Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Cityscape 2007

The international property investment and development event.
19- 21 Nov 2007
Bombay exhibition centre, Mumbai


The potential of India real estate industry is catching everybody’s eye around the globe . Indian real estate industry is growing at a rapid pace as a result of continued economic growth , favourable demographic changes , fiscal benefits , lower interest rates and sustained demand from end user as well as investor . The industry is estimated to grow by 33% to US $ 50 billion by 2010 .
Cityscape is common platform for world leaders in real estate industry , investors , Architects , strategy advisers to discuss and access the growth potential .

The important issues that will be addressed are :

1 Key driver for international investment.
2 Strategies for improving India’s Infrastructure to sustain property growth.
3 Identifying the most profitable asset classes and cities .
4 capitalizing on global markets – which location will offer the best returns ?
5 Fuelling investment opportunities in retail and criterion for success in mall development.
6 winning formulas for structuring joint ventures.
7 Capitalizing on the rise in private equity and other strategies for rising capital .

For more information check Cityscape 2007

News from the Real estate industry .

1 DLF to purchase New Delhi mill land

DLF, India's most valuable real estate company, will purchase around 38 acres of land in New Delhi.The company will buy Swatantra Bharat Mills from DCM Shriram Consolidated in a deal worth 16 billion rupees - the largest private sector land deal in India.
Bharat Mills, located about four to five kilometres from the capital's central business district, lies adjacent to about 25 acres of land that DLF acquired in 2005. With a further two acres acquired earlier this year, the company now has 65 acres in one locality.
DLF has already received an in-principle approval to develop an IT SEZ on this land, and may invest 110-120 billion rupees in building an integrated township there.These purchases mark a shift in DLF's focus towards the capital and away from peripheral markets such as Gurgaon, in which its operations had previously been concentrated.


2.Massive property expansion planned by Reliance Retail

The hypermarket arm of India's Reliance Retail, Reliance Mart, has acquired over 50 million square feet through franchise direct routes over the last six months alone as it eyes fast expansion, Rediff India reports.The company has set a target of 100 million square feet by 2011 to develop its hypermarket
business, the news service said.The firm's first hypermarket will open in Ahmedabad .
Two further hypermarkets, ranging in size between 1,65,000 to 2,00,000 square feet, will open in Jamnagar, Gujarat, and Gurgaon, Haryana, in September.The company aims to open one or two new stores every month during this financial year.

3. Indian property investment moving to smaller cities

Smaller cities could be the next big wave in property investment in India, according to industry experts.With property prices soaring in the main cities, tier II and tier III cities might benefit from an increased attention from property developers and investors .Better infrastructure due to the proliferation of IT companies might further draw interest to tier II and tier III cities, as previously only major cities were sufficiently well connected, argues writer Rakesh Malhotra, of The Indian Real Estate Forum. Tier II cities such as Mangalore, Mysore, Lucknow and Jodhpur can save companies up to 30 per cent in costs drawing interest in operations and employees setting up there.According to estimates, demand for commercial property in tier II cities could amountto 1.2 million to 1.5 million square feet in the next year.Property developers have seen their stocks soar in recent years, with New Delhi-based Unitech having seen its share price almost triple in the past year, and the Bombay's Stock Exchange's main index for property has grown by almost 40 per cent in thesame time period.The growing interest in commercial property development in more out of the way towns could mean that growth is far from stalling in India.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Ashden awards for sustainable energy -2007

INDIA won the two internation awards and one second prize . Summary of all the winner here .

1 BIOTECH - Innovative scheme turns food waste into gas for cooking and electricity.


In 1994, driven by a desire to see an end to the dumping of waste in public places, Saji Das set up BIOTECH to focus on ways of managing organic waste to produce alternative sources of energy. Four years later BIOTECH launched its innovative biogas programme which uses unwanted food waste and other organic waste to produce gas for cooking and, in some cases, to produce electricity.

In order to have a real impact on the waste problem in Kerala and to produce significant amounts of clean energy, BIOTECH has developed biogas digesters that are not only suitable for domestic use but also for schools and hostels and larger municipal sites. To date BIOTECH has built and installed 12,000 domestic plants, 220 institutional plants and 17 municipal plants that uses waste from the municipal fish markets to produce biogas which is then used in a 3kW engine to generate electricity for lighting the market.


2 SELCO - Making solar energy affordable yet commercially viable



SELCO is a private business, based in Bangalore, which provides solar-home-systems (SHS) and other solar services to low-income households and institutions. Its network of local sales and service centres are set up where micro-finance organisations can provide loans to customers. All systems are sold on a commercial basis, but SELCO is committed to providing the highest quality services to poor people on financial terms they can afford.

