Seamless waves flowing on the landscape and flowing on the façade are the focal point of the design proposal for this full service five star property. Designed as an iconic building the proposal looks at interweaving the concepts of waves in nature, fold lines as movement trajectories and perception along with programmatic requirements.

The idea of creating a design with soft subtle touches and imbibing a sense of elegance has been instilled in the proposal from the creation of the form itself. The different functions in the building with different programmatic requirements are blending together thus resulting in this iconic building. The building comprises of three waves which are very carefully translated into dramatic key spaces on the lower floors and on the upper floors they translate into room grids with focus on standardized room sizes.

These waves emerge effortlessly from the landscape creating a sense of harmonic relationship with the ground. The profile of the building has been designed with keen emphasis given both to the smooth transition from the horizontal landscape to the vertical building and to the standardization and repetition of the façade components.

The façade is designed as an intricate part of the building. The entire façade system feels the reverberation of the slightest of change in the external skin due to flux in the internal spaces. This interdependent relationship between the skin and structure of the building makes the system a very coherent one.

The entry to the building has been marked with a column less cantilever that creates a dramatic entrance space. The guests are welcomed by the architecture of the canopy that follows the seamless nature of the design proposal, emerging from the ground and morphing back into it.

On the lower three floors the proposal consists of reception lobby, shopping area, banquet hall, meeting rooms, restaurants, lounge space and service areas. All these elements are tied with a coherent design language of natural canyon like formations. The spaces are carved out using the same design principles with which a wave carves out a canyon. This helps in connecting the various public functions into one space visually which still have the capability of functioning independently.

A spill out space in the landscape has been provided for the banquet hall whereby adding to the experience of a celebration. Thus helps in creating an animated landscape which has a direct use and is actively used and enjoyed by the guests.

The restaurants are located amidst splendid view of the green with the fascinating façade wrapped around the restaurants making it a unique experience. The all day dining is designed in a way to create a more open feeling where the buffet would be the main attraction. As well as being visible form the main Lobby. In contrast the specialty dining is located one floor higher with an introvert character. This restaurant is about an intimate play between the senses, the space and the food, to create this sense of very intricate relationship it has zones of small and bigger more private areas.

The roof and the last habitable floor house the spa, gym, saloon and the swimming pool. The swimming pool is located on the terrace with breathtaking views of the city. Alongside a sky lounge has also been provided here which will help guests relax, unwind and absorb the beauty of the city and the building itself.

+ Project fact

AHMEDABAD HOTEL
[AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT]

Architects : Studio Symbiosis
Principal Architects: Amit Gupta, Britta Knobel Gupta in collaboration with Vandana Sehgal.
Project Team : Dharampal Singh, M. Shaique Uddin, Mayank Ojha, Mariia Nazarenko, Rishi Sapra, Rakesh Mathur, Pancham Pathania, Avishek Das and Arunima Sen.

MEP : Apostel Design Studio
Structure :  Acecon
Facility Managers : HPG Consultancy
Facade Consultants : Priedemann

Site area : 6860 sqm
Builtup Area : 24000 sqm
Start Date :  April 2012
Completion Date : June 2014

+ About STUDIO SYMBIOSIS

We transform architectural spaces at all scales from concept to completion. Interrelationship between all elements aim for equilibrium with their surroundings.

Studio Symbiosis, is an award winning multi disciplinary architectural practice with focus on cutting edge contemporary architecture. Studio Symbiosis is involved in a number of prestigious projects in India. The office is involved in a number of hotel projects across India, along with some high profile government projects including a master plan for a 1150 acres of property for UPSIDC along with a sports complex due to be completed soon.

Symbiosis is a key term for the studio and hence the name of the practise. It represents the inter-relationship between two organisms, where each depends upon and receives reinforcement from the other. It relates in terms of the architectural design and the surrounding at a global scale, and at a local scale it relates to the various systems and sub-systems of a piece of architecture.

