Gurgaon 66 in India by Maison Edouard François

Article source: Maison Edouard François

In Vatsu, which is the Indian precursor of Fengshui, a large road passing in front of a building is a sign of its prosperity. The site of the new Gurgaon 66 sector is thus priceless, with highways passing on both sides. It will therefore be dedicated to luxury! The program is above all a luxury commercial center dedicated to world-renowned brands, stores, cinemas, and restaurants. There are also office spaces and a hotel with residence services.

Image Courtesy © Maison Edouard François

• Architects: Maison Edouard François
• Project: Gurgaon 66
• Location: India

Image Courtesy © Maison Edouard François

The luxury commercial center is an independent element that is filled with light and designed like a European-style neighborhood. The towers for the hotel and residence services have a true, New York-style relationship to the ground. Each element of this new program can be clearly recognized from both near and far.

Image Courtesy © Maison Edouard François

The commercial center is unique: it is based on the very principle of luxury, which is found in the great fashion design houses or in goldsmith and saddlery shops. Each famous brand has its own embassy, a completely independent, marble building within the center. Passageways and plazas are formed in-between these embassies, creating an exterior landscape that is air-conditioned and unified beneath the glass canopy of the mall. Automatic sun shading regulates direct sunlight. Beneath the canopy, the embassies are progressively grouped together, forming mansions for younger and lesser known brands.

Image Courtesy © Maison Edouard François

At the end of the mall, a single, multi-level building houses retail outlets and general department stores. Above this assembly of inhabited boxes, a series of cinemas are placed delicately. Their stepped underside is visible from below. The restaurants are placed on the roof terraces of the embassies and linked by bridges that weave between the tall palm trees rising from below. This mall concept was recognized as a “highly innovative luxury mall” by Cushman & Wakefield, leader of commercial real estate research and brokerage.

Image Courtesy © Maison Edouard François

Further down the same road is the hotel tower, placed in between the two towers dedicated to residence services. The buildings have a simple form and are entirely clad with thin stainless steel in order to shelter them from the sun. At two-thirds of their height, different programmatic functions are inserted including a bar, a swimming pool, and gardens. These are linked by misted suspension bridges. Clouds of vapor cling to the bridges, seemingly fixed between the towers. The offices are on the other side of the mall from the towers. This will be the first positive-energy, LEED Platinum building in India.

Tags: Gurgaon, India

Categories: Commercial Building, Tower

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