Portfolio 2013- 2020 by Abhinand Gopal

PORTFOLIO Explore, Collaborate and Experiment

Abhinand Gopal

2013 - 2020

About Me Educated in the field of architecture and urbanism. An avid traveller from India with strong graphic design and digital media skills. With a diverse skill set, loves to work in creatives collectives. The line of work has offered the chance to travel wide and experience many different cultures, places and people. Deeply passionate about creative mediums and the need to expriment and overcome limitations. In the near future, strives to work within the spheres of governance and sustainability such ciruclar economies, spatial justice and challenge conventional planning norms.

+32 48 93 98 712 abhinandgopal13@gmail.com

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/desibanjara /DesiBanjara13

Contents

Urbanism 1 – Agro Urbanisms as Alternate Futures: Johannesburg 2 – Think Global, Act Local: Amsterdam 28 3 – Vietnam Design Studio 34

Motion Design 4 – Cut-Motion Animation: Suriname 40

5 – Other Video Projects: India 46

Start-Up 6 – Building a Clothing Company 48

Contents

Ekhurleni Metropolitan

Population - 3.8 million

City of Johannesburg

Population - 2 million

Johannesburg Metropolitan

Population - 5.8 million

Gauteng Province

Pretoria

Population - 15.2 Million

Vereeniging

Ridges

Urban Footprint

Mine Residue Areas

1 - Greater Johannesburg

3 - Study Area

+ - Cradle of Humankind

INTRODUCTION Gauteng, the economic engine of South Africa stretches from Pretoria in the north to Vereeniging in the South. After the Apartheid was abolished, 13 local municipalities combined to form the Gauteng province, with Johannesburg as its capital. It is home to 15.2 million people, 25.8% of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total population constricted in 18,182 sq.km, about 1.4% of total land area. From the early paleolithic times, the open vastness of the region provided food, shelter, & incubation that facilitated in the evolution of Early Humans from hunter-gatherers to primitive agricultural societies.

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1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures Master Thesis Project

Jan - Jun 2020

The thesis is an urban exploration and understanding of the underlying elements that spatially connect the defragmented urban pockets of Johannesburg from the theoretical lens of climate change crisis. The Klippoortjie Agricultural Hub is a food belt on the periphery of the Johannesburg that is under constant threat from future housing development, industrial expansion, water scarcity and drought. The thesis explores a post-Covid19 scenario which includes the collapse of the global oil. The design strategies are developed across different scales to create adaptative climate-resilient landscapes that enhance biodiversity and provide alternate modes of living, work and sustainable development based on hyperlocal resource management in the absence of fuel-based automotive and non-renewables. The design research is an earnest attempt to seek alternative perspectives of development for peri-urban settlements of global cities.

Thesis Supervisor: Prof. Kelly Shannon, KU Leuven

Johannesburg

Durban

South Africa

Cape Town

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

The discovery of worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest gold reserves on the east-west ridgeline turned farming lands into mining fields overnight, and informal mining camps were set-up. An isolated town was established north of the mining operations to facilitate water supply to mining operations and accommodate the huge influx of miners. The push/ pull factors of globalization & capitalism contracted and expanded the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s centre. 6

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Study Area: 8 km x 8 km

1903 Historic Map of Johannesburg

10KM

Fig. 1.1â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 1903 General Map of Witwatersrand gold fields indicates the division of land and water resources amongst

mining syndicates. Data obtained from the Willam Cullen Library Archives, WITS University, Johannesburg. 7

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

The urban sprawl of Johannesburg is the product of a set of historical circumstances of hegemonic apartheid policies and top-down modernist planning intertwined with intense mining activities. The combined pressures of decentralization and new opportunities for the disenfranchised resulted in a splintered megalopolis without definite city boundaries. 8

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Study Area: 8 km x 8 km

2020 Satellite Image of Johannesburg

10KM

Fig. 1.2â&#x20AC;&#x201A; 2020 Map of Greater Johannesburg Municipality. Image produced using ArcGis ESRI Digital Globe GIS

World Imagery database. 9

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

After the end of apartheid, the economic forces behind the prosperity shifted from mining and manufacturing to service industry such as tourism, finance, information technology, creatives and culture and, business services. This transformed the economic base and stimulated a wholesale transformation of the urban landscape with a heterogenous assembly of mini-cities incongruously connected to each other. 10

