Portfolio: Aditi Veena Gupta by Aditi Veena

Portfoli o ÂŠAditi Veena +919818920822 A-15/29, VV, ND 57 aditionly@gmail.com

CATALOGUE 1 URBAN DESIGN STUDIO// SHOPPING - LEISURE DISTRICT// YEAR 5 2 THESIS// RE-IMAGINING SPACES FOR URBAN PERFORMING ARTS// YEAR 5 3 PRODUCTION MANAGER// KHOJ INTERNATIONAL ARTS ASSOCIATION// 2013 4 CO-FOUNDER OF THE HANDS ON FACTORY// 2012 5 TRANSPARENCE ENTRY// LAKE HOUSE 2012 6 CONTRIBUTOR// PLATFORM MAGAZINE - DESIGN ISSUES// 2013 7 CONTRIBUTOR// KYOORIUS MAGAZINE - DESIGN ISSUES// 2014 8 HOUSING STUDIO// YEAR 4 9 ADVANCED GEOMETRY AND PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE// ELECTIVE// YEAR 4 10 BRAZILIAN EMBASSY, NEW DELHI// DESIGN STUDIO// YEAR 3 11 PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR THE URBAN POOR// DESIGN STUDIO// YEAR 3 12 AUTHOR AND EDITOR// KALPA SETTLEMENT STUDY// 2010 13 ICONIC HOUSE// DESIGN STUDIO// YEAR 2 14 SCENOGRAPHY// WHEN ARCHITECTURE MEETS MUSIC// 2012-2014

The design + LEISURE DISTRICT

INSPIRATION credit: artwork: jelle martins

shopping + leisure+ landscape = design + forest+ sustainability 1|| design market + design think tank

shopping as an urban leisure activity

leisure as an urban by product

2|| funerary space ///urban forest

stratergies on site

3|| sustainability ///water collection + waste treatment

roads

pedestrian connections

boardwalk

Landscape as an urban phenomenon

vision Aims to set an example for the city to make landscape essential for urban life and leisure. “Places of consumption have changed from areas that tended just to sell all manner of goods, to authentic areas of entertainment, their main characteristic being to simulate the urban centre, reproducing both its spaces and its functions. Whereas in the past leisure activities were localised in particular urban areas and practised only at specific times of day, there is currently a complete mixture of leisure and consumer phenomena in a single place, where there is total merging and equivalence of space for shopping and for entertainment.” Laura Luzon. We are trying to understand this modern relationship and design a district where the market lends itself to become a place for all kinds of leisure.

A| open street experience

B| sub-urban character

We wanted to design a place inspired by old street shopping. The district calls for an extraordinary street experience with big beautiful massing of trees, wildly curvaceous paths, large riverstone munches, architectural ponds and a lake.

The site caters to the urban aspirations of the people keeping in mind also ecological considerations and advancement. The urban forest runs through the site, intermingling with a fishing lake that utilizes the slope of the catchment area finally culminating into the Barapullah Nallah. The site strives to be off the grid.

podium

C | MUltiple transportation systems

built

greens + forest

Vehicular, pedestrian and air transport systems co-exist at many levels making the site a transit hub. Parking for vehicles is mostly subterranean. Entry and exit points for traffic are distributed around the site for segregation.

4 3 brush off pond / lake

2 11

D| access i

9 10

5th yr. URBAN DESIGN aditi gupta+ STUDIO vishal jayan

E| building context

The site is accessible through metro, bus and roads. Since there is no metro in the immediate vicinity, we are trying to connect the site to the far away cotext through functions that can link with other buildings in the neighborhood.

Built next to the fragmented city centre of Delhi,the site takes from the iconic- and non -iconic in the vicinity.

F | building expression

design think tank

1 Design residencies 2 Market 3 Market 2 4 Lake + Housing D 5 Crematorium 6 Housing C 7 Hotel 8 Banquet 9 Housing B 10 Police station 11 School 12 Design School + hostel 13 Museum

vehicular entries

tank 2 DEWATS treatment plant tank 1

water+ treatment

The built mass continues and weaves the building language of the India Habitat Centre and the government housing around the Meherchand market. Large Zeppelins and courtyards form the backbone of the development.

hotel banquet

+600

housing

+600

m’

+1500 police station

kendriya vidyalaya

crematorium

+1500 +1500 urban forest

urban forest

lake

design residencies design school

vertical landing tower

museum

design school facilities

-3000

workshops and galleries

-4500

5th year urban design studio

theatres shops -6000

entry to market

design school hostel

shops restaurants

i’

h’

f’

g’

e’

d’

c’

vertical landing tower design school accomodation

design school

design museum urban forest

sunken market

large dewats

podium

a’

housing

hotels

housing

design school facilities

b’

aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

theatres

crematorium lake

1 IDENTIFICATION

identification of various different kinds of performance opportunities and relationships between audience and performance from first hand experience of various performances around the city and secondary research.

