ARCHITECTURE PORTFOLIO G AU TA M J . T H A K K A R
First Floor Plan
South Side Elevation
Cross Section
...“From a safe distance, it is tempting to demonize, or romanticize slum dwellers. On the demon side, they are parasites, unclean, unwanted, unhealthy, attached to the body of organized society. On the romantic side, they are outsiders, struggling subversively within the system, surviving by their wits and stubbornness, masters of that indispensable human quality, ingenuity. Each view is an extreme of the reality, and each serves the purpose of different interest groups occupying higher social strata. Consequently, both views in effect accept the existence, and persistence, of slums�... Lebbeus Woods
Left: Documentation drawings of Meghnagar Chawl at Arthur road, Saat Rasta, Mumbai
Longitudinal Section
+1 412 (880) 7155 gautamthakkar24@gmail.com
ABOUT ME
Interested in urban design and architecture design build projects which are contextually driven and have a social, political as well as economical impact on the built environment. Interested in digital fabrication and hand craft. Passionate about engaging at different scales - by dealing with intangible social and urban issues as well as diving into details to resolve each nut and bolt to execute a project. Currently looking for an opportunity to work in an architecture and urban design office.
SKILLS
GAUTAM THAKKAR EDUCATION CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
2019
UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI
2014
Master of Architecture
Bachelor of Architecture
EXPERIENCE ATLAS OF COMMONING EXHIBIT, CMU SOA GRADUATE ASSISTANT
Jan’19 - Jun’19
ARCHITECTURE WOODSHOP, CMU SOA
Aug’17 - May’19
ARCH ENTRY, MUMBAI
Feb’16 - May’16
SHOP ASSISTANT
TEACHING ASSISTANT/ VOLUNTEER
PROFESSION
DATA VISUALIZATION ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, Carto + SQL Story Maps, Unity Game Engine
URBAN DESIGN BUILD STUDIO, CMU SOA
June’18 - Aug’19
3D MODELLING & BIM Rhinoceros + Grasshopper, AutoCAD Suite, SketchUp, Vray, VectorWorks
SJK ARCHITECTS, MUMBAI
May’16 - July’17
GRAPHIC + CONTENT Adobe + Microsoft Office Suite ANALOG Digital Fabrication - CNC, Laser, 3D Print, Wood working
INTERN Prepared SD, DD and CD packages for an external rain screen wall assembly, prepared client presentation, fabricated full scale mock up wall. ARCHITECT Co-ordinated set up for material production center for 500,000 CSE blocks, prepared DD, CD package and tender documents for 45000 sq.ft Administrative center, co-ordinated system integration with consultants
M/s. PRABHAKAR B. BHAGWAT, AHMEDABAD
July’14 - Jan’16
ROHIT SHINKRE ARCHITECTS, MUMBAI
Oct’13 - Jan’14
ARCHITECT Anchored Urban Design, Infrastructure and site co-ordination on 700 acre smart city project, prepared design and construction documents for 1.5 acre public park, co-ordinated with site team and consultants, assisted in preparation of client presentations. INTERN Conducted research and documentation of final report ‘Regulation of hawkers in Mumbai metro’ submitted to municipal body along with urban design guidelines and design proposals.
RECON_01
Housing Architecture Pittsburgh, PA
COMMONING
Urban Studies Research Pittsburgh, PA + Zürich, CH
URBAN ACUPUNCTURE
PALAVA
MATERIAL MATERIALITY
SUBTRACT
City Urban Design + Architecture Mumbai, IN
Housing Architecture Malshej, IN
Playscape Urban Design + Build Pittsburgh, PA
Caves Architecture Elephanta, IN
LINEAR PARK
Public Park Landscape Design Mumbai, IN
WOOD WORK
Hand and Machine Joinery Fabrication Pittsburgh PA
RE_CON 01
The project is a partnership with East Liberty Development Inc. (ELDI), which is a non-profit community development organization,along with Pittsburgh 2018 other non profits to work towards catering housing needs in East Liberty. Urban Design Build Studio - CMU SOA RE_CON 01 is a market rate housing prototype that The first housing prototype will be sold as market rate and the profit will be leveraged towards developing refurbished houses (mothball houses) as addresses issues around concentrated poverty. affordable housing options to encourage home ownership.
Role in the project: This project was a collaborative work between 5 B.Arch, 8 M.Arch and 4 AECM students. My role in the project was focused on site analysis and urban studies for the sites, understanding real estate development framework for the project and to develop financial and development options.
79
40.44° N
Pop. Below poverty 32.4%-48.6% 24.4%-32.4% 19.1%-24.4% Latitude/Longitude of Pittsburgh
Demographics of Pittsburgh
‘CONCENTRATED POVERTY’ is a ‘WICKED PROBLEM’ which has plagued the rust belt cities after the industrial decline.
79.99° W
RECON_01 housing proposal tries to address the issues surrounding concentrated poverty by creating opportunities for JOB SKILL TRAINING, MATERIAL RE-PURPOSING and COMMUNITY BUILDING.
