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Hello! My name is Arka Banerjee and I am a practicing architect. I have a five year experience of having worked in Mumbai and Bangalore, India. I am particularly interested in contextual design; something that underlines the relationship between architecture, urbanism and building science. I’m also looking for every opportunity to integrate community involvement and sustainable practices into my projects. Pragmatism, research, attention to detail and observation form basis to my design approach.
Aside from my curiosities in architecture, I am constantly learning new things and exploring my creativity through travel, sketching, reading and exposing myself to all mediums of art and literature.
Tel | +91-9920739391 E-mail | arkabanerjee92@gmail.com D.O.B. | 16 - May - 1992 C.O.A. reg. | CA/2017/83361 302, Tulsi Niwas, plot-30, sector -12, Vashi Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India - 400703
Curriculam vitae
Arka Banerjee
Inspired by the works of Käthe Kollwitz, a German artist whose artwork spoke of the plight of workers
SKILLS AND INTERESTS Softwares | AutoCad 2D , Autodesk Revit , Vectorworks 2D, Photoshop , Google Sketchup , Illustrator , InDesign (basic) | Teamwork, learn-on-the-fly , passionate learner, strong adaptability | Languages : Hindi , English , Bengali , Marathi (limited working proficiency) | Keen interest in architectural history, avid traveller, sketching as a medium to understand art/ architecture | Interest in reading books, enjoy visual arts, music and dance
EDUCATION 07-2010 - 05-2015 Mumbai
Sir. J.J. College Of Architecture, University of Mumbai | ‘Judge’s recommendation’ for NSDC to retrofit Mount Mary Church into barrier free area | College elective - Understanding semiotics (2013) | Informal learning spaces - Making use of abandoned railway coaches as classroom
EXPERIENCE 07-2017 - 02-2020 Bangalore
Hundredhands Design, Bangalore Project architect | Responsible for preparation of all architectural drawings | Intense involvement and team lead in design and execution of architecture and interior projects | Feasibility study for project proposals | Co-ordination with all consultants and vendors for executed projects | Site co-ordination and supervision | Checking and approving budgets / estimates for projects in consultation with PMC | Holding meetings with various agencies and clients
06-2015 - 07-2017 Mumbai
Abhikalpan architects and planners, Mumbai Junior architect / team lead | Preparation of working drawings (architectural and landscape) | Conceptualization and schematic design of independent structures | Co-ordinating with site team and consultants | Have been part of client meetings
12-2014 - 04-2015 Rajkot
BPS Architects, Rajkot Architectural intern | Preparation of working drawings | 3D modelling of building and making physical models | Study and research of buildings | Cataloguing of materials and refernces in office
09-2013 - 01-2014 Mumbai
NN Architects, Mumbai Architectural intern | Building audits to study barrier free architecture | Preparation of drawings to retrofit existing buildings | Preparation of measured / as-built drawings | Brain-storming on retrofitting public buildings
06-2013 - 07-2013 Mumbai
URBZ, Mumbai Architectural volunteer | Documentation of Mumbai slums to study design ideology and innovation | Study of variation in space utilisation within slums | Preparation of measured / as-built drawings
Alibaug, sea beach in Maharashtra
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Professional works Hundredhands, Bangalore 2017 - 2020
Airaa Academy - CBSE school Participatory spaces with ventilated sections
2018
Taaqademy - Ulsoor, Bangalore Music academy for an established band
2019
Taaqademy - Yelahanka, Bangalore Music academy for an established band
Abhikalpan Architects and Planners, Mumbai 2015 - 2016
Podium landscape for two residential soc. Participatory spaces with ventilated sections
2016 comissioned
Residential complex in Pune
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Second floorPrimarily for the higher students
First floorPrimarily for secondary students
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Upper ground floorPrimarily for the admin. and younger students
Lower ground floorPrimarily for sports and younger students
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Airaa Academy - CBSE school , Bangalore Participatory spaces with ventilated sections Bijoy’s sketches
Project profile Client | Airaa Academy Architect | Hundredhands, Bangalore Project Type | CBSE School - 1st - 12th grade Built Area | 60,000 sft. Status | Completed in 2020 (extension yet to start) Project Team | Bijoy Ramachandran, Bhavesh Wadhwani, Maria Manoj Photographs | Nandan Nagard, Vignesh Sivakumar The school has been developed on a system of grids where blocks of program can be added or removed to the grids to manipulate the volumetric spaces inside the building. The voids (where no program is placed) become the rich informal areas which then become spaces for congregation for the students. The central void in the building is a result of such manipulation in volumes. This volume becomes the vertical connection for the building (as suggested by the schematic section). This space becomes the backdrop for all of the activities in the school.
