Business Tips & How To's, Space Design

Best Architects In India: Insightful Tips to Finding Yours

August 6, 2018

- Business Tips & How To's, Space Design

The journey of finding YOUR designer for your dream home or office space, starts with their portfolio. If their style speaks to you, that’s what is primarily going to draw you to work with them.

However, a beautiful design will remain not much more than that if the visualisation and the intent cannot be executed well; and let’s be honest – construction projects being completed on time and within budget is not something India is known for!

Today we’ll go over some points that you should keep in mind while choosing an architect, to ensure that your project execution is an enjoyable and memorable experience, not a nightmare you just can’t wait to wake up from!

Some of these points may seem insignificant, but in the long run, they really do matter! Here are 8 questions to ask yourself:

1. Does The Architect Use The Metric or Imperial System Of Measurement?

Keep in mind the age old adage “The devil is in the details”, and make sure your architect works in millimetres, not feet and inches. It might not seem like much, but having a room measured a couple of centimetres off can make a big difference to things like alignment, achieving straight lines and interior design measurements – many of these which you will discover only after the project is completed.

2. Will I Be Provided With High Quality Photorealistic Renders Before Actual Construction Begins?

Some people believe that HD renders are a waste of money, but the reality is that they help you see exactly what the final project will look like. Investing at this conceptual stage can save you a lot of money, allowing you to make changes virtually, before laying a single stone. Making changes once something is built is far more costly, not to mention a waste of resources, time, and additional retainer fees.

3. Does The Architect Have A Good Working Relationship With A Reputed Contractor?

If your architect can recommend a contractor he has worked with on several projects, this is a major plus point. There can be many a slip between the cup and the lip when it comes to visualisation and actual execution. If an architect and a contractor have a demonstrably good working relationship, it can save you a lot of the headache that often accompanies being the middleman between the two!

4. Will I Have Access To Global, Tried And Tested Vendors?

A good architect and contractor duo should be able to give you as many options as possible when it comes to material and finishing, so that you are able to customise your space exactly the way you want it, within a budget that is comfortable for you.

5. How Progressive Are The Architect’s Methodologies And In-house Technology?

It is important to understand the design flow of the architect. What are the key deliverables and milestones, how will they be presented to you, how well do they integrate your vision etc.? The last one is extremely vital to ensure that there is a balance between your architect’s vision and your own. Of course you are paying for it, but you are also hiring someone to create your vision, and you must believe in their professional expertise and the direction. However, it is essential that certain key aspects of your vision are translated to make it your home. Here, it is also important to understand the architect’s process of capturing your brief. If they understand you and nail this aspect, you are assured that you will get a refined translation of your vision.

Secondly, check what technology the architect uses to deliver the design. There are a lot of tools such as SketchUp, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, and 3ds Max that are used at various stages to deliver various intents of the design communication. Advanced tools, such as Revit, that use BIM based platforms can provide a faster turnaround time in the design process, and overall, a more efficient and robust package.

6. What Are The Architect’s Ways Of Working?

The ways of working of an architect or architectural firm will tell you a lot about how methodical and diligent they are – an indication of the quality you can expect to see in your completed project. Do they have a client workshop to thoroughly understand the experience you desire from the space being developed? Are they transparent about costs and timelines? Do they pay attention to the entire programme mix that makes up a space’s experience? Will they provide a comprehensive BOQ, with not more than a 5% cost deviation?

7. How Busy Is The Architect?

Generally, large firms or popular architects are very busy or too costly. Do some digging around and find a boutique firm that offers a more personalised touch. While they might be expensive as well, as they tend to take on only a handful of projects a year, what you will get in return is that personal touch where the principal is involved at the site level, ensuring that there is an absolute vested interest in your project, and that passion and pride are truly driving the manifestation of your dream.

It is well worth it to spend some time delving a little deeper into the material laid out in these guidelines. You office or home space is a place you will be spending a considerable amount of time, so it is imperative that you find a design partner that is capable of delivering an experience just the way you envisioned it.