Re-imagining spaces for urban performing arts

2 REALISATION

15 different performance spaces

Spaces where the audience sits in the middle with views to all other spaces of performance

Spaces where the audience can move while the performance is staged

PERFORMANCE= AUDIENCE + PERFORMERS + BOUNDARIES Spaces where the stage is split into many parts

SEARCH AND CONSOLIDATION OF A CULTURAL DISTRICT A PUBLIC PERFORMANCE GARDEN + VISITOR’S CENTRE

RELATIONSHIP OF THE ARTS WITH PEOPLE OF THE CITY A TRANSIT HUB CONNECTING PUBLIC FUNCTIONS OF THE SCHOOL

Spaces where there is physical interaction between the performer and audience

avant garde spaces

Performers are on the edge and audience face the stage linear fashion for eg. the Kamani Auditorium, Delhi

illustration by unknown artist

Stage as an open space for artists to experiment, For eg. Black box theatres

Performers are in the centre and audience encircle the stage.

experimental spaces

Performers are in the corner and audience surround the stage in a concentric manner. For eg.

conventional spaces

Final year thesis project Aditi Gupta A/2030/2008

Spaces clustered on the site according to open and closed.

Weaving a path through these spaces

Spaces in conjunction with the built mass

RE-IMAGINING URBAN understanding the urban performer N^ scale 1: 2000 PERFORMING ARTS

SPACES FOR INTERSECTION OF VARIOUS ARTS

BAHAWALPUR HOUSE AS THE FACE OF THE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS - PRESERVED IN WHITE PLASTER

THESIS | SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, NEW DELHI ADITI VEENA GUPTA 5TH YEAR SECTION B A/2030/2008

A MELANGE OF VARIOUS COLOURFUL MATERIALS AND FINISHES EMERGING OUT OF THE BAHAWALPUR HOUSE

AN ATTEMPT TO RETAIN AS MANY OLD TREES ON SITE AS POSSIBLE + PLANTING MORE TREES AROUND THE CAMPUS

TWO VERY DIFFERENT SIDESTHE SOUTH FACE - ALMOST LIKE A WALL AND THE NORTH FACE - EXTENDING ITSELF INTO THE GARDEN

A PREMIER SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS

architectural thesis/ re-imagining spaces for urban performing arts

SOUTH ELEVATION

Urban gardening

transit visitors centre + tickiting booth

library

park

cafe

performance

hostel

cafe

performance and learning canteen

NORTH ELEVATION

performance

CULTURAL DISTRICTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY AND THE SOCIETY

RE-IMAGINING URBAN THESIS QUEST PERFORMING ARTS

X HOW MUCH OF CAN WE GIVE BACK TO THE CITY X BIGGER ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS X SHOULD ART BE TICKETED?

X SPACES DESIGNED FOR LEARNING AND PUBLIC PERFORMANCES X SPACES FOR INTERSECTION OF VARIOUS ARTS X SPACES THAT CAN INTERCHANGEABLY BE USED FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES

THESIS | SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, NEW DELHI ADITI VEENA GUPTA 5TH YEAR SECTION B A/2030/2008

RE-IMAGINING URBAN ELEVATIONS N^ scale 1: 200 PERFORMING ARTS

THESIS | SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, NEW DELHI ADITI VEENA GUPTA 5TH YEAR SECTION B A/2030/2008

aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

metro structures pedestrian entry

A’

B’

LVL -6000

6 5

2 3

service entry 4

LVL -1500

Bahawalpur House

16 -1500 7

3 5

vehicular entry

-1500 lockers

8 14 12

25 11 21 23 5

5 1: CP 1 2: Foyer 3: Toilets 4: Cafe 5: Core 6: Library 7: CP 3 8: music wing 9: OP 1 10: Recording room

11: Foyer 12: repertory 13: Admin 14: CP 4 15: CP 5 16: OP 3 17: CP 6 18: OP 4 19: guest house 20: Foyer

21: OP 5 22: Faculty 23: Hostel Lobby 24: Metal workshop 25: Carpentry 26: Mess 27: Open seating 28: Table tennis/ Recreation

*CP: Closed Performance area *OP: Open Performance area

RE-IMAGINING URBAN GROUND FLOOR PLAN N^ scale 1: 250 PERFORMING ARTS

3 23 5

22 3 B>

secondary entry THESIS | SCHOOL OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE, NEW DELHI ADITI VEENA GUPTA 5TH YEAR SECTION B A/2030/2008

architectural thesis/ re-imagining spaces for urban performing arts aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

PRODuction manager, artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; residency 2013 khoj international arts association aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

CO-founder of an educational non -profit organization called the hands on factory aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

CLUBHOUSE BY THE LAKE Ludhiana, Punjab

WALKABILITY + UNIVERSAL ACCESS The whole complex is designed keeping in mind walkable distances. 2 main arteries through the site connect the various parts of the site together

The clubhouse in Ludhiana is designed as an intention to create an iconic building on the Ireo waterfront, with maximum transparency. The Ireo waterfront is looked at as a platform for new development that reflects the latest tendencies in architectural design. We have tried to achieve a building that has a greater realization of transparency and dynamism, this adds value to the public experience of the space and enhances community interaction. Transparency in terms of plan (open relationship between the outside and inside), architectural language & form (simplicity & coherence) and in terms of materials (Extensive use of glass). This has been achieved by using photo-chromatic glass that give it a dynamic character and using the heating properties of class to cool the building.

