•  Om  Office  –  Commercial  Interiors  (Architect’s  Office)  •  Arnish  Grand  –  Residen:al  Interiors  (Apartment)  •  ACAD-­‐  Design  Academy  •  Raag  –  Civil  and  Interiors  Of  a  bungalow  •  Vrundawan  –  Bungalow  Renova:on  

ELYAS PANWALA ARCHITECTS Aug 2013 – May 2015

“OM”

This is an office for the person whose job is to design other people’s spaces. So, the inevitable and clear mandate was to make it a living example of one’s caliber. Relatively not a huge space in terms of square feet – since it’s a converted residential apartment – the space also had more corners than any commercial premises. Another challenge was to convert not just the interiors but also entrails like drainage system, show walls and still maintain the aesthetics within the design parameters set at planning stage. The biggest space challenge was to include a fully equipped washroom in the smallest possible area. With clear lines of both constructed as well as created form along with some niches, cuts and crevices, this office carries an aesthetic fluidity that can be felt clearly. Entire floor is kept visible by the use of elevated furniture where required and this uncluttered look is further accentuated by balanced use of art objects and knickknacks. The design is principally applied to create spatial demarcation without discrimination among reception, visiting, working, and meeting spaces. The owner’s space which is the only ‘close’ entity is also convertible to merge into the rest of the office. This convertible feature is used for a screening or presentation. 

Commercial  interiors  (Architect’s  Office)  New  Jagnath  plots,  Rajkot,  India.  

At the core of this apartment design lies the principle of Human-conscious space management. By neatly balancing occupied areas with the space for movement – while taking care of the aesthetic benchmarks decided at planning stage – this apartment was designed to obtain the look of a ‘compact infinity’ for its occupants. For a sizeable Indian family, it was essential to have privacy of each member without sacrificing the visual connection. Hence, the ‘square family spaces’ (kitchen, dining, living) were divided into 2 rectangles by a low height partition to define circulation as well as to maintain visual access. On macro level, the apartment height was aligned with the length by a maintained ratio through keeping the ceiling design minimum. Certain openings were cut down to maintain the opening ratio while grooves were used to define or differentiate spaces by using aesthetically appealing elements like grouting in tiles, ceiling etc.

A transcendental sort of component, the buffer spaces like foyers and study were created before bedrooms which acted as intervals between two different times and spaces for the occupants of the apartment. Accentuating the central shade of white, other surface make-up like laminates or color of furniture was kept to maintain minimalist look. Add-on elements like paintings and wall paper were kept in tandem with the entire aesthetic to give a holistic visual identity.

“A WHITE ABODE” Residen:al  interiors  (Apartment)  150  P.  Ring  Road,  Rajkot,  India.  

“ACAD” Design  Academy  At  Rajkot,India  

The programme of the building A design academy, ACAD, housing different kinds of design courses like ad design, graphic design, directed the design rationale. To create a free flowing spaces that represented the nature of this creative institute. A dog-leg staircase is designed at the centre of the linear plot ease the movement of the crowd.

The hollow plinth is mainly used as the exhibition gallery and parking space.The structure of the building provides clear and unobstructed studios, that are flexible enough to convert itself for various temporal activities throughout the day. i.e. display area, lecture hall, seminar/workshop space. The designed furniture units completes the holistic learning environment. The long stripped windows integrates the studio space with natural light and ventilation, keeping the studios live and workable.

“AAKASH” Civil  and  Interiors  of  a  Residence  (Apartment)  Astron  society,  Rajkot,  India.  

This is a residential bungalow for a family of six, located at the grid of a primary and secondary street. The house is accessed by 2 entries one from each side of the road. The house is divided into three levels as per the hierarchy of functions.

Ground floor consists of semi private spaces like a foyer, puja space, and a bedroom for grandparents.First floor houses all common areas like living space, dining, kitchen and a small library.Second floor is the private domain divided into two parts by two bedrooms one for the parents and the other for the couple.

The volumetric mass of the house is punctured by windows to drawn in natural light and ventilation. The protruding balcony at the corner giving internal and external connectivity. The vertical circulation ( the staircase and the lift ) are centrally located for easy access to the house.

This project consisted of bungalow renovation which included civil and interior works. The proposed plan of the house contradicted the existing layout of the house , and yet was quite convincing to the client.

Considering the safety factors of the house, the main and the service entries were redesigned. An unusual twist was given to the starting risers of the main staircase providing a clear space for easy parking.A rhythmic pattern of 9 feet high compound wall with use of glass railing at the top, helped in providing external connectivity.

The only retained level difference between the formal living and the other living spaces defined a clear boundary.The bigger floor plate stacked above the smaller one providing a weather shade to the huge openings at the lower level-making the elevation transparent.

“VRUNDAWAN” Bungalow  Renova:on  Janta  Society,  Rajkot,  India.