Meet the architects of the Brigade Metropolis enclave

Jaishankar in conversation with Mr T.M. Thomas (R)

Thomas Architects, one of the city's leading architects, have conceptualised and designed Brigade Metropolis-our integrated enclave, at Mahadevapura, enroute to Whitefield. In a free-flowing interview, Mr T.M. Thomas takes us through the mind and sensitivities of an urban architect: touching upon issues as diverse as the city's growing development needs to the inspiration behind designing a project like Brigade Metropolis.

What do you feel about integrated townships and enclaves?
I think the approach towards these integrated housing facilities combined with shopping, clubs, offices which are close to home, serviced apartments etc., is the way to go. Since larger tracts of land are becoming available, this may be setting the trend for the future.

Do you feel Whitefield is going the Gurgaon way? Does it have the potential to become a satellite town?
There's a lot more to the area called Whitefield than meets the eye. Whitefield is now coming up with 6 hotels, an entertainment complex and shopping malls, so I think ultimately it will be more solid than Gurgaon. It will develop slower but more solidly than Gurgaon. Those who have come to stay here have made this decision based on their need to work in this area.

How is Brigade Metropolis different from other developments and projects that you have worked on?
It is a Thomas design! 25% land has been forfeited to offer a better quality of life. There are 85% open spaces. Wider gaps between blocks make for better housing. IT requires efficient floor plates that are large, easily serviced and accessible. Summit is a nice looking workaholic kind of building. It is efficient, functional, well lit and open on all 4 sides. It also has excellent grids and flexible floor plates in addition to huge car parking, lots of elevators and better safety.

What was your design philosophy behind planning Brigade Metropolis?
The first was the excitement of working on a large project like Brigade Metropolis. Secondly, we did an informal survey of what the market in the present condition would be. With 7,500-8,000 people living here, what would it be like if you were one of them? The kind of standards, privacy, safety and security issues…all these tend to collect in the mind when you design.

There are the all important aspects of FSI's. When considering Metropolis, at that time we had a height limit of 60 metres. That works its way into how many blocks, the best arrangement, distance, access, etc.

But fundamentally because of this huge population we wanted to make sure that life could be at a level where people do not interact with vehicles. So we came up with the idea of situating the enclave on a podium which at that time was a new concept. It elevates the populace above the vehicular traffic. Next was to decide the basic unit sizes. Brigade knows best what the market needs are. They know their customers best. And we get a lot of feedback from them.

With the market being so full of projects, one has to fine tune every aspect including the yield that the customer gets if he buys.

What do you think is the key to improving Bangalore's infrastructure?
I think the key is in doing the roads. Power can be generated, water can be transported. Time is valuable and it should be easy to commute from your place of stay to your place of work, entertainment, prayer, etc.

Jaishankar (L), Mr T.M. Thomas and Mr Tilak Thomas (R) with the scale model of Brigade Metropolis

Our philosophy is to provide for a better quality of life. In your opinion, what else do we need to look at?
One important thing is maintenance. Quality of life comes from peace and security…a well maintained home, beautiful surroundings, a secure investment. There should be some methodology by which people are compelled to maintain. I think we're on the verge of this becoming a serious industry. It's in the nascent stage. With this come other issues as well. We need to come up with a package for everything: gas, garbage collection, maintenance and a thick skin to take all the complaints.

With the arrival of foreign architects, what are your views on current architectural trends?
You need to be more responsible in your approach. To make sure that you are as capable (as them), if not more. You need to provide good designs and service, as their coming in has created international benchmarks.

Where do you want to take Thomas Associates?
A profession is different from business. There's a fine line that separates the two, and we like to stay on the professional side. I'm keen that we run our profession, and would like to remain an ethical, design-oriented, solution-providing and problem-solving firm. The goodwill of all my clients is central.