Design Team
Rooshad Shroff, Dhruvin Shah, Sneha Mathreja
Photo Credit
Sebastian Zachariah
Lodha Developers commissioned us to design a temporary peripheral wall for one of their project sites at the exclusive Altamount Road in Mumbai, advertising a preview of their exclusive brand 'Luxury Lodha'.
It was imperative that this 16-foot-high barricade advertise the opulence of the upcoming residential space in a sophisticated manner, one which would draw attention and cultivate the perception of a landmark address. In order to achieve this, we decided on a two-pronged approach based on the level of exposure, disconnecting the wall in what we established as primary and secondary sections, intended for site visitors and casual passers-by respectively.
The primary section, framing the entrance, features more detailed, handcrafted elements, its design drawing from the Indian tradition of lighting lamps at the threshold to one's home. Marble bulbs carved in the conventional lightbulb silhouette take centre stage, fabricated from hollowing out blocks of white Makrana stone using specialty tools. Created by Jaipur artisans, the patterns are inspired by crystal glass and involve varying thicknesses, which in turn add variations to the degree of light exuded. Each bulb in turn has been fitted with hand-turned brass and a small LED light, and then mounted onto grey Alucobond metal sheets flanking either side of the entrance, around the Luxury Lodha logo. The secondary section of the installation consists of vertical gardens and street landscaping, as well as a continuation of these customised perforated Alucobond sheets, suffused with backlighting past sunset.
In addition to visual appeal, we sought to add value by incorporating several pertinent references to the upcoming structure; the 197 bulbs represent its formidable height of 197 metres, the 53 types of carvings the number of apartments, and the three sizes of the bulbs the apartment sizes (3/4/5 BHKs). Given the temporary nature of this façade, we have suggested that the marble bulbs be auctioned once it is taken down in two-and-a-half years’ time and the proceeds donated to organisations promoting Indian handicrafts.
