Monday 27 April 2015

MDS – The journey that has been ……

MDS – The journey that has been ……

It has been every architects or designers dream to see his thoughts, dreams and designs being converted to reality and the joy of witnessing this happen is no less than the joy at the birth of a child felt by a parent!

It was one fine day in April 2013 when a chance meeting with some senior members of Masters Kolkata PMC team resulted in the germination of thoughts for setting up of Masters Design Studio.

After working in the architectural consultancy domain for 2 decades with reputed architects and organizations, I was looking for an opportunity to start a practice which could be my very own and where I could put to use all that I had learnt from the great masters whom I worked with.

I had been associated with the Masters Kolkata’s PMC team, as a Consultant, on multiple projects during my career and had known the team to be extremely committed and hardworking, ably led by Mr Dhruba Bhattacharya. Ms Swati Bhattacharya, who was and is still working in PMC team along with Mr Dhruba had been nurturing ideas to start a design studio within Masters and I think it was that lucky chance encounter with both of them and many subsequent meetings thereafter, discussions and strategies with Ms Puneet Alag, building business plans, plan rejections etc that we started to believe we could really start a Design studio!!

With our MD Mr Jaspreet Singh’s vision, his heartfelt support and with me as its first and only team member, MASTERS DESIGN STUDIO started its journey from Kolkata regional office from mid April 2013.

Next was building the team and the business …the team started with my very talented colleagues from prior organizations who shared the same dream of starting a design studio and also put their belief in a new venture of an organization and me - that we started building a strong team together.

The Masters Design Studio initially started with design presentations, competitions and visits to established clients and by December 2013 we got our first big project with Hiland Group , whose MD Mr. Sumit Dabriwala put great faith in us and awarded an architectural consultancy work for 6 lakh square feet of residential buildings in his flagship project Calcutta Riverside . Thus began a great journey which has now culminated in consultancy agreements for Architectural design for over a million square feet in exactly 2 years!!

Read more at - http://www.masterspmc.com/blog/111-mds-the-journey-that-has-been

Monday 20 April 2015

Precaution to be taken to avoid Heat Stress at Site

Precaution to be taken to avoid Heat Stress at Site

  • Provide information on heat stress & required precautions in daily pep-talks & trainings.
  • Display heat stress avoidance instructions in local languages.
  • Supervisors to monitor workers who are at risk of heat stress.
  • Schedule heavy work during the coolest parts of day.
  • Acclimatize by exposing worker for progressively longer periods to hot work environments & then build up to more physical work.
  • Cover head & neck and wear loose fitting& light coloured clothing, which reflect away some of the sun’s energy.
  • Drink lots of liquids (preferably water) and drink often.
  • Don't wait until you're thirsty, by then, there's a good chance you're already on your way to being dehydrated. Electrolyte drinks are good for replacing both water and minerals lost through sweating.
  • Never drink alcohol, and avoid caffeinated beverages like coffee.
  • Eat a healthy diet. Avoid foods that are high in protein, which increase metabolic heat.
  • Take a break & cool off if you notice you're getting a headache or you start feeling overheated.
  • Take advantage of air circulation fans and other air cooling media.
  • Ensure sufficient drinking water points and rest shelters.
  • Those posted for height work, tower cranes etc. carry sufficient water.
  • Get enough sleep at night.
  • Ensure air circulating fans & sufficient cross ventilation in labour camp rooms.

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Facts on Summer Safety

Facts on Summer Safety 

Summer in most part of India is extreme. The construction workers who are exposed to extreme heat or outdoor hot work environment may be at risk of heat stress and other occupational illnesses, which may have impact on productivity & other injuries also. Since work has to continue even in such environment let’s ensure that our workers are safe and comfortable in their working conditions.

The facts about extreme heat pic2

  • Extreme heat causes death.
  • Heat related injuries are preventable.
  • Dehydration contributes to heat injury.

Following are more vulnerable to get heat related injuries

  • People that work under hot & humid condition.
  • People  with  certain  medical  conditions  like  Heart  disease,  diabetes,  obesity  or  high  blood  pressure  &  on  certain  medications like medications for depression, insomnia etc... 
  • Aged People and adolescent.


Heat cramps  are severe cramping of muscles because of  dehydration usually while carrying out physical activity in the heat.
Treatment for heat cramps is to rest in the shade, get near a fan, spray the person with water and massage the cramp
 
Heat rash is skin irritation caused by excessive sweating.                     
Get medical advice

Friday 10 April 2015

Barrier Free Design - Why should only the able-bodied gain?

Barrier Free Design - Why should only the able-bodied gain? 

Barrier-free design is frequently thought of as a way to accommodate a few special people called the handicapped. The wheelchair symbol, used to designate public parking spaces, toilets,telephones and water fountains, tend to foster the belief that barrier-free design offers accessibility mainly to those in wheelchairs. Actually, barrier-free design benefits everyone, because it makes facilities safer and much more convenient to use.

Physical conditions that make a building or facility unsafe or confusing or that prevent physically handicapped people from using them are called Architectural barriers.

desg1
An architect's first and primary contractual responsibility related to building a construction is design. Building design requires training, experience, an aesthetic sense, and an understanding of certain basic principles. Designer’s primary design objective should be to produce buildings that serve their intended purpose. They should be efficient in their use and operation for all types of people. 

Barrier free design benefits not only the physically handicapped, but also 1) children who are physically and mentally immature, 2) pregnant women 3) Older people who may suffer progressive degeneration 4) those disabled by size-related disorders such as obesity, dwarfism, etc 

Barrier free design is mainly into 3 broad categories:

1) Safety
Several accidents in buildings can be traced to obvious causes, such as slippery floors, the lack of grab bars, or inappropriate or faulty stair railings.