Darwin initiative .

I digged deep into the Lakswadeep islands , and found out that LEAD is working on India's first marine conservation project called 'Darwin project '. LEAD is working with Bombay natural history society , to conserve the 'Giant Glam '

Agatti was selected for number of reasons :-

It has the most significant Giant clam population in Lakshwadeep and it has the most vunerable live bait fish stock as agatti is the number one tuna landing island in lakshwadeep













giant clam symbolisis the health of coral reef . Due to their long life span ( >40) and selective ecological requirements they are excellent indicators of changes in the integrity of coral reef . A healthy giant clam population reflects a heathy reef which is the source of local people's livehood .

Agatti Island !! ......Thinking of taking a break













I was flying on a trip to google earth .......and suddenly i landed up on a small island just n the left side of my country .......and i am stuck with its beauty . The nature is the bigest master in the world.......and no matter who you are......designer or architect....

Agatti Island (occassionally called "Agathy") is a small 7km long island, situated about 250kms off the Kochi Coast. It is surrounded on all sides by a beautiful coral reef, so the waters around it are a lagoon and not the sea.
It is a part of the Lakshadweep Islands. Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory of India. Located in the Arabian Sea, it consists of twelve coral atolls, three coral reefs, five banks, and numerous islets that lie 200–300 km off of the coast of Kerala. The total land area of the territory is 32 sq.km.

Eleven of the islands are inhabited. Capital of the Union territory is Kavarati Island. Pitti Island is a small sandy uninhabited island which is a Bird sanctuary






Sunday, August 19, 2007

Mall Development In India

Retail and real estate compliment each other. The current growth trends in Indian retail market present large prospects in the retail real estate segment. Indian retail enjoys the status of representing one of the 10 largest retail markets in the world.

If the progress forecasted for retail sector in India keeps moving like this, then, by the end of 2008, a supply of 66 million sq ft. of new retail space will be developed in the eight largest Indian cities.












Developers are primarily focusing on the metros like Delhi and Mumbai for the supply of retail space as these cities enjoy advantages because of their sheer size and population. They have emerged as the most lucrative consumer markets in Asia. Close by heels are the cities such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, where the per capita income is increasing due to high proliferation of IT companies.

Big Realty players Unitech, Omaxe, Suncity Projects among others are planning to come up with big retail projects in tier-II cities like Ludhiana, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Amritsar. What is attracting these majors to foray into these cities is their increasing customer base.

Around 100 shopping malls are already operating here, generating 20 million sq ft of retail space. 60 more malls are likely to spring by the end of next fiscal year.

Chief hosting spots to see the major retail development are NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai. However, the mall culture is likely to hit 60 more cities. With Delhi Development Authority releasing real estate space in peripheral retail areas, mall development has got a strong boost.

According to the real estate trends report compiled by Merril Lynch, number of malls in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune may touch 250 by 2010 against the present 40. Growth of real estate in Delhi mainly owes to huge outlay in IT/ITes, and BPO centers, thereby attracting investments in the segment.

via India real estate news

iMAP - Portable Architecture Concept

Thread collective is a Architectural design studio in Brooklyn ,NY .

iLAND is Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Art, Nature and Dance investigates the power of dance, in collaboration with other fields, to illuminate our kinetic understanding of the world. ILAND, a dance research organization with a fundamental commitment to environmental sustainability as it relates to art and the urban context, cultivates cross-disciplinary research among artists, environmentalists, scientists, urban designers and other fields.

iMAP (Interdisciplinary Mobile Architecture and Performance) is a collaborative project between choreographer Jennifer Monson and architect Gita Nandan and landscape architect Elliott Maltby, both of thread collective.

iMAP is a sustainably designed mobile performance space and interdisciplinary laboratory. Temporarily sited in underused urban areas, the vehicle will facilitate intensive on-site exploration and research, with a particular emphasis on cooperation between artists and scientists. These investigations will lead to the development of performance projects that engage local communities in new understandings of their environment.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Large Firms Struggle to Outbid Small Firms- firm within firm model

By Jessica Sheridan, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP


Event: Super-Models, MEGA_100+, Large-Scale Firms Revised
Location: Center for Architecture, 07.11.07
Speakers: Aaron Schwarz, FAIA — Principal, Perkins Eastman; Christopher McCready, AIA — Associate Principal, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Christopher Lee — Principal, HOK Sport
Moderator: Julie Iovine — Executive Editor, The Architect’s Newspaper
Organizer: AIANY New Practices Roundtable Committee
Sponsors: The Architect’s Newspaper; Häfele America Co.; Skyy 90; Severud Associates; Fountainhead Construction; MG & Company; Microsol Resources


In the U.S., many large firms are beginning to compete with — and lose to — small firms for innovative projects. To remedy the situation, large firms are using the small firm model to shift the balance in their favor. By establishing smaller companies within the larger organization, big firms are finding they are able to take advantage of the flexibility and collaborative work environment offered by small firms while maintaining the vast resources and funds offered by the parent firm.

