Z Boutique Residence - Zest
Client: Sambhav Developers
Location: Bandra, Mumbai
Built-up area: 20,000 sq.ft.
India has always been known for its colourful facades and a strong sense of materiality that arose from its immediate context. In the mid-2000s, with the advent of globalisation, glazing became overused and the essence of materiality started disappearing. Since then, there has been a slow but a very perceptible shift towards the use of compelling context relevant façade materials. Today, the façade industry is more than just glass and composite panels for spandrel areas; sustainable buildings and sustainable products are being considered in many buildings and responsive facades are being designed specifically for the Indian climate. Parametric façade technology with Indian architectural concepts will be the next big thing for facades in India.
Ar. Sahil Jain
The raw textures of concrete and wood help the building blend into the urban fabric as if emerging from the natural landscape. Covering the flanks of the building are undulating wooden panels that aid in reducing solar gains across the surface, thereby reducing the temperatures inside the apartments. The façade of the building has been framed by bevelled slab projections that have been modelled to reduce heat gains through passive cooling techniques.
Concrete is a very dense material and concrete walls have a tendency to retain heat for a very long time. This heat is radiated into the rooms at night when the surroundings are becoming cool. The corrugated wooden composite panels along the outer walls of the habitable spaces act as a layer of thermal buffer between the external heat and microclimate within the room preventing unnecessary heat gains.
The habitable spaces of the apartments are places along its length which provide an adequate amount of cross ventilation from its flanks. Also bearing in mind the tendency of hot air to rise up, the building features punctured slab projections that let the warm air out and thereby aid in ventilation. The punctures also provide clear visibility from the apartments.
To achieve the flow of fresh air throughout the apartments, the habitable spaces have been placed along the length of the apartment block. Green pockets are interspersed across the façade and act as solar buffers and pockets of respite.
