Rising majestically above the city and the Arabian Sea, Omkar 1973 stands as the tallest residential tower in Mumbai by Omkar Realtors and Developers Private Limited. Never before has and perhaps never again will, a structure of such monumental significance emerge, that too in the very heart of Mumbai. The success story of completion of Omkar 1973 was the talk of the town. Here are the key factors which played a major role in achieving the same. In total 36,500 panels were procured, shipped, fabricated and installed in a record of 16 months period. 1. Unique Elevation: Though Mumbai skyline has many high-rise skyscrapers but the shape of Omkar 1973 was unique of its kind. Lots of curvature and interfacing with different elements has made the construction very challenging. Fosters Partners has conceptualised the project in a very professional manner. Later on DSP & Omkar internal Architect team played a...

The design of an appropriate building façade plays a very important role in healing in health care projects. The façade protects the people occupying the building and plays a major role in regulating the indoor environment [caption id="attachment_32217" align="alignright" width="300"] South Facade Of The Project[/caption] Designing smart building envelopes translates into both tangible and intangible benefits. The tangible benefits can be - a reduction in consumption of building materials, energy and operation and maintenance costs. The intangible benefits are better assistance in patient’s recovery and healing along with reduction in stress and improvement in the overall healthcare environment which can be achieved as an outcome of physical and visual connections to the natural environment along with thermal and acoustic comfort. The design and material specifications of the building envelope play a major role in determining the amount of energy a building will use in its operation. The design of the...

What is meant by a Sustainable and Efficient Fenestration? What are the characteristics and key features of sustainable façades and fenestration? Ideally, all fenestration should have a small carbon footprint when processed and/or manufactured; should use renewable energy; should not be wasteful with raw material resources; should have a similar life cycle as the whole building envelope; should be fully recyclable and should provide a contribution towards energy and carbon dioxide reduction. In addition, the latest state-of-the-art fenestration should be ergonomically in operation, especially for the ageing population; safe and secure in use; offer optionally traditional or modern appearance and should be, more importantly, cost effective! Complying with those desired attributes is a tall order for any of the known fenestration materials. The industry has not found the ‘perfect’ frame material yet that ticks all those boxes. Choosing the appropriate or most suitable fenestration solution in terms of frame material...

WFM: How have you been ideating and practising sustainable architecture? Do you think that the present ratings for sustainable buildings are important? [caption id="attachment_32675" align="alignleft" width="300"] Infosys Progeon, Bengaluru[/caption] Hafeez Contractor (HC): Yes, I feel that the green building ratings are important. In India, sustainability of the building could be evaluated by its LEED or GRIHA rating. Such ratings assess the environmental performance of a building holistically, and provides a definitive standard score. The tools adopted by them, by its qualitative and quantitative assessment criteria, is able to ‘rate’ a building on the degree of its 'greenness’. According to the points achieved, buildings are given LEED Platinum, Gold and Silver ratings, or GRIHA 1 to 5 star rating. [caption id="attachment_32677" align="alignright" width="300"] Infosys, Mysore[/caption] According to me, we have to take the standards assigned to the green building ratings to a much higher level in future. For our country, the...

Located in the seventh largest metropolis in India, Falling Lotus Blossoms: EON IT Park is an elegantly arranged quartet of buildings, totalling 400,000 sq m, that occupy a site located in the EON Free Zone, a Special Economic Zone established by the government to encourage development. This 21st century workplace, which sets a grand scale in counterpoint to the rugged Indian countryside, overlooks a river and the fields beyond on a flat site that was previously almost entirely untouched. The Steel and Glass Buildings Received LEED Gold Status Form4 Architecture began the design as different iterations of the petal shape from India’s national flower, the white lotus. Ultimately, four “petals” were arranged like a four-leaf clover in plan with an open space at its centre. In part, a response to the extreme heat and humidity and the goal of populating the outdoor spaces for more than just a few months...

