ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO Chaitanya Rajan Mohindra
“
”
CURRICULUM VITAE
reIMAGINE ASIA
SCULPTURE
redevelopment | smart village | for the people, by the people
corbusier | introspection | interpretation | creation
06
ANALYSING INDIAN VILLAGES
MISCELLANEOUS things I like to mess about with
THE INFORMATION CENTER public space | creating identity | experimental
05
urban tissues | imageability | landmarks & nodes
04
03
more about me!
02
01
00
CONTENTS
UNESCO LOUIS I. KAHN TROPHY heritage | documentation | analysis | design
selected works 2014 - present
CHAITANYA RAJAN MOHINDRA A motivated, passionate and hardworking student, who is currently pursuing Bachelors in Architecture with the aim to challenge the status quo. I have previously freelanced for art commissions, installations and interior design projects in and around the city of Chandigarh for architects as well as with government institutions.
Architecture is just not about creating buildings, but a multi-faceted approach to problem solving. A process where technology and philosophy comes together, is what I want to explore along with a hands on practical approach.
I am currently looking for an internship for 6 months where the talents I bring to the field are appreciated and nurtured with an intention to learn more about the practical field of architecture and contribute to the society.
+91 9464 652 254
instagram.com/mohindra.chaitanya
October 09, 1995
facebook.com/mohindra.chaitanya
PEC Campus,Sector 12, Chandigarh
mohindra.chaitanya@gmail.com
REFERENCES Prof. Pradeep Bhagat Principal, CCA, Chandigarh +91 9988 643 769 pradeepbhagat45@yahoo.com
Ar. Dilmeet Singh The Thought Studio +91 9951 956 900 d.tts@icloud.com
SKILLS
LANGUAGES
INTERESTS
Adobe Photoshop
Rhinoceros
Reading
Sculpting
English
Adobe Illustrator
V Ray
Writing
Painting
Hindi
Adobe Indesign
Grasshopper
Travelling
Sketching
Punjabi
Adobe Lightroom
Sketchup
Basketball
Teaching
Autodesk AutoCAD
Lumion
Cooking
Chai
Autodesk Revit
CorelDRAW
Carpentry
Food
Autodesk ArchiCAD
MS Office
EDUCATION
STUDIO PROJECTS
WORKSHOPS & SEMINARS
EXPERIENCE
2012 | High School
2014 |
2014 |
2014 |
BCM Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana.
Studio Apartment
Brick masonry workshop Wood joinery workshop Clay-pottery workshop
Sculpture Design
Graduated | 10 GPA
2014 | Senior Secondary Government Model Sr. Sec School, Sector 35, Chandigarh. Graduated | 89.6%
2014-present | Bachelors Chandigarh College of Architecture, Punjab University, Chandigarh. Pursuing
A 9x9 cubicle design for a nature enthusiast & philosopher
Documentation Measured drawings of cafe at Sector 10, Chandigarh.
Cafe re-design Organic & earthy design for urban youth.
2015 | Residence design Urban habitable unit, a futuristic approach to Cubism.
Tourist Information Center
ACHIEVEMENTS 2014 |
A center for interpretation and social interaction at Connaught Place, Delhi.
Resort Design
Essay Writing Competition
A pathway for a peaceful and independent approach to a soulful travel experience.
Punjab State Legal Services, Chandigarh
Market Design
Second runners up | Individual
2016 | ARCHUMEN 1617
Breaking the stereotyped notions about traditional consumer-seller relationships, a space that speaks and responds for people.
National Architecture Quiz
2016 |
North zone winners National finalists | duo
Office Complex
Photography Competition Corbusier Day: Shades of Chandigarh Winner
INFD Quiz ‘16 Interiors’ Architecture Quiz Runners up | duo
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Imaging of the portable toilets and their surroundings in Chandigarh, for the movement initiated by Shri.Narendra Modi, PM of India. Winners | trio
2015 | Concrete Action: Auditor Role of concrete in making of Chandigarh and re-imagining campus streets, following the context.
Bamboo and CSEB construction Workshop on joinery and key construction using Earth and Bamboo at Bamboo Research centre and Earth Institute, Auroville
2016 | 361° International Conference, Mumbai Architecture and the city. Focussing on people and practices whose fundamentals mediate the impact of the statements and have an investment in the idea of identity.
2016 | India Interpretation Centre Design conceptualisation and 3d-modelling for a structure to understand India and her history for a conservation architect in Amer, India.
