The Ladies Common room at Seth G.S. Medical College, Mumbai

 

A hospital that serves one of the densest cities in the world, and a school that trains doctors. This room is heavily used, and one that will take be continuously use for decades to come. Studio pomegranate, along with Studio Mumbai set out to design this space keeping in mind everything we could learn from the larger hospital, and make it much better. Funded by the Indira Foundation, the process started in 2016 with a conversation with Studio Mumbai, who were then working on the space.

The Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College (GSMC), attached to the King Edward Memorial Hospital at Parel, in Mumbai is the foremost centre for medicine, and medical education in the country. Designed by George Wittet, and completed in 1926, the institution has produced some of the best and brightest doctors in the world. GSMC was the first medical school in India, and was the incubation ground for many firsts of medical innovation worldwide. The planning included beautiful airy lecture rooms sitting atop each other fixed like a jigsaw puzzle, open courtyards, modern laboratories, and a full array of sports and leisure spaces. The most frequented of these are the Girls (Ladies), and Boys common rooms. These rooms are designed for students to take time off, rest, and eat lunch. The architects were tasked with renovating the Ladies Common Room with a simple brief- to upgrade facilities, and ensure a relatively maintenance free space.

The room is made of four volumes- (1) the main space, 30’x40′ (2) Verandah 20’x10′ (3) Attached Toilet 10’x10′ (4) Main toilet14’x10′-6″. All spaces are 16′ tall. A 9′ wide hallway separates spaces 1,2&3 from 4. The outer windows were made in cast iron, with cast patterned glass, each window had a pivoted ventilator on top, a fixed glass, and two windows at sill level. Doors are of teakwood, and have a beautiful moulding running in the panels. The floor was Kotah stone, and walls- originally lime plastered, were now oil painted. Several teakwood, and steel lockers were haphazardly spread out in the space. The attached toilet had been removed, and a washbasin was installed, the larger main toilet was “upgraded” in the 2000’s and was in poor condition.

Studio pomegranate started measuring the space in May 2016, and very quickly was drawn to the immense beauty of the proportions and details; so much that over two weeks every moulding, detail, and screw were documented. The occupants of the space were also interviewed over the next six months, and time-lapse photography was used to understand usage patterns.

Discussions with Bijoy Jain, at Studio Mumbai then started, the consensus between both was that a mezzanine that would add about 50% of the main space would be useful to either move all the lockers into, or to provide various spaces for the girls. Studio pomegranate set out to work on several iterations of mezzanine, and locker arrangements. The simplest was finally chosen, with a rectangular mezzanine at the start of the main space, with only a few lockers placed above. The stair would be a straight flight up from the left side as you enter. It however was never finalised, and remained a contentious issue between the studios for the remainder of the project. A spiral stair came in later in the central zone, with a dainty handrail. It was decided that the space would be kept congruous with the larger campus, and hospital, and studio pomegranate spent considerable effort in reading, and documenting the buildings around the school. Details that were missing in doors were repeated from doors in the anatomy section, stairs from the library were used as prototype for the stair in the mezzanine, and sleek surgery cabinets were used to produce details for carpentry. The toilets were demolished, and  curved tiles, produced in Portugal were used for the toilets. Every detail, and every mould is from the original palette at the hospital, only put together to make better use of the detail.

The space was reopened for the students on June 22, 2018. The girls have loved their new common room, which gives them more space, efficient locker arrangements, and better facilities. The renovation was funded by Avinash Manudhane, and Dr. Sindhu Manudhane of the Indira foundation, and built by SPE build, the design-build arm of Studio pomegranate. The design team is immensely grateful for the special efforts put in by Dr. Lopa Mehta, Dean- Dr. Avinash Supe, Dr. Anita Agarwal, the Diamond Jubilee Society Trust, and all the wonderful students of G.S Medical college who faced tremendous hardship without this room, and being undestanding of the design process that Studio Mumbai, and Studio pomegranate follow. This relationship has led to an amazing space that can be fully utilised by generations of students to come.

Studio Mumbai: Bijoy Jain, Mimo Shirazi, Alba Abiad, Vatsal Bharmani, Kashyap Bhagat.

