For five years, the Rotterdam architecture firm MVRDV worked on a futuristic housing complex in the Indian city of Pune. Now that the building is nearing completion, new requests are flooding in, says MVRDV partner Jacob van Rijs. "India is one of our focus countries."
Seven years ago, architectural firm MVRDV, known for the Markthal in Rotterdam, received an Indian delegation in the Netherlands. Partner Jacob van Rijs took the Indians to a number of housing projects to give them an idea of his firm's work. "We walked through the hall, past the bedrooms and towards the living room where you had a beautiful view. I expected them to be impressed, but they were not. They were shocked at the layout: in an Indian house, visitors never come close to the bedrooms."
It is one of the many lessons that Van Rijs and his colleagues have learned during their work in India in recent years. After MVRDV had spent a couple of years immersed in Indian housing, the agency managed to win its first major project: a futuristic housing complex of 1,000 flats in a new suburb of Pune. The project is now nearing completion. Half of the houses are already occupied, and the rest are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
It wasn't easy, Van Rijs acknowledges. "We noticed, for example, that many builders cannot read construction plans, that there were just too few supervisors and that quality controllers did not always keep a close eye on the design. Moreover, our client was strict. We are slightly more expensive than Indian parties and he expected something extra for that. We paid our dues, but it paid off: with the Amanora complex, we have made a good impression in India.
Jacob van Rijs, partner at MVRDV (All photos: MVRDV)
The Rotterdam-based architectual firm is one of the first major foreign firms to gain a foothold in India. Van Rijs: "All the big architects are already in China, but in India we are among the first." MVRDV's timing is perfect: India is investing billions in smart, sustainable urban development in the coming years. MVRDV is already benefiting from this: the agency is working on various new-build and urban renewal projects. Van Rijs: "It helps that we are now well acquainted with the specific cultural context of Indian housing. It's not rocket science, of course, but you have to know it. We have combined the knowledge we have gained about the Indian market in a special India team. Given the growth potential, India is one of our focus countries. Who knows, we might even open an office there in the future."
From 13 to 19 November, IndiaConnected is organising an entrepreneurial trip to Mumbai and Pune, together with Amsterdam Trade. Join us and experience the exciting developments in these cities. Read more about the trip here.