Archive for category Architecture
Journey from Ancient to Modern Architecture!
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on April 20, 2012
Architecture | Ancient and Modern World!
Architecture is a science itself. Although, it does not fall under the category of sciences, it can still be called as “Architectural Science”.
Architecture is something that cannot be learnt or memorized… You have to feel it to understand the essence of design.
Designing in a specific architectural style gives a special meaning and feel to the space/structure/place (town, city etc).
Something that is so intriguing about Architecture is the fact that the lines, shapes and forms you draw on paper are actually transformed into a live structure on the ground.
What could be more fascinating than this particular fact!
When a kid makes a craft model by following the instructions from a craft book, he feels tremendously happy about his creation.
From the above example, if we are to replace the kid with an Architect and the craft model of paper replaced with the real structure on earth; how much more amazing does that sound!
Have a look at the video below. It covers the wide range of Ancient and Modern Architectural styles…
Also, check out the other video on Amazing Structures.
Passenger Information Displays | HSR Station Design
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on April 6, 2012
Design of Passenger Information Display
Stations are well equipped with Information systems. They are also referred to as a Passenger System (PIS) or Passenger Information Display. These information systems are essential since they guide the passengers on the station. They inform the passengers of where the trains are going.
The most common complaint of the passengers on the station is the lack of accurate information. This gets the passengers really frustrated and results in a spoilt experience.
It is very important to train the staff members of the ways to use the latest system so that they have all the latest information and data required which would help them answer the questions of the passengers satisfactorily.
When any staff member is asked a question about the train arrivals, departures or any other information, the staff member should be able to give apt and accurate reply. If he is not aware and does not have the latest information, he would start guessing. And nothing is more annoying than this to the passengers.
Where and how should the Information Displays be placed?
The placement of the information displays plays a very important role in the efficient functioning of the Train stations.
They should be placed in public areas for easy visibility by passengers. Care should be taken to make sure that the visibility of the displays is not affected by the changing weather conditions of the place.
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Technological Revolution in Interior and Architectural Design
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture on March 1, 2012
Influence of Technology on Architecture
The changes in economic conditions and the advancement in technology have resulted in changing the lifestyle of the people considerably. People seemed to have changed their way of living, the way they entertain themselves, spend their money, interact at work etc. This condition is not only evident in a particular country as such but this change is coming globally.
Today, interior designing is revising its design rules and principles. People are going for multi-functional furniture units, compact places to live in. This does not mean that they don’t love variety anymore. It is just that they want to make everything flexible enough to be used and converted as required. The advancement in technology has indeed brought a huge change in the field of design.
Let us discuss all that we are seeing today and also the reason for this transformation.
Increasingly less defined spaces
If we are to look into this particular aspect, we would notice that the way spaces were designed earlier with a specific purpose of its space allocation (rigid planning) has changed. People are now preferring flexible planning i.e. multi-functional spaces. This is more evident in the west since this trend is not very pronounced in Asia. In India and China, people are still conservative about planning their private spaces.
Multifunctional Spaces | Increasingly less defined spaces
How did this multi-functionality trend develop?
Earlier, economic crisis that struck Europe led to the decrease in the incomes of the people. People began living at homes since they did not have offices to attend. Lifestyle started changing. People started preferring eating at home since it was less costly, entertaining themselves and just being. This brought the need for more investment into the living spaces. This “OPENNESS CONCEPT” began with the concept of having an open kitchen. Now, if we look at the interiors of the homes today, we can call them “Open Homes”.
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Station Design Guide | Architectural Design Considerations
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture, Design Guide on February 25, 2012
Design of Rail Stations | Architecture and Design
In our previous article, “HSR Station design Guide“, we listed out some of the core station areas and discussed the design considerations to be taken while designing “Station Crossings” and “Platform design”.
Important Station areas to be designed:
- Crossing safety of passengers on the station
- Design of Platforms
- Design of Platforms doors and screens
- Design of Station entrances and Exits
- Direction of the opening of doors
- Design of Train describers or Passengers Information Display
- Design of Toilets for the station
- Design of concessions
Now we will move on with our discussion on the design considerations to be taken for the following station areas (elements):
- Platforms doors and screens
- Entrances and Exits
- Direction of the opening of doors
Design of Platforms doors and screens
Modern metro systems have incorporated glazed screens along the edges of the platform.