LARIMER, PA MEDIAN INCOME: $33,741
EAST LIBERTY, PA MEDIAN INCOME: $32,546 69% BLACK, 25% WHITE
POPULATION: 5890 14.8% BELOW POVERTY
2% HISPANIC, 2% MIXED, 3% ASIAN
85% BLACK, 9% WHITE
2% HISPANIC, 4% MIXED, 1% ASIAN
PA
40.44° N VACANT HOMES 13.2%
WV
Rust Belt Appalachia
VACANT HOMES 25.8%
POP.CHANGE SINCE 1990 -28% POP.CHANGE SINCE 1990 -33%
Pop. Below poverty 32.4%-48.6%
POPULATION: 1638 21.6% BELOW POVERTY
24.4%-32.4% 19.1%-24.4% Latitude/Longitude of Pittsburgh
Demographics of East Liberty and Larimer
Flexible living space FLEXIBLE LIVING SPACE
REPLICABLE UTILITY CORE core Replicable utility
(Co-authored by Jacob Clare)
Module with internal court
524 Vacant residential parcels between East Liberty and Larimer Corner : 84/524 = 16%Parcels Between East Liberty and Larimer 524 Vacant Residential Corner: 84/524 = 16% Infill : 440/524 = 84% Infill: 440/524 = 84%
Replicability
Module with variable sizes & core locations
After the industrial decline, there was huge outflow of population from Pittsburgh and other rust belt cities. Today, almost an entire generation is missing and there is a percentage of population ‘left behind’ in terms of opportunities. East Liberty and Larimer are two neighborhoods in the east end of Pittsburgh where this condition can be evidently seen in its urban fabric. East Liberty Development Inc (ELDI) owns many of these vacant lots and has established a development plan to strategically develop these lots to deal with issues of concentrated poverty.
100’ x 25’ 171/524 - 33% 100’ x 25’ 171/524 = 33%
120’ x 25’ 71/524 - 14% 120’ x 25’
71/524 = 14%
70’ x 30’ 71/524 - 14% 70’ x 30’ 71/524 = 14%
Module for town houses
The goal was to identify lots of similar dimensions and create a replicable core and shell. This core and shell can also adapt itself to different kinds of modules as per real estate development intentions.
ASHRAE 90.1 (2017) Climate zone 5A (cool-humid), where Pittsburgh is located, requires an R-value of at least 35 or more to meet the ashrae 90.1 Standard We are proposing an envelope with a total r-value of 49. Closed Cell Spray Foam Insulation (R-39) Seals home against air infiltration and provides a high R-Value to fill the wall cavity.
Cross laminated Timber Carpenter Apprentice $13.28/hr
4’ Module
Carpenter $25.39/hr
2� of Rigid Insulation as Sheathing (R-10) A continuous wrapper of insulation that prevents thermal bridging as well as provides structural rigidity to the home.
Production Salary $17.59/hr
TAKTL Panels (Ultra high performance concrete panels) Apprentice Mason $14.20/hr
The living wage in Allegheny county for A single adult is $10.34 Two adults, supporting one child is $12.09 Two adults supporting 3 children is $17.68 Single adult supporting a child is $22.35
Bricklayer $23.89/hr
Model Photo - RE_CON 01
Model Photo - RE_CON 01
1 2 3 4 5 6
Diagram indicating total number hours of solar radiation incident in the house during peak winter (December 21st)
Solar radiation analysis simulation through DIVA for Grasshopper
7
1
Solar Panels
2
Rain Gutter
3
Bathroom Tub
4
Cooling Duct
5
Heating Duct
6
Rainwater Cistern
7
Dishwasher & Sink
Sustainability Analysis and Building Systems Diagrams The housing prototype was tested and simulated through various environmental performance simulation tools to reduce energy consumption as well test passive strategies such as shading devices, operable windows and heating and cooling loads.
Social Engagement And Privacy
Wind Analysis simulation through Autodesk FLOW to rationalize window placements
The first floor of the house was designed to be a porous and open on three sides. This raised concerns of privacy and visibility in the community. To address these issues, landscape elements such as tall feather reed grass and Oleander shrub to cut off direct visibility from streets. The house also tried to minimize hard paved surfaces and instead utilize grass pavers which helped reduce maintenance cost as well as allowed for ground water percolation.
FEATHER REED GRASS CALAMAGROSTIS ACUTIFLORA - TALL VERTICAL GROWTH - BLOOMING SEASON - SPRING, SUMMER AND FALL
OLEANDER SHRUB CALAMAGROSTIS ACUTIFLORA - FLOWERING SHRUB
Social engagement
YELLOW WOOD TREE PLATANUS OCCIDENTALIS
FIDDLE-LEAF BUSH FICUS PANDURATA BUSH
GRASS PAVERS PRECAST CONCRETE + LAWN
HONEY SUCKLE (CREEPERS + FENCE)
- LOW MAINTAINANCE - CREATES AN AVENUE
- SURVIVES WINTER - INDOOR SHADE LOVING PLANT
- DRIVEABLE SURFACE - EASIER TO MAINTAIN THAN A LAWN
- LOW COST - LOW MAINTAINANCE - VISUAL CONNECTIVITY WITH NEIGHBORS
Landscape elements
Come on in! Time for dinner!
Inside-Outside visual connection
Five more minutes Mom!
Beautiful flowers Tiara!
