City: NEW DELHI

Max House is a corporate campus for Max Estates in Delhi’s Okhla, comprising two multi-tenant buildings designed to accommodate a myriad of workspaces and an existing building to be adapted into a community hub. The site adjoins a bustling thoroughfare, sitting across from an east-west metro corridor, the Modi Flour Mills and

the Baha’i House of Worship. This presented an opportunity for the studio to determine the development’s overall design vocabulary. The new building nods to the legacy of nearby industrial structures, such as the Modi Flour Mills Building. It is designed to reflect the brand’s underlying design philosophy rooted in sustainability,

resilience, and environmental harmony. The building’s forecourt is bound by low-height walls, maintaining sightlines with the adjacent road. To account for vehicular parking on this site close to the Yamuna floodplain, where deep excavations are unfavourable, a parking podium was devised that

simultaneously opened up the volume to create a spacious tripleheight lobby. The façade, in local brick, is punctuated with recessed balconies and community terraces that also aid daylighting and natural ventilation, significantly lowering the building’s operating costs. Through the integration of passive design principles, low-impact materials and technology, the building has earned LEED Gold certification. Through its design, it attempts to create an alternative benchmark for commercial architecture in the Indian context.

Materials of Construction Details:

Max House uses locally available hollow brick masonry for its design, significantly reducing its environmental footprint. The building envelope is designed using a two-pronged strategy to regulate the ingress of heat. The façade, composed of hollow brick masonry, insulated spandrel panels, and Double Glazed Units

(DGU)s, is engineered to cut out glare and create a thermal buffer, lowering operating costs. As many as 82 high solar reflective index (SRI) tiles will be installed on the roof to minimize the impact on the micro-climate and reduce heat transfer through the built volume. The design scheme extends the expression of exposed brickwork into the interiors, injecting spaces with a natural, ‘handcrafted’ appeal. While brickwork and glass blocks create the retro-chic approach to the interiors of the triple-height lobby, neutral tones of stone and veneer imbue the surfaces with understated elegance.

Special Features:

Max House’s architecture and interior expression unite responsible sourcing and material used with state-of-the-art workspaces and high-performance building systems. The tower’s façade references the Flour Mills building through its distinctive bands of alternating brick and glass, punctuated by spandrel panels, deep-set balconies

and community terraces. The floor plates and the façade ensure optimal daylight penetration without glare, almost eliminating the dependence on artificial means

of lighting during the day. The floor plate configuration, in conjunction with the facade’s significantly low wall-to-window ratio of 60:40 and shading spandrels, significantly elevates the passive design parameters of the building, a unique proposition in new-age office building design. A collaboration with ROHA Landscape for the precinct’s landscape design aimed to harness existing resources. The interventions include an efficient stormwater management network and on-site

water rainwater management treatments such as the integration of bioswales, infiltration trenches, rain gardens, bio-retention areas, and open grid pavers in hardscaped areas. Calculations indicate that turf grass is irrigated with a drip irrigation system, reducing water use by 61%.

Green Architecture : 10 pointers

The design incorporates several features to reduce its environmental impact. The building envelope is designed using a two-pronged strategy to regulate the ingress of heat.

The façade is composed of hollow brick masonry, insulated spandrel panels, and double-glazed glass units are engineered to cut out glare and create a thermal buffer, significantly lowering operating costs.

Passive design strategies significantly aid heat regulation, improving thermal comfort. Further, the narrow floor plates ensure that over 75 per cent of the occupied floor area receives optimal daylight across all building floors.

The floor plate configuration, in conjunction with the facade’s significantly low wall-to-window ratio of 60:40 and shading spandrels, significantly elevates the passive design parameters of the building.

Spill-out areas facilitate fresh air circulation to occupied spaces by at least thirty per cent above the minimum rates required by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62.1- 2010.The floor plates and the façade ensure optimal daylight penetration without glare, almost eliminating the dependence on artificial means of lighting during the day.

The building’s focus on environmental sustainability and aspects of employee health & well-being has earned it an IGBC Health and Well-Being Gold rating.

82 high solar reflective index (SRI) tiles were installed on the roof to minimise the impact on the micro-climate and reduce heat transfer.

The precinct’s landscape design aimed to harness existing resources, i.e. native vegetation and water, and mitigate the heat island effect. The interventions include an efficient stormwater management network and on-site water rainwater management treatments such as the integration of bioswales, infiltration trenches, rain gardens, bioretention areas, and open grid pavers in hardscaped areas.