 Studio Pomegranate: Pranav Naik, Shweta Shah, Neel Davda, Anvita Balakka,

Other design collaborators: Rameshwar Bhadhwa, Pokaram Jasol, Aslam, Dr. Lopa Mehta

Engineer: Nitin Doshi, Dwijen Bhatt, Gautam Chande

Metal Fabricators: Shayona Drilling Engineering, Patel, Bharat Panchal

Carpenter: Pokar Ram Jasol

Civil Works: Mortar Constructions

Tiles:  TopCer

Electrical contractor: KK Interior

Paint: Rajender Nirankari

Steel lockers: Panchal

Time: Design – 25 Months, Construction- 8 months

TC127 – Thirsty City 127 Craft brewery and cocktail bar

Thirsty City 127, at Lower Parel, Mumbai is a craft brewery and cocktail bar. Replacing the legendary “Barking Deer,” one of the first craft breweries in India. The new space improves the beer portfolio, and adds a craft cocktail bar to the space.

The studio set out to work towards a space that would bring to the forefront the iconic brewery, and then expand into spirits.  Additional spaces on the premises are a flexible room connected to the bar, and another bar on the first floor for private events. The bar is at the end of a narrow alley dotted with popular breweries, and restaurants. The space was crafted, much like a great, out of its basic elements- Specific ingredients, perfect pairing, and careful assembly.

Alcohol occurs in nature, from the depths of space to the primordial “soup” that may have generated the first life on Earth.¹ Almost every creature on the planet consumes alcohol. This zest for spirits has led to humanity being able to make it out of almost anything. This was a starting point for the studio’s exploration into the iconography that goes into the space. A set of spirits and beverages were chosen in consultation with the bartenders- Beer, Vodka, Gin, and malted liquor. Their respective plant bases were identified- Barley and Hops, Potato [sic], Juniper, and then ingredients that go into drinks- Sugarcane, Citrus, and water. These plant forms were studied in detail, and abstract forms of these were created with Unomono². These abstract forms- cast in Iron, Copper, and Brass make sculptural forms. Patination and corrosion is used to create colours. A large number of wave,  and cloud forms were created to tell  a story of the production of liquor. This set of sculptural forms creates the basis for the whole space, which is designed to tell a story of the crafting of the drink you hold.

Located at the end of the alley, in Mumbai, the space is tucked in and barely visible. The studio used the vegetable forms created for the space, using them in frames to tell a story of liquor. Every window is unique, custom-made, and presents the organic element in the aesthetic of the bar; lights in between each light up the various forms, and encourages you to continue on a journey through a crafted space.

One has to walk past this line of windows, to enter the main bar space. The door is an assemblage of liquid forms that unfolds in layers to reveal a rippled brass handle. Stepping in, a monogram in the floor greets you. The bar hides on the left, walking further in, one enters  an intimate space within brewery brewery; copper vessels surround you, and the space is dark. The mood is light, conversation, wafting aromas, the perfect  temperature, and music that holds conversation make the atmosphere. Make your way to the bar, or sit down in a chair, designed by the studio and intimately arranged for conversation. A large bar with seemingly unlimited liquor is at the far end of the space. Made of terrazzo with glass chips, brass coasters are in-built to point to a serving area. The bar stools, designed by the studio are perfectly weighted to not topple forwards while getting off. The floor is a tapestry of black limestone and dark terrazzo with coloured stone; brass strips give direction to the space.

The event space is flexible, and allows for a range of functions, from adding space to the bar, to hosting private events, or a gallery space. Held together by a fluted glass partition on the south, and a set of folded steel planes that make the stairway up to the next floor. A sofa under the stair holds in the north end.

The stairs in Thirsty City are made to feel  almost impossible, a single folded plane of steel that winds up four supports- nothing else. The handrail winds its way in a similar fashion starting at the bottom, and winding up and round the stair to meet with the viewer as they walk up.

The room above is a private, even more intimate bar that is treated similar to the one on the ground floor. The ceiling above is the night sky. Mirrored panels with small bulbs that light up the space, and are reflected at angles in the ceiling. The space is for private parties, or quiet drinks.

Thirsty City 127 is a labour of love, from every person involved, Studio Pomegranate appreciates the faith shown by the clients, and all the amazing people involved in crafting this space, where every element is created for the experience of being able to come with close friends and have an unforgettable experience.