Active porch culture
Thanks Sarah! Have a nice day!
1
1. Bedroom 2. Bedroom 3. Bath Room 4. Closet
9’0” x 17’0” 9’0” x 17’0” 7’4” X 8’6” 8’6” x 10’4”
160 sq.ft. 160 sq.ft. 63 sq.ft. 88 sq.ft.
2
RE_CON 01 SECOND FLOOR PLAN 4 3 1. BEDROOM Third Floor Plan 9’0” x 17’0” 2. BEDROOM 3. BATHROOM 4. CLOSET
9’0” x 17’0” 7’4” x 8’6” 8’6” x 10’4”
160 sq. ft. 160 sq. ft. 63 sq. ft. 88 sq. ft.
4
1. Master Bedroom 2. Master Bath 3. Open to Below 4. Walk in Closet 5. Laundry Room
9’0” x 26’6” 7’4” X 8’6”
240 sq.ft. 63 sq.ft.
5’2” x 7’3” 5’2” x 7’3”
38 sq.ft. 38 sq.ft.
1
3 5
RE_CON 01 GROUND FLOOR PLAN 2 1. MASTER BEDROOM 9’0” x 26’6” Second Floor Plan7’4” 2. MASTER BATH x 8’6” 3. OPEN TO BELOW 4. WALK-IN CLOSET 5. LAUNDRY ROOM
1. Porch 2. Living Space 3. Kitchen 4. Dining Space 5. Bathroom 6. Back Porch
8’4” x 18’0” 13’0” X 18’0” 11’0” x 11’6” 11’6” x 11’4” 6’8” x 6’2” 5’2” x 13’
150 sq.ft. 234 sq.ft. 153 sq.ft. 148 sq.ft. 41.7 sq.ft. 66 sq.ft.
1
5’2” x 7’3” 5’2” x 7’3”
2
240 sq. ft. 63 sq. ft. 38 sq. ft. 38 sq. ft.
3
4
5
1. PORCH 2. LIVING SPACE 3. KITCHEN 4. DINING SPACE
First Floor Plan 149.99 sq. ft.
8’4” x 18’0” 13’0” x 18’0” 11’0” x 11’6” 11’6” x 11’4”
234.00 sq. ft. 153.66 sq. ft. 148.14 sq. ft.
6
Third Floor Bedroom
Entrance
Back porch
Living Room
+$50,000
STABILIZE HOME
+$120,000
STABILIZE + REHAB
PROPERTY OWNER HOME OWNERS
AFFORDABLE +$50,000
RENOVATION
$110,000 REMAINING
+$50,000
STABILIZE HOME
+$40,000
PV PANEL + CISTERN INSTALL
Economic model - Fee Simple Scheme
Alternative economic model - CLT Scheme
MARKET RATE HOUSE
OPINION OF COST $415,000 SALE OF HOUSE: $500,000
Market rate model - Fee Simple Scheme
Mixed income model - CLT Scheme
NON-PROFIT
Land + House owned by the Owner
House owned by the Owner Land owned by the CLT
ALICE $22,450
JASMINE $27,350
TAMARA $32,890
Option 1 - Fee Simple Development
TYRON $27,870
Option 2 - Community Land Trust (CLT)
FEE SIMPLE
In this scenario, 7 marketIN THIS houses are SCENARIO, THEdeveloped OWNER OWNS HEand sold to AS WELLused AS THE to HOUSE. generate profit. This profitLAND is then acquire, stabilize and upgrade vacant and dilapidated the neighborhood. HERE, THEREhouses IS NO LIMIT in TO SELLING PRICE AND THERE IS ULIMITED LIABILITY This creates affordable houses that are much more financially WITH THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE. sustainable for the families in need. Strategic development of market rate houses in these neighborhoods also allows for equity building of the families already living on the block.
In this scenario, the land is under the ownership of a non profit organization while the house is sold as a separate entity and is owned by the home owner. This strategy allows to maintain affordability over time and also reduce tax burdens on the home owners.
Mixed Income Community
DARIUS+JASMINE $42,080
BERT $30,635
SHERRY + KIDS $28,399
3
The development model proposed two different scenarios one where the entire development is market rate development while the profit is leveraged to develop naturally occurring affordable housing (mothball housing) and the second where three different types of units can be carved out of the house to support different demographics of East Liberty.
PAUL + JIN $156,023
4 4
Single Unit is designed to support elderly population with disability Double Unit is designed to support Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) configuration. Triple Unit is designed for market rate housing.
3 2 2 6
SHAWNA + MIKE $42,080
EDITH $28,399
MIKE + NINA & KIDS $46,650
AFFORDABLE SECTOR
(60% AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME) 69% Of households in East Liberty are single mothers.
NOT IN WORK FORCE
17.3% of population in East Liberty are seniors - 65 years and above
WORK FORCE AFFORDABILITY
(60-80% AVERAGE MEDIAN INCOME) 23.8% of families in East Liberty are families with kids
MARKET RATE
76% of families in East Liberty are families without kids
DANTE + CARA $152,102
1
Living/ Kitchen
2
Master Bedroom
3
Bathroom
4
Bedroom
5
Living area
6
Kitchen/Dining
7
Dishwasher & Sink
4
5
1
+
3 5 2
1
3
3
SINGLE One Floor + One Bedroom 543 sq.ft.
