Sense of Place

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Steve Thomas Emberson takes a look at Mumbai Airport.India is a vast continent littered with culturalgems, which is what has made it so specialfor a long list of travellers over the centuries.Fast forward to today and it is developinginto a global economic power with anextraordinary contemporary culture rightalong side. Where the old and the new meetis in the newly opened Mumbai - ChatrapatiShivaji International airport. Mumbai waspreviously known as Bombay, capital of thestate Naharashtra and was, and is the mostimportant city in India. Airports all aroundthe world have been accused of “looking thesame” and to a certain extent this has beentrue but things are changing fast. We nowhave “Sense of Place”, a beautiful phrase formeaning “of the area” or “of the City orCountry.” In airport terms it means thedesign takes on a flavour of the endemicculture that is where the airport is located.How then does “ Retail Lighting” fit into thisgrand master-plan? As we all know lightingfits everything, streets, stadia, hospitals andshops. For retail it can give atmosphere, dayand night light and above all it gives theatre,and in Mumbai airport it is pure theatre thatmakes the ‘Sense of Place’. Here thelighting, and there is a lot of it, has beenused to create something that is uniquelyIndia and has the essential mix of old andthe new as Steve Stewart, Technical

Designer at The Design Solution explains.“Back in July 2009 we were presentingdesign themes based on local architectureand design features that were unique toMumbai, images of local crafts, textures,carvings, pottery, food and spices. All wereto influence the design direction to be usedto create the interior spaces. It was decidedthat one tonal voice between light andmedium design patterns was to set the trendfor the ceiling and perimeter wall freezes.The leaf pattern became a dominant featureand was developed to sit over the Rangolicentral area theme. To get a Sense of Place,the main concourse area for both Domesticand International Departures were dividedinto three zones. Zone One was to bePremium, Zone Two the Central area andZone Three the Food Court. All three zoneswere to be bound with the same colourpallet, ceiling principles and flooring.The development of the design of theRangoli patterns was both difficult andcomplex as Nigel Muntzer, Senior Planner atThe Design Solution explained. “The centralarea planning and perimeter framework wasbased on the art of Rangoli. This is knownby different names in different regions suchas “Rangoli” in Maharashtra, “Alpana” inBengal and “Kolam” in South India. TheseRangoli designs have been passed down

Mumbai Airport

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Mumbai Airport

through generations with some of thembeing hundreds of years old. Though thedesigns vary in different sections of Indiathe basic approach is common with thedesigns being geometric andproportioned. We decided that the threezones were to be distinguished by threedistinct perimeter freezes developed fromthe Rangoli patterns. Elevations weredrafted showing the perimeter withalternative patterns, when selected thesebecame the basis of the constructionprocess.”The process of construction of the lightingfreeze and leaf work was a lengthy one.Consideration was given to aluminium andother materials but it was decided thatCRG with acoustic padding was thepreferred material for the main ceilingleaves. The same material was used forthe zone one perimeter freeze worktogether with silicone moulds used to castthe panels which could be curved tomatch the complicated perimeterbulkhead forms in that area. Both thematerials for construction and subsequentmanufacture could be sourced locally.The overall result of the lighting freezework is beautiful. It would have been soeasy to use the same design for the freeze work in all three zones, but no, the

fretwork for the central area and foodcourt were designed to be more open andcontemporary with large frosted glasspanels inset in the centres complete withsmall coloured glass bejewelled by thebacklighting. This is an excellent exampleof how different lighting, complicatedfretwork, can build a whole airport interiorinto a contemporary backdrop for acountry’s gateway. It has true ‘Sense ofPlace’, yesterday crafted into today’sneed for the latest in jet travel. You knowwhere you have landed together with afitting last impression of where you have been.

The Design Solution+44 (0)20 7908 5200www.thedesignsolution.co.uk

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