In commemoration with the WORLD ENTREPRENEURSHIP DAY, Glazette brings to you handpicked videos from the TED Talks series featuring renowned architects and designers who share their ideas and trends in Architecture.   Michael Pawlyn: Using nature's genius in architecture How can architects build a new world of sustainable beauty? By learning from nature. At TEDSalon in London, Michael Pawlyn describes three habits of nature that could transform architecture and society: radical resource efficiency, closed loops, and drawing energy from the sun.     Rogier van der Heide: Why light needs darkness Lighting architect Rogier van der Heide offers a beautiful new way to look at the world -- by paying attention to light (and to darkness). Examples from classic buildings illustrate a deeply thought-out vision of the play of light around us.     Moshe Safdie: What makes a building unique? Looking back over a long career, architect Moshe Safdie digs deep into four extraordinary projects to talk about the unique choices he made on each building -- choosing where to build, pulling information from the client, and balancing the needs and the vision behind each project. Sketches, plans and models show how these grand public buildings, museums and memorials, slowly take form.     Thom Mayne: Architecture is a new way to connect to the world Architect Thom Mayne has never been one to take the easy option, and this whistle-stop tour of the buildings he's created makes you glad for it. These are big ideas cast in material form.     Liz Diller: Architecture is a special effects machine In this engrossing EG talk, architect Liz Diller shares her firm DS+R's more unusual work, including the Blur Building, whose walls are made of fog, and the revamped Alice Tully Hall, which is wrapped in glowing wooden skin.

Get to know what Jitendra Puri, Interior Designer, has to say about the latest trends in interior designing in a tete-a-tete with Glazette. He states that designers are happy to be using glass in their projects as it fits perfectly in the design and is also eco-conscious, being completely recyclable. He also cites the innovative uses of glass in interiors. According to him, glass is a zero-maintenance material and it is being used more innovatively currently.  Jitendra also takes advantage from the world of web for updating himself on the latest technology, to get news from the designing world and for new ideas.

Sanjay Wadhwa, Interior Designer, talks to us about the recent trends in interior design and architecture. In this video, Sanjay takes us through the evolution of interior design through the expectations of today's customers and the transformation of design. With insights into the trends being reversed as new standards and advancements happen. He also talks about the key factors in the implementation and integration of the design.  Mr. Wadhwa believes that glass being used in architecture, especially in IT sectors, is a good option and plays a major role in exteriors as well as interiors. He feels that with more innovations in glass solutions, it can pioneer and front the green architecture revolution.

For a person of his stature, Dr. Panigrahi was more than just humble and down-to-earth. He was approachable and of a jolly disposition; quite an interviewer’s delight. Earning Carbon Credits in the Green Building sector is the focus of Carbon Minus India (CMI), New Delhi - of which Dr. Panigrahi is Director General. Broadly, the CMI is a body engaged in stabilizing the overall climate of the Earth. Dr. Panigrahi talked of the criticality of five major points to be kept in mind while creating a building. These were achievement of energy efficiency, water efficiency, the use of green building material, correct building orientation and good landscaping. A builder must be able to get back at least one-fourth to one-third of his investment by earning carbon credits. While there was no dearth of energy-efficient building materials and equipment, it is imperative that one chooses the right mix and quality of these all-important components of a building, said Dr. Panigrahi. He then spoke with great optimism about glass, much to our delight. If the right type of glass is used in the right manner in a building, a significant amount of greenhouse gas emission can be reduced, apart from saving the earth from global warming and earning carbon credits, he said. Watch the video to know more about earning carbon credits and the use of glass to aid this end. Also follows is a profile of Dr. Panigrahi. Dr. Srikanta K Panigrahi has obtained his formal degree in Civil Engineering and then received other degrees in Environment Planning, Management & Business Administration from credible Universities of India and abroad including Technical University of Dresden (TUD), Germany and School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi. He was also an UNEP/ UNESCO Fellow, where he delivered Guest Lectures in five prestigious Universities of Europe at Humburg, Dresden, Prag, Vienna and Zurich. He has worked for several Organizations of national and international importance, especially with Government of India and the United Nations. In fact, He was the Member-Secretary of a prestigious Working Group at Planning Commission, to prepare the historic “National Action Plan for Operationalising Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in India“, under the Kyoto Protocol, in the instances of Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Moreover, he has been representing the country in the Climate Change Negotiations of non-Annex (Developing) Countries in Conference of Parties (COPs), where he specializes on “Climate Change & Development Issues”. Dr Panigrahi is known as "Chief Architect of Indian Carbon Market "; who was instrumental to initiate Kyoto in India, the entire UNFCCC CoP Process, Climate Change Negotiations and DNA formation and subsequently as it's Member to implement the National Action Plan, which he formulated and Operationalized CDM and it is only because if his personal pursuance and Leadership initiatives; India was first starter of CDM, among developing World and could emerge as Global CDM Leader. Dr Panigrahi is also awarded National Science Popularisation Award from hon’able Prime Minister of India in 2004-05; for his extraordinary contribution and commitment to popularize Science among common mass, who is working in the areas of Environment Protection, Energy Conservation and Sustainable Development for last more than 21 years.

