‘Airspace’, is a sculptural icon, designed above Seawoods Railway Station. The area considerations for the design have been governed by the statutory dimensions, of the railway station measuring 65 M wide & 271 M long. The floor plate is the roof slab of the platform area.
The development encompasses an avant-garde Family Entertainment Center that consists of an 11 Screen multiplex, food court, sports zones, restaurants, cafés and multiple social and entertainment zones. The total area of development is about 2.25 Lakh square feet.
Client Perception
‘Airspace’ – is a component of the transit-oriented development (T.O.D) project designed by Ar. Hiten Sethi. It is a Family Entertainment Center (FEC), Theatre complex and Commercial Center – presently under construction at Seawoods, Navi Mumbai.
Ideation
A key design feature is the seamless connectivity channels for users in transit, who shall be able to access the Airspace directly from the railway station lobbies, connecting skywalks, and transit passages. Other occupancies of the development such as the retail, commercial and residential, are also connected to this facility.
Considering the ergonomics and human dimension during the design process, the aim was to create pedestrian-friendly zones with interactive spaces within the complex. Multiple Lift and staircase cores have been positioned in the basement along the total length of the Family Entertainment Center for pedestrian access.
Vehicular access to the airspace is designed through a road over bridge at an elevated level and a ramp from the main complex entrance has been designed as an alternative route.
The proposed development is a part of ‘Rail Mass Rapid Transit’ system that shall connect current and future railway lines with the adjacent mall building and housing complex while establishing integral connections over and under the proposed infrastructure.
With the ongoing construction of Navi Mumbai International Airport (N.M.I.A), the anticipated development of housing, commerce, industries, and various other domains in the city of Navi Mumbai, are projected to be one of the largest of 21st century India. The vision plan was to design facilities and features that shall create tremendous footfalls within the complex, associated with the overall growth of Navi Mumbai as a city and economic powerhouse.
One of the biggest challenges during design and execution of the project was the site location, which was above the existing RCC slab of Seawoods railway station. It was essential that the construction had to be carried out without disturbing the routine operations of the existing railway station and mall. The new structure is designed as a combination of R.C.C & Pre Engineered Building (PEB) system construction on an existing RCC railway slab. Resulting in a light weight structure that allows flexibility in terms of accommodating various services and expedites the speed of construction along with efficient site management. The construction on site resembles more like an “Assembly Workshop”, where almost 70% of the elements are made off site and only assembled in place on site. A monumental infrastructure project, Airspace, will be the go-to place for the coming generations. We anticipate the project development to create a dynamic social, financial and cultural impact for the city of Navi Mumbai
HITEN SETHI, CEO, Hiten Sethi & Associates
Geometrics
The canvas area of design – a rectangular slab, provided a strong geometric base to the project. To maximize the features of the design, efficient space planning enabled the conceptualization of a 30 M tall, rectangular structural form above the railway station.
To create an iconic design, a contemporary theme of ‘the geometries of motion’ has been implemented for the architectural expression of the project. The dynamic perforated aluminum façade design aims to create a timeless expression of energy.
Post daylight, the facade lighting features, and perforated panels characterize the built volumes as a glowing entity, creating a visual emotion of architectural poetry in motion.
For the interiors, the focal point of the project is a double height Atrium with a quintessential elliptical poly-carbonate skylight that welcomes visitors, creating a sense of grandeur and opulence in form.
The double height lobbies, common corridors, and interactive entertainment zones have been designed with a contemporary, polished aesthetic appeal. The aspiration was to create a building that would be interesting and perpetually attractive for users.
Steeling Structure
The structural system at Airspace has been designed as a composite system of steel & concrete – that consist of ‘PEB (Building envelop and roof)’ and ‘Non-PEB (Deck slabs for service areas, service platforms, projection rooms, and services)’.
The superstructure framework is in structural steel columns and trusses. The façade envelope is designed with standing seam aluminum sandwich panels, polycarbonate skylights and domes as the roof.
The roof structure is designed as a combination of Steel Rafters and Jack beams of 15.00 m c/c span with a slope of 1:20 lightweight Aluminum sandwich panels. The maximum depth of Jack Beams in the project is 900 mm, alternatively, if the same span was to be developed in RCC, the beam depth would have been more than 1800 mm.
This arrangement makes the proposed structure much lighter than a conventional RCC structure. The roof consisting of 52 skylights and 3 large domes is supported by the extension of central columns, while the façade is supported by the peripheral columns. The perforated aluminum panel cladding on the façades keep the adjacent fire corridors and service corridors ventilated.
The entrance facade has been designed in glass and aluminum panels for an inviting aesthetic appeal. To enable a faster construction process and lighter super structure, structural steel is adopted for the framework. Thus, making it a composite structural design. The steel sections are pre-fabricated, transported to site and installed as per design.
Considering the challenging timeline for project completion, the use of steel has contributed to a much faster and efficient project execution process.
Designing & Detailing
At the concept stage, the above parameters of construction and design development were designed and developed with the use of multiple design softwares. Trimble SketchUp & Autodesk Revit were used extensively for the concept design stage.
Autodesk software’s – AutoCAD, Revit & 3DS-Max were used as primary tools for the design development process and generation of working drawings. Tekla, a design detail and project communication software was used extensively to ensure impeccable structural design and drawing results towards the project execution process.
Learnings
A multiple stakeholder development venture, HSA has worked closely with L&T Seawoods Limited as the Client, getting into the depths of market analytics and its impact on the design development & implementation for the project.
HSA has worked with a large team of experts from the fields of civil construction, steel manufacturing and fabrication, façade specialists, MEP professionals and interior designers for the fulfillment of the project. Thus, enabling Hiten Sethi & Associates to add another architectural marvel to its repertoire with excellence in approach, efficiency in delivery and exclusivity in design.
Fact File
Architect: Hiten Sethi & Associates
Structural Engineer : Mahimtura Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
Steel Fabricator : Volta Green Structures Pvt. Ltd.
Steel Supplier : JSW Steel Limited
Tonnage : 1800 MT
Status : Ongoing