DYNAMIC FACADE response to SITE CONDITIONS

the outer facade is composed of small photocromatic/ heat sensitive glass and dichroic glass tiles that darken with UV rays falling on them. Hence the facade always looks different

EXTREME CLIMATE CONTROL = PASSIVE STRATEGIES A double skin facade and adjacency to the lake help in contro lling extrem e temperatures

TRANSPARENCE 2012 entry aditi gupta + vishal jayan school of planning and architecture, new delhi

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

EXIT

ENTRY 22 4

2 7 21

ENTRY FOYER OFFICE DECK CONNECTING ALL SIDES OF THE SITE WITH PATHWAYS FITNESS CENTRE AND SPA PRE FUNCTION HALL FUNCTION HALL OPEN GARDENS AROUND AS EXTENSIONS FOR FUNCTIONS BUSINESS CENTRE (CONFERENCE HALLS, MEETING ROOMS) SQUASH COURTS BADMINTON COURTS LIBRARY/ READING ROOM SHOWERS/CHANGING ROOMS POOLS ADULTS/CHILDREN TENNIS BASKETBALL DECK POOLSIDE CAFE RESTAURANT & BAR OUTDOOR RESTAURANT SLOPING DECK OVER A NIGHTCLUB ACCOMMODATION CLUB ROOMS SERVICE BLOCK PARKING

With walkability and universal access as a main concern, The site is divided into 4 parts. The lake is brought into the site to give a feeling of the blocks being situated on water, and the deck (3) connects all various parts of the site.

18 LAKE

8 19

17 13

2 14 15

SERVICE ENTRY

3 4

TRANSPARENCE 2012 entry GROUND FLOOR PLAN 1 2 3 4 5

FUNCTION HALL BUSINESS CENTRE MEMBER’S LOUNGE KIDS PLAY ROOM BOWLING

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

aditi gupta + vishal jayan school of planning and architecture, new delhi

[LISTED]

Anne Feenstra

[LISTED]

FUTURE

You have received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2012. What is your design principle and how have you made your projects sustainable? To collaborate and work together is our principal approach. There are no formulae that are the Holy Grail for design. We are working in Nimu, which is 3200m above sea level in Ladakh, where we’re working with the local masons to make sustainable buildings. We have shown them that if you use a little bit of natural seed oil, then the mixture becomes much stronger. With clay, sand, water, hay and a bit of oil, you can make a very good mixture. So when we started to work with them, and obviously they knew more things about the local materials, we told them we should test these things out. When they saw the result, they were amazed! It’s about being very open and being very modest. An architect is a person who knows very little about many things. So if you’re able to work together with a specialist, it enhances your practice. Alternatively in Nainital, we are designing the entrance area for a botanical garden—the only high altitude botanical garden in India. We have kept in mind that Nainital has snow, hills, monsoons, hot temperatures, so the structure that we use needs to be strong. It’s really a project for the forest department. They said that they would really like a material that is maintenance free. So we thought of using stainless steel. Instead of going to contractors who have no understanding of the material, we went to people who have been working with stainless steel. That resulted in our budget becoming very efficient, and the quality (which for me as an architect is very important) very high. The risk that you take is bigger, but there are many methods of how you can help the people, and if you work together then it’s a much healthier relationship. And that relationship creates something beautiful, sustainable, durable, and that inspires people. It’s difficult, but it can be done.

PRINCIPAL FOUNDER, RMA ARCHITECTS

You often speak about sustainability, dynamism and preservation of cities. What are some of the most burning issues that are generating the new kind of insensitive urbanism in Indian cities today? The built landscape in India today symbolizes the two simultaneous transitions at play in our political landscape—one, a transition out of socialism and the other, a transition into capitalism. In the simultaneous play of transitions such as these, the built environment is naturally a muddle with the fallouts of both transitions finding expression in the physical form of the cities. Ruptures in the urban fabric and startling adjacencies characterize the city that evolves with these narratives colliding in urban space. The two narratives or political rhetoric that are then put to play are those of ‘building a global city’ (the Singapore, Dubai and Shanghai models) or a city that panders to a global capital, and that of a city which is about building a civil society or a city that supports lives. The paraphernalia in each one of these cities is different. In the former, the ground has to be prepared to allow capital to land softly and securely. In the other, citizens are placed first and basic infrastructure and patterns of mobility determine how the city grows and how people have equitable access to these amenities. It is really the choice between these two directions or attitudes to city building that will be central to the discussion about the future of urban India.

Text Aditi Veena Gupta

NDIAN DESIGNERS TODAY have no choice but to be torn between the old and the new. As they struggle to find the design language kosher to this country, some try to recoup and reinvent the old; some try to use design as a vehicle for socio-cultural change, while others try to scuffle with the challenges that Indian cities are facing today. Design no longer remains a niche affair, and as more and more designers recognize their responsibilities as designers, they look towards the future with conviction and fortitude, and believe that design can bring about compelling transformations. Rahul Mehrotra, writes and lectures extensively on issues to do with architecture, conservation and urban planning, while Anne Feenstra, with his Delhi 2050 campaign, is fundamentally trying to re-examine the distant future of Indian cities. Amardeep Behl realizes the potential of exhibitions and is on a journey to re-discover and narrate the history of India, while V. Sunil is working on enlivening the creative industry. Romi Khosla is a visionary architect who has been a principle advisor to many organizations like the UNDP, UNOPS, UNESCO and WTO. Down South, Pronit and Amisha Nath are working with Indian crafts in the most sustainable fashion to create luxury, and Aradhana Goel at IDEO is trying to bring about innovation through design. We speak to these seven visionaries, and get an exclusive peek into what they think is the future of Design in India.

