City: Pune

Name & Location: GRID HOUSE, KONDHWA, PUNE

Built-up area: 5000 SQ. FT.
(In case of Public Building minimum built-up area should be 1000 sq. meter)

Description of Project:

A contemporary style and achieving so in low-end specifications sum up this house in one sentence. As one traverses through the house, spaces reveal their true colors. The main entrance to the house is marked by an alley covered by sleepwood pergolas. The narrow slits over the wall of the alley lets in a peep into the Zen Buddha court, while still keeping the real character of the Zen court under veils. The long bamboo shoots in the entrance court welcome the visitors and metaphorically tie up the vertical volume.

The living room is flanked on two sides by distinguished landscape elements completely different in their characters and the Buddha court is now fully experienced and enjoyed. Across one of the openings in the living room, one can see the Puja room across the reflections of the water body. The water body in front of the Puja room crafts a perfect ambience and the cudappah steppers in the water body complete the look.

The master bedroom achieves potential spaces, courtesy the small court in the room. The toilet walls were removed and the glass walls opened up the whole space visually. Other rooms also display similar feel of liveliness together with minimalism. The family room on the upper level exhibits a rather modern look. The traditional camel cart has been converted into a table. Use of lesser lights and giving a dark look to the space compliments its ambience and provides a perfect backdrop for the small family theatre. The furniture here consists of either lose cushions or bean bags spread across the wooden floor.

Materials of Construction Details:

There has been use of only one veneer in the house, which accentuates the dash of simplicity. The flooring has been adorned with low-cost marble and rough hammer tone cudappah thus successfully meeting its goal. Whereas cudappah has been used in the courts, Onam marble has been used for other interior spaces. All the interior walls are devoid of any color and color enters the house through furnishings and artifacts.

Special Features:

This house is an out-come of permutations and combinations of spaces in sections. Overlooking spaces in the house claim their versatility. Spaces seem to be woven into each other because of visual continuity between them, making them look expansive. It is an attempt to splash all the public spaces with plenty of natural light to make them more appealing and inviting while the private spaces are kept cozier and intact. The pergolas cast excellent sciographies and make the house a time-piece. The eternal source of beauty and magnificence which adorns the house is the timeless energy of nature – the rich golden natural light. This light gives a fresh appeal to the static space, transforming its look each time of the day. This feature being free of cost has been used abundantly and profusely. The shadows traveling on the walls and floors compensate for any static art installation.

Name: Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies

Location: Lonavla, Pune Dist. India.

Cost: Rs. 69 crores

Built Up Area: 2,26,722 Sft.

Description of the Project:

The Samundra Institute of Maritime Studies (SIMS) near Mumbai was established by Executive Ship Management (ESM) Singapore, to fulfill its new vision of an industry driven by environmental protection, safety and efficiency. Realizing that it must drive this mission through human resources it embarked on the creation of a sophisticated, state of the art, world class green campus where the full range of pre-sea and post-sea studies can be imparted.

Like ships floating upon a vast undulating sea, the sculpturesque buildings appear to float on the grass lawns. Steel and glass were employed to give the cadets a taste of sea life where existence is in a machine called a ship!

At the campus, which was completed in 2007, housing 480 cadets, energy efficiency begins to walk the talk with the campus producing 90 KW of energy through its photovoltaic panels, which lend unique character to facades whose appearance is driven by efficiency and not fashions! Photovoltaic cells, both translucent and opaque, became modern-day Indian ‘jaalis,’ allowing in natural light while blocking heat via the three hundred feet long photovoltaic solar wall in the Maritime Workshop; Asia’s longest, it produces 90 KW daily! Operable glass on the north façade brings in natural light, giving the testing equipment and machinery all-round illumination and ventilation. The Administration Building cleverly exploits northern light through its wavy glass atrium wall, while generating electricity through the grand photovoltaic south-facing façade that produces 30 KW. The structure is made of two walls, like a ship, that fall apart in the middle and then rejoin back in the end.

