Devanshi Gajjar Architectural Portfolio (2016-21)

design portfolio

2016 2021

Urbanism | Architecture | Research Works of Devanshi Gajjar

Declaration:

All drawings, images, and texts in the portfolio have been produced by the author.

For group and professional projects, credits have been given to all the team members. The role of the author has been disclosed for each project.

For all the professional projects, the copyright for all the drawings and images belong to the organization mentioned. The permission to use the information has been duly taken only for academic purposes.

Panju Island: Sustaining Ecologies and Communities

Type: Academic - Design Dissertation | Year: 2020 | Location: Panju Island, Maharashtra, India

Organization: Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India

Panju Island is an estuarine island, situated between Naigaon and Bhayandar region of the city of Mumbai. With the population of approximately 1300 people, the island covers an area of 269 hectares. Being a riverine island, Panju has abundant growth of Mangroves. The island currently has a certain balance between human interventions and nature. This, with a context that has crossed all boundaries of this balance, and has become a concrete jungle, is fascinating. This thesis looks at Panju Island with the approach to create a balance between the ecology and developments of the island. It is an effort to study the lifestyles of the people living here, and improve the economy of the community. The aim is to find an answer to questions like, “How do you make the island a self-sustaining piece of land that lies in harmony with the natural resources it possesses?”

Analysing the Flora and Fauna of the Island

Heluin Gull

Mangrove Species: Avicennia Marina, Sonneratia Apetala

Brown Headed Gull

Grey Heron Little Stint

Wetlands and Vegetation

Water bodies Built area Agricultural land Salt Pans

Land use of Panju Island

Contrasting Contexts | The built character in Panju v/s the context

Design Intent | Developing an Identity for the island

Built form analysis | Residences

Design Approach | Sustaining resources and practicing mindful design Architecture that Blends | Interventions that merge with the existing fabric

Built form analysis

Panju Island: Sustaining Ecologies and Communities

Eurasian Curlew

Indian Grey Mongoose

Checkered Keelback Xenochrophis Schneider

Wild Vegetation

Agricultural Fields: Rice

Jetty Terminal Phase 1

- Ticket counter and Cafeteria for the tourists

- Flexible auction spaces and open plinths for the locals

Mangrove Information Centre Phase 2

- Panju Mangrove documentation cell

- Mangrove photo gallery exhibition

Resting Pavilion Phase 1

- Seating area and drinking water fountain for tourists

- Solar panel stations and tools storage spaces for the locals

Fishing pavilion Phase 2

- Fishing technique skill development for tourists - Fish farming, water harvesting and administrative auction area for the locals

LEGEND

Panju Gaothan

Natural Lake Public playground Farm lands

Artificial Lake for Fishing Marsh Land

Saltpans

Crematorium

Railway Bridge

Mangrove & Forest Reserve

Reserved and cultivated forest Bird watching hotspots

Resting pavilion

Railway crossing tunnel

Jetty terminal

Homestay accommodation blocks for the tourist

Phase-wise Masterplan for the development of the Island

Orientation Centre Phase 1

- Briefing and exhibition gallery for the tourists - Pavilion overlooking the playground

Agriculture Phase 2 - Farming boutique

- Food forest for the locals

Nature Trails Phase 1

- Bird watching and activity nature trail for the tourists

- Pedestrian and cycling route connecting all the major areas of Panju for the locals

Agriculture Pavilion

Farming techniques and for the tourists forest and seed shop area locals

Bird Watching Pavilion Phase 2

- Observatory decks and information display for the tourists

Storage spaces for the locals

Jetty Terminal Phase 3 - Small ferry ride to the mini islands for the tourists

Commute option towards Bhayander for the locals

Watch tower Phase 3 - Observatory tower for the tourists - Watch tower and beacon for the Panju residents

Section through the courtyard indicating interaction with river, seating pavilion, and tourist programs

Jetty Design

Imagined as a series of planes that guide the visitor towards the entrance of the village, the jetty houses formal spaces such as seating areas for the boat service, as well as informal plinths that can be used as market spaces. The arrangement of functions has been done, in order to mimic the organic arrangement of the existing settlement.

