Fire, what do you think about it? If I ask you to close your eyes right now for few seconds and think about FIRE……………. What comes to your mind? I am sure most of the time it is smoke, heat, people running, panic, fire brigade, etc. But why all these bad thoughts comes to our mind. Have we ever thought that fire is a blessing that has happened to mankind since it is discovered and we can’t live without it? It’s been 800,000 years, we’re the only beings on the planet who light fires, who cook our food over fire, who use fire to light our way. Why we all think negative about this powerful, mysterious force? The reason: Fire is a very good slave but a very bad master, when it is out of control it becomes a monster and that’s how we remember it. Fire protection is a...

Architectural Hardware With the entry of international systems, equipment and hardware firms, the Indian architectural hardware for façade and fenestration has also evolved over the years. Technology and its use have increased many folds giving precision to products with quality and sustenance. Along with the use of technology, design has also evolved over the years. Gone are the days of highly reflective glass, strip windows, and punched openings for high-end commercial facades… at least for now. The trend for buildings to have more transparency has been taking precedence in metropolitan areas over the past few decades. This has fueled the designer’s interest to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible with lighter support structures, taller unsupported facades, and fewer hardware/connection points. One of these avenues for progressive design is the resurgence of the highly transparent facades. In this article, we shall discuss the hardware which permits such transparent...

All buildings are susceptible to fire and this aspect needs to be considered during design since it impacts the safety of human life. There has been an enormous increase in buildings of all classifications consequent to socio-economic progress made in the country over the last two decades. In the 1990s came the DotCom revolution and stalwarts of Silicon Valley started creating new townships and workspaces in India. This demand encouraged the construction of high-rise buildings without clear anticipation of the associated infrastructure requirement of cities. The challenges and risks that high-rises face due to fire hazards have also increased manifold. These hazards have caused heavy losses to life and limb, throwing up challenges to planners, architects, and fire protection services for evolving better and improved methods of design and fire protection in order to mitigate such losses. Over the years, fire safety in buildings has seen major improvements. The issue...

Wood has been the preferred material for making doors and windows of the houses. But in the last few years wood windows have lost their charm because of numerous problems like jamming, warping, not being weatherproof, prone to termites, fungus and decay, etc., due to the ordinary design, manufacturing and finishing methods. Because of these problems, more and more people are looking at alternatives like uPVC or aluminium windows. The problem with these types of materials is that one cannot get the rich feel and grace of wood. Therefore, these materials are only popular at the lower end of buyers. The high-end houses that want a rich look and feel still prefer wood windows despite all the flaws. Wooden windows in India are done in a very traditional way. These are fabricated on-site by the local woodworking craftsmen using conventional tools. The wood is procured from local wood suppliers and...

Audaciously sculptural or pared down pristine. India’s great feats of architectural ingenuity are pushing the field in bold new directions. Designing energy-efficient terminals that have a long-lasting effect on the environment and passengers alike is the definition for new-age terminal designs. Creative Group, one of the leading Architecture and Engineering Consultancy firms in India, has demonstrated that large expansive public concourse within an airport terminal assists to alleviate a passenger’s sense of being crowded while still accommodating the flow of arrival, departing and connecting passengers. Extensively designed facades within the spaces of Airports in Chennai, Raipur, Goa and Vaodadara are thought products Design of a sustainable endeavour by the design team. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="350"] Raipur Airport designed by Creative Group[/caption] “The facades that we have designed for all these airports allow natural light to filter through the skin of the terminal thus providing passengers the delight of experiencing exterior...

KALCO, a 22-year-old company in the field of manufacturing aluminium products for architectural designing, is all about improving the health and well-being of individuals through green solutions. They are committed to developing, promoting and marketing energy-efficient solutions through their aluminium architectural products for people across the globe. They address this challenge with their Green Products and focus on Green Innovation. Their energy-efficient products like Thermal Break Systems, Aluminium-Wood systems, BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic systems) are an ideal combination of innovative design and unique properties contributing to a Green world that leaves a lighter footprint on the conservation of the environment, while at the same time providing cost-effective, low-maintenance and long-lasting products for architectural needs with U value up to 1.2 W/m2K as against the recommended U value of 3.3 W/m2K or less by Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Also, the value of acoustic insulation in our systems is achievable up to...

Established in 1964, Consolidated Engineering Company (CEC) has grown from a small-scale manufacturer of aluminium hardware to one of the largest players in Façade Systems in India. It had been slow and steady growth over the years, working with some of the leading architects, and consultants, associating with numerous prestigious and landmark projects in India. WFM brings you the edited excerpts from the interview of Rajeev Shamlal, Arjun Shamlal and Rishi Shamlal, Partners of Consolidated Engineering Company (CEC), detailing their business and future plans along with potentials and opportunities in the façade industry in India. WFM: Please tell us about yourself and about your company Consolidated Engineering Company (CEC)? Rajeev Shamlal: Consolidated Engineering Company (CEC) was established in 1964 by my father Shri Shamlal. I joined the company in 1976 after doing my Chartered Accountancy, my elder son Arjun joined the company in 2003 after completing his masters from London...

In a rendezvous with WFM, Architect Arunjot Singh Bhalla, Managing Director, RSP Design Consultants India Pvt. Ltd, spoke about his company’s Indian operations, evolving designs and trends in façades and fenestration, and much more. WFM:Please give us a brief introduction of your firm and few of your recently completed important projects? Arunjot Singh Bhalla: RSP Design Consultants India Pvt. Ltd is an International Design Company with close to 60 years of successful track record in a diversified range of projects. The Indian operation of RSP Design was established in February 1996 with Bangalore as its main office and over the years we have forged a competent team of over 370 professionals in 5 offices across India. As Project Consultants, RSP Design provides multi-disciplinary Design Services including master planning, building planning & design, interiors, MEP and landscape design services for a wide range of projects in the institutional, residential, commercial, IT...

