OMG! How does one build like this... 

The pictures above show the twisted, bent and warped facades of the stainless steel clad Frank Gehry's Beekman Towers, Frank Gehry's IAC Headquarters, Jean Nouvel's 100 11th Ave, and Thom Mayne's new Academic Building at Cooper Union, all in New York.

The question I ask is not how one thinks of these buildings, dreams them up at night or during a drunken creative breakthrough. The key question for me is how does one take these magnificent forms from paper to reality. Maybe I am jaded. But the quest to understand design to execution has dictated my professional journey, where I started as an architect who believed that design was supreme and then went on to studying and practicing as a city planner and real estate professional in an attempt to unravel the processes that translate design dreams to reality. I still think that design is supreme but really it can be so much more if implemented correctly on budget and on time. My architect friends may hate me for saying this but in a way I am their biggest proponent. I think that architects are supremely talented, way ahead of the times, and therefore I believe that their creations need to be built so the world can be a better place.

Renderings showing the proposed Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

So going back to the question of 'How does one build like this?'. The above rendering shows the new Barclays Center under construction in Brooklyn, New York. The project is being built by developer Forest City Ratner as part of the very controversial Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, New York. Interestingly, I had the opportunity to work with their parent company Forest City Enterprises in 2008-09 on mill redevelopment projects as part of the development team. Forest City Ratner is also the developer for the stately Beekman Towers (image on top).

Detail of the facade at Barclays Center made with pre-weathered metal lattice

Last week, I attended a talk by Jonathan Mallie from SHoP Architects and Construction who are the architects on the job and are facilitating the construction.

The building's external form is designed with concentric helical bands that are superimposed on each other. To mask this snaking form, the building will be skinned with a weathering steel latticework system. The lattice system goes over a glass curtain wall. Before installation, the metal lattice panels are pre-weathered to obtain a patina that makes them look older (weathered) in a design attempt to resemble the historic brownstones of Brooklyn.

And here is the kicker in the whole story, the proposed skin is comprised of 12,000 uniquely designed mega panels; each unique in size, shape, and individual pattern of folds and bends. Yes, I know....CRAZY ! Imagine implementing something like this. Imagine manufacturing each panel individually, imagine producing 12,000 individual drawings for each panel and then imagine coordinating the whole process, managing delivery and installation....

Photo of the lattice panels being installed on-site at Barclays Center

How does one go about a challenge like this? In this case, SHoP Architects have a sister company called SHoP Construction who played the key role of coordinating all design and construction efforts. They employed technology and created a Catia based 3-dimensional model that integrated all the building components with a back end database that recorded the details of each component (so size, individual design and special characteristics). As an example of attention to detail, SHoP actually analyzed the optimum size of panels and optimum stacking for road transportation (panels are being manufactured in Indianapolis and the project is in New York, 700 miles away from each other). After this exercise, they actually modified the design of the lattice panels to ensure efficient transportation. This is also an example of how an entity like ShoP Construction was critical to project implementation that allowed for communication between designers, manufacturers and contractors, who in spite of being in the same industry generally speak different languages, meaning have very different roles, scope of work and motivations.

The centralized model and database was also used to generate the 12,000 unique drawings for individual panels. And then they did another cool thing, implemented another idea that has probably never been done before.. Each panel was assigned and identified by a bar code. So each drawing had a bar code that was repeated to tag the panel once manufactured, was scanned when the panel was put on the truck to be transported to site, again scanned when it reached site and then again once it was installed. Taking it all the way, this electronic information was then made available real-time through a project website that kept all team members from the owner, architect, manufacturer, contractor up to date on where each of the 12,000 panels were at any given point in time. All this is so cool, that I just can't type fast enough to tell you all about it... just thinking about it makes me jittery with excitement...Oh and of course, the electronic tracking system was also available to the project team as an IPhone application... 

Learning about these wonderful stimulating innovations in design and implementation left me wanting more...The mantra to successful project implementation is seamless communication between all parties. With technology this communication can improve by leaps and bounds. For our project, we rely on digital photographs, skype calls and in-person meetings with all project leaders. It works well for now, but I will end the post hoping that in the future we will endevour to design and build more complex buildings and embrace cutting edge technology to do the same.

Read more about,

The weathering process for lattice panels

 at Barclays Center

Video of construction sequencing at Barclays Center

Read New York Times architectural review of,

Frank Gehry's Beekman Towers

Frank Gehry's IAC Headquarters

Jean Nouvel's 100 11th Ave

Morphosis's Cooper Union New Academic Building

These are pictures from my recent walk through Panjim's historic Fontainhas district. Love the colors, textures, and feel of tiny bylanes that are a reminder of the Portuguese era in Goa.

I am writing this post as an addendum to the previous post on 'dreaming up a life lived outdoors'. The following are a collection of rooms that have been an inspiration in the design of indoor-outdoor spaces in our house in Goa. 

The first picture is of the famous 'loo with a view' at the Neemrana Fort Palace. Some 15 years back, I had interned with an architect on a design job at the Neemrana Fort Palace. Along with the gorgeousness of the palace hotel, the super attention to every detail in design, construction and finishes, the 'loo with the view' left a deep impression on my mind. It represents the fun in architecture and represents the luxury of living away from the swarming crowds and making everyday moments grander, exciting, liberating and inspiring. 

