City: MUMBAI

Name & Location : Aria Hotel , Nashik , Maharashtra , India

Built up area : 150000 Sqft.

Project Description:

The site for this hotel is gently contoured rising up 9M towards the south with the entry at the lowest level in the north. Situated in the wine growing region of India, the north faces a large river and a dam with hills beyond. The southern side rises up into hills in close proximity to the site. The clients requirements included a large banquet hall of 15000 sq ft in addition to 60 rooms and other facilities

Since the banquet hall would have large gatherings its access is planned directly from the road frontage at the lowest level of the site. The public facilities including the hotel lobby, restaurant, bar, spa & business centre occupy a higher level 6 metres above the banquet hall entered directly from an ascending approach road.

The rooms at the higher level are oriented to face the river in the north or the immediate hills in the south with open circulation spaces & naturally ventilated & skylit courtyards. Each level of the hotel is integrated with the natural contours of the site, minimizing land cutting & landfill. No soil was taken out of the site or brought into the site while constructing, making the construction both economical and sustainable. Over fifty percent of the walls are built with natural black basalt stone available in close proximity of the site. All the circulation spaces are naturally lit & ventilated rendering the building energy efficient. Solar panels on the rooftop, over the banquet kitchen & parking areas generate fifty percent of the electrical energy required for the hotel. Rain water harvesting tanks, with water recycling & reuse further add to the sustainable methods adopted for the design of this hotel. All the rooms, restaurant, spa & banquets open into sheltered balconies & decks that provide outdoor usable spaces whilst minimizing the heat gain into the internal volumes.

At each floor the rooms form rectilinear cuboids that are angled differently creating balconies that frame the picturesque surroundings with 2 floor high suites at the topmost levels. Painted in terracotta color stucco, these frames are juxtaposed with the black basalt stone walls of the lower floors.

Aria Hotel is designed contextually, responding to the site contours, the views of the surroundings, the climate & the materials creating a web of experiences within its different volumes.

Material & Construction Details:

Each level of the hotel is integrated with the natural contours of the site, minimizing land cutting & landfill. No soil was taken out of the site or brought into the site while constructing, making the construction both economical and sustainable

PT construction for banquet to get almost 17M column free space & restaurant area too is planned in PT to avoid unnecessary columns to support the swimming pool.

Large balconies twisting in design is created with almost 4M of cantilever

Single loaded corridors with courtyard assist cross ventilation & natural light. Courtyards are covered along with all non-accessible roof are covered with solar panels. S-W courtyard wall is covered with mangalore terracotta jali to avoid S-W rain to enter whilst allowing breeze & light to come in.

Architects, MEP consultant, Structural consultant, PT design team & Site team working in sync to have an Integrated approach toward design and it’s execution.

Double course walls used externally as well as internally between rooms act as insulation & reduce sound transmission.

Room levels are painted in terracotta colour stucco & are juxtaposed with the locally sourced black basalt stone walls on the lower floors.
Landscape gabion compound walls are also made up of locally sourced black basalt rock.

VRV units are used for air conditioning wherever necessary to reduce consumption

LED lights are used internally as well externally

Terracota jali  is used to cover the S-W wall of the courtyard which not only facilitate natural light & ventilation also creates interesting patterns on different time of the day.

Special Feature:

Nashik receives high rainfall during monsoon months of June to September. Thus water is   harvested in a tank as well as recharged pit to sustain through all other months. Self-sufficient with water catchment areas where in storm water drain system is incorporated and ground water recharge pits are introduced. The entire waste water is recycled. All waste is directed to a sewage treatment plant, recycled and used for flushing and gardening.

Nashik’s tropical location & high altitude combines to give a mild tropical climate. Summers are hot with temperature soaring almost upto 35’C. Solar panels are fixed on roof as well as on covered parking areas to take care of 50% of electrical load of the entire resort.