Other interventions included, podium parking to account for vehicular parking on this site close to the Yamuna floodplain, where deep excavations are unfavourable.

Salient Features of the Project

Name & Location: Temple in Stone and Light, Barmer, Rajasthan

Cost of Project: Rs. 2crore (Including land development and landscaping cost of entire site)

Site Area: 4360sqm Built-up area: 138 sqm

 

Description of Project: The project was an opportunity to explore and establish contemporary interpretations of traditional typologies and building techniques.  The project was aimed to cater the local community and employees of the industrial township in the village of Bhadresh. With prominent industrial structures as a backdrop, the brief was to evolve a form intended as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional temple; familiar and exciting at the same time. 

Located in the culturally rich area of Rajasthan, the contextual response to the region’s architecture rendered a design which sought to push the boundaries of modern temple architecture without compromising on the symbolic aspects of temple design. The temple connects with the community through representation of the local culture, workmanship and heritage. As a place of worship, it provides a deeper connection by redefining spaces of spiritual refuge in India.

The decision to use stone masonry was an attempt to pay homage to the region’s building style and yet provide novelty in a temple of that region. Hence, though the region has traditional temples of stone, the Temple in Stone and Light would add value by bringing a new design and aesthetic to the region. The legacy of temples is taken forward by retaining the symbolic aspects and expanding the scope of temple design in the region.

The native flora was taken into account and landscaping was done envisioning the temple nestled in dense vegetation. Due to the reservoir for the power plant in the vicinity, the area has a very high water table, unusual in the desert. Though still saplings, the landscape has already started to create a local ecosystem. Since it is intended for the local people, the use of the temple was considered to be the most during the tolerable temperatures of mornings and evenings. Thus the design, along with the landscaping, provides spaces for individuals and families instead of built canopied areas for large gatherings.

 

Materials of Construction Details: The traditional Indian temple is strongly associated with stone – a testimony to the material’s beauty, strength and timelessness. The availability of resources such as excellent quality of stone and depth of knowledge of skilled traditional craftsmanship which we wanted to utilize, led to the consideration of stone as the only material to use. Considering the setting of the temple in the wonderfully stark and alive canvas of the Thar Desert, the primary building material was the yellow, locally available Jaisalmer sandstone. The yellow sandstone gives the temple an appearance of having risen from the surrounding sands. Instead of hiding the details of structural construction, we decided to make them an integral part the temple aesthetic. The use of using stone structure is intended to achieve beauty not through ornamentation but through usage of stone in its pure form.

The main innovation is in the shikhar of the temple which is supported by solid dressed stone masonry. Rather than a solid block, the individual components of the shikhar of the temple are offset from each other using interlocking stone blocks with epoxy binder. The slabs in the shikhar with their interlocking blocks had to be designed in a manner that the structural stability was achieved and that symmetry was retained when the structure was strongly visible during the night.  The stone slabs are held at their joints by steel plates and studs.

The massive stone masonry walls are designed to hold the stone shikhar. The placing of the blocks and workmanship are such that one sees only hairline joints between the blocks. Each massive stone component had to be placed precisely in place to balance the various requirements. As the stone was used for structural purposes and not just decorative, the density of the stone was specified and these were specially sourced to meet the requirements. The pure compression structure is revealed through each course and component that forms the superstructure. Low operational costs were achieved through usage of locally available stone and by employing local skilled labour.

Heaviness of stone was to be balanced with lightness. And it was done through introduction of light. Stone is carved out to create porosity for natural light to get in, while retaining its solidity as a volume. LED lighting was used to transform the structure in the night-time such that it appears as a glittering lantern in the stark desert landscape.

The stainless steel vedika, or the peak atop the stone shikhar, catches the light during sunrise and sunset and also celebrates the industrial legacy of the organization that commissioned this building. In addition, marble was used for a finer finish and detailing on the landscaping wall cladding and flooring separate from the masonry structure.

 

Special Features: The temple, built of Jaisalmer stone, lets in air and light; water flows through and around it. The interlocking stone joinery is employed to let light into the inner sanctum or the garbhagriha of the temple during the day and let light out during the night, transforming the temple from day to night. Niches and stone screens provide an element of lightness to the structure. The architecture of the temple combines the heavy materiality of the stone with the lightness of the form; the solid looking stone exterior dissolves as the night dawns and transforms into a delicate lantern in the dunes. The light deepens the natural yellow of the Jaisalmer stone of the temple. A balance of opacity and transparency is achieved by play of stone and light as architectural elements. 

