HARSHAVARDHAN R
Architecture Portfolio
ACADEMIC
REVITALIZATION OF GEORGE TOWN
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CENTER FOR STUDENT ATHLETES
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CLAY CRAFT CONTINUUM
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Bachelors Thesis | Individual
Integrative Design Studio | Team
Architectural Ceramic Fabrication | Team
PROFESSIONAL
THE CANTILEVER STAIRCASE
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WALL-TO-WALL HOUSE
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RURAL TWIN HOUSE
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Atelier NORD
Atelier NORD
Atelier NORD
1. REVITALIZATION OF GEORGE TOWN Vallalar Nagar, Chennai, India Bachelors Thesis, March 2017 Professor Ganeshkumar Chandrasekaran Chennai is the fourth-largest metropolitan city in India, extending for about 429 sq. km. George Town gathers most of Chennai’s economy. Lack of squares, parks, and playgrounds causes huge traffic and congestion in this area, and the abundant residual spaces are poorly used and hence accumulate a lot of waste. This affects pedestrian mobility, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road most of the time. Despite these problems, the fragmented and unsuitable sidewalks constitute one of the main trading areas, directly opening up to the many businesses along this street and forming a crucial part of Chennai’s economy. The strategy is to redesign a major central district of George Town, Vallalar Nagar, with a ‘catalogue’ of design scenarios and possible configurations for potential extensions of the mobile shops in the streets in order to provide safer spaces for pedestrians and improve the trading capacity of the street economy. This design is based on a modular system that allows merchants to customize their space by adding shelves, tables, and electrical appliances. Subsequently, the other complimentary activities, such as restaurants and services, are expected to settle down around the perimeter of the market. The idea is to give people access to one of the biggest markets in Chennai, formally occupy the space, and organize some of the dispersed commercial activities in the area.
EXISTING SITE SCENARIO
Existing Land Use Map
Street Hawkers Density Map
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MASTER PLAN - GEORGE TOWN The land use in George Town primarily comprises residential and mixed-residential zones. It is classified as a ‘Continuous Building Area’, permitting twostory buildings with a Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.5. All the buildings in George Town have been found to be in violation of developmental regulations, and many buildings have been constructed without obtaining building approval from the city corporation.
TYPICAL ROAD SECTIONS
Road width - 10 ft
Road width - 15 ft
Residential Building Retail Building Green Space Commercial Land Street Hawkers Major Road - 30ft Minor Road - 15ft Street - 10ft
Grid Map
Road width - 30 ft 0’
200 ’
400 ’
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Existing density of street hawkers along the sidewalks of streets and roads
Reclaiming underutilized and vacant lots and demolish Underused facilities
BUILDING STANDARDS The street infrastructure is underdeveloped, with extremely narrow, irregular, and discontinuous sidewalks. While the use of the street requires a clear, well-serviced, and mixed-traffic road, the sidewalks currently are an undefined territory between the public area of the street and the private buildings that define it. The density of street hawkers in this zone is very high since it is the center of trade for the city. The undefined circulation pattern and the lack of restrictions cause encroachments into the streets, thereby making the place a high-traffic zone and an inaccessible place for vehicles and pedestrians.
Renovate and utilize available vacant lands
Relocation of street hawkers to proposed lands, thereby reducing traffic congestion on the road
PROPOSAL
Reclaiming underused plots Underutilized and vacant lands Existing Structures N
Demolish Underused facilities Underused facilities Existing Structures
Renovate existing resources Renovate facilities Existing Structures
Proposed new location for street hawkers for trading. Hence satisfying the market scenario and reducing the traffic in the area.
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DESIGN MODULES
DESIGN PROPOSAL The units are made using scaffolding, which serves as the main frame structure for the unit. Palette wood is used to create the base for the unit. The roof can be done either using palette wood or tarpaulin.
Base frame
Palette Wood Floor
Movable vendor shops are used based on the requirements. Various types of storage boxes can be made using pallet wood. The whole unit can be dismantled or altered in size based on the requirements. Moving or relocating units is easy since they can be easily dismantled. They are also durable and sustainable. During seasons like festivals, the smaller units can be merged with one another to form multi-level stalls.
Support Frame
Temporary Shade
Tarpaulin Roof
Palette Wood Roof
Mobile Structure
Creating multi level stalls by merging minor units
Palette Wood Storage Units
Details of scaffolding joints
2. CENTER FOR STUDENT ATHLETES Harshavardhan Raju, Weatherley Tripp Integrative Design Studio, Aug-Dec 2023 Contribution: Design, Exterior renders, Wall Sections Professor Dr.Jianxin Hu The Center for Student Athletes is a design proposal to replace the outdated Case Academic Center on the NCSU central campus. The overarching goal of the project is to enhance the academic, nutritional, personal, and professional development of student-athletes at NC State University. The design program includes athlete-wellness facilities such as kitchens, dining rooms, nutritionist offices, and psychologist offices; learning and tutorial spaces such as computer labs and classrooms; common spaces such as basketball courts, workout spaces, media rooms, and lounges.
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VICINITY PLAN 1. Case Academic Center 5. Carmichael Gym
2. Talley Student Union 6. Softball Court
Current pedestrian traffic is circulating around the site to move to and from the North Campus. Moving back to the Student Athletes Center to align with Reynold’s Coliseum to activate the street and enable visibility
3. Reynolds Coliseum 7. Soccer Field
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400 ’
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4. Coliseum Parking Deck 8. College of Design
Subtracting the form through two angular planes creates a funnel effect that opens up the street further and attracts pedestrian traffic toward the Student Athlete Center
DESIGN The design aims to fit well into the site context and complement the functions and aesthetics of the neighboring buildings that hold the school’s historical significance, such as Reynold’s Coliseum, as well as the new structures, such as the Talley Student Union and the new Carmichael Gymnasium. In order to achieve a seamless transition, the facade incorporates terracotta panels and curtain walls that exhibit an eclectic approach in efforts to strike a visual balance between the traditional exposed brick facades at NCSU and the modern architectural elements.
View of Case Academic Center from Cates Avenue, blocking the view of Reynold’s Coliseum
Introducing a still water body in front to guide pedestrians circulation towards the building. Extending the form to accommodate a basketball court and other facilities
Diverting and accommodating the pedestrian traffic through the Student Athlete Center with the help of a central atrium in between the two building blocks that holds all the facilities.
Conceptual sketch of the facade facing the Cates Avenue
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A 1 Atrium 2 Kitchen 3 Dining 4 Mechanical 5 Tutor Room 6 Computer Lab 7 Lounge N
LEVEL 1 FLOOR PLAN @350’ [1:300]
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LEVEL 2 FLOOR PLAN @370’ [1:300]
1 Basketball Court 2 Workout Space 3 Patio 4 Mechanical 5 Tutor Room 6 Office Space 7 Storage N
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1 Running Track 2 Lounge 3 Conference 4 Mechanical 5 Tutor Room 6 Office Space 7 Storage
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LEVEL 3 FLOOR PLAN @385’ [1:300]
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1 Roof 2 Lounge 3 Conference 4 Mechanical 5 Tutor Room 6 Office Space 7 Storage
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LEVEL 4 FLOOR PLAN @400’ [1:300]
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A Two-point perspective night render of our Students Athlete Center design visualizing the facade facing the Cates Avenue
View showing the entrance, water body, activities inside the Student Athlete Center, and pedestrian interaction with the develop
ped site
Level 4 @400’ Detail A
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Level 3 @385’ Detail B
Level 2 @370’ Detail C
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Level 1 @350’ Detail D
WALL SECTION - A
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vel 4 @400’
DETAIL A
vel 3 @385’
SPACE FOR HVAC DUCT WORK
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ALE 1/2 = 1
DETAIL B
Level 2 @370’
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SCALE 1/2 = 1
Level 1 @350’
DETAIL C
As a part of the integrative design studio, we were taken to two different construction sites to understand the relationship between the materials and the structural systems.