Existing contours are undisturbed with minimal intervention with no additional soil is brought or removed from the site
60% of the site is left green

Air conditioning is restricted to rooms, restaurants, banquet halls & pre function areas. In these areas too VRV units are fixed to reduce power consumption.
All lobbies & corridors are naturally lit & ventilated with no additional mechanical ventilations.

In all indoor & outdoor areas LED lights are used to reduce power consumption.

Entire resort barring the basement areas used for services & parking are naturally lit & ventilated.

Deep recessed windows with double glazed unit help in reducing heat gain.

The building design is low maintenance with stucco plaster and paint finish.

Landscape is done with regional plants that require minimum water.

All materials used internally too are low maintenance with tiled flooring, textured paint finished walls.

Orientation and recessed windows contributes to 12.46% savings in the overall energy consumption.

Natural ventilation contributed to 4% savings in the overall energy consumption.

Daylight optimization contributed to 3.5% savings in the overall annual energy consumption.

High performance VRV based system contributes to 1.6% savings

Solar power for meet 50% of the requirement. This contributes to 7.4% savings.

Name & Location : Ras Houses , Ras , Rajasthan

Built up area : 204719 Sqft

Project Description:

A series of low rise volumes amidst open courtyards and landscaped gardens create 61 executive guest house, 47 hostel for bachelor accommodation & 18 studio apartments. Located in Ras, Rajasthan in India, the planning of the internal spaces respond to the desert climate of the location. Deeply recessed windows, open and sheltered courtyards, naturally ventilated circulation spaces & cross ventilated living spaces contribute towards reduced heat gain and naturally cooled interiors.

Each part of this housing development is planned at the existing levels of a contoured site with contour differences of 3 to 8 metres, resulting in economy of construction, minimal cutting ad filling of soil & a resultant height variation that creates character. The organic layout of the housing is derived from old Indian cities with constantly varying scales and changing of axis to create individuality for each part of the housing.

The minimal intervention with the contoured site, low rise planning, facilitation of natural light & ventilation, reduction of heat gain, water recycling & rain water harvesting, use of local labor, fly ash bricks and use of residual energy from a nearby cement plant render this project economical & sustainable. The total area of 204719 sqft was built within INR 1300 per sqft.

Color acts as an integral parameter in differentiating volumes as well as identifying circulation spaces interestingly while alluding to the colors of the region. In Rajasthan colour plays an important role in the lives of the people who wear bright colours daily. Most cities in Rajasthan state are identified by a colour. Jodhpur in Rajasthan is known as the blue city with traditional homes in hues of blue lime plaster. Jaisalmer is known as the yellow city for its traditional houses being built in yellow sandstone. The deconstructed cubes sport varied hues of the sandy region, at different times of the day – visually differentiating the stepped, recessed volumes as well as identifying circulation spaces. With lighter hues on external walls to reflect heat off the surfaces, and darker tones indoors to create a cooler feel, they add impact to the highly ‘responsive’ design solution.

Ras houses is composition of rectilinear volumes rendered in bright colors derived from the traditional Rajasthan color palette adding to the contextual response of the design to its location. The design is responsive to the desert climate and the culture of Rajasthan in addition to being site specific & imbibing the old Indian city’s organic character. It is a low rise housing solution in response to its location, the climate & tradition creating a contextual & sustainable design.

Material & Construction Details:

The building design is low maintenance with sand faced plaster and paint finish.

The RCC frame structure is created from the cement sourced within 1 km of the site reducing transportation costs.

Landscape is done with regional plants that require minimum water.

All windows are deeply recessed to reduce the heat gain.

All materials used internally too are low maintenance with tiled flooring, textured paint finished walls.

Special Feature:

The design integrates the building with the natural contours of the land thereby reducing the cutting and filling of the variations in the ground level.

All apartments face north, north east and north west reducing the heat gain from the south completely since the sun is in the southern hemisphere all year and temperature are in excess of 40°C for 8 months of the year.

