7/30/2019 Eating Out - 24x7 Lounge

1/4

society interiorsljuly 2010 00

eating out may 2011.indd 2

society interiors b May 2011 00

EatingOut

TerminalThe

Budding architects Amey Dahanukar and Rohan Haksar have designed

a compact and striking lounge at the domestic airport in Mumbai.

ARA Designs is a young architectural frm established by Amey Dahanukar and Rohan

Haksar. Amey obtained an M.A in Urban Design from the University of Newcastle

while Rohan graduated from the Pennsylvania State University with M.Arch in

Sustainable Design and is a LEED AP. The frm is working on projects in hospitality,

retail, corporate interiors, residential buildings and master planning.

ARA Design, 1st Floor, Dwarka, Tagore Road, Santacruz (West), Mumbai 400054;

Tel: 26482236; Mobile: 9820123301

7/30/2019 Eating Out - 24x7 Lounge

2/4

eating out may 2011.indd 3

00 May 2011b society interiors

or most travellers, an airport is a place synonymous to chaos and noise. People moving in and out with

luggage trolleys, queuing up for security checks, catching up on a book or magazine while awaiting the

flight announcement in a cacophonous surrounding, et al. And, most perhaps, might have wished that there

was a way out of this chaos and noise. It is this thought that seem to have inspired ARA Designs Amey

Dahanukar and Rohan Haksar to come up with the design concept of the 24x7 Lounge a quiet corner ever-ready

F

7/30/2019 Eating Out - 24x7 Lounge

3/4

society interiorsljuly 2010 00

eating out may 2011.indd 4

society interiors b May 2011 00

to welcome people who either want to unwind after a tiresome journey or just enjoy a lounge experience, along

with sumptuous food.

Spread on an area of 850 sq. ft., the lounge stands out as a focal-point at one of the terminals of the airport.

Giving more details, Amey exclaimed, The first thing that actually came to our minds was clean lines. We wanteda simple but really nice looking structure with maximum visibility from all sides.

And that is exactly what you get to see as you enter the lounge. The compact lounge sports a rustic

look, while the restaurants key feature is the glass box. Explaining the concept of the glass box, Rohan says,

We wanted something to illuminate the restaurant even at night. Something that would make it stand out.

7/30/2019 Eating Out - 24x7 Lounge

4/4

eating out may 2011.indd 5

00 May 2011b society interiors

While the exterior is in white, the interiors are done up in wood, white and dark gray. Bringing

out the rustic feel are rough textured tiles with silver grooving used for the flooring.

The lounge is divided into two sections the bar and the regular seating area. The former

comprises a white bar counter and metal bar stools. Sparkling stemware suspended from a woodenpanel above the bar, lend a chic look to the bar.

The third key area, according to Rohan, is the place where they have introduced a column

and built bar tables with seating around it. Pebbles have been used for the flooring around this

column. He adds about the lighting, Since the height was low we could not opt for a false

ceiling. Hence, we used ducts and kept them exposed and also suspended metal threads from the

ceiling that hold the lights.

While explaining the exterior of the restaurant, Amey says, The exterior is made of white back-

painted glass to emphasize on the glass box. The signage of the restaurant has been put up on a

transparent glass panel. From a distance it looks as though it is hanging mid-air. While in broad

daylight the lounge exudes a sense of calmness with its white exteriors, at night it dramatically

glows. In spite of the time deadline and permission issues that arouse with working for a client at

the airport, the duo consider it as a good experience.Indeed, 24x7 Lounge is a refreshing change for the frequent traveller tired of the chaos at the

airport. It truly stands apart! b

Text: Vasudha Iyer

Photographs: courtesyARA Designs