As the Golden Jubilee dawns on us, we launch V:Konnect, the VK Group monthly newsletter - updating you on the month's activities, while keeping you abreast with the latest design news!

- September 2022 -

We can almost taste the Gold!

V K Group celebrated its 49th Foundation Day on 21st July 2022.  The year-long countdown to V K Group's Golden Jubilee started with a showcase of professionalism and talent. Our founder, Ar. Vishwas Kulkarni, reminisced about his initial projects and how he used to make ‘sustainable’ copies of blueprints by sun printing. A first of its kind ‘Townhall Meeting’ was conducted wherein selected questions from the employees were answered by the Directors and Team Leaders, creating an important dialogue between the needs of employees and the aspirations of the company. The enthusiastic dance and music events that followed displayed the multi-talented expertise of the members of the ever-growing V K family!

Capacity Building: Training Programs

Various capacity building programs were attended by the members of VK Group. The training programs focused on team formation, building leadership skills, task management, effective communication, monitoring and appreciating team members, tracking and monitoring performance and giving constructive feedback. Through group discussions, activities and role play each participant become better leaders, and to work towards individual and company goals.

Growing Through Collaboration - What inspiration can we take from our peers?

Everyone often talks about the importance of involving clients and users in our design processes, but we believe there’s a lot to learn from fellow architects and designers as well. When we began venturing into IT sector design, we started off as statutory architects along with DSP Design Associates for the Ascendas-Capitaland project (ongoing since 2016) at Wagholi and with Venkataramanan Associates (VA) for the Mapletree project (ongoing since 2020) at Kharadi. These collaborations helped us understand the design requirement and programming of such typologies, various international standards followed in sale and leasing models, level of services required and corporate communication. In return, we provided them with a better understanding of the Indian context and sorted out many compliance issues that creeped up. This exchange of knowledge rapidly prepared us for larger floor plate projects. We broke ground this August with the demonstration of this learning, with Keppel Land's 1.5 million sq.ft BTS IT Park Tower at Kharadi. VK:a architecture and VK Group is working closely with the concept architects, DP Architects (DPA) Singapore, towards successful design and execution of the project.

Anup Gandhe Wins Photography Contest

How can we build without sacrificing our planet?

As patrons, users and designers, each of us have a role in deciding the life within, around and of the building. Here are some conscious choices that you can make for a better future:

1. Reduce impact on land from the stage of site selection throughout construction by choosing to NOT build on eco-sensitive zones, reducing cut-and-fill and excavation, reusing top-soil removed and minimising trees cut. Breathe life into old buildings by retrofitting and reusing them for a new purpose. 

2. Go for locally available, refurbished (like recycled steel, concrete, timber etc) or renewable materials (like bamboo, rammed earth etc) whenever possible, to reduce embodied energy of the building. Minimise wastage of any material used. 

3. Opt for renewable energy resources or innovative technology that increases energy efficiency, like motion sensor lights, low-flow fixtures and double glazing to reduce heat gain. Recycle and reuse sewage water for irrigation and flushing.

4. Rather than focusing on maximising FSI, promote a healthy lifestyle by leaving open spaces for interaction, roof gardens and green walls.

5. Sustainability is not only about environmental impact, but also considering economic and social effects of the project. Try to involve the local community in the design and execution, especially in rural areas and urban design.

Find out how we have made our buildings better by design, and how YOU can too!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Architecture

Glass Fibre Reinforced polypropylene Concrete (GFRC)

Architecture Depends by Jeremy Till 

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