PORTFOLIO
Selected works 2012 ~ 2022 APARNA RAJAN
You edit, you purge, you see the truth. And the truth lies in the details.
As city dwellers we become sensitive to our surroundings, consciously or unconsciously. The nature of the space we inhabit impacts our mood and life. The theories of Jan Gehl suggest that cites are for people that have to be designed by the people, which struck a strong chord with me. My journey in the field of Architecture has exposed me to various design challenges, and different types of projects that require critical thinking, and sensitive response to the context. This progress led me to urban design with a focus on the social, cultural, and economic aspects of equitable housing and public spaces. The projects in this portfolio exhibit my skills as a Architectural designer, team leader and a project manager.
Urban Homes 01/ Meadow in the Sun
Alternate approach to housing development
Urban Housing 02/ Kessaku
An alternative approach to dense urban housing
Countryside Moderation 03/ Cabins along the White Water Living in nature
Urban Regeneration 04/ The Missing Stitch Cascadia chronicles – Interbay
Urban Transformation 05/ Oaktown Nexus
Reconnecting downtown – enhancing the lost culture
Urban Surgical Intervention 06/ Framework Plan
Tactical proposals towards a revitalized neighborhood
Highway Adaptation 07/ Street for the people Redesign of High-Density Corridor
Urban Aggregator 08/ B&Q Logistic Park Sustainable and smart warehousing
Urban Reconditioning 09/ Metamorphosis Road as a place
Urban Infrastructure 10/ A Perpendicular Thread
Pedestrian bridge as a meeting place
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND SKILLS
Master of Science in Urban Design
The University of Texas at Austin
Bachelor of Architecture BMS College of Engineering
Aug 2021 - Dec 2022
Aug 2007 - May 2012
AutoCAD Revit Sketchup
Architectural drawing Structural co-ordination
V-Ray Lumion Artlantis
Photoshop Illustrator InDesign
MS Office Bluebeam QGIS
Urban analysis Site planning Project management Team management
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Architectural Assistant Market Square Architects May 2022 - Dec 2022
Senior Architect mayaPRAXIS design + Architecture July 2018 - May 2021
Freelance Architect motifESSE design Jan 2017 - July 2018
Design Manager R S P Design Consultants Nov 2014 - Dec 2016
Junior Architect Greyscale Design Studio Aug 2012 - Nov 2014
ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE
Assistant Professor D S College of Architecture
Author and Illustrator
Jan 2017 - June 2018
ACHIEVEMENTS
Sinclair Black Sinclair Excellence Funds Scholarship The University of Texas at Austin
University Rank 4 Bachelors of Architecture
Best Thesis Award (shortlist) : SOS Children’s Village National Institute of Advanced Architectural thesis
AFFILIATION
Council of Architecture, India CA/2013/61008
CO-CURRICULARS
- Participated in Urban Land Institute(ULI) Hines Annual competition
- Story teller and narrator for India Lost and Found (ILF) run by Amit Pasricha
- Content writer for blogs – biophilic design, urban design, real estate, and other topics
- Zonal level table tennis champion (2009)
| Urban Design & Architecture
Aparna Rajan
Urban Homes
Meadow in the Sun Alternate approach to housing development
LOCATION Bangalore, India
PERIOD Aug 2018 – Dec 2020
TYPE
Housing / Community / Ecology
A reimagining of housing with stacked villas. Interlocking duplexes with internal double height spaces and open-to-sky terraces balances the privacy of each unit with the social, common spaces for neighborly interactions.. The central open court in the site becomes a wonderful green community space.
Professional work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 1
Centrally located circulation core creating private entrance into the units
Creating niches to allow for dynamism in the block, corner balconies allowing hindrance free views
Unit configurations that allow airy spaces filled with natural light.
height spaces create a sense of spatial connection within the internal spaces.
