© Courtesy of Yazdani Studio

LA based architects Yazdani Studio shared with us the Taj Lands End Hotel competition entry in Mumbai, India.

In a single sweeping gesture, the “wave” gathers the multitude of public and private spaces within the new hotel into a seamless composition, immediately iconic against the rectilinear skyline of Mumbai. This graceful arc also echoes the form of multiple bays that make up the city’s western edge, and makes visual reference to the new Sea Link Bridge adjacent to the site.

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© Timothy Hursley

Architects: Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design
Location: Northridge, California, USA
Design Principal: Mehrdad Yazdani
Principal in Charge: Craig Hamilton
Project Manager: Martha Ball
Planning Principal: Tom Harvath
Senior Designers: Craig Booth + Philip Ra
Project Architects: Jessica Yi + Larry Taniguichi
QA/QC: Jim Peschl
FFE: Jack Poulin
Construction Administration: Curtis Bywater
Project Area: 90,000 sqf
Budget: $44,800,000
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Timothy Hursley

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Yazdani Studio shared with us the Ordos Restaurant they are building in the Mongolian Desert. As I told you before on our interview with Mehrdad Yazdani, Yazdani Studio was one of the first practices working on the new city, with one villa finishing construction  and also a Concert Hall and this restaurant (also nearing completion), public programs required by this huge development.

During the interview, Mehrdad told us about the importance of the central courtyard for passive cooling, required on this harsh climate. More details about the project after the break:

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Architects: Yazdani Studio
Location: La Jolla, California, USA
Client: University of California, San Diego
Project Team: Mehrdad Yazdani, Design Principal; Craig Hamilton, AIA, LEED AP, Project Principal; Ron Benson, Project Manager; Mark Piaia, AIA, Project Architect; John Chan, Designer, Yan Krymsky, Designer, Manson Fung, Designer, Tommy Yuen, Designer; Jim Peshl, QA/QC, Jack Poulin, IIDA Interior FFE; Hong Gip, Lily Chiu, AIA, LEED AP, Lauren Coles, Frank Maldonado, Mi Sun Lim.
Structural engineer: Englekirk and Sabol
Mechanical Engineer : IBE Consulting Engineers
Electrical engineer: Coffman
Landscape Architect: Pamela Burton & Company
Civil Engineers: Hirsh & Company
Cost Estimators: Cumming LLC
Lighting designer: Lighting Design Alliance
Acoustician: Newson Brown Acoustics, LLC
General contractor: M.A. Mortensen Company
Total floor area: 172,000sf new construction, 66,000sf renovated, 238,000 total sf.
Budget: US $53,000,000
Cost/sq. ft: $223
Photographer: Timothy Hursley

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A few weeks ago we were in LA for Postopolis!, and we toured around the city visiting interesting practices.  One of our biggest surprises was Yazdani Studio. We started to see this firm because of their buildings for the Ordos project, so we decided to visit their offices and interview the principal, Mehrdad Yazdani.

Mehrdad Yazdani (BA Arch U Texas at Austin, M Arch at Harvard GSD) is a principal at Cannon Design, an international firm with several offices in the US and abroad. A big corporate office, with all the pros and cons it has. Given this, Mehrdad started Yazdani Studio as a small laboratory that benefits from the reach and resources of a large international practice, with the flexibility of a smaller design studio. This in-between position has allowed Yazdani Studio to work on several scales. Something I really liked when i visited their office was the large amount of test models I saw laying around for every project, a proof of the amount of experimentation at the practice.

Some of Yazdani Studio projects include the recent renovation of the Museum of Tolerance (and a 2nd phase that will be completed next), the UCSD Price Center, a new campus for Tata Motors and several institutional buildings. Yazdani Studio was also one of the first practices to start working in Ordos -before the Ordos 100 project- with a Villa currently under construction. Also, Yazdani Studio is developing a restaurant  and a concert hall, as supporting programs for the cultural district envisioned for this emerging city on the Mongolian desert.

Well, enough with my intro. Just watch the interview.

Some pictures of our visit to the practice after the break.
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Architects: Yazdani Studio
Location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China
Design year: 2008
Construction year: 2009-2010
Curator: Ai Weiwei, Beijing, China

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II Phase image

Architects: Yazdani Studio
Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
Project Team: Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design – team includes: Mehrdad Yazdani, Design Principal; Scott F. Reed, AIA, LEED AP, Project Principal; Paul Gonzales, Project Manager; John Gormley, Project Manager (conceptual design); Hansol Park, AIA, Senior Designer; Jessica Yi, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP Project Architect; Philip Ra; Senior Designer (Phase II only); Jeremy Whitener, Project Designer; Jack Poulin, IIDA, Interior FFE; Mimi Lam, LEED AP, Designer; Josh Moratto, Designer; Sepideh Nabavi, Designer
Structural engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
MEP (conceptual): IBE Consulting Engineers
Electrical engineer: IBE Consulting Engineers
General contractor/ Construction Manager: Matt Construction
Lighting designer: Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design
Mechanical, Engineer: ACCO Engineered Systems
Electrical, Engineer: ESSCO
Acoustician: Veneklasen Associates
Audiovisual: Electrosonic Systems
Exhibit Designer: Houghton Kneale Design and Yazdani Studio of Cannon Design
Fire/Life/Safety: Rolf Jensen Associates
Photographs: Benny Chan of Fotoworks

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