Material paletteCSEB (Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks) were used for the blockwork of the building. since the clients insisted that we reduce the carbon footprint of the building. The mud for the blocks was sourced from the site. Most external walls have been rendered exposed to avoid plastering. The structural members throughout the building have been left exposed. Flooring has been done in polished kota stone and the residue is rough kota.
Inital sketch to study the grid layout for the school
Schematic section to study the internal volumes of the school
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Left to right, top to bottom1.View of the reception block from entry 2.View from the entrance looking at the reception block and landscape strip 3.View from the second floor bridge 4. Internal view from the admin. office 5.View from second floor looking at the cascading terraces and landscaping 6.View from the second floor looking down at the entrance area landscape 7.View from the circular staircase 8.Massing and volumes from playfield 9.Artwork from the playground
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Top : View from entrance looking at the south facade Bottom : North elevation from playfield
Left :Upper ground floor Right : View of central void from second floor
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Section B
View of the mezzanine classroom as shown in section B
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Section A
Section C
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North Elevation
South Elevation
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Elevation module : The structural grid for the building is 8m x 8m which is further divided into ribbed floor. This strong grid regulates the building and its functions. The elevation for the building is also derived from this grid. The masonry for the elevation is seen as an infill into the structural grid. At no instance does this masony (infill) comes and dies against the structure. This helps us read the structure independently and clearly as illustrated in the adjoining image. 19
Concrete pergolas over the landscape strip
The landscape strip at the reception area seperates the ‘public’ and the sacredness of the school thus making sure visitors do not enter into the school without authorisation. The size and length of central cutouts on every floor has been decided so as to give a direction and movement to the building. The staircase flights ahve been placed within the central void so that one catches a glimpse of the sky while climbing up the stairs. In a way the process is metophorical to the idea that humans and nature are truly one. The building exterior holds a fairly robust and brutal idea which completely changes as one steps inside. The internal spaces are very porous and the common/ informal areas can transmute as per requirement. Upper ground floor corridor overlooking on the playground
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Central volume with skylight on top
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Left : Shore temples, Mahabalipuram, Tamil nadu, India. Right : A building is only so good as the team working on it is. It is a representation of the collaborative effort of hundreds working to build something beautiful.
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Reception area
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Taaqademy - Music school , Ulsoor, Bangalore Project profile Client | TAAQ (Thermal And a Quarter) Architect | Hundredhands, Bangalore Project Type | Music school Built Area | 950 sft. Status | Completed in 2018 Team | Bijoy Ramachandran, Arka Banerjee This music school for a Bangalore based music band includes five instruction room, two drum rooms and one jam room. The design approach here is very diagramatic. The curved wall helps to animate the rectilinear volume within which it sits. The exposed brickwall has a jaali pattern that gets denser as one moves away from the door. Towards the end of the curving wall one encounters an instruction room with glass partion and glass door delicately placed so as to enable the wall to be seen curving.
Curving exposed brick wall
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A. Entrance area B. Reception / gathering room C. Instruction room D. Instruction room E. Instruction room F. Instruction room G. Drum room H. Drum room I. Instruction room J. JAm room K. Pantry area L. Washroom M. Store Details of jam room door
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The jam room door is fixed to two RCC post that are recessed within the curved wall. This was done so as to see a continuous curves wall from outside without intermediate posts. The two posts also help to recieve the accoustical treatment that needs to be done within the jam room.
