>From any high rise building in south Mumbai, the Arabian Seaseems to bring its
>aquamarine shades right inside, when viewed from thelarge French Windows. At
>Lake View Homes, near Powai, the water bodysituated in the premises seems to
>be a part of the room's decor. In anysea-facing flat in Navi Mumbai's Palm
>Beach Road,the serene calming nature of the creek seems to come right inside
>thehome. Vijay Gajra of the Bhoomi Group, which is creating some of
>NaviMumbai's most expensive luxury homes, concurs. "When you have the
>largesized glass window replace the balcony as also the wall, it bringsabout a
>different feel to the interior - it seems to bring in some ofthe outside
>environment and make it a part of the interiors," he says.
Froma developer's perspective, especially one who is creating
higher-endlifestyle-plus homes, he knows too well what a home buyer wants. "It
israther simple," he explains. "Indians are travelling aborad a lot, theyhave
seen what amenities and facilities are available in premiumresidential realty
abroad, and they want similar type of amenitieshere. The large sized windows
are an integral part of this 'new'requirements," he adds.
InThane, developer Suraj Parmar concurs. "Large windows have fast taken aslot
in interior decor of a home that is somewhere between a normalwindow and a
balcony. It is a new sub-category of sorts, one that hasbeen accepted very fast
by buyers of premium homes in Mumbai andsurrounding areas," he explains.
Standing on the 29th floor of Tivoli at the Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, the
view of the Powai Lakeas seen from the large windows takes on the appearance of
being one'spersonal view. Stretching from the ceiling to the floor, the
largewindows create the effect of bringing the outdoors within the
home,explains realtor Bharat Malik. "A similar view of Thane's Upvan Lakeis
available to residents of upper floors of projects situated near thelake, with
the Yeoor Hills practically seeming to be an extension ofthe greenery situated
just outside the window," he adds.
MukeshPatel, Knowledge Worker, Neelkanth Group says, "French Windows
arecasement windows or windows in the exterior walls of a structure thatopen
out in the middle like a door, and run through the height of thewall right down
to the floor level." Patel feels that windows withlarge glazing provide better
light in the apartment, but moreimportant, they give a better view of the
scenery, especially in caseof towers. "This was not possible in the earlier
days as large size ofglass, as also such quality was not available. Presently,
with theincreasing number of float glass factories coming up, it has
becomepossible to source such glass in India," he adds.
"Itisn't all about good looks, but also about energy efficiency: a doubleglazed
glass wall - call it a French Window, if you will - providesenergy efficiency
and reduces energy required to keep the room cool,"he explains. French Windows
can also be termed an alternative to thebalcony, given that in Mumbai as also
neighbouring areas like Thane andNavi Mumbai, many residents enclose balconies
because of the weather -heat, dust, sound pollution, rains - these make it
advantageous toenclose the balcony with glass windows, points out Suraj
Parmar."Instead of having a balcony which ultimately gets enclosed, the
FrenchWindows are a more practical alternative which is catching on in a
bigway," he adds.
MukeshPatel explains that the actual French window has been customized tosuit
needs of specific locations, especially in suburban Mumbai andlocations like
Thane and Navi Mumbai. "Developers make their ownversions of the original
French window concept to fit the project'srequirements. A french window, as
understood internationally, startsfrom just above the floor. In some projects,
you will see that itstarts around the height of an average person's waist and
extends tilljust a foot below the ceiling. Secondly, most of our French Windows
arebased on 'aluminium sliders' and are not windows that open out from
themiddle," he adds.
Froma home buyer's perspective, here's another plus point from SurajParmar:
"French Windows that begin about two feet above the floor levelalso serve as an
extra seating space, like a traditional Indian 'baithak',because of the ledge
at that level. It really depends upon thesetting/placement of the flat, the
position of the building and thesurrounding area that determines the kind of
French Windows that fit,"he says. "In a crowded locality, for instance, if two
buildings arereally close by, then one wouldn't opt for a French Window as it
is atthe cost of privacy," adds Parmar.
But,in a natural, open setting or one at higher floor levels - these
largewindows make the rooms look larger and more open," he concludes.
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