Contents 01
Collective Urban Block A developmental model for inner city peripheries - Academic Exploration
02 03
Social Living Affordable Mass Housing - Academic Exploration
Practical Exposure Anika Redwood Homes and KCC Complex - Work Experience
04
Community Living Coexistence of Builtform and Community - Research and Documentation
05
Urban Intervention Voids and Vectors - Design Workshop
01 Collective Urban Block A developmental model for Inner City Peripheries Towards framework based on sharing and collectivity AA, HnU Graduation Thesis Project September 2020 to February 2021 Location: Camden, London Tutor: Anna Shapiro, Irenee Scalbert Individual work The project focuses on developing the inner peripheral area of Camden Town as a collective urban block. It presents a new version of developmental model, an urban experiment that serves both as an urban housing strategy ( density, diversity) and a social framework (inclusivity, well-being, collective living), thought of at scales of the superblock and single building, that can be re-adapted into different urban contexts. By exploring the relationship between the industrial and residential environments with infrastructural elements, it aims at establishing a new kind of neighbourhood based on synergies between these otherwise distinct environments. Further, this research raises a discussion on how the emerging notions of sharing and collectivity are used as tools to retain complex environments within city centres and at the same time cater to density and diversity requirements of urban areas. It presents the need for a framework based approach for urban transformation that includes the dimension of time. A master-program that provides a richer role to the design as a choreographer on how dynamic and evolving urban transformations interact with fixed and stable points.
North South Armatures
Block Restructuring
Morphological Compositions
Defining Interfaces
“The contrast between particular and universal, between individual and collective, emerges from the city and form its construction, its architecture...’’ - Aldo Rossi
The developmental model employs collectivity as a primary tool, aiming to deliver a dense and diversified urban block. The following proposal looks at the introduction of light industries within the housing fabric of transitional sites in Camden. The concept is of combining the two type of urbanisms: the normal grid and the individual objects, as a basic urban housing model. The mid-rise development would provide the generic urban container of housing and infrastructure, The second system of large buildings as a series of objects would hold light industries, production spaces, collective spaces and public amenities.
Interface between the Highline, Shed and Housing that holds the services and logistics requirements of light industries.
Section through the urban block The shed introduces light weight industries around food, establishing an integrated food ecology in the neighbourhood.
Towards Productive City Network driven appraoch, Industry as Ecology. Looking at the urban plot as a mega block embedded in its landscape, the proposal integrates infrastructure as productive elements establishing synergies within the area. Combining light industries with housing creates employment opportunities and helps to retain the industries within the city centres. Bringing in the learnings from the outer periphery, juxtaposition of potentially synergistic large elements with smaller things establishes continuity allowing them to work together as a collectivised whole.
Urban diagram showing a network driven approach in inner peripheries to retain complex environments within the city centre.
Inner City peripheries in London marked by infrastructural severances.
Packaging, Storage
Market, Retail
Workshops, Cooking classes The presence of knowledge quarter, infrastructure and industries provide potential for the under-utilized sites of inner peripheries.
Analogy between the development around Central St Martins and the proposed shed in Camden.
Distribution
Restaurants, Cafes
Events, Public venue
Urban Farming
Exhibitions, Events
Research Labs
Establsihing a well-integrated food ecosystem involves other industries such as logistics, manufacturing, creative businesses. It activates the civic facilites and generates subsidary uses and activities along side.
02 Social Living Affordable Mass Housing in Rajkot A place to call as home IPSA Housing Studio, January 2016 to April 2016 Location: Rajkot, India Tutor: Hitesh Changela, Anand Sonecha Individual Work The program was to re-design housing for economically weaker section of the society in the city of Rajkot with density of 1400 people per hectare on a site of 1.7 hectare which had middle income group housing colonies, educational institutes and a public park adjacent to it. The design evolved as linear arrangement of houses to share resources and services to make it economically feasible. The form evolved as linear masses arranged in angles to create different scales of common open spaces in centre for the people. Another aspect of the design was to develop it as a vertical neighbourhood by creating open spaces for each dwelling in all floors to provide the much needed interface between the built and open as it is a necessity for Indian lifestyles and provides the opportunity to connect with the neighbours and outside environment and create a lively atmosphere. The design had three sizes of dwellings according to family size, occupation and needs, 45sqm dwellings with shops on ground floor, 35sqm dwellings and 25sqm dwellings with possibility to increment on upper floors with personal open spaces for each dwelling.
Ground Level Plan
Site model with proposed massing.
Linear arrangement of built masses
Different scales of open spaces
Attaining required density
Creating vertical neighbourhood through terraces
View depicting the vertical neighbourhood created by visually connected open spaces at different levels allowing social life to prevail.
