Towers Without Roots Navigating Globalisation and Supply Chains in India’s Architectural Future How do contrasting architectural approaches navigate tensions between globalization, cultural identity, and sustainable supply chains in addressing Mumbai’s dense urban context and climate? View of Mumbai at Dusk, Adobe Stock
India has a long and rich history of architectural practices blending local materials with cultural and spiritual influences, as seen in its temples and havelis built from regional sandstone, marble, and timber1. These structures often utilised local vernacular renewable materials. However, post-independence, rapid urbanisation and globalisation has facilitated greater access to resources, changes in aesthetic tastes and accelerated desire for Western symbols of prestige2. Modern India’s rapid development and shifting aesthetics often require more complex globalised supply chains to access fragile non-renewable materials to achieve the opulent skyscrapers and luxury residences now seen in its major cities. The rise of globalization and increasingly complex and unregulated supply chains represent two critical architectural horizons shaping the built environment and its’ materials, aesthetics, and cultural connections. Both horizons are inextricably linked, with globalisation seeing money, information and materials flowing rapidly across borders. There is growing homogenization and introduction of outside architectural influences with traditional cities being transformed into sprawling high-rise which could arguably result in the loss of connectivity with roots and tradition. The core substances, finishes, and structural components of building design also links directly to extraction methods, resource depletion, manufacturing techniques, and labour dynamics along complex supply chains worldwide. This has exacerbated issues like sand exploitation3 and carbon emissions from concrete production and transport miles for importing materials. However, alternatives exist that can achieve modern housing goals, combating dense, overcrowded and land sparse conditions in India’s cities without requiring dramatic height, footprint or spend. Such alternatives can achieve quality family homes using localised materials and supply while respecting India’s architectural traditions and supporting its local economy. Architects must respond by making choices which embrace or reject these differing approaches and either choice means navigating complex trade-offs. 1. Cooper, Ilay and Barry Dawson. “Traditional Buildings of India.” (1998). 2. Sood, Ashima. “Indian Urbanization.” Urban Studies (2020): n. pag. 3. Orr, John. “India looks at using plastic waste as a partial replacement for sand in structural concrete.” Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering (2019): n. pag. View of Mumbai at Sunset, Adobe Stock
Two Mumbai buildings that represent these differing architectural approaches in modern India are Perkins and Wills’ Antilia Skyscraper and Malaksingh Gills’ Avatar House. Antilia is estimated to be the world’s second most expensive property in the world after Buckingham Palace costing $1-2 billion USD in construction4. A 27-story, 400,000-foot extravagant mansion on Altamount Road in the heart of Mumbai owned by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. Designed by Perkins + Will, an architectural firm from Chicago, and built by Australian based Leighton Holdings from premium glass, steel, concrete, and marble. Avatar House, conversely, was the first eco-friendly house in Mumbai. A 2-story, 2,000- foot upper middle-class residence in the Malabar Hill neighbourhood of Mumbai, originally commissioned by chartered accountant Anil Sekhri5. Designed by local architect Malaksingh Gill in collaboration with Ashok Mather and built by engaging local skilled labour from regional black basalt stone and timber6. This research paper will present the Antilia Skyscraper and Avatar House as opposing representations of India’s architectural future in dense urban areas, specifically focusing on these interconnected horizons of Globalization, related to culture and traditions; and nontransparent Supply Chains, related to heightened sand usage. *** 4. Ranjana Patra “Mukesh Ambani’s House, Antilia: Key features, estimated price & address.” 99acres, February 2, 2023, https://www.99acres.com/articles/mukeshambanis-house-antilia 5. Prachi Rege, Mitali Patel “Minimum City: The best homes of Mumbai and what makes them so” India Today, May 23, 2011, https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/ supplement/story/20110523-minimum-city-746039-2011-05-11 6. “Cement and Steel Free Breathable and Recyclable Buildings by Malaksingh Gill: Mumbai.” Surfaces Reporter, February 2, 2011, https://surfacesreporter.com/ articles/82349/cement-and-steel-free-breathable-and-recyclable-buildings-by-malaksingh-gill-mumbai chor-bazaar market, mumbai, Shutterstock