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 2
Incorporating ecology in dense mid-rise housing community Concepts
A B D C
A Duplex 1 Duplex 1 Duplex 2 Garden decks Corridor Duplex 2 D B C
Double
| Urban Design & Architecture 3
and interlocking 1. The duplexes are stacked up. 2. A simplex is introduced in the second floor of one side 3. This results in a staggering of duplexes creatinga. only 2 exclusive apartment entries per floor b. better massing and staggering of terraces and balconies avoiding monotony C2 Type C1 Type B Type A2 Type A1Type
Aparna Rajan
Stacking
An alternative approach to housing
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Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Urban Housing
Kessaku An alternate approach to dense urban housing
LOCATION Bangalore, India
DESIGN PERIOD Dec 2013 - Nov 2016
TYPE
Housing / Community / Ecology
A semicircular built form of housing with stacked villas. the villas with internal double height spaces and open-to-sky terraces balances the privacy of each unit with the social, common spaces. The central open court in the site becomes a wonderful green community space. This is a project of redefining the luxury of living in a dense urban context.
Professional work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 5
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Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Semicircular built form set amidst lush landscape
Spaces
7
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Typical floor plan
Jogging track on the terrace
Central green plaza
Luxury living reimagined
8
Aparna
Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Countryside Moderation
Cabins along the White water Living in nature
LOCATION Coorg, India
DESIGN PERIOD Jan 2022 – April 2022
TYPE Living / Ecology
Minimalism in the bosom of nature. A getaway built by integrating buildings into rich natural topography. Keeping sustainability at the forefront, the existing green cover was left undisturbed by tucking cottages under it. This provides each cottage privacy with serene views of the forest.
Professional work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 9
Schematic
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 10
Design Site boundary Site boundary Stream View towards the landscape, gardens, stream and the sky View towards the dense forest Arrival Living | Recreation | Central green space Leisure Living cottages set in the slopes hidden from the main access pathway Natural landscape and stream Organic circulation paths Towards waterfall Bridge Room Room Deck Deck
Masterplan
Minimalist approach gave this design an edge, keeping the exteriors and the interiors simple to blend the built-forms with nature. My role involved leading the project starting from concept design, design development, detailing and working with the team to achieve a sustainable project. Keeping that as focus, the built spaces were aligned linearly starting from the reception, cottages, and services.
Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 11
Aparna
Arrival Plaza Reception Steps to rear path White water Cottages Bridge Platform Pedestrain path Restaurant Landscape gardens Beach 1 2 3 6 9 6 8 6 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 10 4 7 2 11 12
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Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Urban Regeneration
The Missing Stitch
Cascadia Chronicles - Interbay
LOCATION Seattle, Washington
DESIGN PERIOD Aug 2021 – Dec 2021
TYPE
Housing / Public spaces / Streets / Waterfront
Cities need to balance resilience with sustainability and provide socioeconomic equity with mobility. We envision the Interbay area as a spine for Seattle and use the neighborhood to stitch the city together through Transit-oriented development and affordable housing to create a more cohesive physical and social landscape.
Academic work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 13
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Interbay
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 15 Analysis URBAN AGENDA 2050 URBAN RESILIENCE create an urban habitat in functional and resilient design ensure welcomin and accesible space amplify the economic strenght and diversity celebrate biodiversity in a landscape design CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTION OPEN SPACE FRAMEWORK BLUE AND GREEN CORRIDORS STRATEGIES VISION AND VALUES ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT CONNECTIVITY AND MOBILITY SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC NETWORK OF PEDESTRIAN AND BYCICLE PATH REGENERATION OF ECOLOGY COMMUNITY AND LIVABILITY FOCUS ENGAGING WITH COMMUNITIES PRIORIZING THE PUBLIC REALM MIX-USED DEVELOPMENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRANSITNETWORK2050 TRANSITSOUTHHUB DRAVUS TRANSITNORTHHUB TRANSITNETWORK2021 TRANSITSYSTEM2050 AVENUE Green spaces Morphology View corridor Accessibility
Values and strategies
Mixed use development to support the population influx of Seattle
Transit hub
Central park, a lung space stitching the neighborhoods
Boulevard path
Phase 1 : Remediation
Phase 2 : Compact neighborhood
Miyawaki forest N
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 16 The
Stitch
Water front public spaces
Layering of spaces
Landscape terraces
Submerged railway lines with plaza
Multimodal station
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 17
Development and phasing
Housing Mix
Phase 1
A Mixed use Neighborhood
Underutilised industrial zone transformed into a close knit mixed use neighborhood
Private golfcourse made accessible to all by creating a central park with educational spaces for children and adults
An active boulevard connecting the different parts of the development with seasonal markets and retail spaces
Population & Density
Phase 1
Seattle Armoury site proposed for remediation to enrich the soil with nutrients with Miyawaki method of landscape (dense forest landscape in a small site)
The underutlised industrial land and the armoury site has been identified as a potential threat. Various parcesl have been dedicated for testing and phased remediation(phytoremediation), in order to study and use the finding on our own and other future developments in and around Seattle.
