Architecture gives me the best opportunity to practice my ecological design principles. The aim is to show that construction can be economical and nature-friendly at the same time.
Here are some completed projects including a resort, a couple of bungalows and an office building.
Farmhouse [BAli] @ Nasrapur, Karjat
[Completion Stage]
Situated a stone's throw from the [RaBV] bungalow, this design is diametrically opposite to the other. As opposed to being lifted off the ground, it is, instead partially sunk to become a part of the surrounding landscape.
Factory [PSah] @ Jagatpur, Cuttack, Orissa
[Construction Drawing Stage]
This plant for packaging material is to be made as nature-friendly as possible. Natural ventilation will be used to the maximum extent (given the necessity of a totally dust-free environment) and the landscaping is being designed to reduce ambient temperature within the premises. To make use of natural light, an earlier sketch design had curved profile roofs with clerestorey windows. However, that had to be scrapped in view of the frequent cyclones in the area. Instead, we've turned the clerestoreys sideways so that most of the light comes in from the North and East sides and reflects off the insides of the curved baffles seen in the image. All the other windows have deep overhangs to reduce direct light - and therefore minimise heat buildup.
![South-East view of [CuzH] bungalow](images/arch_cuzh_entrance.th.jpg)
Vacation Home [CuzH] @ Badlapur
[Tendering Stage]
I've always though of Badlapur as an industrial area and much too close to Kalyan but this place, outside the town area an on a tributary of the Ullhas river is a nice one.
An important part of the portfolio, interior design is where most of the work has been carried out. Dozens of commercial and residential projects have been completed in and around Bombay since the first office designed in 1993. Here, because ecological considerations are often diametrically opposite to economics, I've had less success in convincing clients to use sustainable materials. That has not stymied my effort to bridge this gap however.
Playschool [Casa] @ Warden Road, Mumbai
[Phase V]
This popular playschool in a heritage building gets a face-lift in phases: every time there is a vacation, a couple of classrooms are renovated. before we started working on it, everything had been ad-hoc but now, as the work approaches completion, the atmosphere has completely changed. Right now, we're woking on the garden and play area.
Apartment [SuBo] Part-II @ Juhu, Mumbai
[Sketch Stage]
The clients had bought a 2-bedroom apartment which was completed in 2009. A few months later, they called to say they'd bought the adjoining one too. Good for them but we have wires running through the common walls! Anyway, this is still at the sketch stage and we'll have to sit together and work out what they want from each space.
Office [KNDE] @ Colaba, Mumbai
[Billing Stage]
On the top floor of an old building on Colaba Causeway, the office needed extensive repairs to the floor and roof before the interior design could begin.
Apartment [HavD] @ Hughes Road, Mumbai
[Billing Stage]
Nothing spectacular here, a normal apartment for a normal person...