After a 3-year stint as a green building consultant in the US, Dhruv Futnani knew his heart lay in Chennai. So back he flew, and is ecstatic in his home town now. “I spent a couple of years managing the Delhi head-office of Spectral,” he says. “But I’m really glad I’m back home now.” As a green building consultant, Dhruv is constantly having to research building materials and review them as green norms the world over slowly tighten. Glass is one such material that he says, if used right, can yield to the architect’s wildest dreams while making the construction eco-friendly. “For example, high performance glass can be used in the east and west-facing sides of a building because these bear the brunt of the sunlight and heat during the day. The high performance glass will cut down on the heat and allow only light in, so that the interiors can remain cool. On the north and south-facing sides, the architect can use normal glass as there won’t be so much heat on these sides. This is one way we can use glass in an intelligent manner and save some money for the client,” he says. For hot climes like Chennai, it is best to balance the U-value and shading co-efficient of glass to attain the desired effect. The higher these values, the less light is allowed inside the building. “Architects can make use of advanced technology in the form of computer simulation of the lighting. A computer program tells you exactly how much light and heat will enter the building and with the help of this you can decide what kind of glass you need to use,” he says. Glass manufacturing has improved by leaps and bounds, says Dhruv. Glass with low reflectivity is now available and this can be used in the exteriors of a building so that it doesn’t create a mirror effect. On the Leed rating system, Dhruv clarifies a point of contention. “Recycle content refers to the amount of recycled material used to make the glass,” he argues. “Most people interpret it as glass being recyclable. Yes, glass is 100% recyclable, but the recycle content in the glass is 15-18%. No type of glass is 100% recycled,” he smiles. He is a big proponent of the ECBC norms and believes that these will only help us construct better, greener and cleaner buildings.

In Part III of this series, Architect Doug Patt takes us through Architecture as Education. As per him, architecture is an amazingly complex field and an incredible education in itself, and that there’s a lot that goes into any building and how the architect should know their way around every inch. Patt quotes  Plutarch, a Greek historian and writer, Mark Twain, the famous writer, and several others on their opinions on the art and science that is architecture. In conclusion, Patt says that what one learns as an architect is almost seamless - it’s probably about philosophy, sociology, psychology, material science, engineering, mathematics, history, construction; and in the end making something out of nothing.

Ar. Nishit Gupta described DFA consultants as a group of architects that was into designing a whole gamut of buildings, right from IT parks and housing structures to commercial projects, and even small residences and interiors. Being in the field of architecture for the last 20 years, Ar. Gupta spoke with great ease and expertise on the subject. The Advent IT Park in Noida was his dream project, covering 1 million sq ft, spamming 15 floors, and being a LEED’s Gold rated building. With the help of a wall hanging of an architect’s impression the building, Ar. Gupta described it as akin to a ship. Apparently the orientation of Advent was such that to use glass, they had to work hard on the façade, wanting to have it completely glazed. The glass pieces used on it are trapezoidal and not rectangular, he elaborated. A lot of ceramic glass had also been used, in addition to high performance glasses. Ar. Gupta felt that architectural glass today is highly reliable as a sustainable material, it being able to cut off heat while letting daylight in. Through the use of the right kind of glass in different areas, one could achieve visibility from one or the other side, innovations in design and construction, and so on, he mused. That day, Ar. Gupta, just like Ar. Goonmeet Chauhan, Ar. Rohan Parikh and several others, helped us renew our love for glass as a building material.

