Architecture Portfolio by Akshay Babu

P O R T F O L I O

Akshay Babu Akshaybabu112@gmail.com

Kanhangad - KL Akshaybabu112@gmail.com https://www.be.net/akshaybabu4 linkdin 9526336378 31/08/1997 Akshay Babu

About me I am pleased to submit my portfolio for your review. This portfolio contains a number of well-chosen projects that reflect my experience of in architecture. I revel in the complexity and creativity that is going right into a design, the manner they’re positioned together , like fixing a puzzle , ultimately turning into a part of feature whole. Curves and parametric designs have always inspired me, and I’ve always wanted to be a part of it. Architecture has always been a huge field, and I am constantly eager to expand my knowledge and skills in the field.As designers, we have the opportunity to learn how to manage complexity and to understand that the great art of design is making completely complicated things simple.

Education

Language

2014

Chinmaya Vidyalaya Public School

English

2016

GHSS Ravaneshwar

Malayalam

2021

SCMS School of Architectur

Hindi

Experience. Six months internship at Damodar Architects , Kanhangad Six months internship at Idea architecture Studio , Sikkim.

Lectures and Talks. Lecture by Ar- Eugene Pandala on Introduction to architecture. Lecture by Ar. Hafeef PK, Zero Studio on Funerary architecture. Talks by Frank DK Ching, Ar. Arjun Malik, Chris Precht and Ar. Palinda kannangara. Studio visit, Ar. Thisara Thanapathy (Sri Lanka).

Competitions. ZONASA 2018 , Part of modelling team for fashion trophy Participated in COA National Awards For Excellence In Architectural Thesis 2021 7th annual Inspireli Awards .

Publication. DSGN archive - ‘The BEST undergraduate Architecture Design Thesis 2021’

Design Skill

RHINO

GRASSHOPPER

SKETCHUP

AUTOCAD

PHOTOSHOP

ILLUSTRATOR

LUMION

INDESIGN

VRAY

MICROSOFT OFFICE

REVIT

DAVINCI RESOLVE

Contents

01-The Funarary Architecture Pg : 6-7 Academic Project

Pg : 8-9 Introduction & Site plan Pg : 10-11 Visualization

Pg : 12-13 House Of Prayers And Memory Pg : 14-15 The Resting Place

Pg : 16-17 The Commemoration Space

02-Cavus

The Artist Village

Pg: 18-19 Undergraduate Thesis Project Pg: 20-21 Introduction & Site plan Pg: 22-27 Artgallery

Pg: 28-33 Restaurant & Watch tower Pg: 34-37 Art Studio

Pg: 38-41 Craftshop & Amphitheatre

Pg: 42-47 Residence & cottage Pg: 18-19 Admin Block Pg: 18-19 Library block

03 04 03-Aavii BEACH RESORT

Pg : 52-53 Freelance Work

Pg : 54-55 Introduction & Site Visualization Pg : 56-59 Visualization

04-Urban Conservation

For the historic town of Fort Kochi Pg: 60-61 Academic Urban Design Pg: 62-67 Maps & Analysis

04-Photography

THE FUNERARY ARCHITECTURE

Funerary architecture refers to built structures that shelter or enclose a body or mark the site of death.

The idea is not only architectural in nature, but has intellectual limitations that exist

