in your sculptures? I prefer to use an object which can be connected to each other. In that sense, chains when connected cannot be used if any one part of them is broken. I see our life as if in chains. There is a commonality here. Have you seen rusty chains? It is similar to an infection in the body, spreading speedily to all other parts just like rust.

What made you choose the human form?A human form, as always, makes us think about ourselves. I wanted to engage people with my work and then initiate a thinking process within them.

Why is the form broken and fragmented?Because the subject of my work talks about human maladies such as infection and addiction. I have crafted my sculptures to look torn, broken, festered and not normal. My works are static yet beautiful. This is a paradox seen in humans as well….they are unaware of their infections and continue to look good on the outside whilst containing several infections on the inside.

[email protected]



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TIMELESS PARADISE

Text By Deepanjolie Sonya FiggPhotographs Sebastian Zachariah Courtesy The Architect

Ultra-luxe, modern and mysterious, the Khadakwasla House owes a significant part of its expansive feel to a generous site area and the rest to Spasm Design Architects’ unique work approach: of creating homes in harmony with nature and human desires.

Intended as the main residence for their businessman client, the brief given to the SPASM (Sanjeev Panjabi and Sangeeta Merchant) team for Khadakwasla House was simple: ‘design a luxurious single-storey residence and its immediate landscape for a family of four.’

The architects chose to restrict the total built up area to 820 sq.m.; a move that gave them plenty of a lush, green, open space to play around with.

The result? A truly dynamic, timeless paradise ambience that they managed to capture, claim and innovate on, for granting a Shangri-La like feel to Khadakwasla House!

A high volume glass box, which serves as the living room, sits on a lap pool reflecting itself in the afterthought of an evening.


A reference to man-made interior spaces and naturally bountiful exterior spaces and a directness of view: essentials for SPASM Architects, captured in the front elevation of Khadakwasla House.


However, while James Hilton portrayed the original Shangri-La (in his book, ‘Lost Horizons’) as a fictional, mystical and harmonious valley closed on its western end by the Kunlun Mountains, Khadakwasla House, located in Pune, proves to be its Indian and very real counterpart - and just as fascinating!

Sitting pretty on the leeward side of the Western Ghats and bearing the commonality of seeking the same purpose - that of functioning as a permanently happy land for its residents, the elusive quality of the house is further heightened by the dense forest embracing it.

The generative conception of the house, a budget of 3 crores and the rationale of “stringing the rooms” to reflect the mysterious woods amplifies “the idea of trapping a Shangri-La like court against the infinite, by virtue of placing the different elements of the program,” explains the design team.

The courtyard feature allows residents to experience the natural green boundaries around them in an unhindered manner, the outdoor connect is constant, even from inside the house. Thoughtful segregation of private spaces and service zones, which were visualised as solid-white, plastered cuboids are spread in a rough U-configuration. A timber latticed verandah conceived as a semi-open transitional space connects these two solid enclosed masses. “This organisational pattern frames a high volume glass-box as a living room poised over the surrounding swimming pool,” clarify the architects.

Thus, the inspiration for the structure and setting of Khadakwasla House arises from the design philosophy of the principal architects – that of creating spaces for human occupation and use. Or, as they like to put it: “The spaces we create are always arrived at from the experience of occupying!”

Their words mark their work approach. Therefore, they set about creating a verandah with timber lattice elements, a feature that enabled its backdrop to negotiate the enclosures and the central courtyard, which in turn serve as a transitional space filled with dappled shade, promoting a lifestyle intimately connected with the outdoors.

The waters of the lap pool flanking the living room space hold a spitting image of it and pass on some of its cool serenity.


The living room is a counterpoint in the house. Its tall glass-box structure, designed to throb with the flickering of the fireplace on cold evenings, frames the changing hues of the sky at sunset.

Keeping in mind the essentials of reinventing a timeless personal paradise without losing sight of the happiness horizon, the design team combined ingenuity with imagination and came up with a touch of the spectacular for this beautiful country home encased in steel and RCC. They provided it a Kadappa stone finish to ensure loyalty to vernacular and rustic materials, a cantilevered entrance canopy to guarantee visual connect between the house and the back-lawn and latticed timber pergolas to radiate the regenerative spirit of blissful sunshine from the inside out!

Other chief design highlights of this open-to-nature house are its entrance door (a custom made pivoted composite framework with M.S. framing and cladding of patterned timber slats on both sides) and a gradually ascending stair fabricated out of individual pre-cast concrete treads that allow for a sauntering diagonal to the roof of the house with a view of the nearby reservoir.

However, the aspects best reflecting the soul of this perfect countryside Eden are its pockets of living spaces (the in-between regions). These are partly roofed and screened in wooden lattice, but permit occasional strips of natural light to tiptoe through the framework of the house and enhance the tropical experience of feeling light breezes and variances in temperature while barring the entry of truant raindrops.

Concrete, Kadappa stone and steel - hardy elements that vie with timber lattice and lush green plants in the stairs leading to the roof.


The cantilevered entrance canopy visually cuts through the house and continues the connection to the lawn behind.


Not quite over the rainbow, but with its own pot of golden sunshine captured in a unique glass-box community space, the Khadakwasla House exemplifies all that’s needed to live a happy fulfilled life: luxurious simplicity!


[email protected]



It was a rainy morning in Mumbai, when I was led into the studio cum office of ‘The Bus Ride’, owned by Ayaz Basrai. I would not have really figured out my way within the mesmerising lanes of Ranwar Vilage, Bandra in Mumbai where the studio stands. Little houses exuding an old-world charm lined the pretty narrow streets. One could be forgiven for mistaking it for a tiny European village.

The Bus Ride is an unusual name. “We thought of this name since we envisioned it as a mobile studio in the future” says Basrai. The location of the group’s office in a village in Bandra is even more unusal. But, we are talking about a group of creative minded individuals who do things differently. Ayaz Basrai, Zameer Basrai, Ipsit Patel, Farzin Adenwalla and Maulik Jepiwala form this group. They have their hands full with a diverse set of creative activities related to design.

We start talking about issues closest to the office. The Ranwar Village, for instance has been a passion with Basrai. “It is heartbreaking to observe how insensitive building activities have eroded subtle customs in this village” he says. His association with the Ranwar restoration project started when the studio was commissioned a project on the same by Vivek Sheth, an NID student.

What are they aiming at? “We want to create a sustainable pro-development conservation plan” he says. This probably sums up his feelings about the entire conservation versus development debate. They have formed an organized map-plan and systematic photo documentation of the village. This captures the village in the present and acts as a time capsule that will offer the past to the future.


They are striving to create awareness of what is being lost in Ranwar. “It was a paddy farmers’ village. Now, it is a haven for developers. But, people do not realise that it is integral to the identity of Bandra. Most don’t see it vanishing. The intimate interactions with the neighbours, the beautiful architecture, the little spaces between houses where children play and adults chat, the entire way of life here is something worth fighting for. It is something very intangible that is being lost” says Basrai.

They have established a blog to create awareness about the issue. On the cards is a street exhibition within the village boundaries itself. “This will raise awareness and also increase resident pride. We have spoken to residents who have moved out of Ranwar and they tell us what they miss!” states Basrai.

Basrai is cautious that the concern for Ranwar does not border on nostalgia. He is trying to promote the idea that redevelopment needs to be given serious thought. Mere replacement of an old building by a new structure is not done! “The cosmetic approach to conservation is just one aspect. It is the lifestyle which is intricately woven around the structures that needs to be preserved” he believes.

With the efforts they are making, they may soon come out with what defines the Ranwar style of building. These new resources for builders would take into account conservation in a true sense - that of the structures and that of the culture of lives.

By Dhanishta Shah

Ranwar Photos By Vivek ShethShroom Photos By Tanuj AhujaDirty Old Man By Ayaz Basrai


We now move on to talking about another very different project Ayaz Basrai is working on. “Most of our work is centred on designing restaurants and pubs. But, the Smoke House Room is in a different league altogether” he says. A little introduction to the concept and one can see why Basrai calls it very ambitious. “This will be a very new gourmet experience in Dehli. The ‘Shroom’, as we call it, will break preconceptions associated with food and tasting. Here we will have scientifical skill oriented cooking. The menu will change regularly. The chef will be like a performing artist. People will feel as if they are in a food lab!” explains Basrai.

When a place is expected to offer such an experience, this philosophy has to echo in the design of the space as well. The interiors are fluid and organic; they are psychedelically inspired and kind of edgy. It is a place that will get people into a mood suited for eccentricity; it is attached to a cocktail bar and night club. The 18,000 sq feet area will have the thread of experimentation running right through it be it in activities or the décor.


As our conversation draws to a close, I wonder at how his studio influences him. “There is definitely a sense of kinship here in Ranwar. We come to the space and feel relaxed. We wouldn’t trade this place for anything! Our studio reflects our personalities. It is a place with a soul”.

Probably that is what his underlying design philosophy portrays - spaces with soul. As I leave Ranwar village, I try and imbibe a little bit of its flavour. I see a quaint old house next to The Bus Ride studio with a notice “This Property is not for sale”. I smile. Maybe the awareness has begun.

