The Park Hotel Hyderabad - High Performance Design with local culture

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), the New York-based architectural firm, has recently completed The Park Hotel Hyderabad, the flagship hotel for The Park Hotel Group. This 531,550-square-foot, 270-room hotel infuses a modern, sustainable design with the local craft traditions, and is influenced by the region’s reputation as a center for the design and production of gemstones and textiles.

Roger Duffy, SOM’s Partner in Charge of the project, says, “This building signals our commitment to creating a design that simultaneously felt at home among the exuberant vernacular architecture of Hyderabad, while simultaneously incorporating the latest sustainable strategies and technologies.”

The project is distinctive for its profound implementation of sustainable design strategies, with special attention paid to the building’s relationship to its site, daylighting and views. Solar studies influenced the site orientation and building massing, with program spaces concentrated in the north and south facades, and service circulation on the west to reduce heat gain. The hotel rooms are raised to allow more expansive views, situated on top of a podium comprised of retail spaces, art galleries, and banquet halls open to guests and visitors.

The building’s three sides wrap around an elevated central courtyard that can be accessed from the hotel lobby. This flexible outdoor area is protected from strong winds, and serves as an extension of the restaurants inside. It features a private dining court and a swimming pool, which can be seen from the adjacent areas and the nightclub below, with moving patterns formed by light passing through the pool’s water. The outdoor courtyard was designed to be a multifunctional space accessible from the lobby, restaurants, and bar that surround it. Elevated three stories above ground, this veranda provides views to Hussain Sagar Lake and the city.

                                  

The facade provides a range of transparency according to the needs of the spaces inside. Perforated and embossed metal screens over a high-performance glazing system give privacy to the hotel rooms while allowing diffused daylight to enter the interior spaces, and provides acoustic insulation from trains passing nearby. The opaque areas of the cladding shield the hotel’s service areas from public view. The shape of the facade’s openings, as well as the three-dimensional patterns on the screens themselves, were inspired by the forms of the metalwork of the crown jewels of the Nizam, the city’s historic ruling dynasty.

Priya Paul, Chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels which owns The Park brand, describes The Park, Hyderabad as “a Modern Indian Palace, something refreshing and different that speaks to the aspirations of India today.”

Collaboration with manufacturers, fabricators, and researchers played a vital role in developing this low-energy prototype building, with data gathered in collaboration with the Stevens Institute of Technology’s Product Architecture Lab in Hoboken, New Jersey. As a result, the design team was able to reduce the building’s energy use by twenty percent. In addition, an on-site water treatment facility and sewage treatment plant process both gray water for reuse and waste water for release back into the city’s sewer system.

The project achieved the first LEED Gold certification for a hotel in India, and has been awarded Best New Hospitality Project of 2010 from Cityscape India. It also served as a case study for using a collaborative process to achieve an environmentally efficient design in Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal in 2009, and was the subject of a white paper written by the design team on the high-performance curtain wall system.

            

The orientation of the building on its site and the design of the metal screen have reduced energy needs of the hotel by almost 30 percent, say the architects. Because of such strategies, in late 2010, the Park Hotel became India's first LEED Gold certified hotel.

To come into the hotel is to leave behind the bustle, sprawl, and dust of the city and enter a magical, beautifully crafted space. The nuanced gestures of the design connect the inside to the outside, the building to the city, and the site to the lake. The translation of the diverse challenges of energy savings, climate, privacy, and symbolic allusions to place have resulted in a singular work. The hotel's success in responding to its environmental and cultural contexts can be attested by the reaction of the client: Paul has enlisted SOM to design another Park Hotel in Calcutta.

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Amazing campus of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Adjacent to the Seattle Center and its towering Space Needle, a sprawling asphalt parking lot covered fertile ground that once had a rich history. The 12-acre site had been a clearing in a forest with a wetland that provided respite for migratory waterfowl traveling the Pacific Flyway; it had also been a meadow where Native Americans held community potlatch ceremonies. Over the years, the site was built up to house, at different times, railway trestles, homesteads, farming, a street-car barn, and a bus barn.

Designed by NBBJ, it is one of the world's most eco-friendly buildings with a solar energy system on the roof. 

