DOMUS 24 DECEMBER 2013 CONTENTS 31

December Volume 03 / Issue 02

2013 R200
Contributors Author Design Title
Jasem Pirani
Suprio Bhattacharjee Kaiwan Mehta 32 Editorial
Sensibilities in architecture
Photographs
Milo Reid Confetti
Dipti Desai Damien Hirst 33 Spot Paintings
Markus Hafner
Hertha Hurnaus Tapan Mittal-Deshpande 34 A narrative in stones: Hampi
Michael Wagner
Abner Fernandes Manuel Aires Mateus
MDP Michel Desvigne Paysagiste Francisco Aires Mateus 40 Time and matter
Nigel Young
Foster + Partners Sam Hecht
Xavier Boymond Kim Colin 44 Desk accessories
Harshan Thomson
Sarah Mechling András Pálffy 46 Between concept and design
Mohandass Radhakrishnan
Mario Botta 50 Reflections on the development
Authors of an educational programme
Tapan Mittal-Deshpande
53 Footprints from a journey
Conservation architect

024
Projects
INDIA LA CITTÀ DELL’ UOMO András Pálffy
Architect and professor
Kaiwan Mehta 60 Lotus Design Capacity of spaces to transform anew
Kaiwan Mehta 68 M/s. Prabhakar B. Bhagwat The oyster and the pearl
78 Norman Foster Redevelopment of the old port in Marseille
Jasem Pirani 86 Perkins Eastman Calculated aesthetics
Suprio Bhattacharjee 94 Mancini Architects Modest spaces of significance
Rassenga
102 Bathroom
Feedback
Massimo Vignelli 109 The Vignellis’ New York

December Volume 03 / Issue 02

2013 R200

LA CITTÀ DELL’ UOMO

INDIA 024 LA CITTÀ DELL’ UOMO

024 December 2013

Cover: Indian School of Business
in Mohali; Perkins Eastman
acknowledges that the design of
the long horizontality of the main
academic buildings sitting under a
single parasol roof with a consistent
structural rhythm was influenced by
Le Corbusier’s Capitol Complex in
neighbouring Chandigarh.
domus 24 December 2013 PROJECTS 87

Perkins Eastman CALCULATED AESTHETICS

Embodying latest thinking in the planning and design of business
schools competing on an international stage, the new campus of the
Indian School of Business in Mohali, distinctly reflects an increasing
call to brand identity and manufactures appearances that claim
responses to culture and place
Text Jasem Pirani
Photos Harshan Thomson, Sarah Mechling