“He is me” says Basrai. This project is probably his most personal. Basrai has thousands of sketches depicting a man (himself visualised thirty years into the future). His love for illustration and a desire to create a body of work where he can constantly improvise and add on are the binding factors of this project. “How often in our careers do we get a chance to reinvent the same project? This is my way of doing so” he explains. Basrai is on his way to making the dirty old man a brand. He has a blog where he has uploaded some of his sketches. The old man would be a social commentator and very soon Basrai hopes to come out with stationary and other expressions of this idea. This is a graffiti project which remains close to his heart since it offers scope to think in a different mindscape and challenge his creativity.

[email protected] www.jointhebusride.com

Text By Himali KothariPhotographs Sebastian Zachariah Courtesy The Architect

Rajiv Saini & Associates take inspiration from the unbridled energy of the Ganges for a house they have designed on the banks of the holy river.

A RIVERSIDE RETREAT


Independent volumes of concrete define groupings of rooms, united by the magnificent view of the river.


You hear the river much before you catch even a glimpse of its rushing waters. It swooshes and gurgles and then swooshes some more, teasing the approaching visitor, setting the appropriate mood for the grand vista that awaits him. The river, the forest reserve beyond and the purple-blue silhouettes of the mountain ranges in the distance form the backdrop of the House at the Ganges; an idyllic setting that appears unlikely to be tampered by the hands of development.

“This project had been discussed with the clients often over the years as we worked on other projects for them, and during this time I had developed in my head some idea of how I would design this house. But my first visit to the site set me off on a design route completely different from what I had visualised initially”, says Rajiv Saini, chief designer of Rajiv Saini & Associates.

During his visit Rajiv found that the bank of the Ganges was more than just a backdrop to the site of the house. The spouting waters of the great river emanated a raw energy that followed the architect through his visit and all the way to his drawing board. “I realised that the form of the house had to borrow from this energy and be a reflection of the same.”


The bed in the master bedroom is oriented to make the most of the river view.


Nakashima timber tables accompany the linen sofas and chairs; these are grouped around a bespoke carpet.


An 8 ft high partition separates the dressing area from the bathroom in the guest suite.

The house conceals the view of the river from the visitor and as one walks through the passageway between two 12-foot parallel stone walls, the suspense mounts. It is only on opening the doors of the house that the magnificent view is unravelled. The planning has ensured that all the rooms of the house enjoy a slice of the natural landscape; ceiling to floor glass windows award an obstruction-free viewing of the panorama. Thus one entire façade of the house is almost all glass.

“It was not possible to provide the inner circulation areas of the house with an access to the view of the river,” says Rajiv. Artificial courtyards have been created around these spaces which are separated from the house spaces by glass panes to create the inside-outside feel. Skylights have also been provided in some areas of the house to pull in natural light and offer an al fresco experience.

“The house is spread over 6,500 square feet and one important element of the client’s brief was that the entire house not be treated as one mass but rather each room should be conceptualised as an independent entity”, shares Rajiv. The challenge for the team was to respect the client’s brief but at the same time also ensure that the spaces are all seamlessly linked to each other. This was achieved by letting an element or two of one space, like bits of glass or the curve of a wall, intersect the adjoining space. The use of exposed concrete, locally quarried stone and timber lends a rustic feel to the structure which works well with the location of the house. Customised teak furniture and cotton and linen furnishings enhance the rustic ambience.

The painted brick wall of the guest room contrasts against the teak paneling of wardrobe shutters


Timber fins enclose an intimate elliptical dining area, furnished in Hans Wagner’s wish bone chairs.

Speaking of his favourites in the house, Rajiv says that the rooms facing the river endear themselves to any visitor for the obvious reasons. “But, if I was to put the view aside for a minute and speak strictly architecturally, the dining-living room is one of my favourite spaces in the house because of the courtyard around it which creates an interesting interaction between the outside and the inside.” He adds, “I also like the passageway that leads to the guest rooms; it affords a view of the open courtyard without compromising on the privacy factor.”

Often when the setting is picture-perfect, design succumbs to the pressures of competition as it tries to one-up its surroundings, resulting in a structure that taints its environs instead of enhancing it. The house at the Ganges manages to create a harmonious union with its backdrop complementing and accentuating each other’s beauty and charm.

The shower in the master bath leads onto an outdoor court also appointed with a shower.


[email protected] www.rajivsaini.com



During the colonial days, a style battle raged between Bombay and Calcutta. Between the Gothic style that reigned in Bombay versus the Classical style of the then British Indian capital, Calcutta. It no longer matters who won the battle, but the prize can be yours, if you know where to bag them. At Mumbai’s demolition man Girishrai Prajapati’s little shop.

Girishbhai, as he is known, has a favourite number: 007. He also loves to say: Ever Say, Ever Again. That’s because if you want a special door, window or anything related to wood and cast iron, in a particular style and of the best material, he will never say no.


THEDEMOLITION

MANTEXT & PHOTOS BY GOPAL MS


For 104 years, and three generations, the small establishment he heads called Om Sri Timbers, inside the cramped Mohmadi Old Timber Market No.2 on Grant Road, has been a government approved demolishing house. Girishbhai salvages the best surviving wood and prepares them for a new lease of life. Exotic Burma teak, Rosewoods and other seasoned wood from the era of great buildings get a fresh start here for buildings of the future.


Next to his small cabin, deep inside his shop are a few doors made of Burma teak that best explains what he does. The doors were originally used in a bungalow owned by Hariram Mundhra that stood for 130 years opposite Varsha, the official residence of the Maharashtra Chief Minister. When it was demolished in 1978, these Burma teak doors were salvaged and sold to be used in a film studio owned by Shakti Samanth. For various reasons, 5-6 of the doors and frames were left unused. Last year, the unused doors made their way to the market. However, everyone in the market knew that only one person would pick it up - Girishbhai. And that’s exactly what he did. Today, you could be the one to pick it up and use it in your next project.

That is, if India’s best architects and interior decorators haven’t already bagged it for one of their projects. Demolition man Girishbhai claims that he never has to go around selling his prize collection that is worth its weight in gold. The best in the business know him personally and handpick what suits their projects best.

The homes he has decorated reads like the who’s who list of India. From Vijay Mallya to Aishwarya Rai; and in exotic homes and bungalows from Alibaug to Nainital. His client list is the best of Indian design. Names roll fast off his lips. Kersi Kapadia, Varsha Desai, Neeti Merchant, Nupur Doshi, Vikram Grewal, Alpana Khare, Pradeep Sachdeva, Arvind D’souza, Dean D’cruz and many more, faster and more than what I can write down.


The Demolition ManGirish Prajapati12, Anand ChowkGrant Road,Mumbai [email protected]+91 9324560007

Pointing towards Gothic windows and Portuguese stained glass in his shop, Girishbhai informs that Mumbai still has enough buildings being demolished to provide high quality wood for another 15 years, at least. After that, the story of wood is only going to get more interesting. The quality of wood and designs they offer will make them even more valuable, he says.

Girishbhai then shows me his cabin made entirely of wood. They are all railway sleepers he says. He was among the pioneers who recognised the strength of the ‘Saakhu’ wood that can weather difficult condition for decades.

Then he introduces me to Aishwarya, Sushmita and Priyanka. Three cast iron beauties for those who have an eye for exotic windows. The names are all given by him. It’s not just exotic doors, windows, stair rails, wooden floors that he can introduce you to, he even salvages age old roof tiles, flooring tiles and in case you want it, a particular kind of soil, if you so desire!

He also feels that he deserves a medal from the President for recycling the past. Nothing goes waste when he is around; it only gets more beautiful and blessed with a longer life. Imagine how much it would cost if you were to make all this from fresh materials?

For us, Mumbai’s demolition man is a treasure trove of creative ideas, waiting to be tapped. The big names in the industry have him on speed dial; do add him to your list too!


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DESIGNQUEST

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The desire to go places is ‘a dream come true’ for most people, chiefly for a young boy from an unknown little city. Getting the right support from your near and dear ones is essential to cross the hurdles of life. My story is on comparable lines. Being from a family that is primarily in business, I had the financial support to make a trip from Dibrugarh (Assam) to Delhi for my higher studies after my matriculate exams.

During my high school studies in Delhi, I attended commercial art classes with a bunch of exceptionally talented people. Here I realized that my inclination towards ‘creating’ could lead to a professional career in a similar field. This led me to take up fashion design for my undergraduate studies. Though I was not in one of the city’s best colleges, nevertheless, it was a good learning experience for me. It gave me a better perspective about life and the field of creative studies, and helped me build my confidence to go ahead and apply for further studies.


The Mecca of design studies in India, the National Institute of Design (NID) was a dream come true for me. The Post Graduate Diploma Course in Lifestyle Accessory Design at NID gave me a wonderful opportunity to build myself into a designer. The curriculum of basic skill courses, material exploration, trends research, craft projects, a variety of workshops with well established design professionals, design projects dealing with people, space and system were very educative.

Needless to say there is learning at every stage of life, the urge to know more is my core strength. My biggest learning at NID has been to ‘empathize’; being able to connect with someone emotionally is the key to good creation.

