Godwin Austen Johnson incorporates local cultural elements into the DoubleTree by Hilton Sharjah project
Inspired by Sharjah’s unique heritage and culture, the DoubleTree by Hilton Sharjah Waterfront Hotel & Residences by Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) sits comfortably within its environment as a modern interpretation of a classic design inspired by three key elements. For the first element, guests are greeted by a stylised vertical version of a historic banyan tree structure at the entrance. The Rolla tree was once a favourite spot for residents to sit under the dense shade of the branches to wait for the cargo boats arriving at the nearby port. The abstract tree sculptures and contemporary majlis-style seating area replicate these gathering points reminding guests of the welcoming culture of the emirate.
The story continues, with a second element, through a modern interpretation of the Irish style of housing, a traditional palm leaf structure of early UAE homes, through stylised cladding and installations cleverly incorporated into the public space of the lobby area.
The third element is an acknowledgement of the UAE’s ancient art of pearling which is reflected in the luxurious materials used throughout the project and highlighted by a monochrome palette that borrows heavily from the blue shades of the ocean and the cool green shades of the Rolla tree accented by warm desert orange and lustrous pink pearl tones.
Thoughtfully designed seating areas are enclosed by a wall library shelving treatment housing a large collection of contemporary art and books which is extended into the coffee shop with its large communal table and elegant counter detail.
The wellness facilities include a spacious wooden-floor gym as well as a secluded indoor pool leading into a steam room and unique Himalayan Salt Sauna.
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Powerlist 30 : JASON BURNSIDE , PARTNER – GODWIN AUSTEN JOHNSON (GAJ)
. highly successful and well-respected architect, Jason Burnside graduated from the University of Dundee in 1996, and spent five years with a small urban design practice in London before moving to Dubai to join GAJ in 2001.
Burnside was made a partner is 2008, and as a team leader, he aims to deliver holistic projects that are highly functional, energy-efficient and engaging. While he is an experienced architect across many different sectors, it is the education sector where he really shines.
Burnside has forged long term relationships with clients resulting in repeat business on more than one occasion. It was Jason’s involvement with the Ladybird Early Learning Centre and The Arcadia School’s primary campus that saw the client award GAJ the third school in the portfolio – the recently completed Arcadia School’s secondary campus.
In the space of a month, Burnside has handed over two new projects – the new Arcadia School’s secondary campus in Dubai and the new SPACE (Sports and Performing Arts Centre of Excellence) at Dubai College with work continuing on the ISG School in Saudi Arabia.
As an expert in his field, Burnside is also highly sought after as a speaker and is regularly found on the stage at industry events such as The Big 5 and Cityscape Global. Burnside’s desire to create great architecture is clear to see within his vast experience which ranges from concept through to award-winning built projects and, as one of the longest-serving architects in the firm, he has designed and delivered some of GAJ’s high profile projects including Serenia Residences on The Palm Jumeirah, Mysk Al Mouj in Muscat, The Gate Village DIFC in partnership with Hopkins & Partners; Helel Residence and the Federal National Council in partnership with Ehrlich Architects.
He currently leads a team of highly skilled architects all with different strengths and approaches and all working on different projects. He continues to be hands-on in designing projects and mentoring his team.
GAJ has completed a number of projects over the last 12 months including Vida Creek Harbour, Dubai; The Arcadia School’s Secondary Campus; Garden Bay residential development in northern India; Hilton Garden Inn Kuwait; Midscale hotel in Kuwait; The SPACE at Dubai College; amongst others.
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Godwin Austen Johnson delivers a township project in Northern India
Dubai-based British architects Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) hands over their latest project, a residential community in northern India.
Garden Bay Lucknow offers a tranquil living community responding to the desire for an inviting, contemplative space, where nature, community and healthy living come together to make a positive contribution to the city. Its timeless design reinvigorates a corner of northern India with a mix of high quality villas set in carefully landscaped grounds.
The new township is the vision of the Shalimar Group and exemplifies the vision and values of the group by engaging with the surrounding green landscape and creating an uplifting and inspiring environment for residents.
The township, situated on the Sitapur-Hardoi Link Road in Lucknow, is characterised by an imposing entrance with gatehouse surrounded by green box hedges and local trees. The arrival experience is enhanced by selective water features and green covered walkways.
The connective landscape within the township has the primary function of providing recreational and leisure space for residents, which ranges in scale from intimate pocket parks to large open spaces which separate the main blocks of the development. It includes jogging and cycling routes as well as seating areas and BBQ locations along its length within a verdant setting of lawns, plants and trees.
Although contained within a gated community the public park provides abundant facilities and open spaces for residents and guests and includes jogging and cycling routes as well as seating areas and BBQ locations along its length within a verdant setting of lawns, plants and trees.
There are 600 villas in total with four different typologies. They are spacious and well planned with natural light and ventilation. The villas have been designed as a community living space with a deliberate lack of boundaries to encourage social interaction yet still maintain a degree of privacy.
Facilities include a clubhouse and dedicated community retail space with a fully-equipped gymnasium as well as a wide array of recreation activities.
Sustainability is key within the township and a number of energy efficient initiatives have been implemented including the design of the soft scape to help reduce the urban heat island effect and a water harvesting pond network to recharge the ground water
“With this project we wanted to create a lush green community that combines a clean and healthy lifestyle with an appealing range of homes. The scale and grain of this new urban plan regenerates the site in the heart of Lucknow through a combination of villas, apartments and leisure facilities which have been designed to blend seamlessly with their natural surroundings,” said Avinash Kumar, associate partner at Godwin Austen Johnson.
Godwin Austen Johnson delivers Arcadia School’s secondary campus
Godwin Austen Johnson (GAJ) has completed The Arcadia School’s Secondary Campus. This is the second school designed and built by the firm as part of a series of community-based schools for Arcadia Education. The award-winning Arcadia School’s primary campus, designed and built by GAJ, was handed over in 2016, Located within Dubai’s Jumeirah Village Triangle close to the primary school the orientation of the new secondary campus and functions within it have been optimised to exploit the view out over the central Jumeirah Village Triangle Park. It covers a total teaching space of 6000sqm including the classrooms, shared learning and labs. The ancillary facilities which includes the library, music and dance rooms cover an area of 1500sqm.
As a facility for secondary school age students the scale of The Arcadia School’s secondary campus is much larger than The Arcadia School’s primary campus and provides a more flexible and interactive learning environment. “We have been designing and building schools for many years and we understand and value the opportunity to create unique buildings for school operators. Each one we deliver is tailored to the specific requirements and brand identity of the school,” said Jason Burnside, partner at Godwin Austen Johnson. “With this new school we wanted to ensure brand consistency and a design approach to support the ethos and visual identity of Arcadia.”
Drawing inspiration from The Arcadia School’s primary campus the reception is bright and airy opening out into a large casual seating zone with a unique 12 metre high indoor climbing wall feature. The inclusion of the wall is to reinforce the school’s ethos of transparency and its desire to ensure students play a highly visible and interactive role in their education. The new secondary school also features a full sized artificial pitch, a 25m swimming pool and MUGA court which can be accessed by the primary school when required. This sharing of facilities also helps with the transition from primary to secondary education building confidence for the students about to move to the next stage of their education. Arcadia School is the second in a series of community-based schools delivering the vision of Mohan Valrani and the Al Shirawi Group.