Green roofs and ground spaces
DRAVUSSTREET 15TH AVENUE
Phase 2
As the project is phased over a span of 20 years, the proposal develops the site eventually with the similar intensity and incentive zoning that will accommodate for mixed uses - Residential, commercial, light industrial and green spaces. The development on zone 3 also has neighbourhood amenities such as museums, libraries, clinics and other services that are vital for a community.
Phase 2
School near the park
Dense residential blocks with a variety of typologies
Office spaces, Co-working spaces along 15th Avenue
Ground floor activated with retail spaces along 15th Avenue
Base massing
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 18
Live-Work-Play
Urban Transformation
Oaktown Nexus Reconnecting downtown – enhancing the lost culture
LOCATION Oakland, California
DESIGN PERIOD
Dec 2021 – Jan 2022
TYPE
Housing / Mixed use / Streets / Public spaces
Culture shapes people and people shape cities. Spaces can be designed to enable greater interaction among people leading to interpersonal bonds, long standing traditions and communal activities. Oakland Nexus builds on existing infrastructure to bridge social, cultural, and socioeconomic gaps through developments with diverse uses and levels of affordability, creating a welcoming space for all Oaklanders.
Student Competition
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 19
Oaktown Nexus (2032) : With I980 as a boulevard & I880 as a submerged freeway and capped development
Oaktown Nexus (2032) : With I980 as a boulevard & I880 capped, a new neighbourhood center and Downtown link created
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 20 Site Analysis Urban Boulevard Freeway - Local Traffic Freeway - Regional/Truck Traffic
Pre 1945 : No Freeway Present : I980 & I880 Freeway Barrier Present : With I980 & I880 there was a destruction of urban blocks
Proposed : Construction of cap to relink Downtown Oakland and its waterfront Downtown Waterfront
Concept and masterplan
Adaptability : Bringing back the arts into the downtown
Market space Exhibition Outdoor performance
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 21
Farming
Submerged
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 22 Oaktown Nexus 2032
Theatre next to Jackson Square that will bring peo ple together to celebrate the Arts and culture of the neighbourhood
I880 as a boulevard
Redesigned BART Station and incubator spaces that will allow for economic generation
Central market space
freeway for smooth flow of high speed traffic cutting off the usable space from pollution
Mixed use development at the junction
Phasing and Financing
Residential Live/work Hotel Retail/Food & Beverage Office
Institutional Cultural/Public Space Transit Incubator Farming Tower
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 23
Phase 1 - Community Housing & highway reconstruction
Phase 2 - BART Station, Educational building & Highway Cap
Phase 3 - Arts & Culture
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 24
Urban Surgical Intervention
Framework
Plan
Tactical proposals towards a revitalized neighborhood
LOCATION Richmond district, San Francisco
DESIGN PERIOD
Jan 2022 – April 2022
TYPE Ecology / Morphology / Accessibility / Culture
Socially connected cities are resilient cities. The objective of creating a fifteen-minute subdistrict within Richmond with cultural, recreational, retail and hubs was achieved by revitalizing the Oceanfront with environmental and cultural activities that bring public spaces to life. All of these revitalized spaces are accessible via public transport which forms the core network of the region.
