CHARANJIT S SHAH has always been to associate himself and groom his creations in a lively

and eco- friendly manner. A built form should not be treated as a dead mass of bricks and
concrete, but as a living organism. To his mind the built form needs to breathe and should be
embodied in the natural environment to be a part of the nature.
He was inspired by the great masters like Ar. A.P Kanvinde, Ar. M. M. Rana, Ar. J.R. Bhalla,
Ar. Laurie Baker, Ar. Rusy Khambatta and Ar. Habib Rahman gave him insight into the
profession and were a great inspiring source in the professional scene.
A built form should not be treated as a mass of brick and concrete but as a living organism
was his thinking.
Since the inception of his firm, He has been very conscious in his designs to be sustainable and
respect Mother Earth. During his interaction with the pioneers and great masters of architecture,
the concept of sustainability particularly through passive strategies became his mission.
According to him the true job of an architect and a designer is to envision a city, mould it in a
manner suitable for the surrounding environment and its user. Create spaces unusual, traditional
yet contemporary. And the initial stage of designing any project shall start by understanding the
locale of the place.
He at Creative Group strongly believe to adapt to the realities and necessities of the day so as to
have a pragmatic approach towards design issues.
The passion towards writing developed within him around the time GPA was beginning to
reach out to these organizations. He worked towards the publication of his book, Architect
Hand Book in 1996 also during the SAARCH conference in New Delhi. Thereafter he authored
a series of books on the various other allied subjects of applied architecture. He wished to
collectively do some contribution towards the upliftment of architectural profession, being
elected as the chairman of the Indian Institute of Architects, (NE) and chairman of SAARCH
1996, as also a professional advisor to various other organizations.
Few of his handwritten books
The Romance of Construction
Architects Handbook, Ready Reckoner
Architectural Handbook Series - KITCHEN
Architectural Handbook Series - WATER SUPPLY & SANITATION

SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION
Indian traditional architecture

His methodologies have meant adhering to the ECBC Codes and LEED Rating Systems. His
passion for Sustainability has further expanded through their continuous and Positive
contribution through Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
Energy strategies for either or both optimized conventional systems and alternative energy
potentials
Waste management from construction to operation
Materials ranging from recycled to recyclable, and to new materials technologies
Day lighting and air quality optimization Maximizing Daylight and Minimizing Heat Gain.
Efficient Material Utilization
Transport and alternative transport facilities
His methodology depicted through his buildings:GOLDEN HUT located at Delhi-Jaipur highway
The visitors draw an instant visual connect to the appealing skyline of the complex, which is a
resultant of the octagonal pyramidical roof structures with square pylons creating a rhythmic
perspective. A unique architectural feature, the tapered arch buttresses lend the resort its iconic
character and identity. Resulting in visual connectivity it appears as if a stream of lush green
merely flows through the resort, blurring the boundaries between nature and structure. Not
merely acting as aesthetic element, which also brings down the building to a human scale, the
buttresses double up as louvers permitting indirect light to the interiors. Obstructing the harsh
sun, these provide glare free lighting in the resort.The evolution of the design process was
conceptualized with the shape of a bird, shaping various spaces. This lead to a distinct
classification of spaces, in terms of public, private and exclusive services. The entrance porch
symbolizes the beak of the bird, and the recreational area located in the heart of the complex
represents its core body. Additionally the spinal area is dictated by public amenities such the
conference hall, banquet hall, bar kitchen and canteen, whereas the residential area resembles
the two wings of the bird. The two guest room wings consisting of 32 rooms have been
designed in a manner to create a private envelope accommodating the pool and health club in
between. The swimming pool enclosed between the two residential wings guards the privacy
and exclusiveness of the recreational area thus developed. With careful and intelligent
segregation of public and private spaces, the residential area overlooks the recreational zone.

