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Kolkata: The Latest Architecture and News

Modern High School International / Studio SKLIM

Modern High School International / Studio SKLIM - Exterior Photography, High School, FacadeModern High School International / Studio SKLIM - Exterior Photography, High School, Facade, FenceModern High School International / Studio SKLIM - Interior Photography, High School, Facade, ChairModern High School International / Studio SKLIM - Interior Photography, High School, Facade, Chair, TableModern High School International / Studio SKLIM - More Images+ 33

5 Ways to Create More Liveable Cities: Insights from TV Show "Tale of Two Cities" with Dikshu Kukreja

Cities are the bedrock of civilization. For millennia, they have attracted people with the promise of superior standards of living — from better economic and educational opportunities to easier access to quality public infrastructure such as housing, healthcare, and public transport. Today, however, many cities around the world are finding it challenging to live up to this promise. With urban migration accelerating at a dizzying rate – the United Nations projects that over two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities or urban centers by 2050 – existing resources and services in cities are coming under increasing pressure, rendering them dysfunctional and leading to glaring inequities.

There is no singular way to define or assess liveability; every city has a unique set of characteristics, from its history, culture, geography, and demographics, to how it is governed and what urban issues plague it. Therefore, improving liveability requires concerted efforts from multiple stakeholders including people, governments, and experts, to identify critical problem areas and opportunities, and devise contextual solutions. The TV show Tale of Two Cities, where Indian architect and urbanist Dikshu C. Kukreja sits down with global leaders, brings out great insights into what some major cities in the world are doing to create more liveable environments for their inhabitants. Here we present five examples: from Bogotá, Kolkata, Hannover, Tirana, and Washington, D.C.

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Macha House / Abin Design Studio

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Kolkata, India
  • Architects: Abin Design Studio
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  1850 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2022

Swarnim International School / Abin Design Studio

Swarnim International School / Abin Design Studio - Exterior Photography, Schools , Facade, Balcony, LightingSwarnim International School / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Schools , Facade, ColumnSwarnim International School / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Schools , FacadeSwarnim International School / Abin Design Studio - Exterior Photography, Schools , FacadeSwarnim International School / Abin Design Studio - More Images+ 19

Kolkata, India

Chromatic Indulgence Office / Abin Design Studio

Chromatic Indulgence Office / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, Door, Table, ChairChromatic Indulgence Office / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, Handrail, Door, Facade, LightingChromatic Indulgence Office / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, Door, Facade, Chair, Table, LightingChromatic Indulgence Office / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, Kitchen, Door, Facade, LightingChromatic Indulgence Office / Abin Design Studio - More Images+ 13

  • Architects: Abin Design Studio
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  282
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2022
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Classic Marble Company, Daikin, FLOS, Featherlite, Hybec, +4
  • Professionals: APJ Projects and Services

Happyworks Working Pod / Abin Design Studio

Happyworks Working Pod / Abin Design Studio - Exterior Photography, Offices, FacadeHappyworks Working Pod / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices, Facade, Stairs, Door, HandrailHappyworks Working Pod / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices, Kitchen, Door, Chair, Table, CountertopHappyworks Working Pod / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices, Stairs, Facade, HandrailHappyworks Working Pod / Abin Design Studio - More Images+ 20

Kolkata, India

PS Navyom Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio

PS Navyom Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Exterior Photography, Commercial Architecture, FacadePS Navyom Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Exterior Photography, Commercial Architecture, Garden, FacadePS Navyom Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Exterior Photography, Commercial Architecture, Garden, Facade, FencePS Navyom Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Exterior Photography, Commercial Architecture, Deck, Facade, Beam, Handrail, Chair, Bench, TablePS Navyom Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - More Images+ 20

Tata Medical Center / CannonDesign + Carambiah & George

Tata Medical Center / CannonDesign + Carambiah & George	 - Interior Photography, Research Center, Facade, Handrail, LightingTata Medical Center / CannonDesign + Carambiah & George	 - Exterior Photography, Research Center, Garden, FacadeTata Medical Center / CannonDesign + Carambiah & George	 - Exterior Photography, Research Center, FacadeTata Medical Center / CannonDesign + Carambiah & George	 - Exterior Photography, Research Center, Courtyard, FacadeTata Medical Center / CannonDesign + Carambiah & George	 - More Images+ 21

RP Sanjiv Goenka Group Corporate Office / Abin Design Studio

RP Sanjiv Goenka Group Corporate Office  / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, Kitchen, Facade, Table, ChairRP Sanjiv Goenka Group Corporate Office  / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, FacadeRP Sanjiv Goenka Group Corporate Office  / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, BenchRP Sanjiv Goenka Group Corporate Office  / Abin Design Studio - Interior Photography, Offices Interiors, FacadeRP Sanjiv Goenka Group Corporate Office  / Abin Design Studio - More Images+ 33