Cross ventilation is facilitated in all apartments as well as the circulation spaces.

Fly ash bricks made from the waste of cement plant nearby and is used for all the walls.

The RCC frame structure is created from the cement sourced within 1 km of the site reducing transportation costs.

The building is low rise eliminating the need of mechanical vertical elevators to a minimum only for handicapped people.

All windows are deeply recessed to reduce the heat gain.

Natural light for all rooms and toilets.

All lighting external & internal are in LED

Lighter hues on external walls to reflect heat off the surfaces, and darker tones are used indoors to create a cooler feel.
A lot of landscaped green spaces have been planned around the development, to provide relief from the sandy outdoors. Thus the corridors become cool, airy and sheltered walkways allowing views of the landscaped spaces on either side while walking through and offering interesting experiences each time.

Name of the Project: Administrative office of JSW steel coated products ltd, Vasind plant
Typology: Commercial: Plant office
Location: Vasind, Maharashtra
Built Up Area: 55000 sq. ft.
Site Area: 175000 sq. ft. (4 acres)

Sustainable and Dynamic Workspaces
The transformation of the JSW’s Administrative Office at Vasind works plant, Vasind was driven by the need to replace old and outdated, leakage-prone offices buildings in various parts of the plant. The new administrative complex, set in the northwest parcel of the 110-acre plant would bring together the plant administrative offices, housing 150 employees at one location, providing better infrastructure, a conducive working environment reflecting JSW brand as a sensitive, sustainable and dynamic establishment.

The site abuts the Mumbai Nashik Highway. The prevalent 125 m highway setbacks from its centre defined the primary zone of the development. The setback area served as a vital foreground for the development. The earmarked parcel was largely clear, except for tree cover in certain areas and a small old unused structure at the east corner of the parcel.

The design reflects our response of preserving the green cover, minimizing foot print, organizing spaces as per the functional needs & crafting the form in response to the climate. The arrival pavilion, pedestrian walk, the wedge shaped arrival foyer, the connecting corridor to the café and the cafe with utility block beyond is conceived as a series of robust experiences set in landscape. The spaces engage with the landscape through shaded walkways and veranda’s. The built form vocabulary is articulated in local stone and exposed concrete, with glazing at suitable areas, forming the unifying base of the complex. The distinctly crafted linear bars of the workspaces and shared facility’s sit above this unifying base.

Workspaces largely in an insulated glazed cover, overlook views and are well shaded by deep overhangs and localized external screens. The spatial planning strategy along with the light filled spaces and engagement with nature fosters collaboration and interaction among employees. Materials used in the construction of the complex were aligned to the sustainability goals and responsibly consumed, with keeping the wastage factor to a minimum. The material palette comprises of ordinary local materials like Black basalt, Kota, granite, executed with extraordinary quality.
The project has set a benchmark for other plant offices, shaping the work experience and company culture at JSW. Despite pandemic challenges, the project achieved a thriving landscape and a positive, productive work environment. It continues to set new standards in sustainable and dynamic workspace design, aligning with the company’s tagline, “Better Every Day.”

10-point write-up highlighting Sustainable aspects of design:

Need of the project: The transformation of the JSW’s Administrative Office at Vasind works plant, Vasind was driven by the need to replace old and outdated, leakage-prone offices buildings in various parts of the plant. The new administrative complex, set in the open northwest parcel of the plant would bring together the various plant administrative offices at one location, providing better infrastructure, a conducive working environment and reflecting JSW’s brand as a sensitive, sustainable, young, and dynamic establishment. The old structures were cleared for landscaped green areas.