Indian cities often look to the West for ideas. The large social disparity and multicultural diversity further contributes to the divide between the ideals of modernity and the actual reality. How do you think Indian cities can achieve a balance between the two? I think Indian cities can achieve this balance by becoming more people centric in their imagination of space, of infrastructure and public place more generally. In India today, hyper-consumption fuelled by a rapidly growing economically mobile middle class, is resulting in the construction of a new landscape of global derivatives or the

images of globalization. And it is ironic that the collusion of dysfunctional land markets and exclusionary design and planning at multiple scales has created a deeply conflicted fabric within which poorer communities have managed to survive, thrive and also alter and challenge the notion of formality! This is deeply challenged by the world-class city idea and slum free city imagination— often propelled by the government and financial institutions by a poorly informed appreciation of Dubai and Shanghai—the havens of impatient capital! The architecture that results from this attitude often displays a complete detachment from its ambient environment, as well as the place and community in which it is set. Furthermore, its tectonic quality and materiality is most often unmindful of local resources and traditions of building. I believe that if we are mindful of local resources and people and their culture, we can bring about a new imagination about the physical form of the city and not swing to the two extremes, which characterize our cities today. You have worked extensively in many Indian metropolises. Which are the Indian cities you think need urgent intervention and what according to you is the future of urban design in India? The real urban time bomb that India is sitting on is the landscape of small Indian towns. There are about 400 such towns with a population of about 50 to 1,000 which are off our radar. The elite and media in the country only focus on mega cities, and now some secondary cities as markets develop in these places, but the small Indian town is totally ignored. These places are where the future of India will reside and more importantly, these are places where the rural and urban India will connect! The future of urban design in India will depend on how professionals engage with these places—these are landscapes where we can actually intervene and spaces that are not as congested as our mega cities. These are places where design will really make a massive difference.

Photography Keegan Crasto

OF DESIGN

RAHUL MEHROTRA, ANNE FEENSTRA, AMARDEEP BEHL, V. SUNIL, ROMI KHOSLA, PRONIT & AMISHA NATH, ARADHANA GOEL

Could you tell us about Delhi 2050? Also, you have said that ‘India has more wisdom than Europe.’ What led you to make that statement? India has more wisdom than Europe in terms of thinking deeply about things and about taking time to actually consider many things. I recently read a piece on [Neelkanth] Chhaya in Architect & Builder and I thought ‘what a piece!’ There are not many architects who can talk in a language like that. B.V. Doshi is fantastic, while the way Revathi Kamath acts and

the way she speaks is amazing—the so-called developed countries can learn a lot from them. If I can simplify it, then foreigners come here to tell you what you can do. I think it should be an exchange. Delhi 2050 is not about telling Delhi what to do. It is about working and thinking together to figure out if it makes sense to think about the long-term future, to think about the capital of India. We have been encouraged by fantastic people—Romi Khosla, Rajiv Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi. The knowledge institutes like JNU, IITs are all part of the campaign. We try to ask only the quintessential questions. I think the empowerment of the average Indian will only increase in the future. And that will give design an amazing opportunity to make a difference. If it was only a number game, if it was only an economical and financial exercise, you would not be able to continue, because the numbers have never solely been used as a parameter for anything. It has been a much broader scale. You can call it quality of life. If we’re not able to make inclusive processes and if the movements of countries and developments are excluding more and more people, then it will come back in a very negative way. What according to you is the future of Design in India? In India, I find it difficult to say, though I’ve been here since 2004 and have been a visiting professor at the School of Planning & Architecture since 2009, and my wife is from India. I feel that now everything is possible in design. There are no more limitations. With 3D printing, laser, etc we have all the technology, all the skills—everything. So the idea of style, whether you need to be a deconstructionist, a modernist, an expressionist—it’s all over. You can say that design is dead. But because everything is possible, long live design! While maybe the limitations are over, the opportunities are amazing. If you look at design worldwide, it has enormous power to engage and reach many people than ever before. If I talk about architecture, then it brings along with it an enormous responsibility. It’s not like the time when Nehru called on Le Corbusier to build a utopian city and then he built something that was the ultimate. At the end of his life, Corbusier admitted that the architect is wrong and nature is right. The responsibility of an architect is different from when you’re a painter, because you end up influencing the environment, so it’s much related to the quality of public space. One of the things I hope for India is that public art will play a much bigger role in the next few years.

Photography Tanuj Ahuja

Rahul Mehrotra

The

PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT, ARCH-I

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[LISTED]

Romi Khosla

Amardeep Behl

FOUNDER, ROMI KHOSLA DESIGN STUDIO

What has been the impact of technology on architecture? The technology of building materials has transformed India in the last decade. Today, it is not contractors but the vendors who assemble our buildings. When we finished our recent LEEDs, (hopefully Platinum rated) EicherVolvo building in Gurgaon, we discovered that more than 60 vendors had participated in its construction. Today, you

can order entire facades from China, louvers from Dubai, and flooring from Norway. Architects in India now have ambitions for global recognition, clients in India have global standard expectations, and multinational corporations have brought international building components to India. But let’s remember, it is not only the technology of building that has changed in the last decade. The entire ambition for Indian architecture has changed. However, there is only one problem that arises with all these global ambitions—Indian architecture continues to be dull. It is simply not recognized anywhere in the world for any significance in the international world of architecture although there are a few exceptions. But, for the numerical size of our profession, these exceptions are too few.