in society and culture that want to commemorate the dead. Beyond the physical aspects of death, there remains the question of identity, memory, mourning, and most importantly, the representation of the same in the world.The primary purpose of funerary sites is to faciltate burials, cremations, and the scattering of ashes. Mourning, remembering, and contemplation are all related functions. The departed, families, and visitors use cemeteries and crematoria..Here, architecture is no longer viewed as a footnote, but as a fundamental means to inspire and expand the visitor experience, towards a new horizon of dynamic leisure.“A project to develop a cemetery housing a chapel and a memorial room. Cemeteries and crematoria are significant sites to visit since everyone must cope with death at some point in their lives. A death can have a significant impact on someone’s life, and the environment in which they occur should support people during tough times. Funerary sites are intriguing from the standpoint of a designer since both physical and emotional demands must be considered. Design challenges include combining built to open in terms of access,Relationship with the surrounding sites and understand the idea of the soul behind the proposal of a modern cemetery in the city’s current scenario, looking to the future. The proposed cemetery should be designed with a mausoleum, a chapel and a memorial room. The rituals of burial and cremation differ at certain points, the main is ‘bringing away’ versus ‘leaving behind’ The proposed hypothetical site has an area of 2.5 hectares and is located on the outskirts of the city of Kochi, near Aluva. There is a body of water on the west side. There are two main access roads (one 25 m wide to the west side and one 15 m wide to the south side).The site has a total slope of 9 m, sloping from the NE corner to the SW corner of the property line.

Resting Place

Commemoration Space

House Of Prayers

The architecture is used to create an emotion and space for rememberance and grieving of the dead, giving the building a simple and br locations are by definition Picturesque and offer the potential for a Profound experience. There is a distinction at burial sites between pass

The Funerary Architecture

rutalist vibe. The appearance of burial sites is essential to the departed, their relatives, and visitors. According to aesthetic categories, these sive, active, positive, and negative reacting relatives, each with their own aesthetic preferences.

House Of Prayers The house of prayers that is linked to opposing structures to create a balance. The two structures serve a similar purpose, one as a chapel for rituals and sending off the dead, and the other as a storage facility for their things. These are the first spaces to enter from a long ramp to make a passage to higher land, and they are sent with prayers and their goods.

The Funerary Architecture

The Resting Place Funerary sites are ritual sites. Funerary ceremonies commemorate the passage from life to death. Rituals teach people what to do in a crisis situation they can show their pain and new social categories can be clarified. In stressful times, people require rituals, and they play a vital role in the mourning process. A space for the dead, this is eternal ground for individuals in the afterlife, the space is devoid of coving or constraining spaces, and it produces an openess. The space is created as a basic and relatively contained ar`ea for the dead, with areas for memories and rememberance of the departed, as well as engaging walls and sculptures.

The Funerary Architecture

Commemoration Space A place for their loved ones to remember and remember their loved ones, the area is in the lowest level near the waterbody producing a quiet atmosphere which is below the mosuleum to create a sense of height a difference from the dead. The design is made in long stretch along the water body with only a roof covering with lightwell creating an openness.

The Funerary Architecture

CAVUS Artist Villlage

Cavus as a metaphor, the term is employed. It is a hollow or cave in Latin, and the origins of art may be traced all the way back to the Stone Age, starting with cave art and antiques. My designs trace back to the past, with organic foams and open spaces that make reference to the importance of art and the usage of building as an art form. A community built to international standards to give a shared platform for artists from all over the world to live and work together. Interaction, seminars, lectures, and workshop programmes that promote dialogue between internationally known artists and local communities in Kerala through interactive artworks, lectures, and workshops.

The

Artist Village term is used as a metaphor. It is a hub for creative minds such as artists and sculptors, where they can gather all together to share their knowledge and experience through their artworks. A village of International standards to provide artists from country and abroad a common platform to live and work together. Interaction, seminars, lectures and workshop programmes that facilitate engagement between internationally renowned arts professionals and local communities across Kerala through participatory artworks, lectures, and workshops. The main aim was to design a space for the creative minds to share their experience and thoughts in a serene environment where they can feel they belong and increase the sense of community among the resident artists through artistic exploration. The term “blob architecture” is a combination of the phrases “blob” and “architecture.” Blobitecture is an architectural style that features structures with completely distinctive, organic forms, typically resembling a blob or an amoeba. Blob architecture, blobism, and blobism are all terms used to describe this form of architecture. The designing of spaces are made in much organic way , a free flowing designs which can blend with nature and make a difference in space. The designs can also help the artists to engage in the design elements and work making the build form also as an art form and making sppaces intresting . Design is done by creating a circulation pattern through the site and using the spaces between. The sites features of vembanad lake , the mangrooves and migrant birds are also set as aspect of the desgin and are uses. Orgsanic shape blending with art forms can create a beautifull and peacefull space which can help in creating a space to enjoy art.The village will consist of the 3 prominent art forms which are famous in the area of Alappuzha and Kumarakom like clay pottery, coir and paintings.

