Welcome to a new edition of KA Connect, our quarterly newsletter, in which we speak about subjects which are close to us as a practice and relevant to the profession. In this edition we bring you a reflective essay based on a recent visit to the city of London summarizing its learnings for our context; and a recently completed residential project located in golf themed development on the outskirts of mumbai. Through our news section we continue to provide you a glimpse into the life and times at KA beyond the projects and new announcements.

We hope that you enjoy the read. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us for any feedback or suggestions on the content. We are always listening.

The best way to experience a city is on foot. In June 2024, Over the course of one week as part of the CEPT CPP program in June 2024, I got an opportunity to sample a small selection of the city's history, form, urban design and some iconic landmarks and buildings.

London has always resisted all large grandiose master plans and has instead relied on its inherent character of being a shrewd, practical and astute merchant to guide policy and incentives to shape development. The city has taken its setbacks - the great fire, plague, bombing in the wars, changing nature of world trade and declining political weight - all in its stride to shape, reimagine and regenerate parts of the city.

The projects we saw as part of the tour were well chosen and wide ranging in terms of character.

• Canary wharf in the east is an artificial but very bold move to create a multi nodal CBD for the city, Stratford and Greenwich demonstrate the will of the city to use milestone events to jumpstart regeneration.
• To the west - Battersea is a great example of sensitive adaptive reuse and the adjoining areas including nine elms district are creative architectural design to create a distinct new identity and break away from the old city.
• Southbank has the lovely Tate modern and national theatre and the whole riverside walk terminating in the tower bridge area, which is a great place to see the city landmarks across.
• St Pancras and Kings cross areas are relatively recent additions and wonderful examples of placemaking & pedestrian focussed collaborative architecture. A derelict and negative in between space transformed beautifully.
• The City of London - right in centre- with its dedicated pedestrian zones, the fine-grained urban blocks, beautifully detailed articulated stone facades and layers of history is the perfect blend of permanence and dynamism. This is seen in buildings like Bloomberg HQ, The Gherkin and Leadenhall tower - all within a stone's throw from St Paul's- and heritage buildings. All coming together to form a townscape and skyline unlike anywhere else in the world. It's a visual delight.
• In contrast- The Barbican estate seems desolate and lifeless compared to the city- although it's an amazing experiment and great example of carefully created detailed, rigorous and meticulous concrete design and the Modernism movement at its peak.
• Apart from these chosen projects - we spent some time in the evening hours exploring the streets, public squares and especially the green squares within the city like Leicester, St James, Russel, Lincon inn fields, SoHo. These are London's hidden treasures with robust landscape and each with a different user group which adds to its character and identity.
• We also visited market areas like Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Borough market & Camden. All of which are vibrant and functional public spaces. These are very relevant to study for the Indian context where only the old markets and streets remain as urban public spaces, while the rest of spaces have become privatised.

Irrespective of the promoter or developers' incentive and brief, each project we saw attempted to treat itself as an equal stakeholder to the city and offered to give away as much as it could by way of porosity at ground, active frontages and public realm. Many of them created these large urban rooms and places of easy refuge and calm. Almost all were privately owned but publicly accessible in a most generous and authentic manner.

While London is years ahead of us and in someways a post-car world, there are lessons for Mumbai in plenty. Some of them are -

• Improve percentage of land use dedicated for pedestrians and non-motorised connectivity. Break the large size of our urban blocks and introduce cross streets or through paths for pedestrians. Advocate for road equity for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Slower speed of movement of pedestrians and shaded spaces adjacent to buildings for people to walk will lead to more richer detailing and visually stronger building facades
• Look towards the future and reduce / remove mandatory parking & introduce congestion charge in city centre. Avoid investing public money on car infrastructure. Parking policy to remove all permanent and free off-street parking.
• Blend technology and craft in creating a visually rich and striking architecture. Approach concept design with an integrated approach - One that incorporates state-of-the-art engineering, breathing envelopes, light weight construction, optimized energy & water demand.
• Develop robust understanding of dry modular construction, specially building envelopes to improve project construction time and reduction in construction related air pollution.
• Retrofit and reuse correctly the existing buildings and infrastructure instead of always going for clean slate approach- reduce embodied carbon this way.
• Allow for sense of individual and independent personalities for buildings in large housing master plans. Embrace complexity and Variety.
• Look at Placemaking opportunities to attract public to engage with the design. Having active frontages leads to safer streets as well as engagement of public with the building- this in turn leads to create better design, facades and superior detailing.
• Do not let go of major opportunities that come once in lifetime of a city. Mumbai's eastern waterfront redevelopment is a case in point. So much of London's learnings can be implemented here.
• As a design professional - proactively consider the city as a silent but vital stakeholder in all choices and aim to look beyond the brief. Nudge clients in making buildings and projects contribute to public realm.

Godrej Meadows is a residential project situated within the larger Godrej City- a fast developing, self-sustaining township situated in Panvel. The layout occupies 3.7 acres and consists of two towers of 27 storeys arranged on either ends of a car-free green space that serves as the convivial heart.