Stacked Floor plans depicting the open spaces at all levels creating vertical neighbourhood.
03 Practical Exposure Anika Redwood Homes and KCC Complex Mixed use residential and commercial building Anika Homes- Project Architect at CnT Architects February 2018 to May 2019 Location: Bangalore, India
Anika Redwood Homes is a mixed use building with hypermarket on two floors and residential apartments above. The site has road access on all sides and has considerable slope along the east west direction. The slope of the site has been used to give multiple access points to the building providing efficient approach to various programs in the building. The commercial floor will be leased out to hypermarket company. In the residential floors overall sense of community is created at the podium level through shared spaces and amenities and sub-scales of community through verandah lobbies at the top levels of the building. The building was under construction and gave me exposure to practical issues and processes related to construction on site. I was managing the design work, co-ordiantion with the service providers, and the communications on site.
3D Render of the building.
Working Drawing of the residential level.
KCC Commercial Complex, Bangalore.
KCC Complex- Intern at Cadence Architects June 2015- December 2015 Location: Bangalore, India
Casting of the transverse slab to support the residential structure.
Southern facade of the building.
Facade detail Model.
Onsite casting of overlapping slabs.
04 Community Living Coexistence of Builtform and Community A study of community life in self initiated settlements of Ahmedabad Undergrad Research Thesis, IPSA January 2017 to July 2017 Location: Ahmedabad, India Tutor: Prof Yatin Pandya Individual Work
Shamla ni Pol, Khadia-II
The research seeks to understand the co-relation between the builtform and sense of community. There are the social aspects that creates community. And built environment has physical manifestations which generates the sense of community. The architecture of a building should depict the community it is built for and create sense of belongingness for its people. Architecture and community define each other, give identity to each other and the fabric around it. This study aims to understand that how the settlements in urban fabric keeps the community life intact though there is pressure of urbanization. The study is focused on self initiated settlements as they have stronger sense of community. First part is a discussion on understanding community as a phenomenon. Different social and physical aspects of community living are discussed to understand how the sense of community is manifested in built environment. Second part is case study of self initiated settlements of Ahmedabad city. The work program includes study of three settlements - Informal settlements, Slums. -Historic settlements, Pol houses -Engulfed Village, Gamtal
Kumbahar Vas, Ramapir no Tekro
Vastrapur, Gamtal Ramapir no Tekro, Informal Settlement Khadia-II, Historic settlement
Kumbhar Vas, Vastrapur Context and Cases- Ahmedabad City.
Settlement level study, Ramapir no Tekro
Community level study, Kumbahar Vas
Cluster level study
Builtform inducing Community Living
05 Urban Intervention Voids and Vectors Towards a vision for post-peripheral regeneration AA, HnU Design Studio II, February 2020 to June 2020 Location: Brentford, London Tutor: Lawrence Barth, Anna Shapiro Group Work The urban study looks at creating a vision and framework guide with set of strategies for the peripheral areas of Brentord, London. There is clear conflict in the urban form between the rigid isolated object and the natural condition. The urban analysis revealed the point at which the urban abruptly shifts into that of the peripheral. Each block type tends to work in its own interest with a logistical bias and do little to inform each other in productive ways. The project looks at urban interventions that works towards creating a consistent attitude towards the geography, geometry, grids and grain of the peripheries. Establishing meaningful relationships to the River Brent, transport infrastructures and surrounding natural clusters, the study focuses on three different conditions, 1. Linear set of parcels between the A4 and the railway, 2. Irregular, compact sites marked by curves of River Brent, 3. Expansive rhythmic sections of geopgraphy marked between Brent and railway line.
Consistent morphological setting of mono-functional industrial blocks, isolated housing estates and natural landscapes.
Urban interventions to create a dialogue between the existing grids, grains and geography of the peripheries.
A consistent set of parcels between the A4 and the railway, inhabited by big-box stores, storage facilities and office buildings.
Curves of river Brent and a defunct linear railroad creates compressed irregular sites and expansive rhythmic sections of geography.
In peripheral geography, the intersection of natural infrastructure with the urban grid creates remarkable irregular sites.
Clustered behind the transport infrastructure and waterways, these sites connect to nature and city blocks on different sides.
Large intervention interacting with the hard edge of transport infrastructure and soft edge of nature.
By introducting a network of targeted unique project interventions on strategic sites of morphological transitions, these interventions create nuclie for the integration of peripheral territories. And creates neighbourhoods supporting shared and collective ways of life.
AAYUSHI RATHI +44 7546854934 aayushirathi08@gmail.com