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Study Area: 8 km x 8 km

Urbanization + Ecology Urban Footprint Mine activity 11

Wetlands Lake Mine Residue area

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

00 River Agriculture

10KM

Wetlands Protected forests & Green Area

Alien Plants In 2016, Johannesburg featured in the Top 10 Cities with most trees by World Economic Forum. However, the kind of tree species, and their immense water demand further scrutiny. The colonizers brought along not only principles and habits, but also visually pleasing non-native species that consume large amounts of water and invasively replace indigenous vegetation. 12

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Native Vegetation The regional geography and rainfall shape the Highveldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s semi- arid environment. It is characterized as the Savannah grasslands with the presence of shrubs and trees along water channels rather than large forest canopies. The region acts as isolated islands with a rich variety of plants, insects, birds, reptiles, and animals. 13

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

The shapeless jumble of historic inner city’s built fabric largely moulded the push/ pull factors of globalization and capitalism that have contracted and expanded the city. This is often seen when many buildings and blocks are completely erased in a single stroke. Thus, the transforming cityscape of Johannesburg with its physical landscape scars that distinctively stand out in the background.

Fig. 1.3 An aerial view of Johannesburg, 1955 Source: Archives from the Department of Architecture and Planning, University of WITS.

The contamination of ground and surface water made the absolute dependency on imported water, a phenomenon termed as ‘hydro-colonization’. For many decades, the city of Greater Johannesburg’s highly industrialised and densely populated settlements solely rely on imported water from Lesotho’s catchments to manage the ever- increasing water demand that far exceeds local supply. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project artificially diverts river water from the Drakensburg Range through a series of dams, tunnels, and canals. This caters to potable water needs of households, gardens, and swimming pools. 14

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Vaal Dam Lesotho Highlands

Klip River

Pump Storage Reservoir

Domestic Use

Purification station

Vaal Dam

Vaal River Waterval River

Wastewater Treatment Plant

Vaal River Wilge River

Lesotho Highlands Water Project

Vaal River Barrage Reservoir

Klip , Natalspruit, Rietspruit, Blesbokspruit rivers

Fig. 1.4â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Diagrammatic Representation of water system in Johannesburg.

Vaal River

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

Orange River

Atlantic Ocean

Timeline of Climate Change Events

Natural Disasters

Data Source: FAO 2016 Report, IPCC AR6 Report, The Gaurdian Reports, weathersa.co.za Image Courtesy: Anton Balazh

Flood

Cyclone

Earthquake

Drought

Anthropocene/ Human-induced Sinkhole Oil Spill

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Smog Wildfire

Mine Dumps Pandemic

Extent of Electrification by Coal Powered Thermal Plants

Population Demographics

Data Source: ourworld.org, statssa.org.za, UN-Habitat Urbanization Report 2018, worlddata.info, Image Courtesy: Anton Balazh

Urban City - Township Dependency 750k+ 500k+ 2.5 million + 1 million+ 200k+ Informal Settlements

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

Area of Intervention: 6km x 2km

Study Area 8x8 km The study area of 8kmx8 km is the Klippoortjie Agricultural Hub part of the Ekurhuleni municipality of the gauteng province located 30 kms south-east of the Johannesburg inner city. The vast swathes of commercial agriculture are the last remnants of the pastoral lands that dominated the rural landscapes, whose existence today is threated by increasing pressures of human settlements and highway projects. Apart from urbanization, the biggest threats to cultivation are drought conditions, water scarcity and severe temperature changes.

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Natalspruit

Pans

Air Pollution

Degraded Landscape

Winter wind carrying coal dust

Threatened Vegetation

Wetlands

Water Pollution

Future Floodline

Possible Sinkholes

Stunts in River System

Climate Crisis

* FAO. (2016). Evaluation of FAOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution to building resilience to El NiĂąo-induced drought in Southern Africa. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organisation.

The predictions of frequent drought conditions coupled with irregular rainfall patterns and temperature anomalies outlined in the FAO Agriculture Report 2016* has become a harsh reality. Since the dryland agriculture uses groundwater for irrigation, there has been a depletion in the water table and ruptures to the precarious dolomite bedrock leading to the subsequent formation of sinkholes. The increase in average global temperatures makes the agricultural area severely vulnerable to profound harsh weather conditions and shortage of water resources.

