Love Chaudhary

It is located in Sector 44 of Noida, a developing city where there is construction all around. It's always been our belief that a site has a lot I realized that to offer in terms of design, rather than an architect looking for answers. So if you hear what the site needs, what the surrounding context is, then you'll get a lot of m y answers, and the briefing that the client gives you, if you debrief that, temple of that's the soul and the main answer His to the project. So, while working on F 70, we felt that the landscape around it was very bad, and it's that is still i d e a l l y a s o u t h - fa c i n g p l o t . Therefore, the first concept was to introduce light which wasn't harsh. Therefore, we went into courtyard architecture, which is something we have been studying throughout college and is also the basis for many temples Rajasthan to southern India. This is where we cater to a lot of light. Seeing that we were on a southern facing plot, we looked into skylights rather than direct windows. So we Kritika Juneja kind moved our massing into just a kind of inset queue. Ar. Kritika Juneja an c a n t i l e v e r e d Architecture Journalist with approximately 70 feet by 7 feet GLITZ architecture & which protruded out and shielded interiors magazine and us from the southern sun. We also Founder Arch Valor, has an had cantilevers on the west face, aim to bridge the gap which is the harshest for us when between creator and the we have a dry and humid climate creations, thus uplifting art, with temperatures architecture and critics and degrees. So on the west, we kind of completely, you know, made sure Tete-a-Tete with architects that the facade did not have much is yet another step to of openings, but we were catering develop a cross-cultural to more practical openings, be it dialogue and bring the local the kitchen, bathe some bedroom architects, artists across the openings that we had, but we kind globe and their of blocked the philosophies to light. facade, we only had a staircase over there. Thus, even of the status, we did not use glass, but instead, we used glass bricks, which also provided a thickness to the wall. Therefore, in India, from the penetration of the sun plus the heat from the day to evening would dissipate within, and similarly, during evening hours at 3 or 4 o'clock, the sun would dissipate out of that. So it would not get heated. The south and the west facade was We had dealt in the vernacular architecture m a s s i n g o f way, we have always found that the north and east were more open and the east had a lot of balconies and was inward looking, but because of the quarter, we kind of paved the way for the materials. reaching 45 whole western T May 2022 We wanted to be very true to the client's needs than my voice. As a materials that we use which can also result, you must prolong time, so we did not distinguish between introduce any alien materials, which wants, otherwise, could extend the problem or the clients we meet want marble on their orders of the house. We built the facade, unaware of the sensitivity balconies with concrete wood and and carbon footprint associated with punctured the windows with glass at that material. So, what we have places where we could connect learned the hard way is that we need ourselves to the outdoors. We to educate the client about will he be opened windows onto the balconies, able to manage that kind of work. built internal corridors, and clad As a result, we have access to so them with beautiful green walls. many different Indian stones that we While we were building, there was could source everything within a nothing outside, so you had a reserve radius of 100 kilometers. The term in the built premises instead of sustainable materials are coming in, looking out. It's now become a which I feel is a very creative term in bazillion of colonies, where everyone which you first find yourself in a wants to live. So it had kind of created problem, and then you talk about a domino effect. And it pushed up the sustainability. If you open up your real estate prices over there. facade to the south, then you say, now we need green What are the criteria of choosing whatnot, then you the building materials without problems by not resulting in environmental abuse and educate your client on how exactly could be maintained easily as you had the sun path works for the project, or done in F 70? how ventilation project. Over the years I have learned that it is more about listening to the client Therefore for the first phase, while than coming up with a signature doing the planning, you need to style, so I am not interested in concentrate on how putting up a signature style, rather I know, the site behaves, how is the am driven by providing for the sun path diagram? What is the kind T May 2022 of ventilation that you're looking at? be able to How does the cross ventilation needs and work? And where do you need to many of the have windows, so all these general principles will shape up your architecture? And then the material is almost like a layer on top of it. Regardless of how the materials are laid, make sure that they are something that the client can manage because the architecture that you create could be inherently very beautiful for the first year. But based on aging in that area, it should live at least 50 years. In materials, we must be true to the soul of architecture. People today create problems first, and then find solutions, which is a very wrong approach. They also refer to sustainability in a very inaccurate manner. glass, and are creating being able to works for their exactly, you it and how you present it to your Hyatt's reputation as an icon of guests. So firstly, luxury has already been cemented in the appealing to the eye and the second minds of people. Did you find it it has to work. We had quite a challenging to keep up with the same challenging time to get away from when designing Hyatt Dehradun? what was done around the world, which was there as an example. But, Having said that, it was quite a to localize the project or to localize challenge for us. Firstly I would like to the interiors, it should not look like a tell you that we are the only Indian Hyatt Regency that could be located designers to have done a Hyatt anywhere in the world. So you kind of Regency, which is a five star category put up that alien ship and put it in hotel as international designers are there together and say, wow, this is hired in most cases to do that. the Hyatt Regency. However, it does not seem like international designers do the project justice since they do not know what India has to offer. The diversity of our culture and the fusion of different languages and dialects give us a broad understanding of materials. As a designer that is born and raised in India, I can offer a lot more to any project that is designed by them, because I can represent it on a global scale, so if someone is visiting India, I can bring him the culture of travel, the hair down to him. Hyatt created these manuals of how the brand works and everything, which is their understanding with the US brand as to how the clients will behave and what they expect from them, but I think it's almost like you can make food, but it's how you make something that speaks of the place. So we