After NID and a few freelance projects, it was a pure coincidence that I started assisting Rebecca Reubens with her book on bamboo for the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR). Rebecca is a designer who works in the areas of bamboo and sustainability through her design firm called Rhizome based in Ahmedabad. During the course of the book, the study, research and immense possibilities with the material helped me develop an inclination towards Bamboo.

I was curious to do hands-on work using it as raw material. Ironically, even though I was born and brought up in the North East, I had never handled or worked with bamboo before this.

I believe that as designers we should realize that the call of the hour is to be able to retain the quality and essence of craft, and to make products using the diverse skills of craftsmen. Most crafts people work with a certain mind-set and use techniques which have been in existence for generations. They are terrifically skilled and have their own sense of aesthetics. However, their reluctance to change or diverge makes things difficult for them; I got an affirmation of this first hand during my visit to Ghana, West Africa, where I went to conduct a rattan workshop.

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Working towards sustainable handcrafted products, using bamboo and other materials was a great learning. My multi- disciplinary work experience in the areas of lifestyle accessories, crafts, graphic design and many more had given me a wide perspective. This variety in work is motivating because it helps in breaking the boredom which designers tend to develop if they are involved with a specific task all the time.

After my stint away from home, it was time to shift back to my origin, i.e. Assam. Here, I got an opportunity to work as a design consultant for organizations such as Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC), National Institute of Design (NID) and a few more. I conducted workshops in craft sectors like bamboo and jewellery in states of Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya.

These workshops made me realize that as a designer we need to identify with the crafts people, guide them and let them use their own skills and expertise and not reach a level of intervention where the crafts people just become manufacturers for the designers.

Along with working with various crafts, I have recently launched my own range of products with graphics inspired by the ‘traditions of Assam’ as my core inspiration. The whole idea is to take the rich culture and craft heritage of North Eastern India to the rest of the world.

The journey so far has been enthralling - with ups and downs, achievements and failures; its been an enormous learning curve, both on the personal front and professionally. Life has given me a lot of opportunities to explore and I hope it keeps knocking at my door, and if not, then I will work towards creating a few.

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REHAB REDEFINED

Text By Dhanishta ShahPhotographs Rene de Wit

What should one expect from the design of a rehabilitation centre? Can design actually influence its workings? We observe the unique interaction between the two in the Groot Klimmendaal Rehabilitation Centre in the Netherlands, designed by Dutch architect Koen van Velsenhas.




The building has three storeys and is clad in brown anodised aluminium which helps it sync with the environment. With natural beauty all around the space, the architect has designed a structure such that it merges with the forest landscape that holds it in its embrace. The almost 14,000 square metre building cantilevers at places and yet naturally blends with its surroundings.

The program facilitates an abundance of natural light as huge windows permit substantial light to penetrate into its interiors. In fact, in some areas of the building the glass barriers between the outdoors and indoors seem almost non-existent.

The ground floor is double-heighted. At this heart of the building lie the sports facility, fitness area, swimming pool, restaurant and theatre. Along with patients and their families, members of the local community use these facilities regularly. Hence, the community plays a central role in the lives of the patients and also in the building. Along with being a centre for care, it allows the residents to participate in a number of different activities.

The philosophy behind the design is that for a patient’s wellbeing one needs a positive and stimulating environment. How can the design create such a scenario? Definitely not by making the structure look like a boring hospital building! This underlying philosophy is exemplified in the building’s subtle design plan.

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The design of a rehabilitation centre should be open felt Koen van Velsenhas. A shallow wooden staircase connects all floors of the building while large and small light wells and voids visually connect spaces and allow natural light to wash the spaces within. All this contributes to an airy ambience. This inter-connectedness promotes a sense of wellbeing which is highly desired.

The meandering facade results in a building intertwined with trees. The welcome sight of the forest acts as a therapy in itself. The surrounding nature has a strong visual and tangible presence allowing the inhabitants to immerse themselves in its serenity. Full height glazing along the central space connecting the various different internal elements of the building ensures an almost seamless continuity between interior and exterior.

The interior atmosphere is enlivened. Along with the natural light streaming through, artificial lighting has been used to good effect to light up the interiors. The careful selection of colourful furniture also adds to the overall positive effect.

How does the building score on the sustainability scale? The use of energy is reduced by the compact design of the building and the design of the mechanical and electrical installations. Thermal storage, for both heat and cold contributes to the reduction of energy consumption.

It seems that ‘Groot Klimmendaal’ is part of a master plan. It is built with the end users in mind and yet the design allows for tremendous flexibility of use. There is a lot of transparency in the construction. The elements of layering and continuity, play of natural and artificial light and the magnificent experience of nature make this location truly unique and stimulating.

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The project boasts of several awards. It was awarded Building of the Year 2010 by the Dutch Association of Architects, the Hedy d’Ancona Award 2010 for excellent healthcare architecture, Arnhem Heuvelink Award 2010 and winner Dutch Design Award 2010. It was also one of the six finalists for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture - Mies van der Rohe Award 2011, the highest European distinction.

At the World Architecture Festival in 2011, the jury rightly commended the project, saying “The jury welcomed it as a very thoughtful and beautiful building. Its relationship to the landscape and how it brings the forest inside was particularly commended, as was the openness of the facility to the local community. The project is exemplary in its achievement to show what good design and imagination can bring to the healing process.”

[email protected] www.koenvanvelsen.com



The bridge above the Western Express Highway is one which most people are watching closely; waiting for the completion of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar West to East Corridor of the Mumbai Metro Phase 1.

It seems close as the two ends are destined to meet in the near future, right above the speeding cars. The basic structures along most of the route are almost complete. Overhead traction poles are also ready in a few sections.

The stations have reached the track level, except for the Asalpha station on the eastern end. From a design point of view, the metro stations follow a standard pattern throughout. The design and functionality is dictated by space more than anything else. The access points to the stations are yet to be built, and it will be interesting to see how they will look and function once ready.

Text And Photos By MS Gopal

VersoVa D N Nagar

slowly risiNg from the Dust, the mumbai metro tries to stay oN time.

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azaD Nagar aNDheri weh


ChaKala airPort MAROL NAKA saKi NaKa


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The most interesting station is the Barve Nagar (Ghatkopar) station, which is built in a depression, and is also next to a hill. It is the largest structure on the line. The Andheri station looks smaller than what one would think would be necessary because this is where the line crosses the busy Western Railway Suburban Track.

On the Western Side, the DN Road/4 Bungalow section where the line will intersect the North-South Corridor is also a massive scene of activity. It would be a race against time for it to be ready along with the rest of the line.

The way it looks right now, we should expect the stations and the line to be ready this year and that would be a welcome gift to this overburdened city roads.

asalPha ghatKoPar


WHEREAmsterdam is the financial and cultural capital of the Netherlands. A skyline that boasts of a variety of architectural styles spanning hundreds of years; charming gingerbread houses each with a unique gable design, lined side-by-side flank the streets as do steel and glass skyscrapers.

AMST ERDAMDESIGNDESTINATION


WHENAny time can be the best time to visit Amsterdam. The peak of the tourist season is July and August, when the weather is the finest. Over the years Amsterdam has managed to elbow itself into place as one of the most style-conscious cities of the world.

WHY The city has a lot to see, its museum district oozes history and heritage while the Red Light District flashes its fluorescent ‘show’ windows and bars – Amsterdam is a veritable collage of contrasts. Beyond these images lies the Amsterdam that is a feast of innovative design.

AMST ERDAM


A FASHION STAY TMENTConsidering Amsterdam’s increasing stature as a city with style, ‘The Exchange’ hotel could not have found a more appropriate home. Here, architecture meets fashion and how! All 61 rooms of the hotel have been designed by the fourth year students of Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI).

The brief was simple – treat the room as you would a fashion model...clothe it. And that’s what the students did, taking inspiration from Marie Antoinette to epaulettes to the costumes of the fairytale, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’. The rooms in the hotel range from 1-star to 5-star depending on the size but irrespective of the size each room has been styled to make heads turn. But, modern fashion is not all about style, it is also about practicality and the young designers have

kept this in mind; the ‘garments’ of each room are easy to remove and maintain. Taking its marriage to fashion one step further, four rooms of the hotel have been left absolutely bare...with just a sewing machine, supplying the tools should inspiration strike a visiting designer. Considering the theme of this hotel, it is appropriate that it be located on Damrak Street often referred to as ‘The Red Carpet’, being the main street of Amsterdam and leading from the station into the city.

The name of the hotel though has no connection to the fashion theme. It has been named thus in honour of the architectural marvel across the road

from it, the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Its restaurant ‘Stock’ and a charming boutique ‘Options’ has names inspired by the stock exchange nomenclature. The boutique is the smallest departmental store in all of Netherlands and retails fashion and interior articles crafted by designers from across the globe.

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EATING OUTAt De Kaas, when the menu says Garden Fresh Salad…it literally means just that, fresh and straight out of the surround-ing gardens! The restaurant is housed within a restored greenhouse whose glass roof floods the restaurant with sunlight through the day and at night duplicates an al fresco dining experience.