Section through the rest area, seminar room, and exhibition space - The coloured panels act as thresholds to the community ground

Orientation Center

The orientation center acts as an anchor that brings the tourists and locals together. Staggering functions help in formation of niches that act as seating areas, and courtyards, which can be used for small workshops or programs for the locals as well. The building overlooks the ground, this also acts as a watching pavilion during cricket matches held here.

120 mm x 200 mm

Mangalore tiles Bamboo Battens MDF sheet cover

Bamboo Weave Pattern

Wattle and daub method as wall panels

RCC Grade slab BBCC Rammed Earth Brick retaining wall

Black basalt stone piers

Wall section - An intersection of built and pedestrian

Bamboo Rafters

Wooden Flooring

Detailed

Planes - as visual elements

Elevation of Fishing Pavilion - Using different plastering techniques in the wattle and daub panels for the aesthetics of the pavilion

Fishing Pavilion

The Gode Lake, is a man made lake, developed for fish farming. The pavilion is a simple structure meant for the visitors to witness the process of fish farming and work as viewing areas for the locals as well for the annual auctions for the maintenance of the fish farming process at the village.

1.

2. 3.

LEGEND:

1. Jetty and reception area, +860 mm 2. Information area, +1320 mm 3. Bird Watching cabins, +2100 mm

Plan of Bird Watching Trail

Bird Watching Pavilion

Situated between two salt pans on the island, the bird watching pavilion has three individual spaces jetty and reception, information area, and bird watching cabins.

Birds in their natural environments, humans trapped in bamboo cages

Bird’s eye view of the trail

Panju Island: Sustaining Ecologies and Communities

Devising Coalescence

Type: Academic | Year: 2019 | Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Organization: Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India

Analysis and Master-planning Team: Devanshi Gajjar, Devanshi Khant, Hussain Eralwala, Rutva Trivedi Role: Site research, Planning, Program development, Individual proposal, Drawings, Presentations and Graphics

As a city grows, land as a resource, becomes increasingly valuable, surmounting the value of the livelihoods that sustain on that land. The project was a part of a larger planning intervention dealing with an area of 1.2 sq km, to uplift and rejuvenate the locality that once was bustling with business in Ahmedabad. The master plan intends to bridge the religion and class divides through a proposal that encourages interaction while focusing on using land judiciously. The plan is guided by two axes that define the built and unbuilt spaces. It was segregated into three land uses – residential, industrial and commercial. Each area enjoys a green spaces, through the medium of green corridors guided by the presence of a lake on the upper edge of the site, or private recreation areas.

Increased vehicular movement due to estates, and production houses.

Neighborhood open spaces near residential areas, allowing recreational activities.

Commercial street edges that are pedestrian friendly and double up as fun public spaces

Proposed built form, indicating functioning of zones, access, and nature of movement paths

The site was further split into plots to be designed individually. The programs intertwined with one another to promote small businesses, through designed marketplaces. The output acted as a threshold for commercial and public spaces to merge. Balconies and wavering street volumes replicated the existing built typologies, creating familiar nuances through contemporary spaces.

The entrance plaza

The market plaza

Individual proposal - A threshold for public interaction, and beginning of commercial activities

The Wailing Journey

Type: Professional | Year: 2020 | Location: Vijayanagar, Karnataka, India

Organization: Studio Unbuild, Mumbai, India.

Team: Nishant Mehta, Varun Goyal, Devanshi Gajjar

Role: Project Architect, Concept Development, Design Resolution, Drawings, Presentation and Graphics

The idea of the crematorium hinges on the premise of the horizon and the floorplate. The site is approached by a road, with a culvert over the Tungabhadra river. A flat parking space guides access to the site below. A hint of a wall is the only indication of the path that leads the user down to the prayer plinth. The wall continues to rise alongside and is articulated with punctures as well as serves as a tool to define built space. The wall continues along and defines the processional path, modulating alongside to accommodate programs like a wailing wall, wash areas, spaces for reflection, spaces for mourning, etc. The processional path continues the river edge, where it ends as a flat plinth that trifles with the edge of the river. This plinth serves as a space for contemplation as well as last rights for families, also it forms a pause point in the continuous public edge that is strung along the river. The wall is buffered with thick plantations with dense foliage that provides shade as well as provides a soothing, sensory experience. Two tall chimneys/turrets articulated over the crematorium become focal points for the crematorium for people passing by on the road above the culvert.