7
DOUBLE TWO FLOORS +TWO BEDROOM 1173 sq.ft.
TRIPLE THREE FLOOR +THREE BEDROOM 1866 sq.ft.
ma te
ria l
su
ap
pp ly
pro
t o t y p i n g f a c il
ce nti pre ng i ni a r t
it y
& ing nd fu
r e a lit y c
o m p u ti n g
tecnnology sup po
public interest design entity
rt
Collaboration diagram
Home Inc_ubator Programming diagram (authored by Yash Khemka)
Home Inc_ubator The availability of affordable housing is failing to meet demand in Pittsburgh, PA. Recent development activity has displaced many under-represented populations and exacerbated trust issues within communities. The HOME Inc.UBATOR is aimed at empowering residents as agents in collaborating on the design of their own affordable housing. The incubator is a mobile outreach prototype equipped with reality computing and advanced virtual reality visualization technology that will enhance the efficacy of community engagement in the development of affordable housing. It is designed to collect oral histories and initiate a feedback loop for the larger project of deconcentrating poverty. With a compliment of physical and virtual components/experiences, the incubator will help residents experience and understand housing proposals developed in collaboration with ELDI and the UDBS. Feedback collected will develop community ownership of, and foster trust in, affordable for-sale homes to be produced through PROJECT RE_ in the future. It consists of two components A. The front of the bike is designed as a station to collect oral histories through interviews. B. The trailer is designed to accommodate VR enclosures which would be assembled on various sites to give VR and AR demo to the community, educate them about the project and document their hopes and concerns. The bike is an electric assist bike around which a shell of re-appropriated cardboard is fabricated to create storage as well as branding for the project.
Home Inc_ubator
(authored by Sophie Nahrmann)
View - Home Inc_ubator
COMMONING THE CITY
Pittsburgh 2018 Urban Design Research at CMU SoA This project is two semester research-based-design studio, focused on the bottom-up transformation of cities and explores how designers and planners
can tap into the self-organizing behavior of cities in order to empower citizens to claim their right to the city. The studio developed the core Atlas, by researching and assembling Zürich and Pittsburgh region cases that critically explore practices of urban commoning, and embed them in a broader context of societal transitions. The cases from research will be part of the exhibition ‘An Atlas of Commoning’ which will be traveling around
An Atlas of Commoning Exhibition premiere in Berlin Summer 2018 Picture Credit: ifa/ Arch+
the world starting June 2019. The studio enabled me to critically analyze and evaluate these spatial practices, and ultimately my own design practice, within a broader social, political and economic discourse. The studio ended with development of individual project proposal which will now be an entry for the competition ‘Future of my City’ hosted by UA-Ruhr.
COMMUNITY FORGE CYCLE OF URBAN DECLINE WILKINSBURG, PA
INDUSTRIAL DECLINE
VACANT INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCT URE
WORKFORCE REDUCTION
FITNESS
TEACHERS PEOPLE ARE UNEMPLOYED
CRIME
SCHOLARS DEPRESSION
LACK OF INVESTOR CONFIDENCE
ARTISTS
LOW ASPIRATION LOW GRADES AT SCHOOL LOW SKILL LABOR
DANCER
PEOPLE MOVE OUT TO FIND
POVERTY
PEOPLE SPEND LESS MONEY
DECLINE OF LOCAL ECONOMY
DERELICTION OF IND. PREMISE
VACANCY
SPORTS
POPULATION LOSS
BUSINESS INCUBATORS
CLOSURE OF SCHOOL/ SHOPS
INCREASE IN CRIME/ DRUG ABUSE
ADAPTIVE RE-USE
INCREASE IN BLIGHT GRAFITTI
COUNCELLING
ASTRO CLUB
SOCIAL GATHERINGS
COWORKING SPACES
MUSIC CLUB
HOUSING DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OF AMERICA POLITICAL GROUP
POLITICAL EVENTS
FREE EYE CHECK UPS
XPOGO Hey Andy, lets meet this weekend for a community barbeque at Community Forge!
I run a children’s education program, help my daughter with gardening at Community Forge and use the closets in the basement for storage.
I help community forge with administrative work in exchange for a co-working space.
SHARING RESOURCE & SKILLS
Brake light is one of the most common reason why black people are pulled up by the cops. We help fix it for free!
I learnt sewing at Pittsburgh learning commons and now Jackie is helping me start my own fashion brand.
We should also discuss and finalize the playground rules. What do you guys think about these rules?
Today’s agenda for Youth Council - planning halloween party - equipment return system - Soccer day on Oct 22 I agree with all the rules. I think we should also add the hours when we can use the playground.
YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL
Community Forge Wilkinsburg PA
KALKBRIETE ZOLLHAUS ZURICH
P R E PA R AT I O N
FOR PROJECT COMPE TITION
Workshops for working groups START FEB 2013
13
MAY 20
MAY 20
RY PROCESS PATO TICI PAR START OF
Information session for members of co-operative
PART ICIPAT ION IN PL ANNING PROCESS
13
13
MAY 20
Project awarded to Kalkbreite
Start of Competition September 2013
14
APRIL 20
14
JULY 20
PUBLIC JURY
Winning entry selection
Stage 1 PROJECT COMPE TITION
14
JULY 20
Preliminary Project
15
15
APRIL 20
SEPT 20
PRELIMINARY PHASE
Start of Construction Start of Design Phase
14 JULY 20
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PHASE
Start of Participatory process Workshops for working groups
THE COMMON HOUSE
KINDERGARDEN
BIKE REPAIR SHOP
SHOE MAKER
COWORKING SPACES What if we cluster our beds to create a sleeping core..
Yes I agree. That will give us a large living space..
I am excited to be a part of the Architekturforum Zurich. We moved into Zollhaus in one of the office spaces and organize events and programs from our new office.
Right: Kalkbreite Zollhaus Zürich, Switzerland Opposite page: Posters produced collaboratively as part of studio for ‘Atlas of Commoning’ exhibition
HOUSING
HOUSING
COMMON ROOM
COURTYARD
LIVING ROOM
FLEX SPACE
BALCONY
CO-WORKING
SERVICE SPACES
ENTRANCE
oh yes! We can even have a tighter service core
I live in the ‘Common house’ with 15 others. We were given this floor as a blank floor plate and we built in our spaces based on internal discussions and our needs.
HOUSING The youth council of the co-operative decided to organize dance lessons in the common flex space. I teach salsa and ballet to kids from the co-operative.
SECOND HAND SHOP
PUBLIC ATRIUM
I am part of the comunal dinning program where me and my family eat dinner at the communal kitchen everyday. This way we meet everyone from the co-operative and also organize events around food.
ENTRANCE HALL
TERRACE
BAR
KITCHEN
COMMUNITY FORGE PLAY-SCAPE
Pittsburgh 2019 Architecture & Urban Design at CMU SoA In the Spring of 2019, the studio worked with Community Forge, an initiative transforming Wilkinsburg’s vacant Johnston Elementary School into
a community center. Rather than responding to a predefined design brief, the studio worked with Community Forge and the Wilkinsburg community on defining ideas and opportunities for activating the former schoolyard and strengthening connections between Community Forge and its surrounding context. In weekly participatory design workshops with youth, we helped re-envisioning the former school yard as a shared resource for
the wider neighborhood. Within fifteen weeks, students went from exploring and analyzing the urban milieu of Wilkinsburg, to facilitating participatory design workshops with the community, to developing an overall urban design strategy for Community Forge’s outdoor spaces and implementing a strategic design intervention that promises to act as an urban catalyst for neighborhood revitalization—in short, urban acupuncture.
“My job is very stressful, so I’d like a calm place to read. The girls like making things like arts and crafts. They also ejoy the chess program a lot” - Marlena Livsey
“There are fun ways to exercise properly without a gym. Fun things to attract kids to exercise. We can have outdoor fitness community events, so that people can stay outdoor to work out and having to go through all the logistics of paying by using the gym.” - Donald Robinson
“Now parents don’t have to seat in their cars to watch their kids play. I can even have lunch here on a nice sunny day wile the kids play in the area.” - Michael Johnson
“It is great to have a shaded area lke this in the outdoor that can seat around ten people as it is ideal for family gatherings. We don’t have a lot of places like this in Wilkinsburg” - Ashely Comans
“The Sunfest music festival hosted in Community Forge is very sucessful and many people came to enjoy music together,” - Jordan Howard
“These benches are fun for kids to practice their pogo techniques and allow pogo-ers to do a lot of different type of tricks on them.” - Will Weiner
“The second closest planet orbiting our Sun is Venus. Maybe we can see it using the telescope on our roof tonight if the sky is clear.” - Patrick Cooper
“I like the outside area because I play outside with my friends. We would play hide and seek, tag, football, and basketball.” - Charles Johnson
Master Plan - Community Forge Play-scape
Photograph - Community Day (April 27th 2019)
COURTLAND KENLEY
DONALD ROBINSON
FILM MAKER / WILKINSBURG / INITIAL TENANT
One of the first Community Forge tenants, was present since the beginning of Community Forge itself, and resides in his work space in Unit 1 for the past 2 years. His work includes filmmaking, especially filming shots around the building itself. His work space includes a lot of lighting equpiment and props.
GLOBAL HUMAN PERFORMANCE LLC | COMMUNITY FORGE | OWNER & HEAD COACH
In terms of the rest of the community, “I’ve been watching the businesses here grow. I love how the people can be open and communicate.” He tends to be one of the more vocal ones amoung the people and likes to be friendly with anyone that he meets, whether old or new. “You can’t pay for the energy.”
As for the playground, “safety is the biggest concern” , especially by including things like padding or woodchips. The kids like to run and play and be wild so having a space for them to do that would be good, but also having it be controlled. The grassy area is roomier than he thought, so he thought it’d be a good idea to plan for a place that’s open to the biggest range of people possible. He wants to keep the comaraderie feeling thats present throughout the tenants the children that come. It’d be good to let the kids be vocal as well and be able to exert that energy into a better environment.
Something to be good in general, would be to create opportunities for the kids to be able to reach out of their comfort zones too.