Cavus

The art gallery block is

throughout the block A

The planiing was mainly focusd to create route for the visitors to watch and experience the art forms so the disign planig was to create a flowing space which continues and create a path with blobs and circular shapes.

is divided into two spa so the structure can

wooden structure with

Cavus

"I search for surprise in my architecture. A work of art should cause the emotion of newness." ~ Oscar Niemeyer

Artgallery The art gallery block is one of the design’s key blocks; the area is primarily designed as a route to experience the block as a whole. To see the artworks, there is only one route through the structure. The structure is primarily separated into two zones, one closed and the other semi-open, for the art works, with an organic flow throughout the design, allowing the structure to be experienced as an artwork. The roof facade of the semi-covered space will be a wooden structure inspired by leaf pattern. To create a connection between the art and the room, the entire structure has few openings to the external. Small light wells projected on the roof provide the majority of the lighting, creating a chamfer effect in the inside. The design tends to carry visitors along with the building, creating a trail for the artworks and connecting to new areas by toying with volumes and proportions in an open and close manner. The middle semi-covered space creates a space that is connected to nature; art should not necessarily be in an enclosed environment, and this area allows the art to be exposed to nature.

Cavus

The art gallery blo

throughout the bl

is divided into two so the structure

wooden structure

Cavus

If youre after New Zealands famous adventure activities and extreme sports, theres a myriad to choose from. Bungy jumping a must-do; while rafting, jet boating, sky diving and zip lining offer a similar rush.

The restaurent design consist of circular spaces creating a pattern of wavy roofing .The upper part of the roof consist of a watchtower and with wooden facede,

Restaurant and Watchtower The design combines two functions: the higher half serves as a watchtower, and the lower part serves as a restaurant. The restaurant was divided into circular shapes based on its activities, creating an organic shape with a flowing roof structure. The watchtower is only accessible through a stairway outside the restaurant, ensuring that it does not interfere with the restaurant’s functions and acts as its own place. The stairway is integrated with the roof, which moves in a fluid manner and creates its own routes. The restaurant is open on three sides, linking to the riverfront area, the sculpture park, and the accommodation blocks. The watch tower also acts as a high point near the water body, enticing views, and the roof area creates an unusual space between the ground and the watch tower. Mini courtyards dot the inside, and bigger lightwells open to them. The porforated and jali walls take advantage of the wind from the waterbody to assist create a lighting pattern within. The interior ceilings are produced in their own beauty with volumes, illumination, and curves thanks to the wavy design. In order to create a chamfer effect in the space, mini light wells are also given.

Cavus

The restaurent design consist of circular spaces creating a pattern of wavy roofing .The upper part of the roof consist of a watchtower and with wooden facede,

Cavus

Art Studio The design of the studio is similarly a blend of ferro cement with curves and a wooden covering in the centre to emphasise its link to the art gallery. The major functions of the art studio are to serve as studio spaces for the three art forms of clay pottery, mural painting, and coir studio. The art display space is located in the studio’s central section, which is a semi-covered room with wooden facades, and the covered area surrounding this space is used for the covered art studio. To accommodate greater crowds, each art studio is separated into three corners and furnished with its own open workspaces. Each studio’s planning is done in a bubble design, with the studio as the central point.Each space has its unique atmosphere and openness due to the differences in volume and height. A passive cooling effect is provided by the middle area, which is connected to all of the windows and opens on all sides.

