If you've been counting down the days towards the much-anticipated, official opening of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale at the end of May, a new show at the Roca London Gallery is here to offer a teaser that might help with the wait.
The new show, opening today at the West London gallery, focuses on the work of inspiring Indian architect Anupama Kundoo, and acts as a companion piece to her scheduled installation at the Venetian Arsenal.
Now based in Madrid, Kundoo is known for her work in sustainable and affordable production, working with case studies in her home country, but also abroad. Aiming to provide real solutions to India's housing problem, the architect develops her experimental designs by collaborating with a range of makers, from the most technologically advanced engineers, to Indian craftspeople working with traditional methods.
Collaborating with local communities in a range of settings, from countryside locations to dense urban centres, the architect researches and designs affordable housing and sanitation solutions. Samples of her 'Full Fill Home' prototype, 'Light Matters Housing' and 'Easy WC' schemes will be on display at Roca during the exhibition, accompanied by photographs and films, showing their construction in progress.
Kundoo's designs, which have been praised by Venice Biennale director Alejandro Aravena, can be made swiftly and easily, using skills that are readily available in the respective communities and that local craftspeople can pass on to each other. At the same time, they cover all the necessary structural and sanitary requirements needed to improve the living conditions of hundreds of people.
A panel debate discussing the role of architects in disaster reconstruction situations will follow the official opening tonight, offering further food for thought to this stimulating exhibit.
Kundoo explores issues of sustainability and affordability. Her 'Full Fill House' prototype showcases ways of creating housing by working with local communities
Kundoo collaborates with local craftspeople to devise projects requiring skills that can be easily shared among peers
The 'Easy WC' scheme is the result of research into issues surrounding sanitation
INFORMATION
’Anupama Kundoo: High-speed housing’ is on view until 18 June. For more information, visit Roca London Gallery’s website
For more information on Anupama Kundoo, visit the architect’s website
ADDRESS
Roca London Gallery
Station Court
Townmead Road
London, SW6 2PY
-
We savour the new Aston Martin Vantage Roadster on twisting Austrian roadsAston Martin launched its newest convertible, the Vantage Roadster, in the Austrian mountains, offering the chance to drive for driving’s sake and nothing more
-
SMAC Venice hosts a substantial show about celebrated Australian modernist Harry SeidlerA comprehensive overview of the life and work of the late architect Harry Seidler helped inaugurate Venice’s new SMAC gallery in Piazza San Marco
-
Sex, scent and celebrity: what perfume ads of the 2000s reveal about consumer culture todayIn All-American Ads of the 2000s, the latest instalment of Taschen’s book series chronicling print advertising across ten decades, a section on perfume is a striking precursor for consumerism in the age of social media
-
Shalini Misra’s Delhi home is a seasonal sanctuary ‘made in India’Interior designer Shalini Misra’s retreat in the Indian capital champions modernist influences, Islamic ancestry and local craftsmanship
-
A triplex Mumbai penthouse contains sculptural staircases and expansive terracesEnso House is a multigenerational Mumbai penthouse by S+PS Architects that combines a reorganised interior programme with bespoke finishes and crafts
-
This ‘architourism’ trip explores India’s architectural history, from Mughal to modernismArchitourian is offering travellers a seven-night exploration of northern India’s architectural marvels, including Chandigarh, the city designed by Le Corbusier
-
At the Institute of Indology, a humble new addition makes all the differenceContinuing the late Balkrishna V Doshi’s legacy, Sangath studio design a new take on the toilet in Gujarat
-
Pretty in pink: Mumbai's new residential tower shakes up the cityscape'Satguru’s Rendezvous' in Mumbai houses luxury apartments behind its elegant fluted concrete skin. We take a tour.
-
Join our world tour of contemporary homes across five continentsWe take a world tour of contemporary homes, exploring case studies of how we live; we make five stops across five continents
-
Walk through an Indian villa near Mumbai, where time slows downIn this Indian villa, Architecture Brio weaves together water features, stunning gardens and graceful compositions to create a serene retreat near Mumbai
-
Nine emerging Indian architecture studios on a mission to transform their countryWe survey the emerging Indian architecture studios and professionals, who come armed with passion, ideas and tools designed to foster and bolster their country's creative growth