Design element | Steps

Program circuits were developed to decipher the funeral process for each religion in terms of spaces required.

Diagram indicating the flow of spaces required for funeral processions of several religions

Culvert - River Tungabhadra

The Incremental Membrane

Type: Workshop | Year: 2019

Location: Madrid, Spain

Organization: Universidad Politecnica de Mardrid

Team: Devanshi Gajjar, Dheer Talreja, Eshanpreet Kaur

Role: Analysis, Conceptual development, Design, Drawings, Structural Understanding, Graphics

Plazas serve as interaction spaces in a neighborhood. Plaza del Carmen, in Madrid, once functioned as a dynamic public space. Due to tourist-driven gentrification and the pressures of a growing city, the locals are forced to move to the suburbs because of the increased living costs. Citing the same reason, once a bustling plaza, has now converted into a mere transition space. The intervention at the plaza was used as a means to condense this issue. The design proposal is a flexible, modular structure, that can be assembled or dismantled as and when required. Each module is 3m x 3m x 3m in size. The intervention aims to become a source of income for the locals through the means of flea markets, exhibitions, and local businesses that can be set up here. Deriving the design from the concept of Solid-Void, the intervention acts as a permeable membrane, therefore, encouraging interaction in the plaza.

Nurseries

Garden Terraces

Markets

Green Voids

Hangout Spaces

Balconies

Recreation

Connection

Conceptual development of form and programs

Site Plan of the intervention at the Plaza del Carmen, Madrid

Combinatory Housing

Type: Professional | Year: 2020 | Location: Yamunanagar, Haryana, India

Organization: Studio Unbuild, Mumbai, India

Team: Nishant Mehta, Varun Goyal, Adhish Parkar, Dhairya Visaria, Devanshi Gajjar

Role: Design Development, Tender Drawings, Presentation and Graphics

The Combinatory Housing project is located in the industrial town of Yamunanagar. The housing has been designed to provide living spaces for an estimated two hundred workers for one of the veneer factories in this town. The proposal is a low-cost, easily replicable module, which situates itself in an obtuse corner of the plot. The built form has been divided into three parts programmatically – the service block, the living spaces, and the dining area. A simple multiplication of combinatory volumes with rigid vertical planes harmonizes these functional segregations uniformly. Slender, staggered corridors bifurcate the building mass into two wings, allowing the light and air to percolate through the mass. The corridor culminates in an elevated service block bridged by a staircase. An entrance foyer is created in a wedge, along which hinges a linear dining block. This block is capped with a series of folded planes forming a tessellated roof, while the front façade acts as a porous membrane; further enhancing visual connectivity and ventilation.

View of the living block with staggering masses

Site plan indicating the living and the dining block

Exploded axonometric of Combinatory Housing indicating roof tessellations and staggering of corridors

Masses Structure Built Form Activities

Colloquy of Archetypes

Type: Academic | Year: 2018 | Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Organization: Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India.

The built fabric in one of the oldest cities of the world – Varanasi, is the remnant of the lifestyles of people inhabiting the city. Over time, the built has been occupied by modern functions, yet the essence of the fabric is sustained. The site, nestled between the primary transition and the old fabric, demands to be treated as an amalgamation of the present-day built form, and traditional lifestyle. Imitating the organic street patterns, the project creates secondary access points and breathing spaces at the neighborhood level. Routines, connections, and interactions were drivers of this design. The project accommodates sixty families and the site is spread across 4000 sq meters. The units on the ground floor have the provision of setting up shops. Hence, while the ground is bustling with street markets for small businesses, plinths for gossips, and green play areas; the corridors, balconies, and windows allow people to mingle on the upper stories. The absence of barriers along the periphery of the site transforms the project into a community intervention, permitting them to use the connecting streets and open spaces.

