In Pursuit of Architecture and more: How to Build a Skyscraper

What does it take to build a skyscraper? First of all, a lot of money and once that is out of way then a fantastic team of people who'll work together with the same passion to create something extraordinary. A Project Manager, Architect, Consultants, suppliers and contractors- a veritable A-List.

World One

Recently I went to see the still under-construction ‘World One’ tower in Mumbai and came back awestruck. Being constructed on the ‘once-a-mill’ land and 'now-a-hip' area of Mumbai, this building promises to be the world’s tallest residential building when complete. Designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, this mega-structure is set to add glamour to Mumbai’s eclectic architecture. A tri-axial floor plan with smooth shapes is not only aerodynamic but will offer a near-180 degree view of the Arabian Sea and Mumbai. Luxury- living at its best.

A Deck for Every Room

A visit to this much-awaited skyscraper has left me in awe of the sheer organizational feat required to undertake a project of this magnitude. Frankly, I expected chaos on site. Anyone who has had to endure construction of neighboring buildings in India will remember the noise pollution and the dirt flying everywhere. Bamboos used for scaffolding are thrown around, labourers shout on top of their voices to ask for anything from food to cement to be hauled up via pulley, cement mixers work in the middle of the night, debris just flows onto the main road and much more.

Here, 300 people were working on site and the atmosphere was Zen-like. Automation and attention to detail at every step has made this possible. Investment in ‘Jump-form’ technology to cast slabs has reduced labour force and the noise to a minimum, but the speed of construction is commendable. A ‘slab-a-week’ and pushing to get ‘a-slab-in-5-days’. Rewards, I am sure, will be hugely satisfying :-)

Jump-form Technology to
Build the Core Structure

Work is less physical but challenging in terms of speed. No wonder! Passionate professionals from all over the world have come together to work on this project.

The Lodha Group seem to have pulled all the stops to rope in the best in the industry. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners for the building design, Leslie E Robertson for structural design, Buro Happold for MEP design and Somaya & Kalappa to handle India operations.

Giorgio Armani is doing the interiors of these luxury flats. Minimalist design, subtle colors and Armani’s favorite material, fabric, have created a canvas for the residents to add their unique touch.

I was floored by the detailing and my question was how are you going to replicate it on every floor?

Master Bedroom Designed by Armani

The answer was- one floor dedicated to details, almost like a sample flat for workers, suppliers and contractors. This floor has drawings and sketches plastered over walls and details executed for various departments at different stages of completion. If a plumber wants to know how to fix a pipe, he just goes down to this floor, studies the detail and goes back to fitting it on other floors. If a carpenter is confused about where the fabric panels go on the partitions, he has to just go to that floor, understand and replicate.

It was an educational trip for me. Design, technology, detailing and passion for work is the ‘mantra’ here. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely not just ‘been-there-done-that’ kind of a ‘tick-mark’ visit.

Work is going on like a well-oiled machine and the building is slated to be completed in 2015. In the meantime, it’s drawing attention of the passers-by. They are wondering about the speed of construction and why there is no debris on the road?