In a conversation with Architect Rahul Kadri Partner & Principal Architect at IMK Architects spoke on his practice, some of his recently completed and ongoing projects, the changes in façade and fenestration designs over the years, latest trends in façade & cladding material and technologies available in the Indian market, the key factors to consider while designing and installing façades & fenestration, and on future façades & fenestration designs and technologies. Here are the excerpts from the interview. Please tell us about your practice. [caption id="attachment_41359" align="alignleft" width="250"] Nehru Centre, Mumbai - Embellished with window and Jalis that symbolise rose petals associated with Nehru in the popular mind[/caption] IMK Architects was founded in 1957 by my father, I. M. Kadri. His body of work over the next few decades is a reflection of changing times and imaginations as our young nation navigated questions of tradition, modernity, business and politics on...

In the last decade, globalisation was leading us to a new world map. People, companies, and governments were adapting their lifestyles, processes, and regulations allowing stronger interaction, connectivity, and integration worldwide. The rapidness of the changes brought into our lives made us overlook how tightly coupled with our world became. This year, shortly after celebrating the start of the new decade, an unprecedented wave of uncertainty hits the whole world. No one could have predicted the power, spread, or the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Now, it became crystal clear how seriously the Coronavirus pandemic has affected our lives. It is not the first time in human history where diseases spread challenged humanity and our existence. Diseases always kept shaping our living environment where architects and engineers were under pressure to address and handle such danger to mankind. Cities and buildings were often redesigned and re-engineered to adapt to increased...

Have you ever wondered how trees grow into harmonious proportions and structural equilibrium, how a cactus grows in the desert even after the scarcity of water or how birds construct their structurally stable and beautiful hanging nests? Answers to all these questions are hidden in nature. Nature has divine secrets pertaining to its biological and natural processes which follow some algorithmic rules that secretly pre-exists in this universe. Nature has always inspired mankind through these whimsical secrets. In history, many humans took advantages of these natural secrets to inspire themselves to solve human problems. Earliest examples include Greek philosophers who studied design of organisms to attain balance and proportion in classical art and Leonardo da Vinci who was inspired by flying birds to invent flying machines. This imitation of nature eventually got recognised by scientists and the term ‘Biomimicry’ was coined in 1982. Figure 1: Underside structure of water lily...

Brinda Somaya (Founder) and Nandini Sampat (Director) from Somaya and Kalappa Consultants , spoke about their practice, their ongoing architectural projects, the role of façades and fenestration in buildings, latest trends and technologies in façade cladding, the importance of energy conservation and the role of façades and fenestration in achieving the same, intelligent and future façades and on renovation/restoration of façades of existing buildings. Below are the excerpts from the interview... [caption id="attachment_40480" align="alignright" width="300"] TCS House, Mumbai[/caption] Please tell us about your practice? Brinda Somaya (BS): It was in 1978 that my sister Ranjini Kalappa and I started our architectural consultancy firm. However, in two years she moved out of India and I was on my own. This led to the formation of Somaya & Kalappa, the company I founded and have headed for the last four decades. My work includes corporate, industrial and institutional designs that extends to...

Every architectural design comprises various elements that combine and integrate to give the desired look and feel to a place. While each and every element has a distinguished and well-defined role to play, one can certainly not ignore the profuse relevance of doors and windows while designing the façade of a building. With the advancement in the industry in terms of hardware and technology, there have been significant changes that have transformed various aspects of architectural hardware doors and windows. Let us take a look at various innovative designs, materials and technologies pertaining to architectural hardware for doors and windows: Criteria For Selection Of Architectural Hardware [caption id="attachment_40250" align="alignleft" width="217"] Use of aluminium to build doors and windows has become very common in metropolitan cities[/caption] Today, with changing trends in architecture, hardware has become design oriented, which means architects prefer to choose hardware which does not compromise the designs rather...

Window and Façade magazine joined the Padma Shri award winner Ar. C. N. Raghavendran to talk about his journey of five decades in architecture, his sources of inspiration, his environmentally-conscious approach to design and much more. When was the firm CRN started and when did you join the firm? At about the time when I was born, my father had started an architectural office single handedly in the early 40s and during my childhood, my father used to take me with him to the site inspection and also sit in some of the review meetings with clients and contractors. I was quite fascinated to observe that out of nowhere a building plan emerging on the tracing paper and magically getting built, though I had no clue as to the process that made this happen. I felt thrilled to see the connection between sketching by hand the ideas in the head...

Façade is one of the most crucial parts of a building and adds a visual outlook as an effect on the entire building’s design. A building façade has many layers to protect the exterior of the building, providing it sustainability, at the same time it’s identity. Façades should be aesthetically pleasing and its exclusivity is the requirement of the present era. Curtain wall and cladding are the integral part of a façade system. With the right choice of façade, by keeping in mind the materials’ durability, sustainability, compatibility and suitability, safety and availability, the look and lifespan of the entire building can be transformed. The right material gives a perfect façade. For this cover story, we interviewed a few top names from the Middle-East’s façade industry to help our readers in choosing the best suitable solutions for their building façade requirements. The experts have also shared their views on the...

Balustrades are all around us, and thankfully so in most cases. They are so ubiquitous that we take them for granted. They are present even in the simplest buildings and have been there for centuries. Think of an old-fashioned balustrade, and you will probably think of an old stone type, with the curved, and ornate baluster posts. Three aspects of these old designs are immediately apparent – they provided protection, they provided a view, and they were elegant. (The word baluster comes from the Greek balaustion meaning ‘wild-pomegranate flower’). In modernity, this type of balustrade has frequently been replaced by one incorporating glass – all adequately providing the same function. But beware, for an element so common, their designs are surprisingly frequently inadequate – particularly in terms of their end functions. Arguably the simplicity and familiarity are the reasons for the mistakes made. So, let’s break this down – firstly...