Textile Tube Houses

Type: Workshop (3 Days) | Year: 2020 | Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Organization: Charles Correa Foundation, Goa, India

Team: Devanshi Gajjar, Gaurav Janendra, Garima Chandhok, Noor, Rohan Bharmal, Shashank Rao

Role: Conceptualization, Design Development, Site Planning, Presentation and Graphics

The Tube House, a housing prototype derived by Ar. Charles Correa aims to solve the housing crisis in the Indian subcontinent. The prototype focuses on ‘low-rise high-density’ concept that contradicts the standard models of public housing being built today. The team placed the prototype in a Bandhani (traditional tie-dye textile) making community in Jaipur, India. The thought process behind the project was two-fold – at the site and the unit level. The design of the Tube House was modified, with each end being designated either as living or working. Each space endorsed the multiplicity of functions during different times of the day. This concept was amalgamated to the idea of interactive streets, and spillover spaces that function as exhibition spaces. Colorful drapes swaying with the wind as exhibits are truly a sight that brings joy to visitors and financial stability for a community that is striving hard to make ends meet.

Usage

Usage of spaces inside the Tube House during the night

Depiction of activities, and interaction, through the section

Site Section through a communal space

of spaces inside the Tube House during the day

A glimpse of the interior spaces and the lifestyle of the community

Site Working Ends of Tube House Living Ends of Tube House Movement inside the site

Re-Imagining Municipal Schools

Type: Academic | Year: 2018 | Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Organization: Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India

Municipal Schools are much more than centers of knowledge. Provisioned by the government, they also double up as community spaces in the nonworking hours for the people living around. These schools are facilities that strive for the betterment of the community through imparting education and hosting other facilities. Re-Imagining the presently dilapidated structure of a municipal school with the dual programs of institution and community space; drives the design forward. The site is situated in a dense residential fabric, in a busy neighborhood of Ahmedabad. This density has led to encroachments and developments on spaces that once used to be community spaces. Hence, creating a community space was included as a design intent. The building is neatly placed over the edges of the site to reserve the open spaces towards the center of the site. A corridor that acts as a spine connects two modules consisting of classrooms and a common semi-open space. The corridor also acts as a transition element between these courtyards of varied scales. The circulation pattern in the campus ensures visual connection, which serves as an essential element of institutional design.

Plan of the School indicating learning and leisure spaces

Section through classrooms

Corridor transitioning into play areas

Corridor segregating semi-private and public recreation areas

School for Specially Abled

Type: Professional | Year: 2019 | Location: Palanpur, Gujarat, India

Organization: Studio Unbuild, Mumbai, India

Team: Nishant Mehta, Varun Goyal, Adhish Parkar, Devanshi Gajjar

Role: Design Development, Detail development, Tender Drawings, Site Management, Graphics

The building was imagined in three volumes, split with narrow wedges to provide seamless circulation. These volumes independently housed the assembly blocks, the workshops, and learning spaces and the library and the therapy spaces for the students. The built mass was protected from the harsh southern sunlight by a circulation block housing a ramp. The north face of the block was opened with carefully crafted fenestrations to allow soft northern light into the learning spaces.

The building was imagined in three volumes, split with narrow wedges to provide seamless circulation. These volumes independently housed the assembly blocks, the workshops, and learning spaces and the library and the therapy spaces for the students. The built mass was protected from the harsh southern sunlight by a circulation block housing a ramp. The north face of the block was opened with carefully crafted fenestrations to allow soft northern light into the learning spaces.

The building was imagined in three volumes, split with narrow wedges to provide seamless circulation. These volumes independently housed the assembly blocks, the workshops, and learning spaces and the library and the therapy spaces for the students. The built mass was protected from the harsh southern sunlight by a circulation block housing a ramp. The north face of the block was opened with carefully crafted fenestrations to allow soft northern light into the learning spaces.