The long Students Hostel structure, which is a Two hundred and fifty meters long, glides over the grass ocean, like a catamaran in full wind! 400 cadets and post-sea officers are accommodated within five “ships” anchored at either end by the Auditorium (South) and the Catering Center (north). Aluminum louvers keep the bright sun off of the fenestration and the three Dining Halls are glass prisms facing north, with protective cladded concrete walls to the South and West. The interiors are cast-in-place concrete murals. This long ship floats
above the Infinite Corridor, which acts as a covered walkway. Vertical stair silos moor this lofty structure to the site, like ship moorings in a port. The Academic Building is a composition of fourteen large classrooms, with cladded walls to the south and louvered glass. The large lineal atrium connects them all into one composition, with pointed, ship-like porches at either end.

All buildings have natural illumination, cutting consumption of non-renewable energy. Solar panels provide the entire heated water requirement, using circular hot water tanks held above the circular stairs. These seemingly frivolous shapes are integrated within a functional system of water management. The 82 feet tall central tank is vertically divided into four stages, with the raw bore well water progressively purified as it reaches the topmost tank, from where it is gravity distributed to the entire campus. Aluminum louvers in the Hostel and curved Academic Building allow natural ventilation and day light, while blocking India’s fierce sun, acting as a passive air conditioning system.

Two bio-sewerage treatment plants recycle grey water to gardens and water sinks. Compost banks produce organic fertilizer. Innovative water management makes the campus “water self-sufficient”! Eighty-percent of its water is re-cycled. Ground and rain water is harvested via catchment canals circling the campus, which is then stored within the two acre pond, which is the home of the “Ship-in-Campus;” an eight storied slice of a real ship allowing actual, instead of virtual, training. The Ship includes a desalination plant, sewerage treatment plant, generators, full scale engine, air-conditioning plants and fire safety systems, as well as tanker pumps. Fire prevention, life-boat operations and under-water sea operations are taught here.

Put in the words of Tata BP Solar CEO, “SIMS is a unique project and an engineering marvel, becoming the take home lesson for young cadets stepping into the world of sailing, who will determine the quality and the culture of the maritime industry in future years”.

This post-modern ensemble of statuesque objects, floating on a green sea carpet, are held into a visual pattern by the landmark water tower, axial pathways, River Indrayani, NH-4, and the directional movement of the objects in space.

 

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:

A simple plan abiding by the rules of a basic grid, imbibing the principles of Vastu and strongly reflecting potential spaces shapes the concept of this 3X3 grid house.

The Piot measures 59TX104′. The house has been cast in grids measuring 14′, 8′, 14′ along the horizontal axis and 24′, 24′, 24′ along the vertical axis. The grids are laid on a level surface, which in return reveal the potentiai of a simple two-leveled plan. Scooping out the quintessential courtyards in these grids adds a traditional aura to the basic grid plan.

The house has a long entrance lobby, which is partially covered by a skylight and partially by slab. Entrance lobby opens into the living room and the vision expands and reaches the central courtyard. Kitchen is located in the front South East corner. The dining and the family follow the kitchen and align to the left of the court while overlooking it through the passage and the staircase. The centrally placed courtyard can be overlooked from various corners of the house and comprises of a kund with a sculptural temple tree (champa) in the center.

The 8′ centrai spine becomes the connector to all the spaces in the house. This spine at the ground level leads one to the rooms at the rear of the house. While the right rear corner becomes the gym, the left rear corner, which is the southwest corner, becomes the master bedroom. A straight flight staircase rises from the central spine and takes one to the upper level of the house. The lobby on the first level is flanked on either sides by son’s bedroom and daughter’s bedroom.

Son’s bedroom follows altogether a different vocabulary creating a dark scene inside. The whole room is painted in dark gray and peacock blue and finished with dark wood furniture. A small courtyard internally connects the room to the toilet. The spine at the second level winds into a plunge pool towards the end. To the right side of the pool lies the parents bedroom.

The front compound wall presents a rather subtle view by aid of pivoted panels, which hollow out the solidity of the wall and bring in some kind of momentum figuratively.

Material of construction:

Flooring: Ibris marble, flamed and brushed granite
Masonary: Nevasa stone and fine river sand plaster.

