Where is modern architecture taking us?

Projects

Archgroup International’ designed Adani Group’s headquarters is a building with an iconic aerodynamic form that when looked at closely, stands metaphorically regent, seeped in a legacy in the making…

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, Working with key aspects of sustainability in architecture, we bring you a few dynamic projects this week - the corporate headquarters building - an icon in Ahmedabad (our cover story); the cross-border cable car terminal - the first of its kind connecting Russia to China and prefabricated dwellings by Arthur Casas Design. It is interesting to note that whilst sustainable practices have been prevalent since eons, the growing awareness and compliance with them is becoming mainstream by the day. Each of the projects that we feature have a close connect with green features. Yet, somehow, one can't help but wonder - is there really any direction in the built forms of today? Where are we headed in terms of architecture of our times? The buildings look excellent they even function excellently, but the niggling thought remains - what are we getting at? Is there a universality in the disparity that meets the eye? What are we going to leave behind for our generations to come...?? Pensively, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored

16 final shortlists from India at the WAF & INSIDE Festivals 2019| Architectural installation as metaphor| Compact penthouse interiors| and more…

IAnD Exclusive

In a global scenario, where “glocal” (global; yet, local) firmly anchors its fundamental place, Indian architecture is all set to grab eyeballs and leave its mark.

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, It is with great pride that we have compiled for you the 16 entries from India on the World Architecture Festival 2019 platform. Pouring over the WAF and INSIDE shortlists has been an engaging and erudite exercise over the last seven days or so. The issues are the same everywhere. Quantum and approaches differ. Solutions overlap - layered, seeped in local ethos; conducive to immediate leanings and prescribed future tidings. But what rises above all the mandates and could-haves, is the fact that India is big on the global map of contemporary architecture and design. It is a legacy that is being carried forward. Team IndiaArtnDesign will soon bring you each of the projects in detail. Stay tuned... Meanwhile, there's a lot besides... soak in this read... Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored

High-end apartment interiors with a swimming pool| Reinventing biometrics in home automation| Colour psychology and office interiors| Spectacles that guard against face recognition| and more

Projects

Neogenesis+Studi0261 designs a plush weekend getaway in Surat, opening up the apartment to its highlight - an indoor lap pool right in the middle of the living area!

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, There are two marked leanings that one notices in lifestyle and society. Two developments that are moving hand-in-glove with mindsets across social strata. One is a marked need to reconnect with nature and to foster interactivity. This is being observed in all places - whether it is the home, a retail establishment, in institutions, hospitality industry or even the workplace. People want to connect with the outdoors, bring in plenty of natural light and vistas into their interiors - no matter how urbane. Also, social acceptability is at a high and interaction at all levels is fast becoming a norm - between known as well as unknown persons. The other aspect in question is the upped lifestyle quotient of several families, where bringing in the best indoors is not just a matter of plush spaces, but of having all conveniences at hand. Enjoying a materially fulfilling lifestyle has always been a hallmark of social status. This is now infiltering a base level - several once-wants are the new needs! We bring you a cross-section of such stories this week: a modern second home with an indoor swimming pool (our cover story); a biometric switch plate as the newest addition to home automation; colour psychology and employee performance in an office and more... Enjoy the issue. Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored

Superyacht interiors| Age is a mere number when the heart beats for art and design| A lifestyle called ‘luxury’| and more

Projects

For many people, luxury is beyond mere aesthetics; it is a lifestyle. HS Desiigns captures the essence of this term through the composition of this 5819 sq. ft. Chennai residence…

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, We, at IAnD are an organically growing niche community of readers, contributors and writers with a shared passion for design. We are ever so thankful to you - our readers and contributors - for your continuous inputs and suggestions that keep us writers on our toes. We love all the content that flows in every single day. Many a time, we would love to feature it all too; but, various constraints mandate discretion. Yet, we urge you to please continue pouring through your love via your feedback. We value it immensely. It's probably only second to our love for design as it keeps us pushing the envelope. This week too, like we've been seeing of late, luxury dons the garb of indulgence as we visit the interiors of a superyacht in Germany; a bungalow in Chennai; and a senior couple's apartment in Mumbai. The strikingly singular desire for materiality and level of sophistication in all the three projects leaves us in awe: there definitely is an enigmatic similarity in design concepts that affects these otherwise individualistic projects. Over to you... Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

Luxury living near a golf course| Research Centre with a collaborative vibe| Intimate seating from Karim Rashid Design| and more

Projects

Ar. Frank Silvestre designs a house in Sotogrande, Spain, taking one’s intimacy with nature to an all-new level!