Zeitgeist offers a variety of design services, including space design, interior design, 3D visualisation and brand development – reach out to us today!

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Business Tips & How To's

5 Ways To Become More Creative

By admin on

July 31, 2018

- Business Tips & How To's

Regardless of the kind of work we do, creativity is the spice of life and we must strive to extract its essence everyday. But not all of us are built to harvest this spice, either due to the fear of the unknown or because life never conditioned us to explore it.

In this blog, we’ll describe 5 ways you can juice your creativity, challenge it and push it to the limits, with some curated efforts.

1. Get Uncomfortable

Consume media content that’s way outside your comfort zone or area of interest. This could include watching unfamiliar documentaries or foreign-language films without subtitles, listening to offbeat music or even just reading YouTube or Twitter comments (in monitored dosage, it’s a different high altogether!) The aim is to activate the brain’s lateral thinking which often sparks creativity.

2. Create ‘Mood’

Listening to classical music is always great. The genre is designed to stimulate the mind and induce imagination. You can experiment with speakers or earphones – each has a different effect on the mind.

Lighting has been found to be another major influencer. Contrary to what might seem, dim light often helps the mind dip and wander off shamelessly.

3. Take A Walk

Going out on walks invites different mood accelerators. The ambience helps the mind lose a little focus, only to lift the intense pressure of thinking in silence.

Research suggests that the colours blue and green light up the creative corners of the brain; and where else would one find these in abundance more than the on streets and in nature?

You might be getting the idea that creativity has a lot to do with solitude… but not quite!

4. Expand Your Horizons

Engaging with people outside your ‘project’ results in brilliant ideas too. It can be surprising what comes out of a discussion with kids. Children think uninhibitedly; norms are rarely an obstacle to their wishes! Because it’s not ‘boxed’ thinking, often it spurns innovation.

Speak with a total outsider to your field of work and toss around some ideas for input. If nothing, you’ll at least get an insight into how convincing or flawed your ideas are.

5. Keep Moving

Steer away from stagnancy. Agreed that it sounds big and is much much harder to do. But there are so many ways this can become part of your system and who knows, you might actually develop a liking for it.

Keep restructuring your everyday routine: eating, sleeping, exercising, socialising.

Redecorate the space you live in or even better, move out!

Pick a character like Johnny Depp, Shashi Tharoor, Oprah or Spongebob Squarepants and take on their persona for the day. Become a method actor – walk like them, talk like them, try to think like them; give yourself the importance you ascribe to them.

Start talking to new people – the kind you would perceive as weird, uninteresting or with opposing views.

When you begin to feel extra comfortable in a setting, it can sometimes be good to move away from it.

Remember, creativity lies is in seeking new experiences, making connections and allowing realisations to strike. That’s how ideas are born.

Pahi Gangwar
Graphic Designer

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Brand Strategy

Stylescape – The Upgraded Moodboard

By admin on

July 4, 2018

- Brand Strategy

Here’s a new word people are warming up to in the graphic design industry – Stylescapes – and this blog is going to talk about how they are used as part of our branding process at Zeitgeist.

Clients often don’t know how to respond when attacked with a board full of pictures and random alphabets, aka Moodboards; mostly because they’re not sure how to read or interpret them. But it is still crucial to go through this step because it lays the foundation stone for the logo.

Enter saviour: Stylescapes!

These are just nuanced, more ‘finished’ versions of the above. It makes it much easier for the client to visualise and choose the future of their brand and saves a lot of avoidable back and forth time.

This step provides a good check-in point for both parties to agree on two things:

1. If the designers have clearly understood the client’s description of their concept.

2. The design direction the client is choosing to head with.

Decoding The Board

Stylescapes are made huge in size to scale up the ‘real-feel’ of the brand.

They list out the brand promise, the brand pillars, typeface and fonts, the colour palette. They also contain sample photographs of different users of the product/service. Elements of brand language such as textures, grids, photography style, illustration style, web and print mockups etc. Depending on their process, some designers also choose to put in initial logo iterations as well.