Special features:

There is an effort to build an inward looking house by pulling the basic outdoor landscape inside, both physically and visually, and providing such vistas in the interior of the house, which compel one to build an environment inside. Central courtyard becomes the soul of the house. The court is completely enclosed by means of huge pivoted doors painted in rustic hues and adorned with old, traditional Rajasthani hand-painted windows, picked up from Jaisalmer. The double height of the courtyard is devoid of the monotony of a dead slab by means of a narrow strip of skylight and small circular skylights. The ‘NAMOKAR mantra etched on the skylight glass casts its shadow over the wall and it changes its anatomy across the day. The courtyard boasts of various special features to be appreciated, be it the look imparted by the ‘CHAMPA’ tree or its scattered flowers across the black floor of the court, it is refreshing to imagine all the entities woven into one single space which would differentiate the identity of the space and the people occupying it.

Huge quantum of natural light disperses into the house through the long narrow skylight over the staircase. Long dead walls sandwich the staircase thus emphasizing the importance of a vertical volume and the light rays filtering in through this vertical volume provides a divine backdrop. The  house witnesses many impressions of some artistic work. A backlit tree cutout, inspired from Batik work, stands as an artwork and greets one to the top level of the house. The panel is painted in a rustic blue and a beautiful Rajasthani window fits into it. While opening the entire panel reveals the blue of the water body, the small inset window just gives a reflection of the water mass. The terrace on the other side of the pool boasts of the traditional “jharokha” window, treated with wooden jaalis (lattice work) and the very stylish mosaic work. The mosaic work on floor is treated as the reflection of a very contemporary tree cutout in the terrace wall.

Salient Features of the Project

Name & Location: The Heritage School, Ambi, Talegaon near Pune

Cost of Project: ₹8 Crores

Built-up Area: 6,200 sq.m
(In case of public buildings, minimum built-up area should be 1,000 sq.m)

Description of the Project

This is a residential school, co-educational, CBSE-affiliated, built in a suburban area of Talegaon, 40 km from Pune, off the old Pune–Mumbai highway. The school campus, spread over ten acres of land, is designed to educate 240 to 300 students from 5th to 12th standard.

This project, executed in phases, comprises dormitories, classrooms, laboratories, and ancillary buildings. Areas for future growth are planned such that the overall composition of built form and movement becomes incrementally interesting. Sloping terrain and picturesque surroundings are major factors shaping the architecture of this place.

Materials of Construction

Load-bearing masonry walls made of basalt stone from local quarries

Form-finished RCC work, with modular formwork

Brickwork panels with aggregate plaster using basalt and Kota stone chips

Aluminium powder-coated sliding windows (2-track) with single clear float glass

Terracotta clay tiles for waterproofing and thermal insulation on curved roofs

Polished Kota stone flooring and pathways in machine-cut Shahabad stone

The materials used require the least maintenance

Special Features

The sloping terrain of the site is accommodated within the buildings and in-between spaces

The dormitory section negotiates one meter height difference at every instance

Modular derivatives of vaulted roof forms are designed to provide multiple combinations to suit different functions

Buildings and open spaces complement the human scale of the users’ age group

This is a green building in the truest sense, as it is:

Placed sensitively on the ground

Made predominantly with local materials and traditional construction skills

Designed to have very low energy demands during and after construction

Harnessing natural elements to provide ventilation and adequate daylight

Enabling thermal comfort throughout all seasons

Outdoor spaces are designed to be an integral part of the living experience

Water from the local river, one km away, is conservatively consumed and recycled

The project boasts green features at site planning, architectural, and operational stages

This can be called “Ethno-Modern Architecture”, bearing a timeless character

PROJECT DATA (to be provided by the JK-AYA Winner)

Title of project : High Performance Computer Centre (HPCC)

Type of Public Building : Educational

Year of completion : 2009

Period of execution (in months) : 18 Months

Location (village/town/city & State) : Pune, Maharashtra.

Site area (in sqm) : 10000 sq.m.

Built-up area (in sqm) :   3000 sq.m.

No. of floors (including basement) : 2

Client (Company/Person) : Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.

PROJECT TEAM

Design Architect : Ar. Madhav Joshi (Principal Head)

: Ketan Kulkarni, Aniket Hundekar

Consultants – PMC : Horizon Consulting Engineers Pvt. Ltd., Pune

Structural engineer : G. A. Bhilare Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Pune

Electrical engineer : Abhiyanta Electrical Consultants and Engineers

Plumbing, Sanitation & Drainage : Deolalikar Consultants Pvt Ltd.

HVAC : R. S. Kulkarni

Telecommunication & IT : Abhiyanta Electrical Consultants and Engineers

Landscape design : Madhav Joshi and Associates

Interior design : Madhav Joshi and Associates.