DETAIL D
We then translated our study into wall-section drawings, paying attention to the line weights, notations, dimensions, column grid, structure, fireproofing, insulation, waterproofing, elevation marks, etc.
Interior View of the Atrium from the Corridor at Level 2
Interior View of the Basketball Court from the Running Track at Level 3
3. CLAY CRAFT CONTINUUM Harshavardhan Raju, Srinath Sivakumar Architectural Ceramic Fabrication, Aug-Dec 2023 Contribution: Design, 3D Printing, Installation Professor Shawn Protz In this design and research seminar, we explored 3D-printed ceramic assemblies, drawing inspiration from the rich tradition of North Carolina clay craft. The goal of the project was to create a ceramic vessel that can channel water and be tailored to a specific moment around the College of Design. We worked in teams of two to conceptualize and fabricate ceramic vessels. We generated designs from Grasshopper and realized them in the Ceramics Lab and Materials Lab using the WASP 3D printer and the Skutt 1027-3 ceramic kiln. As our site, we picked the light well at the ceramics lab in the basement, which also acted as a rainwater drain. We then renovated the dirty light well and installed our ceramic vessel. We wanted to make the light serve more than just its purpose and become an extended part of the ceramics lab.
Illusion of Elastic behaviour of modules
Conceptual sketches of the vessel modules that have the same dimensions of width and depth but different heights
Conceptual sketch showing all the individual modules being stacked over each other, corresponding to their incremental heights
Stacking the modules with incremental heights creates an illusion of elasticity due to the act of gravity, contrary to the true nature of the clay material
Surface protrusions from 5 mm to 1 mm
Color Gradient from dark to light Creating a color gradient from dark to light through glazing in order to reinforce the illusion created by the modular arrangement
The surface of each vessel is manipulated in terms of the amplitude of clay protrusion and wave patterns to emphasize the concept
Image of the final output showing the ceramic vessels, 3D-printed, glazed, and arranged as per the design
DESIGN
GRASSHOPPER SCRIPTING
Grasshopper scripting that controls the wave pattern and amplitude of protrusion in each vessel
Grasshopper scripting that controls the elasticity factor of the vessel modules
G-Code generation of the vessel modules, which is then fed into the WASP Ceramics 3D printer
Documentation showing the process of getting acquainted with ceramic art, exploring the limitations and possibilities of cera
amic 3D printing through trial and error, and finally producing the vessels as per the design to the desired quality of output
Ceramic vessels visualized at the site of installation
Renovating the installation site
Ceramic vessels are installed on site
4. THE CANTILEVER STAIRCASE Chennai, India | Atelier NORD May 2020 - Aug 2020 Role: Staircase Design and Detailing In this cost-effective and compact residential project, we had to opt for a cantilever staircase in order to make the narrow corridor appear wider. We didn’t have sufficient funds to follow the conventional cantilever staircase details. Hence, I designed this staircase in an attempt to lower the material and labor costs without compromising the structural quality. MS Plate, C-Channels, L-Channels, steel bars, and lots of welded joints hold the framework together. Concrete and plywood are used as supporting materials. Vinyl planks, SS hollow bars, and enamel make the finishes. The cost was reduced by half in comparison with the market price of a conventional cantilever staircase executed by the contractors.
16mm dia. SS Hollow Pipe
10mm thk. MS Solid Plate
16mm dia. Steel Bar
Black Enamel Finish Cantilever Staircase Detail
5mm thk. MS L-Section
1.5mm thk. Vinyl Plank Finish
12mm thk. Plywood Base for flooring
25mm wide - 5mm thk. MS Flats
75mm wide - 5mm thk. MS C-Section
Staircase Fabrication Detail
MS Plate installation
MS Plate Alignment
Welding Stairs to the MS Plate
Ply Framework for Concreting
L-Clamp supports to stairs
Completion
5. WALL-TO-WALL HOUSE Chennai, India | Atelier NORD | Jan 2021 - Mar 2022 Role: Principal Designer | Project Lead Site Area: 1400 sqft Built-up Area: 2080 sqft This was a narrow site measuring 20 feet by 60 feet, with the shorter span facing the road in the west. Buildings of two-story height were adjacent to the site along the longer spans on either side. The design requirement was a three-bedroom apartment on the first floor for the client and two small apartments on the ground floor for tenants. Since fenestrations were not possible on the longerspanned walls, bringing in natural light and crossventilation was a challenge. To address that, we reduced the ceiling height of the kitchen and dining room to just the required height and introduced a mezzanine floor for the third bedroom. This is to catch the natural light from the double height above the staircase. To make the maximum use of this, we also increased the ceiling height of the living room to 14’ (4.2m). A part of the ceiling in the north end was given a skylight to ensure maximum possible daylight.
