Saurabh Goenka, senior associate, S9 Architecture.
Saurabh Goenka is a senior associate at S9 Architecture, an award-winning architectural firm in New York, USA. He plays a leading role in some of the firm’s landmark projects and shares his viewpoints on architecture in fast-paced urban environments.
What is your recipe for designing a comprehensive project?
There are a few elements common to every project – the client and project goals, development site and its surroundings, economics, regulatory requirements and timelines. Once these elements are thoroughly analysed, one can begin to formulate a vision. The design objectives can be determined by investigating the 5W’s – what, when, where, who and why. There is no set formula to design: it is not about how to design, but rather how to respond to the need. There are five human senses and architecture gives us the opportunity to stimulate all, which in fact makes the design experiential. Buildings can be considered as objects in space, but they are also characterised by their adjacent context. The history and local culture can become equally important in defining the authenticity of a project, particularly when located in distinct environs.
Can you elaborate on this idea through some of the projects you have been doing?
.JPG?N5JlZXYu "111 Varick Street, New York © S9 Architecture")
111 Varick Street, a mixed-use residential tower designed by our firm, has an undulating facade with a contextual texture that reflects the dynamics of the adjacent street grid and creates a pleasant congruence between the building and its surroundings. The weaving facade provides a beautiful static composition and adds a three dimensional aspect to the building grid, while stylishly capturing the interplay of sunlight and shadows.
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Neptune/Sixth is a mixed-use development that we designed in a comparatively suburban setting; it attempts to create a human scale environment at the street level by breaking down the large superblock into smaller, experiential spaces. While the building podium is orthogonal to the street grid, the residential tower is rotated to capture breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean. The orange glass frit pattern on the façade is inspired by the surrounding brick buildings in the neighbourhood.
Our firm designed the terminal building and parking garage which provides an elusive backdrop to the New York observation wheel, as the buildings amalgamate with the landscape. The development also bridges the transition to an isolated waterfront, thus improving pedestrian access and providing a large public space. The vertical fins of the louvered façade are oriented in varied positions to sometimes frame a view, while screening undesirable elevations at other times.
What is then the secret to successful project documentation and delivery?
Research, Imagine, Implement, Record – Repeat. The design process needs to be well-organised and there are numerous ways to improve productivity. Creativity is indispensable, but it is also vital to be efficient and resourceful in a fast-paced construction environment. One way efficiency can be achieved is by separating the known from the unknown; streamline the design philosophies and establish a system of documenting and standardising recurring elements across projects. The objective is not to restrict creativity but to isolate the fixed from the flexible. As this precious database grows, it benefits the entire firm.
Apportioning more resources to earlier phases of the project helps in making decisions sooner, which also implies that stakeholders and consultants should be actively involved from the beginning. Setting measurable schedules and planning for change is crucial and these should be consistently monitored throughout the process.
Leveraging the power of advanced architectural technologies and processes can increase productivity, improve quality, reduce costs and mitigate risks. One such methodology is Building Information Modelling (BIM), which is a process of creating coordinated and computable information about a project using a centralised system of 3D models. Using a single source of information for the entire team results in reduction of errors and omissions. A BIM model is useful throughout the building lifecycle, from design and construction to facility management and operations.