The key to choosing the right design direction is by picking a stylescape that hits the ‘feel’ of your brand just right. That being said, remember, the elements on the board are always up for play and further refinement.

It is far more efficient to tweak a stylescape in the right direction than redo a logo headed in the wrong direction!

Here is an example to understand what a styleboard looks like and how a design brief can be given different visual takes. Different typography, colours, photographs and adjectives have been used here to create 3 separate brand identities ranging from conservative to bold.

‘Cue’ is a brand designed by Blind with Hudson Pacific Properties.

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Brand Strategy, Business Tips & How To's, Design Strategy, Space Design

The Marriage of Brand & Space – Why It Matters

By admin on

June 21, 2018

- Brand Strategy, Business Tips & How To's, Design Strategy, Space Design

At Zeitgeist, we design experiences for people.

The best way to do this we feel, is to design a space keeping its “soul” in mind.

For a private project, this “soul” may be reflective of an individual’s (or group’s) aspirations, personality or achievements. For a commercial project, it should be reflective of the venture’s brand. In both cases the experience is designed keeping the end user in mind.

The best opportunity to do this arises when a concept is born, but its personality (brand) has not yet been developed.

One of the instances where Zeitgeist had the opportunity to develop a brand and then give it life via a space and brand extensions was when a client presented us with their idea of developing an authentic Italian pizzeria in Whitefield, Bangalore.

Understanding The Personality

The project proposed by the client was for their flagship restaurant, which they had plans to expand into a chain in the future. Upon immersing ourselves into a Brand Development Workshop with the client, it was clear that their USP was to be an authentic Italian pizzeria.

As part of the Brand Audit process, we conducted in depth research into our target market – expatriates – using Focus Groups as our methodology for this particular project. We chose this method, since we were given a very clearly defined market segment. (You can read more about the relevance of Focus Groups in the brand development process in an earlier article of ours.)

From this we understood that the target market would respond well to a homely “mamas and papas” pizzeria – the kind you’d find in a quaint alley in Naples.

Further expanding on what our research revealed, we used the framework of design thinking to design the entire experience for the end user.

Once we were clear on the brand’s personality and had ensured that it represented a match between the client’s vision and the market’s desires and expectations, we set about the Brand Development process, beginning with ideating for names, logo direction, fonts and colour palettes we thought would work.

Now that the Brand Language we needed to develop was clear, we also began to work on integrating it into the design of the space.

The proposed site for the pizzeria was an abandoned 8000 sq. ft. industrial warehouse that had previously been used to manufacture aeronautical parts.

Speaking the Language

The finalised Brand Name, Affettato – Italian for “sliced”, represents authenticity, while alluding directly to the product.

Staying true to being authentic, we proposed retaining the feel of the old warehouse and developed a Space Design that would tie in nicely with the Industrial look trending across the globe. The idea was to give the customer the feeling that he could be at a trendy, hip restaurant in any part of the world.

Nothing says ‘authentic’ like inviting a customer into the process, and so we developed a plan wherein the kitchen wall would be conceptualised as the window to good Italian street food. In the same vein, we also designed a large, open pizza bar, allowing for a seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor spaces, while simultaneously working this idea into the design of the logo as well.

The Logo is framed by a large cutout, just like the bar – open and authentic; the triangles represent slices of pizza, while the sans serif font is in harmony with the trendy, industrial vibe of the brand and space.

Finally, we set about extending the brand language to the Brand Collateral – including the menu and branded merchandise like pasta sauce and wine bottles.

Tying It All Together

The benefit of interweaving the brand development process with the design of a space, is that it puts us in the advantageous position of first understanding the market we are designing for.

Once we understand the end user it becomes easier to design a brand and a space that speak to each other and to the end user, and does not end up being a disjointed, unsatisfactory experience – something that benefits neither the end user nor our client.

Do you have an innovative idea or a new venture just about to take off? Using the framework of design thinking, Zeitgeist can help you develop your brand’s personality, give it a unique voice and translate it into an experience of value to your customer.

Get in touch today.

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Design Strategy

Could Co-Creation be The Key to Positive Social Impact?

