Sustainable projects help save natural resources, locally grown natural products reduce transportation costs, and give opportunities to local artisans to further their trade and keep alive the culture of the region.
V. Vishwanath - Founder & Principal Architect, YV Architects
Why should Residential and Commercial Projects go Green? Do we have a choice? No! Can a billion plus population ignore re-cycling of grey water which can fill the lakes of rain shadow areas? Why not use the power of the sun to light up our lives? Natural products like bamboo have the strength and the qualities to build standalone structures and help achieve the required NRC values and enhance the thermal and sound insulation of buildings and even the city as a whole.
The Management of Symbiosis looked to the North-East of India to conceptualize the idea of creating ‘Ishanya Bhavan’ in Pune, particularly in the design of the auditorium.
YV team members put on their thinking caps, talked to friends from the Seven + One sister states of the North-East, even visited some of the places to get an essence of their culture, and to immerse themselves in their building materials. Along with our young architects Yashas and Sowmya, we then came up with some design options, integrating the Seven Sisters and Sikkim. We romanced with the daily essentials of the North-East as usable artifacts in the Auditorium. Finally, we made extensive use of bamboo (a natural acoustical material) for the internal walls and ceiling. Even the doors and ceiling have been woven through to keep the visual materials of bamboo and jute, which are used extensively in the North East.
The Assamese Xorai was designed as a lectern. Gamusa and various other textiles were used as acoustical panels on the side walls, along with locally woven mats. The headgears of the NE states formed an artistic signage on the entry/exit doors.
The various dance forms and folk art are depicted at the opposite end of the stage, giving visual delight. The Proscenium curtain along with side valances are an illustration of the Ishanya Bhawan transcending to the culture of North-Eastern states.