This system of designing screen doors was incorporated in cold countries in order to maintain the temperature of the station.
These kind of screen door systems have been used in Europe and America. The underground station in London is pretty popular. The extension of the underground station has been worked on with a point to introduce the platform screen doors. See the picture of the Canary Wharf station in London.
Design of Station entrances and Exits
The width of the entrances and exits should be large enough to allow efficient circulation of a large number of passengers in and out. They must be designed keeping the emergency conditions in mind.
Every country has its own safety codes for the design of entrances and exits.
Apart from concentrating on the width of the entrances, it is necessary to remember that we are architectural designers and making the entrances aesthetically appealing is also our aim.
The number of entrances have to be carefully designed so as to cater for the different sides of the railway route and at the same time, the design should be economical. It should not exceed the calculated budget.
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HSR Stations design guide | Architectural Design
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture, Design Guide on February 22, 2012
Design of High Speed Rail Stations
India has a huge railway network. The length and spread of railway networks is amazingly vast. India ranks first in the length of railway network in Asia and second largest in the world.
Development of High Speed rail Networks is catching up a lot of speed in Europe. USA government is taking initiatives in order to develop HSR stations and enhance their public transport system.
HSR Station design by Santiago Calatrava
United States of America is now realizing the importance of the nature of railroads and the power and speed of trains. It was seen that the number of road accidents had considerably increased. It was found that the increase in the number of road accidents was directly proportional to the decreased use of railways.
Indian Railway Ministry has ambitious plans for the development of railways for the year 2020.
Being able to design Railway Station keeping in mind today’s needs is very important. This article is dedicated to the basics of design of High Speed Rail Station. This will give the readers an insight on the design of HSR/Metro Stations.
Let us first understand the importance and function of a Station.
Stations are places where passengers check in and check out of the train. Station is the first point of contact between the passengers and the railway. It is to be understood that stations should be well designed, comfortable, aesthetically appealing, functionally efficient (efficient layout and planning of station will ensure efficient circulation).
My entire purpose for writing an article on the Design of HSR Stations is to help you understand all the design considerations that are to be importantly incorporated.
We would be discussing the design considerations for the important station areas so that designing could get handy.
Important Station Areas:
- Crossing safety of passengers on the station
- Design of Platforms
- Design of Platforms doors and screens
- Design of Station entrances and Exits
- Direction of the opening of doors
- Design of Train describers or Passengers Information Display
- Design of Toilets for the station
- Design of concessions
Energy Efficiency | Sustainability
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture, Sustainable Design on January 31, 2012
Sustainability and Design | Energy Efficient design techniques
In one of our earlier articles, we made a questionnaire on “Energy efficient Techniques”. In this article, we will discuss the answers to each of those questions.
Energy Efficiency Questionnaire
Achieving Energy Efficiency through Urban Planning
Hong Kong | Urban Planning Setup
What is Energy Efficiency? Define Energy Efficient Architecture.
Energy Efficiency implies on using less energy to required for various products and services without compromising on the need of the usage.
“Energy efficiency” and “energy conservation” are not similar.
Let us study with the help of examples:
Examples of Energy Efficiency
When the walls and roofs are insulated, the use of air conditioners and heating systems is reduced while still keeping the indoor environment comfortable.
When a refrigerator or washing machine is replaced by the same appliance that require lesser amount of energy to carry out the same function is called “energy efficiency”.
Examples of Energy Conservation
When a tube light is switched off during day time, it can be termed as energy conservation.
For what purpose is the significant amount of energy used in homes?
Energy is mainly used for cooling and heating purposes. Air conditioners and heating systems require extensive amount of energy for its functioning.
Hence, designers must design the house in such a way that the use of air conditioners and heating systems can be minimized without compromising on the comfort.
What is to be done in order to avoid the extensive use of air conditioners for cooling?
The orientation of the house/any building should be taken into consideration. Climatological aspects of the place have to be studied before designing the structure.
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Questionnaire on Energy Efficient Techniques | Sustainable Construction
Posted by BenzuJK in Architecture, Sustainable Design on January 28, 2012
Discussion on “How to achieve Energy Efficiency?” | Sustainabity and Design
- What can be done to prevent the use of extensive amount of energy for production of these materials?
The above questions will be answered in our succeeding articles… Do voice your opinions through the comment section.