AMUDHAM DAIRY located in erode, tamil nadu, completed in year 2002

The design is worked out on a structured grid of 7mx7m and care has been taken to provide
maximum column-free space. The courtyard is enclosed by the processing and reception areas
that provide daylight and also serve as a source of visual relief with landscaping and greenery.
While vaults with varying heights serve excellently to let in indirect light throughout the day,
some places needing extra light are provided with glass bricks and polycarbonate sheets in the
vault roofing. This ensures better level of illumination and brings down the artificial light
requirement in the day time to zero. The residential block comprises staff quarters, double room
flats and workers dormitory. Taking the site into account, there has been an attempt to fit the
block in a linear arrangement. Courtyards act as open spaces as well as elements to bind the
different blocks together.
Hollow block joists in the roof has been used as an alternate low cost technology for faster and
economic construction. Being a food-processing unit, all building materials and details have
exposed finishes. All permanent finishes have been used in form of exposed concrete, grit
finish and local stone finish, avoiding plastering and curbing on long term maintenance of
white washing colouring, etc. The by-product of sophisticated steel shuttering for RCC, vaults
have given rise to exposed concrete finishing without plastering and honey combing. The
architects have used stainless steel for pillars, staircase and even handrails. Flooring has been
done using Mandana stone along with polyurethane compound in the joints which is alkali and
acid resistant, non-skidding and most appropriate for food processing units.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AIRPORT located in Raipur
Modernized Ceiling At Swami Vivekananda Airport The ceiling is very modernized because it
is not just plain white but it has a lot of 3d rod work going on all over. Pillars At Swami
Vivekananda Airport The white pillars in the exterior are used with a lot of versatility and the
material also matches the ceiling.
METRO STATION CHENNAI AIRPORT located in Chennai
LOCATION:-Chennai
This is a structure being ever thought and built in the subcontinent. This precasted 1 km long
elevated road weighs 160 tons and is supported on 76 odd V columns. The terminal is
uniquely designed with 37m high and 30m wide roof in truss with an exclusive bend. It is going

to set new records in rare combination of aesthetics being conceived with structural innovation.
Elevated road bears with it connector tube .This connector tube runs between the V columns
and also introduces walkalators for ease of passenger movement .Unlike any other airport in the
world, lush gardens are visible throughout the terminal creating a unique alliance between
engineering and nature, interior and exterior spaces and mans propinquity to earth and air
travel. Unlike any other airport in the world, lush gardens are visible throughout the terminal
creating a unique alliance between engineering and nature, interior and exterior spaces and
mans propinquity to earth and air travel.
Parking area is totally devoid of hard surface which has 95% of water run off and no
percolation. Use of Green pavers (High Impact Polypropylene) with over 90% porosity
recharges the ground water; ground water is cause of immense concern with water table
dropping every year. Bricks have been replaced with AAC blocks (Aerated Autoclaved
Concrete Blocks), which ensures thermal insulation Vertical Garden is yet another novice and
innovative feature being adopted in Chennai Airport. It is basically a stainless steel structure
lattice providing support for hanging plantings with vibrantly colored lush vegetation including
orchids. Buildings steel structure rises with a curved roof to form a light and open, columnfree terminal with expansive glass curtain walls that create a feeling of spaciousness.
KONGU CONVENTIONAL CENTRE located in Erode, Tamil Nadu ,India
Kong Convention Center was designed with the aim to provide world class facilities to students
who yearn for better socio-cultural interaction and high quality infrastructure, while keeping the
cost of the whole construction to the minimum. Alternatively it has indoor courts which are
used as sports halls. The basic form of the auditorium has been derived from the Garuda (eagle
in hindu religion) in flight. The buildings body is projected longer and massive (resembling
that of an eagle) while both the side wings, having a lesser volume with cut-outs for efficient
light and ventilation, are used for outdoor The basic idea was social upliftment of students of an
educational institute with nominal expenses in construction. With the aid of retractable seating,
the auditorium could be converted to indoor sports courts. The building is made in sync with
nature and surrounding landscaped area. The wings are connected by open public spaces. Thus,
with limited artificial lighting and natural ventilation the building is made cost-effective
without compromising on the quality.
An efficient system of ventilation facilitates hot air to move up and escape through the
clerestory windows. Additionally, fresh cool air is circulated around through ducted air cooling
system. Light wells located on top of stairwells at the primary entrances infuse the circulation
and pre-functional spaces with natural lighting throughout the day. The use of sun light, hollow
blocks for the multi-purpose hall and grid pavers for car-parks aim to minimize the energy
consumption of the campus.

VADODARA AIRPORT located in Vadodara

Inspired by the body and wings of airplanes, the building creates a bold, sweeping form and
identity and has one continuous aerodynamic metal skin. The building has a very new concept
as it is in a extraordinary shape. With focused design philosophy to increase the efficiency of
resources, architect has envisioned the terminal as Green building, built at a cost of 135 crores.
It is a Brownfield development with acute city side land constraints. The terminal has a
continuous overhang on the South-South West and North-North West side, as big as 18 m, thus
respecting the solar movement and avoiding the low harsh sun. On the North-east and Northwest, as well as on the South-East and South-West, glazing has been avoided and solid
insulating walls have been incorporated such that there is no penetrating heat from the sun,
neither from North-East nor from South-West.

THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECT CHARANJIT S SHAH

BHUMIKA LAMBA
3RD YEAR B