Section through jam room door
Jam room
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Taaqademy - Music school , Yelahanka, Bangalore Project profile Client | TAAQ (Thermal And a Quarter) Architect | Hundredhands, Bangalore Project Type | Music school Built Area | 870 sft. Status | Completed in 2019 Project Team | Bijoy Ramachandran, Arka Banerjee, Sanjana Roy This music school for a Bangalore based music band includes five instruction room and a vocal room. The two curved walls are the main diagramatic elements of the design. One curve encloses four instruction rooms within it whie the other curve encloses an instruction room and a vocal room. The material palette for these centers is very earthy and neutral.
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This center unlike the others is not out of brickwork since this had to be completed within a month and a half. The curved walls have been made out of gypsum boards finished with armorcoat on it. The walls appear floating from top since the top of the wall is recieved by a ply boxing that is recessed. A. Reception area B. Waiting area C. Instruction rooms D. Vocal room E. Pantry F. Toilet
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Abandoned structure (previously a zoo!) within Lalbaug botanical garden, Bangalore.
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Landscape plan for one residentail society
View of Society B landscape podium
Playarea and sand pit on podium landscape
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Podium landscape - Pride World City, Pune Gaurded complex within a township Project profile Client | Pride developers Architects | Abhikalpan Architects and Planners Project Type | Residential complex Built Area | approx. 6 acres Status | Completed in 2016 Project Team | Pradnya Thakur, Mosim Khan, Shraddha Gaonkar
The two societies are a part of a proposed 400 acre township in Charholi village, Pune. Both societies have podium landscaping which features many amenities like slam dunk, hotfut court, community hall, play area for toddlers, sand pit area, theme based landscaped areas, semicovered seating areas. My first work as a junior architect in this office was to prepare the landscape portfolio for the two societies. The drawings for the portfolio included civil layout, grading layout, setting out, drainage layout, master sections, , material palette, preparing detail drawings for particular areas, lighting layout, plantation layout (schematic level), site co-ordination.
Overall site photograph
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The soiety has a cluster of eight buildings each being 18 storey high. Every building has a n access into the covered parking below and an entri into the podium. The buildings have 10 units on each floor ranging from 2BHK to 3BHK. The podium landscape comprises of a cricket ground, an open amphitheatre, a healing garden with medicinal plants, an EPDM play area for kids, sand pit, a multipurpose lawn, a clubhouse and a swimming pool.
Right : Render for a typical building Bottom : Presentation scheme for the project
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Residential complex - Pride World City, Pune Gaurded complex within a township Project profile Client | Pride developers Architects | Abhikalpan Architects and Planners Project Type | Residential complex Built Area | approx. 10 acres Status | Commssioned in 2016 Project Team | Pradnya Thakur, Mosim Khan, Nehal Mishra, Pradnya Patil The residential complex is a part of the proposed 400 acre township in Charholi village, Pune. The complex occupies an area of 10 acres. It has podium landscape which features many amenities like clubhouse, swimming pool, kid’s pool, slam dunk, play area for kids of differnt age groups, theme based gardens, skating rink, gazebo, amphitheatre, area for senior citizen. This society also has basement parking. I was involved in the phase I development of the project which included three buildings and part podium.
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Fort Chitradurga in central Karnataka
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Academic works Sir JJ. College Of Architecture, Mumbai 2013 - 2014
Final year design dissertation - RESHAM Revitalization of silk handloom mills of W.B.
2013
University campus hostel, Mumbai
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TOP : When seen from the internal courtyard of the center, the building steps back on the upper floor so as to break the volume and also to create terrace gardens. BOTTOM : The silk center in the section below demonstrates the various levels at which the center works. The passage on ground floor is a utilitarian passage for the employees while the passage on the first floor is for the visitors to watch the silk production.
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R.E.S.H.A.M. (silk) Revitalization of Silk Handloom Mills in West Bengal, India
Murshidabad silk loses it’s makers
Objectives of the project
Murshidabad is a place in West Bengal that has traditionally been one of the important centers world-wide for its silk production and weaving.
AWARENESS about the history. art, manufacturing, weaving of silk among people goes a long way in florishing the art.
The production of Murshidabad silk is going down because of the low earnings of the sari-makers. Many weavers have stopped production altoghether and moved to other occupations. The young generation does not want to learn the traditional art. Those who still work at the looms are above 50 or ailing or weak.