Other (Facade, Fire, Facilities M etc) : (expand if necessary)

Contractors – Civil work : Ghalsasi Constructions Pvt. Ltd., Pune.

Plumbing, Sanitation & Drainage : Ghalsasi Constructions Pvt. Ltd., Pune.

  Electrical : Suvarna Electrical works, Pune.

HVAC : N.A.

Telecommunication & IT : IITM

Elevators / Mobility : N.A.

Facade : Ghalsasi Constructions Pvt. Ltd., Pune.

Landscape & Horticulture : IITM

Interior – fixtures, furniture etc : Delta Interiors, Pune.

Other (Site related – roads etc) : (expand if necessary)

Name & Location: CCCR SCIENTISTS HOUSING – “SHISHIR”, at IITM, Pashan, Pune.

Cost of Project (INR):CIVIL WORKS: 7.00 cr , INTERIOR WORKS: 1.00 cr .

Built-up area: 68000 sq. ft.
(In case of Public Building minimum built-up area should be 1000 sq. meter)

Description of Project:

The project involves design of housing for the resident scientists of IITM, Pashan, Pune, of about 120 dwelling units; and construction of one prototype block, consisting of 34 dwelling units.

The site for the master plan is 6.7 acres and the built up for the prototype, Phase 1 is 68000 sq.ft.

Phase 1 includes:

Four studio units of 50 sq.m. area at the ground level.

Fourteen 3BHK dwelling units with area ranging from 105–115 sq.m. on the ground and first level.

Sixteen 2BHK units with area ranging from 90–100 sq.m. on the second and third level. The design allows for a choice of apartments with balconies or with terraces.

The entire project is designed to be a barrier free environment with accessibility features such as ramps and lifts along with staircases.

The building is served by a peripheral circulation route with integrated parking allowing for pedestrian connections between the present and future blocks.

Materials of Construction Details:

Structure: R.C.C. frame with brick masonry.

External finishes: Sand faced plaster with textured coating and “Dulux weathershield” paint.

Internal finishes: Gypsum plaster with OBD paint

Internal Flooring: Vitrified tiles.

Flooring for balconies, verandahs and terraces: Anti-skid vitrified tiles.

Toilet floor and Dado: Vitrified tiles.

Toilet fixtures: Parry-ware sanitary fixtures and Jaquar plumbing fixtures.

Aluminium powder coated sliding windows and louvres with oil painted M.S. grills.

Walkways and Lobbies: Machine cut rough finish kotah stone slabs.

Staircase: Kotah tread and riser with oil painted MS railings.

Railings: MS with synthetic enamel paint.

Roads for vehicular movement: Paver blocks laid on compacted mortar.

Special Features:

The location of the housing is planned with respect to the campus master plan, such that systematic growth is possible in the future.

The challenging site terrain has been used to advantage for laying out the physical infrastructure and the built masses.

The building block is laid out in the North-South orientation to gain benefits from the East-West cross ventilation throughout the year, while capturing pristine views on both sides.

The structure is built in system of deep, recessed windows to create thermal buffers and provide shading to windows.

The staggering, modular arrangement creates a self-shading mass.

On the whole, the built form contains spaces of a humane character and scale.

‘The earthy flavour’ is a pleasant setup at Satara, a small town in Maharashtra, for a coldwinter night or a warm summer afternoon, thrivingon comfort and melody of nature.

The 450 sqm restaurant on a busy road features a backdrop of the existing flora and fauna that blends with the walls of the spaces itencompasses. Preserving the existing plinth, an amalgamation of open and roofed spaces is designed to elevate the space’s mood.

The site faced north -south with a major road along connecting the NH4 highway .It had a considerable slope inwards from the road.

There were existing toilet blocks on the west side corner. Considering the natural slope, we designed the space in levelswith indoor & outdoor dining.

Here in this project, we have reduced, recycled & reused the resources to its fullest extent.

All the allied construction material and labours were procured within the 5kms radius of the site.

The entire furniture setup is bought from the nearby scrap yard and is effectively refurbished.

Special Features:

The bricks from the existing structure were carefully retained and were designed as feature walls keeping their worn texture & colour. The fragmented bricks were used as filling where necessary.

