One of my projects wins "Design for Asia Grand Award" next to the GRD?!?

wow wow wow! I love how the materials, textures, and forms complement the existing architecture without aping them. And I love love LOVE those perforated screens - what are they made of? The finish makes them look like stone or terra cotta.

Very lovely. Congrats.
 
Aw shucks. Thanks guys. This particular project has been winning a number of awards. Last year it won at the World Architecture Festival as the Best Holiday Building 2011, beating projects like the W at Leicester Square, etc (News 2011 - Holiday winner: Raas Jodhpur, India - World Architecture Festival - Singapore 3-5 October 2012), so this award is a bit anti-climatic. I was just excited the project was featured alongside the GXR. Made my day that.

John, I'm so glad you noticed that. We put a lot of effort into making sure that even though we were using local materials and technologies, the new construction stood in its own right without sullying the past or trying to ape it. We actually worked on over 26 different iterations of the building (ya, a bit excessive I know) before we settled on the final built form. We were also lucky to have a jury panel who completely understood what we had set out to achieve and had this to say in summation -

"We were impressed by this sophisticated response to the historic city. The masterplan and form are both modern and authentic to the place. Without aping the past, local craftsmanship is adopted and expressed in a contemporary language. The architects have produced a timeless building which is exemplary and uniquely Indian, and could become a role model for future development in India."

The problem with creating an experiential project like this though, is that its really difficult for a photograph to match up to the experience of being there.
 
We put a lot of effort into making sure that even though we were using local materials and technologies, the new construction stood in its own right without sullying the past or trying to ape it. We actually worked on over 26 different iterations of the building (ya, a bit excessive I know) before we settled on the final built form.

26 iterations seems appropriate for a structure that will hopefully exist for decades (if not centuries) alongside what looks to be a beautiful ancient city. It's refreshing to see architecture that's more than just an ego-statement of the architect-rock star (see Libeskind at the Royal Ontario Museum, and Gehry, just about anywhere). I've always been partial to Louis Kahn and the like. I do admit to liking Calatrava though; it's the engineer in me...
 
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