B Adjacent Building
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Adjacent Building
B FIRST FLOOR PLAN (1 : 100) 01 Living 02 Dining 03 Kitchen
04 Balcony 05 Utility 06 Bedroom 01
N 07 Toilet 08 Wardrobe 09 Master Bedroom
10 Guest Bedroom 11 Living Below 12 Terrace
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SECTION A (1 : 100) L1 - First Floor FFL L2 - Kitchen Ceiling L3 - Bedroom 01 Ceiling
- 13’ - 21’ - 23’
L4 -Living Ceiling L5 -Mezzanine Ceiling L6 -Parapet at the top
- 26’ - 31’ - 34’
B Adjacent Building
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Adjacent Building
B MEZZANINE FLOOR PLAN (1 : 100) 01 Living 02 Dining 03 Kitchen
04 Balcony 05 Utility 06 Bedroom 01
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07 Toilet 08 Wardrobe 09 Master Bedroom
10 Guest Bedroom 11 Living Below 12 Terrace
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SECTION B (1 :100) L1 - First Floor FFL L2 - Kitchen Ceiling L3 - Bedroom 01 Ceiling
- 13’ - 21’ - 23’
L4 -Living Ceiling L5 -Mezzanine Ceiling L6 -Parapet at the top
- 26’ - 31’ - 34’
Image showing how the windows facing the offset corridor on the north-east corner of the building defy the adjacent building from blocking the natural light and ventilation
Mezzanine Bedroom
Adjacent Building
Adjacent Building Kitchen
Tenant Apartment
Sectional Perspective (1:100), drawing towards the east, shows how the different slab levels come together to bring in natural light and ventilation from the offset spaces in the north and south.
Image showing the Staircase to Mezzanine Floor, Kitchen and Dining Spaces
Image from the Kitchen showing the high-ceiling Living Room with skylight
THE IMPRESSION A strangely self-contained, dimly lit, already existing corridor leads to the residence on the first floor. But then we open a door, and the square room that we now enter is spacious and light. Four large, rectangular windows, all of the same size, open onto the balcony at the north and transform the living room of the house into a kind of pavilion, open to all sides—an impression that is made all the stronger when, in fine weather
6. RURAL TWIN HOUSE Munivalai, India | Atelier NORD | Oct 2020 - June 2022 Role: Principal Designer | Project Lead Site Area: 2.5 acres Built-up Area: 3300 sqft
The site is located in Munivalai, a small village in South India. The client was a young working professional living in Chennai who had decided to move back to this village, which is his native, and start an organic farming business. He wanted his home in one corner of the site, overlooking the cattle, poultry, and organic vegetable farms spread throughout the site. The requirement was to build two homes connected internally with a semi-private courtyard. One home is for the client, and the other is for his parents. We had limited funds for such a comprehensive requirement, and hence a lot of research and planning went into the design, well ahead of the commencement of the construction. In order to bridge the cost and design equations, we decided to source all the materials locally and take a sustainable direction. On exploring, we came to know that the village had enough supplies of rubble stones and skilled labor who knew rubble masonry construction. There was a 100-year-old building in ruins in one corner of the site, which we demolished and recovered a large quantity of rubble stones, sand, and two wooden columns. Within a 2-mile radius, we found handmade bricks with excellent compression strength. On further research, we found three demolition sites within an 8-mile radius that contained good-quality teak wood doors and windows. We had decided to source the ones that suited our requirements and refurbish them. For the flooring, we decided to opt for Athangudi Tiles, a 10-inch handmade tile that is cost-effective, aesthetic, and also has natural cooling properties on account of the natural earth used in the manufacturing. We found a nearby pottery village where terracotta products like pots, etc., were their primary occupation. With these data, we proceeded to the schematic design phase. For the construction techniques, we took inspiration from renowned architect Laurie Baker’s approach by opting for load-bearing construction with Random Rubble Foundation. The exposed brick walls are built in Rat-Trap Bond. For the roofing, we used filler roof slabs with affordable filler materials such as terracotta pots and reclaimed mangalore clay roof tiles.