By admin on

May 31, 2018

- Design Strategy

According to the Center for Social Impact at the University of Michigan:

Social Impact is a significant, positive change that addresses a pressing social challenge.

For the change to be significant it needs to be systemic, not piecemeal.

So how does one go about maximising systemic positive change?

One of the reasons Zeitgeist advocates co-creation is because of its potential to generate innovative design that can have far reaching social impact.

Consumers today seek out brands that exemplify social responsibility, sustainable development and higher purpose; brands that answer the bigger questions such as:
– How do we design a car that reduces air pollution?
– How do we ease the difficulty parents who have terminally ill children experience?
– How can we find a way to give villagers in remote areas access to safe drinking water?

We believe co-creation provides the best approach and today we’d like to explain why.

We have scaled things down and chosen the example of waste segregation at home, to explain how co-creation offers the most effective method – one that brings about a systemic change.

The identified need here that can bring about positive social impact is – Waste Segregation.

SOLUTION WITHOUT CO-CREATION

You invest in two garbage bins and inform all the members of your home that henceforth garbage needs to be separated as wet and dry waste. You pat yourself on the back for having done your bit for the environment.

However, after two weeks, you realise that all isn’t well, when the garbage collector refuses to collect garbage from your home henceforth, since it is not being properly segregated.

How can this be? What is going wrong?

After some investigation, you discover the following: – Your 8 year-old and the house help both don’t fully understand the difference between wet and dry waste.
– The garbage pick-up is now being done at 5am and not 7am as was earlier the case. Because of this, the house help, who used to take the garbage out when the pick-up arrived, now leaves the garbage bins outdoors at night. As a result stray cats (and possibly rats!) have been attacking the bins, leaving the house help quite dejected and the garbage collector annoyed about the whole situation.

SOLUTION WITH CO-CREATION

You now realise the folly of your ways. The true need can only be identified by empathising with all the parties involved in the process.

You begin to collaborate with the parties involved (except maybe for the cats and rats, because let’s face it, in all probability they don’t really care about your garbage segregation problems) and come up with ideas that could help you’ll collectively achieve the goal of proper garbage segregation.

Your ideas might include: – Using the Internet as a tool; looking for YouTube videos.
– Educating your child about segregation using words and methods that he/she is able to relate to.
– Educating your house-help about segregation in the language he understands best and perhaps getting one of those ready reckoners translated into his mother tongue.
– Helping your child and house-help understand how their small actions have a part to play in the bigger idea of protecting the environment.
– Taking the garbage collector’s suggestion and investing in dustbins more suited to the new method of garbage collection and better able to withstand those unexpected midnight assaults.
– Using your wet waste to make compost for your garden or for the community garden.

Will this be enough? It’s not possible to know, till you test the new system.

If your new ideas don’t deliver results, you might need to go back a few steps and come up with more ideas in order to achieve your goal. You might find a new problem – your son isn’t really gung-ho about ‘this whole segregation thing’. So perhaps you’ll take your co-creators to a garbage segregation dump, so that they empathise with what the garbage collector has to deal with. Maybe you could show them examples of the impact the garbage problem has had and could potentially have on the world at large. Only when they realise the urgency and importance – when they experience a paradigm shift – will they be enthusiastic and feel a responsibility towards the project.

This example isn’t intended to tell you how to solve the problem of poor garbage segregation in your home. It’s intended to expose you to the understanding that:

Only a holistic solution that takes into account all the parties involved, and brings about a paradigm shift, can result in systemic change that drives social impact.

We believe that the principles of co-creation that we explained in our previous article on the subject enable the optimum way to achieve these objectives that lead to social impact.

We’ve come up with a model that lays out the steps that lead from identifying a social need to enabling social impact. Design Thinking and collaboration – the underlying essence of co-creation – lie at the heart of the entire process.