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, Luxury can have multiple connotations. Luxury of objects, economic luxury, luxury of space, time, breathability, of being one with nature... Our cover story - yet another project by the very talented Fran Silvestre Architects from Spain, speaks volumes about the latter. Working towards minimum intervention in the environment, he designs a home sandwiched between two large horizontal planes that hold within their bosom a warm home and hearth absolutely in sync with the immediate surrounds. That the location conforms to luxurious villas and pursuits only, validates the all-seeing glass walls. But the point to be noted is the use of minimal internal partitions and water bodies to augment the magic of literally living amidst nature! While we ponder over these dream-like spaces, we come to reality with our trend-driven and style-centric homes - vibrant soft furnishings, plush materiality, urbane chaos that is so emphatic of a modern home... even as each new interior communicates a fresh thought, a new idea, reinvents yet another element of design. Enjoy the issue and the monsoons! Catch you next week with more global fare... Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

Architecture inspired from the Rubik Cube| Restaurants that call your attention to details| Paper bag that turns urine into fragrant gel| and more

Projects

Studio VARA creates a small, flexible home with a large presence – a formidable challenge given the generous program within the limited allowable footprint of the petite corner plot…

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, Simple interventions result in lofty solutions. This seems to be the mainstay of our stories this week. As we see a dessert studio using the softie swirl as its inspiration to create a focal ceiling that not just becomes the fulcrum of the interior design, but the store's chief marketing tool as well. On similar lines, the home in Palo Alto (our cover story) has its architecture inspired from the Rubik's cube, where the three-storey program boasts distinct materiality in its stacks which stay and recede creating intriguing sightlines. As the equation between eating out and entertainment seems to be drawing an increasing parallel, people seems to be more appreciative of the little details that go into the making of the ambience as much as they are informed about their diets and preferred cuisines. Another restaurant that credits the devil in its details is the Batard in Instanbul, which has been redesigned with a singular contemporary vibe, but with its classic French influences undisturbed! Do check it out. Do write in with your comments and suggestions. Do these light-hearted issues hold special appeal? Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

World’s first disposable paper urine bag |Athens building façade inspired by speeding traffic| Top 5 at the London Design Fair 2019| Green offices in Gurugram |and more

Projects

ADD Architecture Studio taps its ingenious approach to lighting and spatial design to deliver an on-brand aesthetic for the headquarters of Greek fashion brand Devotion Twins in Athens.

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, Every creative work is pegged at a centralised thought. Whether it is the written word, a speech or an architectural design, it revolves around a centralised phenomenon - be it an inspiration, a passing thought that is fed to grow; or even a thing of beauty that inculcates a philosophic bent! It is interesting - even intriguing - to note that quirk can sometimes give birth to a logical and evolving idea that can be transformative in addition to being distinct. When the architects in Athens, Greece were faced with designing an upmarket retail building along the National Highway in an industrial area in Athens, with jet-setting vehicles along the highway as a constant source of distraction, they turned it into the highlight by studying both light and orientation. The result is the headquarters of Greek fashion brand, Devotion Twins - a striking edifice with equally intriguing interiors and exteriors - the façade being a dynamic element inspired by the speeding vehicles on the highway! Do check out our cover story for the details. An extension of luxury for an evolving lifestyle in Vadodara; a workplace with enough green cover to bring in a breath of fresh air; and loads of must-see-must-visit suggestions from the London Design Fair 2019! Cheers to some wholesome reading this week. Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored

Inside India’s first sports museum| Let the child in you revel in simple pleasures| Switchable glass | and more…

Signature

Salient Design Studio blueprints India’s very own multi-sports archive - the Fanattic Sports Museum, commemorating the country’s revered tryst with the sporting world.