Mine Dumps - Urban Enclaves - Loss of Agriculture

Informal Settlement- Diepsloot, Gauteng Province, SA

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Research Question The main objective of the thesis is to understand the exacerbated impacts of climate change on water availability in the Johannesburg region and how can territorial contestations between environment and urban settlements be integrated with the natural flow of systems. The urban design research investigates the characteristics of the spatial landscape and seeks alternative modes of development to redress the contemporary and future challenges of the city. The research focussed on the following sub-research questions: Q. How can adaptive spatial transformation of the Klippoortjie agriculture hub and its urban landscapes envision alternate futures for the region, achieve self- sustenance: food and energy, and offset impacts of climate change?

* The informal settlements serve as the main entry

Q. What alternate methods of hybridization in agriculture and forestry can be integrated with mixed-use typologies to achieve food security, improve quality of living and health, provide new forms of employment and strive for an alternative form of growth?

point into the local economy for rural and foreign

Q. What adaptive design strategies can be implemented to mitigate foreseeable flooding on edge settlements of Klippoortjie AH, and protect and preserve the Rondebult Bird Sanctuaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecology?

migrants referred to as reception areas. In most cases situated in the wetlands prone to higher floods and disease risk of health.

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

Natalspruit

Informal Informal Catchment Settlements Settlements Informal Church Settlements Shunting Yard

2 School S.School

2 Klippoortjie AH

Klippoortjie AH Klippoortjie AH PMC

Klippoortjie Industrial District

School P.School

Roodekoop Industrial Area Steel Manufacturing

Klippoortjie Industrial Zone

Rondebult Rondebutlt Bird Bird Sanctuary Santuary

Logistics

Roodekoop Roodekop

Roodekop

LPG Plant S.School School

Spatial Injustice The spatial demographic analysis of Fig. 9.2 shows the stark differences in the size of land holding and the housing unit densities between different residential neighbourhoods. The concept of space as a social construct that dictates the social values and prejudices is fixed for the residents throughout their lives. The Census conducted in 2011 and the subsequent development plans place the average mean age of the population below 25 indicating a highly resourceful younger population, if productively utilised through creation of new job markets and providing alternate forms of work. An average of 5 members per household was taken to analyse the 3 different clusters of an area of 200mx80m. The spatial injustice in region occurs also due to poor accessibility to health centres and transport nodes.

Number of Housing Units Land Area/ Density per sq.km 22

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1. Informal Settlements amidst the river, industry and train 252 units, mixed use 0.12 sq km/ 35,000 - 40,000

Stables Highway Disconnected Housing Retail Market Flea Market

P.School

ERWAT

Nursery Railway Line

Klippoortjie Agriculture Hub Dawn Park

Taxi Rank

2. Klippoortjie Ah low-cost single housing with reception areas 125 units on 70 plots, limited mixed use 0.87 sq km/ 35,000 - 40,000 23

500m

3. Swimming Pools and Exotic Gardens of Dawn Park 27 units, single-use residential 0.8 sq km/ 3,000 -4,000

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

1km

New Station Node

Enlarged Bird Santuary

Re-configured Manufacturing

D' D'

C C''

Ecology Network

New wastewater recycling plant

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Protected Forest

Hydroponics

Ecol

logical Flyover

Carbon Sequestration

Cultivation orineted along countours 0

Section AA' Section BB'

Section CC'

Section DD'

Agro-Urbanisms as Alt. Futures

500m

1km

Adaptation & Mitigation Strategies LEGEND Rainwater Catchment Reservoirs Greywater Channels Filtration Ponds Carbon Sequestration Protected Forest Public Park Dairy Industry

Ecology Network Altered Farms Storefront Farm Reservoirs Community Cultivation Alternate Mobility Public Habitat Assembly