In a globalising economy,
architecture and urban design
have an increasing role in
facilitating the identity or
imagery of capital. While design
schools continue to propagate
Mies van der Rohe’s famous
dictum that “Form Follows
Function”, the reality in the
world’s great cities is that “Form
Follows Finance,” coined by Carol
Willis — architectural historian
and founder of The Skyscraper
Museum. Design and its cousin,
branding, helps sell everything
from buildings to institutions,
to dreams.
This is not far from reality and
accurately reflects the scenario
in India as it competes among
industries for attention within
Asia, and on a global stage.
The new campus of the Indian
School of Business-Mohali This page: above, the lobby
represents the latest thinking area within the campus.
Below and opposite page:
in the planning and design of the Academic Administration
business schools competing on an Building serves as the ‘head’,
international stage. The new 70- the organising element, of
the new Mohali campus, itself
acre Mohali campus responds to overlooking an expanse of
the school’s mission to provide a green field
88 PROJECTS
world-class curriculum and real-
world experience on par with peer
institutions around the world.
In this context, the founders of
the Indian School of Business
understand that design —
especially by international
architecture firms such as
Perkins Eastman — can add
significantly to the value of their
institution. The building design
has to fit the campus in a way
that is not only supportive, but
also sensitive to the environment.
Perkins Eastman’s design for the
campus planning and buildings
draws inspiration from both
traditional and contemporary
architectural precedents, such
that the open spaces and level
differences that have been
defined by built forms is reflective
of Mughal architecture. Similarly,
with other palace and temple
architecture, the design of the
ISB-Mohali campus is a series
of interconnected courtyards,
exterior and interior atriums, and
covered outdoor walkways.
Perkins Eastman acknowledges
that the design of the long
horizontality of the main
academic buildings sitting under
a single parasol roof with a
consistent structural rhythm
was influenced by Le Corbusier’s
Capitol Complex in neighbouring
Chandigarh. In this way, the
Academic Administration
Building serves as the “head”, the
organising element, of the new
Mohali campus, itself overlooking
an expanse of green field. The
use of materials, as well as forms
and fenestration is evidence that
what is accepted today is a sense
of aesthetic that is recognisable
and identified with institutional
buildings. This establishes that
the globalisation of architecture
has resulted in homogeneity
in the built environment —
an increasing international
homogenisation of the appearance
of the built environment of large
institutions as a result of the
combination of several factors:
market liberalisation, cultural
globalisation and identity
of institutions.
With market liberalisation and
growth of cities like Mohali
— where the Indian School
of Business is a part of the
Knowledge city — Perkins
Eastman understands that
architecture is a contributor to
wonderful places and a supporter
of institutional missions. In a
way, buildings become a core
part of the business of education,
and they are instrumental in
attracting and maintaining
researchers, students, faculty, and
administration. They have tried
to fundamentally understand
the institution’s goals, values
and mission to motivate design
and planning. The scale of the
structure and the placement
tell a story, and reflect the
expectation of a liberalised
market — one where there is
mobility of capital.
Among this complex dynamics of
contemporary cultural exchange
and conflict lies an increasingly
dense and interconnected flow
of ideas, values, images and
lifestyles based on consumerism
domus 24 December 2013
that are a result of brand- This page: above, a covered
building of institutional places walkway; below: the 70-acre
Mohali campus responds to the
— a Western-based approach to school’s mission to provide a
education culture. world-class curriculum and real-
Are all campuses desired to world experience on par with peer
institutions around the world.
look the same? This idea of Opposite page: The interior
brand building has led to atrium; the scale of the structure
and the placement tell a story
disenchantment as novelty, and reflect the expectation of a
exclusivity, distinction, and liberalised market — one where
the romantic appeal of the there is mobility of capital
built environment have been
undermined by the idea of what
is believed to be the necessary
framework of an institutional
building.
Architects and designers are so
involved in defining the identity
of an institution based on its
values and missions that we
end up defining brandscapes
rather than urban landscapes.
The term ‘brandscapes’ has been
popularised by Anna Klingmann,
whose book Brandscapes:
Architecture in the Experience
Economy notes that brandscapes
 90 PROJECTS domus 24 December 2013 domus 24 December 2013 PROJECTS 91

Cafe/ conference
1 Entry
4
UP

2 Cafe
4

3 Seating area
INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS -
4 Stair to
1 1
MOHALI: CAF É/CONFERENCE
ground floor conference room
1 Entry
5 Bookstore
INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS -

A 2 Caf é 6 Meeting room

MOHALI: CYLINDER CAF É AND

A 2
2
3
4
Seating Area
Stair to Conference Rooms
3
6 6
3
CONFERENCE section A-A

3
3 1
2
Caf é
Bookstore

5 3 Meeting Room
UP UP

Academic quad
55 5 1 Courtyard
1
2
3 5 INDIAN SCHOOL
2 Breakout OFlobby
space/ BUSINESS -
3 44 3
3 3 Large lecture hall
MOHALI: ACADEMIC
4 Conference rooms QUAD
0 250 500 1000

22 2 2 0 250 500 1000

N
5 Small lecture hall
ground floor
0 1000
0 1000

1 Courtyard
2 Breakout Space/Lobby
UP 1 UP
3 Large Lecture Hall
1 4 Conference Rooms
5 Small Lecture Hall

INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS -

22 22 MOHALI: ADMINISTRATION
3 33 Project
BUILDING ground floor
3 4
4 4 Indian School of Business-
55 55
4 Mohali campus (Phase 1)
1 Entry Location
1
2 Atrium Mohali, India
84
1 3 4
3 Reception Client
Indian School of Business
UP UP

4 Executive Office
Architect
Perkins Eastman
N
Design team
0 250 500 1000
A 2
Principals: Aaron Schwarz
2 UP

FAIA; Christine Albright

AIA, LEED AP
Project team
A 0 1000
John Neary AIA, LEED AP;
UP 1 8
4
7 Allan Kram; Tania Phillips,
Chang-Yeon Cho, Daniel
Ghesquiere, Katherine
Gluckselig, Milton Lau
0 250 500 1000 Associate Architects

N
RSP Design Consultants
Landscape Architects
0 1000 Design Cell Studio
MEP and Structural
Engineering
Tata Consulting Engineers
INDIAN SCHOOL OF BUSINESS - Limited
Academic quad Technology
MOHALI: ACADEMIC QUAD
1 Courtyard T2 Technology Consulting
2 Informal meeting space Specialty Lighting
44 2 2 5 5 section
3 A-A
Faculty lounge INDIAN SCHOOLLirio Lopez Electrical -
OF BUSINESS
4 Group study room Administration building Lighting Consultants
5 Simulation lab 4 MOHALI: ADMINISTRATION
PMC
3 3 66 1 Reception
6 Classroom 2 Atrium BUILDING Jones
sectionLang
A-A LaSalle
1 Courtyard 3 Boardroom 55
Project Area
11 3 3 280000 m2
4 Light scoop
2 Informal Meeting Space 5 Conference room 1 Reception
Carpentry
22 5 N/A
6 Exit to academic 5 2 Atrium Opening
0 250 500 1000
0 1000 3 Faculty Lounge buildings Project Estimate
7 Entry 3 Boardroom
40M USD (phase 1)
4 Group Study Room 8 Executive office 1 1 66 4 Light Initiation
Scoop of Project
Master planning began
5 Simulation Lab 5 Conference
FebruaryRoom
2009
6 Exit toConstruction began
Academic Buildings
6 Classroom
0 250 500 1000
December 2009
Completion of project
0 1000 April 2012
Other details
· There are eight buildings
in Phase 1
· The entire design was
completed in BIM
· The project is in
the process of LEED
certification
92 PROJECTS
are a product of corporate
interests, the conjunction of
economic globalisation and
increasing exteriorisation
of corporate identities. This
identity then begins to physically
manifest and is transposed
onto the built environment.
Identification has become a key
element in linking or de-linking
identity, culture and place while
employing a globalised language.
The design team at Perkins
Eastman has taken into
consideration the high
temperatures and high relative
humidity of the region. The
building has been oriented to
balance both sun and shade. The
parasol roof provides partial
shade and cover to the buildings
and interior courtyards. No doubt,
that the building makes good use
of energy and resources; but could
they have done more? Had they
not been burdened by building
an institution’s identity, could we
have seen a different aesthetic?
One that is not homogenised?
This homogenisation has resulted
in the transformation of a green
field landscape to a place of ideas
— converged ideas of transposed
aesthetics that do not differ in
form and are neither distinctive.
The specificity of buildings gives
it its exclusivity. Buildings can
share ideas and must share
intellectual themes, but should
a building built on a campus in
Mohali look like one that could be
placed in southern Georgia? This
is a question that all of us
as responsible architects,
designers and planners must
ask ourselves as we are often
burdened by factors of finance
and capital growth.
domus 24 December 2013
Above: left, the cafe; right, state-
of-the-art classrooms of the
Indian School of Business-Mohali.
Below: a covered outdoor walkway
overlooking the central courtyard
domus 24 December 2013 PROJECTS 93
Left: detail of the atrium.
Below: the open spaces and
level differences that have been
defined by built forms is reflective
of Mughal architecture. Bottom:
the Commons building in the
landscaped campus