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, The child in each of us never really grows up. It just takes that one instance or opportunity that helps realise a fantasy, a secret desire, a penchant ... Designers aid this realisation - in more ways than one. In this week's fare, the restaurant La Rotonde in Nice, France takes us back to our merry-go-round times, when as children, the carousal was our greatest thrill! This themed restaurant surrealistically brings back the age and the aura of cherished times. Collectibles is the other area, where design ushers in a transformative role. India's first sports museum in Kolkata is pure delight for young and old alike, as it showcases 133 exhibits and more - a large chunk from the personal collection of noted sports journo, Boria Majumdar. Breaking the stereotype of traditional museum typology, this one draws a seamless connect with the outdoors, with the focus on experiential and explorative interaction. And of course, there's much more packed in. Enjoy the issue. Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

This retail design does not focus on the product alone! | Home with glass balconies amid the scenic mountains| Taste of La Dolce Vita…| and more

Projects

SAOTA shapes this Cape Town residence to blur the unmistakable thresholds between landscape and architecture, drawing on soft transitions and honest expressions.

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, La dolce vita – the good life! What is the ‘good life’? Luxury at your fingertips? A luxurious, scenic second home? A liveable space that balances both - sustainability and contemporary needs? A little bit of every aspect that one needs and… desires? Or is ‘the good life’ a commonplace phrase for everything gung-ho in life - that keeps changing according to one’s priorities? More so this, I would think, especially in today’s parlance. So from visiting the mountainous, glass-balconied home that opens to the panoramic views in Cape Town, Africa (our cover story), to the Vision Hotel in Italy’s Lake Garda that depicts a formidable mix of green and modern elements, to a human-centric experiential interior in Mumbai that focuses on the person more than the product, turning the popular retail sales dictum on its head; we have just three stories for you this week. With an in-house celebration underway – our sister concern – Gallery Pradarshak celebrates its 25th Anniversary over the weekend, IAnD will be taking a short sabbatical and will be back at your service on the 19th of June. Do take a look at www.gallerypradarshak.com and you are most welcome to attend the celebrity brigade on 8th and 9th June, Mumbai. Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

Will the new Karle Town masterplan reinstate Bengaluru’s Garden City charm? | Looking for a larger design vision| Digipop Rug Collection by Karim Rashid| and more

Projects

Structured, yet flexible. Bold, yet minimal. Fran Silvestre Arquitectos presents a play of spatial configurations and functional aesthetics through the interiors of their latest residence, ‘The Fourth Room’...

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, When the architectural vocabulary is potent, the feeling, the aura, the response to the built form... is sublime. It gives a special intellectual high to comprehend the sensibilities of the architect, his thought process in the design and the ultimate interaction of inanimate with animate. 'Do walls have ears?' sounds passé. Walls have eyes, they mouth words, have emotions... as they come alive in such architecture. History recounts the provenance of such built forms. Our cover story - the home in Valencia is one such example too. A must read. UNStudio's progressive masterplan in Bengaluru for a tech company; a home that serenades its Pichola Lake surrounds in Udaipur, and a home that celebrates exposed bricks in a raw aesthetic are some of the other stories this week. So, while you battle the summer sun outdoors, we help you cool off with a visual treat inside. Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

Toy Room: Delhi’s playfully evocative club | Appetisingly refreshing: Dadu’s in Hyderabad| Thailand’s Little Shelter Hotel| and more

Signature

International nightlife brand Toy Room’s first Indian outlet in New Delhi aligns perfectly with its foreign counterparts, where provocative playfulness amidst an elite clubbing experience is the norm…

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, Our mailboxes seem to be suddenly flooded with a lot of hospitality projects. Different thematics, varying décor elements... each creating an aura so distinctive that it can hold its customer on the aesthetics quotient; the rest of course is the mandate of the cuisine and the chef! Yet, each is bound by the most common element - the emotional connect. Speaking of the interiors, much thought goes into detailing and this is evident in all our stories this week. Our cover story, Toy Room, stands up to its international counterparts - thanks to Chromed Design Studio for crafting some eclectic imagery. It is commendable how sophistication has been equalised with inuendo - with a flair that all at once says - "I care, whilst you may sport a devil-may-care attitude!!" An appealingly superb use of the Teddy Bear mascot as it takes on the onus of the design and the decor - especially in the way the graphics have been conceived. Do check it out. Our rendezvous with more hospitality projects will continue into the coming week. So, stay tuned... Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

When passion drives design| The stage as the storyteller| Crafting experiences for the style-conscious| and more