Globalisation is essential in supporting economic growth for India, giving access to foreign investment, companies, tourism, and trade markets, which helps the country to prosper and fund infrastructure and services7. It’s also essential for connectivity into global networks such as transport, internet, and media8. Cities and urban regions are the core of globalisation development and are therefore increasingly redeveloped, renewed, marketed, and promoted to attract potential investors and consumers9. Mumbai is a prime example of this, and some spatial developments which are seen in the global cities of the West have also started to be seen in Mumbai. For example, an island of skyscrapers at Neriman Point which is the financial centre of Mumbai and the Malabar Hill neighbourhood in which the Indian jet set live10. With increasing pressure on land in this densely populated city, municipalities have increased the permissible level of floor space index and vertical limits of buildings11. This evolution in architecture including the monumental skyscrapers symbolises corporate success and attracts foreign investors and talent to the area, in fact, Mumbai is now one of the most expensive property markets in South-East Asia12. However, as architecture inherently communicates identity and values, these global influences also have the power to overwhelm, often moving away from relationships with the culture and tradition13. 7. Wani, Suadat Hussain and M. Afzal Mir. “Globalisation and Economic Growth in India: An ARDL Approach.” The Indian Economic Journal 69 (2021): 51 - 65. 8. Choubey, Somya, N. G. Pendse and Narendra Shukla. “Globalisation and its impact on Indian economy.” (2006). 9. Saitluanga, Benjamin L. “Globalisation, Urbanisation and Spatial Inequality in India with Special Reference to North East India.” International Political Economy: Globalization eJournal (2013): n. pag. 10. Eren, Fatih. “An Evaluation of Mumbai s Urban Development.” International Journal of Research 1, no. 7 (2014). 11. Saitluanga, Benjamin L. “Globalisation, Urbanisation and Spatial Inequality in India with Special Reference to North East India.” International Political Economy: Globalization eJournal (2013): n. pag. 12. Brooke International, Asian Property Market Survey (Hong Kong, Brooke International, April 1998); World Bank, op. cit., 3.11; ULI, ULI Market Profiles 2000: Pacific Rim (Washington, Urban Land Institute, 2000). 13. Rynkowska-Sachse, Anna. “Culturally Sensitive Contemporary Buildings in India.” Art of the Orient (2016): n. pag. Marine Drive, Nariman Point, Mumbai, dipesh - Adobe Stock
The provocative 27-story Antilia Skyscraper, designed by elite American architects Perkins+Will and owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, is a perfect example of cosmopolitan elite lifestyles and modernity in Mumbai. Vertical urbanism has become a measuring criteria for civilisation and urban development and as a result most countries around the world are competing for having the highest skyscraper14. Both design and construction of the mansion residence show reliance on foreign expertise guiding local talent by utilising an American architectural firm Perkins+Will, Mumbai based Sterling as the project’s structural engineers, and Australian-owned construction company Leighton15. This showcases the development of modernist architecture in India, reflecting the influence of Western planners and architects. Kalia describes this as being neither a success or failure, rather “a chronicle of a period during which India made a bold attempt to make a break with her past within the confines of a socio-urban experiment that included, along with an innovative master plan, modernist buildings, new land-use patterns and the careful and deliberate inclusion of ideas that had their origin in a culture far removed from her own”16. 14. Ayad, Sofia, G. A. Hassan and Yehia Serag. “Driving Forces & Challenges for Constructing Skyscrapers.” (2020). 15. Sourav Dasgupta “Debating Tall: Residence Antilia, Mumbai” January 4, 2011, https://www. skyscrapercenter.com/building/residence-antilia/2608 16. Kalia, Ravi. “Modernism, modernization and post-colonial India: a reflective essay.” Planning Perspectives 21 (2006): 133 - 156. Antilia Skyscraper, Mukesh ambani house, Alamy
