Portfolio Anisha Menon
Freedom within Con- Revitalisation of Bhatia fines - A Case of the baug as an Urban LandUrban Prison, Arthur scape at CST, Mumbai Road Jail, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai
Transit hub connection the Western Express Highway and Bandra Station at Bandra (East), Mumbai
Rural Housing at Bhaudi, Ahmednagar
Smritivan Earth Memorial, B
hquake Bhuj
Raksha Shakti Police Academy, Gandhinagar
Dhirubhai Ambani University, Bhopal
Hanj Kunj Habitat, Living in a Bird Sanctury, Nalsarovar
Bharti House Extension, Mithakali, Ahmedabad
Freedom within Confines - A Case of the Urban Prison, Arthur Road jail Mahalaxmi, Mumbai (Final Year Design Dissertation) THE IDEA OF FREEDOM : A free person is one who simply has the ability to select the course of action and is not prevented by some external obstacle for contemplating that course in action. Incorporation of the idea of freedom and liberty in the ‘ways of operation’ of Disciplinary institutions is the main motive behind this thesis. THE PRISON : The basic idea behind this space has always been Safe custody, Confinement and Reflection, Curtailment of freedom and liberty of movement. However, in actuality these ideas are remotely seen in prisons, that too in a twisted way. Prisons are said to be Schools for Crime where Devils learn to pray. A bunch of convicts, strip them of their possessions and privacy, expose them to nothing but threats of violence, deprive them of meaningful work, overcrowd their cell-blocks, and the result is an embittered underclass more intent in getting even with the society rather than contributing to it. THE SITE: Arthur Road jail, Mumbai. The development of the city in the northward direction with the jail forming the nucleus of this region gives it a context for providing urgent transformation of the institution. Upgraded in 1994 to become the central jail the institute has a capacity of 800 inmates while the current numbers of inmates is over 3400.
Site Context Site - Arthur Road Jail
Developmental Plan showing Site and Context
Understanding the Site and Context
THE PROPOSAL For the prison structure: The idea of isolation is questioned. Using the concept of confinement and reflection, the institution will aim at all round development of the individuals. Restructuring of the confinement cells, proper usage of open spaces will be the primary concern. Educational facilities, vocational training facilities, health care facilities, library, canteen will also be incorporated.
For the extension: The prison is like a wound-inflicted area upon the city. With visually as well as functionally unappealing spaces, impoverishment of public space and heightened perception of fear. Creating a threshold that extends from the institution into the city will integrate this region with the rest of the city. This threshold will create places of intensity where a range of people and activities may converge. This idea emphasizes on the reintegration (functional, social, disciplinary and professional) on permeable membranes and design with movement in both space and time. This space that extends from the institution towards the city and vice versa acts as a neutral platform where the prisoners from the fortified jail and the society come together and share a space which enables interaction.
Initial Ideas and Concepts
The prison is one of the cases that have been narrowed down on. However the overall idea of the thesis is to question the very basis of disciplinary institutions, their idea of punishment and the idea of those outside the fortified walls assuming that they’re free. These institutions behave more like dead spots in when the city is viewed overall. The proposal aims at Development of a symbiotic relationship between the city and the institutions.
An Experiential Corridor The Main Junction- Plaza as a Spine
Connecting the Prison with the Extension - a Threshold enabling a sym relationship between the Society and Prisoners
ANALYSIS : • Current conditions • Overcrowding • Poor Infrastructure Typical Prisons - Built form with a central court used once in a day by the prisoners
Introduction of Security cores and long spanning Virendeel Girders which form a connecting network of barracks for the various types of prisoners.
Almost only 20% of the priso and the staff. Major areas ar
Single Girder forming one h like spaces giving personal s
Initial stage - Allocating the various functions on site Introduction of the Girders in the Housing. Terraces. Open cou completely free.
mbiotic
CONCEPTS: • Verticality - Height becomes the Boundary The Wall - Height creating the idea Boundary
on complex is used by the prisoners re left open and unused
• Extention - In the form of an Urban Plaza
Minimum areas available to prisoners for housing and recreation. scattered open spaces. 5 metres high Compound wall
housing block - with a small mezzanine floor underneath. Openable floors forming single cubile spaces.
