30 CURRENT The latest news, events and competitions in architecture and design from India and abroad. 34
IN CONVERSATION Of Process and Practice In conversation with IA&B, Doriana and Massilmiliano Fuksas talk about the core elements of their practice, Studio Fuksas and their ideas on art and architecture.
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TRIBUTE Frei Otto The 2015 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate.
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POST EVENT An overview of 361° Conference 2015, which was held at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai from 3rd – 5th March 2015.
56 SPECIAL FOCUS Introduction Exploring the theme of DIS. Architecture
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LETCTUER SYNOPSES Massimiliano Fuksas, Massimiliano Fuksas Architetto, Italy . Wendell Burnette, Wendell Burnette Architects, USA Sheila Sri Prakash, Shilpa Architects, India Boonserm Premthada, Bangkok Project Studio, Thailand Premanand Chandavarkar, CnT Architects, India Dr Singh Intrachooto, Kasetsart University, Thailand Kazi Ashraf, UPENN, Hawaii Peter Clegg, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, UK M N Ashish Ganju, New Delhi, India Prof Osamu Ishiyama, Studio Gaya, Japan Rachel Neeson, Neeson Murcutt Architects, Australia Vinod Jayasinghe,Vinod Jayasinghe Associates, Sri Lanka Alberto Kalach, Taller de Arquitectura X, Mexico Fabrizio Barozzi, Barozzi/Veiga, Spain
87 EPILOGUE Conclusion Synopsis DIS. Architecture | Discourse | Intuition | Syntax 88
SPACE FRAMES Chronicles of Pushkar Capturing the scenes of the Pushkar Mela, photographer Taher Husain K narrates experiences of this North Indian festival through his camera lens.
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Of Process and Practice In conversation with IA&B, architects Doriana and Massilmiliano Fuksas talk about the core elements of their practice, Studio Fuksas and their ideas on art and architecture.
© Fabio Lovino
Studio Fuksas, led by Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas, is one of the most oustanding international architectural firm in the world. Over the past 40 years the company has developed an innovative approach through a strikingly wide variety of projects, ranging from urban interventions to airports, from museums to cultural centres and spaces for music, from convention centres to offices, from interiors to design collections. With headquarters in Rome, Paris and Shenzhen, and a staff of 170 professionals, the practice has completed more than 600 projects and has worked in Europe, Africa, America, Asia and Australia, receiving numerous international awards Massimiliano Fuksas of Lithuanian descent was born in Rome in 1944. He graduated in Architecture from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in 1969. Since the Eighties he has been one of the main protagonists of the contemporary architectural scene. He has been Visiting Professor at a number of Universities such as Columbia University in New York, the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris, the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Wien, the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart. Indian Architect & Builder - April 2015
in conversation
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© Leonardo Finotti The Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport designed to evoke the form of a manta ray fish.
IA&B: Did you always want to be an architect? Can you share with us your journey while discovering your commitment towards this field? MF: No, I never thought I’d want to be an architect. My early aspirations were to become a poet. The beauty of language, various forms of expression and prose always intrigued me. This ambition then evolved in to the desire of being an artist. Architecture was really my last choice. The thought of being an architect occurred to me when only I was around twenty. I was in university when I realised that architecture is probably the easiest and simplest interpretation of art and culture. As I continued my journey in the University Rome, I began to develop a passion for this multifaceted field of knowledge. It was in my third year of university when I found my fervour for architecture and saw myself as an individual in the practice of architecture; a field that in one or more ways satisfied my earlier ambitions of being a poet and an artist.
art. These become starters for the projects and a way to incorporate emotion with the intention. What we strive to do is to make spaces of positive emotion and a place for people to live comfortably.
My devotion towards art reflects in most of my work, my concepts and their application. The process of building can start from various notations and objectives. For me it is often a painting that marks the beginning of a concept. And when I don’t paint I make a model. My studio is full of models and formal explorations through model making. Even though we use highly advanced software for representation of our projects, the germ of any conceptual thought requires a unique method of departure which is personal to the designer; for me that’s
We are often asked to display our library of details. We do not have a library of details or an archive of finishes. We create them with very project, unique and definitive to that project.
IA&B: Looking back over the body of your work there is huge diversity in terms of typology, but also in terms of aesthetics. Given this vast range of language, scale and sheer number of projects, what would you say is your style of architecture? SF: We do not have a style, at the same time you will identify a ‘Fuksas’ when you see one! We innovate and create our style with every new project we take up. Each project is different and has its own specific context and background. Nestled in these influences, the building is a response to its surrounding and one defined style cannot be adapted to all the diverse range of site conditions.
I believe that a concept is important but it may not necessarily be the anchor of the design. It is just a starting point of thought, of a language that can be evolved through the process of design. The concept could be a quick sketch or a model that proceeds to the
To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/
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Indian Architect & Builder - April 2015
tribute
A TRIBUTE TO FREI OTTO “I have built little. But, I have built many castles in the air”
Contrasting yet appropriate, this statement by the architect clearly explains his intention of work and his ever soaring style of building. A continuous endeavour through experimentation led him to invent and articulate light weight structures to create immense possibilities in an era of hefty concrete exuberance. Frei Otto, born 80 years ago in Germany, spent his long career researching, experimenting, and developing a most sensitive architecture that has influenced countless others throughout the world. He has embraced a definition of architect to include researcher, inventor, form finder, engineer, builder, teacher, collaborator, environmentalist, humanist, and creator of memorable buildings and spaces. This issue commemorates the architect’s unique methodology, aspiring thoughts and immeasurable presence in the field of architecture.