Farm to Table to Farm Diagram

Intercropping

monocot-dicot

all

drip irrigation

Farm Reservoirs

Corn

New Station Node Global Export organic manure for cultivation

Durban Port

Hyperlocal Composting Pits

Storefront

Local Consumption

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Banana

Sunflower

Banana

Fruits

Tuber

season

Crop Calender

Vegetables

drought tolerant

seasonal

Maize Soyabean Carrots Beetroots

Watermelon

Casava

Cabbage

Spinach

Carrot

Beetroot

Casava Banana J

F M A M J J A S O N D

Sowing

Grazing Fields for dairy cattle

Growing

cattle plouging

Production + Retail Interface

Shift in Existing Systems Natural difused daylight

The modification of urban landscape is intended to integrate ecological rehabilitation with sustainable development in the region through reclassification of farmlands to build a symbiotic relationship between cultivation, cattle rearing and carbon sequestration. Socio-ecological production spaces and reconfiguring existing industry for a collective purpose.

Harvesting

Purmerend Zandam Port

Amsterdam Schipol Airport

Video: Vision MRA

/4 min 50 sec/

2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Think Global, Act Local! Metropolitan Region Amsterdam Frameworks

Sept - Dec 2020

Purmerend is a dormitory city that lies in the shadows of Amsterdam, Zaandam, and Edam. It is sandwiched by three polders: Beemster to its North, Wormer toits West and Purmer to East. In the early 15th century, it started as a fishing hamlet surrounded by lakes. The need for food surplus created new space for farming through a process called polderization, the water turned to land and fishing shifted to agriculture and animal rearing. The historic city of Purmerend centered around weekly food and animal markets in its public squares.Today, the markets are concealed and shifted to the periphery. The city is constituted of an aging migrant population and most residents are dependent upon Amsterdam to access job markets and services.

Mentors: Prof. Roberto Rocco, Luiz de Cavalho, TU Delft

Amsterdam The Netherlands The Hague

Rotterdam

Think Global, Act Local!

Climate Crisis The predictions of frequent drought conditions coupled with irregular rainfall patterns and temperature anomalies outlined in the FAO Agriculture Report (FAO, 2016) has become a harsh reality. Since the dryland agriculture uses groundwater for irrigation, there has been a depletion in the water table and ruptures to the precarious dolomite bedrock leading to the subsequent formation of sinkholes. The increase in average global temperatures makes the agricultural area severely vulnerableto profound harsh weather conditions and shortage of water resources.

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Historic City

2020 De Purmer

1700 De Purmer

Built fabric 0

1950

2km

Excess growth without jobs

1960 1970

1km

The steady increase in urbanisation versus population growth of Purmerend are charted in the above map Neither the land use, nor the land holding size of the Purmer polder has not altered from 1600s till date. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population grew 8 times from a meager 10,000 in 1950 to 80,000 in 2020. With the majority of the population dependent on Amsterdam, it has become a dependent territory.

Industry

1980

steel manufacturing

1990

light industry

2000

autombiles

2000

chemicals

2010

light industry

ongoing

Think Global, Act Local!

PRODUCERS Local companies

small farmers <4 hectares

Where does your food come from? The schematic diagram explains system the global supply chain system of a banana. The trans-continental journey of a banana starts in the cultivated fields of Colombia and jumps into an intricate trade network.The ‘Cavendish’ variety is the only banana type sold in the Western markets.

Hamburg

North Sea

medium farms >5 h.a

International Companies

FRUIT COMPANIES London

crop life: 9 months

Rotterdam

Amsterdam

Antwerpen Dover Bruxelles

PROCUREMENT inspect, wash, sort per weight,

Luxemborg

PACKAGING label, boxcode

Paris

CONSUMERS

EXPORT 2-3 weeks to reach Europe Marine Refrigration Temperature: 13-18’C

Caribbean Sea Cartgagena Magdalena

IMPORT customs, VAT Antiquia

Pacific Ocean

Bogota

Atlantic Ocean

Rapid Productivity Gains: 1. Irrigational system reforms 2. Intensive labour regimes 3. Use of agro-chemicals

RIPENING CENTER hydrocarbons are added to fasten the process

HEALTH & SAFETY Netherlands Food & Consumer Product Safety Authority (Department of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality)

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REFRIGRATION 5-7 days in cold storages

LEGEND Heating Boiler Unit (90 MW)

Carbon Sequestration

Biomass Plant (44 MW)

Sea Weed Farm

Energy Transitions & Local Food Production

Central District Heating Network

Fish/Shrimp Farm

Present Solar Campus (5.6 MW)

Protected Forest

Proposed Biomass Network

Social Forestry

Proposed Methane Collection

Cattle Farm

Proposed Solar Farm

Local Vegetable

Proposed Solar Linkage

Production

The combination of land reappropriation and agro-ecology principles is applied to the Purmer polder to sustainably manage the land. A symbiotic sustenance cycle between forest, crops, and livestock is established to maintain the balance between ecology and economy. The proposed energy network is a closed circuit that links the existing energy system to the industries.