Responsible planning: The prevalent highway setbacks defines the primary zone of the development. The parcel was largely clear, except for tree cover in certain areas. The arrival pavilion, the pedestrian walk, the arrival foyer, the café with its outdoors and the utility block beyond is conceived as a series of robust experiences set in landscape. The compact foot print of the development ensured no damage to the existing trees and minimal disruption to the top soil. This base is articulated in local stone and exposed concrete, with glazing at suitable areas, forming the unifying base of the complex. The distinctly crafted linear bars housing the workspaces and shared functions rest above this unifying base

Form follows climate: The building’s orientation is strategically planned to optimise natural light and ventilation, reducing the need for artificial lighting and mechanical cooling, thereby enhancing energy efficiency. Workspaces largely in an insulated glazed cover, overlook views and are well shaded by deep overhangs and localized external screens.

Interior planning: We spend over a third of our daily life at work. It is essential that the work spaces are thoughtfully designed and conducive for our wellbeing, enabling engagement, being adaptive, getting motivated and creating meaningful work. The key drivers for this are glare free natural light, planning of personal and communal space with optimal density, connecting with nature and expanse, acoustics, ergonomics & adaptive nature. The design attempts to address these needs.

Engaging craft and skill: It was important how the development enables engagement of artisans and celebrates skilled workmanship and craft. We sought to celebrate the extraordinary execution of ordinary materials. This was planned in critical transition and communal areas which would be a showcase to the users and visitors to the office. A few notably were the tight joint local basalt dressed wall leading to the central foyer, terrazzo work in central foyer, skilfully done staircase railing by metal craftsman, sourcing of block print kalamkari fabrics for furnishings from NGO’s working with weaver communities etc

Materiality: The use of locally sourced materials such as Kota stone, granite, and basalt stone minimises transportation emissions and supports the local economy. These materials are chosen for their durability and low environmental impact. The workspaces extensively use JSW’s steel and cement products, showcasing the company’s commitment to utilising its own sustainable materials while ensuring the structure’s longevity and strength.

Responsible consumption: Offices consume a lot of energy and resources. One of the primary aims towards sustainable development is to address how to reduce energy consumption and resources or rather do responsible consumption. We aimed to achieve this through the following ways.

Glazed façades were restricted to areas requiring natural light. Low e double glazing with superior performance criteria was used. It was further shaded by suitable shading devices.
The building roof was thermally insulated externally to reduce the heat gains.
Low consumption LED light fixtures are planned in the building.
Low water consumption fixtures were used in toilets and pantry areas. The waste water was centrally treated in the plant and used for horticulture and make up water for cooling tower.
Efficient water cooled chillers have been planned for the air conditioning of the premises. Most of the transition areas are naturally ventilated, reducing the overall load on the air-conditioning.
Wastage in usage of materials like stone was kept to a very minimum (under 5%) by planning their application in the available sizes.
Paved areas were restricted to minimum as possible and soft-scapes were designed for percolation enabling ground water recharge.
Use of recyclable products and no consumption of plastics in daily use.

Responsible landscape design: Excessive hardscaping around building perimeter causes heat island effect, resulting in heat gains, glare and visual discomfort. The design consciously attempts to minimize hardscape and maximise softscape and tree cover.
Treated water from central plant STP is used to maintain the green cover with carefully planned drip and sprinkler system.

Optimising Life cycle cost: Through adoption of sustainable practices the construction costs of the project were largely optimised. Through sensitive planning the life cycle operational costs of the development are also reduced.

Internal branding ethos: It is well known that the client are patrons of art. The Journey of Vasind works began in 1982. We saw the passion of the plant team who considered the organisation as their family. This led to our proposal of showcasing the overlaps between Self and Work resulting in this beautiful family and which would be more meaningful to the users rather than formal art. This was built through the narratives of Heroes of Vasind (Larger than life photos of blue collar workers), Act of work (capturing people at work), Language of love (quotes in native language and script), Lifelines of Vasind (profile line work of key employees), Tools of Joy (Use commonplace objects from the factory to create interesting arrangements) & Name. Place. People. Things (Anecdote, Achievements, Accolades of people spread out chronologically)