Can you think of ways this could be applied to the world at large? Consider a large-scale social problem that bothers you – could co-creation potentially offer a more robust solution to it?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments section or at our Facebook page:

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Space Design

CASE STUDY: The Geometrization Of Architectural Form – Hexagon

By admin on

May 29, 2018

- Space Design

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF GEOMETRY IN ARCHITECTURE

GEOMETRY – Point, Circle, Triangle, Angle, Cube and so on are elements which can be described as vocabulary used to generate more complex architectural forms.

GEOMETRIZATION of architectural form rose from the desire to achieve an identity between conceived form and perceived form.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMS – Form in Architecture is not only related to space and its function; it also represents a meaning or a sign. It is also related to elements themselves; their arrangement and combination with each other, their relationship with each other (syntax); the meaning (semiotics) and its effect on people (pragmatics).

1. Space-defining element (related to use)

2. A sign (related to arrangement, significance and effect)

3. Structure (dependent on the laws of static structure and the strength of materials)

GENERATION OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM

There are 2 sets of elements:

The conceptual element (point, line, plane and volume)

The visual elements (shape, size, colour and texture)

CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM

Architectural forms and space can be narrowed down to 4 element types: points, lines, planes and volumes. Architectural elements are generally three-dimensional volumes defined by vertex(points), edges(lines), segments(planes).

VISUAL ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM

Three dimensional forms are seen differently from different angles and distances, under different lighting conditions and in different colour and texture. Elements to be independent of such variable situations: Shape, Texture, Light, Colour, Size & Scale.

HEXAGON– HEX-FACADE

DESIGN BRIEF

To design a skin structure having a hexagonal facade inspired by its Brand.

DESIGN INSPIRATION

The Hexagon logo prompted the design direction for this project. This was further reinforced by creating a link with nature – a beehive, a symbol of strength, tenacity, and a collective.

DESIGN PROCESS

The design process was inspired by the geometry of the generation of architectural forms. (see intro)

THE CONCEPTUAL ELEMENT chosen for this project was the

CUBE – It is the simplest of the rectangular solids. It has six surfaces, and each of these is a square which is equal in size to the other five. The angle between any two adjacent faces is a right angle. Because of the equality of its dimensions, the cube is a static form.

THE VISUAL ELEMENT chosen for this project was the hexagon.

But before exploring the hexagon, we started with the Square – the primary shape and in this case, the Square formed the extents of the unit. It is probably the most used shape in architecture. Most buildings are made from squares with other shapes added or subtracted from the square; it forms several bases for architecture. Squares appear on seven of the thirteen semi-regular solids, and their sides are parallel. Although the perimeter is probably the most efficient in a square, it is proportion-less. Using the truncation of the square, architects get a pattern of octagons with small squares in the open spaces. All the regular polygons whose number of sides divides evenly by four are suitable for architecture. This series is called the progression of the fourths. For example, squares, octagons, and dodecagons.

The next step was to incircle the square and divide it into 6 equal parts, thereby, forming the hexagon, the visual element.

HEXAGON – The most elementary shapes either singly or in combination are the regular polygons. They are symmetrical, equilateral, and equiangular. Combination & manipulation of grids like basic geometric figures (CIRCLE, TRIANGLE, SQUARE & RECTANGLE) by rotation, translation, overlapping and bisecting creates more complex architectural forms. The Hexagon is a six-sided polygon that is a highly tessellated regular polygon. Furthermore, six is a highly composite number that is considered as the 1st perfect number and, is the only number that is the sum and the product of three consecutive natural numbers (1,2,3).

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Using the principles of design – Harmony, Balance, Similarity and Emphasis – the architectural from was created. The skin of the building is determined by a CUBE & HEXAGON inscribed in a SQUARE. The aesthetics of the Hexagon window and 6 hexagons protruding out are titled UNIT A, while units titled UNIT B do not protrude. Together they form the components of the fascia of the Cuboid that compliments the scale of the skin and achieves emphasis.

In this example, the interpretation of the Hexagon Geometry, and Hexagon inscribed in a square in a cuboid architectural design provokes the senses and heightens the experience.

This was a strong way of emphasising the brand and giving it an identity, and was further reinforced by designing multiple Hexagons. The protrusion of some hexagons beyond the standard level of the facade of the building gave the fascia depth and a stronger personality rather than keeping it flat.

