The Link By VPA Architects

 

  • Project Name:- The Link
  • Photo Credits: Inclined Studio
  • Project location: Kudasan, Gandhinagar
  • Program: Commercial

Crafted with the motto ‘Connecting Urbanity’, this urban oasis impresses its image of an inclusive, well-connected, and entertaining space exceeding the limits of form and building. The planning maximizes the sustainability potential of the built mass, along with a strong conceptualization. There is a sense of accidental curiosity for every visitor going through each level. The aura of the spaces was created as a sweet irony - a larger-than-life building that offers a humane, cozy, and comfortable scale once inside.

Orientation of the design has helped achieve breezy and tranquil interiors. The designers have profusely oriented the building blocks facing the east-west, suited to the hot and dry climate of the city, accessed by roads from south and north directions. The modernist east and west wings are positioned inscribing a 30-meter-wide nostalgic urban sanctuary. The step-up massing cultivates eco-voids -- landscaped microenvironments for the daily dilly-dally from the office floors. This efficient massing also reduces extreme heat by the passive technique of sculpting a wind tunnel. 

Breaking the mundanity of passages, the connectors of the building have become vistas for the urban plaza within and a splendid sunset over the back. Like a serene labyrinth, the bridges binding the buildings are graphically directional, yet, visually eclectic.
The design ceases to express commerce which reeks elegance but remains intimate. Bringing this maxim to life, all the levels are well-knit and easily walkable. The ground floor houses retail shops that open into the central avenue, with clear glass facades that help ease interaction and viewability. The monarchs- the first and the second floor- are shaded with walkways pondering the downward avenue. The second storey, however, connects the tale of the east and west wings through a pedestrian bridge, that crowns the extravagant LED entrance below. Climbing up the third, offices and corridors intersect through the tall-ceilinged floating café over the pedestrian bridge. The fourth to sixth floors flaunt the pocketed landscape terraces, flamboyant observing decks, and luxurious offices with the greenway bridge on the fifth.

The perennially shaded avenue, the colossal entrée, the Vegas-strip-like LED, the life of our project is in this urban plaza. It is Z Square’s warm yet grand first impression attracting visitors and building a trade success. It is adorned with all successful street elements. Opening in a longitudinal wide walkway in the center, the plaza can contain a party of people for hosting events. This central walkway is branched in two sideways- accessing the stores- through synchronized cascading fountains, benches with planters, and a chic landscape median. The plaza is an all-inclusive design for visitors and businesses alike.

The planning allowed creative space-building with the services. The linearity of the plaza helped a well-engineered staircase and elevator system. The air conditioning ducts are designed on the back elevation- enhanced with the help of the louvered screen creating melodious light patterns utilized as smoking zones. The bridges and signages engage the visitors creating easier trips.

Inspired by vernacular courtyards, the terraces were designed in two varieties: private ones on office floors and expansive eco-voids—shared double-height green spaces—serving as rejuvenating idea hubs for all. Expansive viewing decks are designed as well-lit panoramic ‘zen zones’ with rejuvenating plantation. 

Positioned on the second floor, the sky bridge connects east-west wings with a panoramic view and intricate pause spaces, plant-integrated benches, and informal meeting spaces. The trailblazing double-height café bridge is intricately designed with a modernist interior and a central open kitchen overlooking the festive plaza. 

The terrace bridge on the fifth floor is a delightful breezy space throughout the year. With a lush(ious) and vibrant plantation, enveloping the circular sitting spaces, the bridge is a green escape.Fulfilling the parking crisis of the urban frontage,  there is a two-level parking facility accommodating the rush hours dodging the ‘where to park’ gush.

The structure is mostly metal- hollow metal pipes are used for the truss structure, allowing for more retail space and glass facades overlooking the scenery. The front façade holds the edgy steel name plate revealing the character of architecture within, while the perforated aluminum sheets and louvers add a play of light and color to it. Contrasting the industrial exterior, the interiors are subtle and welcoming, suited for outdoor work areas. 

Soft and warm lighting is maintained through the vistas of Z2. The louvers on the façade as well as ducts and screens add harmony to daylight falling inside the structure. The glamorous entry below the passage, however, contrasts the rhythm with energetic LEDs adding value to the infographics.Tranquility envelopes, as the visitors step away from the city's chaos into the serene embrace of the symphony of nature and architecture, where productivity flourishes effortlessly.

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