THE LIBRARY The Amsterdam Central Public Library was designed to be more than just a library, it was visualised to serve as a cultural centre. The cafe and restaurant ensure that visitors spend more time here browsing through books; the theatres and galleries

help occupy them further. To top it all the large windows maximise the advantage of its location, which overlooks old Amsterdam and the meandering canals.


RETAIL THERAPY

Furniture, textiles, ceramic, tableware and other baubles and accessories designed by top-notch contemporary Dutch designers find space in the home-ware store The Frozen Fountain. Presented more like an elegantly designed home than a store, the Frozen Fountain is ideal to scout for a souvenir that represents Dutch design at its best.

SHOW AND SELLStep into the brown brick building of the Droog store and it feels like tumbling down a rabbit hole and into Alice’s Wonderland. Innovative products for the home and office from top Dutch designers are part of its inventory. A designated area for exhibitions has transformed Droog from just a store to a premier design destination

DESIGN FESTThe Dutch Design Double, held in September, is a month-long fest of exhibitions and events that covers a wide range of design disciplines from industrial design to architecture to jewellery. Text By Himali Kothari


PILLOWTALK

As we stopped for the first night of our trip, the first thing that caught our eye was the crazy motifs on the pillow case. And so began the ritual of clicking a photograph of the hotel pillow at every stop.

We headed South from Mumbai till Kerala then cut across to Kodaikanal and then ambled our way to Auroville on the East coast. What a great ride it was, and we got to meet some interesting pillows on the way.

BY NASH PAUL


Suraj Garden Restaurant & Lodge, Sangumeshwar, Maharashtra Nashville, Soccorro, Goa

Perpetual General Stores & Lodge, Agonda, Goa Ratna Hotel, Honawar, Karnataka

Bombay Hotel, Payyanur, Kerala Lakshmi Apartments Lodge, Palakkad, Kerala


Spring Valley Hotel, Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu Shantur Maharaj, Kukkal, Tamil Nadu

Tourist Cottages, Palani, Tamil Nadu Sangam Lodge, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu

Apollo Lodge, Chidabaram, Tamil Nadu Forecomers, Auroville, Tamil Nadu

MAARTEn 8aAS product

designer

He’s young.He’s irreverent.He refuses to be pigeonholed into either the artist or designer category, categorically stating: “In design, you need dictators, not a democracy. If you don’t like what you see, go and buy something else.”

He’s Maarten Baas – the design world’s wunderkind!

Text By Deepanjolie Sonya Figg


Born in Arnsberg, Germany in 1978, Baas grew up in the Netherlands after his family shifted there in 1979.

In 1996, he joined the prestigious Design Academy in Eindhoven, after graduating from high school. His first design, the now famous ‘Knuckle’ candleholder, was grabbed up for production by Pol’s Pottern, marking the beginning of his love affair with experimental, bold and useful product design. Or, essentially art that symbolises surprise encounters with beauty.

Spontaneous and intuitive, Baas sought to capture some of the naiveté seen in children’s drawings and the lack of consistent symmetry in nature to bridge the divide between perfect and acceptable creations early on in his career.

This distinctive take on design, as compared to today’s design, which he feels is “an overrated illusion” (because it is all about perfection) inspired him to create the “Smoke” series and an ingenious sundial for his graduation show at the Academy in 2002.

While the unique sundial displayed the hours in shadow, Smoke comprised charred furniture, which ended up so because Baas first burnt old chairs and tables, then coated the skeletons with an epoxy resin for a velvety-black finish so he could preserve the charred remains. His aim was to reduce the ornamental effect of precious objects so they could focus on their true purpose. So, classic chairs from Eames, Mackintosh, even a Rietveld, besides an IKEA chair (salvaged from a dump), all met with the same fate but miraculously got their ultimate value boosted. (The IKEA chair sold for $6000 at Moss – smoking haute, or what?)

In 2004, Baas collaborated exclusively with Moss to give a twist in the tale to his famous first collection, titled “Where There’s Smoke...” comprising one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture, all systematically burned and stabilized with resins to alter their identity.

PhotographySmoke, Hey chair, be a bookshelf! and Clay Series by Maarten van Houten

Smoke Series

Smoke Series


Reinventing the usability of products, Baas jump-started 2005 with an eclectic notion that made crazy seem a tame phrase. He visited second hand stores in Eindhoven for products languishing on the shelves, which he rescued from a back-alley fate and assembled together to produce the “Hey, chair, be a bookshelf!” series, containing several unique items that owed their fountain of youth to a coat of Poly-Urethane!

Cut to 2006: the Baas-Moss pairing presented “Clay,” giving dull industrial clay a cosmetic makeover. With a back-to-basics approach of hand modeling over metal ‘skeletons,’ Baas formed unique chairs, tables and a limited edition of large-scale fans, all chromed or lacquered in bright colors designed to grab eyeballs. In this quirky ode to industrial design, where a personal touch rendered the design process more intimate, as compared to current day practices of making computer-generated functional objects, Baas took a sculptor’s approach. He also famously explained “The difference between art and design? First of all, the prices are higher.”

Hey chair, be a bookshelf! Series

Clay Series


In 2007, the creative team continued its winning streak and launched another original Studio collection called “Sculpt” with limited editions of enlarged cabinets, tables, and chairs that were smoothly sculpted in a firm base of welded steel and curvy wooden veneers and made from rough-cut shapes created by hand-carved hard foam model prototyping. Finished in walnut veneer, the pieces have an edgy, dark and brooding look that is not quite Megadeth, but getting there.

In 2008, Baas collaborated with Established & Sons, a British firm, for a funky anthropomorphic furniture series called The Chankley Bore, the title inspired by a line from a nonsense rhyme, the series created to convey a sense of part fantasy, part exploration. Pieces from this collection were designed by Baas to perform beyond the ideal of ‘a chair must have four legs.’

The same year, he participated in a residency program organized by Contrasts Gallery for bringing Western artists to China and held an exhibition of new works there, titled “Shanghai Riddle,” pieces from which articulated his fascination with traditional Chinese woodcarving techniques.

PhotographySculpt, Chanklet Bore by Maarten van HoutenShangai Riddle courtesy of Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai Real Time, Empty Chair by Frank Tielemans, More or Less Chair courtesy of NgipseN, Plain Collection by Studio Maarten Baas

Shanghai Riddle

The Chankley Bore

Sculpt Collection


In 2009, Baas found a new medium to express his inner artist, and his “Real Time” collection was made public. In 2011, he was tapped by Amnesty International to design The Empty Chair to support their campaign against increased suppression of writers, journalists, artists and activists. Baas’ The Empty Chair design, about five meters in height, thus stands tall – literally – as a symbol of repression.

The “More or Less” chair (quick-time serial production), “The Plain Collection” (rudimentary furniture pieces made of clay for public use in the Groninger Museum restaurant with clear fingerprint impressions due to the hand-made technique used) and collaborations with Moss for major private commissions in the US have kept Baas busy in the past year.

Extending beyond his one-off furniture pieces and signature singed art-works to now include architectural elements for interiors and furniture design for the sets of Dutch television show ‘Zomergasten,’ Baas’ view of real sustainability in design is best summed up in his own words: “To make well-made products that people will keep for a long time. That’s sustainable.”

Real Time Collection

More or Less Chair

The Plain Collection

Empty Chair


[email protected] www.maartenbaas.com


Singapore Bling

The Wanderlust hotel in Singapore’s Little India breaks all the rules. No two rooms are alike and the colours are straight out of the colour wheel. It’s chic, radical and very, very, fun.

Text By Chryselle D’Silva DiasPhotographs Courtesy Unlisted Collection



When corporate lawyer-turned-hotelier Loh Lik Peng decided to build a hotel in Singapore’s Little India, not everyone was convinced it was a good idea. Little India is home to a large community of Indian settlers. It is a busy, colourful area but not very popular on the tourist map. Loh Lik Peng wanted to give people a really good reason to visit the locality, a “little gem of an enclave”. And so, the idea of Wanderlust was born.

You would never guess that the chic 29-room boutique hotel is housed in a former 1920s schoolhouse, the Hong Wen School. Apart from the sensitively restored original façade, there is not much evidence remaining of the swish of uniforms or the stampede of school shoes after a day behind the desks. Indeed, the desks in Wanderlust are a lifetime away from the ubiquitous wooden school desks.

Each floor of the hotel was designed by a different award-winning Singaporean design agency. As a result, no two floors are identical, neither are any two rooms the same. The lobby sets the tone for the unconventional hotel, which describes itself as a place for “guests with a sense of adventure.” Designed by Asylum, the lobby dons an ‘Industrial Glam’ theme. A feature wall with a montage of vintage print ads attracts the eye right away, as does the Frank Gehry sofa and recycled road sign furniture by Trent Jansen. A bright purple vintage barber’s chair (from Loh Lik Peng’s personal collection) is the star of one corner.