To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/
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DR SINGH INTRACHOOTO
INNOVATIONS IN SUSTAINABILITY Singh Intrachooto is the Principal Designer of OSISU, Thailand’s leading eco-design venture as well as founder of Scrap Lab and Head of Creative Centre for Eco-design, a design & research centre focusing on green product and material development at Kasetsart University Architecture (Bangkok). He is considered a pioneer of ecological design in Thailand. His focus is on bridging academia and industry to leverage technology, education and production approaches to stimulate environmentally responsible innovations within the design and architecture industry. Day 2, Lecture 5: Synopsis: Lavina Bulchandani Images: courtesy OSISU, IA&B
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atural disasters have been on a rampant increase over the last few decades. Looking at the numbers of disasters, it is evident that the frequency of such calamities has multiplied three times its original number. An average of 500 disasters, of mega scale, is recorded in just one year. As creatures of this planet, the human race has abused the earth by extracting it resources and discarding all the waste in to unnoticed pockets of the earth. ‘Sustainability’ is one of the world’s most talked about but least understood words. Often shadowed by multiple interpretations, the subject of sustainable design is treated highly superficially. The practices that aim at sustainability embrace the preservation of the environment as well as efficient use of resources. The basic needs for mankind are food, shelter, clothing and medicine. The industries catering to these basics are the main dominators of the global economy. However, statistics show that the building/construction industry solitarily contributes to 40 per cent of the production within these industries. Buildings have the capacity to make a major contribution to a more sustainable future for our planet. “Do we ever stop and wonder? Where does all that junk go?” The urban population worldwide is increasing by around one million people a week. This rapid pace of change implies that lack of time as a luxury. There is an urgent need to come up with creative solutions to optimise the sustainable performance of buildings that are office and living spaces. Architects build buildings and shape cities through their visions. Using intuition to create urban landscapes, the main job of an architect is to build an environment. Any vacant space is open to the architectural community to address with their creativity. Cities are developing in to major hubs for finance, tourism and technology. The question remained unanswered is, what are architects doing that will all up to a better world? The process of creation of a masterpiece is a simultaneous process of destroying the earth. Indian Architect & Builder - April 2015
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Green Façade created from upcycled material.
Architects should serve the market and help preserve the environment at the same time
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Building from available resources makes good sense.
Upcycling as a method of Sustainability: Over the last decade the term “Upcycling” has been coined and worked into the discourse of sustainability efforts. Upcycling is described as process that can be repeated in perpetuity of returning materials back to a pliable, usable form without degradation to their latent valuemoving resources back up the supply chain. Architecture needs to address the environment through its ventures. The waste material generated in any construction project is a serious environmental hazard. The more scraps are considered worthless, the more emphasis they need because they immediately become environmental problems. Environmentally sustainable and responsible architecture aims at material developments from upcycling construction wastes and agricultural by-products. Materials created, not from seller catalogues, but from available resources is a method to salvage the materials that would be discarded as junk. The principle of upcycling aims at all the industries participating in the cyclical process. Products can be drastically changed if the beginning of their design started with the goal of not having them end up in a landfill. A number of ways could be utilised to train the design fraternity in to a practice of reuse. Demonstrating innovative approaches in sustainable design, discoveries in environmental architecture can ensure a positive impact on communities. Sensible use of natural resources can contribute to the long term environmental concerns. To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/
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Chronicles of Pushkar Capturing the scenes of the Pushkar Mela, photographer Taher Husain K narrates experiences of this North Indian festival through his camera lens. Text and Images: courtesy Taher Husain K
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ushkar, the quiet little town of eastern Rajasthan, is located 13km from Ajmer, at the edge of a small and beautiful lake. Pushkar is a city of 400 temples and 52 bathing ghats. It prides itself on being the site of the only temple of the hindu God of Creation: Brahma. Every November, the sleepy little township of Pushkar in Rjasthan, comes alive with a riot of colours and a frenzied burst of activity. The PUSHKAR MELA attracts many tourists every year and is associated with the world’s largest camel fair. In this project, I focused on capturing the essence of Pushkar Mela. It is a simple way of adding drama to the pictures. I attempted to represent the art and life of the festival. The idea of the project was to showcase the stark contrast between the day and night at the Mela. The city bustled with a myriad of people in the morning and as the sun went down, the place transitioned into a serene setting where you can take pleasure in small enjoyments such as riding a camel or soaking in the bliss life that Pushkar offers. The transition from bright daylight to various colours of sunset is what I strived to capture through my pictures.
Indian Architect & Builder - April 2015
space frames
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To read more: http://www.magzter.com/IN/Jasubhai-Media-Pvt.-Ltd./Indian-Architect-&-Builder/Art/