Aaditya Heights is one of the recent feathers in Access Architect’s innovative projects cap. Since this was a redevelopment building, the client wanted to create separate towers for sale and the existing rehab clients. Another key aspect of this brief was that they wanted to finish the project quickly. The architects were asked to come up with a design that not only suited the brief, budget and timeframe, but, also aesthetic in looks, especially because this was a building to be erected in South Mumbai amongst many other iconic structures.
Need of the Hour
Since the building is located in Mumbai Central, rehousing the existing tenants for a longer period in a nearby location would definitely turn out to be expensive for the client and the tenants. Hence, constructing this building in steel was proposed. Fast track construction was utmost important to the client, hence, the entire team readily agreed carry out the building in steel. This was not only an environmentally safer bet to construct, but, also provided a shorter timeline for construction. The core of the building has been planned in RCC for now.
Speeding up the Process
The need for speed in construction and the difference in cost were the two major reasons why steel was recommended for this project. To keep protecting the environment, reinforcing steel is now commonly used. There were many reasons why steel was chosen for this particular project. Steel can be adjusted or changed according to the owner’s requirement. For instance, wall frames made from this type of material can be repositioned or altered easily in order to widen the space or create a new interior building layout. This ability to adapt to changes allows for easier expansions, and at the same time, helps extend the lifespan of the structure.
Steel offers a stylish way of creating large, column-free interiors, thereby, giving the building a sense of openness. It’s also malleable, giving structural designers the freedom to explore ideas in terms of creating stylish shapes and textures in order to make the building distinct. It is light-weight which makes it easier to transport, and thus, reduces fuel costs and accelerates project schedules. Aside from this, it is also energy efficient and can be recycled, creating minimal raw material wastes.
Intensifying the Design Aspects
The elevation and façade of this building is modern. Parking in done in a one-way ramp style. This is an extremely difficult aspect of designing a building, but, the architects have been able to achieve this in their design. The Rehab tower has a car lift parking, while ramp parking has been decided for the sale building. It is a linear plot which has been able to achieve the optimal design output within all government rules. Access Architects believe the parking structure of any project is just as important as the building itself. In all their projects, they spend an equal amount of time designing the parking as for a typical floor. Most design firms have a practice where designs are planned for a typical floor and the same columns are then taken down to accommodate parking. But, Access Architects design their parking separately, no matter how big or small the project.
Expressing The Geometrics
The plot is very linear and it is a T-shaped sale building with a square rehab building. The wing has spacious 2 BHK and 3 BHK apartments, and a good floor to floor height of 3.30 mtrs (11 feet). Above 90 mtrs, personal double height apartments, also known as the penthouses have been proposed. The project has a basement that is meant only for services. The building elevation is very modern. There is a double-heighted entrance lobby and a shuttle elevator for parking. There is also a proposed Jain Temple within the project. The project is designed keeping in mind all the modern needs – the club house, party area and an outdoor swimming pool at the 30 mtrs level.
Planned to Perfection
Autodesk Revit has been used for designing this project. Revit is a design software specifically built for Building Information Modelling. Typically, by designing in Revit the architects assure the client of all drawings required till completion – delivered even before the foundation of the building is completed. The Revit file allows for infinite sections, elevations and 3D’s to be pulled out for the building. When there are other consultants also working on the project, it allows to foresee clashes and problems before they reach site. The value of this increases exponentially where the complexity and size of project increases. The designing of this project was very challenging because it has been fully designed using the BIM software Revit, and the structure is designed in steel which is quite a challenging combination. The project timeline is decided to be 15 months for the Rehab which is a 70 mtrs building.