Ideas

Sergey Makhno Architects bring their love for Japan to Ukraine via a maze-like Japanese restaurant, carefully balancing the outlook of the city folk with the nuanced culture of a foreign land…

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, Sometimes a little soul-searching goes a long way. We bring you two very strong designs this week – one from Ukraine (the cover story) and the other from Latvia. Both stories underline the premise that when design is fervently driven by passion, the outcome is simply fabulous! To commemorate 100 years of Latvia with a multi-media dance performance, Didzis Jaunzems Architecture has worked in tandem with a video artist to design a stage that accommodates artistes against backdrops of shifting video projections – suited to both, large groups as well as solo performers. The strength of the design lies in its built form – as it alludes to the Latvian flag and several technologically-driven polygonal surfaces. Do check out these breath-taking tableaus. Our cover story stems straight from the heart where our chef Fujiwara Yoshi – Japanese at heart and Ukranian by livelihood, joins hands with Sergey Makhno Architects to craft an eponymous restaurant representing exactly the sentiment – Japanese culture flirting with a charming Ukrainian soul. The large space is beautifully demarcated into different zones, ensuring diner comfort and variety without digressing from its locus-foci. Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

Reconciling with nature| Self-sufficiency in public transport| Educational campus of the future| and more

Projects

An epitome of biophilic design, Amaya Resort conceived by Salient Design Studio seeks articulate connections with nature.

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, Look around you and you will notice an increasing awareness of a diligent use of resources world over. There seems a rise in the responsibility of 'informed' built forms. Our stories this week reinstate the premise: whether it's a sociological need that the built form fulfils as much as it does the emotional need, as Ar. Romil Sheth of Sasaki Design talks about the ideal educational campus of the future; or as architecture office cepezed unravels the design of the first self-sufficient - a fully-integrated bus station in Tilburg, The Netherlands that generates its own energy. Can this module toe a global footprint? And closer to home is our cover story, where sustainability is the fulcrum of the design of this luxury resort in West Bengal. A story that reinstates the human-nature connect that the race for all things mechanical and technological is paring out for our eyes to see and our soul to acknowledge. Enjoy the read! Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

Ar. Christopher Charles Benninger – an enigmatic persona! And more…

IAnD Exclusive

A chat with the award-winning American-Indian architect reveals a life impacted by multiple layers and eclectic influences, much like a work of art.

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, The effect is cumulative. Several factors drive it. Its essence is layered. That's sweet success in its complete sense - creative and economic. So, the next question is - what are these layers? These success-driving factors? Where does one get them? And, how do they impact? That's exactly what our video series "in Candid Conversation with" showcases. Actions, occurrences, emotions, journeys that trace these influencing factors; reminisces that help introspect, awaken and impact. We have just wrapped up Season 1 of our video series featuring 'super achievers'. Their professional fronts are there for the world to see; but this series has brought them closer to you as they've opened up not just their homes, but their hearts, getting candid about personal details in front of the camera... just for you - the IAnDians. A big 'thank you' to all our guests, who participated, and our patrons for making this series a big success. With this issue, we also take a short break and shall be back in a fortnight with new stories, new ideas and lots, lots more. Stay tuned. Enjoy the issue. Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.

Check out the hottest addition to the Superyacht industry!

Signature

Kelly Hoppen and Bill Dixon style the all-new, uber-luxurious Pearl 95 - UK based Pearl Yachts’ hottest addition to the Superyacht industry.

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Editorial Dear IAnDian, We all aspire for the luxury life. We all aspire to visit new places and experience new experiences. The superyacht industry and the glamour that is associated with it took our fancy this week as we were given a tour of the exciting Pearl 95 - the latest and hottest addition to the water-holiday fleet with its interiors done up by none other than the exquisitely flamboyant Kelly Hoppen. Kelly perceives little details in a picturesque way and that's something that contributes to her picture-perfect styling. Besides the dream boat, we bring you some regular interesting fare with a home refurbishment by Offis Architects in Slovenia; another modest home in Noida by Mixed Folios and a luxury store in Mumbai by Limited Edition Design Studio. With the onset of a new volume, IndiaArtnDesign enters another new phase bringing you the best of interiors and architecture every day. Enjoy the read and do dream a little about your personal luxury quotient! Warm regards, Savitha Hira Editor								sponsored In case you missed it earlier.