Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 - January 2019 i Architectural Review Asia Pacific

Looking at the geopolitical landscape today, your heart gets heavy. So much negativity, so many angry people saying or doing the meanest things. And I’m not just talking about the actual bona fide evildoers – but even those ostensibly normal chaps and chapesses who have been persuaded, coaxed or just plain bludgeoned into believing that this is the best way to be. The only way to survive, nay thrive, in a cutthroat, dog eat dog world is to get in first, stab the backs of anyone in your path and don’t ever look back in regret. But is that true? Do nice guys really always finish last? Isn’t there perhaps a case to be made that being genuine, being thoughtful and, heaven forfend, being kind can actually be a really…

Challenges in India: There’s a lot of work but unfortunately most of the larger projects come from the government and to break into the government cartel and be sane architects is very, very difficult. However, the sector is opening up and we are slowly entering that. Issues he sees in Australia: Most cities are on the seafront, so you have a lot of natural ventilation; however, we see that this glass box phenomenon is taking over everywhere. It’s a global thing that we need to fight! Travelling: I am out maybe a week in a month, because our works are not concentrated in our town. They’re all over the country and I like to see them produced the way we have envisioned them. It’s no guarantee that if you’ve made…

There’s a distinct international flavour about studioplusthree. With experience in London, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Australia, founders Simon Rochowski, Julin Ang and Joseph Byrne are using the power of their combined experiences to produce work that is rich, informed and diverse. studioplusthree was formed in 2014 and, while the trio came to architecture in quite different ways, each had an innate interest in design that eventually brought them together to practise as a studio. “We each collected our own different experiences and when we came together we wanted to continue that diversity working across disciplines,” says Rochowski. “The three of us came to architecture from different perspectives, but the common thread was an interest in culture, craft and making.” EARLY BEGINNINGS Ang and Rochowski’s early experience in practice was…

The Taj Mahal, one of the new seven wonders of the world (as voted in 2007), is the jewel in the crown of Muslim art and architecture in India. Built in Agra between 1631 and 1648, this extraordinary monument was constructed by order of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died delivering their 14th child. Architect Lahauri led a team of 20,000 artisans in its development, reportedly with the aid of some 1000 elephants, which handled the transport of heavy building materials during the construction project. The Taj Mahal is a superb example of Mughal architecture with its blend of Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian aesthetics and design. It the perfect symmetrically planned building, with an emphasis of bilateral…

“WE STILL PRIDE OURSELVES ON SAYING THAT WE MAKE SOME OF THE BEST DRAWINGS IN THE COUNTRY. MAYBE NOT THE BEST DESIGNS, BUT SURELY THE DRAWINGS.” / GURJIT SINGH MATHAROO PAGE 16 “HOW YOU UNDERSTAND SPACE HAS A LOT TO DO WITH HOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE BEHAVIOUR OF LIFE.” / DAVINA JACKSON PAGE 24 “AS TANGIBLE PRODUCTS OF A COLLECTIVE MEMORY, ARCHITECTURE EXPRESSES OUR CULTURAL IDENTITY AND EMBODIES SOCIETY’S CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT ITSELF.” / ORNELLA BUCCERI PAGE 64 “THE COOPERATION MODEL HAD PROS AND CONS. ON ONE HAND, OUR COLLECTIVE INTERESTS WERE WONDERFULLY DIVERSE... ON THE OTHER HAND, WE NOTICED WE WERE GETTING RECOGNITION FOR THE ‘WRONG’ THINGS, WHEN WE ACTUALLY REALLY WANTED TO MAKE PUBLIC BUILDINGS. / RICK TEN DOESCHATE PAGE 26 “PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ESD ALL THE TIME AND…

“What we really tried to show here is the concept that architecture needs to grow; it needs to expand into other domains.” This is how Davina Jackson explains the thinking behind her new book, Data Cities, which releases in Australia in December. Data Cities is a book about architecture in the world – architecture that takes on the future and all the possibilities available to it without confining itself to a box. The book is aimed at students of architecture – be it new students or simply those with a thirst to learn – and it delves into the past, present and future of how technology is driving our world and how architects can harness that force. It’s a push to encourage better and more interesting practice, and opens up…