  • Architects: Abin Design Studio
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  195900 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2020
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Andreu World, Fritz Hansen, B&B Italia, Capital Collection, Casa International, +26
  • Professionals: Abin Design Studio

Aurus Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio

Aurus Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Houses, Garden, Facade, ColumnAurus Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Houses, Garden, FacadeAurus Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Houses, Facade, Stairs, Handrail, Beam, DoorAurus Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - Houses, Facade, Door, Beam, Column, Stairs, Handrail, Chair, BenchAurus Sales Pavilion / Abin Design Studio - More Images+ 34

Kolkata, India
  • Architects: Abin Design Studio
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  525
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2016
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Domal, Nitco Limited

A Tour Through the Many Doorways of India

A Tour Through the Many Doorways of India - Image 5 of 4
Pahara Village in Uttar Pradesh. Image © Priyanshi Singhal

The door: despite being one of the most fundamental architectural elements, the immense significance these portals hold in architecture and culture can hardly be questioned. Historically, empires erected gigantic gateways to welcome visitors and religious shrines installed doors with ornate embellishments to ward off evil just as contemporary governments have built arches to commemorate important events.

In this photo-series, however, architect Priyanshi Singhal directs her focus to doors in a humbler vein—those of homes and hole-in-the-wall shops. Armed with her camera, she travels through narrow winding streets in age-old Indian towns and villages—characterized by their mixed land-use—as she studies and documents the inherent relationship between architectural tradition, culture, and a people. A door and its chaukhat (threshold) hold deep spiritual meaning in India’s traditional vastu shastra system of architecture. Furthermore, Singhal’s work provides us a brief glimpse of the imprint that the vagaries of time, community and economy have left on India’s historical urban fabric.

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Pedestrian Skywalk to Improve Kolkata Temple Traffic

Design Forum International has unveiled Dakshineswar Sky Walk, a 380-meter long pedestrian intervention designed to improve traffic and movement leading to the Dakshineswar Kali temple in Kolkata, India.

Located on the banks of the Ganges River at the northern tip of the city, the Dakshineswar Kali temple is one “of the most revered places of worship in Hinduism, the seat of divine female power, Shakti,” and draws in a large number of devotees year-round. Because of its popularity, the roads leading to the site have become congested due to increased vehicle traffic, foot traffic, and the appearance of small shops and kiosks.

Taking these existing conditions into account, Dakshineswar Sky Walk aims to become a dynamic solution to the site’s problems. At 10.5 meters wide, the skywalk will connect a nearby traffic rotary with the gates of the temple compound, with 12 escalators, four elevators, and eight staircases to allow users to embark and disembark.

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The Newtown School / Abin Design Studio

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Kolkata, India

Emerging Practices in India: Abin Design Studio

Emerging Practices in India: Abin Design Studio - Featured Image
International Management Institute, Bhubaneswar: Library from the courtyard. Image Courtesy of Abin Design Studio

Indian Architect & Builder, through a two-part series titled ‘’ (Volumes I and II), delves deeper into contemporary Indian practices that have carved a unique identity and place for themselves in the country today. This article, part of the first volume of the series, takes a closer look at ‘Abin Design Studio’, a Kolkata-based architectural firm.

In a city that, though culturally rich, has remained fairly neglectful of contemporary architectural developments, Abin Design Studio’s dynamic philosophy attempts to trigger a ‘think revolution’ by challenging the conventional and recreating the city-scape of Kolkata. Abin Design Studio was founded in October 2005 by Abin Chaudhuri, who partnered with Jui Mallick in 2006. What started off as a small three-person firm is now a frontline organisation rendering complete design solutions from conceptualisation to realisation of space, object and visual.

The projects have a strong spatial quality which fuse lessons from past traditions with aspirations of the present in a sparkling coup of energy. Their passion to transform and nerve to challenge is almost incomparable. Indian Architect & Builder’s interview with the founders, after the break…

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Rice Office / SALT

Rice Office / SALT - Office Buildings, Facade, Beam, Arch, Handrail, ColumnRice Office / SALT - Office Buildings, Door, StairsRice Office / SALT - Office Buildings, FacadeRice Office / SALT - Office Buildings, DoorRice Office / SALT - More Images+ 7

  • Architects: SALT
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  10000 ft²
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2013

Kolkata Museum of Modern Art / Herzog & de Meuron

The Kolkata Museum of Modern Art (KMOMA), Herzog & de Meuron’s first project in India, has broken ground in the new district of Rajarhat. The new museum seeks to embrace the city’s renowned cultural past and ultimately transform it into India’s “Art City”. Programs ranging from high-end gallery and art restoration facilities, to artist studios and an outdoor performance theater aims to empower local artists so they may play a critical role in the evolution of their community.