This new cultural centre in Mumbai was originally an ice factory

Veteran architect Kamal Malik tells us how he went about designing an architecture and arts space for the city

When stepping into IF.BE for the first time, I note the receding of sound. That, and the quality of light—beautiful natural light spilling into the 10,000 square feet of space. My grim face breaks into a happy smile when I spot a huge banyan tree in the courtyard. Reeling from a blazing summer afternoon, it feels as if I’ve stepped into an oasis. Shades of brickwork and splashes of green intermingle with workers bustling about in various parts of Mumbai’s newest cultural centre in the commercial precinct of Ballard Estate. But there is barely any noise; it’s all calm and cool and collected. Later, when mulling around the space, I am convinced the hushed tones and quiet labour is dictated by the sacred quality of the space.

Here comes the sun

Taking an old ice factory in Mumbai’s commercial neighbourhood and spinning it into a centre dedicated to design, architecture and the arts is an ambitious plan, to say the least. But architect Kamal Malik has never shied away from uphill tasks. His commitment to light and nature has been vividly documented in his past projects. When Malik was introduced to the space, it was a functioning ice factory. “They were still making blocks of ice in the main factory, moving them into the cold store. The first thing I noticed was the quality of light; it was fascinating,” he says. It reminded him, he laments, that we as a human race have forgotten the sun.

The gargantuan banyan tree was another draw. “A banyan tree with that kind of a canopy right in the middle of a courtyard is something that every architect dreams of,” Malik exclaims. The troubling part was that the tree itself was being choked, surrounded as it was by hutments, debris and office space. Two little temples had been embedded into its roots. “It was a metaphor for the condition of Planet Earth,” he emphasises, while in flashback mode. The tree, now cleared of all the debris, stands proud and tall, rising through the roof in the courtyard.

What’s the big idea?

One site visit down, visions of streaming sunlight and that beautiful tree stayed with Malik and he began brainstorming back at the office. “At the outset we said that [the space] had to be a seed of transformation, which brings about change, which we are struggling to bring about in our environment,” he says. That was the starting point for IF.BE. An idea that was inevitably dismissed was that of an educational institute. “There are already 750 architecture schools in the country today, and what are they producing?” he shrugs. What slowly emerged was a vision for a place for “unlearning”. “It’s like the old ashrams where the guru would simply say, drop your baggage outside and enter,” says Malik.

Eventually a plan for using the space took shape. “We wanted a neutral and democratic place where there's no bias, a place where we can discuss urbanism, what's good for the docks, what's good for the city. But it should be a neutral, democratic platform, maybe somewhat like Switzerland, which is non-aligned,” shares Malik, whose hope is that IF.BE will help nurture the work of architects, especially budding ones. “Architects and designers in Mumbai have no space to display their talent or conduct workshops and lectures,” says Malik “There are three groups of people who never meet in one spot—citizens, architects and designers, and government officials,” he adds. “We want to create a democratic platform that brings these disparate groups together and conduct discussions without any bias.”

A work in progress

The name emerged from pure geography, chuckles Malik. “It stands for Ice Factory Ballard Estate. The dot is symbolic of time and possibilities.” Malik roped in Abhijit Mehta and Amardeep Tony Singh as his business partners in the venture. For three years, most of which was spent in the Covid-19-induced lockdowns, Malik worked at restoring the space. Stripping it down bare, the team worked at reusing materials. The gantry used for the ice has been retained with an eye to respecting the past and works well as a design feature. At the entrance, old cooling coils encased in glass have been made part of the flooring, a striking design feature.

IF.BE launched last month with robust programming that is centred around the arts and showcases the space. There are three distinct hospitality areas: the Banyan Tree Cafe, a bar that is being speedily readied and a fine-dining restaurant. These spaces are expected to generate revenue that will help run the centre. The space that is devoted to art and shows is the Substation, a reading room that can also be used for meditation and yoga sessions, and also houses a shop for books and souvenirs. While the Ice Factory has been designed for performances, the Cathedral is the main exhibition space. The spaces lead into each other and are flexible, even movable if required.

“Architecture is not just about buildings, it’s about life,” states Malik. His vision for a multi-dimensional space is indeed indicative of that philosophy.

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