SDA 2022 Entries

• Light + Surface - The innovative use of light and the way it is inextricably linked to surfaces, whether it’s the effect the light has on the surrounding surfaces or the materials used to create the light.  

Completion date – 28-10-2018 COST: Rs 25 lakhs INR
Project note
The project was a startup for Two youngsters who set to prove themselves by establishing a terrace cafe on a prime location, surrounded by institutes and companies so a young and dynamic crowd became the natural target audience. With the young generation as its focus, the design, too, needed to be upbeat, effervescent and spirited, sustainable and ecofriendly. It was to be a place which would draw people upon the first glance, and be an open, stress-free and lively environment.
The design process was shaped and challenged by budget and time, we enjoyed a free creative run, unfettered by preconceived ideas on part of the client. The team took a look at quick, aesthetic solutions. With an inclination towards natural materials, we explored and examined a close-to-nature palette which could be recycled, reused, was easily available, reasonable in cost, locally sourced and locally crafted and finalised upon jute rope as a material. A cohesive identity of the space arose from a unique, contemporarised response involving this indigenous material.
In addition to jute, the other ‘material’ harnessed liberally was sunlight — one of the easiest, cheapest and most beautiful of natural elements. Natural daylighting can animate any room, add unmatchable vibrancy to colours and make people feel healthy and inspired. Wood was another mainstay of the material palette — selected for its comfortable familiarity and warmth.
The contextuality of jute rope was further strengthened when it is seen vis a vis Ahmedabad’s searing summers. Watered jute keeps the surrounding cool. It also does not absorb and retain heat. This central material was ably supported by the beautiful imperfections of raw wood and the profusion of colours, textures and patterns — all amalgamated, balanced and supported by sciagraphy.
The open layout design and the striking use of materials and simplicity of form emerged from reinforcing the purpose of the human-centric design. Building by-laws precluded the possibility of any kind of permanent or semi-permanent structure. The traditional charpoy was chosen as the inspiration for developing space-modulating partitions and canopies that would define individual seating islands. The rope canopy was created with the help of jute ropes, looped around pipes with specific angles — such that the part canopy created a shadow for the rest of the terrace.
Upon entering the terrace, one is welcomed by happy colours and the blueness of the sky. The entrance wall is adorned by a wall mural depicting the logo of the café which has now become a selfie zone. Jute rope, recycled babool wooden table tops and flooring add to the ambience and help with the acoustics. The coming together of all the distinctive elements surrounded by green plants makes up the complete place. The secluded terrace lends an experiential quality retaining scale within this volume. This then leads you to a pink spiral staircase which guides you to the upper terrace a private zone for special celebrations. The south-west facade features corrugated sheet as a protective layer from harsh sunlight. While rhythmically installed planks help channelize wind currents, plants help to maintain the moisture in the air and keep the environment cool. The flooring is recycled babool wood sourced from the forest department for very low cost.
The angles of the woven canopy were decided such that the part canopy created a shadow for the rest of the terrace.
The services are planned strategically. The artistically designed sit-outs offer a versatile way to create compositions that are easily adapted to their own spaces and have been especially designed keeping in mind the crowd the cafe would attract. The charmingly designed pendants, rendered in jute rope, have been designed to create an enchanting play of light and shadow. Each table had an individual canopy weaved with rope which gave a feel of intimate space. The spaces were designed in order to promote and create an environment that is warm and welcoming, connecting people.
The Rope Terrace Cafe is all about living in a pure zone where modernism blends with nature’s charm — dovetailing craft, material, method and design to reassure that natural material and design is an inclusive way of life.

The thought was to be sensitive to local culture and natural environment. Some of the research included studying the Sun path, Rope (organic jute) materials, sustainable materials with low carbon footprints and means and ways to construct environmentally conscious spaces following the biophilic ideas of design and ideology. The hero of the entire narrative is the material Rope (organic jute).
Globally Jute is 2nd largest natural fiber produced. India is single largest producer of jute goods in the world. Jute is also known as golden fiber because of its colour and market value. Jute is durable due to its woody composition, and it grows without needing too much water or any chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This growth efficiency means that we need less land to cultivate jute in comparison to other crops; therefore, we do not need to expand and encroach upon natural habitats and ecosystems with our agricultural efforts. We can grow and harvest jute on the same area of land, as jute actually increases soil fertility for future crops (either jute or other crops).
As a fiber, jute is biodegradable (it degrades biologically in 1 to 2 years) and compostable. In other words, disposing of jute does not come with a huge environmental impact. Jute scraps in compost continue the jute’s sustainability feature, as we use compost for land organic fertilization.
The jute plant absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen at a rate several times higher than trees
Globally, jute is the second
largest natural fiber produced,

A cohesive identity of the space and surface arose responding to the unique use of the indigenous material ROPE.
Material palette is dominated by recycled materials (jute rope, gum, Arabic wood, corrugated sheets and MS, aluminium and natural stone and Eco-friendly colour).
• The south-west façade features corrugated sheet as a protective layer from harsh sunlight. While rhythmically installed planks help channelize wind currents, plants help to maintain the moisture in the air and keep the environment cool.
• The flooring is recycled babool wood sourced from the forest department for very low cost. The wood was not directly screwed on the floors so as to not damage the waterproofing layer for the offices below. Instead, flooring modules with aluminium frames (aluminium as it does not rust) were laid such that water flows easily below it.
• The tabletop are from reclaimed wood
• The charmingly designed pendants (lamp), rendered in jute rope

Attributes of material ROPE
1. Locally sourced and locally crafted
2. Eco friendly, sustainable, handled easily, cost effective.
3. natural material, can take any form and transform a space.
4. Rope doesn’t have thermal conductivity thus helps to maintain temperature underneath.
5. It does not absorb and retain heat.
6. Watered jute keeps the surrounding cool
7. The jute/burlap/ ROPE fabric is breathable and resilient to weather conditions, wear, tear.

