Client: Mumbai Airport Lounge Services
Location: Mumbai, India
Completion date: 2014
Artwork budget: $250,000
Project Team
Architect
ABM ARCHITECTS
ABM ARCHITECTS
Architect
Alfaz Miller
ABM ARCHITECTS
Architect
Suryaprakash Makharia
ABM ARCHITECTS
Art Consultant
Sandeep Khosla
Abu Jani - Sandeep Khosla
Artist
Brinda Miller
Brinda Miller
Overview
Terminal 2 at Mumbai International Airport has perhaps the world’s largest collection of commissioned art in a public space. The GVK First Class Lounge is situated on Level 4 and the area of the Lounge is 14,500 sq. ft. It has a panoramic view of the Apron area.
Goals
The Mandate from the Owners was to make the Terminal and its facilities, distinctly Indian in design. In case of both the Terminal itself and the GVK Lounges, the country’s vast wealth of art and craft was leveraged effectively to contribute to this goal, so that the global traveler was treated to a uniquely Indian experience of hospitality and comfort.
Process
In accordance with the overall theme, the entrance acknowledges two of India’s respected symbols: Peacock, the national bird, and Lotus, the national flower. The former is rendered as a stunning blown-glass wall mural behind the hostess desks, while the latter takes the form of a series of 8 vertical paintings in bright orange with impressions of the flower.
Within the lounge, the Indian ethos is continued with the inclusion of an important ethnic architectural element: the jaali (screen). Here, it is interpreted in a modern light and used as back-lit bulk heads and screens bearing Lotus-shaped cut-outs that distinguish and compartmentalize various functions such as the dining and bar areas; the relaxation and reading areas; and the spa.
While the art was curated by a consultant who is a fashion designer with a deep understanding of Indian forms and motifs, it fell upon the Interior Architects to engineer and integrate this display -- canvas paintings, blown-glass sculptures, fret work ‘jaalis’ (screen)and intricate mirror -- such that it became a seamless part of the interior space. The process entailed selecting the art that would go into a certain composition, creating full scale drawings, and mock-ups before the actual installation.
Additional Information
The GVK First Class Lounge by TFS and Performa, has been selected as the Worlds Best First Class Lounge, at the grand finale of the World Travel Awards 2015, held in El Jadida, Morocco.