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On the second level, ‘Eccentricity’ rules. Designed by Phunk Studio, this floor has more saturated colour than your neighbourhood sari shop. Eleven rooms on this floor are each rendered in a distinct colour, taking their cue from the Pantone colour system. The rooms have neon-lit song titles taking based on the room colour. Yellow Submarine (Beatles), Red Light (U2), Pink Triangle (Weezer), Purple Rain (Prince) - choose your rooms by song or colour.

If the colour gets too much for you, head to the next level instead, where black and white rooms soothe your senses. And because this is no ordinary hotel, there’s a twist here, too.

The ‘Is it just Black and White’ level by DP Architects uses paper as its inspiration. Each of the nine rooms has elements inspired by either origami or pop-art. In the Origami rooms, the ceilings resemble paper folds and an innovative lighting system allows guests to choose a colour of their choice for the predominantly white rooms. Like your ceilings orange, blue or green? Play around with it; that’s what Wanderlust would like you to do.

In the Pop-Art rooms, stencilled illuminated installations add another layer to the décor. Mae Noor of ‘The Unlisted Collection’, the company that runs Loh Lik Peng’s hotels and restaurants says, “The pop-ups were done using different animated scenes of stencilled art installations, and there are lighting fixtures behind the cut-outs to illuminate them.”

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On the top floor, lonely travellers (or others who don’t mind visitors in their rooms) can cosy up with friendly monsters for company. The ‘Creature Comforts’ floor, designed by fFurious, has nine loft rooms with different themes such as ‘Bling’, ASCII’, ‘Space’, ‘Tree’ and ‘Typewriter’. Choose a fantasy adventure in a tree or rocket (with a moustachioed alien or two) or sit on a giant typewriter sofa while you consider your plans for the day.

On this floor, Loh Lik Peng’s desire to “let guests reconnect with a part of their childhood” comes to life perfectly in enchanted rooms that invite guests to be a little more playful and adventurous.

In addition to the unusual rooms, Wanderlust also hosts a French restaurant called ‘Cocotte’, which serves ‘rustic cuisine in a communal setting.’ Restored timber flooring with wine crates on the walls flank a large communal table topped with a Moooi chandelier.

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With surprises in store on every floor, this radical and fun hotel might be just the place to give your wandering feet a well-deserved break.


[email protected] www.unlistedcollection.com


GREEN PROJECT

TreadingLightly

Little River Architects, a multi-disciplinary design firm based in Bangalore, roots a design concept within a natural and cultural context and at the same time allows it to connect to the abstract.

The Sagar house at night is a picture of serenity. The steps leading out of the house are an exercise in understated elegance.

Text By Mala BajajPhotos By Manoj Sudhakaran


Laterite stone sourced from within a 50 km radius brought down the travel miles footprint of the house. The charm of the un-plastered stone was something the architect wanted to showcase to its fullest.


Wikipedia states that, “Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Most simply, the idea of sustainability, or ecological design, is to ensure that our actions and decisions today do not inhibit the opportunities of future generations.”

A young artist couple, who had recently decided to move out of Bangalore and relocate, commissioned Architect Ceejo Cyriac of Little River Architects to build their dream home; the architect is an individual whose work is led by his soul and one who was incidentally discovered as a happy result of a ‘viva voce’ communication with friends.

A five acre piece of land situated in a small town called Sagar in the Shimoga district of Karnataka, 350 km away from Bangalore, was entrusted to Ceejo, who decided to blend regional and

contemporary characters into this project whilst rooting the design very carefully in the majorly undisturbed ambience of the region. The resulting structure is a reflection of the compassion shown to the environment by the architect and his innate skill of marrying the taste and lifestyle of current times with core green architectural features.

The house is designed as a linear strip encompassing the living, dining and kitchen, in a conscious effort to maximise on the beatific views of an unspoilt terrain. The master bedroom branches out to the west from this strip. Other features which help bring in pockets of the omnipresent nature are the verandah between the main house and the guest room. The verandah attached to the master bedroom and its bathroom which has an open to sky courtyard with no less than a tree growing in it is one more charming aspect.

The house has a unique green quotient; being located on a rocky terrain, it had a reduced foundation requirement; no trees were cut down and all the wild species of plants found on site and around were not only retained but propagated as well. Only locally available Laterite stone that too mined from within a less than 50 km. radius was used for the masonry. This feature along with engaging local labourers brought down the overall travel miles incurred.

MS posts and aluminium windows were used for the entire length of the house.Designed with generous proportions, these elements ensured the natural gain of light and ventilation. An open well also serves as an additional water source and rainwater runoff is used to water the farm and recharge the well.

The semi-connected guest house allows for a walk through the middle of the house. The easy access to the outdoors on both sides is a welcome feature.


Several other eco-friendly features can be detected all over which are the outcome of the simple and compassionate nature of the architect. On asking him about his straightforward and un-embellished concept Ceejo says,“I believe that truth is the essence of beauty and if you look in nature you will see many examples of this. The simplest thing in nature can be an object of immense beauty as it has responded to the many forces of nature in a truthful manner.”

The clients being artists themselves, when commissioning this project put down only one premise and that was that the house should be in sync with its surroundings. Taking a cue from this Ceejo put in a sloping roof to combat the heavy rainfall prevalent in this region and clad it with a

‘breathing’ Mangalore tile roofing.The project execution was challenging as the site was in a place where there was an absence of quality contractors. The successful coordination between the architects and the locally available labour helped in overcoming the issue.

Talking about his passion/work Ceejo shares that he loves dealing with real situations and in this field his one-on-one interaction with people such as masons and other crafts-persons always teaches him a thing or two. “You see they have worked with the material longer, so it is me who is learning all the time.” A satisfied architect looks back proudly at his raison d’etre.

An entire wall is made of windows that allows for a large amount of ventilation and natural light, upping the green quotient of the house.

[email protected]


Co-ordinated interiors are highlighted with the charming views of the underside of the roof.

The bathroom’s open to sky courtyard has a frangipani tree; whether one likes it or not there is no escaping from nature in this house.


was started in 1981 as a partnership firm by Revathi Sekhar Kamath and Vasant V. Kamath. Since then, the studio has handled a wide variety of interesting and challenging projects, in diverse social, economic and geographical contexts.

They practice in Delhi and their studio produces work informed by an explicitly environmental agenda. Their work is a creative synthesis of attitudes and technologies into an aesthetic habitat and way of life and has been published and exhibited all over the world. They have more than 150 projects to their credit. Three of their projects have been nominated for the Aga Khan Award.

A one-on-one with Revathi Kamath brings out the well grounded and mature green sensibilities that drive this firm’s work.

GREEN SPEAK

What is the one thing you like most about being an architect?

Architectural consciousness is holistic and contemplates human culture and civilization through time and in space. The practice of architecture enables an individual to be hydra-headed, and evolve a multitude of interests and skills.

Apparently contradictory attributes can blend seamlessly into a complex whole;

- the spiritual and material- the meditative and expressive- the subjective and rational- the technical and artistic- the poetic and prosaic

I enjoy the coming together of wealth (or lack of it), technology, skills, tradition, innovation etc. to create beauty and harmony in space, place and time.

Do you see green architecture coming into the mainstream soon?

Human ecosystems need to be self conscious about occupying the forest.The two need to be symbiotic as never before. The human population is so vast and ever increasing and it is imperative that its habitat whatever its scale, does not colonise the earth and the prime elements. There is no option but to be synchronous with natural systems and cycles. Civilisation is now re-establishing its links

KAMATH DESIGN STUDIO

Compiled By Mala Bajaj


with natural systems in an evolutionary progression. It is this process that architectural consciousness is beginning to recognise and express. A few architects are working towards the evolution of an ecological architectural vocabulary, to enable the human habitat to re-establish the qualities of beauty, harmony and equity.

What are you currently working on?

The Museum of Tribal Heritage is now nearing completion. It has been extraordinarily difficult to work with the building culture established by the public works department and the bureaucracy. The architectural decision to have a green roof is being reviewed time and again at various levels. I am confident that “green” will prevail!

The studio is working on the design and construction of “the Gnostic Centre”, a place for higher learning. We are also working on “Jivagram”, a healing centre and ayurvedic university campus.

Which is your most admired piece of architecture/design and why?

The architectural construct is an expression of an event in an ecological continuum,

and I do not view it as an object. The perception of beauty, harmony, flow and repose in the minds and sensibility of the users, is the purpose of architectural design. I do not keep a tab on the quotient of admiration for a project or a body of work.

Any driving principles on green architectural design?

Human patterns and forms in space can be characterised as harmonious, destructive, colonising or evolutionary, in the context of nature and its dynamic repose as it continuously seeks equilibrium and sustains life purposefully..I believe that the purpose of human civilization is to accord dignity to all forms of life and to recognize the holistic nature of the environment and value its regenerative and self organizing principles.

The material reality of the industrial and post industrial consumer society in global economic space, despite continuously expanding its resource base is unable to equitably fulfil human needs. The “heroic” individual, in that society, vying for a larger share of the pie, enhancing self worth, is perceived as a human characteristic that is on the wane, replaced by an ecologically conscious human

collective that is continuously eroding, through awareness and action, the almost invincible edifices of global consumer civilization.

