Cybertecture: The Egg, Mumbai (India)

Going on with the same topic as the last post, but this time moving farther away, I came across some very interesting information about this project. The Cybertecture Egg is the latest design of James Law, the egg-shaped high-tech building will be the iconic architecture, environmental design, intelligent systems, and an awe-inspiring landmark in Mumbai.

This city is said to be the most populated in the world, according to several estimations, taking into account that a lot of Mumbai´s citizens are under the poverty threshold and are not even in the official census. Although the image that western countries´ inhabitants may have of India has nothing to do with richness and technology, Indian tech-students are probably the best qualified in the world, and according to Forbes´s last list of billionaires, 4th and 5th places of the ranking are hold by Indians. Mumbai is also home of the Indian biggest stock exchange, which is also one of the biggest and most important in Asia.

Projects like this one are what the city needs to change its image to the rest of the world. The 32,000 squared metres egg-shaped build will accommodate 13 floors of offices. The concept was inspired, according to the designers, by considering the world as an ecosystem allowing life to evolve. Elements of the design and intelligent systems will work together to give the building’s inhabitants the ‘best space to work in’. This includes monitoring their health. Within the building, there will be a series of innovative systems such as ‘cybertecture health’ in the washroom which is designed to keep track of the inhabitant’s health including blood pressure and weight. The data collected may be retrieved and sent to a doctor if deemed necessary.

The building incorporates passive solar design to decrease heat gain and lower energy loads. An elevated garden also moderates temperature by using natural vegetation to assist with cooling the building envelope. The Cybertecture Egg will use solar photovoltaic panels and rooftop wind turbines to generate onsite electricity. Water conservation will be managed with a grey water recycling system that will harvest water for irrigation and landscaping.

It is also said that we can see this futuristic “Cybertecture Egg” building by the end of 2010. We are going to have to wait and let´s see if this is finally constructed, but for now, here are some of the pictures of the project: