Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir
The group of consultants steering the construction of the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir met at Gurgaon recently to confer and strategise.
The Vision
Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir is a magnificent conception. It is a tribute to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. It embodies the transcendental desires of a pure devotee, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to build a grand structure in honor of his beloved Lord. It soars in its lofty aspirations of building a world free from strife and in perfect harmony with the wishes of the Supreme Being who created everything.
Befittingly Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir will be the tallest religious structure in the world.
Practicalities
Only by meticulous planning with fastidious attention to detail is it possible to bring this monument to life. The core team of consultants who have been blessed to take on this onerous task had yet another meeting recently to discuss the progress of the project as well as contemplate the detailed plans for further development.
The Workshop
The sixth project team workshop was conducted at Gurgaon, India between 20th and 22nd of January 2016. The team members shared valuable information regarding the design and coordination aspects of the project.
Following were the participants of the current project team consisting of 24 offices:
Participants of the Workshop:
- Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir (VCM) : Client Office
- InGenious Studio Pvt. Ltd (ISPL) : Principal Architects & Interior Designers
- Dev Stone Art (DSA) : Temple Architects & Interior Designers
- Thornton Tomasetti (TT) : Structural Consultants
- Gupta Consultants & Associates (GCA) : HVAC & BMS Consultants
- WBG Consulting Engineers (WBG) : Electrical Consultants
- Behera & Associates (BA) : Plumbing Consultants
- Aecom India Pvt. Ltd (AIPL) : Fire & Life Safety Consultants
- Green Horizon (GH) : Sustainability Consultants
- Quintessence (QLA) : Landscape Consultants
- Pinkerton (PVN) : Security Consultants
- Rajasthan Risk Management (RRM) : Blast Mitigation Consultants
- HPG Consulting (HPG) : Kitchen, Laundry & Waste Mgmt Consultants
- Version Absolute Design Studio (VADS) : Signage &Wayfinding Consultants
- Hewshott International (HSI) : Acoustic, AV & IT Consultants
- Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) : Traffic & Transportation Consultants
- Design Convergence (DC) : BIM Consultants
- Fairwood (FW) : Cost & Quantity Survey Consultants
- BES Consultants Pvt Ltd (BES) : Facade Engineering Consultants
- RWDI Consulting Engineers (RWDI) : Wind Engineering & Thermal Comfort Consultants
- Dunbar & Boardman (D&B) : Vertical Transportation Consultants
- Lighting Design Partnership (LDP) : Facade & General Lighting Consultants
- Buro Happold (BH) : MEP & Structure Peer Review Consultants
- Interspace pmo (PMO) : Project Management Consultants
Workshop Sessions
The workshop spanned over three days.The offices of different disciplines presented their respective developed schematic designs. The various sessions included discussions and review of aspects of coordination among the related offices.
To reiterate the divine goals of the project the workshops began with a poignant non-technical presentation by Sriman Suvyakta Narasimha Dasa, Project Director entitled ‘Does God Exist?’ This was followed by a stirring talk by Sriman Jnana Krishna Dasa in which he recounted his personal experiences on the topic. It was an inspiring session for all present.
Picture 1: Sri Suvyakta Narasimha Dasa presenting ‘Does God Exist?’
Disciplines
Then the group turned its attention to intense technical details. The following disciplines were discussed threadbare in the three-day workshop:
Picture 2: Consultants in Discussion
- Interior Design
- Façade & General Lighting
- Signage & Way-finding
- Landscape
- Traffic & Transportation
- Pedestrian Outdoor Thermal Comfort
- Security
- Kitchen, Laundry & Waste Management
- Façade Engineering & Maintenance
- Building Information Model
- Acoustics, Audio-Visual & Information Technology
- Vertical Transportation
- Sustainability
- Cost & Pre-construction Activities
- Architecture-Structure-Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing-Fire & Life Safety co-ordination, inclusive of points from days 1 & 2
Picture 3: Teams Examining Details
The Discussions
The gathering of consultants was keenly focused on the minutest details of the various disciplines and co-ordination between the different consultant offices so that each team could hone their designs based on the inputs from the other teams. The discussions dwelt on the impact on the cost of the project by various design choices. The aesthetic and functional aspects of the temple were topics of engaging discussions. Energy conservation and sustainability and the influence they had on every aspect of design and construction were key considerations in the discussions. Technologies and techniques for accomplishing the unique blend of the modern and traditional facets of the temple were delved into in detail. Also under discussion were the infrastructural requirements for the various facilities envisaged for the project. The teams also developed key insights from the perspectives of security. Finally the team of consultants deliberated on the further course of action in taking the project forward.
Conclusion
The meeting concluded with precious exchange of information between the teams that intensified the focus of each consultant office about refinements in its specific role in the overall project. The meeting served to foster inspiration and concord among the participants of the workshop organized by the Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir.