Some of the principles of ecology are interdependence, recycling, democracy, partnership, flexibility, diversity, and as a consequence of all these - sustainability.“Over more than three billion years of evolution, (the planets) ecosystems

Lobbying for work does not come naturally to the studio

have organised themselves (in subtle and complex ways) so as to maximise sustainability. This wisdom of nature is the essence of eco literacy.”………Fritjof Capra. It is the eco-literate architect who can rebuild human habitat sustainably.

Do you mould the client to your sensibilities or do you work around the clients wishes?

Lobbying for work does not come naturally to the studio. Work brings in more work, and therefore the client inevitably shares a value system in whole or part. Our vocabulary is inclusive and the active participation of the client in the design process allows the resolution of conflicting goals in an elegant way.

[email protected]


SMART BENCHVoda Design’s Solar Bench is a multifunctional streetlight cum bench combination that harnesses solar energy to power its overhead LED lamp.

Solar panels built into the bench case make it possible to place the unit in any location independent of a local power supply. Additionally integrated outlets can also be used by the public as a daytime charging station for laptops, cell-phones and other electronic devices.

PI KI PUHT

This super-convenient design packs a triple whammy; it not only offers a comfortable public seating facility but throws in illumination and electronic gadget recharge conveniences as extras. To top it all it produces its own energy counteracting the use of any other source.

www.behance.net/voda_design

Terracotta (made out of mud) tea cups have been used in India from times immemorial. These fast disappearing pieces of disposable and highly bio-degradable cups not only embody an alternative view on consumption culture but are also beautiful and functional objects on their own. Produced en-masse, hand-made and individualistic these are ‘throw-aways’, that have all the qualities required for consumer objects today, leaving the most minimal of a carbon footprint on Earth.

Sian Pascale their creator is an artist, architect, designer and writer, whose work encompasses a range of mediums. Her Pi Ki Puht cups come embedded with seeds like nasturtians, carrot, rocket and parsley; a water ‘slip’ applied to the groove in the cup is a clever touch. The name in the Hindi language literally means ‘drink and throw’!

www.foolscapstudio.com.au


DOUBLE SKIN EXTERIOR

Manuelle Gautrand’s origami inspired facades for high rise construction gives a virtual twist to the energy conservation concept. He has devised a skin for buildings which is not flat but has pop ups throughout its composition of myriad triangular shapes.The marble-like segments join together to transform the existing façade. Its effect was achieved by screen-printing glass; this gave Gautrand total control over the required pattern and glazing.

Appearing to be composed of iridescent fish scales the second skin acts as a natural and aesthetically innovative sun screen by controlling solar gain. The folded glass layer also creates an element of privacy for the spaces behind it.

www.manuelle-gautrand.com

ECO EARTH SOLUTIONS The company Chemtreat driven by the need to be part of the solution rather than the problem has chosen the path of innovation by forming a company called Eco Earth Solutions which manufactures a range of sustainable materials that is destined to be a game changer in the construction, architecture and interior designing industries. We feature here three of their products.

Plumaplank is an engineered composite thermoplastic board that is an outright winner in the competitive arena of other natural shuttering plywood products. Strong and dimensionally stable, these boards are ideal replacements for steel sheets, plywood and other conventional flat boards. It affords infinite repeat uses as against a dismal average of 10 to 15 times with regular shuttering plywood.

Woody Lenosa is a wood and plastic composite. It offers extreme versatility and is remarkably durable. This sustainable material is another product of cutting-edge innovation. Anything that natural wood can do, WoodyLenosa can do and more. Available in block, plank and flat board, Woody Lenosa can match any regular wood and plywood, application. Mill it, drill it, sand it, saw it, hollow it out, plane it; you can machine it any way you like. Chances are you will never miss wood ever again!

Celeste is a marble and granite alternative with an unmatched homogeneity and availability in a sheer mind boggling variety of colours and patterns. Unlike natural stone, it comes in all shades and colours with the significant advantage of no colour variation per order. Whether it’s to decorate floors, top kitchen platforms, style aesthetically vibrant modular kitchens, or be used as wall cladding in lobbies, hotels, airports, etc., it is a product way above par and offered in innovative and chic designs.

www.ecoearthsolutions.in


A close-up of the terrarium reveals a shallow bed of soil; this curtails the growth of the roots, keeping the plants small and manageable. Photo by Sherry Griffin.



An artwork that is a living breathing composition; constantly in flux; changing ever so subtly, mesmerising its owner with its sheer beauty - yes, Paula Hayes weaves her magic with plants, crystals, fish and glass to create vivariums that not only titivate your drawing room but start a conversation there - with you.

Landscapes

PETITEFORESTS

Text By Mala Bajaj



“The garden has become an all encompassing metaphor for a life of plenitude.” This principle is what drives Paula Hayes, a New York artist and landscape designer in both her work and life. Paula, a Master of Fine Art and Sculpture from the Parsons School of Design, New York, NY has been on the art scene for over two decades. Principally a landscape designer she has created private gardens in such diverse topographies as the eastern end of Long Island, the Pacific Northwest and the mountainous environs of Santa Fe, using only

native plantings for sustainability and in her continuous effort towards protecting the environment.

Over the last several years, she has diversified and brought into the mainstream of her body of work the creation of sophisticated vivariums.

Vivariums (terrariums and aquariums) essentially are an enclosed area meant for keeping and raising animals or plants for observation or research. Often, a portion


A leopard slug was the inspiration for the form of this terrarium. Photo by Sherry Griffin. Below: Paula Hayes and her husband Teo Camporeale’s personal garden in Brooklyn, Photo By Béatrice de Géa.


of the ecosystem with in-built controls for environmental conditions for a particular species is simulated on a smaller scale. A vivarium may be small enough to sit on a desk or table; it is this convenience that she offers the millions of space-strapped dwellers of cities who yearn for a spot of green, but are unable to indulge themselves solely on the premise of a severe lack of legroom.

Creating cute-as-a-button, bite-sized fragments of a living, breathing forest which she houses in organically shaped hand blown

glass, she tantalises and attracts people with her craft until they are driven to own one, which they can call their own. So passionate is she of the terrariums and aquariums she creates that she asks her clients to co-sign an agreement wherein she, the creator, and the new owner, or caretaker, agree to take full responsibility for keeping the work alive!



Much like creating a ship-in-a-bottle, terrarium building takes a small, dexterous hand, a collection of minute tools and a keen interest in miniature plant life and a clever composition.

For her glass containers Paula takes inspiration from varied areas; whilst watching the mating of leopard slugs on Youtube with her son she went ahead and had similar forms hand blown to create a new series of organically shaped one-of-a-kind terrariums.

A perfect solution for bringing in a bit of the outdoors, literally into your palm, Paula creates these Lilliputian little tropical worlds using the energies of innovation and exploitation; these are in a constant struggle between objects that straddle the line between the animate and the inanimate. She likes nothing better than to pore over her plant encyclopaedia researching which specimens she will next seek out to create these magical microcosms.

Her latest ‘baby’ or ‘babies’ are crystals; creating mesmerising compositions with them she feels these are better for those not born with a green thumb - being a little more difficult to kill than plants.“Meteors! Dynamism! What’s not to love?” she’ll tell you excitedly, pointing to the heat of their impact as the “miraculous transmutation of life.” The crystal terrariums are supposed to be bathed in the light of a full moon to help them emit their positive vibes; she conveniently provides a calendar listing all the full moons in the coming five years!


A microcosmic object of joy, to both behold and experience. Photo By Sherry Griffin.


An ensemble of terrariums inspired by mating leopard slugs seen on youtube.com by Paula. Photo By Eva Heyd.



Referring to Paula’s work when she last showed it at MomA (museum of modern art, NY), Ann Temkin, chief curator of MomA’s department of painting and sculpture, aptly described it as - “It’s people-friendly art - you don’t need a Ph.D. in art or history to get it; it’s about crossing borders - animate, inanimate - a way to add life to a particular space - in an oddly sensuous way.”

The acclaimed artist will now share never-before-seen or published material in her first monograph ‘Paula Hayes’ which will be published by The Monacelli Press in April 2012. Paula Hayes work Land Mine can currently be seen at New York’s Lever House where the exhibit has just beenextended until April 27, 2012.

In Hayes’s work, the energies of innovation and exploitation are in a constant struggle within objects that straddle the line between animate and inanimate. Photo By Eva Heyd.


www.paulahayes.com

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By Chryselle D’Silva DiasPhotographs Courtesy Reinaldo Coser

São Paulo is Architect Marcio Kogan’s favourite city to work in and it shows. With a series of beautiful and elegant residences in this busy city in recent years, the architect proves why he is considered to be one of Brazil’s top contemporary architects.

SUSPENDED ANIMATION


The private swimming pool echoes the rectangularity of the house. Exposed stone walls and tall palms fringe the property.


Award-winning Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan of StudioMK27 is known for his radical, elegant designs and use of non-traditional materials in construction. He effortlessly combines concrete, stonework and wood in his projects. His buildings have been described as “jaw-dropping” homes that also succeed in being completely functional as living spaces. The serene ‘House of Ipês’ in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is one such example. Marcio Kogan was born in São Paulo and graduated in Architecture and Urbanism from the Mackenzie University in 1976.