A systematic coherence is distilled in the design process by bringing together the various systems and sub systems of landscape, building typology, environmental considerations, structural tectonic, etc.

The architecture reflects the latest developments in building techniques, material systems, computational knowledge and the exploration of contemporary design forms deduced and translated into a formal building solution. It is the need to create architecture that would resonate our present and stand as the architecture of our time.

Elegance

Elegance is aimed for in the buildings as a system of ordering the complex urban / social conditions. It is a means of comprehending the overlapping systems into one coherent whole. Unlike Modernism it is not a system of reducing the different parts of a building into different systems independent of each other. What elegance looks for is continuous differentiation and interference amongst the various systems, thereby producing a whole where the boundaries are dissolved and a more fluid architecture is produced.

Malleable and adaptive architecture

Architecture is seen as a malleable form that mutates and adapts in accordance with its context. It is a composition of architectural elements which is more akin to Deluzian notion of assemblage, resulting in open ended compositions. However, if anything needs to be added or subtracted to this system, it can only happen through rigorous negotiation and infliction between the elements concerned.

The platonic solids are no longer the limiting architectural building blocks. It is rather the ellipse, spline, curve, hyperbola, and other complex mathematical systems which have been adopted as a part of the design repertoire. These systems have an inherent quality of fluidity. This results in spatial interlocking and soft transitions thereby resulting in a seamless architecture both internally and externally.

Natural formations

The studio is involved in a high level of understanding of the natural systems. In nature through the process of self-organization intrinsic patterns emerge. It is a system of inclusion of complexity as opposed to the system of exclusion. Instead of discarding information and creating a reduced whole, we like to integrate the complexity in the design, following the principal of inclusion, thereby resulting in an overarching design with a high level of sophistication.

Natural systems such as fluid dynamics, particle systems, minimal path systems, branching, are studied in-depth. This helps in giving an insight into the order of complexity in nature both formally and at times structurally.

Computer coding

Complex design tools such as simulation, animation and form-finding tools, as well as parametric modeling and scripting are employed as a part of the design process.

Computer coding facilitates precise formulation, refinement and execution of the intricate correlations of the design elements. The formal repertoire and the structural tectonics are crystallized into a hegemonic architecture with ordered complexity.

Environmental sustainability

Real life phenomenon such as sun path diagrams, wind patterns, topographical levels, etc are studied both digitally and physically to instigate a design process where the overall form presents an optimum solution.

+ All images and drawings courtesy Studio Symbiosis

GOETTSCH PARTNERS DESIGNS NEW COMMERCIAL TOWER FOR AL HILAL BANK IN ABU DHABI
24-storey flagship development provides contemporary office space for leading global companies.

Architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) has designed the flagship commercial development for Al Hilal Bank in the heart of Abu Dhabi's Al Maryah Island, formerly known as Sowwah Island. The new speculative office tower is located in the Emirate's developing new central business district, with direct access to three main island roads and the nearby Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Sowwah Square, the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange headquarters, and the Rosewood Abu Dhabi hotel.

The 24-storey tower totals 87,570 square metres overall, including 49,110 square metres of office and retail space, and 1,000 parking spaces for tenants and visitors. The building will be serviced by a multi-tiered transportation infrastructure, which includes a planned light rail station.

Challenged to define a distinctive image that would reflect the bank's unique brand while also setting an international aesthetic, GP designed a bold, contemporary tower that shifts in massing as it rises. The podium contains a retail banking facility as well as a dramatic three-story transparent lobby to the north, with pedestrian arcades on the east and west. Three cubical masses sit atop the podium, stacked like shifted blocks. Designed to set the building apart from other towers on Al Maryah Island while also providing optimally efficient, column-free spaces within, these forms derive their interest from a "push-and-pull" effect at the corners. In addition, the building's façade changes at the created voids to accentuate the shifted aesthetic.

