Better Building Practices

Addressing underground water challenges

Custom constructions in areas with high water table require careful evaluation as compared to the areas with a low water table, especially for the basement. At a commercial site in Bhopal, a key constructional challenge of groundwater pressure being too high was experienced, which lead to submerging of land. To protect their site from underground…

Why are Geophysical Site Investigation Techniques consequential?

In developing countries where the rate of constructing new bridges is comparatively higher, it is essential to adopt feasible yet high-level site exploration techniques. Moreover, the technique used in the construction of a bridge plays a vital role in deciding the cost-effectiveness and design optimisation of the entire project. Among many techniques, Engineering geophysics is…

ACC paving seamless experience for the passengers at GMR – RGI Airport, Hyderabad

The Green Revolution

Sustainable architecture has become one of the most commonly used words in our dictionary today due to the world slowly acclimatizing itself to climate change and what it means. Nowadays, the term is so commonly used that a definition is important to first understand what the concept is all about. Sustainable design utilizes efficient materials, climate-friendly orientation and a nature-inspired form, to develop a ‘context’...

Dilli Kali Badi, Mandir Marg, New Delhi

A lady in a pink saree and a mauve shawl was seated in front of a large sculpted wall, soaking the winter sun with her head bowed. Strangely enough, she chose a spot that was not intentionally designed for seating. As architects we design spaces for use, yet there are uses such as this which is hard to comprehend but it exists as a result of something else. In this particular case it happens to be the Rejuvenation ...

Designing the Modern Transit Hub

We’ve all experienced it: traveling to a new city only to immediately have a less-than-pleasant encounter with public transportation. This is a design problem, to be sure, and the design of transit hubs is too often geared more toward retail and consumption than purposeful wayfinding. A recent Think Tank discussion considered various responses to this challenge...

Architect Michael Hsu Keeps Design Weird and Wonderful in Austin, Texas

It’s fitting that the architect Michael Hsu’s big break came through a restaurant: Both of his parents owned and worked in eateries in the U.S. and Taiwan. Hsu’s mom, a classically trained chef, had owned a noodle shop in Taiwan, and when the family moved to Houston, Hsu spent time at the restaurant she worked in there. In 1988, he moved to Austin to study engineering at the University of Texas, but upon finding his roommate’s ...