Faced with Mumbai’s acute land pressures, Antilia’s architects opted for a tall tower typology to maximize floor space for its billionaire owner’s comfort. With double height ceilings and excessive luxury amenities it is set above the city’s cramped and crowded streets. To combat the tropical heat, which is further exacerbated by the heat island effect17, the facade integrates vertical gardens and solar shading features as environmental buffers, protecting inhabitants from harsh direct sunlight and elevated temperatures. This band of vertical and horizontal gardens which shade the building and reduce the oppressive Mumbai city heat was explained by Ralph Johnson, Perkins + Will design principal “you can use the whole wall almost like a tree and increase the green area of the site by five or ten times over what it would be if you just did a green roof,” he observes, “It’s a prototype for buildings of the future”18. Antilia also has a completely sealed snow room, where temperatures reach below zero to provide relief from Mumbai’s year-round tropical climate. Consisting of a cooling plant, pump, fan, and snow generating device19. These aspects exemplify how the clients’ expectations for climatised living conditions matching global standards shaped the design approach despite the atypical local context in dense, humid Mumbai. 17. Maral, Sunita G. and Tapati Mukhopadhyay. “Signal of urban heat island (UHI) effect : A case study of Mumbai metropolitan region.” MAUSAM (2021): n. pag. 18. David Sokol “Perkins and Will Debunks Antilia Myths” Architectural Record, October 18, 2007, https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/4017-perkins-will-debunks-antilia-myths. 19. Ayshi “The Snow Room of Antilia, Mukesh Ambani’s Mansion” Piccle, January 14, 2021, https://piccle.in/snow-room-of-antilia/ Antilia Skyscraper at night, Properties
The attempt to replicate such elite environmental comforts through architecture goes far beyond local, vernacular knowledge where passive ventilation spaces are used to protect against the regional climate. However, although these design elements of extreme height and vertical gardens demonstrates solutions drawn from Western influence, there is also widespread use of Vaastu principles from traditional Indian architecture. This fusion highlights some consideration for architectural blending. Vaastu, like Feng Shui, orients a building in harmony with energy flows20. At Antilia, the plan is based on the square, which is Vaastu’s basic geometric unit, and a garden level occupies the tower’s midsection, the point where all energies converge according to the Vaastu Purusha Mandala21. 20. Arya, Rohit Kumar. “Vaastu: The Indian Art of Placement: Design and Decorate Homes to Reflect Eternal Spiritual Principles.” (2000). 21. Nathan, Vini. “Vastu Geometry: Beyond Building Codes.” (2015). Mukesh Ambani House in Mumbai, Omni House Ideas
Some praise the innovations at Antilia, like its dense urban land use, with famous Indian Architect Hafeez Contractor stating “occupying less space on the ground decongests the area at the ground level so more trees can be planted”22. However, others critique Antilia as ostentatious given the contrast with surrounding slums and acute housing deficits across Mumbai23. Antilia’s opulence overlooking the slums, flaunts inequality and a cultural disconnect between global wealth concentration and average living standards24. 22. Gopi Karelia “Without Steel Or Cement, This Architect’s Recyclable Homes Will Last A Century!” The Better India, January 7, 2020, https://www.thebetterindia. com/208444/mumbai-architect-sustainable-homes-methods-booking-building-malaksingh-gill-gop94/. 23. Jim Yardley “Soaring Above India’s Poverty, a 27 Story Home” The New York Times, October 28, 2010, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/world/ asia/29mumbai.html 24. Henry Rossoff “Riches Among Rags: India’s Richest Man Has Built The World’s Largest Home in Poverty Stricken Downtown Mumbai” November 8, 2010, The College Voice, https://thecollegevoice.org/2010/11/08/riches-among-rags-india’s-richest-man-has-built-the-world’s-largest-home-in-poverty-stricken-downtown-mumbai/ Marine Drive Mumbai Panorama, Dipesh - Adobe Stock