 In spring of 2011, the urban plot became home to the new Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation campus, which incorporates natural and structured elements to attract wildlife and support the foundation’s mission to help people lead healthy, productive lives. Parking structures support two acres of vegetated roofs that help return 40 percent of the 900,000-square-foot campus to green space with bird-friendly habitats and edible plants such as blueberries, huckleberries, and red flowering currant. A large central courtyard beckons geese and herons with textured paving and native plantings anchored by a reflective pond.

 The total design and construction cost for the new campus is $500 million. Bill and Melinda made a personal contribution of $350 million in 2009 to off-set the construction cost of the new campus.

“The habitat restoration is one of the project’s most wonderful aspects,” says Margaret Montgomery, AIA, principal and lead sustainable designer at NBBJ, the Seattle-based architecture firm for the project. “Almost immediately, the site became a stopping place for migrating birds between Lake Union and Elliot Bay. It’s very urban, but it allows humans and nature to cohabitate.”

The office wings accommodate up to 750 people each, with three buildings spreading across nearly 640,000 square feet of occupied space. Floor plates that are 65 feet wide position all employees within 30 feet of incoming daylight, and 10-foot-high curtainwalls leverage outdoor views. The offices also welcome visitors and grant recipients throughout the year.

The campus includes 900,000 square feet in two six-storey office buildings. It sits on 12 acres.

The Gates Foundation wanted to address its larger environmental footprint. “We grounded our sustainability strategies in what was right for the project, then back-checked our goals against the LEED rating system,” Montgomery says. “When we discovered we were very close to LEED Platinum certification, we pushed ourselves just a bit further to document what we had done.” The effort paid off: The project is the world’s largest nonprofit LEED-NC Platinum building and the second-largest LEED-NC Platinum building in the United States.

Protecting the Puget Sound watershed was also a high priority. The site’s former parking lot discharged 11 million gallons of polluted rainwater into the watershed every year. A combination of efficient plumbing fixtures and rainwater collection and reuse strategies completely eliminates all polluted rainwater runoff and reduces the building’s potable water use by 79 percent compared to the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

The campus has a water storage system underneath its surface with a capacity to hold 750,000 gallons.

 Two underground parking garages (one for the Seattle Center and one for the foundation) have expansive vegetated roofs covered in sedum that absorbs rainwater runoff and blooms at different times of the year to provide swaths of color for onlooking building occupants. A 1-million-gallon rainwater storage tank fills in approximately 11,000 square feet of unused space on one level of underground parking. The tank collects and filters runoff from nonvegetated roof and hardscape areas for use in irrigation, reflecting pools, and toilets.

The energy-efficient systems have reduced the total energy usage of the facility by 40 per cent.

 Because cooling towers require tremendous amounts of water, the project team found another way to cool the buildings. A second underground tank, 60 feet tall and 50 feet in diameter, holds 750,000 gallons of water for thermal-energy storage. At night, plate-frame heat exchangers push chilled water pipes into the tank to bank it for daytime use. When the buildings are occupied, the heat exchanger pulls the chilled water from the tank and transfers it to the air-handling units to circulate cool air. Cooler nighttime temperatures allow the units to operate at lower pressures so they use less energy than during hot days.

Hydronic radiant heating is embedded in the concrete floor slab of the campus’s four-story atrium, where operable windows provide cooling and ventilation. The remaining occupied spaces rely on an underfloor air-distribution system that draws water from the chilled-water tank and heat from a gas-fired condensing boiler plant. Montgomery says that underfloor air can be delivered at a lower velocity and a slightly higher temperature since it enters the space at the floor level. “This allows us to take advantage of free cooling and save energy. The strategy also provides high indoor air quality because the air doesn’t have to mix in order to deliver ventilation or thermal comfort heat or cooling where it’s needed. It rises gently through the space and gets exhausted at the ceiling.”

 The campus was built as a long-term investment to ensure it remains a viable, efficient workplace

 for today and in decades to come.

On top of the wing housing the cafeteria’s kitchen and campus shower rooms, the team placed 47 evacuated-tube solar-hot-water collectors so that solar-heated water can flow directly to the sources without conversion. The system reduces natural-gas consumption for heating water by 4,750 therms annually and provides energy for approximately 36 percent of the domestic hot-water use.

Combined, the multiple energy-saving strategies lowered energy consumption by 39 percent compared to the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 baseline. The foundation will recoup its investment in energy- and water-related systems in less than 30 years.

 There is an under-floor air distribution system for ventilation, which conserves energy and facilitates 

future space modifications.

“Creating a 100-year building gave us the ability to look at a longer-term payback and do some forward thinking,” Montgomery explains. “The underfloor air-ventilation system simplifies future space modifications, and we designed the roofs to accommodate photovoltaic panels when future technology makes them more financially feasible in Seattle’s climate.”

The campus design will include open green spaces and 

the design ensures natural light in the building. 

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SANGATH - The Architect's Office in Ahmedabad, India

 

Sangath is an attempt to reinterpret the rich architectural traditions of India and find their resolution in contemporary architecture, where a perennial search for Indian ethos and contextual idiom finds its answers. Gradual unfolding of spaces through shifting axis, inbuilt thresholds and sense of layering are key attributes of space organisation.

The non axial route of movement makes it exploratory with built in surprises where every change to alignment makes one pause, ponder and reorient oneself. This makes it interactive with involvement to onlooker and an instantaneous rapport is established between him and the subject.

From arrival, the immediate space is actually approached last with a total three hundred and sixty degree movement loop. Here each turn, each pause, each node unfolds newer nuances for experiential enrichment and visual impact.

          

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INTRODUCTION:

• SANGATH means “moving together through participation.”
• It is an architect  office
• Location:   Thaltej Road, Ahmedabad 380054
• Client:    Balkrishna Doshi
• Period of construction:  1979-1981
• Project Engineer:  B.S. Jethwa,   Y. Patel
• Site area:   2346 m2
• Total Built-up Area:    585 m2
• Project Cost:    Rs. 0.6 Million ( 1981 )

Passive Design:

• Not require mechanical heating and Cooling
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation and lighting
• Take advantage of natural energy flow
• Maintain the thermal comfort

Design concept And Features:

• Design concerns of climate ( temperature or humidity or sunlight).
• Extensive use of vaults
• Main studio partly bellow the ground (sunken)
• Very less use of mechanical instrument
• Special materials are used resulting in a low cost building costing it
• Lot of vegetation & water bodies
• Continuity of Spaces
• Use of lot of diffused sunlight
• Complete passive design
• Grassy steps which Doshi uses as informal Amphitheatre

CONSTRUCTION OF VAULT

• 3.5 cm thick  RCC
• 8 cm ceramic fuses
• 3.5 cm thick RCC
• 6 cm thick water proofing
• 1 cm thick broken China mosaic finish
• Ceramics are temperature resistant.
• Broken China mosaic is insulative and reflective surface.
• Broken China mosaic  gives a very good textures.
• Water cascades from fountain into series of Channels
• Glass bricks
• Diffused light in the drafting studio
• Whole area is covered with vegetation
• Terracotta pots and sculpture lying in the compound

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"The Platina", Gachibowli, Hyderabad

     

The Platina is a Business District at Gachibowli, designed for world class business spaces ranging from 1440 sft. to 40,000 sft. Every inch of the space has been designed with care and precision. Everything about The Platina is exclusive and the experience you are bound to have is just out of the world. The office spaces are designed keeping in view the global business demands. The Platina is not just another location, you enter a different world altogether, a world that has business written all over it. So much so, that all major IT Hubs, upcoming 5 Star Hotels, Financial District, World Class Educational institutions, Prestigious Residential Projects all are coming up around it making it the centre of attraction.

Towering Lung Spaces

The Platina is the destination for every individual looking for quality work place. 

The façade of The Platina arrests you with its impressive structure that is both an architectural marvel and an aesthetic beauty. The main entrance of The Platina is a semi-open interactive plaza. The space acts as the lungs of the business district and it is accentuated by a six storey high ceiling, making it forthcoming unlike a typical atrium. A Sheet Fountain as a backdrop makes the ambience attractive and cool. ‘The Podium’ as it is called, welcomes you as you enter and rejuvenates you as you move in.

Green Building Certification

The Platina is different in more aspects than one is further endorsed by the fact that it follows the ‘Green Building Practices’ strictly adhering to the LEED Certification norms. This makes 'The Platina' an energy efficient structure that has been constructed adopting environment friendly practices like conservation of natural resources, optimizing energy efficiency, reduced water consumption and better waste management. This would rejuvenate your work force to give optimum results. Apart from saving on CAPEX, the investor also saves on operational expenses. The Platina has the enviable advantage of being the neighbour of 120 Acres of green lung space always breathing in fresh healthy air.