Academic work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 25
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 26 Context Population growth Demographics Economic generators Clement street Geary Boulevard Balboa Street 12% 1980 70,078 2020 78,695 120,000 2050 30% Asian/Othe 43% Hispanic 24% White 27% Black 6%
MORPHOLOGY
CULTURE
27 Strategic density increase in Residential & Retail uses
Increasing accessibility by enhancing public transit
Increased retail Anchor points Community shared spaces Activating retail streets & neighborhood centers
ACCESSIBILITY
Streets for people
Existing Green Spaces
0.003 % of public green space 75 % of privately owned green space
Proposed Landscape scheme with low impact developments
A network of parks have been achieved by connecting them with tree lined avenue. They also form the livable street network, adding urban spatial aesthetics.
Slopes greater than 10 degrees have been identified to propose bioswales and Bio retention cells integrated with the sidewalks.
Existing Land Use
The existing land use suggests that majority of the buildings are residential and many single family dwelling units, that curbs the development
Redefining the codes
New construction on Geary Boulevard 90 Feet with mixed use, and ground floor will always remain retail.
Balboa st and Clement st Buildings heights between 45 feet and 65 feet.
All other plots Building heights less than 45 feet to maintain the existing neighborhood character of mid rise built forms.
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 28
Morphology Ecology
Accessibility
Existing Tansit lines
Existing community assets
Historic buildings, Religious facilities, Neighborhood centers are in 15 minutes walking distances from residences, but the streets are less welcoming for public activities.
Proposed Multimodal system
A complete transit network making the neighborhood more permeable with various commute options
Economic catalysts
The continuous economic zone meshes with the existing residential fabric to become a self sustaining neighborhood with multiple 15 minute sub districts
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 29 Culture
Proposed Landscape Taxonomy
Activated Cultural Hubs
30 Anchors Revitalizing the existing landmarks and energizing the junctions PROPOSED LANDSCAPE TAXONOMY E SAN FRANCISCO RICHMOND DISTRICT
Highway Adaptation
Streets for the people
Redesign of High-Density Corridor
LOCATION Bangalore, India
DESIGN PERIOD
July 2020 - May 2021
TYPE
Streetscape / Urban public realm / Landscape / Infrastructure
Reclaiming streets back for people requires reimagining safe, uniform and universally accessible space. While aesthetic quality of the street has been improved, soft porous land area is increased allowing for better percolation of rainwater for recharge of ground water. A framework design document was produced as a standard for the design of streets for the city of Bangalore.
Professional work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 31
Demonstration Stretch
Existing condition survey of Old Airport Road
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 32 Context
Carriageways of uniform width Junctions with correct geometry/ Space reallocation for landscape, pedestrians and cyclists
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 33
Design modifications
Level crossings for universal access provided at all junctions and entrances 9m turning radius for easy bus movement
furniture Cycle parking and shared mobility (Yulu) stand 6m turning radius for car movement Public toilet Standardised bus stop 6m turning radius for car movement
Street
6.75m carriageway 7.00m carriageway 7.50m carriageway
Existing 4 lane road retained and carriageway made of uniform 7M width. Space gained re-allocated for landscaping, footpaths of minimum 1.8M and cycle tracks of 1.5M width. Pedestrians and cyclists are given safe, uniform and universally accessible space.
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 34
Healthy street design
Urban Aggregators
B&Q Logistics park Sustainable and smart warehousing
LOCATION Kumbaranahalli, India
DESIGN PERIOD
Dec 2019 - May 2020
TYPE
Logistics / Sustainablility / Public and private space
The facility offers state of the art warehousing with integrated logistics park management; with general maintenance, landscaping, security and waste segregation. Exclusive amenities have been planned; for recreation, dining and place of stay. This logistics park campus integrates all the aspects of logistics into a single facility as a one stop destination for all its warehousing needs.