Unlike Antilia’s embrace of foreign architects, materials, and forms, Avatar House visibly rejects global homogeneity by honouring regional construction traditions resonant in Maharashtra. Designed by renowned Indian architect Malaksingh Gill to demonstrate sustainable building possibilities, Avatar House presents a very different aesthetic. Gill always sought to create uncomplicated, budget-friendly sustainable homes perfectly in sync with nature, stating that “I have always wanted to work for a greater common good and did not fancy the work which conventional architects were doing in Mumbai. As a student, I was critical of how contemporary buildings were not sensitive to the local cultural, and natural environment”25. Aware of the city’s shrinking spaces, the house is compact but efficient in design, while the two-story basalt stone and timber structure integrates vernacular inspiration like interior courtyards and expertly carved brick jalis attuned to passive cooling26. This demonstrates how Avatar House reconciles the difficulties associated with building residences in dense, humid urban areas with Indian architectural traditions. 25. Gopi Karelia “Without Steel Or Cement, This Architect’s Recyclable Homes Will Last A Century!” The Better India, January 7, 2020, https://www.thebetterindia.com/208444/mumbai-architect-sustainable-homesmethods-booking-building-malaksingh-gill-gop94/. 26. Gupta, Neha. “Exploring passive cooling potentials in Indian vernacular architecture.” (2017). Malaksingh Gill, Sustainable Building Materials, Surfaces Reporter
Gill served as an apprentice under Laurie Baker, known as the British “Gandhi of architecture”, and continues to be inspired by Baker’s focus on retaining a sites natural character, economic indigenous construction, and the seamless integration of local culture27. Indeed, Baker’s architecture has been widely praised for its ability to maintain tradition and culture28. We see four key elements of Gill’s philosophies throughout Avatar House: minimalism, cultural heritage, environmental consideration, and conscientious material usage. Avatar House features clean lines and absence of ornate decoration, achieved decor through carved brick jali screens rather than expensive finishes. The use of vernacular influences - brick corbels, courtyards, and alter spaces29 showcase traditional regional elements blended with modern layouts. There is passive functionality integrated into the design, optimising cross-ventilation, open plans, and natural light, limiting the need for air conditioning. The materials, predominantly renewable and recyclable, were sourced from the local area, demonstrating resource conservation. In this way, Gill’s work can be seen as an example of critical regionalism tailored for Mumbai’s communities and habitats. Critical regionalism has been an influential architectural approach in post-colonial Indian architecture and was described by Baheja as “an architectural concept that seeks to balance local needs and capabilities with the progressive lessons of modernisation”30. The design should respect the character of the surroundings31, the climactic conditions where it’s situated32 and respond to the social needs and lifestyle choices of the intended users33. The influence and importance of Critical Regionalism in Indian architecture remains strong despite the undercurrent of contemporary Western styles desired by some due to the aftermath of globalisation34. 27. Misra, Manjusha. “Laurie Baker’s contribution to the continuation of vernacular architecture in India.” International Journal of Environmental Studies 73 (2016): 631 - 650. 28. Oommen, Thomas. “RETHINKING INDIAN MODERNITY FROM THE MARGINS: ARCHITECTURAL POLITICS IN THIRUVANANTHAPURAM IN THE 1970s.” Architectural Theory Review 22 (2018): 386 - 409. 29. Cooper, Ilay and Barry Dawson. “Traditional Buildings of India.” (1998). 30. Bahga, Sanyam and Gaurav Raheja. “An account of critical regionalism in diverse building types in postcolonial Indian architecture.” Frontiers of Architectural Research (2018): n. pag. 31. Yeang, Ken. "Tropical urban regionalism: Building in a South-East Asian city." (No Title) (1987). 32. Paiva Henrique, Karen. "Modernity and Continuity: Alternatives to Instant Tradition in Contemporary Brazilian Architecture." Spaces & Flows: An International Journal of Urban & Extra Urban Studies 3, no. 4 (2013). 33. Lefaivre, L. M., and Alexander Tzonis. Critical regionalism: architecture and identity in a globalized world. Prestel publishing, 2007. 34. Misra, Suman ., Manjari Chakraborty and Nikhil Ranjan Mandal. “CRITICAL REGIONALISM IN THE POST-COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT.” JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (2018): n. pag. A model showing the roofing system, Architect Malaksingh Gil, A pioneer of Sustainable Architecture in Regional India, Rethinking the future.