Each tower has units arranged around 2 perceived cores with Tower 1 (having 12 units of 1 and 2 BHK and Tower 2 having 8 units of 2 and 3 BHK per floor). The layout focuses on maximizing the spectacular views of the Matheran hills and the golf course while also providing ample daylight and ventilation for each unit. The refuge floors further act as sky terraces that delineate the facade along with cost optimized vertical fins and tower crown highlights.

The vehicular traffic is looped around the towers and diverted to a separate multi-level car park placed 100 metres away. This opens up the stilt to house amenities such as indoor games and yoga that overlook the central greens. The MLCP terrace too is activated for public use and houses multi-use courts and jogging tracks. The two towers are placed as per the natural site contour with double height lobbies that create a grand entrance gesture for each tower.

A central breezeway provides the pedestrian and visual connection across the green space and ascends in gradual levels to connect the two towers. Strategically arranged along these levels are amenities such as the cafe, gymnasium, infinity pool, kids swimming pool and spa bringing a synergy to the spatial experience. A lot of emphasis was also placed on developing landscaped green areas consisting of walking track, zen garden, kids play area, senior citizens area, pets zone and party lawns etc. which are integral to providing a wholesome lifestyle and community experience for the residents.

Project: Godrej Golf Meadows, Godrej City, Panvel

Client: Godrej Properties Limited

Area: 6,70,000 sq.ft. BUA

Type: Residential

Status: Completed in 2023

Architects: Kapadia Associates

Structure: JW Consultants

MEP: Ecofirst Services

Landscape: AO Landscape

Inauguration -
Aranyam - HDFC Bank's
Residential training Centre

We are proud to announce the inauguration of a new state-of-the-art Residential Training Centre, "Aranyam" at Palava city- Dombivali in July by HDFC Bank MD & CEO Mr. Sashidhar Jagdishan.

This greenfield project is designed with the highest standards in mind, and is aiming for a Platinum Rating for its sustainability and environmental impact.

Our firm won the commission to design this self use training centre after winning a closed competition in 2019. The program includes Training rooms, Classrooms, conference rooms, Breakout spaces, Dining facilities, Guest rooms and an Auditorium.

Signet Matunga-
Project launch

In envisioning the design for this office building, we have sought to create a space that harmonizes prestige with tranquillity. The design offers multiple office sizes from small to large, and versatility to cater to a diverse range of businesses & enterprises, from startups to established corporations.

The efficient grids provide a structural rhythm that allows for flexibility in interior layouts, adapting to the evolving needs of its occupants, especially the small function office typology. A key architectural feature is the well-shaded facades, which not only contribute to the building's energy efficiency but also ensure ample daylight penetrates the workspaces, enhancing productivity and well-being.

The building rises from a base that is a parking structure, softened with green planters allowing for a subtle transition between the bustling city and the serene work environment above.

Mumbai Climate Party
(7th Edition) | Theme-
Built Environment

Rains were not a deterrent for 30 climate enthusiasts to travel from all over city as well as Pune to spend 3 hours on a weekend at the Climate Party we hosted at our Mumbai Studio on Saturday, July 27th. The panellists - Deepa Parekh, Ankit Todi, and Madhusudhan Rapole, shared their experience and insights on net-zero energy buildings, energy-efficient air-conditioning, and sustainable practices.

The Climate Party® is a platform for cross pollination of climate solutions run by volunteers who truly believe in harnessing the power of the collective.

Award - KA Architectural
Document of the Year
2023-2024

Celebrating excellence in visual language of design, we are pleased to share winning teams for this year's KA Architectural Document of the Year 2023-2024 ! These are internal awards instituted to promote excellence in drawings & documentation.

Winning Team for Concept Design Document of the Year : Prajakta Panchal, Tanveer Padam, Ebrahim Sitabkhan, Urvesh Shetty, Suhas Date, Dhara Parekh, Nishant Jadhav, Keya Athavia, Anjali Patil, Pragni Gada, Sanket Jayakar.

Winning team for Design & Construction Document of the Year : Aishwarya Talawadekar, Rachna Savla, Sanket Jayakar, Anjali Kotekar, Rameez Ansari.

Project Announcement -
Kalpataru Advay at Borivali

Designed for the reputed Kalpataru Group- This site layout is extremely spacious with three winged shaped towers placed carefully to optimize views and cross ventilation. Built around a raised e-deck level, the project proposes to its residents an abundance of privileges, the comfort of community living, and large spacious homes with balconies, walk in dressers and room sizing.

Pune Studio -
20th anniversary

Our Pune Studio has been involved in some great projects over the past two decades of its existence. This was a special occasion and a get-together to reminisce, recollect anecdotes and experiences over food and drinks. Our Pune studio leadership team is - led by Ninad and includes - Amruta, Asim and Nilesh. We hope to continue growing in Pune both in terms of quality and quantity.

Panel Discussion:
Redevelopment Projects for Urban Renewal - Sanket Jayakar

The inaugural edition of the Realty+ Architecture And Design Fest (AADF) 2024, a unique gathering of top designers and architects from across the country. Sanket Jayakar (Director at Kapadia Associates) was invited by Realty Plus to join a expert panel discussion on theme of Rebooting Cities -Redevelopment Projects For Urban Renewal. The speakers delved into transformative approaches for urban redevelopment and possible approaches for future.