Lewis & Hickey India worked alongside YMCA Ahmedabad management for over 3 years to deliver a prestigious multi-purpose leisure development close to the center of Ahmedabad. The 350,000-square-foot center complete with splendid hotel rooms, a multi-purpose sports hall, internal and external swimming pools, and banquet facilities is a striking design full of well-considered features and stunning landscaping. It is a welcome addition to the city’s leisure facilities. The 15,000-square-foot banquet hall is the largest in the whole of Gujurat, capable of seating well over a thousand guests in opulent surroundings.
Our architects spent a considerable amount of time with YMCA management in both defining and realizing the brief for the complex. The final result is remarkably close to the original concept, with careful attention to detail and finishes, sourced both locally and worldwide.
The club’s focus is the outdoor swimming complex, with the poolside café, dining rooms, and gymnasium overlooking this calm oasis. The two banquet halls are connected to a beautifully landscaped “Mega- Function” lawn, providing a background fit for many a happy wedding.
The whole complex has a huge variety of functions and spaces which are both private and open, but all relating to views and outside spaces with courtyards and terraces, water features, and landscaping. The scheme has many playful features included for children of all ages, with brightly colored poolside play areas and shallow water sections, allowing the club to cater for all family needs yet still providing a calm and peaceful setting for leisure, sport, and social interaction.
The design is unique for Ahmedabad as it incorporates a lot of UK safety and access standards, including level access for the less able and child buggies to all spaces. UK fire safety standards have also been applied. The building contains many shading devices and low energy solutions, including sliding external screens that shade external balconies to the 60 hotel rooms, as befit a development with 4-Star aspirations.
President of YMCA Ahmedabad Mr. John Geevargese says that working alongside a well-established architectural practice with a global presence helped to enhance the design, allowing know-how derived from a wealth of past experience, both local and UK, to understand his vision and deliver a world-class facility.
http://www.lewishickey.com/projects/india-projects/ymca-1
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