Cavus

Amphitheatre and Craft shops The craft shop and amphitheatre is a combined block based of a concept of a cave space for thee craft shops which is designed like caterpillar and at the backside it has stage connecting the structure with the seating space which is provided in a small slope with organic seating shapes which blends with the shape.The craft shope is designed like a dark cave like space with small light wells and jali works to brring a play of light inside the structure and bring a dark space with lightings for the craft and wil have three entrances which is mainly from the centralpart of the site which is recreational area.The craft shop has small circular windows which is towards the amphi stage to create light effect for the functions. The craft shops are designed like bubbles and each bubble can have different craft shops making it ambient space .The site doesn’t have a slope so the seating space for the amphi so an gentle slope is created for the seating .The amphi is designed to have functions and dance for village.

Cavus

Residential blocks The residential blocks have been created to allow artists and tourists to appreciate the space as much as the artworks. Blobisum as architecture creates a smooth and curving framework that creates a beautiful room with natural lighting provided by lightwells. The residential section is located in the northwestern half of the property, where there is a tiny waterbody that can be used as a private space. There were primarily four types of residences designed: two for artists to utilise as long-term and short-term residences, two as cottages for guests, and a dormatory for visitors.The Artist residence was allocated to the NE, while the cottages were zoned to the NW, separated by a waterbody in the middle, establishing separate places. The dwellings are divided into two types: 2BHK and 1BHK. The bubbles are arranged in such a way that each one has its own privacy and a courtyard surrounded by paths. The design is free of boundaries, resulting in a flowing space of bubbles. The idea of transforming every place into an art form that will inspire artists, as well as the spaces between the blocks being zoned for leisure zones and watchtowers for relaxing and making artwork. The area is built as a riverfront walkway that connects to the main walkway to the north.

Admin block The admin block design was mainly had inspiration of shell ,circulating a central courtyard .The design mainly includes the reception with a lobby space which then enters to the central courtyard circulating to staff rooms, managers room ,conference room and presentation hall. The admin block is also in organic shape with punchured windows and an extention to the entry space for shade.

Cavus

Library block The library space is a play of light and fluide shape which makes a cozy reading space .The disgn also has an interior open space that blends with the design and exterior seating space which is an extention of the design. The book shelves are designed with fluidic shape of the structure and designed in between pathways with seatings .Design was mainly influenced by the blobisum concept of designing spaces with curves and circles .

Cavus

AAVII RESORT

Aavi will be a comforting paradise for people who wish to es cape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the con crete jungle. We are targeting people who are looking for a peaceful and tranquil retreat to unwind and relax.

The theme of the resort will be based on traditional fishing villages once flourished in the locality. Architecture, landscaping, interior deco coastal creepers. We are planning 12 premium cottages inspired by fishermen huts, au The name ‘aavi’ is derived from the local name for freshwater body next to the

Aavii

or, staff uniform and restaurant menu will take inspiration from this theme. The landscaping will incorporate native plants, local trees and uthentic seafood restaurant serving local delicacies, ayurvedic spa and swimming pool. e beach, something that makes the location even more beautiful and unique.

Aavii

The project’s design and planning were offered at the conceptual stage. The key design ideas included a premium cottage that should blend in with the surrounding region with a curved structure, as well as a classic pond with stones, as requested by the client. to make it more authentic Kerala ponds, a restaurant, spa, and administrative block The biggest challenge was that the entire site was unavailable, with the central portion of the site being omitted.As a result, the sea facing portion was totally designated for the cottages with the pond for the best view, and the restaurant could not be zoned to the beach due to the adjoining resort. This resulted in the public spaces being zoned near the main door as the admin block on the right and the restaurant on the left, obstructing public access and creating privacy and space for the private area. The cabins were divided into four in front of the spa and eight on the other side of the tiered pond in the private area, which included a spa allocated in front of the restaurant as a barrier to the cottages. The tatched roof design was inspired by a historic fisherman’s community, where the structure was covered with tatcheds and lightweight structural parts to bring the design back into the resort. It was paired with an arch shaped design for the roofing. A connecting building, a funel shaped design with a chamfered roof for the light to fall by covering with thatches, was also erected between the intersections of the walkway.