urts. Ground
STUDY MODELS:
Defining the Security Cores and working the access and connection of the girders with the cores
• Security Cores with Entry and Exit Points • Virendeel Girders used as Barracks • Security Corridors forming
Section through Core 1, 2 and 3
Master Plan
Section through Core 1, 2 and 3
Security cores and corridors Connecting the Various catrgories of Inmate Facilities
Level 1 Plan
Roadside Elevation
Level 1 - Examination rooms, Interview Rooms, Pre counselling and Counsel Juvinille correctional facility, deaddiction centre and Prevocational Training
lling areas,
Level 2 - Workshops opening out to the plaza
Level 2 Plan
A strip of Security Corridor running all along the external facade of the building at a distance of 1.5 M creating a Pseudo Facade with a skin of Screens and Fins
INMATE HOUSING : • Securtiy Cores • Modules in the form of Virendeel Girders • Common interactive spaces • Creation of Niches to experience privacy
Level 3 - Undertrails, Women, Medium Security Inmates
Level 4 - Undertrails, Women
Level 5 - New Inmates, Juvinilles, Women and medium Security inmates
n
Inmate Housing Plans and Model showing Dormitories for Women, Juvinilles, Medium security prisoners
Level 6 - Juvenilles and Medium Security Inmates
Stages of Development : Housing Blocks
Views
Master Plan of Bhatia Baug
Revitalisation of Bhatia Baug as and Urban Green zone CST, Mumbai Situated in one of the busiest regions of the city, this garden has a pedestrain walkway connecting cst station to the main road. the garden has a water fountain and a sculpture that form its nucleus. Revitalizting this area and creating a green zone could lead to redirecting pedestrian movement through it thus decongesting the main road to a very great extent. The main design ideology focuses on planting of trees long the pathway, creating shaded walkways using frames, pergolas and blank walls, public seating in the shaded regions and finally a small deck to view the city’s buiest road, for those who have time to spare and stare!
Ground Level Plan showing shopping area, Budget Hotel and Commercial Complex
Sectional Elevation from the Roadside
Transit hub connecting the Western Express Highway and Bandra Station Bandra (East), Mumbai
Reception area of Budget Hotel
Administration, Budget Hotel
Provision for shopping, eateries, a commercial district and a budget hotel was the proposal. Creating a Hybrid structure with various levels cascading and overlooking each other was the main design ideology. thus resulting in a building with terraces, rooftop eateries, courts with water bodies and balance of solids and voids. The building started at the 9M level where it had direct access from the Skywalk and cascaded down by means of ramps and stairs to an entry for vehicles and pedestrians. Most shops and stalls were foldable and modular hence clearing up space in the nights for events and gatherings. A series of water bodies led to a a long channel of water with cafes on one side and an art display section on the other.
Seating at Terraced levels of the Hotel
Axonometric View of the Budget Hotel
Level 1 Plan
Section through Food Court, Shopping Area, Budget Hotel and Entry Plaza
Level 2 Plan
Sectional View of Shopping area
Master Plan showing Housing, Communal Spaces and Public facilities
Rural Housing Bhaudi, Ahmednagar The proposal aimed at Redevelopment of a part of the Bhaudi Village. And extensive study of the existing houses, work typologies, people, cultures reveled that most were agricuturally oriented and some small scale commercial in the form of shops, tailors, blacksmiths, etc. The master plan had the Nucleus of the settlement as the community space where the panchayat took place which was closely connected, visually as well as physically to the health care centre and the Primary school. A row of Shops houses were provided opening towards the road as well as the settlement. Each Module of the housing block was an L-shalped unit which interlocked with its immediate neighbour thus creating a small common cattle shed for every two houses and a mezzanine for each house. A backyard and frontyard with a small low height wall was provided with each unit thus providing them enough space for daily acivities and still keeping them semi private. The Houses here were small, But Self Sufficiency was the key to make the People Happy.
Cluster Plan showing Single Unit details with Frontyard and Backyard
View of a Housing Cluster
Public Buildings - Health care centre, Primary School, Small Scale Industries Workshops
Location Plan
Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum, Bhuj The January 26, 2001 earthquake of Gujarat snuffed out 13,805 lives in seconds and destroyed property and infrastructure. The Smriti Van Memorial will give finality to the loss of human beings by being a lyric of loss. The Smriti Van Earthquake Memorial and Museum will be an emotive experiential explaining the phenomena of earthquake.
