Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust had a small semi – dilapidated Guest House at their port in Navi Mumbai.
They wanted a refurbishment done to make it look modern and comfortable. The vision was to have a state of the art guest house where not only employees and visitors can check in, but will also be used by senior Govt officials and VVIP’s as well.
When we surveyed the site for the first time, we immediately understood the design challenges. The structure didn’t have a canopy which will make a statement and also protect the foyer with harsh Mumbai weather. The structure didn’t have a elevator. Also missing was a guest bedroom for the physically challenged.
Our design started with architectural intervention where we added a large canopy which was imposing and became the main feature to welcome the guests. The canopy starts from the slab of the second floor as such it covers the first floor terrace and gives rise a to a semi covered area for yoga or a sit out. One additional column in the reception was removed after careful structural analysis as it was fouling with the interiors and sightlines. We also removed a staircase in the double height atrium which was un-necessary. By removing the same we could achieve a grand double height sit out space.
Managers room was added in the layout and the positioning of the same was done in a strategic way to be able to have a visual connection with the lobby and foyer.
Guest rooms were designed for comfort and eleganz. also the main criteria was low maintenance materials.
The first floor has a sloping roof. The earlier defined guest house has maintained a flat false ceiling not respecting the structure. We decided to keep the profile of the sloping roof thereby giving a grandness for the VIP suits.
As far as materials are concerned, the facade was cladded with ACP sheets and Aluminium windows. For interior materials, a large canvas was used – right from italian marble, to vitrified tiles, decorative wall papers, laminates, veneers, wood, corian and many other finishes, a delicate balance of which is now responsible for the final product that you see.
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