Detail Magazin | Serie 2013 1/2 Transparent und - Heinsdorff, Markus

10 Leuchtende Edelsteine für Indien – ein Interview mit Markus Heinsdorff 2013 ¥ 1/2 ∂
8 a b c
“The Year of Germany in India” is winding
down. Among its features was the “Indo­
German Urban Mela”, a collection of 16 pavilions
that spent ten days each at five of
India’s largest cities. The festival’s theme is
“StadtRäume – City Spaces”, and it has
shown a light on the impact and challenges
of rapid urbanisation in the cities of both
countries. The pavilions were designed by
Munich­based artist Markus Heinsdorff and
function as exhibition and presentation
spaces for conferences and cultural events.
Their facades possess the crystalline forms
of polished gems and celebrate fabric, one
of India’s important traditions. Following
stops in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and
Delhi the pavilions are on display in Pune
until January 20, 2013. In the following interview
Markus Heinsdorff explains his design
concept and discusses the choice of materials
and sustainability, as well as physical
presence and translucency.
Detail: Please tell us about your concept for
the pavilions.
Markus Heinsdorff: Following the design competition
I was commissioned to develop my
concept, which deals with a variety of different
aspects. One important motif is fabric – woven
textiles – because this has a long tradition
in India, which, to this day, next to China,
plays a leading role worldwide in developing
and producing fabric. At the same time, I am
fascinated by how the people of India use
tents in all sorts of ceremonies – and particularly
for weddings. But the surfaces of these
present­day tents are usually flat and, therefore,
monotonous. That is why I selected
gems as the theme for my pavilions – a theme
that is derived from the overarching motto:
nature. This led to the multi­faceted forms and
also symbolises India’s rich heritage – its
splendid costumes, colours, jewels, and
above all, its haute couture. Sustainability also
plays a leading role in my concept.
How did you decide which colours to use?
It quickly became clear that the colour
scheme should be muted, because India itself
is a riot of colour. I wanted to create something
of a stage, a setting animated by the
colour and actors inhabiting it. The pavilions’
colours are related to the gems. I chose
mostly metallic tones – gold, silver and copper
– i.e. the material in which stones are set. We
tested the effect in renderings at a quite early
stage, and it is fascinating to see that the pavilions
do now resemble precious stones.
In your earlier work in China you used bamboo
for structural purposes. Why did you
choose steel here?
First of all, there had to be a clear distinction
between how the two countries present themselves.
A central concept in India was to utilise
the country's possibilities – so it would have
8 Schnitte und Grundrisse Pavillons/Sections and
floor plans of the pavilions
a Typ 1/Type 1, b Typ 2/Type 2, c Typ 4/Type 4,
d Typ 3/Type 3, e Typ 7/Type 7
9 Typ 5 und 1 in Delhi/ Type 5 and Type 1 in Delhi
been risky to use bamboo, because the firms
no longer have experience with it. Using bamboo
was difficult in China, but some technically
savvy firms can be found that know how to
work with it. Because we had a relatively brief
amount of time – six months – to prepare the
design for realisation, we resisted the temptation
to try high­tech solutions and instead developed
– in cooperation with schlaich bergermann
und partner – lightweight steel structures
that can be implemented with simple
means. In the end, we didn’t even have a bona
fide steelwork contractor here; some of the
work was done by unskilled workers or welders.
As a result, some aspects of our planning
could not be implemented. However, the
steelwork turned out to be reasonably precise.
By using steel – nothing more than cables and
slender steel tubing – we were able to achieve
incredibly lightweight yet expansive structures.
Nearly all of the interiors are column­free, a
plus for flexible usage. And this was possible
despite the fact that the structures were, in
some cases, exposed to severe winds caused
by tropical storms. For a few special surfaces
– for example, by weaving cables in the roof of
the large conference pavilion – we were also
able to use steel to refer to our fabric theme.
By the way, this roof brings to mind a wheel,
the symbol that appears on the Indian flag.
You mentioned that sustainability was an important
theme. Could you elaborate?