The Facade Access system plays a very important role in keeping the facade timeless. A lot of architects and designers are experimenting with symbolising forms and complex patterns while designing facades. The overall facade pattern appears complex from a distance but is actually a simple module repeated and is made more interesting with the use of fritting patterns. Rohit Mohan, Head of Design, Emaar MGF Land Ltd talks about the evolving trends in façade designs. The facade of a building has remained undoubtedly the most important from the perspective of both the designers as well as the developers, as it sets the first impression of the building. Facade design is responsive to the geographical location, building use, social aspects, safety concerns, sustainability concerns, availability and cost of technology. Facade design and engineering combine attributes of aesthetics and performance, unlike any other building system. Environmental Concerns It is important to understand...

Introduction: Windows and curtain walls generally represent as much as 50% to 100% of the exterior cladding of large buildings and are determining elements in the performance of the vertical building envelope. They are a critical and important architectural feature of a building and represent a significant portion of the overall cost of building construction. Given the ever-growing complexity and variety of modern building envelopes, the evaluation of their performance, in terms of structural integrity and durability as well as comfort requirements, in the pre-construction and construction phase is essential in order to avoid undesirable and costly problems during the service life of the building. Before we delve deeper into the fundamentals of façade testing, let’s review the basics of glazed curtain wall designs. Curtain Wall Design Monumental glazed curtain wall systems are normally factory-fabricated assemblies that can be shipped to the job site — either as pre-assembled panels (unitized)...

Since the time immemorial there have been endless discussions and debates on the system to be used for doors and windows in a building – Commercial /residential / so on and so forth. Initially wood has been the architectural favorite. The warmth, the colour, the grain, in short simply the life a wooden window brings to a window opening is remarkable and unmatched. But, it comes with its own limitations. Its sensitivity to harsh climatic conditions, its proneness to various degradation factors vis-à-vis moisture, salty air, woodworms, and adverse environmental effects of timber harvesting led to the exploration of various alternative materials. Then arrived aluminium. Fast forward a few years, another technological advancement called uPVC windows. Along with this commenced the unending battle of Systems. Try searching the ‘Google’ master for aluminium and/or PVC and like a skilled magician he takes out 16500 results in mere .34 seconds from under...

As discussed in the last issue of the Window and Façade Magazine, on average, we spend about 90 per cent of our time indoors, thus it’s imperative that we have an indoor environment that is conducive to the general well-being of the occupants. There are a number of factors that influence the indoor environment in any given building. Be it an office space or a house. For instance – Indoor air quality, natural lighting of the indoor spaces, clean ventilated and well-lit interiors, bereft of annoying outdoor noises. Windows and façade play an enormous role in ensuring the building’s indoor environment is healthy. They are responsible for ensuring that the interior spaces are well-lit and adequately ventilated. And while ensuring this prime objective they take up the dual responsibility of acting as a barrier between inside and outside and keep the unsolicited intruders such as Noise, air pollution, rain, and...

Introduction to Natural Ventilation: Ventilation in a building is a very important and crucial factor that ensures hygiene for its occupants and at the same time, provide comfortable and an ideal controlled ambiance. The Invention of Ventilation, ‘Natural Ventilation’ to be more precise, cannot be ascribed to a certain date. The first attempt on ventilation was made as early as the stone-age period of pre-historic times, when man used fire to produce heat for preparing food and to keep predators away. In this process, he discovered the need to have an opening in the roof of their caves to let out the smoke and simultaneously to supply air to keep the fire burning. The warm temperature out of the fire, along with ventilation in roof top, created a comfortable ambiance for the stone-age man living in caves. The concept of ventilation can be seen very predominantly in the ancient buildings...

“Mighty spirited in progressing from a 2 member team setup, in a small rental office premises to a team of 230 highly talented group of Architects, Interior Designers, Engineers and Professionals in a spacious office premises of 50,000 sq. ft. floor space. He has recently received several prestigious awards and recognition in multiple categories, HSBC Sponsored International Asia Pacific Property Awards 2012, Bloomberg Property Awards 2012 for best residential high-rise design in the world, CNBC Award: Best In Ultra Luxury Segment 2013, Artists in Concrete Awards Asia Fest: 2013-14 for best Educational Institute Design where his work was selected from amongst the top architects of the country. Felicitation by The Times of India followed by four-page coverage to celebrate the Architectural brilliance of Ar. Vivek Bhole and his contribution to transforming the Mumbai skyline is another feather in the cap.” Let us just go through the success mantra of Mr....

Event Location: Zak World of Façades returned to Bengaluru on 21st February 2014 at ITC Gardenia [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="340"] Diwakar Chintala, Design Director, Gensler[/caption] After six highly encouraging and successful editions around India, the 7th edition of Zak World of Façades returned to Bengaluru on 21st February 2014 at ITC Gardenia, with a zest for continued innovation in the façade technology. The conference became an exhilarating affair with new speakers, topics and products that relayed the burning torch of bringing about the façade revolution, initiated 18 months ago in the same city of Bangalore. About 315 representatives from architects, builders, façade consultants, contractors and others from the façade & fenestration fraternity were present throughout the four sessions. Each session revolved around different themes. The morning session commenced with an informative and picturesque presentation on “facades – more than skin deep” by Diwakar Chintala who’s the Design Director at Gensler....