The procured stones were also used to construct the retaining walls. The windows, hinges, battens retained from the existing structure added an antique decor to the space.

The outdoor dining is a welcoming court with the existing trees around with designed landscaped areas, which also acts as a community space for celebration.

The kitchen is the extension of the existing plinth on the east which also has an accessibility from the road side. The inner semi open space has variable seating arrangements with planters and inbuilt family seating.

The low height walls on the rear side are carved out sensibly from the bricks from the demolished structure. Flooring is done in concrete finish ghotai.

The existing rear toilet blocks have been renovated using the same old door-windows.

The roofing tiles of the existing structure were reused as breathingwalls on the west side. They were stacked to cast shadows keeping the walls cooler by cutting the glare from that side and at the same time allowed a free ventilation throughout.

Significantly, the furniture used is bought from the scrap yard and has been refurbished by just adding colours & fabric to reduce the overall cost.

The landscape in the site defines a combination of the existing trees and planting few locally borne species that are very much vernacular to the place.

We have tried to design this project by retaining the existence of the procured elements by just reframing them in different moulds and respecting the significance of Reduce, Recycle & Reuse.

‘The earthy flavour’ is a pleasant setup at Satara, a small town in Maharashtra, for a cold winter night or a warm summer afternoon, thriving on comfort and melody of nature. This eatery space using materials procured from its former dilapidated structure is like nature giving back a warm hug.

The 450 sqm restaurant on a busy road features a backdrop of the existing flora and fauna that blends with the walls of the spaces itencompasses. Preserving the existing plinth, an amalgamation of open and roofed spaces is designed to elevate the space’s mood.

The site faced north-south with a major road along connecting the NH4 highway. It had a considerable slope inwards from the road. There were existing toilet blocks on the west side corner. Considering the natural slope, we designed the space in levels with indoor & outdoor dining. Due to the natural depth on site, we developed a water body along on the south side. We tried to minimize the filling cost by utilising the natural slope during the design process. The bricks from the existing structure were carefully retained and were designed as feature walls keeping their worn texture & colour. The fragmented bricks were used as filling where necessary. The procured stones were also used to construct the retaining walls. The windows, hinges, battens retained from the existing structure added an antique decor to the space.

That was quite a coverage we could utilise. The prime thought for making the project happen was with a sense of giving back to the nature.”Where a life evolves, it rests the soul there”. It wasn’t a forceful attempt of testifying the norms of green ratings. But eventually, we realised that the site already had a lot to give us than adding something to beautify it. Living or lifeless, we felt, ethically these elements were meant to be rooted on the same ground before we intervene the site, may be in a diverse facet.
‘Sustainability’ is a finer phase when it comes to achieve the architectural goals, both aesthetically & functionally. Here in this project, we have reduced, recycled & reused the resources to its fullest extent. All the allied construction material and labours were procured within the 5kms radius of the site.

The structure is lightly touched to the earth, where the surrounding natural landscape is kept untouched and other plantation is so plannedthat eventually it will be rooted back into the nature with a feeling of belongingness.

The outdoor dining is a welcoming court with the existing trees around with designed landscaped areas, which also acts as a community space for celebration. The kitchen is the extension of the existing plinth on the east which also has an accessibility from the road side. The inner semi open space has variable seating arrangements with planters and inbuilt family seating. The low height walls on the rear side are carved out sensibly from the bricks from the demolished structure. Flooring is done in concrete finish ghotai. We have kept the natural shaded tone and texture of the used bricks to retain its existence. The existing rear toilet blocks have been renovated using the same old door-windows.

The roofing tiles of the existing structure were reused as breathing walls on the west side. They were stacked to cast shadows keeping the walls cooler by cutting the glare from that side and at the same time allowed a free ventilation throughout.

Significantly, the furniture used is bought from the scrap yard and has been refurbished by just adding colours & fabric to reduce the overallcost. To our delight, all this has been carved by the local craftsmen available in the town.

The landscape in the site defines a combination of the existing trees and planting few locally borne species that are very much vernacular to the place. We have tried to preserve their existence. Every space sits outside as much and as well it is inside.

The overall journey was fun and challenging in terms of utilising minimum resources, reusing & recycling the existing elements. We have tried to design this project by retaining the existence of the procured elements by just reframing them in different moulds and respecting the significance of Reduce, Recycle & Reuse.