On the top floor, an iconic Series Up Chair and its ball shaped ottoman enjoy pride of place. These unique creations represent a female figure tied to a ball-shaped ottoman symbolizing the shackles that keep women subjugated.

Kogan’s works have earned several international awards, including four prizes from the Brazilian Architects Institute, a nomination for the World Architecture Awards, the first prize in the Leaf Awards 2009 and the first prize in the 2010 edition of the Design Awards, under the category of Best Private House. In 2001, his firm took on the name of StudioMK27 and this team of architects now take on international projects as well, to much applause. One of Kogan’s greatest passions is cinema. Fan of Ingmar Bergman and

Federico Fellini, Kogan studied and served as a director until he was 30. Cinema continues to remain a major influence on his architecture.

For the last decade or so, Kogan has consistently gone against conventional thinking and has used exposed concrete at a time when many builders were saying that this was impossible to do. Experimenting with concrete (“liquid stone”) has been the purview of only a few. The House of Ipês’ uses this material to great success.

In the fading daylight, the pool and the house come together in mirror images.


The focal point of the house is the upper storey, a large rectangular concrete box that appears to be hovering in mid-air, reaching out to the palms at the edge of the garden wall. Despite its size, the house looks light and volume-less.


On the ground floor, the main entrance is through a series of slatted doors that open fully, providing access to the front garden and the private pool.

Inside, an expansive living room invites guests to lounge about on the long, double-sided grey sofas that “wriggle around the room” or choose a deck chair by the water. Along one wall of the living room, a floor-to-ceiling wooden media wall features a television, music system and other accessories. An intriguing mix of furniture dots the room: yellow beanbags, floor lamps, comfy armchairs and funky yellow accessories for a splash of bright colour.

The open plan dining and kitchen area lead out of the living room to enable an interaction across the entire area. The dining chairs, upholstered in purple, give the space a fun yet elegant feel. Above, pendant lights of various sizes follow the light-as-air theme. The living room doors (along all sides) open entirely, bringing the outdoors in and making the outdoors a seamless extension of the house. On the top floor, four bedrooms invite retreat with their luxurious furnishings and comfortable furniture. Rocking chairs, vintage lamps and soft carpets underfoot add a sense of warmth and welcome. Overlooking the trees and the pool, the bedrooms are quiet, an escape. A TV room on the same floor provides yet another private space to lounge.

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The striking wood block on the façade of this floor is actually a wooden brise-soleil (a sun-shading element) that can be opened or closed depending on the degree of light or shade required. The innovative use of this technique ensures a control over heat, keeping the rooms cool in the naturally warm Brazilian climate. Kogan’s fascination for the box shape continues to show up in innovative ways; many of his recent projects have similar structures. The House of Ipês stands proudly as one more witness to the drama and creativity of one of Brazil’s iconic architects.

An iconic Series Up Chair and its ottoman enjoys pride of place. They represent a female figure tied to a ball-shaped ottoman symbolizing the shackles that keep women subjugated.


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SYMPHONY OF LINES

Text By K Parvathy MenonPhotographs Courtesy Mancini Enterprises

Simplicity when translated into reality is real beauty; a shining example is the beach house designed by Mancini Enterprises, where white surfaces are in conversation with their green surroundings.


Massing and boxing of planes and surfaces creates interesting architecture; its interpretation keeps changing with the time of day as shadows, lighting and reflections change our perception.


Pure architecture beholds you when your eyes happen upon the beach house - straight lines, play of spaces, geometric massing and the use of natural elements; even the frondescence becomes a translational tool in this example of minimalist architecture. Designed by Mancini Enterprises, this elegant beach house sits unassumingly in the fast developing real estate alongside East Coast Road (ECR) on the Bay of Bengal coast from Chennai to Puducherry. Amidst the numerous beach houses that follow the standard architecture of sloping roofs and red tiles, this beach home subtly makes a different statement; it sits back as a white pearl and settles into its surroundings. Green paddy fields, coconut trees and a natural sea front element suggested a design that would integrate the beauty of the site into the architecture in a simple language that renders itself as a building which seems effortless, yet makes its presence known. As the chief architect, Niels Schoenfelder puts it, “the basic concept was to design a long building that would provide a generous but simple space configuration in order to allow for landscape and views to be the priority.”

The clients had clear requirements of the beach house; a space that would accommodate their art collection and also provide an informal setting where guests and hosts could interact in tranquility. As a response, the design team designed a linear house with massing that produced interesting spaces and also gave maximum view of the sea and surroundings.

The linear components of the house is made of strip shaped components, each strip characterising a particular aspect of the structure.The topmost plane, the roof plate with its large overhanging eaves serve the dual purpose of providing protection from nature’s elements and affording privacy. The dark underside of the roof contrasts with the stark white surfaces and becomes the final focal point in view. When the roof ends, your eyes are abruptly brought down to the lower level; where the verandahs, dense foliage


Its picture perfect with the built structure edged by natural elements like water and flora; it defines the white structure and at the same time maintains a balance with the nature surrounding it.


and clear balconies make an engaging conversation. From there, your eyes move further downwards to the ground floor, where the actual contrasts strike hard; white surfaces and green carpets, horizontal water planes and rising white walls, and of course the play of negative and positive spaces.

The glazed transparent fenestration contrasting with opaque vertical surfaces accentuate the linearity of the structure. Vertical fenestrations do not break the horizontal linearity; instead, by being boxed within, they emphasise it. On the sea facing east façade, glazed openings provide great views while being shaded by large overhangs of the roof plate. The windows reflect the waters around, and near the pool, a dash of blue helps in the smooth transition from white walls to dark blue waters. On the western façade where a ‘view’ is not as important, fenestrations are linear and boxed from the outside; a contrast in itself, but an extension of the strip architecture.

Negative spaces, formed as a result of massing, work as entrances, porches and balconies, where colour contrasts are offered by the bright furniture juxtaposed with the earthy-toned flooring. The volumes have been defined by water elements - pools outlining the edges and corners of the house at the northern and southern facades. At the northern façade, the water body reflects changing skies and swinging greens beautify the static image of the building while also acting as a barrier to insects.

On the same facade a lush green edge is given to the verandah - a contrast to the pristine white of the structure that makes a link with the green surroundings. According to architect Niels Schoenfelder, “the building is an exercise in restrained geometry contrasting with the lush landscape around and white supports this contrast well.”

The juxtaposing of masses creates negative spaces that serve as entrances and exits; windows are shaded by overhanging eaves, balconies and porches.


While ‘contrasts’ are true measures of a complete experience, this beach home on the Coramandel Coast orients itself to the context and topography of the site. The raw, plain architectural compositions transcend mere site parameters and engage a powerful theme of balanced contrasts with its strips, linearity and stark white surfaces in the broader discourse on architecture.

The beach house designed has all the basic principles of architecture precariously balanced on one platter, yet offering a final result that applauds the simplistic beauty of these principles. The house does not deform the nature encompassing it, but blends into the locale as effortlessly as the myriad elements of the coast.

No beach house is complete without a pool. The pool looks like a perspective graphic drawing, basic architectural principles in function, creating the perfect view that only artists dream of.


[email protected] www.mancini-design.in

While ‘contrasts’ are true measures of a complete experience, this beach home on the Coramandel Coast orients itself to the context and topography of the site. The raw, plain architectural compositions transcend mere site parameters and engage a powerful theme of balanced contrasts with its strips, linearity and stark white surfaces in the broader discourse on architecture.

The beach house designed has all the basic principles of architecture precariously balanced on one platter, yet offering a final result that applauds the simplistic beauty of these principles. The house does not deform the nature encompassing it, but blends into the locale as effortlessly as the myriad elements of the coast.

No beach house is complete without a pool. The pool looks like a perspective graphic drawing, basic architectural principles in function, creating the perfect view that only artists dream of.



Shoes and boots, blouses and tops, the Orange Bicycle has it all.


RidingOnTheQuirky

Retail Therapy

A shop which is not just a store, but a place for the free spirited who want to go on a shopping ride - simple things, fun things, mindlessly inane things - they are all here. Welcome to the Orange Bicycle, the new lifestyle store of Bangalore.

Text by K Parvathy MenonPhotos courtesy Orange Bicycle


Tucked away in a small by-lane of Indiranagar in Bangalore is the Orange Bicycle, an enchanting little store that is a place for anything bright, fun and quirky. This lifestyle store has a lot to offer; from exotic artwork to oddball pieces, to junk jewellery, designer stuff and also amazing home décor. There are always a few shopping places from where you don’t come out empty handed, this happens to be one of them. The colours of the products and their variety invite you, enthral you and then leave you wanting for more.

This store with its myriad elements was the brainchild of four friends - Gunjan Khaitan and her gang of girlfriends - an endeavour to bring together novel designs from across the country. The store is a bicycle ride, a journey that these friends have embarked on as a means to re-discover themselves; it is a ride of freedom.