RESEARCH FACILITY helps in upgrading the way cultivators produce silk to the way weavers weave thus enabling better and faster production.
The weavers are not well equipped with latest innovation in handloom and hence find it impossible to compete with powerlooms.
STANDARDISING MOTIFS AND DESIGN saves a lot of time and ensures the marketability of the product.
CREATING A HYPE is a perfect way to generate interest amongst people.
CREATING A WEAVER’S VILLAGE to create weaving communities which work together in weaving centers.
Govt. does not provide subsidised or adequate supply of electricity and hence weaving has to be stopped after evening.
GLOBAL EXPERTISE will help the art to grow beyond local villages and town. powerlooms.
The cultivators find it difficult to compete with the cheap silk that comes from China. Chinese silk is almost half the cost of Indian silk and hence it floods th Indian silk markets. Whereas Chinese govt. has imposed a ban on Indian silk. So there are very few buyers for Indian silk.
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The silk center The centre is an experiential space where every process of silk production is displayed to visitors. Visitors are taken through the different processes of silk production and weaving and in the end are shown into the market area for them to shop.
Weaver’s village Provides accomodation to the weavers and their families working here. The village resembles a community lifestyle that the weavers are used to. The accomodation units are designed in a way so as to be able to incrementally grow.
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The entrance facade The concrete framework at the entrance is imagined as grid of 8m which then sets the datum for the rest of the building. Visitors first encounter the overwhelming scale of the entrance lobby of the building and then taken to the first floor as a part of the guided tour into silk production.
The rear facade The rear facade has a brick kiln chimney which is notional of the large number of brick kilns in the vicinity. Also, the material chosen for the building is exposed brickwork which acts as a reminder to the fantastic terracotta temples in the nearby areas of Bishnupur.
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The project has 82 units each having a living room/ multipurpose room, a bedroom, kitchen , toilet and a balcony/ verandah. There are 20 different types of units areas ranging from 330 sq.ft to 350 sq.ft. Every unit has been provided with a balcony/ verandah which can be later converted into a shop, a toilet or extension of the room at a later stage. This incremental growth in the residential area helps to build the community and can provide with an additional income for the family. Every housing cluster has a central courtyard which provides a benign space for the community to sit and interact. Every cluster has an extended plinth which can be used as a part of their daily chores. They can also use this space to dry clothes, to weave, to host small parties as part of community initiative. The community cluster is also provided with a school and a multipurpose hall to further reinforce a sense of community.
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The plaza : It is a raised plaltform at the entrance of the complex which will have food stalls and open sit-outs (much like food courts). This area could also be used by outsiders. Orientation : The buildings ahve been oriented based on the wind direction on site. The building heights are also keeping in mind the wind direction.
University campus hostel, Mumbai Design process (plan) Independent spaces
Light / Ventilation
Room arrangement 1
Room arrangement 2
Balcony
Corridor ventilation
Carving out corridor
Room accessibility
All the building blocks are on stilts so as to have more transparency
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Bigger floorplates on upper floor works as sun-shade for lower floors
View from the food court
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Men in metro
Men in metro
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Installation / community work 2014
Kalaghoda Art festival, Mumbai Alternate design for signage to represent ladies coach for Mumbai local
2013
Documentation of Mumbai slums as part of a study conducted by URBZ, Mumbai
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Documenting Mumbai slums with URBZ, Mumbai Understanding housing typology
The project consisted of documenting slum houses of Dharavi, Shivajinagar, Bainganwadi in Mumbai. This three week documentation was initiated by URBZ-user generated houses, which encourages contractors to building and design houses where there is scarcity of space.Thus, these houses have developed a composite typology wherein the framing of the house is in steel while the partition walls are out of masonry.Also, these houses make use of many innovative space saving tequniques. Every house in these areas rent out a part of their house for other businesses or workshops.
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A casual get-together of some old friends in Goa
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Tel | +91-9920739391 E-mail | arkabanerjee92@gmail.com 302, Tulsi Niwas, plot-30, sector -12, Vashi Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India - 400703