Architect’s Studio A space to reflect upon the nature and realise thoughts for a Chandigarh based architect at the foothills of the Shivaliks in Himachal Pradesh, India.
GIS Mapping
Re-interpreting the green and street scapes of India, Surat
Plan B
Chandigarh Arts & Heritage Festival
Settlement Analysis
2017 |
Housing
Targeted measured drawings of Art Gallery, Chandigarh Museum for The Swiss Embassy at India.
Green Mobility: NASA
Sculpture desing, commemorating the legacy of Le Corbusier, Capitol, Chandigarh
2017 |
Documentation
Worked with the Chandigarh administration for the Geographic Information System and Chandigarh Conclusive Land Titling Programme.
Rentable spaces as incubators for new startups in the field of information technology
Underlining the importance of micro settlements and villages, analysing and proposing new interventions for streamlined growth.
Designing a landscape installation in a residence, Ludhiana, India.
reIMAGINE Asia Urban design workshop in collaboration with University of Queensland, Australia, focusing on stitching the urban edges of Corbusier’s Chandigarh and surrounding areas; romanticising the envisioned urban growth using landscape markers.
Co-founder of an experimental lab initiative which aims for hands on approach teaching and learning methodology in the College.
Venice Bienalle Worked in the background team, generating and printing 3D scaled models of important structures in Chandigarh, for Chandigarh Pavillion at Venice Bienalle 2016.
Wall painting 3D wall art at bar room in a private residence, Sector 7, Panchkula.
2017 |
Establishing an affordable cum luxurious living at Shivaliks of Himalayas, considering and compensating the urban footprint.
Portable cottage - ongoing Designing a portable structure and backyard landscaping in residential plot, Sector 9, Chandigarh.
COMPETITIONS
Phulkari - ongoing
2014 |
Society Interiors’ Design
2016 |
NASA Louis I. Kahn Trophy
Time based problem, aiming to how we perceive the space in and around us, specifically in an urban society.
120 hours
State of the art interior designing for Punjab Small Industries & Export Corporation Limited, Government of Punjab at Amritsar.
A house without a function, programme and purpose.
Mural design & wall painting
Analysis, documentation and re-design of vernacular Kath Kuni style of architecture at Chehni, Kullu Valley, India. Group
2015 | ANDC Human congregation center and pavillion at Kolkata. Group
Group
Duo
Wall art for ‘Scotland Yard’, pub and bar at Zirakpur, Chandigarh.
Multi purpose and time shared space, laying emphasis on concept of adaptive reuse at Ghaziabad, India.
Ethos IGBC Green Design
Logo design
Group
Duo
NASA Laurie Baker Center Trophy Analysis of rural-urban connection and proposal to bridge the gap.
NASA Writing Architecture Understanding and communicating architecture to the society. Duo
Conceptualisation and logo design for an Indian pharmaceutical company, Xunovia Therapeutics.
01 re[imagine] Asia chandigarh charrette Project type: Analysis + Civic intervention Location: Kansal-Chandigarh belt Inter university workshop Queensland University Australia + Chandigarh College of Architecture A group of 4 people of 32
A building without any specified function except to behave as a catalyst for functions around it or in it. A connector of various urban tissues and a representation of the brutalist mechanical structures of Corbusier.
Use of light, landscape views, topography, and the relation of the building to the site is reminiscent of Corbusier’s style and its behaviour as a landmark gives a new identity to the village of Kansal.
UNDERSTANDING THE FABRIC
high density zone
water bodies
village panchayat
green fields
commercial spaces
site selection re imaging the skyline of mixed fabric, fusion of urban characters
layout of structure understanding the existing context and enhancing the viewports for marker
CONCEPT EVOLUTION
03
02
space, linearity, factors, sqaure systems
transformation 1: re-aligning geometry
04
01
basic grid geometery
transformation 2: skewing for enhanced views and accessibility
ISOMETRIC: NORTH EAST
05
ISOMETRIC: NORTH WEST
ISOMETRIC: SOUTH EAST
ISOMETRIC: SOUTH WEST
06
walkways and extrusions
developments of structure: concrete and water, naturally available
07
08
suitable punctures and playing around with corbusier’s elements of design
a subtle green scape around the setup & a community ‘peepal’ tree
PLAN AT 21.8 mt.
PLAN AT 11 .8 mt
PLAN AT 6.8 mt.
