The Hindu Business Line : Showcasing Indian architecture

‘Golden Hands – The Power of Architecture’, featuring 30 contemporary works of 15 Indian architects, was unveiled by White Flag Media & Communications Ltd, in Mumbai.

Six modern structures in Mumbai — Aditya Birla HQ, Lilavati Hospital, Nicholas Piramal R&D Labs, Horizon Hi-Rise Residence, Shirazi Mosque, Citi Mall — are listed in ‘Golden Hands’.

The respective architects, Hafeez Contractor (Aditya Birla HQ), Nitin Killawala (Nicholas Piramal R&D Labs, Trikalyam), Prem Nath (Citi Mall), Shashi Prabhu (Lilavati Hospital), Reza Kabul (Shirazi Mosque, Raghuleela Mall Vashi) and Sanjay Puri (Kalpataru Horizon Hi-Rise), also feature in the select group of architects from across India.

The five structures from Pune listed in ‘Golden Hands’ include: Osho Commune (architect Shekhar Patki), Shivaji Chhatrapati Sports City (Shashi Prabhu), EON and Syntel corporate office (Niteen Parulekar), Lupin Research Park (Kamal S. Malik), Amby Valley Leisure Centre (Nimish Choksi) in Lonavala and Babulal Sanghvi’s private residence in Surat (Nimish Choksi).

The exclusive coffee table edition pays rich tributes to the contemporary works masterminded by 15 renowned Indian architects.

It also has a comprehensive list of architects and provides invaluable insights into the art and science of architecture. It also showcases the best of Indian architecture to the world. White Flag Media & Communications Ltd is an autonomous wholly-owned subsidiary of the well-diversified Sejal Group. — Our Chennai Bureau

Kumar Builders’ residential towers

The Pune-based developer Kumar Builders has launched 45 Nirvana Hills, a new residential complex of 100-metre-tall buildings with features such as a one-acre garden on the 30th floor and dedicated parking on the first six floors for nearly 1,000 cars.

Mr Lalit Kumar Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, Kumar Builders, said that four 30-floor, 100-m tall towers, totalling 452 apartments, will be built in the first phase of the project. The financial outlay involved is Rs 450 crore, he said, adding that building permissions up to a height of 70 m had been procured, while the process of obtaining approval for the remaining height was under way.

The scheme will introduce the ‘ready to customise’ concept to the city, as the apartments will come with unfinished walls and no sanitary fittings. The buildings will take into account both seismic resistance and wind forces, according to Ms Kruti Jain, Executive Director.

The new scheme, which is coming up on 10 acres, has generated interest as it is located on a 79-acre plot at Eransdwane that had once belonged to the Agashe family, erstwhile directors of the former Shree Suvarna Sahakari Bank (now operating as Indian Overseas Bank). — Our Pune Bureau

Green building directory

The CII-Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad.

The CII-Godrej GBC (Green Business Council) has announced the launch of an exclusive directory on green building materials and service providers. The directory was launched in Hyderabad, where the CII-Godrej GBC is based, during the first steering committee meeting of the Green Building Congress 2009.

The directory contains the names and contact details of the major manufacturers, suppliers and service providers of green building materials.

Copies of the directory can be obtained from council. The details are available on the official Web site: www.greenbusiness centre.com. — Our Chennai Bureau

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