Visakhapatnam is a port city on the southeast coast of India and often called "The Jewel of the East Coast". The Cruise terminal project on the Vishakhapatnam Port aims at developing it into a centre for tourism and trade, thus keeping in view the needs of the cruise industry while making it one of the most important ports of India.
The project identifies the tourism circuits for the foreigners from East/West by establishing the suitable road/rail connectivity and transport systems to the Airport, Railway station, Bus Terminal, Beach Road, etc., for the tourists. It also provides facilities to cruise tourism with all amenities viz., passenger gang ways, lounge, restaurant, entertainment & recreation, shopping, cultural, health and business/trade exhibitions, money exchange outlets, customs, immigration, quarantine counters, baggage handling facilities, car & scooter parking, landscaping, Architectural service including provision of embarking/disembarking points etc., as part of the Terminal Complex.
The concept for the built form is derived from the context of the project itself, since the building is meant for a port terminal; the inspiration comes from the submerging tail of a whale, thus giving rise to an overlapping façade. Even the built form is developed from the rhythmic repetition of the ocean ripples, thus representing the fluidity and dynamism of the water.
The building plan layout has meandering spaces arranged in the vocabulary of that of a cruise ship itself. The expanse and openness of the building provides ample public spaces, retail outlets and other activities for the passengers.
As for the underlying theme of introducing ‘green’ in the project, the landscape wraps around the built structure with various green areas and water features, thus making it a part of the larger surrounding.
Even the roof top of the terminal building is designed in a manner to initiate and promote various public activities on the terrace including spaces for amphitheatres, green gardens and viewing decks.
The Port acts as a gateway, and the built form has been envisioned keeping in mind the interest for the people visiting it – the use of materials such as zinc metal and concrete are an ode to the industrial culture of Vizag. The conscious choice of materials also include the use of poly carbonate sheets in jalis, recessed lighting on the façade and DGU structural glazing with the aim of minimising the consumption of artificial sources, and maximising the natural daylight. This approach towards the local climate, context and the solar orientation in the design portrays the sensitivity with which we as designers need to inculcate our further projects and set an example for the future generations.