PLAN AT -1 .8 mt.
PLAN AT 0.8 mt.
The square has been asymmetrically divided into four parts into a grid which follows the cardinal directions. Openings have been created on the outer facade to allow landscape viewing decks. The Shivaliks to the north, the Capitol Complex to the south, the village of Kansal and the agricultural fields around it form the urban tissues which is the basis of the planning and circulation of the building.
Square grid: Chandigarh Asymmetrical division: The fields, The monumentality of the structure: Capitol complex The controlled organic movement in the building: The village streets
02 The Information Center Project type: Public Intervention Location: Connaught Place, New Delhi Building area: 840 sq.m. Studio Project
The Connaught place is the central business district of Delhi and while it is a cultural hub and acts as a node, it lacks the unique landmark nature. The entire complex looks similar and can only be discerned by the naming of blocks. The tourist influx is also quite high and thus a tourist information centre is much needed. The site of central park has been chosen as to utilize the central most location and to have it as a landmark. The design language aims to inspire and raise the consciousness of the user and viewers alike and this is where supermatism comes into being.
Delhi is a mix of various styles of architecture, ranging from old Hindu to Islamic to the all prevailing colonial architecture of Lutyen's Delhi to the new modern and post-modern buildings of Charles Correa, Raj Rewal and others.
SPATIAL FORM DEVELOPMENT
03 Jayanti Majri Redevelopment Project type: Analysis, interpretation + design proposoal Location: Jayanti Majri, Mohali Year: 2016 Studio Project
What differentiates a rural from urban? The scale is the main factor. A rural area according to the census of India is defined as a place having population less than 5000. The other differentiating factors are: the quality and cost of living, population density, and diversity of land use, availability of sources of income, the amenities available, and the social and cultural life. If a village is given all the services and opportunities of growth that a city has, why can the wealth gap and rural-urban migration not be mitigated? A village which can sustain itself in terms of education, income, energy will attract the people back to living in the villages and promote a healthier and sustainable lifestyle is the model we are aiming for.
FROM KASAULI
JAYANTI DEVI TEMPLE
FROM CHANDIGARH
N 0
20 10
100 50
ACTIVITY NODES AND SPINE
GREEN VS BUILT
The village lies at the periphery of Chandigarh and is also surrounded by 5 smaller villages. The urban-rural connectivity and dependency is visible here but the growing phenomenon of migration is also present here. The temple here is a landmark, but little has been done to develop it. ZONING
RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURAL LANDS
The lack of proper vehicular roads and street lights show the lack of basic amenities. The school is in a dilapidated condition, and the dispensary is shut down. The water tank at the base of the temple has been converted into a dumping ground and the sewage of the houses flows into the Jayanti Rao stream, thus polluting their source of fresh water. Connectivity to the village is poor, the roads are quite narrow and there is only a single bus service from Chandigarh. The service too is quite erratic. There is also limited provision for the devotees who want to stay in the village. The lack of a market place for daily goods and fresh vegetables was also a major issue. Waste management is absent, as well as modern and organic farming techniques.
Environmental
Social
Economic
Waste management and recycling Water management Sewage treatment Biogas plant Organic farming Improve green spaces and quality of living
Women empowerment. Development of public infrastructure like healthcare, education, water, electricity, streetlights. Develop the standard of living. Introduce community spaces for people to gather. Develop sense of responsibility.
Skill development Job opportunities Get the city income to the village Market homemade and organic produce Guarantee the minimum income Generate income
Total area: 234 acres including agricultural fields Total population: 759
INDEPENDENT INTERVENTIONS
Number of households: 168 I am Dimple Singh and my father sent me to an agricultural college to learn modern farming methods and techniques. I want to implement them in my farm, but there is not enough return from the investment. I am Harwinder Singh and I have been a farmer throughout my life. I am illiterate because of which the middlemen take advantage of me and cheat me when I sell my farm produce. If only I could sell my produce directly to the consumers.
I am Meher. I am from ropar and have completed my graduation in finance and marketing. I want to be an entrepreneur and contribute to the society.
I am Pavneet and I don’t want to stay in the village. The city seems cleaner and less smelly.