Time and budget strictures
The hero of the entire narrative is the material Rope (organic jute)
Using green materials can reduce the environmental impact of extraction, transportation, installation etc. Other criteria like local availability, durability, should be reusable as well as abundant should be satisfied for it to be classed as a green material. Green materials also enhance the indoor air quality as the materials are non-toxic, have minimal chemical emission and low moisture resistance.

Natural fabric uses less energy for production, emits fewer greenhouse gases and supports organic farming (which has myriad environmental, social and health benefits).
1. Constraints posed by time intensified the proclivity for earth-friendly materials and processes: Inclusion of
local labour and craft.
2. Material palette is dominated by recycled materials (jute rope, gum, Arabic wood, corrugated sheets and
MS, aluminium and natural stone and Eco-friendly paint. Light fixtures with LEDs.
3. Each table (top reclaimed wood) had an individual/personal canopy weaved with rope which gave a feel of
intimate space.
4. The flooring is recycled babool wood sourced from the forest department for very low cost. The wood was not directly screwed on the floors so as to not damage the waterproofing layer for the offices below. Instead, flooring modules with aluminium frames (aluminium as it does not rust) were laid such that water flows easily below it.
5. Jute rope — which gives the café its name — sees liberal usage owing to its eco-friendliness. Jute is a
humble material, which can take any form and transform a space. It doesn’t have thermal conductivity thus
helps to maintain temperature, doesn’t absorb and retain heat. Watered jute keeps the surrounding cool.
easy handling; locally sourced and locally crafted.
6. JUTE Rope - eco-friendly, sustainable, handled easily, cost effective.
The south-west façade features corrugated sheet as a protective layer from harsh sunlight. While
rhythmically installed planks help channelize wind currents, plants help to maintain moisture in the air and
keep the environment cool.
The periphery of the terrace had potted green native species of plants and semi visual barriers created
from rope and recycled wood which formed an integral part of the design.
To reach this design to as many as possible so that the people realize that a sustainable and economical
project with low impact on the environment is possible easily, it’s a shared aspiration that we work for. The
material ROPE is stylishly used for a café redefining the meaning of an organic traditional material. A unique
and outside the box thinking, use of recycled and reclaimed materials and converting them into energetic
dynamic designs
The thought was to be sensitive to local culture and natural environment. Some of the research included
studying the Sun path, Rope (organic jute) materials, sustainable materials with low carbon footprints and
means and ways to construct environmentally conscious spaces following the biophilic ideas of design and
ideology. The hero of the entire narrative is the material Rope (organic jute).
Communities cultivating it can benefit from it directly and indirectly, thus contributing to their own
economic development.
Cultivating jute for wood, paper, clothes and bags, furniture and other applications can lead to a
sustainable and efficient fight against plastic consumption, with the added benefit of reducing carbon
dioxide emissions, lowering our carbon footprints, and finding new and alternative resources to fight
climate change.

Budget strictures and time
The south-west façade needed to be designed and resolved to protect from the harsh climate. It features corrugated sheet as a protective layer. Rhythmically installed planks help channelize wind currents, plants help to maintain the moisture in the air and keep the environment cool.
The flooring is recycled babool wood sourced from the forest department for very low cost. The wood was not directly screwed on the floors so as to not damage the waterproofing layer for the offices below. Instead, flooring modules with aluminium frames (it does not rust) were laid such that water flows easily below it.
Each table had an individual canopy weaved with rope to combat the heat and sunlight
Building by-laws precluded the possibility of any kind of permanent or semi-permanent structure so we could cover the terrace with semi-permanent structure only, so the Rope was an apt material keeping in mind the climate. The angles of the weaved canopy were such that the part canopy created a shadow for the rest of the terrace.
While the craftsmen were tying the jute rope to the pipe it was easy to keep the rope straight at the narrow end but as the angle increased the length and weight of the rope increased and to keep the rope straight, they applied more pressure resulting in the pipe to bend. We realized This may damage the existing structure, so we let the rope be slightly loose. The sagging part of the rope created dramatic shape and shadows.

The ropes give the space a direction, sharpness and sophistication while remaining quite ubiquitous and elementary in materiality, whether dynamic and fluid, contoured and round, structured and rhythmic it is proving itself to be a material that is capable of forming interesting spaces that can interact with its surroundings. The use of such humble ensemble is a way of inspiring our fellow designers that an ordinary material can transform a space with our passion and creativity. This is our pursuit on our journey an opportunity to showing our unique character and personality adding value and meaning to the urban lifestyle.