Construction is well underway on our Campus Project in Siliguri. Foundations are in place and columns are being put in place. Looking forward to that first floor slab pour...
May 16, 2012 — Comments are off for this post.
Campus Progress
Just a few more weeks to go. Let's sell some drugs!
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design
Tags: construction
It appears that the Kolkata Museum of Modern Art is finally going to start construction - after almost 3 years of hype. With Herzog & de Meuron at the helm, hopes are very high that this will be some sort of turning point for architecture in India. One could argue - quite easily - that there hasn't been a significant internationally acclaimed building in India since Kahn finished his IIM in Ahmedabad - almost 50 years ago! With China pumping amazing buildings on a monthly basis, this attention to architectural greatness needs to shift, but it's a bit depressing if we have to wait another 3 or 4 years for that shift to happen (KMOMA is scheduled to be complete in 2014).
UPDATE - 2012 May : Drove by the site on Sunday and absolutely no construction has happened.
May 6, 2011 — Comments are off for this post.
Frank Ross Pharmacy
Final image of our Frank Ross Pharmacy design. Construction is underway.
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design
May 6, 2011 — Comments are off for this post.
LDA
For a couple years now, Mamata Banerjee has been peddling the vision of Calcutta as the next London. Not only does Calcutta have a lot of the same historic architecture, but it also has some of the same street names. However, I always assumed she meant "LONDON" - and that this vision was a proclamation that Calcutta could be so much more. I agree with this notion. A thorough cleaning, renovation of it's cultural icons, and maybe a rebranding to make people forget that horrid images that are in their head of what Calcutta used to be.
Wrong.
Apparently, they want to copy and paste London, starting with the London Eye. Creating a riverside park is a solid idea, and I hope they get some talented designers (ahem) involved, but the London Calcutta Eye? That doesn't even crack the Top 10 of "Great Things about London." My hope is this is just a brainstorming session and they'll soon move on to better ideas that more appropriate to India and specific to the unique Calcutta landscape, but I'm more than a little nervous this was a directive - "Make this happen."
Indians have long had a love affair with the copy and paste functionality of our integrated world, but it seems with the economy booming, we have an opportunity to create something wholly original, something that others might want to copy... instead of just erecting a giant ferris wheel and closing the book on city planning.
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design
Recently there was an RFQ put out for a new Bollywood Museum. We tried desperately to find a partner firm for this project, but ultimately had no luck. We did manage to put a lot of the documentation together, one portion being the APPROACH & METHODOLOGY section, which I'm posting below:
The fact that there is not already a Bollywood Museum is a shocking revelation. This is an idea that is long past due, and refreshing to hear that it will finally become a reality. In our ever globalized world, a Bollywood Museum will become as much a part of the international scene as any building created in the last 20 years.
For too long the use of the phrase "World Class" has become a misnomer - an overused superlative that often indicates that a project will meet a bar that is far below World Class. To not see this project as a truly a world class museum is a not only a missed opportunity for the whole country to take it's place on the international cultural stage, but an injustice that will be hard to ever get over for the fans of Bollywood film all over the planet.
The desire to make this a world class should not be misconstrued as a call to ape western architectural styles or copy the aesthetic success of any other museum. The Bollywood Museum should stand on it's own as a unique proclamation of modern india, not a nostalgic recollection of ancient structures or a quixotic mishmash of formal incoherence that is just trying to be weird instead of profound. Indians all over should be proud of the statement this building makes to the world, as proud as they are of the Bollywood films that they love so much.
Museums as a building type are notorious for being difficult to run and financially support after the "newness" wears off. One way to combat this is to augment the building with complementary pieces - all of which rely on each other for longevity. An obvious opportunity is the creation of a Bollywood Hotel, a place to stay a night among the stars and live like a celebrity. In addition there could be a film academy, a school for young actors, directors, and writers to learn their trade in the middle of the greatest film industry in the world.
3 objectives will be at the heart of our proposal:
EDUCATION
The long history of Bollywood should serve as a central focus of the visitors experience - a chronological journey through the last 97 years of Indian film, starting with Dadasaheb Phalke's Raja Harishchandra right up to the present day blockbusters like Om Shanti Om and 3 Idiots. Not only is the history of great importance, but also the process. How has filmmaking changed over the decades, how is a modern Bollywood film created? The education of the foreigner with no understanding of Bollywood as well as keeping the interest of the longtime Bollywood fan will be a challenge we look forward to.
INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE
Through exhibits it will be imperative to create an interactive world for visitors, wether it is the opportunity to stand on a real Bollywood soundstage or for someone to be able to create a short film and have it end up in their email inbox before they reach home. In our digital world, nothing should seem impossible. These interactive experiences will give visitors a new perspective on their favorite films and a deeper understanding of what actors go through to make this beloved form of entertainment.
REPEAT DESTINATION
The experience of this building should be like a great film - one that you want to see over and over again, bring your friends to, and persuade your children to love. Too often our modern buildings are fueled by wow factor, inside jokes, or the desire to be overtly unique. These qualities will quickly fade and loose the attention of patrons. Great architecture should hold up to time - giving a new feeling based on time of day, season, weather, or by simply changing the lights. The creation of a permanent collection that is augmented by special exhibits will be paramount to the long term success of this Museum and the building should respond to this important distinction.
