International architecture competition
Client: Spiretec
Design: Monolab, team: J.W. van Kuilenburg with A. Abaigar Villota, H. Varela Morales, I. Planelles Naya
Year: 2010

ARCHIPELAGO SPIRETEC

…a sustainable infill

A sustainabe infill in a 62.750 square meter mixed use area, part of an IT office complex and spread across approximately 85,000 square meters of land; with a built potential of approx 175.000 square meters. The project is located in Greater Noida; part of the Delhi – National Capital Region (NCR) India.

Archipelago is a spread of islands with bungha-type pavilions over a constructed wetland that purifies the nearby river water. A suspended chatri screen of climbing plants protects against sun and strong winds. Shaped openings generate airflow with natural cooling over the water. Combined with vegetation shadow casting it enhances healthy conditions of the project for refreshing breaks. Pedestrian paths on different levels link all programs in this open-to-sky environment. The landmark overlooks the riverside as a landscape and the suspended screen as a garden.

FILTER BAD

The wetland is a natural filter bed, a shallow basin of approximately 15 cm-depth, covering the complete site. Water is taken from the Yamuna River through pipes, filtered and purified through the filter bed with helophytes water plants and given back to the river.

SCREEN

The screen is made of a steel net with climbing plants growing from the filter bed. It is warped and generates ‘chimneys’ to trigger airflow over the cooling water surface like the bio climatic section of the traditional Indian bungha. It is suspended with slanted columns and cables between the IT buildings.

PAVILIONS

The pavilions, derived from the typical bungha lay-out with compact core and open space around, have screen like facades.

LANDMARK

The landmark consists of a stack of ‘islands’ with amorphous lay-outs of scattered pebble-shaped rooms and apartments, to avoid standard corridors. All floors of cast concrete in situ have different shapes, supported by mushroom-type columns that come from the parking.

PROGRAM

Programmatic implant is made in three ways:
1. below the IT buildings the incubator, office and banking programs adapt to the footprints of these buildings,
2. the islands with pavilions hold most of the public programs like the market, food courts and retail.
3. the landmark takes the hotel functions, apartments, banquet space, wellness center, club, library and expo space.

NETWORK

A network of paths makes short cuts between IT buildings, pavilions and landmark. The paths over the water are made of wood and flagstones. Suspended steel paths make connections between IT buildings and the taller pavilions.