The functional built mass was interspersed with alcoves for the rest, and serve as a space for students to bond and develop their personal and interpersonal skills. The building serves itself as a space for learning that allows students to learn through the process of experiential learning.

The functional built mass was interspersed with alcoves for the rest, and serve as a space for students to bond and develop their personal and interpersonal skills. The building serves itself as a space for learning that allows students to learn through the process of experiential learning.

The functional built mass was interspersed with alcoves for the rest, and serve as a space for students to bond and develop their personal and interpersonal skills. The building serves itself as a space for learning that allows students to learn through the process of experiential learning.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

The commissioned project, housed workshops as well as ancillary learning spaces. The building was situated on a tight tree-lined plot. As a low-budget project, a strategic climate-sensitive space planning approach was employed, coupled with universal design principles for accessibility. The building was imagined in three volumes, split with narrow wedges to provide seamless circulation. These volumes housed the assembly blocks, the workshops, and learning and therapy spaces. The north face of the block was crafted fenestrations to allow soft northern light into the learning spaces. The floorscape and the walls were modulated with tactile surfaces to serve as navigation aids to the visually impaired students. Ceiling heights were altered to control the echo, that partially hearing impaired students used to their benefit. The building serves itself as a space for learning that allows students to learn through the process of experiential learning.

Ground

Ground

First Floor Deep Structure Diagram

First Deep Structure Diagram

montage to understand the fabric of the town Plan of the proposed building

Detailed wall section indicating materials

The brick fenestrated, southern facade of the school

Using conceptual models to develop design further

Architecture and Ecological Identity

Type: Academic - Research Dissertation | Year: 2021

Thesis Title: Studying Ecological Identity through Architecture and Built Form

Organization: Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, Ahmedabad, India.

Publication and Presentation: Cities 2050, a national conference hosted by Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India.

Query

The research questions were formulated as an attempt to curate connections between Architecture, Ecology, and Identity.

What role do architectural gestures play in developing ecological identity for a defined built space?

Definition

Ecological Identity | The presence of nature becomes an identifying factor of the site, rather than the built form creating an identity for itself. Ecological identity is created when architecture supports and silently intertwines with it. The approach towards nature and the connection of users becomes integral to defining ecological identity.

Abstract:

Amidst the process of advancing, the human species has forgotten that they are a part of a system that is intricate and interconnected. The human species has divided itself into two extremes: one is the savior, and other is the destroyer. In a situation, where climate change becomes irreversible with each passing day, there is an urgent need to find a mid-way, and reflect upon the way we relate to nature and the environment around us.

The research amalgamates ecological identity with built form. Connecting this to architecture implies studying the built form and its correspondence to the existing natural conditions. It involves analyzing the human-nature connection through the means of architectural gestures.

The research analyses multiple built examples where the built is not harming the natural aspects of the site but enhancing it. This is examined by comparison of institutions situated in contexts that have varying presence of built and nature. The analysis parameters for the same are derived through literature studies and surveys. This research is a means to establish connections between ecological identity and architecture. It displays the co-existence of built and nature, where the latter can be respected while fulfilling the programmatic needs of the former.

Derivation

Design is a multi-faceted pursuit. Hence, the analysis parameters are derived from multiple categories, further divided amongst four scales: Contextual, Site, Built, User

Analysis

The three chosen case studies are Institutions situated in India placed in varied contexts - Urban, Rural and Ecologically Pristine. The case studies are:

1. Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad - by Ar. Neelkanth Chhaya (Urban)

2. Magic Bus Centre for Learning, Karjat - by Ar. Rahul Mehrotra (Rural)

3. Northpoint Centre for Learning, Khandala - by Ar. Vandana Ranjitsinh (Pristine)

ARCHITECTURE

THEMES TO

ECOLOGICAL IDENTITY

Built woven around nature

Built Spaces Case Studies Existing natural elements

Conceptual Thinking Enhancing Nature

ECOLOGICAL IDENTITY

Natural Elements on site

Interaction of spaces with nature

Connecting the user Harmony

Martin Buber

Ecosystems are central to decisions making Charles Scott

Mitchell Thomashow Connection Association Martin Heidegger

Ecological Political Psychological

Governing authority Impact of spaces on user

Ethical

Responsibility towards nature Architecture and Ecological

Conclusion:

The design decisions in each case studies has allowed the users to identify these spaces on the basis of the response of spaces towards nature.

