India is a country of extremes. There are the very rich as well as the very poor. Ancient sites neighbor the super modern buildings that could bee seen only in sci-fi movies just few years ago. Such is the case of Mumbai. Vijay Associate (Wadhwa Developers) decided that they would have office space unlike any other in India. They commissioned renowned James Law Cybertecture International to create such a facility. James Law is the chairman of James Law Cybertecture International, a global consultancy specializing in the design and strategy formation of Cybertecture Projects. According to the company, the future architecture will increasingly use intangible materials of technology, multimedia, intelligence and interactivity.
The building the company will create is designed as a Cybertecture Egg. The egg shaped facility will have 13 floors of offices and will occupy approximately 32,000 sq m. The company took their inspiration from the ecosystem. It will therefore recycle waste water and it will have solar panels as well as wind turbines on roof top to save energy consumption. On the roof there will also be an elevated garden, which will help to cool the building down by using natural vegetation. The egg shape will not only provide an interesting visual experience but it will also alleviate the solar gain of the building. Thanks to the shape, the building’s surface area will be approximately 10-20% smaller when compared to “conventional” structures. The architecture will allow creation of 30m spans of columnless floors.
The intelligent system of the Cybertecture Egg will monitor people’s health. For example bathrooms will be equipped with sensors that will keep track of e.g. blood pressure and weight. The system will be able to send this information to a doctor if needed. The creators hope that the building will become a “jewel” for the new Central Business District of Mumbai. It is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2010.