Mahek Khan
Designer, Space

in collaboration with
Raoul Parekh
Founder & Chief – Design Management

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Space Design

CASE STUDY: The Geometrization Of Architectural Form – Triangle & Pyramid

By admin on

May 15, 2018

- Space Design

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF GEOMETRY IN ARCHITECTURE

GEOMETRY – Point, Circle, Triangle, Angle, Cube and so on are elements which can be described as vocabulary used to generate more complex architectural forms.

GEOMETRIZATION of architectural form rose from the desire to achieve an identity between conceived form and perceived form.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMS – Form in Architecture is not only related to space and its function; it also represents a meaning or a sign. It is also related to elements themselves; their arrangement and combination with each other, their relationship with each other (syntax); the meaning (semiotics) and its effect on people (pragmatics).

1. Space-defining element (related to use)
2. A sign (related to arrangement, significance and effect)
3. Structure (dependent on the laws of static structure and the strength of materials)

GENERATION OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM
There are 2 sets of elements:
The conceptual element (point, line, plane and volume)
The visual elements (shape, size, colour and texture)

CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM
Architectural forms and space can be narrowed down to 4 element types: points, lines, planes and volumes.
Architectural elements are generally three-dimensional volumes defined by vertex(points), edges(lines), segments(planes).

VISUAL ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM
Three dimensional forms are seen differently from different angles and distances, under different lighting conditions and in different colour and texture. Elements to be independent of such variable situations: Shape, Texture, Light, Colour, Size & Scale.

DESIGN BRIEF

To design a Pyramidal Glass Restaurant & Bar

DESIGN INSPIRATION

The company’s logo emphasised a pyramidal shape, which they wanted translated into their space. Being a F&B project, with the bar as one of the key functions of the space, the pyramidal form was proposed to house the bar. This was further reinforced by the generation of a number of triangles on the faces of the pyramid.

DESIGN PROCESS

The design process was inspired by geometry of the generation of architectural forms. (see intro)
The conceptual element chosen for this project was the PYRAMID – a geometric solid having a triangular, square or polygonal base and triangular sides which meet at a point.
The visual element chosen for this project was the TRIANGLE – another important shape in both geometry and architecture. All the regular polygons, prisms, pyramids and solids are dependent on the appropriate triangle (for eg: isosceles triangle, scalene triangle and equilateral triangle)
The triangle as an aesthetic and structural element is interesting as it has an adaptive nature, allowing for complex structures to be embedded within the simple triangular form. The pieces are both minimal and complex at the same time.

All four faces of the pyramid are divided into 16 triangles, with each of the 16 triangles having a patterned panel.

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Using the principles of design – Hierarchy, Proportion, Similarities, Balance and Emphasis – the architectural from has been created. The form of the building is determined by triangles and a pyramid. The monumental appearance of the bar with glazing and back-lit brass metal plates as the facia of the pyramid compliments the scale of the pyramid and emphasises it.

In this example, the interpretation of triangle geometry and triangulation within architectural design provokes the senses and the experience.

90-degree angles create spaces; other angles create experiences.

- AR. FAIZAN KAZI

Read about the geometrization of architectural form – circle & sphere here.

Mahek Khan
Designer, Space

in collaboration with
Raoul Parekh
Founder & Chief – Design Management

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Design Strategy

Co-creation: More Than Just A Buzzword

By admin on

May 10, 2018

- Design Strategy

In the first of our series on co-creation, we explored in theory why co-creation is the most effective way to foster innovative thinking and design.

In this post we focus on the practical application of co-creation. We examine some of the forms it has taken in companies that have realised its synergetic potential:

1. BUSINESS AND BUSINESS

Apple and Microsoft

Approach: Co-creation for improved efficacy and utility.

Method: Despite the differences and tumultuous past that exist between these two giants of the computer industry, Apple and Microsoft have been able to put the customer first in many instances and join forces to create products like Office for Mac users and iTunes for Windows users.