The same trait of developing an identity is studied via the movements of the users and the frames they witness. Keeping the user engaged with views of natural elements around the site, creates a sense of identity in his mind.

This overtime gets imbibed in his memory, and he starts looking for similar interactions of built and nature everywhere he goes. Eventually, the consideration for natural environments comes to the forefront of the thought process. Therefore, creating an ecological identity. This involves a sensibility towards the reconstruction of personal identity, so that people begin to consider how their actions, values, and ideals are framed according to their perceptions of nature; focusing on the relationship they share with nature and what role they play in the ecosystem.

Every object a person owns may have utilitarian and symbolic value, but it also has an ecosystem value. Built form might have certain aesthetic identification aspects, but, the resources being used for the same - come from nature. Hence, nature should be the first element that the architect needs to identify and align the design concepts with.

Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad

Magic Bus Centre for Learning, Karjat

Northpoint Centre for Learning, Khandala

Urban Forests - Governance and Ecosystem Services

Type: Professional - Research | Year: 2021

Organization: A10 Consulting Services, Ahmedabad, India.

Paper Title: Correlating People, Governance and Climate Change Aspects through Urban Forests

Team: Prof. Shweta Suhane, Devanshi Gajjar, Dr. Utpal Sharma

Role: Analysis of Hyderabad with respect to urban forest governance, Manuscript writing

Publication and Presentation: Future is Urban, an international conference hosted by Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University, Ahmedabad.

Ecosystem Services Human Health Hyderabad, India Urban Green Spaces

Abstract:

Development of cities is centric to the needs of its inhabitants. Urban green spaces are integral components of urban ecosystems. In these settings, urban forests are tools, which are known for their non-priced benefits more than priced ones. Incorporating these into cities, enhances the health of citizens and helps them tackle climate change; which has been a consequence of urbanization and increased use of natural resources.

This paper highlights the need for urban forests in Indian cities. It covers the aspects of climate change, health, and governance policies and associates them to urban forests. The paper outlines the role of development in creating the imbalance of human and nature. Trees are powerful elements that purify the atmosphere, maintain heat levels and improve the water quality, which in turn benefit the health of the inhabitants. The paper attempts to paint a clearer picture of forests-climate change-human interactions. Through the means of analysis of the existing laws and their implementation, this paper suggests strategies to make authorities and citizens more aware about urban forests.

The cities of today need to be developed into sustainable urban areas by creating a balance that appreciates the urban as well as the natural aspects. This balance eventually leads to more healthy and livable spaces. The efforts taken today, will yield results over the years to come. Thus, crafting a better future for us to live in.

REGULATING

Wood balance study can be taken up in order to understand the usage of firewood by urban slums

An analysis of the steps taken by the authorities to significantly increase the green cover in the city.

Laws and Policies

A critical assessment of the priced and non-priced benefits of urban forests and greens.

World,

Sustainable plantation programs and other forestry related events

Several missions and policies such as Mission Kakatiya, Telangana Haritha Haram Program - focusing on revival of water bodies to benefit the ecosystems around them, and developing reserved forest blocks in the city fabric.

Ecosystem Services Health

Study of ecosystem services : Analyzing the services that can be identified as situations and cycles via which natural ecosystems, and the species dependent on them help in the sustenance and fulfillment of human needs.

Understanding the multi-faceted health benefits of urban forests and urban greens, the act of planting and caring for trees itself promotes mental and physical health.

Studying Hyderabad, India

Studying Hyderabad as a case study to inspect the policies the city undertook to significantly increase the green cover and be recognized as the Tree City of the World for 2020.