View from the south-west side of the residence showing different levels of roof slabs, a clerestory window, and the bay window
ws of the bedrooms supported by brick corbels.
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GROUND FLOOR PLAN (1 : 150) 01 Foyer 02 Living 03 Dining
04 Kitchen 05 Store Room 06 Utility
07 Guest Bedroom 01 08 Wardrobe 09 Toilet
10 Parents Bedroom 11 Powder Room 12 Patio
13 Courtyard
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FIRST FLOOR PLAN (1 : 150) 09 Toilet 13 Courtyard 14 Terrace
15 Kid’s Room 16 Master Bedroom 17 Office
18 Balcony 19 Guest Bedroom 02 20 Living Below
DESIGN The village has a moderately hot climate, with maximum radiation coming from the south and west. The predominant wind direction is west. Therefore, the house was designed in such a way that the tallest part of the building is in the south, which shades the courtyard and the bedrooms. Fenestrations were placed carefully to make maximum use of the predominant wind direction. In the north, they were sized bigger to utilize the reflected sunlight with minimal radiation. By limiting the roof heights of every space specific to their needs, we reduced material usage, which in turn created interesting levels in the facade. The Rural Twin House thus stands as an expression of a collage of these indigenous and reclaimed materials. Today, their second life continues.
SECTION A
SECTION B
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B (1 : 100)
View from the courtyard showing the patio, the reclaimed teak wood French doors, the concrete staircase, and the storage bel
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Stone Coping Brickwork 225 mm
Filler Slab 140 mm Mangalore Clay TIles 80 x 80mm Rat-Trap Bond Brickwork 225mm Storage Unit RCC Slab 100mm
Wood Panel Glass Window
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Brick Corbel Detail Storage Unit
Filler Slab 140 mm
Flemish Bond Brickwork 225mm
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Section through Bay Window (1 : 20)
showing Brick Corbel under Bay Window
c projection showing the brick arrangement pattern of Corbel normal to the wall
Isometric projection showing the brick corbel detail under the Bay Window Slab at the Sill level
Detail A (1 : 5)
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Section through Living North Facade (1 : 20)
Filler Slab 140 mm Built-in Couch (RCC Slab) Athangudi Floor Tiles PCC 150mm Plinth Beam 225x381mm Random Rubble Foundation Rammed Earth PCC 150mm Boulder Stones GI Metal Plate 10mm thk. 8mm Toughened Glass Wooden Frame 25mm Thk. Mortar
CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Random Rubble Foundation
Rubble Masonry Work in Progress
Rat-Trap Bond Brick Walls
Electrical Pipes in Rat-Trap Bond Walls
Clay Tile Filler Slab
Terracotta Pot Filler Slab
Stone and Brick Wall Masonry
Built-in Furniture
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GROUND FLOOR PLAN
House 01 House 02 Courtyard
A. View from the north-west corner of the residence showing two entrances and the different levels of roof slabs
B. View from the House-1 Living showing the built-in couch, reclaimed teak wood columns, and Athangudi flooring
C. View showing the breakfast counter, filler roof slabs, and the reused windows
D. View showing the Clerestory Window in the double-height space above the stairs
THANK
Harshavar
K YOU
rdhan Raju
+1 (706) 912-0775 hraju2@ncsu.edu www.linkedin.com/in/harshavardhan-raju