Rajiv Gandhi employs Biophilia into its VIP lounge

GMR Group is headquartered in New Delhi, and has been developing projects in high growth areas such as Airports, Energy, Transportation and Urban Infrastructure.

12,000 sqft

Included landscaping, construction & interiors

Experiential

Design & Build including, MEP, Interiors and Biophilia

Ongoing

Due to COVID, restrictions in movement has put the project on hold

Using the Public Private Partnership model, the Group has successfully leveraged its core strengths to implement several iconic infrastructure projects in India. GMR Group is best known for its iconic airport projects in Hyderabad and Delhi-Gurgaon. Recently GMR Group has launched its latest project in India, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport or RGI Airport.

The opportunity

The new airport, specifically the VVIP terminal, promises to advance technology, comfort and security for the passenger. GMR Group looked to ARCOP, an architectural and master planning practice led by a team of expert consultants to plan the architecture and master planning for this iconic project.

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The challenge

As a part of an initiative to improve the passenger experience, Arcop recently showcased Biophilia - the healing science of creating connections between people and nature - at its facility in New Delhi. Besides its overall focus on architecture, Arcop collaborated with us to enhance the experience which would overrule all current standards and to set a higher standard of VIP terminal to VVIP standards.

The central theme behind the VVIP lounge we proposed was to bring the idea of rediscovery of the forgotten aesthetics and softness in a time where people have got used to impersonalisation of everything around them. Biophilia is not a technology, nor a product. It is a mindset in designing spaces. Biophilia advocates that when we are in natural environments, our mind and body are at ease. It wants to reacquaint us with our most basic human needs and making us feel comfortable around the environment.

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The results

Our approach was to rediscover the standards of decors by designing with deeper meaning to every installation and blend them to be part of landscaping.

Painstakingly planned and built on an open-terrain with multiple restrictions, the aim of the terminal was to combine architecture, landscaping and art with a commitment to exceptional quality.

The VVIP lounge area at Rajiv Gandhi airport has kept the frequency of usage in mind. The private terminal is meant for welcoming heads of states and great entrepreneurs who visit the country infrequently. It was important that they’re given a unique experience while still preserving the character of Indian hospitality and efficiency. We have ushered biophilia into every aspect, from fabrics, to statues, to terminals. We define biophilia as a profound relationship with nature, characterized by an understanding that all living systems are interconnected.

Conclusion

In a country which is home to Vedic tradition and one of the oldest living philosophical tradition, we have inherently connected nature with the culture. The following project captures this relationship through its theme, which uses the principle of biophilia by harmonizing bio-diversity into the airport terminal design.

"I'm grateful to work with Rubenius. They have extended the Biophilic design we conceptualised incorporating natural materials, natural light, natural vegetation and nature views of the natural world into the modern built-in habitat."

Siddharth Mazumbar
Architect, Arcop

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