Mahesh

Neelakantan

PORTFOLIO
2000 - 2010
 Table of Contents

RESUME

INTRODUCTION

G A ARCHITECTS

ATELIER 2 INC

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE

EARL SWENSSON ASSOCIATES

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

ATELIER DESIGN STUDIO

KERALA UNIVERSITY

SKETCHES
NAME Mahesh Neelakantan

EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION

LEED Accredited Professional
Associate member, American Institute of Architects
Registered member of the Council of Architects, India
08:2003 – 05:2005 M ARCH, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
08:1995 – 06:2000 B ARCH, University of Kerala, India

EXPERIENCE
01:2009 – Present Design Architect, GA Architects, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Lead designer handling projects ranging from mixed use devolopments, high rise residential and Commercial
buildings. Responsible for concept design through design devolopment and co-ordinating construction
documentation.
09:2008 – 12:2008 Architect, Atelier2 inc., Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Freelance architect handling projects ranging from Architecture, graphic design and LEED consultancy.
06:2007 – 09:2008 Architect, Hastings Architecture Associates, Nashville, USA
Design Architect responsible for the direction of three to four member project teams from concept through
design devolopment under the overall supervision of an Associate. Preparation of construction documents, and
participation in construction administration of large scale commercial and institutional facilities. Clients include
Vanderbilt University, Franke inc, Pinnacle Finance.
06:2005 – 05:2007 Architect, Earl Swennson Assoc., Nashville, USA
Assisted in a diverse spectrum of firm operations including schematic design development, presentation draw-
ings, design development and construction documents. Lead design contributor for projects including cafe at
Cumberland university and Cumberland University Masterplan.
06:2001 – 06:2003 Architect, The Atelier Design Studio, Cochin, India
Design Consultant, Kraftwork Solar Pvt Ltd, Cochin, India
Lead designer handling various residential projects from concept through construction Administration.
Product design and graphic design services for Kraftwork Solar Pvt Ltd.
06:2000 – 06:2001 Layout Designer, Toonz Animation Pvt Ltd, Trivandrum, India
Graphic designer and Layout Artist in various animated productions like KingKong ( Animated TV series) Treasure
Island etc..

SKILLS Design : Revit, AutoCAD, MicroStation, 3D studio MAX,

SketchUp, Photoshop, In Design
Presentation : Free hand sketching, perspectives and rendering.
Web Design : Dream Weaver, Flash.
MS Office : MS Word, MS Excel, Power Point

HONORS Edward J. Romieniec, FAIA, Endowed Scholarships -2003-2004 for dem-

onstrating academic excellence and professional distinction

Departmental scholarship- 2002-2003.-Texas A & M university, College of

architecture, College station, Texas

ACTIVITIES Member, Committee on the Environment (COTE), AIA Middle

Tennessee
Member, United States Green Building Council
Member of Indian Institute of Architects, Cochin chapter, India
Secretary of the society of student architects, dept of architecture,
TKM College of Engineering, India -1998-99

RESUME
The following pages contain a selection of projects I have worked on from
2000 up to now. Thank you in advance for taking time to go through it.

All of the projects I worked on were usually as a part of a team or a studio.

The collaborative nature of the projects were essential to their success. I have
always been a major contributor towards the design process and my de-
sign, sketching and graphic skills have helped me to do so. I have also been
actively involved in all aspects of preparing the construction documents and
construction administration. Below are the contacts of my references:

Brent Elrod, Project Manager - Urban Housing Solutions

- ph: 615.636.9489

Wendell Brown, AIA, LEED AP - Earl Swensson Associates

- ph: 615.329.9445

Alan Stephenson, Principal, Hastings Architecture Associates

- ph: 615.227.6541

All projects that I have done as a part of my graduate studies, undergraduate

studies and as an architect at Atelier design studio are exclusively my work.

All the graphics, renderings and sketches in all the following projects have
been generated by me unless otherwise noted.

INTRODUCTION
 Al Ain Ahlia - Dubai, UAE

Al Ahlia Commercial Tower - This project consists of 14 floors of office

spaces and commercial spaces on the ground level. The building articula-
tion is a blend of contemporary and Islamic styles. I was responsible for the
project from concept through design development.