Of late sustainability has become an assurgent part of our life. It is like acerbic penicillin, must taste in order to get over long-term pain. By this word, we understand the protection of the ecosystem through the protection of its resources. Sustainability can be broadly perceived in two categories: economic and social. The economic sustainability of a building (façade) depends on two aspects. Firstly, the investment is at par for maximising durability and reusability and secondly through solutions with low energy consumption, easy to clean, operate and maintain at low running costs. The social facia of sustainability is all about the comfort, well-being and safety of the occupants. THE DESIGNING OF INTELLIGENT FAÇADES Passive mode double skin façade Façades are one of the most crucial entities of a building composition. Eventually, it is the prime key towards energy consumption and comfort. Intelligent design systems, if adopted can easily lead to...

Arcot Plaza at Chennai is designed to be a sustainable business centre which offers worldclass commercial spaces for its users on an affordable budget. The Architectural Design of the building was a direct response to the climate. The building has an iconic presence on the street and due to the iconic design fetched higher rent per Sq ft. Also, the building consumes 15 percent less energy due to the climate-sensitive design features which reduce the life-cycle cost of the building. [caption id="attachment_32073" align="alignleft" width="300"] North Light Façade - Internal View[/caption] Client Brief: The site (8000 Sq ft.) was located in one of the major arterial roads of Chennai – Arcot Road. The client brief was to create a multitenanted commercial building which would serve the banking sector in the area and maximise the economic potential of the site. The building needed to have an iconic presence in the streetscape of...

Please tell us about your company Greenlam Industries, and yourself? How long you have been in this business and in the Indian market? [caption id="attachment_31976" align="alignnone" width="774"] White and red shades always exude a bold and modern finish,radiating a crisp and classical look[/caption] Greenlam laminates is among the world’s top three, Asia’s largest and India’s number one surfacing solutions brand. With its presence in over 100 countries, Greenlam has focussed on developing quality products with great passion for innovation. We offer end to end surfacing solutions to customers with the varied range of product offerings, which consist of laminates, compacts, interior and exterior cladding solutions, restroom and locker solutions, decorative veneer, engineered wooden floors and engineered wooden doors. Our manufacturing units, based at Behror, Rajasthan and Nalagarh, Himachal Pradesh, are best in class, using the latest technologies along with R&D centers to deliver unparalleled products to our customers. Across product...

Man has moved from wheel to chip. This dramatic journey from wheel to chip is symbolic of mankind's continuous obsession for excellence. Similarly, the cladding industry is also moving to new and innovative products. Some of the changing trends that define the current industry are as mentioned below. Cladding Material  Exterior cladding is a blend of aesthetic and functional attributes. For more than a decade, glass, stone, wood, and metal/ACP has always been the traditional choice of material for exterior cladding. Nowadays, new and innovative materials such as exterior grade laminates, (as per EN438-6), glass fiber reinforced concrete, metal cladding (zinc, copper, and steel) are creating a healthy disruption in the market. The differentiating advantages of exterior grade laminates are Eco-friendliness, thermal efficiency, energy renew-ability and sustainability. Green Building As per the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), commercial buildings consume more energy than highways and roads, and hence there is...

In simple terms, the application of one material over the other is called cladding. Exterior cladding is a term which is applied to the cladding of buildings and homes from outside. It forms a skin over the concrete and brick and provides some degree of thermal insulation and weather resistance and also increases the aesthetic appearance of the building. Exterior cladding brings to mind many factors - weather proof, rot proof, termite proof, heat proof and many more. And now since awareness is increasing and we realize the importance of sustainability and green, we are also concerned about the way the product has been made and its ingredients. [caption id="attachment_31824" align="alignnone" width="774"] The-Hill-Crest-by-GA-Design[/caption] Choosing a cladding material for your building depends on all the above factors along with the aesthetic value a particular product might have. Exterior cladding solutions are wide and varied. A number of materials ranging from wood...

Please tell us about your practice? I started my architectural  practice in 1989, after graduating from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. The driving force behind the journey of over three decades has always been the openness to continuous learning, the quest for excellence and the sheer joy and pride in our work. As an architectural firm, we have grown exponentially by accepting every challenge that came its way. We not only provide technically sound advice, but cutting edge technology and engineering, trendy, modernistic architecture, interiors and landscape designs. I have poured in my passion, commitment, wholehearted enthusiasm, hope and my energy in all my work, maintaining a high level of integrity and commitment. [caption id="attachment_31711" align="alignnone" width="774"] The entire house is cladded with natural stone[/caption]   At HPA, H stands for happiness, P for positivity and A for accountability. That tells our philosophy. We are a small team of 20 people based...