Delhi was just starting to get warm, and the drive to Ar. Goonmeet Chauhan’s office in Vasant Kunj was largely devoid of traffic. The well-maintained, welcoming entrance to the building seemed to be indicative of the mindset of its occupants. Sure enough, Ar. Goonmeet Chauhan turned out to be an extremely warm and approachable person. That we took the liberty of setting up the conference room for the shoot without his permission, an act which evoked an approving smile and nod, proved us right. After an initial informal discussion over tea, Ar. Chauhan was ready to shoot. After talking about how he started two architecture firms, TCS and DFI along with fellow architects some years ago, Ar. Chauhan started to talk about his projects and the use of glass in them. Among their notable projects in the retail space is Select City Walk Mall in South Delhi. Spread over 1.3 million sq feet, this mall has used glass extensively in its interiors - at shop fronts through the use of seamless glass for visibility to the outdoors, and also in the atrium skylight for optimum daylighting. Talking of residential multi-story buildings, Ar. Chauhan emphasized the right choice of glass for glazing purposes, and giving people homes that let the external landscape flow in. In the IT space, Cyberwalk in Manesar stood out as one DFI’s most prestigious projects, being a LEED Gold rated structure. Ar. Chauhan concluded superbly by drawing an architectural diagram on a sheet of white opaque glass from Saint-Gobain that covered one entire wall of the conference room. “To have a large wall like this to draw on is every architect’s dream come true”, he said with a twinkle in his eye.   Video Part 2 Glass is good, glass is green, glass is modern architecture, said Ar. Goonmeet Chauhan. We couldn’t agree more.

Project: Cognizant IT Park, MEPZ, Tambaram Few architects try to use symbolism in their buildings, especially symbols that are relevant to the people who’re going to live in or work in that building. R Nagalingam is one such architect who believes symbols are important – because people should identify with their workspace. “We wanted to do something unique with the build-form,” says Nagalingam.   “Since it is an IT park, we came up with the concept of using the binary code as the windows.” So now zeros and ones bring light into the building much as they do in the IT industry. But there’s more symbolism to be uncovered. “The 1st, 5th and 7th rows of the windows on the second building are in red,” he points to the front wall of the building under construction. “These represent C, T & S in the binary code,” he grins. Nagalingam decided to use punched-in windows in the construction. “During the daytime all the glass on these windows are shaded because they’re set into the wall. This brings in light and cuts out the heat,” he says. Nagalingam wants to apply for a Leed Silver Rating for the IT Park once it’s complete. So energy efficiency and abiding by the ECBC norms becomes very important. Hence the use of high performance double insulated glass, which cuts out heat and noise. “The glass we used is of 6 mm thickness, with 12 mm air gap and another glass of 6 mm thickness,” he says. “Blue-green colour gives the maximum efficiency, so we chose that. It has high visible transmission ratio so people working in the building can see the outdoors clearly. Daylight is very important nowadays because studies have shown that productivity increases if workers are exposed to daylight,” he says. Only glass allows that. High performance glass also helps reduce the load on the air conditioning system because it cuts out the heat. To this glass façade, he added sunshades in the form of aluminium louvers, which shade the glass and help cut out glare inside the building. Nagalingam has some tips for would-be architects. First check the visible transmittance of the glass, that is how much light is entering the building. “Next, look at solar factor,” he says. “Solar factor is a measure of the amount of heat from the sun that enters the building.” This will help decide the U-value of the glass to be used in the building. “India is a tropical country and ECBC norms stipulate that solar factor should be between 0.2 to 0.25. Visible transmittance can be between 40-60%. U-value should be 2 to 2.5 watts per metre squared degree Kelvin,” he says. On green buildings, he says the World Green Building Council and the Indian Green Building Council, both say recyclable materials should be used in buildings. “Glass helps get points on that because 10-20% of recyclable content is used in the making of glass. Also nowadays waste glass is being put into the glass manufacturing process, so glass is now 100% recyclable,” he adds. Green building norms also stipulate that regional materials must be used. So materials should be procured from within 500 miles from the project site. “We chose Saint Gobain glass because their factory is only 50-60 kms away from the project site, so we managed to get some points on that as well,” he smiles. Nagalingam says it is important to use glass intelligently as the misuse of glass could produce glare inside the building. “But if used properly,” he says, “glass is a terrific material with a huge number of advantages.”  

Part-II is here! Continuing with the 7-part series on “So You Wannabe an Architect”, Glazette brings to you the next part, where Ar. Doug Patt talks about four key elements that good architecture represents - Form, Story, Music and Inspiration. This is a conclusion Patt draws from various quotes on architecture by eminent people in the fields of literature, art, and theology. He also cites examples of glorious architecture that represent these four elements in their manifestation. Watch the video to see and hear it all.