G A ARCHITECTS
 Al Dhaid Complex - Sharjah, UAE

This project consists of three blocks above a single level podium. There are
80 residential apartments in two bocks and a hotel with 85 guest rooms in
the third. The podium apart from having the entrance lobbies for the hotel &
apartments has a shopping mall and a hotel management Institute that will
function in tandem with the hotel. Parking is provided within the basement and
is supplemented by additional surface parking. The roof of the podium is land-
scaped and has a skylight as a focal point that looks down into the mall atrium.
The plans of the building were already pre approved by the client by the time
I was involved in the project. I was responsible for developing the project from
earlier approved plans, facade design, design development and coordinating
the construction documents.

G A ARCHITECTS
 Centro Hotel - Abu Dhabi , UAE

The centro Hotel project in Hamdan

street, Abu Dhabi is a project currently
under development. I am responsible
for the design and programming. The
exterior facade follows the trademark
centro hotel style that has alreadt been
established. The project is currently
undergoing review by the local authorites
for preliminary approval

G A ARCHITECTS
Existing building

Cornerila House - Nashville , USA

As an architect at Atelier2 Inc., I was in charge of design consultation services

to Housing Solutions for the renovation of ‘Cornelia House’ as a mixed-use
facility. Designed to house affordable apartments for the deaf and working art-
ists, office space for the League for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (LDHH), space
for a Cultural Center, retail spaces and a cafe.
My contributions included recommendations for site improvements, design
concepts for exterior facade renovations and interior refurbishment, participa-
tion in meetings and charettes and coordinating with other team members as
the concepts are translated into working drawings. As a part of this process,
we were engaged in a multidisciplinary team consisting of the Architect of Re-
cord, the Human Environment Specialist and the Housing Solutions staff.

ATELIER 2 INC
 Emirates Gate - Ajman , UAE

Emirate Gate Residential Towers-Design consultation services provided to

PROARC engineering consultants in Ajman. I was responsible for the archi-
tectural design of the of the tower developing the project from pre approved
schematic plans. I was also responsible for the design graphics and render-
ings that were used for marketing purposes.

ATELIER 2 INC
I provided design consultation services to Architects Jim Lowen Associates [www.
Lowen-Associates.com] and provided the firm with 3D visualizations and renderings.
The above renderings were generated using Sketch-Up and 3D Studio Max.

ATELIER 2 INC
An organizational spine is employed
as a means to generate a hierarchy of
spaces as they relate to the timeline
of manufacture, from product devel-
opment at the front of the building,
through product testing at the build-
ing’s midpoint and terminating with
distribution at the warehouse.

Franke Corporate office - Nashville , USA

I was the lead design contributor for

the team. The design reflects Franke’s
product line as well as a contemporary
aesthetic. A metal panel system is em-
ployed, adhering to a strict module and
rhythm. This is further reflected in the
building curtainwall glazing and in the There are five basic material/
wood volumes which are used as a wall modules that have been
building punctuation and warming used intermittently throughout
element. The material palette reflects the the building; formulating a
simplicity, sophistication and modularity homogeneous appearance,
that we have tried to incorporate as the yet at the same time creating
design language. a dynamic façade.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
 Franke Corporate office - Nashville , USA

The café opens to an outdoor patio which has a steel pergola that is a continuing translation of the lighting fixture and
entry canopy.The wood clad wall breaks at the floor line, turning horizontal to become the wood deck that adjoins the
patio. Four modern fixed tables reflect the square windows on the wood clad module. The depth and width of the patio is
congruent with that of the building. The scoring on the concrete patio continues vertically to become the joint in the butt
glazed window system, thereby giving it a continuous flow from the vertical through the horizontal.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
 Franke Corporate office - Nashville , USA

The lobby. As the visitor enters, he/she

is drawn towards the reception by the
main focal point, the grand stair. The
stair’s tread/riser form snakes around a
freestanding concrete wall and termi-
nates as the horizontal surface of the
reception desk.
Three red cube chandeliers are spatially
extruded from one of the concrete wall
modules. These cubes not only serve
the necessary function of lighting the
lobby, they also become an installation
themselves; hinting on the three red
squares in the company logo.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
 1