The collection and the setting have been carefully orchestrated such that in the bonhomie created there is an order. Gunjan Khaitan says, “We’ve always wanted to do something like this, a place where people can forget about everything and indulge in some pure retail therapy. Also everything about our store is carefully crafted; even our interiors reflect our style and personality.”

Their personality, the joy and the thought reflects in the setting and the eclectic collection, housed in a cosy little space with off-white interiors. Windows painted in blue with white grills only add to the old world charm of the drama that ensues. Orange walls break the monotony of off-white surface intermittently, ensuring good cheer.

Exotic wall art has a perfect background for its bright colours in the off-white walls. The displays are cool and unique with interesting stories woven in them.

It is a colour contrast played out, a bright orange wall true to the theme with an adjacent contrasting blue surface… for the final statement are the cushions, all fun and cheerful.


The friends chose the name ‘Orange Bicycle’ to pique the interest of the masses and bring back memories for the people through it; the name encompasses everything fun and quirky. The interiors offset the products with their simplicity, showcasing a cocktail of styles - contemporary and kitsch, trendy and earthy, fashionable and homely; all under one roof with ease.

This treasure trove is like a page out of a magical world, where you don’t know what to expect and everything is attractive. There are not just designer and branded products stocked in the shop; lesser known labels too find a place, as seventy different vendors have a special niche in this store.

Most of their products are environment friendly, with very little resemblance to the minimalistic art stocked in other lifestyle stores found in big malls. According to Gunjan, “Working with 70 vendors from different parts of the country is tough but they have always supported us. It definitely took us sometime to get all of them on board and we got in touch with most of them through Facebook. Also since we are totally involved in the process, we have a good idea of the stocks that come in.” The store stocks some well known labels like, Indigreen, Chumbak, Sanchali, Happily Unmarried, Etcetra, Ambrosia by Amrita, Suman Mishra, Masala Tees, Tribal Truck Art, Pop goes the Art and many more.

There is a theme which you grasp as soon as you step through the portals of Orange Bicycle, ‘Fun and Unique’; there is yarn that is knitted as you travel from one niche to the other. It’s not only the inside of the shop that is interesting but on the outside too the story continues with pretty pots and green plants that soothe your senses.

The shop is an invite to a different time, and a destination for everything fun; be it a treasure for a lifetime, a dress, a gift or maybe just a random piece of quirkiness - the store has it all. The cosy interiors and the products within make sure you come back time and again.

It is a colour contrast played out, a bright orange wall true to the theme with an adjacent contrasting blue surface… for the final statement are the cushions, all fun and cheerful.

The orange bicycle is not empty, but carries with it bags and boxes alongside a wall of mirrors.

Bollywood stars and butterflies share the same space under one roof.

www.theorangebicycle.in

THE MARKETPLACE


Patio Collection By Loom CraftsThe latest range of Patios by Loom Crafts provides an elegant look to your garden area. This fully upholstered patio collection includes sofas and chairs coupled with a coffee table and is also complimented with a tempered glass top which adds glamour to your patio décor style.

The entire range is created with a special fabric called ‘LoomTex.’ Priced at Rs. 20,000 thousand onwards, the collection has been crafted from fully welded, powder coated aluminium and stainless steel frames.

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International Wallpapers By Nas HomeNas Home is known for its astounding calibre and offers some of the world’s most sought after trends in home furnishings. Now, it introduces its international range of wallpapers that promises to infuse an artistic and charismatic feel to your home or commercial space. These wallpapers are sourced from renowned international brands such as Casamance, Casadeco, Zimmer & Rhode, Designers Guild, Harlequin and Elitis to name a few.

The unique collection offers an array of varied patterns, colours, textures and is easy to maintain. The prince range for this collection begins at Rs. 50 to Rs. 500 per sq. ft exclusive of taxes and installation charges.

You can now choose from a wide range of woven and non-woven textile wall coverings to evoke the decadent side of a metrosexual. This wallpaper collection also consists of bold and timeless patterns which are environment friendly and are washable lending a touch of class to any interior.

[email protected] www.nashome.net

RAK ceramics is one of the world’s leading producers of ceramic wall, floor, vitrified tiles and sanitary ware. It has recently launched the ‘Nanopix’ tiles in India which are based on the concept of digital printing.

This new tile collection is inspired from high-end stone materials and is suited for world class buildings and artistic tastes. The range is available in two sizes: 60 x 60 cm and 45 x 90 cm with 40 different shades. These richly detailed tiles are created by infusing artwork, digital images or photographs into ceramic and vitrified tiles. Now you can have interesting shapes, images and your favorite

photographs in the tiles by using this latest technology.

RAK offers three stunningly different marble effects within this range - New Diano, Travertino and Statuario. Design and durability are the main highlights of this collection. These Nanopix tiles from RAK are available in three surface finishes namely natural finish, lapato finish and a high gloss polished finish. Priced at Rs. 124/- per sq.ft onwards, the Nanopix tiles are accessible at all leading RAK stores across the country.

www.rakceramics.com

RAK Launches Exquisite Nanopix Tiles


THE MARKETPLACE


Venus Heat Pump Water HeatersVenus Home Appliances (P) Ltd. is one of the industry’s leading companies and has recently introduced its Heat Pump Water Heater range. This makes use of renewable energy from the atmospheric air to heat water. These heaters provide hot water round the clock in an energy efficient and affordable way.

The Heat Pump Water Heater comprises of a compressor, refrigerant, two heat exchangers (a condenser and an evaporator) and an expansion valve.

www.venushomeappliances.com

Designer lights from Tattva.AuraConceived and designed by Mukul Goyal, Tattva offers elegant home accessories to the customer in terms of designs, finishes, combinations, styles and materials. Tattva.aura, a sub range of Tattva has launched an extensive home décor collection comprising of designer lamps and light fixtures which help create a medieval feel in your personal space. These lamps make a bold statement and the size and character of these lighting fixtures enhance any living space be it lobbies, hallways

foyers, kitchens and dining rooms.

Available in different sizes and finishes, these trendy lamps in stainless steel and antique brass will enlighten your living space and attract attention. The medieval wall sconce in stainless steel costs Rs. 3,870, whereas, the table lamp is priced at Rs. 5,550 and the antique brass floor lamp is available for Rs. 20,060.

www.tattvahardware.com

Intellimate By H&R JohnsonH & R Johnson is one of the market leaders in the tile industry and offers various bath products along with a comprehensive variety of ceramic tiles. The Johnson Bath Division, offers a wide range of quality products including basins, cisterns, urinals, bath fittings, taps, bath tubs, shower cubicles & enclosures, overhead showers, instant showers and bath accessories.

It has now introduced yet another stylish and suave product - a toilet seat cover called the ‘Intellimate’. True to its name, ‘Intellimate’ has smart features like remote sensor, a night light, an MP3 player, a massage cleaner, air dryer and much more. Intellimate has an in-built remote sensor which automatically opens and closes the seat cover and lid when a person stands nearby. The seat cover can also act as a bidet seat with variable functions such as a moving nozzle to evenly spray water. It is also energy efficient as the system goes into a power off mode if not used. Intellimate is priced at Rs. 1,70,000.

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THE MARKETPLACE


The Ebony Gautier stores are part of a unique home adornment concept which offers the latest contemporary styled furniture along with a range of complementing home accessories to the new discerning Indian home maker. Ebony Gautier offers an exemplary tribute to Valentine’s Day. Its Valentine collection is a combination of eccentric and enthralling

Node Chair From SteelcaseSteelcase, a global leader in the office furniture industry has unveiled its latest Node chair that is designed for quick, easy transitions from one teaching mode to the next. With node, a classroom or a discussion/training room can undergo a transition from a lecture mode to team mode and back again, without interruption.

Node chairs offer comfort, flexibility, storage and are adjustable to suit all sizes. The Node chair accommodates left and right-handed

Ebony Gautier Launches The Valentine Collection

individuals and is large enough to support both digital and analog resources. The base of the Node chair helps keep backpacks and valuable personal belongings out of the aisle keeping individuals comfortable in a variety of postures. The open seat design of Node offers easy access, while its arms serve as backpack hooks. Easy to maintain, Node is available in twelve different colours and is up to 75 percent recyclable by weight.

The classroom chair Node was recently awarded the coveted Spark Award. The Spark Award mission is to ‘promote better living through better design’. It is a multi-level design competition open to professional designers, novices and students.

www.steelcase.asia

lounge chairs and sofas which are contemporary in design, distinct in style, colour and also reflect the aspirations of youth.

Chili, a unique triangular lounge chair by Ebony Gautier comprises of a matching foot rest and is available in two colours: passion red and sunny yellow. This chic lounge chair

compliments the living room sofa sets and can also be used in the study and living room. Priced at Rs. 60,000, the Chili lounge chair is accessible at your nearest Ebony Gautier showroom.

Pack Up - Ravello Pink, is another product introduced by the firm. Trendy with curved hand rests and back rests, this pink sofa adds a splash of colour to any living room and is a perfect choice for studio living. It is also available in a 3+1+1 configuration and costs Rs. 1,70,000.

www.ebonygautier.com


THE MARKETPLACE





Documents

Home Review February 2012