So, as far as outside is concerned. I was thinking kinda jungle gym style. Kids don’t play outside much anymore. The only activities they do is whatever sport they’re playing. Some of the kids come here (to my gym) to train, but you know, little kids shouldn’t be in here training. So like, something like the monkey bars, can teach kids to build upper body strength and core strength in fun and competitive ways. There is fun ways to exercise properly without a gym. Like dip and pull up bars is an example too. Fun things to attract kids to excercise. We can have outdoor fitness community stuff, so that people can go outside to work out and they don’t need to come in here or find a gym- with all the logistics like paying and such.
There’s a grassy area outside right now— that can be made into a nicer grass or turf. Because I try to run around outside and the ground is a twisted ankle waiting to happen with all the potholes and the uneven grounds.
You can have those big ass tires. Like truck tires. People love to exercise with those and flipping them. You know, we have a lot of football players around here, so they can practice.
We got a lot of local high schools around the area— especially the 3 big ones. A lot of their all-star football players are kids from this neighborhood. You know there’s a really good little league team and program —and we’ve traditionally always had one. So to have an outdoor way for those kids to train, that would be awesome. And there is no other gym around here. Like there’s this gym in Wilkinsburg, but like I said it is more higher-end. I do stuff for free, but like it is specifically for certain populations, like juvenile kids and I started to do things with kids that frequent this building. But like other than that, I don’t have people coming in to train freely because this is a gym with personalized trainings for the individual and I personally train them all separately— which is why it is more expensive than just a regular gym.
There are a few other gyms in Point Breeze. One is just like this— small and intimate— I don’t think they charge as much as me. But it is still a membership, take-a-class, get-personally-trained, type-of-gym. There’s another gym that is a big crossfit gym. It’s not that costly, BUT it is a crossfit gym and it is in Point Breeze, on the other part of Wilkinsburg that no one here goes to because it’s in Point Breeze. Then there is a Planet Fitness in Edgewood. So Wilkinsburg is surrounded by a bunch of gyms that other than the Edgewood Planet Fitness, the other gyms you aren’t getting into for less than $100 a month. And the lower priced one like the Edgwood one, it is too far away that most people wouldn’t go. Plus, one is culturally the same, like the clients look like the people from Wilkinsburg, and the Planet Fitness clients look like people from Point Breeze more, so people don’t even go there even though it is technically cheaper. Most people don’t even know because they just automatically think it is something they probably cannot afford.
URBAN ACUPUNCTURE COMMUNITY FORGE URBAN COLLABORATIVE STUDIO
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
INTERVIEW RACHEL PARK
URBAN ACUPUNCTURE COMMUNITY FORGE URBAN COLLABORATIVE STUDIO
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
INTERVIEW GHALYA ALSANEA
BLENDING THE PAST AND PRESENT
MOBILITY TO/FROM COMMUNITY FORGE
WILKINSBURG
FUTURE Wilkinsburg Train Station received $1.5 million from Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) funding aiming to breathe life into the site. As the station once brought economic growth into the city in 1851, the community hopes this project will begin to spark more investment and life within the community.
ur e
(
)
Pe n
ell
an
aham D e p art d Gr
to Downtown
m
tore
Cal dw
Railroad Stat i on
r’s Better Furnit
ts en
nia lva sy
lle Fa
In 1937, Wilkinsburg was home to two hotels, two hospitals, 27 shoe repair shops, 29 restaurants and lunch counters, six auto dealerships, 18 bakeries, 38 beauty salons and 40 dentists. People travel to come to Wilkinsburg’s business district similar to how one would travel to Strip District to do their shopping. Jim Richard, a historian from Wilkinsburg, once said that Wilkinsburg was a self-contained city.
16 19
n
THEN
WILKINSBURG
(1908)
mer Hardwa Wal re
C
o.
e Th
to Monroeville
WOOD ST
CENTER ST
to Downtown
NORTH AVE
E SWISSVALE AVE
to Squirrel Hill, Oakland, Downtown
Faller’s Better Furniture
EB
Wilkinsburg Beverage Co.
Jean’s Southern Cuisine
East Busway at Hamnett A 14 minute walk to CF
s te inu
5m
Y WA
LINCOLN HWY
hin wit
US
Wilkinsburg Middle School
Penn Ave. & Midland St. 4 minute walk to CF
Swissvale Ave. & Franklin Ave. 5 minute walk to CF
ARDMORE BLVD
Ardmore Blv. & Rebecca Ave 2 minute walk to CF
Salvatore’s Pizza House
DS IT Y AR N W MU TO OM C
Train Station
in 15
FO
with
RG
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
utes
min
E
ROSS AVE
Second Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg
FRANKLIN AVE
to Trafford to Braddock
REBECCA AVE
PE
to Braddock Hills, Monroeville
NN WO
to Braddock
OD E AV
Kelly School In 2016 the Wilkinsburg School District plans to close its middle and high school and send 200+ students to Westinghouse Academy 6–12 in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Only the middle school and two elementary (Kelly and Turner )school remain within the borough.