While in the first appearance the form of the temple evokes the lines of a traditional Shiva Temple, at closer glance the temple reveals a reimagining of the fractal geometry of the traditional Indian temple structure. Through the design process, the brief was changed from being a Shakti to a Shiva temple, in other words from being a temple for a female deity to a male one. This resulted in an unusual juxtaposition of symbolically masculine and feminine elements of temple architecture in the design. Masculine and feminine are often approached as a continuum, rather than a binary in ancient Indian philosophy and mythology, and the architecture of this contemporary temple also came to symbolically represent the same. As a result, Parikrama (circumambulatory) of Shakti temple is juxtaposed with symbolic structure of Shiva temple that emerges into a spiritual space with an androgynous sensitivity for this place of worship. 

The design of the temple was intended to evoke timelessness; the traditional and still be rooted in its time and place. Through the research and design development process the structured symbolism of traditional temple architecture was filtered to evolve the form. At different times of the day, from different directions, the temple is heavy and light, solid and translucent, valid and void, past and present.

MATERIALS USED

Discovery Centre
Excavated Rubbish (from the site used as plinth fill)
Structural Steel
Robertson Deck
Lightweight Concrete
XPS Insulation
High Solar Reflective Index Mineral Adhesive

Water Based Steel Texture Paint
Frit Printed Insulating Glass
Laquered Glass
Toughened Glass
Aluminum Composite Panels

Architectural Fabric- Structural
Architectural Fabric- Mesh

Multiwall Polycarbonate

Split Faced Saadhar Ali Stone (from the vicinity)
Flotex Textile Flooring

Lights: Reggiani / Flos / DGA / Decon

DISCOVERY CENTRE

As a studio that engages in progressive architectural practice with an intent to make buildings last longer through the utility of longer life-span materials, the Discovery Centre is envisaged as architecture that exhibits cultural continuity and creates built form that need not to be conditioned and spruced up timely. A Greenfield project purposed to demonstrate the upcoming progressive development at the Bhartiya city, Bangalore, the brief was to create a flexible city town hall that would also serve as the site office/sales office to illustrate the urban real estate initiatives of the Bhartiya Group. The brief also demanded the exploration of the possibilities of sustainable design and sustainable development on an extremely tight budget.

Spread across 125 acres, the development is planned as a place-making exercise to craft an environment to attract people. Also determined from the brief is the fact that the building is only laced for 6 years and post that, it would be relocated and moved down the site precinct and hence the building was conceived as an assemblage of parts. Being a Greenfield project in the outskirts of Bangalore, the design had to be more than just a rudimentary structure that would establish an identity even from the glimpse off the highway.

While typically, a building of this nature is placed at the edge of the site as an open flexible shell that is dressed up, in order to enhance the spatial connect with the visitors, the Discovery Centre is placed at the heart of the site to engage the visitor right through the development. The building had to tell a story, the concerns of the township and of course demonstrate the residential and commercial characteristics of the development. Optimizing the sky, light and air quality in Bangalore, the intent was create a progressive design experience that would demonstrate the core value of a high quality of life in the development. Innovation is therefore crucial, and something distinctive had to be created that would not only stand out in form but also in colour, revealing a narrative for the township. In a derelict zone with no clear indication of what was to come in up in the imminent future, a palette that would enable all these aspects is adopted.

An egg-shaped auditorium amidst an urban plaza is therefore conceived, which would attract the urban Indian family looking to be a part of the township. Built with Glass fibre to introduce the narrative, the auditorium sits amidst a lotus pond that with its lotus motif pays homage to Indian design. Painted red, the egg on the plaza is aimed to bring the family together at one point. Red as a colour has the longest wavelength, and can be easily spotted from a distance even in the back of beyond- an in the face gesture for the visitor. Every other element such as Golf carts, an ice-cream van, plasma screens are typological inserts that may get amended over time. A single flight staircase in red steel & regional granite stand out as a distinct feature that brings visitors to itself. All other functions are planned as occurrences in an event that one happens to chance upon, inside the building. The Building opens out at a lower level, connecting the north-south plaza,
while creating a spill out space.

