Creating landmark in the sky

‘Deya’ which means cloud in Bengali, has been airlifted to 400 feet and suspended between the two towers of Forum Atmosphere in Kolkata

Real estate developer Forum Projects’ attempt to develop world’s first iconic residential floating sky sculpture comes closer with the airlifting of ‘Deya’ to 400 feet and suspended between the two towers of ‘Atmosphere’ in Kolkata.

‘Deya’ which means ‘cloud’ in Bengali has been designed like a floating sculpture in the sky. Inspired from Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry, the architect couple Peng Beng and Belinda of Arc Studio, Singapore has designed this 2,500-tonne dynamic steel sculpture. The structural design of this project has been done by world renowned Dr Hossein Rezai Jorabi of Web Structures from Singapore.

The structure and form of the Deya is a milestone in the evolution of modern building structures and a first for India. Suspended between the twin towers of the project ‘Atmosphere’ and visible from far and wide, the ` 150-crore ‘Deya’ creates a landmark for the city and puts Kolkata on the world map of iconic buildings. Atmosphere, claims to be a new architectural icon in India, is a ` 800-crore luxury residential condominium project consisting of two tall towers which will be the tallest in Kolkata. The towers will feature villas in the sky with large private terraces and gardens for each unit.

On the sidelines of the lifting of Deya, Rahul Saraf, MD, Forum Projects said, “The most picturesque feature of Atmosphere is the amorphous shape-shifting, tubular piece of floating sculpture called Deya, which is hanging between the two towers.”

Art goes into the sky
Sitting 100 metres high, Deya will have a width of 100 metres. With four levels, the highest being the party deck, it will serve as a community space, and both its interior and ‘outer’ skin will be put to use. It will command a 360-degree view of the wetlands stretching before it and will feature multiple swimming pools, gym, spas, squash court, basketball court, putting green, simulation golf, games rooms, jogging track, mini cinema hall, banquet hall, state-of-the-art boardroom facilities, an open-air party deck, an amphitheater, and multiple lounges and spaces for smaller gatherings. All these are only meant for the exclusive use of the 80 families that will reside in Atmosphere.

The sculpture will sit on specially designed ‘Eradiquake’ bearings – the biggest such earthquake bearings ever designed and manufactured. Dr. R.J. Watson, the inventor of Eradiquake bearings was personally involved in the design and manufacture of these bearings out of his facility in USA.

The steel structure is clad with a perforated metal façade, comprising 1.5 metre wide angular panels and covering a total area of 5,000 square metres. The façade is designed for high wind speeds and is rendered with ‘cloud like’ aesthetics. Fabrication and installation of these panels is being done by Mero Structures from Germany. There are 15,000 circular metal discs attached to its façade. “When one is driving around the city, or looking at Deya from different parts of the city, its’ form will seem to be changing constantly. Similarly, as the sun moves in the sky, Deya will appear different, sometimes solid, sometimes translucent and sometimes even a notion of being fluid. It will be just like a cloud which has no particular form or character,” Mr Saraf added.

Green zone
The luxury design of this artistic residential sculpture also conforms to the green architectural standards. Forum Projects has provided for the rainwater to be harvested in collection tanks within the foundations of Deya, which will further be used for landscaping and other purposes.

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