brought those architecture principles into the interiors with the woodwork the form of that we use. The use of beaten brass in areas is local to many of the items made of unfinished brass, seats along with handmade tiles and handmade artisan spots. So we used those materials which could speak the language of the city rather than in general because people willing to come into the hills should firstly feel that they're in the hills. And yes, then they should be greeted with warmth, they should be greeted with what that area or the state has it has to be to offer. So we worked, my designers and I learned a lot before actually putting things on paper. And then it is always, a good product, it's a good client. The client gave us the leverage and freedom, also was very trusting and understanding that we can pull this to the next level. There have been a lot of developments in the hospitality industry where you can combine the boutique essence of a project with the five-star rating It has to be of hospitality. T May 2022 temples were built without HVAC or Nowadays, there is a trend that glass, and how they worked just fine everything is titled sustainable. What with no HVAC or glass, so it would does sustainability mean to you and how only make sense to study the history, do your projects address this term. learn from it, and from that develop What I and my designers believe is further. So I would say vernacular t h a t s u s t a i n a b i l i t y e q u a l s architecture in India is so special, so affordability, since you can afford it. strong, that every architect can learn And it's not in the short term; it is in from it, and we can evolve further. I the long run. The result is a LEED b e l i e v e I n d i a n rating building. But in order to make architecture is so special, so strong, that LEED rating building, you spend that every architect can learn from it, twice as much, and then you have and we can evolve further. Having stars, but what are the stars doing for said that, sustainability is also an the clientele? It's creating a hole in important term to me, and I think as their pockets. So why not think an architect I should make sure that I about affordability first? And then by educate my clients really working on simple principles create a signature value of a project, of vernacular architecture, which is you need to know and understand very much sacrosanct or are very the client. Then sustainability will much I would say, they have to be of become a practice India, they have to speak the way than just something we say, it will be India as a country is the state, the something we do. kind of climate that it has to add to it. What was your thought behind your The point is not to construct glass recent penthouse Magnolias? The buildings on the West or South interiors of the penthouse amp up the facades and sell them as LEED- luxury level with sophisticated use of certified buildings, or to claim that I clean lines and a neutral color palette. have achieved a Griha rating, but Please elaborate. rather to study how the ancient T May 2022 v e r n a c u l a r Magnolia is a penthouse, which is a part of the DLF Township based in Gurgaon. Hence, we introduced a lot of play of indoor and outdoor spaces and connected more to the outdoor garden that we had. Our drawing room, dining area, and family living room became one open space, w h e r e f ro m t h e r e y o u c a n effortlessly move around the space. Even for the interiors, we did extensive research about what would be the flooring, what would we want to do with the ceiling. We installed one flat ceiling across the whole school space that seamlessly connected the drawing-room to the dining room and then the formal lounge as well. As for the flooring, we stripped it as it was and thought to put it back in and it exudes luxury as about it. To well. And it's one material I truly love that it can add value to a certain flow rate. So we kind of did a veiled match throughout the flooring. In respect to within rather the activity finishes we took up as color palette for the floor that bled into the terrace garden, we went back and learned a lot because the client was out of London. So we were building his vacation home, right. There are so many eclectic interiors being done in London. There are so many neoclassical interiors being done, and there are so many entities on this planet in a collective and many of them are doing such incredible work that is helping to elevate humankind position. And we as designers can only, you know, add value to some of the parts that we cater to, just, if I can add some love or something different to their lives, which would be enough. There have been several changes with Covid recently, and our industry has not been exempt. How do you think those changes will affect future practices of design. contemporary interiors. So we used a lot of marble for the tabletops and we use a lot of marble even for the dining areas. And then we did backsplash or, the head bolts that were done in marble patterns. It would look like an extension of his London home in India. So we worked around that philosophy for him. The kind of bedroom we did also had a lot of space as the bedroom sizes were quite opulent. So we kind of decluttered the bedroom, but we did not have a wardrobe within the bedroom, and the toilet was completely separate. In terms of space planning, we did a lot. And obviously, the luxury of the material was quite noticeable, both the interiors and the furniture. It's like, I We have learned that working hand would say it's a reflection of the in hand with technology client's character or the way he is as a important, as we have realized its person. So we created corridors, physical intimacy, or I might say its which are more like art galleries, we physical wellbeing, which is more had paintings over there as the wife important. Unfortunately, was more into arts and paintings. So weren't able to connect physically. it was like a collaborative effort that Everything became very digital. In a ultimately led to a beautiful similar sense, the whole industry penthouse that you see. that we cater How would you like the world to interiors, is very hands on, you have know you when you hang up your boots? to see the materials, and you have to be there visibly, whether the scale As a humble designer and a good and proportions are right or not. For person, that's, more than enough for the safety of all, these Covid times me. There are too many species taught us that there are times when you can use technology, right to be virtually there, rather than physically to a higher there. We have equipped ourselves through meetings conducted virtually, or by doing surveys with drones so you can get a sense of the whole site without physically being there. Also, we have been trying to go to the level of introducing VR, virtual reality into our projects. We have been working on interiors where we can create 360-degree views of rooms in a house or something, then clients can wear VR sets so they can look inside the space is very before it is built. Any closing thoughts. What are you feeling at this moment? we My mind is always spinning with deadlines, so as soon as I finish this interview, I will get back to designing, as that is what I do. to, architecture T May 2022