This project is one of those rare defining moments in a culture and should be considered a part of any Indian Tour along with the Taj Mahal or the City of Chandigarh.
We look forward to the opportunity of a lifetime.
I've spent a lot of hours in bookstores (and way too much money) over the years. It's the thing I look for in a new city when traveling and the place I return to regularly where I live. I buy less than I used - thankfully - but the act of browsing is a habit I don't think I'll lose anytime soon. Over a year ago we heard that a local bookstore was planning to open a new outlet. We tried to contact the owner to get a meeting, but nothing came of it. Then a few weeks ago, we got a call. The owner found us. So we have a new project... a bookstore. I've been looking through some great projects, seeing what can be done with this very well worn typology and I thought I'd share a few here.
Livraria da Vila | Brazil | Issey Weinfeld Architects
Times Bookstore | Singapore | The Asylum
Selexyz Dominicanen | Netherlands | Merkx + Girod
V&A Bookshop | London | Vitsoe
This are a few of my current favorites, but I'll try to update with more when I find them. What will ours look like? No idea yet, but we have a very tight schedule, so we'll find out soon.
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design
Today I read in the paper that a firm in Hyderabad is designing a replica of the Eiffel Tower here in India. I'm sure these guys are very nice and one can hardly fault them for carrying out this job, as it appears to be a high profile and big budget project with a considerable fee - I assume. But I can't help noticing that this is a huge missed opportunity for the country. Instead of creating a monument to India, they're copying a 19th century French icon. What does this say about India? The subtext is disturbing to say the least. Let's hope this new decade gives clients the brains to find great designers and the courage to trust them.
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design
UWM, where a few of us went to Grad School, has hatched a plan to build a School of Freshwater Sciences. After being named by the UN as an important site for water research, the City is looking to capitalize on this with the University. The focus is on a strip of land right on Lake Michigan - between the Art Museum and Discovery World - a science/children's museum - currently occupied by a empty restaurant called Pieces of 8. The selection of this site - still in debate by the City and University - has been greeted with dismay by the the average Milwaukeean. Not only do we closely guard our lakefront, a largely public space, but we also fear the worst. What if this building is ugly?
Putting aside the debate of whether this is an appropriate site for the project, the Arts & Architecture writer for the Journal Sentinal - Mary Louise Schumacher - has challenged local architects & designers to submit their ideas. Lost somewhere between free work and an ideas competition (with no winner...) the proposal hopes to spark debate and push any selected architect in the future to rise to the occasion.
For us, participating is our only way of being a part of this conversation. The small / young firms usually get shut out of consideration such projects - not only in Milwaukee, but in the US at large. This is an opportunity to be heard (seen) and for our name spread a bit.
This is not a School. This is a Marketing Campaign.
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design
Eden Gardens is one of the largest and oldest cricket stadiums in the world and lies just 7 km from our office here in Kolkata. It is one of those stadiums that players grow up wanting to play in. I've been to 3 matches at the Eden and each one was an amazing experience, unfortunately the condition of the stadium does little to generate excitement. It's rundown, poorly maintained, and the patchwork of construction over the years has left the stadium looking like Architectural Meatloaf.
So it was with great pleasure that we read about a renovation project last year. We tried to get a meeting to discuss ideas we had and see what the opportunities might be for our office. No replies came, no phone calls were returned. Months passed and from time to time, we'd try again. Still nothing. Then I we read in the paper that two firms had presented: the team of VMS & Burt Hill was up against HOK Singapore. We assumed the case was shut and that the project was finally out of reach. Then late on Thursday night, our phone rang. It was the Cricket Association of Bengal. They wanted us to present. In 4 days.
So we got to work putting together a team that had the experience and talent to pull this off and we began piecing together a short presentation on the project and how we might approach it. As Monday evening rolled around we had finalized our team:
REX - New York City
OVE ARUP - Hong Kong Office
TOM LEADER STUDIO - Berkeley, California
SSID Consultants - Hyderabad
CSL International - Minneapolis, Minnesota
We presented to 30 or 40 people that evening and it seemed to be well received. They've asked for a complete proposal, which is now in the works from our end, and we expect sometime in early June the project will be awarded. They asked for a complete proposal - including cost/schedule for the components we're assuming they want to renvoate. We submitted this with a design concept and are now waiting. have learned that Burt Hill has been selected to do the project. Good luck to them, and I hope Kolkata gets a great project.
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design
The School of Planning & Architecture in New Delhi recently held a competition to design their new campus, located on a 20 acre site southwest of the city. We entered and, like the others, are anxiously awaiting the judging - scheduled for next week. It was so easy to envision the emense potential of the project and to empathize with the excitement they must feel now - opening all of these entries, hoping to find "the one." Of course, I hope we win or at least place, but in the end, I can only appreciate and hope for more "blind" competitions like this. Our name, isn't out there yet in most corners of India, so to be unknown is to be disregarded in many respects. Whether it's not trusting our design judgement or wanting that judgement at a substantially reduced fee, not being a 60 year old man or a large corporation has its liabilities.
So we wait. We hope. And start searching for the next opportunity.
Update: Dada Partners wins the SPA competition.
Published by Brook Louis Meier in design