These dramatically differing residences have taken contrasting paths in navigating heritage and cultural identity in an era of accelerating globalization. As seen through the cases of Antilia and Avatar House, architects must weigh numerous complex factors when designing homes suited to Mumbai’s dense urban fabric. From accommodating elite luxury expectations and magnetic displays of prosperity to honouring regional vernacular methods, the choices involve far more than structural and spatial considerations alone. Ultimately, reconciling the global-local tensions rests on value systems – whether to prioritise modernity and wealth or sustainability and community. *** Avatar Bungalow, https://avatarvilla.netlify.app
The volume of concrete consumed by the construction industry is enormous and its production accounts for 4% of Global C02 emissions35. In India, conventional concrete contains natural sand obtained from riverbeds as fine aggregates. The exponential growth of Mumbai’s construction industry has therefore led to a significant increase in the demand for sand, resulting in the overexploitation of this resource and a dwindling of natural sand36. Sand supply from the riverbeds is not able to meet the demand of the booming construction sector, so increasingly sand is being extracted by washing surface soils of agricultural fields, which Hedge explains sees nearly 25% of the sand supplied coming from this source. This increasing commodification of sand through opaque supply chains has ecological consequences, including soil erosion, siltation of water bodies, and excessive groundwater exploitation37. Indeed, Torres states that increasing sand extraction, trade, and consumption pose significant global sustainability challenges that needs to be addressed urgently38. Even when sand mining is regulated, it is often subject to rampant illegal extraction and trade and has seen the rise of India’s Sand Mafia, which generates approximately USD 17 million per month in revenues. Rege highlights the group’s fragmented structure and use of violence, political affiliation, and regenerative properties to ensure continued operation39. 35. Andrew, R. M.: Global CO2 emissions from cement production, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 195–217, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-195-2018, 2018. 36. Vijayaraghavan, Nimitha . and Abhay S. Wayal. “Effect of Manufactured Sand on Durability Properties of Concrete.” (2013). 37. Hegde, Rajendra, S. Kumar, K. S. Anil Kumar, Sujay Srinivas and V. Ramamurthy. “Sand extraction from agricultural fields around Bangalore : Ecological disaster or economic boon?” Current Science 95 (2008): 243-248. 38. Torres, Aurora, Jodi S Brandt, Kristen Lear and Jianguo Liu. “A looming tragedy of the sand commons.” Science 357 (2017): 970 - 971. 39. Rege, Aunshul. “Not biting the dust: using a tripartite model of organized crime to examine India’s Sand Mafia.” International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice 40 (2016): 101 - 121. Sand Mining Stock Photo, Adobe Stock
The challenging design of the Antilia Skyscraper stretches the boundaries of architecture and engineering, with high levels of complexity and innovation. At its vast scale, the tower’s concrete volumes exacerbate regional construction sand shortages. One notable feature of Antilia is its ability to withstand an earthquake of 8 on the Richter scale40. This is possible due to several features of its structural design which amplify the concrete usage, including a 3-meter-thick raft foundation designed to handle seismic forces, and a central core containing thick reinforced concrete shear walls to resist lateral forces41. Even throughout its build, Antilia continued to intensify the use of high strength concrete. Originally conceived as a structural steel-framed building, the structural steel members were very heavy and difficult to fabricate, transport, and erect, so it was decided to convert the design to an RCC framed structure42. When the structural design was revised from steel to concrete, most of the columns had to be heavily reinforced to retain the original cross-section. This resulted in higher stress levels in the columns compared to the thick shear walls. The skyscraper used high strength concrete grades of M60, M50 and M40 throughout the building, which Kumar cites as becoming increasingly popular throughout India with its proven utility in the construction of important structures. The high strength concrete grades used throughout Antilia are likely to have used imported cement. 40. “5 Facts About Antilia, Mukesh Ambani’s $2 billion Mumbai Mansion: March 9, 2021, Architectural Digest India, https://www.architecturaldigest.in/story/5-facts-about-antiliamukesh-ambanis-dollar2-billion-mumbai-mansion/ 41. Deepali Hadker “Residence Antilia” July, 2010 Sterling Quarterly Newsletter, http://www. sterlingengg.com/newsletter/sterling_newsletter_2.pdf 42. Deepali Hadker “Residence Antilia” July, 2010 Sterling Quarterly Newsletter, http://www. sterlingengg.com/newsletter/sterling_newsletter_2.pdf Mukesh Ambani House, Alamy
In India, the highest grade of cement readily available is 53 grade OPC cement. Kumar explains that globalisation of the Indian economy paved the way for easy availability of microsilica and latest superplasticisers in the country. M60 and higher grades of concrete are now becoming popular with its proven utility in the construction of important structures43. The import of heavy and bulky materials like steel and concrete results in higher carbon emissions from transportation, higher costs and lower visibility across the supply chain meaning less confidence in responsible extraction and production methods. Further to this, India is not selfsufficient in the production of cement, the main ingredient of concrete and the demand for exceeds the supply and makes the construction activities even costlier44. Although there are alternatives, such as the use of fly ash, which is seen as a sustainable design choice featured in the Petronas Towers45, there is no evidence that this was considered for Antilia. However, if such alternatives were utilised, opting for more locally or regionally sourced materials would lower costs, environmental harm, and supply chain risks for construction. 43. Kumar, Praveen. “Some trends in the use of concrete : Indian scenario.” (2003). 44. Jayasankar, R., N. Mahindran and R. Ilangovan. “Studies on Concrete using Fly Ash, Rice Husk Ash and Egg Shell Powder.” International Journal of Civil and Structural Engineering 1 (2010): 362-372. 45. Tamboli, Akbar R., Leonard Martin Joseph, Umakant Vadnere and Xiao Tong Xu. “Tall Buildings : Sustainable Design Opportunities.” (2008) https://global.ctbuh.org/resources/papers/download/1319-tall-buildings-sustainable-design-opportunities.pdf Personal Explorational Drawing of Antilia Skyscraper
Antilia stands as a spectacle normalising extreme luxury material flows detached from Mumbai’s resource realities. The tower represents a path where architecture caters to elite interests rather than broader community and habitat wellbeing regarding fragile global resources like sand. Avoiding energy-intensive steel and concrete common in modern constructions, Avatar House promotes the use of regional basalt stone and timber. Architect Gill intentionally selected these vernacular materials not only to retain cultural identity, but crucially to avoid environmentally strained market-based supply chains that drain resources like river sand. This choice to avoid modern architectural techniques like Reinforced Cement Concrete, steel bars, plates, and mesh due to their intensive production processes and high embodied energy as construction materials, demonstrates an alternative approach to construction centred on sustainability46. It’s estimated that Gill has prevented thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere by using traditional construction materials like mud, bamboo, brick, lime, and wood to build structures across India47. 46. Poonam Malhotra “Indian Architects Bearing Flag of Eco-living High” Conscious Karma, November, 2020, https://consciouscarma.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Conscious-Carma-FinalV1.pdf 47. Karelia, Gopi, “Without Steel Or Cement, This Architect’s Recyclable Homes Will Last A Century!” The Better India, January 7, 2020, https://www.thebetterindia.com/208444/mumbai-architect-sustainable-homesmethods-booking-building-malaksingh-gill-gop94/. Mud and Bamboo Construction, Adobe Stock
By embracing traditional stone masonry structural systems, Avatar House conserves exponentially more sand than any contemporary concrete methods could. Despite the wide belief that construction in India must use cement to withstand the heat48, Gills states, “I have studied century-old village buildings of various sizes, to validate my argument about their durability, longevity, thermal comfort, bio-sensitivity and cost-effectiveness. Pick any old structure when cement was not available and notice how they still stand the test of time with little or no degradation”49. Throughout his work, Gill conscientiously follows four basic principles of construction: construction at minimal cost, all materials should be from within 1km radius around the site of construction, built by the locals and merges with the landscape50. These guiding principals have enormous impact on supply chains. Avatar House reduces the environmental costs and carbon emissions associated with transporting heavy building materials over long distances through extensive supply chains. Procuring materials within a 1km radius and utilising local construction labour supports local businesses, provides jobs, and circulates money in the community. This has a positive economic impact and reduces the length and of supply chains whilst giving greater visibility, reducing the concerns for unethical sourcing and mining practices. By following low-cost, low-impact principles, Avatar House demonstrates how architectural design can have cascading positive effects on supply chains across building trades. Especially at larger scales, such conscious construction choices could significantly reduce associated transportation, energy, and material supply chain costs. 48. Rizzuto, Joseph P., Mounir M. Kamal, Hanaa Elsayad, Alaa Bashandy, Zeinab A. Etman, Mohamed N. Aboel Roos and Ibrahim G. Shaaban. “Effect of self-curing admixture on concrete properties in hot climate conditions.” Construction and Building Materials 261 (2020): 119933. 49. Karelia, Gopi, “Without Steel Or Cement, This Architect’s Recyclable Homes Will Last A Century!” The Better India, January 7, 2020, https://www.thebetterindia.com/208444/mumbai-architect-sustainable-homes-methods-bookingbuilding-malaksingh-gill-gop94/. 50. Tanisha Bharadia “Malaksingh Gill – A Pioneer of Sustainable Architecture In Regional India” Re-Thinking The Future, 16 June, 2021, https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/know-your-architects/a4945-malaksingh-gill-a-pioneerof-sustainable-architecture-in-regional-india/ Avatar Bungalow, https://avatarvilla.netlify.app
While the Antilia Skyscraper normalizes excessive luxury material flows detached from local ecological realities, Avatar House pioneers a model for sustainable construction which conserves local resources and supports the local economy. Fundamentally, these two buildings offer opposing visions for Mumbai’s climatic and density challenges - Antilia stretches vertically drawing on external influences, design and materials, whereas Avatar House optimises within its compact footprint, proving possibilities for sustainable housing, maintaining culture and local talent. As rapid development reshapes Mumbai’s landscape, contrasting architectural decisions such as these raise debates on priorities. Should city design focus outwards - demonstrating power and wealth, encouraging new investors and workers to the Country, or should it focus inwardly, preserving cultural roots and anchoring communities? *** Mumbais Diversity, Adobe Stock
Investigating the complex tensions between globalization, opaque supply chains, and architectural identity in the context of Mumbai’s development has significantly expanded my thinking. It's revealed questions about architecture’s power to support communities but hasn’t yet provided a clear answer on which approach is the best. On the one hand, iconic towers like Antilia showcase wealth and modernity, attracting investment in cities. This globally connects India and enables economic growth and infrastructure that will benefit the country and its people. On the other hand, such skyscrapers risk overlooking vernacular wisdom and communal welfare. Not all Mumbai residents feel direct gains as small businesses struggle and scarce resources deplete. Avatar House is a display of quality sustainable housing that is achievable using regional construction techniques, materials, and labour. It retains cultural authenticity while still meeting urban density and climate challenges. It