Vivanta by Taj, Bangalore by WOW Architects, Singapore in Association with DPA

By: Ar. Sonali Bhagwati and Sohrab Dalal, Designplus Architecture (DPA)

Vivanta is located at the entrance of the International Tech Park at Whitefield, Bangalore (ITPB), India, the hotel is a gateway statement between the IT Park and the developing city around it.

The brief inspired the team to question and push the boundaries of hotel design, not just to address the needs of the discerning business traveller coming to Whitefield, but also to redefine and intensify the hotel as a contemporary socio-cultural hub for both the IT Park and IT-based population in Whitefield. The building embraces Bangalore’s culture and climate, adopting a site-specific landscape strategy that plays on relationships between interior and exterior spaces. Public and private spaces interweave in an endless promenade of spatial experiences with culturally distinctive cinematic qualities that allude to the circling and twisting of traditional Indian dance forms. The resulting seamless experience dissolves not only the boundaries between the inside and outside of the hotel but also the stigma of a five-star hotel’s inherent social and cultural status, encouraging casual interactions and exchanges between hotel guests and locals within its public promenade. Constraints prescribed by the low height restrictions and the high site coverage in the urban design guidelines were resolved through a ‘landscraper’ (as opposed to ‘skyscraper’) concept.

To maximise the high site coverage, the ground plane of the site was conceptually manipulated into a mobius strip that would constitute the podium of the hotel. The twists and folds of the strip extend the perception of space. As the landscape is introduced back to the folded ground plane, the podium seemingly dematerialises, blurring the distinction between architecture, interior and landscape. The three-storey room block then extrudes from the ground plane, hovers above and flexes its way around the site, lifting its way mid-air to enclose 200 rooms within its form.

Quick Facts:

Project: Vivanta by Taj, Bangalore
Architect: WOW Architects, Singapore; DPA
Area: 19,638 Sq m or 2,11,381 Sq ft (212 Keys)
Photographs: Aaron Pocock

Ar. Sonali Bhagwati and Sohrab Dalal, Designplus Architecture (DPA)

Design Partner

Designplus Architecture Pvt. Ltd (DPA) is a practice based on the belief that each project must be the unique expression of the client’s dream. Counting on sustainability, the team has made every project a triumph of collaboration of disciplines, expertise and experience. Ar. Sonali Bhagwati and Ar. Sohrab Dalal are the founders of the design firm DPA. DPA is an architectural design firm formed out of a merger of DesignPlus and Spazzio Design. DesignPlus with its experience in large format projects and Spazzio with its high design & boutique projects background were a perfect match to provide a wide bandwidth of services. The firm endeavours to create an environment that is seamlessly woven into an organization’s culture while reinforcing the brand identity. DPA believes that good design is intelligence made visible. Innovative design integrated with engineering services has ensured vibrant and successful built environments. Ar. Sonali Bhagwati is a graduate of the prestigious C.E.P.T. University in Ahmadabad. The distinguished architect has over 30 years of experience. She has an unparalleled talent and vision and her journey in the realm of architecture began with a strong foundation. Her passion for the art of building and design and learning architecture under the guidance of esteemed architects like B.V. Doshi and Bernard Kohn embarked her on a transformative learning experience. Sonali’s scholarship from L’Institut Francais D’Architecture afforded her the privilege of training under a master architect, honing her skills to perfection. Ar. Sohrab Dalal completed his Degree in Architecture from CEPT, Ahmedabad. After working with renowned sculpture architect Satish Gujral for a few years, he founded the design firm – Spazzio Design Architecture with Sonali Bhagwati. In 2010, it merged with DPA and Ar. Sohrab took over as Managing Director of Designplus Architecture Pvt. Ltd. While talking to the two stalwarts Ar. Sonali Bhagwati & Ar. Sohrab Dalal, we tried to unfold the story of the legendary design firm DPA from its inception to the present, and their dreams for the future.