URBAN CONSERVATION For the historic town of Fort Kochi

The Kerala cost, along an ancient trade route are representa tive of a distinctive typology of traditional settlements in India. The densely built, compact, historic town environment, with its distinctive urban systems and spatial organisations, con tinued to be a hub of cultural activity and supports a unique, rich urban culture. However, pressure due to commercializa tion, changing land uses and their implications on heritage re soumes transportation and increasing population density are resulting in deterioration of the historic urban system, obso lescence of the distinctive residential buildings, godowns and canal and other water transport systems and loss of heritage necessitate the formulation Off a sustainable, integrated, ur ban conservation plan for the historic town.

Urban Design

STREET ANALYSIS PRINCESS STREET

Pedestrian Footpath

Parking on the Side

Stepping on to the road

Vehicular Movement

Pedestrian Footpath

Vehicular Movement

Auto Stand

Loading Unloading

Stepping Into the Road

Parking Along the road

Pedestrian Footpath

LILLY STREET

GUJARATI ROAD

Pedestrian Footpath

BURGER STREET

Urban Design

CALVATHY ROAD

Pedestrian Footpath

Parking

Two way Traffic

Compound wall

Waste Disposal

Parking

Pedestrian Footpath

ERAVELI CANAL ROAD

LACK OF PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS

LACK OF PROPER BUS BAYS

Pedestrian pathways or walkways are an important part of any urban centre. Majority of the roads in the Fort Kochi - Matancherry area does not have a properly designated pedestrian walkway or pathway that provides a safe and comfortable environment for its pedestrians. These roads include the primary and secondary roads within the city. Pedestrians are seen walking along the sides of the traffic filled roads which is often unsafe for them. Pedestrians on roads can lead to traffic conjestions and accidents.

Public transport is an important part of any place wether a city or a rural area. In a city likw Kochi most of the bs stops are located along the common roads. there are no seperate bus lanes or bus bays near the bus stops. This means that buses are often stoped or parked along the busy roads to allow people to bord the bus. All the roads in Fort Kochi-Mattancherry area are two way and has an average width of 8 m. The buses when stoped along these roads can lead to heavy traffic conjestions. .

Amaravathy Road

Jew Town Road

Bazar Road

Palace Road

Calvathy Road

Town Hall Road

Cherlai Road

Maulana Azad Road

Veli Bus Stop

Star Junction Bus Stop

Amaravathy Bus Stop

Paravana Mukku Bus Stop

Njaliparambu Bus Stop

Kunnumpuram Bus Stop

Koovapadam Bus Stop

Chirattapalam Bus Stop

Coarse and Even grains: •This area consist of two major open areas of the place , which are parade groung and Nehru Park. •Surrounded by a clusture of historic building, forming heart of Fort Kochi.

Palace Road: Street shape: linear A linear corridor running through the central portion of Mattancherry connecting various historical spaces and elements of the place. Consists of Mattancherry palace and Jew town over the east and The Cochin Thirumala Devaswam towards west.

Uneven Coarse and Fine grains: Cultural significance: •Area around consists of numerous temples with people belong- ing to various ethnic groups with the Cochin Thirumala Devaswam as focus. •Built density: increases from this region marking the start of Mattancherry.

Amaravathy Road: Street Type: linear A link connecting Amaravathy region with Fort Kochi and Mattancherry area. Fills the southern part of the loop running around Fort Kochi-Mattancherry region forming a branch running towards east, getting connected with the palace road at Amaravathy forming a link with Mattancherry region.

Fine and Even grain: •History:associated with •tamil-speaking washerman community. •presently:footballground owned by government.

Bazar Road: Street shape: linear A linear corridor along the commercial markets of Mattancherry Street runs along the edge of the town with the Vembanattu Lake flowing on the east. Connected to fort Kochi at north and Jew town towards south falling within the CRZ zone.

Even and Densly packed: •Typology: Street form •Marks the Centre Of mattancherry, surrounded by jew town, palace, trade centres and other historically relevant structures, making it both culturally and historically significant.