5 4 3

8 7 6
Franke Corporate office - Nashville , USA

Photo legend
1 : office building front elevation oblique
2: office building exterior detail
3: office building exterior ipe detail
4: office building exterior elevation
5: office building side courtyard
6: office building exterior connector
7: office building entry
8: office building exterior connector rear end

The company signage located at the entry has been designed to incorporate the
same vocabulary in terms of proportions and material palette as the building.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
 1201 Demonbreun - Nashville , USA

1201 Demonbreun was a residential tower with a future office tower addition. My contribution to the team included spatial
design concepts, design visualization and preparation of design devolopment documents. I also put together the package
to get approval for the project by the MDHA, which sets certain guildelines for devolopment in Nashville.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
Coffee County Elementary School- The design is based around a ‘pod’ system creating collaborative spaces for
children to interact. The finger like layouts enable excellent day lighting and views from all classrooms. The Project is
pursuing LEED silver. I was responsible for the initial concept design and developing the program in conjunction with
client requirements.

Coffee County Elementary School was a project that I de-

signed when I worked at Hastings Architecture Assoc. The
design is based around a ‘pod’ system creating collaborative
spaces for children to interact. The finger like layouts enable
excellent day lighting and views from all classrooms. The
Project is pursuing LEED silver.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
Highwoods Mixed-use development - The development included over a 10,00,000 SqFt of office and 50,000 SqFt of
retail. I worked as part of a multidisciplinary team that included Urban Planners and Civil engineers. My contribution
included spatial design concepts and design visualization.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
Pinnacle bank lobby interior design. I hand rendered the sketch (above) as a visual to communicate our layout
concept with the client. The design was approved and the rendering was further used for their marketing purposes.

Frist Hall addition is a project I helped design at Hastings Architecture associates. The project called for an addi-
tional two floors above an existing brick building. My design envisioned a glass box that complemented the existing
structure with details that harmoniously integrated construction from two different time periods.

HASTINGS ARCHITECTURE
The Student dining hall and visual
Arts building designed as the second
phase to the Cafe shown below at
Cumberland university. These build-
ings were designed so as to bridge
the architectural styles in the campus
by being contemporary yet within the
traditional framework of existing archi-
tectural language. The saw-toothed
fenestration details apart from infusing
a cutting edge detail was primarily as
mechanism for climate control enabling
daylighting through the day while
minimizing solar gain from the western
sun.
EARL SWENSSON ASSOC.
Cafe at Cumberland University- A
building I designed at ESa. The design
introduced a modern addition to the
150 year old campus that instilled new
energy yet maintaining synergy with the
existing buildings.The cafe was
envisioned as a part of the short term
masterplan shown the page below and
was to kick start their 20 year construc-
tion drive. The two renderings below
show two of the initial concepts. The
selection was left to the student body
which chose the more contemporary
version on the right.

EARL SWENSSON ASSOC.

 Long term Masterplan

Cumberland University Masterplan - A

project I worked on at Earl Swensson
Associates. The design process was
started by having a three day design
charrette at the university and talking
to the student body, board and the
academic council; identifying their
perceptions and hopes for the uni-
versity over the next twenty years.
The master plan was designed in two
phases- short term and long term to
be completed over the next twenty
years.

EARL SWENSSON ASSOC.

Drama Theater at Belmont University,
the first project I worked on after gradu-
ate school at Earl Swensson Associ-
ates. I was responsible for all the design
graphics and drawings from schematic
design through Design Development.
I also coordinated with the project
architect on Construction documents
to maintain design intent and was a
part of the construction administration
team. The project was the conversion
of a church into a drama theater and an
addition of an experimental black box
theater. The entire shell of the historic
church was retained while retrofitting it
with a state of the art theater within.
EARL SWENSSON ASSOC.
Cultural Revival Center, designed as a
part of my final Studio at Texas A&M.
The building was an contemporary inter-
pretation of the vernacular architecture
of Kerala. The Project was envisioned for
the revival of the dying traditional arts in
kerala. The facilities included academic
venues, live performance venues
including theaters and amphitheaters,
museums, and tourist facilities.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
CO2 ( Cairo Office Tower), designed
as a part of my Third Studio at Texas
A&M. The building was an office
building located in Cairo, Egypt. The
design objective was to design a high
performance building, designed to
achieve LEED gold. Building energy
performance analysis was conducted
using ‘Enerwin’ energy simulation
software and daylight analysis was
done using ‘Radiance’ software. This
was an performance based approach
with data to substantiate the claims of
sustainability and high performance.