FOUNDER, DESIGN HABIT

Your large body of exhibition work is almost dramatic, designed for interactivity whether through film, audio, architecture or use of different materials. Do you think exhibitions have lost their significance? I’ll tell you how I look at exhibitions. Exhibitions are an opportunity to have a captive audience, where people walk into a space. And the space becomes a medium through which the message is imparted. So to me, it’s a great opportunity to make the audience and the space come into some sort of synergy where the space expresses itself to the audience. Right from my design studies onwards, I have focused on making spaces express themselves. I watch films very closely and I have done some production design. It’s been an incredible experience for me. I work with light, sound, moving images and colour to create a sense of surprise. Also, the audience has to move for the expression to come through, which means that I’m willingly participating in a physical space. So that’s what it is. It’s sad that we don’t see exhibitions as that. If we started to see its potential, then exhibitions would be the most powerful media. For me, that’s the game plan that an exhibition opportunity provides. So, I think exhibitions are surely the way to go. By exhibitions I mean Spatial Design. It could be an event or a launch, a shop, or a museum. Exhibition has a lot of potential; it needs to be seen like that. It is a great vehicle for communication. It has been like that for time immemorial.

And lastly, your initiative of Natural Cities proposes selfsufficiency for the 21st Century. What is the future of Design in India? If we could follow the Natural City urban patterns for the future of India that has been invented by Dr. Vikram Soni and myself, it could lead this country towards the beginning of a great and unique civilization—the likes of which has not been seen before. If we could have over a thousand Natural Cities, each of whose population does not exceed one million, spread across India on the edges of flood plains, we would be on the threshold of a new era. Our proposal for the forthcoming Natural Cities is rooted in science and not idealism. For instance, the most valuable survival resource for Indian cities in the future is water. Currently agriculture utilizes 85% of the subcontinent’s water. If agriculture is to increase its output, then the consumption of water will increase. On the other hand, if India is to continue to prosper, more and more industries need to be established, and they need more water. Therefore, it is difficult to see where the water will come from to supply our future cities. The McKinsey Global Institute has already warned us about the dark future that awaits us in the future. I see their predictions and recommendations and fear that even my great grand children’s children will not be able to pay back the money that they are suggesting India should borrow to urbanize our population. So naturally, I’m fearful about our future and the government’s draconian plans for urbanization based on debt, through the 19 industrial corridor projects that will interlink the metros and milk the country.

Photography Tanuj Ahuja

What is the social role of architecture, and how does it influence the identity and emotion of a place? Whoever dares to practice architecture must accept the responsibility for inventing one or another future. A city planner invents the future of the city, a young architect, designing the first building for a site, invents a future for that site as well as for those who will use it. So you see, unlike in the other professions like law, medicine and accountancy, it is architecture alone that invents futures for other people. Now this responsibility that is placed on a person who is inventing futures is of a different order than those of an astrologer. For instance, there are social responsibilities which architects have that are not shared with the other professions. The natures of these social responsibilities do vary from region to region and country to country. In India, these social responsibilities are doubly heightened because our government seems to have abdicated their responsibilities towards the poor for the provision of shelter, medicare and protection from calamities. When there are policies in place in India that intentionally enrich the middle-class and ignore the poor, then the principles of natural justice require citizens, particularly architects to question the policies and offer alternative solutions. I believe it is important to understand that an architect is not primarily a street activist for change. Rather, an architect is a social being who invents better futures for other people. An architect does that, not by agitating or shouting for them but by proposing and drawing solutions for their problems. Therefore, if the architect is faced with callous or corrupt governance which ignores the fate of the poor, then he or she must propose alternative solutions that are more beneficial, more compassionate than, for instance, violent slum clearance drives. The poor in India need architects as much as the rich do. The only difference is that the poor cannot pay fees and there remains the dilemma of the architect who works for the poor.

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What is your design practice? I don’t consciously try to figure this out. My work is largely to do with a context. I don’t do installations for the sake of doing installations. I don’t see myself as an artist. So to me, my truth is my message. When I’m doing Khalsa, my truth is Sikhism. When I’m taking Gandhi to the museum, my truth is Gandhi and his principles. If I’m launching Mahindra’s new car then that’s it. So I zero in on that and I know where I’m standing. I try to create this experience in space. I just see the value in each thing. So then I can just do the things I want to do. My eyes are open. I can see the tactility of fabric like the transparence of glass. So I bring them together and play with them. I am not carrying a baggage of preconceived thoughts. I’m not

