Recognized as one of the most ‘Notable Buildings of the 21st Century Architecture’inSir Banister Fletcher’swell-known encyclopedia, History of World Architecture

Conceptualized for the Ansal Group,this twenty-three-storeyed tower wasdesigned to challenge the stereotypeof high-rise commercial buildings in New Delhi.Strategically located at the intersection of KGMarg and Tolstoy Road in the heart of the capital,it towers above the surrounding buildings asthe most eye-catching feature in the skyline ofthe city’s prominent business centre. Due toits prime location, Ambadeep Tower opens upon three sides, welcoming traffic from differentincoming roads and acting as an entry point tothe heart of the city.

With a built-up area of 2,00,000 sq. ft.,Ambadeep Tower has been carefully designedto allow maximum floor-area coverage. A loftytower piercing the sky, it is fronted by twobuildings placed at an angle and joined byconnecting corridors nine storeys above theground, creating an imposing atrium entrancebelow and marking a structural feat. The boldfaçade treatment in long continuous bands,broken at corners by square pilasters, usesgeometric patterned glass tiles in shades ofwhite, yellow and blue. The two smaller blocksas well as the glass-encased lifts overlook thelandscaped atrium, designed exquisitely. Thecavernous atrium of the tower provides one ofthe grandest urban scale entrances possible toan office building.

Constructed between 1991 and 1993 ona 5-acre site and at a cost of Rs. 200 million, this was the first structure in Delhi to introduceglass elevators which provide a stunningpanoramic view of its surroundings. A majorchallenge while designing the building was todepart from the conventional style of high-risebuildings and to ‘break the box’, a feat that wasachieved by reinterpreting traditional Indianelements, such as courtyards and terraces onupper floors along with distributing the overallbuilt volume

At a time when the city was stilladopting and undergoing transitions with itsinfrastructural development, the Architectsproposed a revolutionary idea with the officetower: they incorporated a glass elevator at thefront façade of the building. The thought behindsuch a concept came from the understandingof being able to provide never-seen-beforeviews of the city from such a height. This notonly made the project one of its kind, but wasalso able to display the ability of architecture toact as a powerful social tool.

The Tower is a fine example of a successfulmarriage between art and architecture. Thewhole edifice has been imagined as a canvaswhere the intrinsic glass mosaic patterns createa unique record of art at the largest (and tallest)scale ever in the city. The building now standsas a landmark for its unique amalgamation ofIndian, Persian, Neo-Classical and Modernelements of architecture. The play betweendifferent colours, in an attempt to bring artcloser to the masses, is a magnificent departurefrom the customary, dull office buildings ofConnaught Place. Highlighting the corners andfolding edges of the tower with murals and bycreating a hollow space in the facade, linedwith rhythmic window openings, the Architectswere able to balance the heaviness of the structure, thereby making it appear lighter inform. Window openings have been providedthroughout the façade and allow ample naturallight and ventilation to flush the interiors. Indoing so, the Architects were able to designand manifest a lively work environment. Alongwith this, the inner courtyard was left exposedto the sky.

‘C.P. Kukreja put his stacks of Kahnianbricks and reminded us – in Ambadeep (1990)– that it is possible to cover the exterior of abuilding in coloured mosaic tiles and geometricpatterns. It is a spectacular building, not leastbecause it marks a complete volte face fromall the modernist rhetoric about the iniquityof ornament. It is a sort of sultanate tower ofour times.’

Landscaping is an integral part of thedesign. Some of the strong landscape designelements that flow into the interiors are theatrium, with its terraced waterfall and planters,and a court at the rear of the building, which isoverlooked by the staff canteen and the groundfloor. Storage areas, the mechanical plantroom, the electric substation and mandatorycar parking requirements – are all housed in thethree basements.

‘Perhaps a first example of such strongcolours in a modern building of this scale theaesthetic evolved as a result of the Architects’conviction that the art compensates for thedeprivation of a natural uplifting environment – the blocking of the sky, the sun, plants andtrees – and that even a dense commercial areashould be able to incorporate beauty and artand display it on a street façade.’

The architectural character of the buildingis inspired by the exquisite Persian tile work.Aztec art patterns in full display over the façadedistinguish Ambadeep Tower as one of thetallest buildings in the world to have an art mural,and thus, successfully introduce art on an urbanscale for the first time in Delhi. A combination ofPersian Blue with a muted yellow shade, whenviewed from a distance, enhances the muraldesign, and over the years, it has become avisual symbol easy to spot from a distance.

The design of this landmark structureis a successful example of how statutorynorms can also contribute to innovation inarchitecture. Delhi fire norms prescribedrefuge areas to be created at certain levels ina high-rise building. Instead of viewing this asa disadvantage, the Architects turned it into anadvantage, and the manifesting ensemble ofvolumes created terraces at levels where refugeareas are required by law. Conceptualization ofthese landscaped terrace courts and gardensat different alternating levels also createdrecreation spaces that could be shared bydifferent offices. An added bonus was themagnificent view one would be exposed towhen accessing these spaces.

It is, thus, hardly surprising thatAmbadeep Tower has been recognized asone of the most notable buildings of twenty-first century architecture in Sir BanisterFletcher’s well-known encyclopedia,Historyof World Architecture.