Notes:

1. McGOVERN, PATRICK E. “ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Whence and Whither?” In Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages, 266-82. University of California Press, 2009.
2. Unomono: Creative Agency in Delhi- http://www.unomono.in

 

Project Facts:

Client:                                          Barking Deer hospitality private limited

Project location:     Thirsty City 127, Mathuradas Mill compound, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400030

Area:                                            4340 Sq.ft

Time:                                          3 Months

Project Team:                              Studio Pomegranate:Pranav Naik, Shweta Shah, Neel Davda, Rasika Rajagopalan,                                                     Parmi Savla, Manasvi Rane.

J.M. Baxi:Vir Kotak, Akriti Agarwal, Jitin Sahni, Manindra Nath Hati, Sameer

Barking Deer:  Gregory Kroistch, Abhishek Aggarwal

Consultants: Bajrang Sharma, Rameshwar Bhadhwa Alex Barstow, Gracian                                                                  D’Souza, Arijit Bose, Yogi Engineering,  Sunny Nikam,

Artists:  Anand Prabhudesai (Rich Steel),  Adil Khanna, Reva Dutta (Unomono)

Construction Team:Tanishq Interiors, Yogi Engineering, Mortar Construction, Rich Steel

Ritu Kumar Store, Palladium

Palladium is the stage for a new store for fashion designer Ritu Kumar. This store finds a space for itself on the third floor of the mall. Built on former mill land, this space has come to be one of Mumbai’s most coveted spots for retail, and is also one of the most successful. Studio pomegranate envisioned a space that would reference memories of the mill buildings prior to the new golden age of this land. The space itself was non-rectilinear, and was large, but with a small frontage. The idea then would be to have an enclosure of walls, under a night sky with a dramatic sparkle of golden clouds, as one can find on a typical Bombay evening.

The store then was conceived of as an open space utilizing a neutral palette of white and shades of pale green and grey, all serving to foreground Kumar’s colorful garments. The interior space consists of polished seamless natural Kota stone. This stone was brought in a large 3′ square format, special care was taken at the quarry to ensure minimal color variation so as to have a monolithic appearance. All edges are rounded and polished. The walls are rounded at the edges, alluding to the ageless beauty of 1920s Bombay; they don a neutral textured finish. The sky drops down a fastening mechanism for brass rods that the garments are hung on. As one walks through the store, printed fabrics greet the eye, these are 17th century Indian Palampores that once were a highlight in bourgeois’ homes. Most of these are “Tree of life” motifs, two are court scenes and dance scenes from the Deccan. The bridal area is again covered entirely in these fabrics, a large vanity is the centerpiece of the bridal salon. This tree of life pattern was used as a base for the shape of the clouds above. Cables hang down from the ceiling to hold in place the shapes that keep in place a golden mesh in which lights hide, and present a play of light and shade, as clouds do. Three glass orbs were sourced and hung off brass rods to light the billing desk. These elements put together are the backdrop for the garments that adorn the racks of the store. They are also a fragment of a style of building with detail and precision that is being rapidly lost in modern Indian building construction.
The studio appreciates the effort and energy put into this collaboration by Mrs. and Mr. Kumar who were supportive of our design strategy, and showed great faith in our skill as fellow designers and architects.
Project team: Pranav Naik, Shweta Shah, and Arjun Pathak

#ritukumar #palladium #Lowerparel #mumbai #bombay #mills #apparel #design #architecture #store

Portobello Mushroom Dum Biryani.

This is the recipe for The Best Mushroom Biryani in the world. Introduction  For the longest time I really did not like Biryani, having eaten it at some pretty famous places in Bombay, I was a bit disillusioned. The only good biryani I have had in Bombay is at Neel, at Tote on the turf. You should have the Gucchi ki Biryani (Can’t go wrong with Morels!). The first time I had a good Biryani was in Hyderabad, where a friend took me to every place that served a superb Biryani, apart from Paradise Palace, and the five star hotels, I found some exceedingly perfect Hindu Andhra food at a place called Malgudi. Now let’s get to the Biryani. 

I first started experimenting with this with my friend Erik Krautbauer four years ago, when we cooked Chicken Biryani for 80 guests at Taliesin West.

Concept: Every flavour must be kept separate, yet every morsel must have all flavours. You can make Biryani with anything, just remember it is a three part deal. 1. Absorption – Rice will absorb flavours, use the longest grain Basmati rice you can find, it has a wonderful fragrance, we cook it 3/4th to keep that fragrance locked in until you serve. 2. Masala – This will impart the flavour. Never use anything that absorbs flavours in this, a common mistake is Potato, Carrots, Cauliflower, etc. 3. Aromatics – These are separate- Saffron and Mint, even your masala will have aromatics, but these are special and need to be kept that way. Keep in mind that use only the best ingredients possible, at the end of your grocery trip you might wonder why not go and eat it at the restaurant? Recipe: I will not go through what ingredients you need, you will find out as you go through this recipe, this is important because you need to know what we are going to do with them rather than see them on their own. This is part of the design of this food. You will need at least two hours for the whole process.