Value added: Users get the best of both worlds, without having to give up their favourite software on whichever platform they prefer. Choice and decision are thus left in the hands of the consumer, making this a great example of co-creation, even in the midst of intense rivalry.

2. BUSINESS AND CUSTOMER

Nike ID

Approach: Co-creation for personalisation.

Method: Nike ID is a feature that allows online shoppers to completely customise their pair of Nikes, from the style of the strap, right down to the colour of the lining inside the shoe. It even allows for personalised lettering (a name or word, for example) to be added on the shoe. Before making the final decision to purchase, the customer has the option to share the creation on social media for further inputs.

Value added: In an age where self-expression, customised products and the desire to stand out in a crowd are highly valued commodities, Nike has developed a platform to address those needs by putting a part of the product design process in the hands of the customer.

3. BUSINESS AND SERVICE PROVIDER

Ola Auto

Approach: Co-creation to organise markets.

Method: Ola has partnered with auto rickshaw drivers in some Indian cities to allow customers to book autos using the same Ola app that they use to book cabs.

Value added: The convenience of booking an auto ride without having to physically scour the area or haggle is a huge benefit to commuters. Once a driver has indicated his willingness to take up the journey via the app, the customer is intimated and picked up from his doorstep. Rides can also be tracked on the app and location details shared with others, improving the safety of the user.

4. BUSINESS AND INDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEURS

Airbnb

Approach: Co-creation to empower individuals.

Method: In the case of AirBnB, multiple partners work together to co-create a unique product for the end user:
– AirBnB provides a platform for hosts to display their properties and prospective guests to view the same.
– AirBnB pays freelance photographers around the world to provide high quality photos of the properties, to aid in the guests’ decision making.
– Payment processors enable the financial transactions involved.

Value added: The unique experience of staying at a local home and enjoying the local culture at prices that are, more often than not, lower than those of hotels.

5. BUSINESS AND RESEARCHER

Apsara Drone

Approach: Co-creation for social impact.

Method: Start-up firm Otherlab, in collaboration with and funded by The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is working on designing an entirely biodegradable lightweight drone, using transient electronics and material made out of a mushroom based substance.

Value added: The drone has the potential to effect large-scale social impact. It could be used to deliver food and medicine to disaster hit and war torn areas and then self-destruct, with minimal damage to the environment.

These are just a few examples to illustrate that co-creation can take many forms and isn’t restrictive in nature. It requires that the needs of the end user always be the focus and it requires an open mind, perhaps best summed up by Tim Cook…

“Apple and Microsoft still compete, but we can partner on more things than we compete on.
And that’s what customers want.”

– Tim Cook, at the BoxWorks Conference, 2015.

Have you come across any great examples of co-creation? Share them with us in the comments section below.

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Space Design

CASE STUDY: The Geometrization Of Architectural Form – Circle & Sphere

By admin on

May 1, 2018

- Space Design

UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF GEOMETRY IN ARCHITECTURE

GEOMETRY – Point, Circle, Triangle, Angle, Cube and so on are elements which can be described as vocabulary used to generate more complex architectural forms.

GEOMETRIZATION of architectural form rose from the desire to achieve an identity between conceived form and perceived form.

ARCHITECTURAL FORMS – Form in Architecture is not only related to space and its function; it also represents a meaning or a sign. It is also related to elements themselves; their arrangement and combination with each other, their relationship with each other (syntax); the meaning (semiotics) and its effect on people (pragmatics).
1. Space-defining element (related to use)
2. A sign (related to arrangement, significance and effect)
3. Structure (dependent on the laws of static structure and the strength of materials)

GENERATION OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM
There are 2 sets of elements:
The conceptual element (point, line, plane and volume)
The visual elements (shape, size, colour and texture)

CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM
Architectural forms and space can be narrowed down to 4 element types: points, lines, planes and volumes.
Architectural elements are generally three-dimensional volumes defined by vertex(points), edges(lines), segments(planes).

