In 1960s and ‘70s Madras, for those of us taking Air India, the booking office in Egmore was a familiar landmark. That iconic building now has a new façade.
Architects Sunil Philip and Sidharth Ninan partnered with V.L Venkatasubramaniam to conceive Build HQ, a one-of-a-kind building material marketplace for consumers, architects, interior designers and the building material industry with a clear focus on brands. Curated on 55,000 sq.ft. over two floors in the heart of Chennai, you walk past big names such as Kohler, Dormakaba and Saint Gobain, unique offerings of marble, wood, stonework and glass, highly functional solutions for flooring, screens, cabinets and windows and furniture brands such as Featherlite, Kaizen and Bab Living.
Build HQ aims to be accessible to a wide audience, with a focus on building relationships. Designers, architects, brands and consumers — everyone starts talking to each other. “This is a springboard for brands to showcase their products,” says Philip; they have 60 now and will eventually have 80. You may not feel like driving out to the outskirts of the city to view your options for marble, but a stop at Build HQ will do.
What distinguishes Build HQ from a trade fair campus or a mall-type scenario? Brewed between the two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the founders had ample time to freely ideate, the offerings came together. Philip explains the fundamental premise: “Ours is not a place of commerce. Ours is an experience centre.”
Materials and equipment
This is where you also get introduced to new materials and innovative blends such as architectural aluminum, Eurobond’s aluminum composite panel (ACP) and UPVC, a timber substitute with economical solutions for windows and doors. Nitin Wire makes architectural mesh frames for fences and building facades. At Floor Sketch you can get exterior deck tiles of acacia, pergolas of extruded WPC (wood plastic composite) with mild steel internal structure. INDOWUD NFC, a natural fiber composite board made of rice husk, natural minerals, PVC and other fillers offers an eco-friendly alternative to wood. Versatile offerings are showcased on one platform: equipment manufacturers such as Emperor Lifts have installed a lift, while Mtandt makes tools, building cleaning and safety equipment, as well as cranes and scaffolding.
Luxury and technology
Consider Pranasleep, where besides natural luxury beds and mattresses, a 10-ft. wide seamless mosquito screen folds up magically on a roll mechanism. Then there’s Hygree, which specialises in jacuzzi and shower cabins, both readymade moulded and custom-built. On the first floor, walk into a bespoke approach to elegant cabinetry by Anglewood Furniture Solutions, an Ambattur-based manufacturer. Especially for the trade, they allow high-quality customisation in fabric shutters, wood and composite materials, fabricating everything knockdown to be assembled at site. Their paint-booth process ensures a dust-free coating. Discover Hunter Douglas’ premium range of window coverings and architectural products; the double-mesh blinds engineered for variable opacity are an eye-opener. While Saint Gobain’s glass shutters in a vibrant blue on aluminium frames sweep you over with technology on the cusp, Wurfel Kuche’s kitchens are a pleasure to behold: the floor sample showcases a mod makeover on antiquated shutter designs.
Artist and craftsperson
Some of the most exotic offerings at the centre come from Rajasthan, a State renowned for its crafts. Stone of India has the most marvelous collection of detailed stone inlay, carvings and tile-work from walls of scalloped sandstone to a series of organic designs on marble with 0.4-micron gold leafing unfurl, each more elaborate than the previous. Jaipur Rugs showcases a gorgeous collection of handwoven carpets with a thrust on innovation by 40,000 artisans and an enviable scroll of designers from Indian stalwarts such as Ashiesh Shah and Vinita Chaitanya to Italians Matteo Cibic and Lorenzo Vitturi. Arisco from Gujarat offers a variety of tiles, both handmade and mosaics.
Food and friends
Typically, an architect would visit the centre and spend a whole day with his customer and vendors before concluding on various aspects of the design. “F & B is integral to the experience,” says Philip. The other central intent for the architect founders was to create a buzz and provide a platform where the fraternity can connect without boundaries.
Their inaugural today hosts India’s premier architect Raj Rewal and Jimmy Lin from Malaysia, who has won numerous awards for architectural excellence.
Future deal
Just like it’s easy to buy on Amazon, the partners want buyers to walk into Build HQ, experience the products firsthand, but have the freedom to buy via a specially designed app accessed through a QR code. “If I can get information about Dorma handles, see the product, understand the benefits, get a tactile feel, pay for it online and then have a set land up on my doorstep, what more can I want?” asks Philip.
After Chennai, the team is looking at opening up centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and in 10 to 15 cities across India over the next five years. The concept remains the same: strategically located in the centre of a metro with convenient access to do business anywhere in the country. Introducing a hand-picked roster of designers in co-working spaces is next on the cards with the freedom to meet, think, create and build.
The writer is a brand strategist with a background in design from SAIC and NID.