Architects: Maa Architects

Project Managers: CBRE - CB Richard Ellis

Structural Consultants: Tameer Consulting Engineers

Service Consultants: Spectral

Green Building Consultants: MILESTONE ecofirst

Location:                             APHB, Gachibowli

Number of Office Floors:     From 3rd floor to the 11th floor

Floor Plate:                     40,000 sq ft

Minimum Space Format:    1460 sq ft

Structure:                            R.C.C. framed structure with flat slab

Super Structure:           Walls with a combination of Clay Bricks in CM

Ceiling Height:                   13' 0" floor to floor

Power:                            H T

Power Backup:          100% Diesel Generator

Air Condition:                 High Side

Parking:                     4 Levels Parking

Indian Green Building 

Council Code:            Gold Certification awaited

Plastering:                   Smooth / Sponge finish

                    Exterior The exterior will be a combination of the following

                                        i)   High Performance Structural Glazing

                                        ii)  Alucobond

                                        iii) Stone Cladding

                                        iv) Texture

Flooring in the 

Common Area:                Granite/Vitrified tiles/Marble

Doors:                             Teak wood/Engineered wood doors/Frames and Flush Shutters

Electricals in the

Common Area:                Quality Electrical Fittings confirming to ISI Standards

Sanitary and 

        Water Supply:    Sanitary and water supply systems shall conform to the ISI standards

Other Specifications:  i)   Fire Fighting equipment and Fire Escapes as per DGFS norms

                                        ii)  Sewage Treatment Plant

                                        iii) Mechanical Ventilation for Basements to provide treated fresh air 

                                            & exhaust

                                       iv) Land Scaping

                                        v)  High Speed Lifts

                                       vi)  Service Lifts

                                      vii)  Wide Span Grid

                                      viii)  Common Toilets on each Floor

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GREEN BUILDING DEFINED

"A green building is one which uses less water, optimizes energy efficiency, conserves natural resources, generates less waste and provides healthier spaces for occupants, as compared to a conventional building."

Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. This requires close cooperation of the design team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

* Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources

* Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity

* Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation

A similar concept is natural building, which is usually on a smaller scale and tends to focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally. Other related topics include sustainable design and green architecture. Sustainability may be defined as meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Although some green building programs don't address the issue of the retrofitting existing homes, others do. Green construction principles can easily be applied to retrofit work as well as new construction.

A 2009 report by the U.S. General Services Administration found 12 sustainably designed buildings cost less to operate and have excellent energy performance. In addition, occupants were more satisfied with the overall building than those in typical commercial buildings.

Green building practices aim to reduce the environmental impact of buildings, so the very first rule is: the greenest building is the building that doesn't get built. New construction almost always degrades a building site, so not building is preferable to building. The second rule is: every building should be as small as possible. The third rule is: do not contribute to sprawl (the tendency for cities to spread out in a disordered fashion). No matter how much grass you put on your roof, no matter how many energy-efficient windows, etc., you use, if you contribute to sprawl, you've just defeated your purpose. Urban infill sites are preferable to suburban "greenfield" sites.

Buildings account for a large amount of land. According to the National Resources Inventory, approximately 107 million acres (430,000 km2) of land in the United States are developed. The International Energy Agency released a publication that estimated that existing buildings are responsible for more than 40% of the world’s total primary energy consumption and for 24% of global carbon dioxide emissions.


In thinking of a green home, you must think of how it not only needs to be energy efficient, but also Eco-friendly. There are five key components that make up a green home.

 * Conserve natural resources
 * Use energy efficiently
 * Have improved indoor air quality relative to normal building standards
 * Create less waste to build and live relative to normal building standards
 * Be part of a livable community

In getting started on a green home, you must keep the three “R”s in mind; reduce, reuse, and recycle. You will want to reduce the amount of items you will be putting into your home.  Also, think of all the used materials that can be used to build the home. Reusing something, will prolong its life and keep it out of a landfill.

With recycling you can reduce the need to grow or extract raw materials. Start developing ideas as to what you would want your home to look like. It is best if you find a contractor you like, and a builder that specifically knows green.  Once you have a blue print, you can get to work.

Sources: Wikipedia, India Green Building Council, green solar cafe

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Sustainable Architecture... What is it?

courtesy: ehow.com

Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world.

In the broad context, sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space. The idea of sustainability, or ecological design, is to ensure that our actions and decisions today do not inhibit the opportunities of future generations. The term can be used to describe an energy and ecologically conscious approach to the design of the built environment.

source: wikipedia

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