What are the criteria for the selection of architectural hardware for façades & fenestrations? Hardware contributes to less than 1.5% of the value of the project, but is contributing to 95% of the problems when it is not installed correctly. In addition, a user who enters the building does not touch the walls, neither the ceilings nor the floors. The only element of the building he/she touches is the lever handles and the pull handles. I keep repeating this, because, these are items that are finalised in the finishing stages of the project when the budgets are finished, the main objective at that stage is to somehow fit something and close the doors. It is no surprise that within a couple of months, you see the hardware falling off. [caption id="attachment_39734" align="alignleft" width="500"] Anti-bacterial coating[/caption] Now that I have highlighted the concerns, let me focus on the selection. A good...

Architectural hardware like hinges, locks, catches, knobs, and handles are especially included within the basis of any house. They are known to serve very important and practical functions in your doors and windows but also help in achieving decorative motives and improving the aesthetics of your room, home, or building. Architectural hardware is required for opening, closing, and locking the doors and windows. Besides these functions, they also play a very important role in keeping the occupants safe. Every infrastructure, whether it is a residential or commercial building, is incomplete without hardware products. There are lots of things that should be considered while choosing hardware products for your doors and windows. In this cover story, we interviewed the architectural hardware industry experts to bring you in-depth knowledge of the industry and to keep you updated with the norms and specifications that play a key role in the selection of the...

In conversation with the team of Window & Façade Magazine,  Firas Hnoosh from Nordic Office Architects talked about his architectural journey, his USPs, the status of the façade industry, and the future of the architectural segment in the Middle East. Here are the excerpts… What inspired you to become an architect? How is your journey so far since you started your career? I have been interested in architecture since I was a little boy because of my uncle who is an architect. Every time we visited, I would sneak into his studio to admire the cardboard models with miniature figures and play with the drawing equipment. The idea of creating buildings for people fascinated me. During my first semester in architecture school, I was confused and almost quit if it was not for architecture books that enticed me to stay and learn more about architecture. My journey has been very...

Door hardware makes up a relatively small investment cost relative to the overall estimated cost of a project. But then again door hardware has an impact on the facility out of proportion to their cost. The appearance and function of the doors and door hardware are scrutinised daily by the building occupants and visitors. [caption id="attachment_39428" align="alignleft" width="250"] Antique Door Hardware[/caption] Having spent several years in this industry, I have always kept with me the famous quote which says “The lever handle on the door is the first handshake you make before entering a building”. Projects are nowadays mostly won on the selection of a designer handle that pleases the end client's taste towards aesthetics and finishes. Thus, the revolution of architectural door hardware has evolved over a period of time in both regulations and standards and design-wise. [caption id="attachment_39429" align="alignright" width="150"] Concealed Hinges[/caption] We will not go into the...

The client approached us with the idea of developing a Tech Park inside the REC Campus for the purpose of training computer science engineering students and to provide incubation centres which can host young start-ups. The aim was to encourage the recent graduates to enter the start-up ecosystem. The building needed to be completed in an express timeline of 180 days as the infrastructure was needed for the upcoming new batch. The existing facilities inside the campus were dismal and poorly equipped for computer science training. The site selected was an open land near the existing administration building. Being at the entrance of the campus, the building needed to be innovative and futuristic, symbolising the willingness of the university to adapt to the next generation of computer technology. Concept Note- Rec Tech Park [caption id="attachment_38609" align="alignleft" width="362"] The roof of the atrium was made with translucent polycarbonate sheets that allow...

Glass has been present for more than 5000 years on Earth. Its earliest existence was noticed in Egypt and eastern Mesopotamia, where it existed in the form of beads. Later, craftsmen around the world learned to blow it into different shapes and colours to produce unique artefacts. The first examples of glass in architecture appeared in Roman civilisations where the glass was put in wood and bronze frames to open up buildings towards outside environment. Glass gave an opportunity to experience outside environment and light while being indoors. Therefore, glass became a favourable material for wrapping buildings by architects. Many innovations happened in glass production and manufacturing, but the major shift in glass production was the result of an invention by British scientist Alastair Pilkington. Pilkington has developed the process of manufacturing float glass by casting it on the bed of denser liquid tin. This process allowed the glass to...

In the contemporary architectural scenario, with the easy availability of large format structural glass, the tendency of indiscriminate use of glass as an external façade material, with no proper material audit and decision making, has resulted in poorly functioning buildings with huge energy demands and carbon footprint. In the present context, understanding the process involved in auditing a strategy for combining glass and natural building materials is of paramount importance. Officers Bachelor Accommodation for ONGC at Nazira, Assam The parameters one may use to audit the use of natural materials with glass fall under some broad categories: - • Energy conservation • Cost-effectiveness • Aesthetics • Building typology • Site context and vernacular • Façades and human behaviour Energy Conservation The plaster has a thermal conductivity of 0.18 W/Mk. Brick has a thermal conductivity of around 0.77 W/Mk. Normal window glass has a thermal conductivity of around 0.80 W/Mk and...

When we saw a building, the first thing which attracts us towards it is the façade. Buildings with glass façades keep us mesmerised by the beauty it adds to the structure. The glass helps the building in connecting them with nature and the surroundings. We can see the use of glass in buildings in various forms, it is being used as insulation material, structural component, external glazing material, cladding material, etc. Glass as a building material delivers beauty, visibility, and light transmission. Glass transmits up to 80% of natural daylight and helps in energy and cost saving. Glass as become the most popular building material because of its versatile nature. The adoption of green technology in construction is also a major reason behind the growing demand for glass in building envelopes. Glass as a building material will always remain in demand. Glass transmits up to 80% of natural daylight How...