Houses | South City Residence
The issue of privacy and independence was tackled with a different approach to the modern Indian family; two identical houses were designed which were joined together through balconies and a common compound area.
6450 SF
2019
Traditionally, the Indian family system has been associated with that of a joint family; in recent times, that has changed with each unit that is a part of the joint setup developing a specific requirement of space and privacy. The client brief necessitated a house for two brothers, on two adjoining plots.
The problem was tackled with a different approach to the modern Indian family; two identical houses were designed which were joined together through balconies and a common compound area. This gave the two brothers independent houses to project their vision and maintain a connection between both spaces at the same time. With a unified facade, the two houses end up looking one. Open spaces and connection with nature has been incorporated at varied levels with two gardens in the front and back of the house. A take on modern Indian joint family living space, Twin house sets a precedent for Indian homes today.
Houses | South City Residence
Retail & Hospitality | USI, Rohini
Mitsubishi Heavy Engineering wanted to set up an office in India anticipating future growth. With limited staff and a fluid roadmap of the future, they wanted an office designed as per their global standards of quality and one that could handle sudden increases and decreases of people based on their on-going projects at any point.
Location: Gurgaon
Typology: Office
Principal Architect: Amit Khanna
Completion Date: 2011
Area: 5000 SF
The leased space was a quadrant in a high-rise tower in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi known more for its vertical dimension than for its civic spaces. The curved façade provided plentiful light, however, the western aspect meant the evening glare would have to be mitigated.
The brief called for an open plan workstations with some enclosed meeting rooms and cabins for senior staff. Workstations were planned to be clustered in working groups, as per Mitsubishi ethos, with small open spaces that could provide places for spontaneous discussion.
Rather than following the “corner-office” approach that affords the finest views and natural light to the senior-most people, the strategy was to give the maximum natural light to the open plan workstations. The enclosed cabins were aligned to the dead wall on either side of the quadrant and were fitted with frameless glass panels overlooking the central workspace. The resulting clarity of movement combines with clear sightlines across the office to aid better coordination between working groups.
A hallmark of this project was the commitment to avoiding on-site finish. As far as possible, design details were drawn to be manufactured off-site with components that were ordered well in advance. Even the onsite work was detailed to limit the paint and polish surfaces. Specifications were redrawn and redesigned to ensure that fit and finish quality would match global standards. Muted tones of grey and blue, traditional Mitsubishi Engineering colors, were used in the furniture and wall paneling.
