Rhythms of space

With fluid designs and out-of-the-box thinking, Cadence is making waves in Bengaluru. Ar Apurva Bose Dutta checks out the young design firm.

On one of the crammed residential corners of Bengaluru, abutted by average houses and low income housing, stands an award-winning architectural marvel that has found its way into as many as six international journals. Christened ‘Out of the box’ by its designers, this house stands on a 1,200 sq ft site and presents a classic urban scenario.

A team of three young architects who call their firm Cadence (www.cadence.in) was behind this evocative piece of design.

The house features cast-concrete external walls with perforations in the shape of big and small leaves that lets light into the courtyard, which has been moved to a corner of the house from its normal central position. Apart from housing a plant as in traditional courtyards, it has a sculptural element that could serve as an informal dining area.

Narendra Pirgal, Smaran Mallesh and Vikram Rajashekar, the Cadence trio, represent the age of passionate architects. The premise for their works has its basis in German philosopher Walter Benjamin’s thought that architecture is absorbed in a state of distraction.

They believe architecture is a ‘speculative process’ and that the spirit of speculation manifests itself into strategic processes which enable projects to evolve from conceptual ideas to finished products that are sophisticated.

The trio completed their architectural degree from the RV College of Engineering in 2002. Cadence, formed in 2005, was envisaged to operate like a studio – as a studio is associated with architectural education. “Phenomenology and the humanist project are some things that we keep discussing in office,” discloses Smaran.

The five-year-old firm is a collection of young people who have not restricted themselves to certain kinds of projects alone. Cadence has residential, commercial, industrial, hospitality and cultural projects in their portfolio; and their architectural vocabulary illustrates fluidity, dynamism in geometry of spaces and in making use of difficult spaces.

About their philosophy, Smaran Mallesh says, “Besides fluidity, we are interested in sculptural objects and articulation of spaces, which can be achieved through patterns or proliferations.” The profile of surfaces, experiences created, staging life in a certain manner are their concerns.

“Most of our projects are complex. We believe that one can produce new experiences and effects when one questions clichés; this process of identifying clichés in a certain build type and speculating on alternate solutions and formulations is fundamental to our process,” he adds.

The ‘out-of-the-box’ project is testimony to the fact that, in the absence of perfect locations or beautiful surroundings, it is feasible to attain beauty that is inward-looking. By moving the courtyard to the fourth quadrant of the square, they could magnify boundaries and make other rooms adjacent to it look bigger.

Prasanna house, built on an area of 2,700 sq ft, was the first house they did; and it remains a special one for them. It reverberates with fluid surfaces and geometry of a sensual nature.

“Since we are interested in the issues of experience and effects, we always try to reduce the brief of the client to two aspects: utility and pleasure. Since tight urban sites in India don’t offer much in terms of surroundings, we try to find pleasure through choreographed spaces,” points out Smaran.

The firm will complete around six projects by the middle of this year. Among their ongoing projects is the showroom of Ramcharan Jewellers in Bengaluru, which has an ornamental albeit contemporary look.

“Using ferro concrete on the faceted surface was a big challenge in terms of construction,” reveals Smaran. The upcoming commercial complex at Jayanagar also has an interesting form inspired from a diamond.

With three partners handling the firm, there are no explicit outlines as to who would handle which project. The only criterion for selecting a project is their comfort level with the project and the client.

In every project, one aspect becomes the driving force or highlight – programme, form, space or materials. Among materials, their philosophy works better with concrete, brick and plastered surfaces; but the firm is now working on an elaborate material palette.

Amongst their upcoming projects is the tallest residential building in Mysore for Skytop builders, on an area of 1,25,000 square feet.

They also have a factory set-up for Bentley at Manur and a proposed 7,000 sq ft residence in JP Nagar, Bengaluru. The consideration is the relationship between the figure and the ground on which it stands, and it has been designed to accentuate horizontality by integrating the land with the building. As Smaran puts it, “It is as if the building is hugging the ground.”

Equally interesting is Petals, a furnishing lifestyle showroom. With its sculptural and poetic lines, this store is
truly reflective of the aesthetic acumen of the designers.

Prism Lights, a lights showroom in Bengaluru, is indicative of how the firm questions clichés. A diagram resembling a bar code with an insertion of display panels unfolds a path that directs visitors.

The recently-completed commercial complex at Davangere (with a Hero Honda showroom on the ground floor and offices atop) is another example of their unusual approach to design. Fenestrations are treated as patterns and not just openings. With articulated facades, the trio has successfully achieved the task of attaining fluidity on a plane.

Bengaluru is a Mecca of architecture today. With emphatic designs and a wide range of materials being used, it is the style, commitment and perseverance of a firm that helps them to create a niche for themselves. Cadence is among the few who have succeeded in giving a contemporary twist to traditional architecture.