K .B. Jacob. Road: Street Type: linear towards south and getting branched at north portion. A link connecting Thamaraparambu and Amaravathy region with Fort Kochi area. Branches as it reaches the heart of Fort Kochi. Further connected with the loop connecting Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.

Urban Design

Figure ground map

Natural Resource map

Green -Navy Area large open lands within the area Yellow -The Parade ground an important open area surrounded by historic buildings Red-Nehru Park An important open area surrounded by historic buildings Violet-Jew Town Densely packed 2 storey row of shops can be seen in the area.

The natural resource maps shows the dens*y Of verdant spaces in the city. The open spaces compared With the built infrastructure of the Old city, the fort kochi region comprises of relatively more numper of open and common spaces. whereas the Mattanchery region is fine gra•ned With very few open spaces for the community inhabiting the region.

The growth of the city

Different Political Boundaries

The growth was purely random and organic from a modest market harbour town. As seen in Kerala. showcases a distinctive pattern of rural-urban continuum throughout the state making it difficult to demarcate urban and rural A multi-nucleated pattern with harbour, markets, and commercial spaces along with high religious, cultural and heritage value of the place makes a distinct image of the city.

I-Fort Kochi Tuk Office 2-Wlage Office Fort Kochi 3-Revenue Divisional Office 4-Cochin Zonal Office 5-Sub-Registrar Office 6. Cochin Corporation Office 7. Mattanchery Village Office CRZ-II : Areas which are developed up to the shoreline and falling within the municipal limits; includes built-up area — villages and towns are that are already well established

Heritage Resource map

Open and built map

Fort Kochi and Mattancherry have a heritage spanning over 5 centuries housing 39 communities such as Jews, Brahmins. Konkanis, Gujaratis etc. Fort Kochi is not only about the reign of three European empires and the freedom movement. It carries with it cultures that are a wonderful melange of many a flavour. Standing in the middle of Parade Ground, the square around which Fort Kochi is built, in one direction you can see David Hall, a bungalow built by the Dutch in the late 17th century, and in another direction, Cochin Club. an institution once exclusively meant for British men. The region is flamboyant with its multicultural character, from the synagogue by the white jews, Gujarati tempes to minarets of mosques.

In city, caused by the high density, large-capacity building space, dense human-car activities, increasingly depleted land, the open space system is particularly precious object in urban planning and design. The open space in urban centres enable to improve the consumption quality, maintain the ecological environment, preserve the natural landscape with ecological landscape significance, maintain the coordination between the human & the natural environment, reflect the sustainability Of the environment, organically organize architectural space & activity in urban centres, exercising cultural functions. alleviating the tension of the transportation and distribution system and facilitating the ability of disaster prevention & evacuation.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography and editing have always been an inter est of mine, and I’d want to present some of my work. Architectural photography has also sparked my interest; it is a subgenre of photography in which the major emphasis is placed on capturing photos of buildings and comparable ar chitectural structures that are both visually beautiful and ac curate.

Mehrangarh Fort ,Udaipur 04-01-2022

Photography

Jaisalmer Fort, Jaisalmer 07-01-2022 The huge yellow sandstone walls of the fort are a tawny lion colour during the day, fading to honey-gold when the sun sets, blending the fort into the golden desert. As a result, it’s also known as the Sonar Quila or Golden Fort.

It is thought to be one of the world’s few “living forts,” as roughly one-fourth of the old city’s population still resides within the fort.

Photography

Mehrangarh Fort ,Udaipur 04-01-2022

IIM Ahmedabad 02-04-2020 During a casestudy visit to IIA, this photo was taken.

Photography

Adalaj Stepwell , Gujarat 02-02-2019

ADALAJ NI VAV is a lovely edifice that descends five levels. It was constructed in 1499 to hold water, provide shelter to tourists and locals, and provide spiritual sustenance. The fifth story is extremely beautiful, and from here you can view the deep turquoise waters of the well itself, which appears to glow with inner light, surrounded by astounding beauty preserved in stone.

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