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Distorting solid matter to bend along an operatic continuum is the defining characteristic of fluid architecture, breaking away from symmetrical interpretation and conventional linearity. Based out of Ahmedabad, tHE gRID founded by Snehal Suthar and Bhadri Suthar, is a multi-disciplinary design firm that has been moulding dynamic spaces within multifarious typologies for more than two decades. If anything unites all the corporate outfits, commercial complexes and residential communities they have built, it is their unwavering determination towards sustainability. The Möbius strip inspired Pravaah Workspace that recently took shape in Gandhinagar belabours their ties with indigenous craftspeople and easily-accessible construction materials, honouring regional context as a primary responsibility that tHE gRID Architects takes very seriously.
Presiding over 2,150 square feet, the transcendental form of Pravaah materialises like a non-rational, disruptive mirage a-glimmer upon the sultry landscape it inhabits. Not dissimilar in its durability to the drought-resilient flora and enclosed water features it has incorporated within its structure, this unconventional real estate office is made entirely out of locally-derived ferrocement — an alternative to concrete that is gaining traction among masonry in developing countries.
Skilfully cast by artisans from the neighbourhood, ferrocement is composed of cement, sand and reinforced metal imbuing it with a higher flexural strength to withstand the tropical sun. But what really makes it material-of-choice for this project is the low carbon footprint, negligible use of bricks and energy intensive machinery. Four precisely contrived openings including skylights, usher in regular ventilation and luminance, enriching the workspace's connection with its surrounding topography. The entrance, dyed an austere white, sets the colour palette for the interiors. What you wouldn't expect to find are the irreverent splashes of colour that blossom upon arching, mullioned window frames. The seamless, inner spatial configuration prioritises an unhindered mobility and labyrinthine curvaceousness, its white ceilings and walls offset by dark flooring to lend a touch of quiet sophistication.
Orchestrating an interplay of natural light, ventilation and sinuous curves, the spaceship framework of tHE gRID's PRAVAAH workspace in Gandhinagar is a triumph of eco-conscious geometry. Walking through its all-white, enfolding vaults that seem to emulate creases in loosely draped fabric, one gets a sense of timeless and free-flowing materiality.