THEN
URBAN ACUPUNCTURE COMMUNITY FORGE URBAN COLLABORATIVE STUDIO
Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation (PHLF) and Landmark Development Corporation (LDC) worked throughout the past years to take advantage of historic and low-income tax credits to restore older apartment complexes within the city, starting at Hamnett Place and the Crescent Apartment as one example. Historic district mainly comprised of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival style buildings. Common features of the houses are large front porches, turned porch posts or classical columns, art glass windows, patterned shingles in the gable ends, patterned masonry, and bay windows.
04 ) (19
The Vacant Home Tour (VHT) was founded in 2014 by students at Carnegie Mellon University. It provide guided tours within Wilkinsburg to visit vacant homes and learn about the history and people who where in the neighborhood through story telling. They had two successful tours in 2015 and 2016.
partment Bu nt A ild sce i re
ng
Th eC
The borough has high concentration of churches, and was known as “The Holy City” or “City of Churches”. Bars and taverns have been prohibited in the area since 1870, except during the years 1933 to 1935. Recent photography competitions and church tours are conducted looking that the architectural styles.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
Within 5 minutes of walking:
nit mu
e
rg y Fo
Com BP Gas Station
Community Garden
Hanini Market
61A
68
67
69
weekdays: every 20 minutes Saturdays: every 30 minutes Sundays: every 40 minutes
weekdays: every 30-60 minutes Saturdays: 60-120 minutes Sundays: 60-120 minutes
Within 15 minutes of walking: Edgewood Primary School
School for the Deaf
weekdays: every 30 minutes Saturdays: every 30-60 minutes Sundays: every 60-120 minutes
weekdays: every 20-40 minutes Saturdays: every 60-120 minutes Sundays: every 60-120 minutes
Save-a-lot
NOW
MAPPING SCARLET TONG
URBAN ACUPUNCTURE COMMUNITY FORGE URBAN COLLABORATIVE STUDIO
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
MAPPING FON EUCHUKANONCHAI
LEARNING ISLAND realized through ‘KABOOM!’ grant
Time line
May 2019 Realized components
MUSIC BENCH and PLAY BENCH realized through ‘KABOOM!’ grant
Execution Time line
PLAY ISLAND to be realized in Fall 2019 through ‘KABOOM!’ grant
SEATING ISLAND to be realized in Fall 2019 through various funding sources
May 2019
Porch
Fall 2019
THE RED PORCH to be realized in Fall 2019 by CMU SOA cohort
Seating Island
Fall 2019
Playground Island
Fall 2019
FITNESS ISLAND coming soon when funding is available
Fitness Island
T.B.D
Painted pattern - Play island
1. Fibonacci sequence
2. Fibonacci sequence
3. Running track - 100m
4. Basketball court
5. Board games
6. Solar system
7. Interactive games: solar clock, dance moves, hop scotch, etc.
8. Parking bays
ONCERT/FESTIVAL ONCERT/FESTIVAL
Concerts/ Music festivals
BACKSTAGEAND ANDTRUCK TRUCKPULL PULLININAREA AREA BACKSTAGE
STANDARD STANDARD 24’ 24’x x14’ 14’STAGE STAGE
EDUCATIONAL PLAYSCA EDUCATIONAL PLAYSCA
Educational playscape for kids
OMMUNITY EVENT OMMUNITY EVENT
Community events - BBQ, Music, Gatherings
PARKI PARKI
Parking space
Photograph - Painted pattern on site
SEATING ISLAND
Quiet Bench
Quiet bench Types of Benches
Render - Seating Island
Music Bench
Music Bench
Play Bench
Play Bench
Garden Bench
Planter Bench
THE RED PORCH + SEATING ISLAND
Axonometric View - Fitness Island
The proposed Fitness Island is designed to facilitate a range of physical activities, using simple and abstract geometry on a predetermined grid. These forms are inspired by traditional gym equipment so that standard exercises may be performed on them. At the same time, their abstract nature allow for them to be used in other games or activities, keeping the island highly flexible. The construction of the Fitness Island would entail building the form out of wood and coating it with poured-in-place rubber to ensure safety and usability.
FITNESS ISLAND
Types of Modules
Sand pit with tire seating around
Swing
Forest of Poles Swing
Tire mound with slide Existing retaining wall
Painted floor
Rubber mulch
Movable poles
Sand Pit
Musical bars
Axonometric View - Playground Island
PLAYGROUND ISLAND
Photograph - Community Day (April 27th 2019)
Photograph - Community Day (April 27th 2019)
LINEAR PARK
Mumbai 2015 Landscape design at M/s. Prabhakar B. Bhagwat A 1.5 acre public park with narratives from around the city infused in the built form, planting design and hardscapes.
Study model of the entry court. ‘Chimneys’ referencing the textile industry
Conceptual sketch (Co-authored with Vandhana Balachandran)
The site for the project was part of an old textile mill in the heart of Mumbai which was slated to be developed as a luxury high rise tower along with a public park. The design for the park was envisaged as a story talking about the history of mills, landforms, festivals, forts, monuments and other tangible elements which could invoke memories of the city. It was designed as a respite amongst continuous chaos around the city.
Study model of the mill walk. The bridge referencing the textile mills
Role in the project: Conceptual design, design development, preparation of presentations, drawings, construction drawings, systems integration and co-ordination with the site team.