SOM Education Lab and HOK Sport are smaller, specialized firms operating within the large firms of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and HOK, respectively. Since the profitability of small projects is the biggest issue for small firms, according to Christopher McCready, AIA, associate principal of SOM Education Lab, working as a firm within SOM helps alleviate monetary pressures. Focusing on campus planning and design, the firm can comfortably work on lower-budge projects in a small studio environment.

Although HOK Sport receives funding and office space from HOK, the independent practice struggled, as many small firms do at its start — entering competitions until it was able to build up a small client base. Christopher Lee, principal of HOK Sport, argues that the firm-within-a-firm model is successful because it creates long-term loyalty and employee satisfaction. Every employee is important to the continuing design process, and therefore, each project improves with his or her growing experience.

Perkins Eastman has not founded a small firm within its firm, but even though it has 700 international employees, principal Aaron Schwarz, FAIA, claims it is really “a small firm on steroids.” Large firms often have quality control problems and rely on bureaucracy to organize inevitable chaos. In doing this, firm structure can get in the way of the work. Large firms also tend to be run by individuals who are farther away from school, and forget the contributive nature of architecture school studios. Perkins Eastman avoids these pitfalls by breaking into smaller studios and encouraging principals to pick up teaching jobs on the side. The firm retains its flexibility and employees learn from their peers in an open environment.

Resources, money, security, and confidence are benefits of large firms; however, small firms are able to better maintain agility, a collaborative environment, and employee satisfaction. Although the two seem to be incompatible, large firms are starting to adapt and use small firm models to reinvigorate their work. By having the best of both worlds, large firms could become forces with which no other firm can compete. However, will the additive drawbacks smother their efforts? At this point, HOK Sport, SOM Education Lab, and Perkins Eastman do not think so.



via AIA new york chapter .

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Emaar MGF likely to invest $12 billion in INDIA

Emaar MGF , a jont venture between dubai based Emaar properties and india's MGF developments , is likly to invest US $12 billion in India in next five years for setting up nine special economic zones and 50 hospitals . The company started the expansion programme by laying foundaion stone for a township project at mohali hills , a satellite town of chandigarh . The project will have capital of Rs 16,000 cr and will include residential plots, town houses , villas and shopping malls , in addition to facilities such as hospitals and IT parks.


Happy independence day !.... A look Towards future .......

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Documentation

In 9Th semester we did documentation project . we were a team of five students . The project required documentation of an old historic building . We were to produce all the measurement drawings and a report on the historical importance of the place . We chose a historic village on the border of India Pakistan .......it is a small village named RAJASANSI . The village got few historic buildings .....The place was inhabited by sardars ( influential landlord ) who had there Havelies ...but few of these homes exist now .....we can see old balconies , chajja , old wooden carved door . Everything from a simple door to lock tells a story ......and takes one back to history ....

Below are the :-

1. site plan of the mosque ( the mosque is believed to be 200yr old )
2. Plans ( GF and Roof Plan )
3. Elevation ( Mosque )
4. Jallis ( Elevations of doors and windows )
5. Elevation and Plan of the Dome ( Dia - 24' , Total height - 30')
6. Jallis
7. sectional elevation of gurudwara
























Friday, August 10, 2007

Blue pottery






The age old craft of blue pottery is being kept alive in Rajisthan . The motifs looks beautifull and how delicately they are made on the pot and then painted . Will love to learn pottery ........

via Geobeats

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Post-Tsunami Boat Piers

NAME: Post-Tsunami Boat Piers
PROJECT LEAD: Purnima McCutcheon, Architecture for Humanity
LOCATION: Lenin Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India
START DATE: June 09, 2006
COST: $2500 USD (Estimated)
BUILDING TYPE: Water Delivery
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: University of Minnesota
ENGINEERING: Alpha Associates
PROJECT COORDINATOR: LEAD
UNREGISTERED ARCHITECT: Malea Jochim, Rebecca Celis
SITE ARCHITECT: Purnima McCutcheon

I came across this project in open architecture network .....i was browsing through the projects least expecting anything from INDIA but i was amazed to find few.....one of them was by Purnima McCutcheon ( i really got curious who this lady is , so i browsed google for more information on her , but was not able to find much ..)















The river and the neighbouring villages , a skecth


i am copy pasting the exact description of the project from Architecture for humanity . The project involves the building of 2 piers, one on either side of the estaury/river Uppanaru to service the communities, especially the children, of Ambedkar Nagar, Lenin Nagar, Periyar Nagar and Thiagavalli.

