African Design Magazine August 2015 | Page 61

International project: The Newtown School ARCHITECTS: Abin Design Studio LOCATION: Kolkata, West Bengal, India area: 15 000m2 Client: Savitri Educational Foundation Materials used: Fibre Reinforced Polypropylene, Mild Steel, Handmade Tiles, MDF Abin Design Studio began in 2005 under the leadership of Abin Chaudhuri. At ADS, they believe architecture is an artistic expression as far as it transcends its purely utilitarian, technical and rational realm and turns into a metaphoric expression of the lived world, context and human condition. Their aim is to provide a ‘soul in the shell’. Completed projects of ADS have earned numerous accolades. Their work has secured the International Architecture Award at the Chicago Athenaeum, 2015 and in 2014, was selected by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York for publication and a travelling exhibition. i of small and large alphabets, numbers and symbols. These have been placed in various orientations to achieve a randomized effect on the façade. Structural slabs were projected beyond the building surface all around in a way such that an exact number of panels would fit on all surfaces on the symmetrical cuboids. This also enabled simpler servicing of the panels from the back and ensured a better light quality for the building. A small scale study model was created in-house to understand the same and make a decision on treatment of the panels, the walls and the windows behind the screen. A mild steel frame work was devised in a grid like manner on the projected slabs to align with the FRP panels. A fixing detail using steel Z-profiles embedded into the FRP panels was developed to fix these 70kg panels to this M.S. support structure. The grey walls and windows background brings out the white FRP screen in all its glory. Starting with a sample of the module and fixing detail to manufacturing, shipping, complete installation, painting and cleaning, the façade system took 4 months to complete on site. The effect is exactly what Abin Design Studio hoped for with its dramatic expression and unmistakable identity. These two structures having been dealt with elaborately, there was a third small service block on the far side of the site which would stick out as a sore thumb if not properly handled and would be overbearing if over-designed. This block was thus treated in the same projected slabs and M.S. framework manner but with simple vertical aluminium fins. The contrast was eliminated and the walls, windows and fins were all treated with the same shade of grey along with rolling shutters, doors, etc. This block is neither eye-catching nor bold, but a subtly and aesthetically disappearing mass that helps to clearly demarcate the public zone from the back-end areas. Read more here africandesignmagazine.com 61