2) General accessibility criteria applicable to all building.
An accessible site, building, facility, or portion thereof is one that complies with current standards and can be approached, entered and used by handicapped people.

desg23) Recommendations applicable to buildings for people with specific disabilities
Designs that remove barriers for people with one kind of disability sometimes create barriers for those with a different type of disability. Hence both environments need to be met.

Technical considerations and design provisions or measures should be taken into account in the planning of the built-up environment so that we can accommodate people with Disabilities.
We at Masters have tried to highlight some of these here.



Basic Design Considerations

Obstructions
To design a barrier-free path for the safety and independence of disabled people, especially the sightless.
  • Obstructions include street furniture, traffic signs, direction signs, street plans, bollards, plants, trees, shop awnings and advertising signs, etc.
  • Obstructions should be placed outside the path of travel wherever possible
  • Obstructions in the pathway should be easy to detect, and if possible, should be placed along one continuous line.
  • Protruding elements should be avoided.
  • Spaces below ramps and stairs should be blocked out completely by protective rails or raised curbs
Signage
  • Stabilizing wires and wire netting should be painted in a contrasting colour or blocked out.
  • Barriers should be identified by stripped colour markings and should be lit at night, to guide people with limited vision.
  • All types of signages should be visible, clear, simple, easy to read and understand, and properly lit at night.
  • In general, signs should not be placed behind glass because of possible reflection.
Ramps
  • To provide ramps wherever stairs obstruct the free passage of pedestrians, mainly wheelchair users and people with mobility problems.
  • Ideally, the entrance to a ramp should be immediately adjacent to the stairs.
  • A protective handrail at least 0.40 m high must be placed along the full length of ramps.
  • The ramp surface should be hard and non-slip.
Elevators
To provide well-dimensioned elevators, that disabled people can use conveniently.
  • The accessible elevator should serve all floors normally reached by the public.
  • The door opening should not be less than 0.80 m.
  • For ease of reach, the control panel should be mounted 0.90 m to 1.20 m from the floor 
  • Control buttons should be in an accessible location and illuminated. Their diameter should be no smaller than 20 mm.
  • The elevator should signal arrival at each floor by means of a bell and a light to alert sightless and hearing-impaired passengers simultaneously.
Stairs
To provide safe and well-dimensioned staircases for the comfort of all people, especially those with mobility problems.
  • Differences in level should be illuminated or minimized as much as possible for the comfort of disabled people.
  • All steps should be uniform.
  • Circular stairs and stepped landings should be avoided
Conclusion: Let’s aim to integrate disabled people into society in order for them to take an active part in society and lead a normal life; provide a barrier-free environment for the independence, convenience and safety of all people with disabilities.


Thursday 9 April 2015

MASTERS Key Corporate Design Client, Hiland Group is working towards transforming the Skyline of Kolkata!!

MASTERS Key Corporate Design Client, Hiland Group is working towards transforming the Skyline of Kolkata!!


Hiland Group, a well established name in the Real Estate industry of Kolkata, recently went big promoting their Hiland Greens project through mass activation programmes. The campaign became the talk of the city especially due to involvement of their brand ambassador, Sourav Ganguly, a national icon!! This kind of launch is first of its kind in the real estate industry of the city which gave the opportunity of selling more than 18000 application kits in total within a month just after its launch in Jan, 2014.

Masters Design Studio has been associated with the project as the Principal Design Team since the commencement of design development in Sept, 2013.

It took vigorous efforts of team of experienced architects and engineers for more than a year to prepare the Master Plan of the project on 25 Acres of land adjacent to River Hoogly which contains 45 numbers of 15 storied towers and it was a tremendous challenge for the Masters Design team to design affordable housing options within the restraint of 712 sq ft of super built up area per unit and provide all the 3817 dwelling units equal conveniences and services.  
                                    Hiland1 Hiland2
The project which targeted mainly the middle income group, witnessed a phenomenal response to its launch when more than 5200 applications were submitted for 3817 nos. of dwelling units.
Hiland Group has been transforming the skyline of Kolkata through constant innovation and fierce commitment to transparency and excellence, and Masters Design team is very proud to be associated with the Group for whatever little contributions they can make towards this transformation!!
Hiland3


Hiland4

Read more at: http://www.masterspmc.com/masters-pmc-india-projects/hiland-greens-batanagar





About Masters

Masters is a leading Project Management company providing end-to-end solutions to the Construction Industry using the best of global standards and practices with primary focus on Real Estate sector.

Since its inception in 2004, the Company has evolved as a one-stop-shop service provider, offering a range of services to its Clients taking the project from start to finish – ranging from assisting them during per-development stages to feasibility analysis, pre-construction and construction & installation management services to all the way to a successful close out. In addition, Masters also specializes in Cost Consultancy and Design Development (Architectural as well as MEP) through their in-house team. Besides, Masters also offers Programme & Process Review Services and Quality, Cost & Safety Audit/ Monitoring Services and is well equipped to offer range of Development solutions (like turnkey, design & build, construction management at risk) to its Clients.

To know more about Project Management Consultancy, Contact us at :

Masters Management Consultants (India) Private Limited
New Udyog Mandir,
Kamanwala Chambers No.2,
Unit No. 7, Ground Floor,
Mugal Road, Mahim (West),
Email - connect@masterspmc.com
Phone : +91 22 64567600