V. Sunil

saying I will do A, B, C because I’m open to all of them and will use whatever my design requires. So I’m not the guy carrying a torch for Indian crafts, neither am I a high tech guy. I’m trying to do justice to my work. The more I work, the more I realize all these things will work! I just pick up things as they come to me. And I’ve learnt that over the last few years, to not carry any baggage while designing. I don’t see a conflict in anything. I want to tell a story. Whatever I need for it, I’ll bring. It’s being engaged with what you’re trying to create— whether it’s a house or the mobile phone cover or the exhibition—the special task that you’re doing and then zeroing down to the world within it. By being unburdened, it all falls into place. So what kind of responsibility do you think designers will have in the future and what is the future of design in India? A designers’ responsibility is to find a language, to design, to define our world. The world is globalized. Now it’s for us to do the blending. We need to create a contemporary language for ourselves. That’s the challenge. India has a rich past. And then there’s the West. Our job is to find a contemporary language that blends the two. India is so full of opportunities. It’s multidimensional and I think nowhere is it more holistic than it is here. India is one place where the sense of time is different. We’re a non-linear civilization. We have such an array of sensibilities. We can think Hollywood and Bollywood. We can create ethnic, mud architecture and space age architecture. It’s the synergy that you need to seek in the other. Sure, it doesn’t quite work out sometimes. Accidents happen, but they’re beautiful. It’s India. It’s also a very complex array of scenarios. The future is very bright and we can go really far. People from my age to your age have a great responsibility. We owe it to this country to do it right. It’s a challenge, but the possibilities are amazing. It’s amazing if we can bring all this and put it in the contemporary context of today. I don’t use craft because I like it. I use it because I find meaning in it today. It is not about romancing the past. In India, you don’t romance the past, you bring it all in. As designers, this is our skill.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, W+K

You have been awarded the Cannes Gold Lion, the One Show award and the ADC award among others. What do you think are the ingredients for award winning? Simple. Have a great idea. Work with the best people. Execute it perfectly. W+K is not only designing advertising campaigns, but has also kick started many other creative ventures like Motherland and the W+K Exp. What have been your inspirations and what ties these things together for you? For us,it is very simple. Art, music and design are very much a part of everything we do. So the Gallery, India Tube and the Motherland Magazine were born out of frustration rather than any sort of inspiration, so to speak.W+K Exp—we wanted to have space for young people to interact with art/artists without feeling left out either of the expensive high art world or the dusty dirty feeling you get from government run places like Lalit Kala. India Tube—we have been working with the tourism ministry from the start of the Incredible India campaign. There are so many travel sites in India, but none of them talk to people with a certain sensibility, which all of us and our friends have around the world. Motherland— for all the talk about Indian culture and diversity, we don’t have a single publication dealing with our sub-cultures and most importantly, designed well. Look at all our newspapers and magazines. 99.9% of them are designed really badly and

no real POV. All these projects influence each other and the advertising/design work we do everyday. Do people prefer brands that rank high on social responsibility? What kind of social responsibility do advertising firms have towards people? More and more companies are doing things in that area. In the West, it is fashionable to consume products which have a social responsibility edge even if it costs more. In India, it is just picking up. It will be interesting to see the change in the years to come. The best social responsibility work ad firms can do is to do better work and not treat consumers like idiots. And lastly, what can Indian creatives do better to showcase their creativity at the global stage? And what is the future of design (in the context of advertising) in India? Indian creatives have been doing fairly okay in the last 10 years at festivals like Cannes, One Show and D&AD. But that’s only advertising. The rest of the creative industries like cinema, music and design are seriously lagging behind. We need to change the education system. We don’t have enough good design schools, film institutes, and other creative education centers. It is difficult to say what the future of design is. Hopefully something good will happen soon, considering we have had so many design conferences and discussions around design in the last couple of years.

042 · PLATFORM · SEP/OCT 2013

044 · PLATFORM · SEP/OCT 2013

[EAT.LIVE.DRINK]

[Edited by Aditi Veena Gupta]

Solo Per Due

As the name suggests, this restaurant seats only a couple at a time. The smallest restaurant in the world, Solo Per Due, is located in a gorgeous classical 19th century country house in Vacone, Italy, and also happens to be one of the ten most expensive restaurants in the world. Offering exquisite Italian cuisine prepared carefully with local high quality produce, chaperoned with the rarest of wines, it is a foodie’s paradise. The restaurant also arranges for fireworks during the meal and is only an hour’s drive from Rome. Boasting of only one table, gracefully decorated furniture surrounded by objects d’art, Roman textiles and some striking carpets, the beautiful setting and the restaurant’s vintage appeal transports one back in time. P

Smallest Wonders

contributing writer, platform magazine aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

Anopura This little sumptuous locale is located just an hour’s drive away from Jaipur. Built in stone and thatch using vernacular methods, Anopura is a traditional Rajasthani townhouse amidst vast farmlands that overlook the majestic Arravalis. Anopura retains its title of the smallest luxury hotel in the world, and reflects a sophisticated taste in Indian rural textiles and furnishings, sated with lush fabrics, local artworks and an array of meticulously curated knick-knacks. It greets its visitors with two magnificent suites, a large plunge pool and the surrounding aromatic gardens that are sure to tingle one’s olfactory senses. One can indulge in bird watching or go hiking and mountain biking. One can also take a jeep or camel cart safaris to explore the lush landscape. The hotel also boasts of a terrain de plantique for those who feel adventurous enough to try a few boule games with the staff. While the dining menu is an assortment of French and Indian dishes, this charming and intimate little hut is the perfect hidaway and a taste of Indian rural luxury.