Saffron, Vodka, Unrefined Sugar, (you can add milk or cream)

Take a tiny bit of saffron and mix it with about 5ml Vodka, add some sugar. The Vodka helps the saffron quickly lose its flavour, you can see the yellow strands after a few minutes of treatment. Sugar is to bring out the flavours in the final product. The alcohol will burn off when you cook everything.

Portobello mushrooms

Wash and dry the Portobello Mushrooms. Remember all mushrooms will absorb water very quickly, so keep them as dry as possible. I have used Shimeji, Button, and Shiitake mushrooms as well.

The largest cashews you can find, I went to Karwar to get these.

Fry some Cashew halves for later

Fry the onions for garnish

Fry two white onions until crisp for later.

Whole Garam Masala

Add some more oil, then put in Black peppercorns, Star Anise, Bay leaves, Green cardamom, Black cardamom, Cloves, and Cinnamon. Most of these were found in Wayanad, Kerala, and the Cinnamon came from Sri Lanka. Break the Cardamom’s slightly to release the flavour.

Whole Garam Masala with onion

Add Onions soon after

Garam Masala + Onion + Green Chillies

Add Green Chillies, and some Ginger + Garlic paste. You must add the ginger garlic at the end so that it does not over oxidise.

Garam Masala + Onion + Green Chilies + Ginger Paste + Garlic paste + Kashmir Red Chilly powder

Add some Kashmir Red chilly powder, this is not very hot, but has a good colour. If you can’t find it, Spanish Paprika works well.

Add Yoghurt

Add Yoghurt to this mixture, the yoghurt if hung the previous night, will yield better results. This one is not, I had to cook it longer. Also, good time to add salt.

Chopped Portobellos

Stir that in, and stop the heat in five or until the mushrooms are 75% cooked

Add the Mushrooms, You must stop the flame as soon as the mushrooms are about 3/4th done. If they get fully cooked, they will lose their flavour. You can add the salt in this step as well if you didn’t add it before.

Get Ready to Assemble Masala + Rice (75% cooked) + empty handi

This is the best part. 3/4th cooked Basmati rice, I have added enough salt for the rice itself. The Masala is ready, and another saucepan for the actual dish.

Apply ghee generously

Fresh Mint

Layer 1 – Rice – Masala – Mint

Layer 2 – Rice – Saffron mix

Make as many layers as you can

I made three layers of masala, so four layers of rice. I make sure the vessel is shut tight, and the air vent is blocked with a clove.

You can serve it with Raita, but this time I had it on it’s own.

Make sure you garnish it with the fried onions and Cashews. look at those layers!

This serves four, open the pot only when and where you want to serve it, when all your guests are already seated. I tend to overeat when I make this. If you cook this dish with my recipe, please leave a little message to let me know how you like it, and if you have any suggestions, I will try them and add them here. Biryani and Pizza are two of my favourite dishes, and I often cringe when I eat either poorly made, I will put up some other recipes sometime. Everything else I make is much easier than this.  

Where is the Gothic?

Where is the Gothic?

Gothic architecture was the predominant style of buildings in Europe from the 12th century to the 16th century. Pushed aside by the neoclassical, Baroque, and Rococo styles, it made a comeback in the 17th century where, as an interpretive style incorporating neoclassical elements, it was seen in a wider range of building types. 19th century Victorian Gothic was applied in halls, universities, railway stations, and public buildings. The Gothic, which had begun as a medium of religious gestures, developed into a more encompassing system of building design. Using the strong sense of verticality, ribs, and pointed arches the Victorian Gothic, in some cases even tried to push against the rise of the machine and industrialization.

In this paper, I will try to explain the underlying structural and spatial principles of Non-Religious Victorian gothic revival buildings of the 19th and 20th century, not referring to superficial visual elements, but Ideas. This piece springs from the extensive research I did on Gothic buildings in Mumbai and worldwide while working on my undergraduate degree thesis two years ago. There, the incorporation of the gothic in into my design, did not make it any less modern, but definitely improved the end result. As a result of my research I realized that there is an inevitable paradigm shift ocurring in the Architectural scene now. I will also look at some examples of these buildings that are far apart, both in distance and time.