Ozone, the leading player in the architectural hardware industry, recently introduced twisted spider fittings for glass façades. The curvilinear twisted design element with PSS finish adds the magical look to the product. They are available in 4 way and 2 way spiders with fin type for the glass to glass and glass to wall / ceiling application. The curvilinear design reduces stress concentration at transition points, hence twisted spiders have higher strength to hold the glass. With twisted spider fittings, dome nuts will not be visible on find side glass. They are crafted in high quality SS 316 grade for longevity. Due to their great features and benefits, the product finds greater acceptance in many of the projects like the Maruti Suzuki Nexa showrooms across India. Besides aesthetics, these stainless steel spider fittings have great strength, durability yet minimalistic in design to be able to hold the desired load without...

Despite a growing obsession with the sleek, all glass aesthetic in architecture, floorto- ceiling glass walls are not a good thing in almost any climate. IFC’s Chief Industry Specialist for green buildings Prashant Kapoor explains why. Windows are essential for any Glass facade, providing enjoyment for people who work in day-lit environments with a view to the outside. So why does a highly glazed building often have the blinds lowered while the sun is shining? Direct sunlight can be beneficial, particularly in cold climates where windows can bring desired passive solar gains to warm a building during the day. Floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls, however, are not a good thing in almost any climate, no matter how much glamour they may add to the perception of a “five-star” building. Here’s why. Greenhouses in the Sky [caption id="attachment_31555" align="alignnone" width="774"] Johnson Controls’ Asia Pacific headquarters in Shanghai features a controlled use of...

Full glazing in tall residential buildings is not necessary, and likely to cause overheating problems, according to BuroHappold’s experts. “You don’t need that much glass to deliver daylight. Clever architects will find a way of delivering daylight without storing up problems for the future,” said Duncan Price, partner. Managing Glazing & Shade Ratios in Tall Buildings [caption id="attachment_31505" align="alignnone" width="774"] The key drivers to mitigate overheating risk are the positioning of high risk dwellings in locations of low solar exposure[/caption] Jon Gregg, senior sustainability engineer, agrees that too much glazing can be a problem. He suggests that tall building developers should look back to more traditional designs when designing daylighting for tall buildings, “In UK Victorian design, the trend was large panes of glass at the bottom of the building, with smaller panes at the top. Essentially, modern design has flipped this principle. Top floors are typically where rents are...

India is the second most populated country in the world with nearly a fifth of the world's population. According to the 2017 revision of the World Population Prospects, the population stood at 1.339 billion. Infrastructure and industries tend to increase by meeting population demand and growth, which will considerably increase the energy demand. Therefore, it would be essential to reduce the energy per capita to meet the demand of the increased population. It’s also essential to reduce the carbon footprint and to preserve the environment. [caption id="attachment_31497" align="alignnone" width="774"] Graph summarising the dry-bulb and wet-bulb temperatures of Bengaluru[/caption] Substantial infrastructure has been developed across India to meet the demands of the growing population. Bengaluru is one of the best examples of development with an increase in population. In this article, we shall be going through how the selection of glazing can play a significant role in the reduction of thermal...

Established in 1981, Sikka Associates Architects (SAA) is recognised as an important architectural practice in our country, not only for its rich and varied projects but for its rapid growth over recent decades and the unique design solutions it continues to provide. Raman Sikka is an Associate Principal in Sikka Associates. He graduated from SPA Delhi in the year 1991 and joined AD Consortium in Singapore as a Design Architect. He later worked with Sachdeva Eggleston and Associates, then with S. Ghosh and Associates as an architect, and finally joined his father S.R Sikka in his practice in the year 1993.laAr. Raman Sikka holds design expertise in varied context and geographies and has delivered successful projects across a variety of sectors from concept to completion. He has also obtained a Masters in Management and often interacts with students of SPA Delhi as a guest jury member.Team WFM had the pleasure...