Merus Mark Herold and his wife, Erika Gottl, bottled their first Cabernet in their garage in the year of 1998, which attained them a score of 93 from critic Robert Parker Jr. That was the birth of this petite winery that has quickly become a haven of exclusivity. Only two fine Cabernet Sauvignons, Merus and Altus are finely crafted by hand and are sold only to members and select restaurants. The chic winery has earned its cult status through hard work, remarkable fruit grown in Coombsville in the southern Napa Valley, and their high resolute standards. Merus also deploys an aggressive regime for recycling glass bottles, paper products, corks and cans and tries to find a healthy balance between vineyards and nature to help maintain the wildlife. This rare tasting experience is accentuated by the spectacular and elegant interiors conceived by Dutch design studio, Uxus making this the smallest, most sophisticated and the most stylish winery in Napa Valley.

138 · PLATFORM · JUL/AUG 2013

JUL/AUG 2013 · PLATFORM · 139

contributing writer, KYOORIUS magazine aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

4th year housing studio aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

Advanced Geometry & Parametric Architecture

3 GEOMETRY WAVE

To reveal and understand the geometry of the structure of a wave. The construction of a geometric wave is basically a combination of bends which might be on different axis. For eg. The figure on the left shows a wave pattern on a chicken wire mesh. Now, the mesh is nothing but perpendicular elements interwoven together to form a rigid surface. When we bend the same, we are bending the surfaces which in this case is a square.

1 SYNOPSIS

Now, the component that we are choosing for our model is a triangle, Using lattices and taking this component we intend to populate it by constructing a wavy surface on Rhino using panelling tools.

Iwamoto and Scott is an interdisciplinary Design practice based in California. Their work ranges from full-scale fabrications, museum installations and exhibitions, theoretical proposals, design competitions and commissions. I am extremely stirred by their work, and would like to undertake a project that is in essence inspired from their work. The geometry that I wish to work with is that of WAVES. My intent would be to explore what I can do with this geometry, by experimenting with wire meshes and paper, then translating the same onto rhino and then making a final model in acrylic/ cardboard that is lined with vinyl.

5 4

MATERIAL GEOMETRIES : COURSE TAUGHT BY IWAMOTO AT UC, BERKELEY Student Work

REST BOX 2009 Gwangju Design Biennale

VOUSSOIR CLOUD Posuere porttitor, mauris ornare

This course at the University of California, explores the area of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Students work in the college's CAD/CAM lab using laser cutters and 3D printers to build physical models of their designs.

An installation in which to rest and contemplate. The curators provided conceptual clues for the design including poems and text about the traditional Korean garden. Our design takes atmospheric elements made from primary materials of the garden including the filtered light of trees, shadow patterns of jagged stone, and striated shadows from trunks. These are re-made in the box using folded hollow blocks made from laminated wood veneer. The blocks interlock to form a rigid cube along striated lines that allow for multiple perforated apertures of light.

The overall design draws from the work of engineer/architects such as Frei Otto and Antonio Gaudi, who used hanging chain models to find efficient form. We used both computational hanging chain models to refine and adjust the profile lines as pure catenaries, and form finding programs to determine the purely compressive vault shapes. In this case, however, the structural and material strategies are intentionally confused. Each vault is comprised of a Delaunay tessellation that both capitalizes on and confounds the structural logics

RIVER CRATER Installation in wood

2 PROJECT BRIEF Objective is to create a free flowing geometry inspired by waves, realize it by means of 3D modeling, tesselate it using simple triangulation and build it in a metallic finish.

4 MATERIAL SYSTEMS

Inspiration: Iwamoto + Scott

EXPERIMENTATION WITH A CHICKEN WIRE MESH Observations: The folds were places where the distance between the members in the mesh became smaller, and on large convex surfaces, the distance seemed to increase.

Project 1 ADVANCED GEOMETRY AND PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE

Tesselation WHAT? Tessellation is a collection of pieces that fit together without gaps to form a plane or a surface. They can be any shape so long as they puzzle together in the right formation. This technique fosters

aditi gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

HISTORY Tessellation can be seen the world over from mosaics in ancient Rome and those of the Byzantine empire to the screen walls in Islamic Architecture or the stained glass windows in Gothic cathedrals. NOW Digital technologies have revitalized the design world始s interest in patterning and tessellation because they afford greater variation and modulation through non- standard manufacturing, even as they provide an inherent economy of means.

Advanced geometry and parametric architecture elective/ 4th year

Curved surfaces are typically far more complex and expensive to construct than flat ones, and tessellation offer a way to build smooth forms using sheet material. The ability to array unique panels across large surfaces to address multiple scales and curvatures is one of the greatest advantages of tessellation.

BRAZILIAN EMBASSY IN NEW DELHI, 3rd year aditi veena gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

11 !GBC SCHOOL DESIGN 2011’ MCD Primary & Community School for the Urban Poor CONCEPT Learning from our heritage - Adopting the GURUKUL model of studies. Building around trees & using trees to cool the classrooms, along with earth air tunnels and a double roof.

Preserving existing vegetation on site Involving the Community

5 Designing for a composite climate keeping all seasons Maximising Students’ in mind - namely Summer, winter interaction with and monsoons nature.

6 7

Water conservation, segregation of waste water and rainwater harvesting and reuse. Using only sustainable materials for construction. Namely mud, steel, wood, stone, lime and recycled glass.

IGBC SCHOOL DESIGN 2011’

PAGE 1

MCD Primary community school for the Urban Poor SITE SELECTION MCD school, Bharatnagar, New Delhi

3 INVOLVING SITE & COMMUNITY

INSPIRATION:

We chose to build on a live site so that we could understand how a school functions, experience the nature of spaces in a school, and re-design.