1. Dispensary and Angawadi scheme 2. School and skill development 3. Co-operative society and workshop 4. Market place – permanent and temporary structures 5. Parking area at the temple 6. Lake regeneration 7. Waste water treatment plant 8. Social startup incubator
I am Bani Kaur and I have lived here for 65 years. I enjoy making papad and various kinds of pickle. I make so much that we distribute it amongst friends
I am Kishori Lal and my family has been here for the last 300 years. The temple is my only source of income and it is not a steady source. There is also no funds for the development of the temple and its complex for the devotees.
REPETITIVE INTERVENTIONS
I am Ganga and I am a priestess. I help the priest in his daily activities and I wish there were other sources of income in this village and more work opportunities for women.
I am Prashant, and I travel here daily as it is the nearest village. I do odd jobs here and there, but I don’t have a steady source of income. I want to learn to work metal or any skill so that I can have my shop.
I am Sanghia and I am 14 years old and attend the village school. I want to act in movies and for me to be more confident I need to learn to speak in English. Maybe, I should go to the city for this.
9. Creating vegetable gardens on rooftops & common courts. 10. Bio-gas generators at cluster level 11. Waste recycling and reuse program 12. Development of the road nertwork
Plan: Bamboo DIY structure and cooperative society zone
The pond and the lake The lake at the base of the temple has been neglected over the years and has been transformed into a dumping ground. Waste treatement and management will be implemented. Recyle, reuse and reduce waste. The lake shall be cleaned up and and an open air theatre outlooking the lake will be made. This will encourage visitors to spend more time in majri and also create a microclimate thereby help in regulating the temperature around the place.
Cluster settlement at the gateway and the co-operative society workshop It will be a farmer/women owned enterprise which aims at providing a stable income to the people involved in it. The model focuses at providing work opportunities to the unemployed people and the upliftment of the society.
corrugated metal sheets linked with anchor bolts scrap metal framework rivetted in earth wall using reinforcement
300 mm rammed earth wall
100 mm PCC bed
AXONOMETRIC BLOW UP FOR BAMBOO STRUCTURE
04 Commemmorating Le Corbusier’s Legacy Project type: Sculpture design and installation Location: Capitol Complex, Chandigarh Public Project in collaboration with Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akadami for Chandigarh Arts and Heritage Festival 2016
The design philosophy focusses on romanticising the charm of Corbusier, the way he played around with buildings, handling spaces, choosing materials. Concepts of Brutalism, Golden Ratio highlight the grace of his skills and remind people of times when Chandigarh was barely a piece of a large farmland.
Bricks, wood, water, sun, green. The perfect combination of a habitable space in its justifiable miniaturist form is what helped make this sculpture. Located in the Capitol Complex of Chandigarh, it holds a great importance in putting an impact on general public and city’s administrators.
DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
01 two alternate courses with mud mortar
02
03
structural framework in metal for the water element | voids in brick masonry | repetitive course work
water element
wood
cement plaster
plaster and wood embedding, filling the cavity with green!
05 Documenting the vernacular settlement Project type: Competition, Analysis, Documentation Location: Chehni, Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh Detailed documentation and analysis of the settlement of Chehni Kothi and its contect was carrried our by a group of 15 people in 5 days as part of a competition entry requiring 17 A1 sized hand drafted sheets.
This is a very small, remote settlement where ‘Kath Kuni’ style of vernacular architecture dominates. Its main landmark is the Watch Tower that served various functions in history. The site rests in Kullu Valley, surrounded by heavy green forests and untamed mountains.
gabled slate roof for extra head room and insulation
small doors and windows with triple frame design system
sealed upper floors using framework
SKETCH THROUGH THE ROOF | SECTIONAL the balcony, ‘chaudi’ area, running along the three sides
the main diety room, put up in an enclosed space
semi open sections of ground floors having additional overhead storage space
AXONOMETRIC BLOW UP OF WATCHTOWER
01 joinery details in ‘Kath Kuni’ at the staircase in wooden framework, carvings, railings and tie members
EXPOSED CONSTRUCTION WORK IN WOOD AND STONE IN KATH KUNI
02
02 at balcony, also known as ‘chaudi’, the details of handrail and openings at the floor, the corridor space
at the door, junction of wood and stone masonry in vernacular ‘Kath Kuni’
06 Miscellaneous | Artworks
selected works from streetscapes of Chandigarh
concept formation
ink and brush
origami
clay sculpture
charcoal on paper
digital graphic art
oil on canvas
06 Miscellaneous | Photography
Chaitanya Rajan Mohindra mohindra.chaitanya@gmail.com +91 9464 652 554