Professional work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 35
| Urban Design & Architecture 36 Analysis Arrival Pumping station Driveway Truck parking Car parking Mini truck parking 2 wheeler parking Admin block Play lawn Quarters Warehouse 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Aparna Rajan
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 37 Strategic planning SMART LOGISTICS PARK Master planned / Unidirectional traffic / Controlled access LARGE PEB MODULAR STRUCTURES Designed to split 2-4 partitions STATE OF THE ART SURVILLANCE SYSTEM Surveillance and monitoring systems EXCLUSIVE AMENITIES FOR STAFF Dormitories / Dining hall / Recreational spaces / medical SEPERATE VEHICULAR ENTRY FOR TRUCKS & STAFF Cargo Entrance separate from Staff vehicles ENERGY FRIENDLY Well insulated structure / reflective roofing / sufficient air changes WATER MANAGEMENT Eco STP / Overhead tank / Recharge pits/ rain water harvesting SOLAR FARMING ** Roof of the warehouse shed with solar panels WASTE MANAGEMENT Scrap yard / packaging recycling yard / wet and dry waste segregation GREEN SPACES AND WATER FEATURES Maidan / Shade giving trees / flowering plants / Ponds / Fountain Option 01 Option 02 Option 03
A sustainable logistic park
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Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Urban Reconditioning
Metamorphosis Road as a place
LOCATION Bangalore, India
DESIGN PERIOD Dec 2019 – May 2022
TYPE
Accessibility / Climatic comfort / Social space
A transit stop becomes a pit stop in one’s daily routine. This project reshapes the idea of the stop to become a pleasant climatic resting zone with a landscaped plaza and a footbridge connecting the bus stop. The journey also has resting areas as peaceful steps under tree cover, art installations that please the eye and engage the public, an amphitheater that can act as the occasional performance space, but primarily serves as a social gathering space at its essence.
Professional work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 39
Site conditions
The dense built fabric with its proximity to a metro station calls for a safe predestrian crossing. The former master plan of the tech park had a placeholder bridge put to a later date for execution.
The Y fork splits the traffic that enters the tech park at a higher level and the thorough traffic that passes straight. High density of traffic at the road level called for the design of the street and the bridge as a place for pedestrains.
| Urban Design & Architecture 40
Aparna Rajan
To Metro station
To Tech Park
Flyover
Flow of spaces
| Urban Design & Architecture 41
Aparna Rajan
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Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Urban Infrastructure
A Perpendicular Thread Pedestrian bridge as a meeting place
LOCATION Bangalore, India
PERIOD Dec 2019 – May 2022
TYPE
Accessibility / Ecology / Social space
When the road itself becomes a destination. The design evolved from simply distributing and directing pedestrian traffic and transformed into a human-centered social space for people to experience enhanced livability . Malleability of steel allowed for a form with no sharp edges that are pleasing to the eye and touch, adding softness to a typically brutal landscape.
Professional work
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 43
The stretch of the road within the Tech Park posed a threat to the pedestrain movement between the offices and the food hub. Site images below also show the rawness of the space with no tree cover for shade.
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 44 Site
Y
conditions
shaped bridge
Cycle lane Cycle lane 29m long social spine Staircase Staircase Green median Green median Bus stop Bus stop Towards Food court Towards Offices Escalator Escalator
Outer Ring road
Towards Manyata Tech Park Towards
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 45 Detailing Assemblage
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Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Other works Illustrations and Publications
Drawing and writing are a medium of expressing my thoughts on housing and urbanism. These illustrations represent a very abstract manner of representing those thoughts that are ever evolving. My writings have been published in magazines, websites, and history research zines.
Special interests
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture 47
Urban mix
Housing Disparity
Housing disparity
Nothing in this world is more simpler and cheaper than making cities that provide better for people.
Gehl
Aparna Rajan | Urban Design & Architecture
Rose tinted glasses : A perspective on street vending Publication | The Urban Rhetoric | Sept 2020 | Pg 20 - 21
Jan
Aparna Rajan aparnacr@utexas.edu +1 737 288 5282