Architect’s statement. On a triangular block in Sydney’s east, a new living platform brings light, air and space to a highly constrained site. In an urban response to the site’s limitations of light and open space, living areas are elevated up to the tree canopy – offering lush panoramas, abundant light and a sense of horizon. Responding to a lack of open space, two distinct outdoor relationships were established – at ground level, the existing volume was pared back to create a cool, secluded garden related to the bedrooms; at first floor, living spaces open out to a bright, north-facing deck. This new living platform creates a datum – a continuous horizon line, along which openings are carefully located in response to trees, greenery and views. The depth of the…

The heading of this profile is the first line of the motto Matharoo Associates lives by. For the record, the second line reads, ‘When not in doubt, surely reduce’. The mantra’s playful tone but serious intent gives a great insight into the practice and the way that Matharoo runs it. Travelling to Australia in early October to present at a sold-out session at the Sherman Centre for Culture and Ideas’ Architecture Hub program, Matharoo was accompanied by one of the practice’s senior architects, Trisha Patel. A genial and jovial presence, Matharoo is self-deprecating and modest about his achievements, but there’s a gravity and perhaps even a steely will lurking beneath the charming façade. When asked if he demands a high level of discipline from his staff, Patel jumps in and…

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India Design year: 2014 Construction years: 2015 to 2017 Architect: Matharoo Associates Principal in charge: Komal Gurjit Singh Matharoo Architectural adviser: Gurjit Singh Matharoo Project team: principal architect – Komal Matharoo Trainees: Dhiraj, Sangeetha Polisetti Clients: Yogesh Bhavsar and Tanmay Bhavsar Consultants: Structural engineers: Rajendra Singh Matharoo, Matharoo Associates Rushabh Consultants, Ahmedabad HVAC consultant: Pankaj Dharkar Associates Plumbing consultant: Aqua Designs Electrical consultant: JIT Engineering Interior designer: Matharoo Associates Landscape architect: Vagish Naganur Others: General contractor: Vyapti Builders Program: three floors, living room, kitchen, dining, five bedrooms, home theatre, terrace Structural system: concrete walls and slabs, infill brick walls Major materials: concrete and Cuddapah (Indian sandstone) Site area: approximately 1600 square metres (17,300 square feet) Total floor area: approximately 1280 square metres (13,775 square feet)…

Architecture is so much more than specifying the prettiest or latest products, handing your list over to the builder and then washing your hands of the whole affair. To ensure you are really giving your clients and partners the very best service and value for money, look to the future and how the products you’ve specified will perform in the long term. Consider this: if you have an automated door in, say, a shopping centre, office building or bank, that door could be opening and closing literally thousands of times a day. And if anything is being used that often, it’s only a matter of time before it’s going to wear out or at least need a bit of TLC. So do you wait for the inevitable to happen –…

Dulux Professional DryErase There are no ideas too little, only little spaces to put them. Professional DryErase will transform classrooms and offices into boundless erasable surfaces, giving you the space you need to communicate, connect and accelerate learning and collaboration. No matter where you use it, minds will open and fill with big ideas. dulux.com.au Locker Young Street car park – Adelaide The only limit to the design of your image-based façade is your imagination. Locker Group’s original Pic Perf products are custom-made, using perforations to create long-lasting images in a variety of metals. Pic Perf can cover an entire building surface while also providing a high open area for car park screening. Part of our ethos is ensuring that you always get a solution that suits your exact requirements.…

/ PETER WALKER DIRECTOR, CUMULUS STUDIO More and more it feels that people are looking for solidity, connection and authenticity – not only in their relationships, but also their physical environment. In this context, I think that the understanding of and respect for the Heritage values of a place or structure are more important than ever. The past – its stories, methods, techniques, materials etc – provide a connection and authenticity for many people and it is something that should be valued rather than disregarded. In the same way that architects consider other site constraints and opportunities, Heritage concerns should be considered as a positive element of the design and something to be accentuated through the design process. I think that good architecture does this. In my view, good architecture…