Think Global, Act Local!

3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Vietnam Design Studio Productive Death Landscapes

Feb- Jun 2019

Hue is located in Central Vietnam. The studio focussed on Water and Forest Urbanism in a sensitive and complex landscape contexts undergoing the pressures of transformation and rapid urbanisation. The province is comprised of sequence of forested mountain landscapes, fertile plains and Tam Giang Cau Hai lagoon. It is distinct dotted by tomb landscapes of the royal family in the north of the citadel city. The huge amounts of remittances by Vietnamese expats are used to build tombs, where the belief of life after death persists, with eternal life as the supreme goal. The death industry associated with such strong philosophy and its rituals such as burning paper money and footwear is part of their culture. The site is the An Bang cemetery is one of the largest tomb landscapes covering more than 6 kilometers in length. The design looks into different living patterns based on communitarianism.

Collaborators: Aline de Bruyune, KU Leuven

Hanoi

Hue

Vietnam

Saigon

Vietnam Design Studio

1 - Living in the Lagoon

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2- Living in the Fields

Vietnam Design Studio

Present - Nature Follow Tombs Every year, the extensive tomb landscapes take more and more of the duneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s original vegetation. Trees are cut at an accelerated pace, irreversibly changing its valuable eco-system.

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Possible Futures - Tombs enhance Nature/ Recreation/ Bio-diversity The roles are reversed. Nature orchestrates the expansion of future sacred landscapes. New tombs are enclosed by a protective forest. The tomb landscape becomes a living-deathscape.

Vietnam Design Studio

Title: A Day in Heerenstraat

Duration: 3 minutes 16 seconds

Video Link: Dutch | English

4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Storyboard Urbanism A stop-motion animated video

Mar 2020

Developed during the 16th and 17th centuries, it is considered an exceptional example of the fusion of different cultures in architecture and construction techniques. Unfortunately, this part of the city is in a state of decline as residents have moved to peripheral areas and it has mainly become an administrative and commercial hub, heavily congested during the day and almost empty during the night. How can video-making in urbanism bring stakeholders, financial investors and concerned parties together to revision a collective growth and prosperity? This stop-motion animation is about reimagining a street profile but deducing the problems how to bring back life and activity in the historic inner city of Paramaribo, Suriname.

Collaborators: EMU - TU Delft, Inter-Development BankParamaribo Urban Rehabitation Program, the local residents & business owners of Paramaribo

Paramaribo

Suriname

Storyboard Urbanism

The protagonists envisage re-activation of the historic inner city by discussing the prime issues of Paramaribo, proposing a few ideas and walking through an ephemeral experience in Heerenstraat.

a spirited Surinamese plans to meet his friend

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The skin color of the protagonists is blue to remove any racial association as the country Suriname is a cocktail fusion of different races, ethnicities & cultures. The vivid garment is taken from local textures.

an empowered college student who lives on Heerenstraat

Storyboard Urbanism

Urban Vegetation

Shared Community Space

Street Lighting

Bike Lane

Social Life

Trails across Time & Space

120 seconds | Link

Afghanistan in Just a Minute

60 seconds | Link

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A Traditional Tamil Wedding

100 seconds | Link

5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Other Video Projects Short Audio-Visual montages

2015-2018

With the pure love of cinematic experience across languages, I have grown up watching the entire filmography of Stanley Kubrick, YasujirĹ? Ozu, Stayjit Ray, Wes Anderson, and Christopher Nolan. I seek to emulate the editing and cinematography techniques to capture day-to-day activities and special moments in my life. I am seeking to improve my film editing skills using a variety of softwares such as iMovie, Premier Pro and Corel Video suite.

Initial phase of Editing a short-film project with EMU Group at TU Delft