Another space that has been a recent inspiration is

Leti 360

, a beautiful hotel nestled in the Himalayas. The hotel is designed by one of my favorite contemporary Indian architect

Bijoy Jain

. I love the way he has succeeded in using local materials in a very contemporary design and blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors.

Two images below are from the

'house on the ridge'

near Pune designed by Opolis Architects. This is a truly inspiring space. Notice the size and proportions of the interior space and how it flows into the outdoors through a completely movable wall. Also, note the windows in the top that keep the space filled with light making it look big and airy.

Then there is the following house in Denmark that was recently

featured in NYTimes

. I can't get enough of the uncluttered large spaces with clean lines, minimal furniture and color. There is nothing to distract you from the most important aesthetic of bringing the outdoors into the indoors. Notice the use of textured stone in the bathroom where one would walk bare feet, a little detail that will probably go unnoticed but adds so much to the experience of living in the house.

These last set of pictures are from a heavenly resort called

Verana in Mexico

. They have a bunch of houses. The design for all of them prioritizes reconnecting with nature above all else. My favorite is the

Tea house

. See pictures below.

Then there is the

V-House at Verana

that totally out of this world.

Because they can look like this. 

A country house in Formentera, Spain courtesy '

the style files

'. 

I firmly believe that country homes is a unique architectural genre and building them to look like five-star hotels is the easiest way out. Country homes should celebrate their location and be a part of the surrounding countryside by using local materials, local traditional construction techniques and rustic interiors/ furniture. 

Another key element for cozy country homes is their relationship to the outside. In the most enjoyed homes in the country, the outdoor spaces are as important if not more than indoor spaces. After all, the reason to be out in the country is to reconnect with nature, to de-stress and inspire, all in an effort to enrich the patron's quality of lives. Outdoor spaces are also important to entertain while spreading the joy to family and friends.

Country homes provide the perfect backdrop to indulge in the simple rustic country life with its treasures of exotic fruits, fresh farm produce, tropical drinks, and traditional robust recipes.

Why build a house in the country if at best it feels just like an expensive apartment in the chaotic city? when there is the opportunity to build and enjoy something like this ...

Postcard from High Line exhibition at MoMA that I have saved as a design inspiration since 2005

The High Line Phase 2 opened in June, a few weeks after I flew back to Goa. It makes me sad to not be there and experience it for myself.

I have been tracking the High Line project since 2003 when there was a design competition to transform an abandoned freight railway line in Manhattan into a public park system. The competition was won by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

In 2005, there was an exhibition at MoMA with a large scale detailed model of the highline that was suspended within the gallery and hung in mid-air. The design and exhibition was so very inspiring for the young architect/ planner in me. I marvelled at the way the architects had proposed a design that preserved the historic legacy of the space, while introducing a new park system that balanced planted green areas along with paved usable spaces.

High Line exhibition at MoMA

I love the contemporary use of material along with new age designs for every element including the precast concrete finger like paving that weaves into the planting beds, the floating street furniture, and special areas for seating and congregation that celebrated the city by framing views and entrances. The relationship to surroundings is further heightened when buildings bridge over the High Line (few older industrial buildings and of course the new Standard Hotel). The entire project represents the brilliance of the architects and embodies their passion for the city, contemporary design and building materials.

The original tracks that were carefully replaced back in their original position after the restoration work

The finger-line pre-cast concrete paving that weaves into the green spaces. Planting beds are planted with native species of grasses and wildflowers so they require less maintenance and water

Floating landscape furniture in new age contemporary design

Amphitheater that looks onto the city streets and celebrates the chaos

Our takeaways from the High Line for our project in Goa are as follows:

- Need for a comprehensive understanding of the site and the project's relevance to its surroundings. Preservation of this understanding and relationship in the proposed design.

- Excellence in design and attention to detail with a passion for perfection

- Integration of contemporary design while preserving the historic legacy of the place

- Fearless new and innovative use of material

- Use of native species of plants to propose a landscape that requires little maintenance, water and other resources

Hotel Standard built over the High Line

My favorite view from the High Line framing a Gehry building and a Jean Nouvel building. 

House in Gauses by Anna and Eugeni Bach

A small house in a village in Spain. A featured house in

Architectural Record

.

The architects have employed an open plan while building the structure using traditional construction methods.

Several design themes resonate with our design concept,

-

       -  

The architects have used load bearing walls to reduce use of structural concrete and steel

-

       -  

Designed the house so that the corner of the living room opens up to make it a part of the porch and garden while providing views to the mountains beyond

-

       -  

Used local materials and techniques, like the woven cane for the roof over porch wrapping the house along with contemporary materials like steel frame and aluminium windows.

This is a small house with a very contemporary design that fits right into the surrounding landscape without needing to copy traditional house typologies or making a strong architectural statement. I would identify this as an example of responsive contemporary architecture.

According to an architect friend of mine, 'architecture is nothing but the play of light on surfaces'. This house scores high on that aspect with the beautiful light cane roof creating dynamic patterns on light and shade on house walls that are painted with bright green and white stripes. Everyone, please note that the cane roof needs to be replaced every two years. This material is similar to the way Goans create woven screens from coconut leaves.