Bhujiyo Hill during Summer
Bhujiyo Hill during Monsoons
The only breif provided was to plant one tree per victim. The most basic question it led to was : where does the water to sustain these trees come from. Kutch with a rainfall of 300mm, 40% surity still had checkdams that were 150 years old and still had water. Water management thus became the manifesto of the project. Valleys were mapped and small earthen checkdams were placed along them which would then water the trees through the gravitational drip system. The checkdams were now the actual memorials with the names of the victims engraved on them. The site is on the Bhujiyo Hill and of 406 acres. Due to the vastness of the Proposal, it was phased out into 6 different parts. An orientation centre and a generic model for each sector was worked out with pedestrain pathways interwoven with the landscape. The pedestrian pathways that led to the ultimate culmination points which were the Museums, had pause points in between where the user would encounter the checkdams. A forest like landscape with the checkdams holding water in the dry and barren city created the major portion of the skyline being broken by smaller buildings inbetween.
Check Dams Being used in Smriti Van
Study Models
The Site
Raksha Shakti University (Police Academy) Gandhinagar
Master Plan of Raksha Shakti University
Sectional View through Residential Blocks for Students
Sectional View through the Academic Block
View of Parade Ground
Sectional View through The Academic Block showing the Lecture Halls and the Corridor leading to them
View of the entry from the Corridor shaded with Pergolas
View of the Housing Block from the River
Sectional view through the Housing
Bird’s Eye View of the Boys Housing
Dhirubhai Ambani University Bhobal
2 D sequential developement of the Master Plan
Master Plan of DAU
Monsoon
Winter
March
Summer
Sesonal varitions in the Water Levels
Academic Block
Girl’s Housing
Sectional View thorugh the Housing
Boy’s Housing
Section through Housing Blocks
Hanj Kunj Habitat, A Weekend Housing Scheme Nalsarovar Nalsarovar, Asia’s biggest wetland and Gujarat’s biggest bird sanctuary is everyones dream destination. Nalsarovar is a natural wetland, created at a time when we did not have to think about creating new lakes or reviving water bodies. One would always respect the law of the land, preserve the catchment and build accordingly. Today when development is starting to boom around Nalsarovar, capitalizing on its proximity to Ahmedabad and the presence of a bird sanctuary, the concern is also about the future of birds and the sanctuary. These issues and contradictions provided us with a unique oppurtunity to define the image and identity of Hanj Kunj Habitat, a weekend housing project. Capitalizing on the fact that 115 species of resident birds travel 40 kms everyday in search of food, the project attempts create a habitat for birds just 2kms from the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary .It also envisages creating a natural habitat wherein both humans and bird life can co-exist and experience living with nature. Studying different sanctuaries informed us about the importance of wetlands/natural water bodies in ecology and more so for human settlements. The site would become our container and every drop of rain that falls on it would be captured. Working with the natural contours of the land, we are able to create 65 acres of wetland with seasonal water bodies which would change levels with the change in seasons, an ideal habitat to accomodate differents forms of bird, aquatic and human life. The amount of land excavated to form the wetland is balanced by the same amount used to mound the land. What thus emerges is an undulating landscape, a series of mounds and depressions. While the natural system formed the landscape, the sub division of the land into plots provided a habitat for humans. Plotting forms a separate plane floating on top of the natural system, preserving the natural landscape. The house is a personal belonging while the natural system is for all to be a part of and to share and experience. The plots and the houses would float on top of land and water both. One would not only own land like in any other development but also own water, small islands scattered around and also a small permanent water body of his own, a small personal space.
Master Plan showing plots
Development during Summer
Development during Monsoon
Monsoon Water Level
Winter Water Level
Summer Water Level
Extreme Summer Water Level
Layer of Natural System
Plot as a Layer floating on the Natural System
Site - Location + Pictures
Bharti House Extension, Mithakali, Ahmedabad
Ground Floor Plan showing Existing house with Extension Block
Courtyard Level Plan (-215 cm)
Unfolded Elevation
Family Room Level Plan (-84 cm)
Deck Level Plan (+251cm)
Roof Level Plan (+611 cm)
Section J
Section L
Plan of Extension to existing kitchen
Plan showing Bar
Kitchen Elevation - Steel Structure Detail