Conveying a timeless image, the elegantly designed façade consists of an aluminum-and-glass curtain wall system with glass and notched metal-spandrel elements and vertical glass fins that enhance the building's verticality while also providing shading. The building's profile is a direct result of the desire to create a structure that would achieve high energy performance and synchrony with its surroundings through sustainable applications. The new tower offers maximum transparency, with floor-to-ceiling glass providing spectacular views for occupants while significantly increasing the amount of natural daylight inside. The project is designed and scheduled to receive an Estidama 1 Pearl rating.

A landscaped park and reflecting pool along the building's western façade will draw traffic to the retail and main building entry by creating an inviting, shaded urban space. Café seating for tenants and visitors will further help activate the setting.

The new tower creates a distinctive architectural form, which is expected in the region. At the same time, the building offers very efficient floor plates that are atypical in the local market.

James Goettsch, FAIA, president of Goettsch Partners

Completion of the development is scheduled for the last quarter of 2013.

Al Hilal Bank is owned in full by the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, which is the investment authority of the Government of Abu Dhabi. The bank is working with an authorized capital of AED 4 billion, and is authorized to operate as an Islamic trading bank. Al Hilal Bank aims to become the leading financial institution in the region and to increase the growth of Islamic banking with a new direction, toward new technologies and special services. Al Hilal Bank has 21 branches strategically located across the United Arab Emirates as well as three other branches in major cities of Kazakhstan.

+ About Goettsch Partners (GP)

Goettsch Partners (GP) is an innovative architecture firm with a global perspective, emphasizing a singular design approach across offices in Chicago, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. Focused on combining exceptional design, technical expertise and unmatched service, the firm creates measurable value and environmentally responsible solutions. Services include architecture, interiors, planning and building enclosure design. Diverse projects around the world share a consistent emphasis on bringing bold design clarity to complex challenges. Visit www.gpchicago.com for more information.

An emerging trend in contemporary design is the blending of urban, natural and human elements to create a living space that is entirely unique. This can be seen in the planning and development of the Pointe-Nord neighborhood on Nuns' Island, near Downtown Montreal.

The neighborhood combines natural elements, such as parks and waterfront trails, with hometown staples, such as cafes and shops. Condominium and townhouse living space within Pointe-Nord adds the final element, creating a strong sense of community among residents, as the people who live in Pointe-Nord are the people who visit its stores and restaurants, and who enjoy their daily life alongside the St. Lawrence River together.

Designed to provide easy access for residents to parks and green space, the Montreal condominiums are committed to the green urban lifestyle of Pointe-Nord as a whole.

Pedestrian activities are encouraged, with parks and paths for walking, running and bicycling easily accessible. Close to public transit, it is easy for ecologically-minded residents to commute to downtown for work or play.

For those with cars, underground parking garages are covered by green roofs, adding to the natural aesthetic of the island while tastefully concealing what is usually seen as a jarring, yet necessary element.

This delicate balancing act illustrates Evolo's commitment to keep with Pointe-Nord's overall ecological principles. Landscaping around the buildings uses native species, which is both non-invasive with the waterfront and pedestrian-friendly. Green space and walkways are designed for use, not merely as decoration. Residents are inspired to go outside and explore Pointe-Nord, to make their greater neighborhood truly a part of their everyday life.

Under the guiding hand of Proment Corporation, Nuns' Island's leading developer, Evolo grows out of years of experience with the island's unique features and years of careful planning. Designed in partnership with architects Jean-Pierre Bart (Le Vistal) and Lemay Michaud (Le Germain hotels), Evolo boasts of clean and crisp contemporary architecture, yet there is a natural flow between the buildings and the scenic beauty of its waterfront and wooded surroundings.

Evolo has been designed as to maximize views of the river and the downtown skyline, lending to uninterrupted views for residents. Wooded areas are maintained as to preserve an intimacy between urban and green space. Large windows and an open-room concept allows for the outdoors to be felt keenly inside.

In combining nature with a welcoming, small neighborhood feeling, enhanced with clean and contemporary architecture, Pointe-Nord's Evolo demonstrates the new focus in design which reflects your values and the modern world which we live in.