Gothic architecture was developed in the 10th century as an efficient building system for large buildings, besides primarily being a religious idea. The crusaders returning from the Islamic world brought with them the pointed arch. At this point the only advanced structures builders at the time knew of were masonry buildings. A line representing the force transfered through any arch that spans a distance is a catenary. This was demonstrated by Robert Hooke’s chain in the 17th century, and later by Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona with the more practical approach of attaching weights to string, leading to the superb arches in the Casa Mila (La Pedrera), Casa Batlo, and Sagrada Familia.

Spatially, Gothic buildings were churches. Religious buildings were the only large enclosed structures built by people of the 11th Century, but soon there came a need for public halls, parliament houses, factories, mansions, etc. The Gothic came to the rescue. With applied ornamental additions, Gothic could be efficient and grand at the same time. The architects in the 19th century realized the salient features of the Gothic, efficiency of structure, built-in ornament, good light qualities, and adaptability. The architects used these to their advantage. Hence I contend Gothic to be the precursor to modern architecture

The English architects were the first to interpret Gothic to fit with the sensibilities of the Baroque and Rococo styles, hence it is known as Victorian Gothic. The houses of parliament in London were built by Sir Robert Smirke in 1835 using the Victorian Gothic style. The trend spread to India with the Queen’s rule; within a few decades Indian architects were designing and building the beautiful University of Bombay buildings. They had not only designed in a style outside of the local building type, but they had understood and reinterpreted it to fit into the climate, planning, aspirations, and sensibilities of the Indian people. This type of style is known as the “Bombay Gothic”. Curiously, none of the buildings built at the time in Bombay need air-conditioning, extensions, or changes even to this day.

The 20th century architect Antoni Gaudi, was an architect far ahead of his time designing and building catenary systems with the same masonry blocks used by the neoclassical architects. He used string with weights, and by flipping the model upside-down, the finished shapes of the arches which result would lead to the most efficient structure. There were elements that came prefinished – either precast or finely chiselled stone – that would fit into each other. His arches had a very thin profile, with brick catenaries being made only one brick thick. He had truly understood the underlying principles of the Gothic, and applied them in designing modern buildings. A few decades later, there were architects who were looking back at history to find the essence of structure, and style. One example of such a structure is Pier Luigi Nervi’s Palazzetto dello sport, (Rome, 1958), which uses precast structure and ribbed domes, and borrows visually from classical architecture. Eero Saarinen’s St. Louis Arch, is a catenary, albeit in the form of a composite structure. Even Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style was sometimes referred to as “Horizontal Gothic” at a time when a lot of rich architecture referring to important buildings of the past was being overshadowed by the “International style.”

Now, one could ask, “What do all these buildings have in common?”- Very finely designed building elements that give their occupants a sense of place, at the same time being supported by an efficient structure. Simply put, the catenary is the most efficient way to span a distance because it follows the exact line of thrust. The designers of Gothic pointed arches knew that, but did not have the materials, technology, or computational power to make it possible or viable; hence they used the more slender profile pointed arch. Gaudi had the technology to construct such arches, but not the computational power or materials. Nervi had them all, which freed him of the necessity to adhere to the look of any particular style. The “International style” architects also had them all, but chose to disregard them, and rely on a more austere system of implied purity, leading to a stark and cold appearance, devoid of human qualities. Today, Santiago Calatrava is building structures with very similar techniques, as he has the materials, computational power, construction methods, and skills at hand. I point to Calatrava because his buildings are prominent to a general audience. Now we can understand the Gothic as any structure with a precast system, computational architecture, or organic ideology uses simplicity and efficacy of structure, as well as implied, applied, or inherent ornament.

As architects of the 21st century, we have the resources, skills, and materials necessary to take the structures we design beyond the systems that our predecessors worked with. Just like them, we have an obligation to go forth and break the barriers of technology, materials, and structure, and to make radical shifts in the way buildings are built. The past should not be shunned; rather, it should be used as a stepping stone to the future. I am not implying another Gothic revival, here, but a reason to look back and fully understand the implications of the buildings we design, and the way we go about designing them. Gothic architecture is an important example to follow as the issues of cost efficiency, construction method, and structural stability were all answered long ago. Why not use them to our benefit today?