"Built in 1968, this residential tower symbolizes luxury living even today"
The two residential buildings ‘Jivan’ and ‘Manek’ were built in Mumbai’s tony Malabar Hill on a curved slope with an inclination of 55 feet. The lay of the land made it a challenge to build two high-storey buildings but the aspect of home-ness was successfully introduced as an essential feature.
The luxurious apartment buildings have been designed to give a better view to its residents by using the lower three floors for parking. The vine-covered parking lot forms a visual pedestal. To create a garden on the terrace, an additional underground tank was constructed and a special pneumatic system was set up for the first time in India. Spatially, each apartment has been designed across levels with a sunken living room leading up to the bedrooms with attached balconies, to maintain privacy. The balcony overhang and the balustrade reduce the impact of vertical scale.
Jivan Manek has a strong urban elevation. The awning-like chhajja (overhang) with its curved outline and sharp edges gives the building a strong visual modulation. The balcony is contained behind these chhajjas, giving the building geometry and rhythm as one looks up at it from the street. The louvers, as well as the columns in the stilt area, are examples of fine craftsmanship while the interior is like an old townhouse of spaces stringed along a verandah.
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