The Journey of a Starry Façade

The facade of the head-office cum showroom of Classic Marble Company’s(CMC) in central suburbs of Mumbai has been designed to represent distinction with innovation.   Subodh & Amit Shah, owners of CMC while renovating their showroom in Bhandup, Mumbai decided to renovate the façade as well and material options like glass and ACP panels were considered. “We wanted a design that would be a trendsetter. After deliberating on many material choices we decided, why not use our own product in an innovative way and showcase its design possibilities, explained Amit Shah, Managing Director, CMC. Thus, breaking away from the clutter, the showroom cum office building designed by Architect Sunil Gambani (Drishti Architects And Interior Designers) adds a spark to the immediate surroundings with its façade telling the story of the brand even before anyone steps foot in it. CMC’s flagship brand for composites KalingaStone was picked out for accomplishing this objective and the entire façade was clad with it. The next step was to further accentuate its beauty by adding to it an element of light. Interestingly, being a processed material which makes it stronger, the composite marble allowed for being machined into reduced thickness Elaborating on the product features Amit said, “The beauty of these products is that it is permanent and maintenance free. In 15-20 storey buildings, painting is high maintenance; products like these can be directly fixed on the exterior walls for buildings till 30m and by dry cladding for taller buildings. With developers required to give guarantee for their projects under RERA, such low-maintenance materials will become a necessity.”   Design Execution The dry cladding of the composite marble uses frame structure with stones clamped into place. The LED lights behind the surface are accessible and can be replaced if need be. Also, the lights have been carefully selected to give just the right amount of light intensity Without making the composite marble dangerously fragile but thin enough for making it translucent, the marble slabs were machined to 5mm thickness in select areas. A technical innovation in external facades and a first of its kind in India, a CNC machine was employed to cut or engrave square patterns into the marble slab. The opaque surface allows for light to pass through it, beautifully highlighting the delicate veins and elaborating the richness of the marble. The resulting 473sqm façade backlit structure, not only successfully creates a distinct identity of the building but also endorses the company’s product – KalingaStone. Amitsaid, “The design of this façade is planned to be carried in all the showrooms across the country as the brand identity of the company.We completed this project in 90 days from concept to completion. In Silvassa we are planning a similar faced with KalingaStone and our new imported 3mm tiles from Spain, Techlam.” In the daytime the curtain filters the light through it which falls inside the office interiors in a gorgeous mélange of colours and designs and in the evenings, the LEDs behind the reliefs light up the façade to render an expression reminiscent of twinkling stars in a Milky Way.