VISUAL ELEMENTS OF ARCHITECTURAL FORM
Three dimensional forms are seen differently from different angles and distances, under different lighting conditions and in different colour and texture. Elements to be independent of such variable situations: Shape, Texture, Light, Colour, Size & Scale.

CIRCLE & SPHERE – POTTER’S HOUSE

Design Brief

To design a Potter’s house with a small studio and exhibit area.

Design Inspiration

Spherical clay pots (matka) prompted the design direction for this project.

Design Process

The design process was inspired by geometry of the generation of architectural forms. (see intro)

The conceptual element chosen for this project was the SPHERE – a special solid form in which every point on its surface is equidistant from a common center. This results in a continuous curved surface in which there are no edges.

The visual element chosen for this project was the CIRCLE – the simplest 2-dimension shape and most compact geometric shape. It only has one dimension, the radius or diameter, and the point of reference is located at its center.
Architects can use the strength of the circle while manipulating its appearance. The circle is the strongest 2-dimensional shape, so is the use of semicircular arches in architecture. Semicircles are often also found in the designs of amphitheaters.
Unlike a square and a rectangle, which can be further subdivided, a circle can only be divided into 12 equal parts. This gives the circle great adaptability in architecture

Design Development

Using the principles of design – balance, proportion and harmony, the architectural from has been created with defined functions for each space. The form of the building is determined by circles, cylinders and hemispheres. The dimension of the building is in harmonic proportions. The overall height of the spherical space and the diameter have a 1:1 proportion. The proportion of the height of the cylinder to the overall height is 1:2.

In this example, the interpretation of circular geometry within architectural design provokes a sense of experience that aligns with the profession of a potter.

Mahek Khan
Designer, Space

In collaboration with
Raoul Parekh
Founder & Chief – Design Management

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Space Design

Art Beyond The Skill by Dominic Dubé

By admin on

April 10, 2018

- Space Design

Architecture is unusual among the arts in that it is required to be professional, and arguably alone among the professions in that it is expected to be in some measure artistic. The careers of all serious architects must at some point grapple with this duality.
To completely abandon the creative spirit is to become simply a builder – performing a valuable service, no doubt, but not creating architecture. On the other hand, when the creative architect renounces the demands of the profession – that the building be on time, on budget, keep the rain out and not fall down – that architect gives up all opportunity to actually practice the art they seek to pursue. So some sort of balance or synthesis between the two poles is necessary; the exact nature of that process can give us a deep insight into the path chosen by a given architect.

STRIKING A BALANCE

For me, the equation has become quite interesting. Certainly my practice must and does fulfil all the professional demands outlined above; but it is the art beyond the skill that continues to draw me further in each project. While my work has stylistically been compared to architects that practice elegant and graceful modernism, such as Mies van der Rohe, Tadao Ando and SANAA, I see myself more in alignment with Le Corbusier. This is not merely because I integrate Corbusier’s “Modulor” proportional system, or even because of my past employment under B.V. Doshi, himself a product of Corbusier’s office and one of the finest modern architects in India, but rather because I see myself in alignment with his way of working – that of balancing the art and the skill. Le Corbusier famously divided his working day in half: in the afternoon, he did architecture, and in the morning, he would paint. While I do not keep to so strict a regimen, I do remain an active painter. This practice helps nurture the creative aspect of my professional skill and I feel that the development of a painter’s instincts gets reflected in my work.

METHOD BEFORE MATTER

The word painterly, in architectural discourse, typically follows from Heinrich Wölfflin’s use, which refers to a swirling Baroque sensibility, in which form is suggested through light and shade rather than through drawn outlines.
But here we are interested, again, not in the content of the work but in the way in which it is produced. The painter is faced with a blank canvas, and then with a single stroke of the brush makes an intervention that transforms the empty field: suddenly there are up and down, inside and out, light and dark. With a second stroke, we now have the field plus two figures in dialogue with each other, and so on.
The painter must proceed from instincts but also evaluate the canvas as it takes shape; know when the elements are correctly balanced (or provocatively imbalanced), and perhaps most importantly, know when to step away and declare the work finished.

Dominic Dubé
Principal, Space

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