Ar. Vishwanath, YVA
The project brief was to design an Automobile Showroom of TATA’s, to be run by its partners KHT Motors in Bengaluru. We decided to adopt the evolving Precast Construction Technology to due to its quick turnaround time of construction with high precision and superior quality construction.
A challenge was the building’s façade that faced west and for which glass was a pre-requisite due to its climatological and sustainable properties. We came up with an idea of making concrete fins as a shading device, while allowing natural light to enter the building. Concrete fins needed to be fixed at 9-meter heights. To arrive at the shape and form, which was to be cast-in-situ, was a challenge, however, the precision and shape were perfected by the precast structures.
Our romance with precast construction for precision and time saving helped us in completing all the Architectural, Structural and MEP drawings before construction. Precast Technology also helps us when designing large spans for showrooms, data centers, logistics parks, etc.
Principal Ar. Vishwanath
Only the foundation was cast-in-situ at the project site, while the basement and floors, including columns, beams, retaining walls, external wall facades, fins and parapet, were factory made by the precast contractor, and transported from the construction yard, which was close to the construction site.
Time, quality, and precision are a huge advantage, especially when constructing buildings of many storeys, such as this 1.20 lakh sq.ft. Automotive Showroom, which was built completely in precast, excluding its foundation. In fact, precision and time saving are the USPs of precast construction, which is now become fairly prevalent in our country, though not vastly popular yet. This is largely because of the higher cost of precast construction when compared to conventionally constructed buildings.
At VGA, we welcome new advanced technologies like AI and Robotics as the way forward to bring speed and precision in construction. As architects, we need to embrace evolving trends and be front runners in meeting clients demands for timely and quality completion, and within the stipulated budget.