A light weight building is hence built on compacted soil that is borrowed from the excavated foundation of the surrounding development. The structure uses longer life span materials in a modular manner for ease of composition and assembly. Earthfill has been used to create the plinth, in order to use all the material that is dug out from the lower levels. The idea is to take modularity beyond its conventional theoretical understanding, to a more literal level, that enables each panel, each nut and bold to be assembled, dismantled and then reassembled processing the building like a machine. A large span built form is fashioned with the truss being the most economical way of covering these large spans. Using a truss system also aids in keeping the roof light, brings light inside and also enables controlled surrounding views of the site. An architectural mesh and glass is hence used; frit printed glass is used in a manner that reduces internal heat gain, and in an environment like Bangalore, is easy to ventilate. Functionally, what is a created is a 90m long building with a 20m large span and a double height space and a deck that is suspended from the trusses to get a clear, multi-function space that can perform most functions (with a height of 4.5m). The structure is exposed in its entirety and painted with water-based paint to further allow for visual connections.

Name and Location: Stonex India Pvt. Ltd, Kishangarh, Rajasthan

Built-Up Area: 20,000 sq. m

Description of the Project:

Stonex India’s administrative and industrial complex in Kishangarh has been conceptualized to serve as an eminent landmark in Kishangarh. Instead of erecting a factory-processed industrial shed that focuses on the product and does not communicate with the people who inhabit it, the Stonex factory is developed as a native production-house, geared for excellence and innovation of the global order, while successfully carving out a niche of its own amidst the industrial landscape.

A product of simultaneous interactions between dynamic ordering of principles across varying systems and scales, and responses towards the site, the architecture is an attempt to manifest the user at the centre of the design process. Drawing inspiration and making reference to the regional Sonpura temple, the building crafts a sense of belongingness and a sense of place by using local rubble as a muse for its own identity. Keeping the worker who inhabits the typical stone processing factory of a similar scale and nature, under harsh working conditions, the design of the complex is an attempt to enable a better work environment. Typically, the workers work in harsh temperatures of around 48 degrees Celsius with scorching sun and dry heat throughout the day. The production unit is thereby designed to keep the inside space comfortable throughout the day even when the temperature outside are at peak.

Materials/ Construction Details: The orientation and design of the building facilitates climate responsiveness. The hot and dry climate of Rajasthan is combated by the partly sunk mass, staying cool during summers and warm during winters. This is achieved by the natural phenomena of Earth Berming and Earth Coupling. The temperatures indoors are regulated with the help of radiant cooling, allowing for a 60% efficiency in the running cost of the building. Also, this has led to HVAC load cutting by almost 40%. The floor slabs are additionally radiant cooled to regulate temperatures.

The skin of the Office building sandwiches a puff panel between two laminam panels to further insulate the interiors. The façade is complimented by an enveloping stone screen that is fabricated using the waste stone from a nearby quarry and the stone wastage that is generated on site. This screen provides solar shading from the south-east and west glare. A playful, visual appeal is created by the light and shadow of interwoven stone blocks that appear to be floating at different levels.

The processing plant and display area are both well insulated, using local rubble walls of 550mm thickness towards the east facade and insulated galvalume sheet in the triangular flutters- with a blank facade towards the west. Glazing and lovers at the lower level help the viewer connect visually with the landscaped surroundings while the louvers and glazing towards the north light develops a wind draft to release hot air inside and bringing north light inside. While the local rubble masonry facilitates the passive design in order to optimize the climatic conditions, there is also an intent to involve the local masons, and empower the craft and the craftsmen.

Special Features: Functionality drives the design; the linear production process is used as a design determinant to avoid the workers being forced to do manual lifting, prone to accidents, which is otherwise a common process. Two people can therefore, bring in a 25 Tonne block from one end, process it, display it, and dispatch it on their own. Architecture has opted to campaign human life; by forcing better working conditions, physical and emotional well-being, creating comfort and thereby ensuring better communities and a richer built environment.

Prefabricated white metal flutters give the entire structure a buoyant profile, when looked at from afar. The stone buttresses make the building appear grounded at a more proximal viewing. The sides facing east and west are mostly blank, barring the small windows that connect the occupants with the surroundings. The windows also create a wind draft across the height of the shed expelled through the ventilators along the north light trusses therefore avoiding hot pockets at the top and effectively cooling the building by about 10-12 degrees. The building is designed such that the spaces are used judiciously, allowing for maximum possible green cover and soft scaping. Other sustainable measures include the use of bio STPs that recycle waste water and use it for landscaping and flushing toilets, 100% rainwater harvesting that keeps the groundwater table recharged and soft scraping inside that aids the creation of shaded areas to create a microclimate and keep overall temperatures of the facility low.