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Peckerwood, designed as a part of my Second Studio at Texas A&M. The
project had a multidisciplinary approach with collaboration with landscape
and construction management graduates. My project was chosen to be pub-
lished in ‘Archone’ the Texas A&M architecture biannual publication.

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

My fist studio project at Texas A&M- The program is to develop a prototype branch for a bank, that has a drive through
facility, located in a suburban American setting. The bank apart from providing financial services to its customers , will also
accommodate several community programs for the general public. This bank is draped with a dynamic carpet of greenery
and flowers, that change with the season. The bank in effect becomes a kaleidoscope of colors transforming itself with the
nature around and thus offering an unmatched visual quality bridging the gap between nature and built-form.

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

A farm house was designed on a rub-
ber plantation and while the budget
was the primary constraint, the quality
of space and design was very impor-
tant. The design was compact and
blended in harmoniously with the
landscape. A small swimming pool was
also built in an innovative way with the
water for the pool taken from a well
specifically dug for this purpose and
later drained out into the stream that
flows through the site, thereby using
naturally sand filtered water and avoid-
ing costly water treatment plants.

ATELIER DESIGN STUDIO

Residence in Munnar, India was designed around the pristine vegetation.
Care was taken not to cut down a single tree. The building responds to the
natural contours and climate and merges along with the surrounding land-
scape. The cantilevered wooden decks give a sense of drama and feeling of
lightness to the structure. The house has solar heating systems and photo
voltaic panel integrated in the roofing system.

ATELIER DESIGN STUDIO

The farm house was designed when
I was an Architect at Atelier Design
Studio. The program called for two
separate houses , the first floor for the
owners occasional use and the sec-
ond floor to be rented out. The form of
the building recalls the proportions of
the traditional buildings in kerala while
reinterpreting it in a purely modern
and contemporary way.

ATELIER DESIGN STUDIO

Aquapolis, designed as a part of my undergraduate thesis in 2000. The build-
ing was designed to be a prototype energy independent, sustainable mixed
use building, off the coast of Bombay to address the ever increasing urban
densities and the realities of changing climate patterns. The structure was a
35 storied totally self sustaining building with solar energy systems, waste
recycling plants and water desalination plants. The mixed use building is
accessible through air, road and water. The bulding was designed as a
technology demonstrator and symbol of the 21st century urban India.

KERALA UNIVERSITY
Davidson Academy- Site Analysis. A project I worked on at Earl Swensson Associates. I was a part of a team work-
ing on the masterplan and was responsible for the site analysis, zoning and masterplan concepts.
Davidson Academy was a K through 12 school and were relocating from their existing building to a new one pro-
posed in the above shown site.

Concept sketches for the design of a villa - project at GA Architects

SKETCHES
Thumbnail sketches done on Index cards as a part of design exploration and studies on various projects. These
quick studies have enabled me to go through multiple concepts and have been a tool to better communicate design
ideas among team members and to clients during design meetings.

SKETCHES
Architectural sketches and studies that I did for McGill university Department of Architecture during the summer of
2004. These were a part of the series of sketches on Montreal and were featured as a part of an urban design article
in http://ecoplan.mcgill.ca

Architectural sketches and studies - These sketches have been done during the course of my travels and from
books. These exersices help me in getting a better feel for the built structure and their underlying concepts. The
above sketches have been done using graphite on paper.

SKETCHES
While I was a graduate student at
Texas A&M University, I had the
oppurtunity to work as an editorial
illustrator for the college newspaper -
‘The Battalion’. The following are a
few of the illustrations that I had
produced during my year long stint
with the newspaper.

SKETCHES