The children of these communities attend a government welfare school, Poondiyakuppam High School, in a village 1 km away, across the adjoining river. Presently these children have the option of using a government bus to reach their school. Due to long waits, a circuitous bus ride, and infrequency of the bus service, the children choose to wade across the river with their bags on their heads. Often times at high tide or during inclement weather, the children, especially the littler ones, will toss their books and bags into the river to swim to get back home.

To ensure the safety of the children and to encourage their pursuit of education, the villagers requested a grant from LEAD and Architecture for Humanity to buy a boat and build boat piers on either side of the river. A boat has been provided for by a private donor. The villagers will hire an engineer and monitor the construction with the help of LEAD.

Architecture students of the University of Minnesota took on the project as a design challenge and came up with several interesting solutions. The final selected design by Rebecca Celis and Malea Jochim was then discussed in depth with local consultants. It was then adapted for the site and material availability.





























Wednesday, August 8, 2007

"The nature of an artist "

Following is an extract from Ayn rand's " Atlas shrugged "

This is an excerpt from a conversation betwen Dagny Taggard , the heroine of the story , and Richard Halley , a great composer , who is now on strike .


" Miss Taggard , how many people are there to whom my work means as much as it does to you ?....That is the payment i demand . Not many can afford it . I don't mean your enjoyment , I don't mean your emotion - emotions be damned ! I mean your understanding and the fact that your enjoyment was of same nature as mine , that it came from the same source : from your intelligence , from the conscious judgement of a mind able to judge my work by the standard of the same values that went to write it-I mean , not the fact that you felt , but that you feel what i ished you to feel , not the fact that you admire my work , but that you admire it for the things i wished to be admired ........There' only one passion in most artists more voilent than their desire for admiration : their fear of identifying the nature of such admiration as they do recieve . But it's a fear I've never shared . I do not fool myself about my work or the response I seek - I value both too highly . I do not care to be admired causelessly , emotionally , intutively , instinctively- or blndly . I do not care for blindness in any form , I have too much to show - or for defness , I have too much to say. I do not care to be admired by anyone's heart - only by someone's head . And when i find a customer with that invaluable capacity , then my performance is a mutual trade to mutual profit . An Artist is a trader , Miss Taggard , the hardest and most exacting of all traders........

" It slipped my mind so that i could use my brain"

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Piece of mind - VFS



Piece of mind is a small movie by Vancouver film school . I dont want to add my analysis of the work .....just ENJOY !!!

u can have a look at the ' making of the movie ' that's much more interestings....than movie itself .


Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Aurovilla - The utopian city










Auroville was concieved as a utopian city . It started off as a dream project for MIRA RICHARDS (MOTHER) and who took over the responsibilites of the ashram and was the follower of sri aurobindo .


“…a place that no nation could claim as its sole property, a place where all human beings of goodwill, sincere in their aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world, obeying one single authority, that of the supreme Truth; a place of peace, concord, harmony, where all the fighting instincts of man would be used exclusively to conquer the causes of his suffering and misery, to surmount his weakness and ignorance, to triumph over his limitations and incapacities; a place where the needs of the spirit and the care for progress would get precedence over the satisfaction of desires and passions, the seeking for pleasures and material enjoyments.”


Aurovilla is situated in the state of pondicherry in south India . Its 160 kms from chennai .













Its master plan – strikingly empty for the moment – consisted of a formal expression of Mira’s vision – that of four arms radiating from a center marking off four zones of activity – residential, cultural, international and industrial.

By 1965 , the construction of the city started and it came to be called AUROVILLA from the french Aurore – for Dawn – and Ville - for the city . The French architect, Roger Anger, became Mira’s chief consultant for the project.

Matri mandri ( The temple for mother ) is situated in the centre of the city .











The Matrimandir is in the form of a huge spherical structure surrounded by twelve pedestals. The central dome is covered by golden discs and reflects sunlight, which give Matrimandir its characteristic radiance. Inside the central dome is the central meditation hall known as the inner chamber.

















From the entrance, two helical ramps serve as entry and as access to the inner chamber, in the centre of which is placed a crystal globe, illuminated by a single ray of (sun) light from the heliostat mounted on the roof.

The site immediately around the Matri Mandir is landscaped in three ways: the first is an existing banyan tree on the site; the second is an urn containing soil from different countries (as a symbol to the internationalism of Auroville); and finally there are the Matri Mandir gardens and associated landscaping. The symbolism of the structure is in flux: but at least one powerful association is that of the primeval egg (here representing developed human consciousness) breaking free from Matter (here represented by the earth/ground).