Study model of the seven island plaza, referencing the topography
The entrance plaza with the court
Entrance Court Entrance Plaza
Landscape Masterplan
The seven island plaza along the arbor
The Oval - mound with walkway
The mound Ramp and Deck
The Portal The Mill Walk - Bridge
The Arbor
Seven Island Plaza
The temple court
The Oval - mound
Children’s play area
Sketches - benches in the park
Construction Drawing - Bench along the Arbor
Construction drawings - Entrance court
Sketches - 7 island plaza
Construction Drawing - 7 island plaza/ temple court
Photographs - Linear Park
Photographs - Linear Park
PALAVA
Mumbai 2015 Architecture, Landscape design and Master Planning at M/s. Prabhakar B. Bhagwat Planned city.
Presentation drawing - ‘Palava’ city Sector 1-4
A smart city with high livability aspirations on outskirts of Mumbai, spread over around 700 acres, is one of the most rigorously co-ordinated and planned city. Considering the economic challenges involved in LIG and MIG developments and the tendencies of the developers to focus copromise on quality of built environment for profit, this project tries to break those barriers through optimizing design in the most basic components of the
urban environment. Despite the density, design efforts were focused on creating a quality living experience through wider sidewalks, co-ordinated service infastructure, parks, amenities and built form. My involvement in the project was specific to infrastructure and landscape planning, design in collaboration with engineers, planners and developer, preparation of presentations, construction drawings, and co-ordination with the site team.
Co-ordinated Master Plan - Palava Sector 1-4
Iterations - Urban form and space making
Design process - ‘Palava’ sport center
Sketches - Urban form exploration
Palava Sport Center
Co-ordinated Master Plan - Palava Sector 1-4
Palava Sport Center was part of a larger city master plan which was phased into development and demanded rethinking since it was slated to be the face of the development. The urban design exercise demanded to be addressed as a whole considering its significance as the face of the development. Hence, there was a need for a contiguous narrative from main road with the sense of plazas continuing and culminating in to the lake front. The exercise culminated into establishing urban design guidelines for developers, architects and planners to work on individual programs and develop an architectural narrative.
Elevation - exploring retail facades
Presentation drawing - ‘Central Avenue’ with retail development
Retail - Shop front guidelines
Construction drawing - Retail
MATERIAL MATERIALITY
Housing, Malshej, India Architectural Design, Year 3 A low density weekend house project at a scenic location allowed for maximum exploration with form and spatial geometries. TENSEGRITY, is a structural principle based on the use of isolated components in compression inside a net of continuous tension, in such a way that the compressed members (usually bars or struts) do not touch each other and the pre-stressed tensioned members (usually cables or tendons) delineate the system spatially. VARIATIONS The concept of tensegrity was explored by studying the various methodologies and variations in building a tensegrity. Different sizes and different number of struts and proportions and came up with a variety of models. Primarily, 3 strut and 4 strut tensegrity were tested for its load bearing capacities and dimensional proportions fro ergonomics. ARCHITECTURAL SPACE The final model exhibited the architectural space created by the compression members and the tensile wires. These members and wires created combination of angular as well as warped planes. In order to visualize these planes, two types of materials were used - a stiffer plane and a soft tensile fabric. These planes helped create spaces and volumes as well as negotiated shadow and light.
Modules of twisted cubes
Photographs - Tensegrity Study models
Plan - overall voids - tree locations
Plan - overall voids - tree locations Plan - overall voids - tree locations
Plan - overall voids - tree locations
Plan - overall massing
Individual unit drawings
Plan - different sized units
Overall site sections
Roof Plan
Elevation - Riverside
First level plan
Models - Housing by the river
Models - Housing by the river
SUBTRACT
Elephanta caves, off Bombay coast Interior Design, 2nd Year The idea of representing the never ending mass sitting over the cave and carving intricate spaces through subtraction.
Sketches - Information center
Caves are the best example of “Subtraction in Architecture�. Intricate spaces are carved out of a huge mass. We seldom realize the magnificence of the mountain in which they are carved. The idea of representing the never ending mass sitting over the cave was the key concept of the design. The design simple creates an illusion of unending space by placing mirror
opposite each other and transparent glass panels as partitions. It focused the attention of the visitors on the exhibits and the cave. The design tries to shy away from creating a permanent blot on the cave and tries to operate in the realm of interior design through stand alone objects that accentuate the experience of being in a cave.
North south section - information center/ library
East west section - information center/ display areas
Documentation drawing - Elephanta caves
WOOD WORK
Pittsburgh, PA Hand and Machine Joinery I have been always intrigued by wood working and the act of making and fabricating objects. I worked with Prof. Scott Smith over the Spring to design
and fabricate a wooden cabinet on stand using traditional hand and machine joinery. Along with introducing me to necessary skill set and fundamentals of wood working, the process allowed me to test the materiality of wood by exploring texture, color and strength in various ways. The cabinet is made out of reclaimed Cherry and Walnut and the aesthethics attempt to express the natural form.
The design and form of the cabinet was inspired by George Nakashima’s work which expresses the natural live edge of the wood and includes it as part of the aesthetics. The cabinet and the stand utilizes traditional joints like the dove tail and the tenon and mortise fabricated using traditional and modern wood working equipments.