Glade One - First Impression

By Marina Correa

Photography: Jignesh Vishwanath; courtesy Khosla Associates

  

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Bangalore-based Khosla Associates use a visually strikingly curvilinear wall as the design backbone of the visitors’ entrance pavilion at Glade One, Ahmedabad – the introduction to the larger, in-progress upscale housing complex…

Interestingly, the idea behind the sprawling 6,000 sq ft foyer is to create a hook for showcasing the merits and progress of the Golf Course housing project to prospective buyers, in addition to being a neighborhood and hospitality space for the members of the gated community.

 

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Flanked by a water body, the arresting curvilinear wall begins at the entrance, and snakes along the linear east-west axis, penetrating the internal volume, before sculpturally sloping down into the ground. Here, it reemerges to become a reception table and coffee bar, whilst elegantly dividing public seating from other service functions.

 

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Completely in sync with this meandering form and beautifully complementing it is an enormous butterfly roof with large overhangs, clad on its underside with timber slats, which anoint the ceiling - heightening the overall organic aesthetic.

 

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The internal volume is seamless and spacious; its strong character highlighted by formal and informal seating areas that spill onto a generous outdoor wooden patio; turning it into an optional hospitality venue for members of the community.

 

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Allowing an uninterrupted indoor-outdoor connect are the south-side floor-to-ceiling glass panels that bring in sweeping views of the green environs as well as suffuse the space with plenty of natural light.

 

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Ar. Sandeep Khosla, known for his versatility and conscientious architecture, wraps the project in a cocoon of sustainability. Locally sourced materials such as stone aggregate plaster and polished cement external walls; timber roofs, epoxy floorings, strips of exposed concrete etc. align it with nature, whilst an earthy palette immerses it fully within nature’s bounty.

Colour is infused into this largely earthy palette via orange pendant lamps; colourful ethnic works of art and green, yellow and orange upholstery – suffusing it with a vibrant and energetic vibe, perfect for first impressions.