Waste treatment plant

SITE SURVEY

SITE

SITE for future expansionSECONDARY SCHOOL

MCD Park

Community Centre/ Market OUR EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: We have tried to provide spaces that are very interactive in nature, keeping in mind the MCD curriculum. There is room of individual and collective development of the child. The spaces encourage students to creatively express themselves through a variety of oral, written and artistic means We have minimized the built area by elimination of corridors, and have given MCD school, Bharatnagar, New Delhi many spill outs as an alternative. PARKS

CONTEXT

The various playgrounds could be used by the school to host a number of events especially those that are shared by zonal MCD schools such as sports day, Ramlila, etc. HOSPITALS The school site can be used for various immunisation drives, health camps etc. The children could become ambassadors of imparting health programs etc

SCHOOL

MARKETS All vocational products that are produced in the school with the help of women’s collectives could have tie ups with shops in the neighbouring markets

MCD Park

CHILDREN PLAYING IN THE WILD

ENID BLYTON

Modular classrooms allow for different groupings of furniture, as suited to the time and place. Classes could be held inside / outside depending upon the students and teachers.

Maximising Students’ Interaction with Nature: The GURUKUL MODULE

Classrooms extend to open spaces like patios, play areas and courtyards. •The courtyard between the Gulmohar and Peepal blocks can be used to serve and consume midday meals- an open air cafeteria cum play area, paved in a checkerboard of stone tiles interspaced with grass to reduce thermal gains. •The pre-primary block open up into an interactive space for the toddlers in the form of a jungle-gym.

CLUSTER OF CLASSROOMS

Furniture can be arranged in rows, they could be combined to form little clusters or big seminar tables. This helps take c l a s s r o o m interaction to another level.

SMILES

Wind catchers in the middle east tower upon residential spaces. They catch wind and moisten it by sprinkling water on it. The air drops down as it is heavy and cools the residential spaces below.

tree school/ primary school for the urban poor

HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL

ESCORTS HOSPITAL

COMMUNITY The community could get more involved with the school by: School holding vocational classes for women - and hence becoming a model for encouragement of handicrafts + women’s collectives Providing space for community gatherings eg. Weddings, fairs, festivities Tie ups with hospitals for camps etc

CHILDREN PLAYING ON TREES

Our classrooms achieve a better air quality with these trees integrated into the clusters. Passive air cooling aided by the tree and earth air tunnels for refreshing circulated air add to the air quality.

SITE ANALYSIS The school is located in a prime location. And we found that it needed to be integrated with the community much more. The children needed an environment that could foster their academic and cocurricular development

BRIGHT FLOWERS

The GURUKUL model comes into play under out tree clusters. All academic blocks of the schools are intentionally built around some special trees on the live site. The blocks derive their names from these tress- Banyan, Peepal and Gulmohar. We chose to built the pre-primary classes around the Banyan tree for its associated symbology (the tree of knowledge) and its proximity to the gate. The Peepal block houses the 1st and 2nd grades, while the Gulmohar block houses grades 3rd, 4th and 5th. Each shaded courtyard becomes an extended classroom and recreation space.

BANSAL HOSPITAL

Our survey consisted of an Audit of the entire school, measured drawing, tree mapping, water and energy audit. Apart from that we conducted a student survey to understand the background that these kids come from.

OPEN FIELDS

TREE POWER

IGBC GREEN BUILDING DESIGN ENTRY 2011

Tree helps in cooling by acting as a wind catcher. Water is sprinkled over the trees twice or thrice a day. The hot wind that blows to the tree is cooled and brought down into the courtyard. The courtyard is shaded by the tree. there is a high pressure maintained in the courtyard. The double roof helps in creating a low pressure on top. The cool air from the courtyard rushes to the top passing through the classrooms, and turns into hot air due to stack effect, exiting from the side.

A Big multipurpose hall that can be opened out onto a stage that looks out into a terrain and can be used for all school and community functions

DAY TIME: regular classes

EVENING/ NIGHT: Vocational classes + community functions

Classrooms can be turned into multifunctional spaces by opening partitions

aditi gupta school of planning and A constant air pressure is created that helps keep the temperatures cool in the classrooms architecture, and eliminates the need for air conditioning and also fans on certain days. new delhi

tree school/ primary school for the urban poor IGBC GREEN BUILDING DESIGN ENTRY 2011 aditi gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

editor & coauthor , KALPA settlement study 2010 aditi gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

art gallery/ performance venue

iconic houuse 7

ground floor plan

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

exhibition/ gallery/ performance venue jam pad/ performance stage porch living/ library indoor garden/ courtyard eating/cooking bedroom

The idea of the iconic house was to design a space for a couple: A musician and his artist wife, which would serve as an inspiration to their living and to their work as well.

the facade of the house extends itself to these steps which float in mid air, twisting and turning, before resting on the ground, giving birth to interesting space that forms the face of the house.

for this project, i tried to experiment with structure and form, trying to incorporate a small modular space that is a performance venue and an art gallery in itself.

simple block volumes at the back are juxtaposed with the moving masses in the front of the house.

ICONIC HOUSE/ 2nd year aditi gupta school of planning and architecture, new delhi

scenography and art direction aditi veena gupta