Architecture constantly evolves in response to forces in technology, sustainability, politics and culture of a given country and to its current prevailing dynamics. Previously, architects designed the whole building and scope of their services encompassed to design the complete architecture. I am seeing a change in this phenomenon of having different specialized built environment professionals to design façade of the buildings in city of Mumbai. As buildings get more sophisticated, there is an encumbrance to design them more efficiently to respond to technological and sustainable needs of the times.
Façade designers incorporate creativity and engineering to optimize to best respond to project needs. They carefully consider each building for its historical significance, local climatic conditions and design engineer the envelope and façade, thus offering the best of material suggestions, thermal modelling and efficiency and optimized access which gives best of the front access and least hindering building maintenance once the building is completed and occupied.
Mumbai is seeing a considerable rise in demand for upgraded buildings which are not just glossy but have more intrinsic efficiency offered to its owners and tenants. Thus in a project which is high-end, demand to incorporate more sophisticated technology is seeing adoption by many builders and developers. And rightly so. In a long run, if this ensures a building’s longevity and improved healthy built environment to its inhabitants, it’s worth the extra investment.
Current status of TCG Financial Center: The Chatterjee Group
TCG Financial Center of The Chatterjee Group located at Bandra Kurla Complex is one such example. This commercial building is now complete and had its façade design done by Gregory H. Romine’s led Axis Façade Group. Axis Façade specializes in façade design and have completed extensive work all across the world. They have done extensive work in India as Façade Designers in Delhi and Mumbai.
For TCG Financial Center they were engaged for material applications, schematic design, design development, construction documents, unit cost estimate, quantity survey, procurement and construction administration for all façade elements including unitized curtain wall, glass vertical sunshades, metal cladding, integrated lighting and BMU/Façade Access design. The project features a horizontal pattern offset with vertical glass and embedded high definition metallic sunshades. Lighting is integrated into the curtain wall to enhance the stature of the building during the evening hours.
With that, façade design makes a stronger case and urges builders and developers to factor in life-cycle cost incurred in using improved engineered buildings methodologies. If built environments offer better value on investment through improved healthier and efficient spaces then it is not only cost effective but it also saves hidden costs incurred while using badly designed buildings through health perils, energy inefficiencies and steep maintenance costs.