is however a far smaller project, and its techniques would have fallen short in creating an earthquake proof mega tower, and it doesn’t resonate as a symbol of a powerful nation. I’m therefore left to consider how we create built environments where both influences can co-exist, taking the positive learnings from both, to enhance future construction in Mumbai. In this way, globalisation and cultural heritage can work together, creating designs that preserve roots whilst embracing western modernist design. The mix of styles present in Antilia exemplifies this – Vaastu principles fused with modern styles that maintain religious and cultural roots whilst overcoming some of the modern living expectation in densely populated, intense heat. Mumbai’s Skyscrapers, Adobe Stock
When it comes to supply chains – it’s clear that in the example we’ve explored of sand availability – both international and local supply chains have their issues. The rise of India’s Sand Mafia is causing huge issues with eco systems being damaged, illegal mining practices and the resurgence of forced labour. Yet sand scarcity is a worldwide phenomenon – and imports from other countries don’t circumnavigate this issue – they simply heighten it by adding excessive transportation costs – both in monetary terms and ecological terms. So perhaps the only answer is to avoid sand usage wherever possible. Avatar House and Gill’s wider work utilising his four principles offers a solution for conserving materials, emissions, and ecosystems. His work stands as representation that buildings can meet the requirements of an overcrowded, tropical city whist still giving the inhabitants a comfortable life without the need for imported materials and without the need to further deplete scarce resources like sand. Using these building techniques more widely in inner city construction should be promoted. I believe that an architect must find ways to navigate the tensions that exist when considering both globalisation and supply chains to create spaces uplifting both people and place. In the future, I will consider ways of blending heritage and modern design to enhance the living space without diluting the culture of the area. I will also consider more thoroughly how my material choices impact communities, labour practices, and environmental sustainability across supply chains, and will limit sourcing and techniques that damage habitats and promotes illegal practices. Marine Drive Mumbai Panorama, Dipesh - Adobe Stock
Bibliography 1. Cooper, Ilay and Barry Dawson. “Traditional Buildings of India.” (1998). 2. Sood, Ashima. “Indian Urbanization.” Urban Studies (2020): n. pag. 3. Orr, John. “India looks at using plastic waste as a partial replacement for sand in structural concrete.” Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Civil Engineering (2019): n. pag. 4. Ranjana Patra “Mukesh Ambani’s House, Antilia: Key features, estimated price & address.” 99acres, February 2, 2023, https://www.99acres.com/articles/mukesh-ambanishouse-antilia 5. Prachi Rege, Mitali Patel “Minimum City: The best homes of Mumbai and what makes them so” India Today, May 23, 2011, https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/ story/20110523-minimum-city-746039-2011-05-11 6. "Cement and Steel Free Breathable and Recyclable Buildings by Malaksingh Gill: Mumbai." Surfaces Reporter, February 2, 2011, https://surfacesreporter.com/articles/82349/ cement-and-steel-free-breathable-and-recyclable-buildings-by-malaksingh-gill-mumbai 7. Wani, Suadat Hussain and M. Afzal Mir. “Globalisation and Economic Growth in India: An ARDL Approach.” The Indian Economic Journal 69 (2021): 51 - 65. 8. Choubey, Somya, N. G. Pendse and Narendra Shukla. “Globalisation and its impact on Indian economy.” (2006). 9. Saitluanga, Benjamin L. “Globalisation, Urbanisation and Spatial Inequality in India with Special Reference to North East India.” International Political Economy: Globalization eJournal (2013): n. pag. 10. Eren, Fatih. "An Evaluation of Mumbai s Urban Development." International Journal of Research 1, no. 7 (2014). 11. Saitluanga, Benjamin L. “Globalisation, Urbanisation and Spatial Inequality in India with Special Reference to North East India.” International Political Economy: Globalization eJournal (2013): n. pag.
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