Portfolio
of
Works
2005-2015
Hriday Gami
Tintin Fuse: Ligh Gharana: Evolving a Traditional I (Undergraduate Design Panchkuva Darw Clay Clu
2005-2007
Chokoji: Killing of the Sun Nishi Nosho Related Study Programs: • Ghasiyar, Rajasthan • Sarahan, Himachal Pradesh • Sravanabelagola, Karnataka
Sh Libr Infinity Bow-Hau
2014-present
Swinging Loveseat COW: Chairs on Wheels Stack Chairs Serving Trolley ‘Bored’ Room Bench Task chair Identity Design
2012
2009
hting Design Institution Thesis) waja ub
2007-2008
hilpapaddiam rary and Studio Building • y Toilet • us •
Study Desks, NCPA Study Desk Prototype, NCPA House Restoration, Mumbai Living Room Furniture Dining Room Furniture
2010-2011 Spiretec Competition Blues of a Small Town with Pink Palaces: Landscape Narratives of Rajpipla (Undergraduate Research Thesis)
2013 Otla: Spaces in Conversation Antworks Design Room Children’s Carts The Antworks Chair Series Classroom Desk and Bench Phool Stack Stools
Umwelt: Identity Design Identity Design for Atelier Umwelten: Ongoing Academic Exercise for Graphic Design Module Creative Brief: As a designer I prefer to work with a human-centered approach to design. We are designing for people, and they must always be at the center of the design process. We relate to our environment through narratives and associate meaning to objects, surroundings and events in different ways. The designs I create, whether products or services, must transcend the boundaries of functionality and usability to create an experience that people are able to connect to at a cultural and emotional level. I wish to emphasize humour and sarcasm that speaks of a certain reflective pleasure, an intellectual stimulus to the few who are able to decipher the hidden meanings in my identity as a designer.
2015 Department of Design IIT Guwahati
Identity Design AIDS 2016 Conference Logo Contest The design brief suggested that the logo concept should be reflective of the 2016 conference destination, Durban, South Africa AND/OR SubSaharan Africa AND/OR Africa as a continent.
2015 Department of Design IIT Guwahati
Identity Design Mera Agra: Logo and Poster Design Competition hosted by the Uttar Pradesh Government and The Design Village The city of AGRA attracts more than 2.5 million domestic and foreign visitors annually. To enhance the experience of the visitors and for creating a sense of belonging amongst citizens of India – the Uttar Pradesh government – is undertaking a project to create an identity for this vibrant city. To fuel this intention meragra is a competition that welcomes views of the city of agra. What according to you does agra represent? What is your vision of the city? Celebrating the city-a world destination-green and rich with handicrafts,world heritage sites and a world wonder. Give a visualization of your view of the city, which speaks of multiple facets of its people, culture, monuments, industries, food, crafts and history.
2015 Department of Design IIT Guwahati
Identity Design CEPT University Competition
Logo
Design
In 2012, upon completing 50 years since its establishment as School of Architecture in 1962, CEPT University undertook a renewal of its mission to achieve excellence in education in the fields of human habitat. As a result, a number of programs are being realigned with the new mission of the University to focus on understanding, designing, planning, building and managing human habitats. CEPT University, in the February of 2014, invited its students, alumni, faculty members and staff to create a new logo for the university that is sync with its renewed mission. This entry was selected as the winner of the ‘CEPT University Logo Design Competition’. The logo on the right was chosen as the winning entry.
‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ Ministry of Women and Development Government of India
Child
The Logo Design Competition is a part of the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Campaign. The objective of this campaign is to celebrate and value the girl child and highlight the importance of education in empowering her.
2014 Atelier Umwelten
Identity Design Crush Fitness India
‘Uttara: The Scarf ’ ‘Look to the Future’
Crush Fitness India is a dance-fitness company established by a friend of mine in Delhi in early 2013. The company is focussed on developing a fitness market that combines working out and dancing to result in an entertaining enjoyable fitness session. In their words “Crush Cardio is a unique one hour body strengthening and conditioning work-out. Crush Cardio is a blend of high intensity cardio movements set to music interspersed with focussed muscle-activation exercises.” The logo communicates in equal weights the two most important aspects of their identity- music/dance and fitness.
Uttara: The Scarf Uttara was started as an initiative by a professor and mentor. They planned to make scarves for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
‘Uttara’ the Scarf, is a design initiative with a mission to provide care and support for women and children undergoing cancer treatment, Uttara is designed in easy styling patterns in soft Indian fabric to provide comfort and protection.
This is an attempt to create an identity for ‘Uttara’, a small leaflet that is included in the packaging. This is an ongoing project.
2014 Atelier Umwelten
Task Chair Task Chairs are intended for supporting the body while engaged in desk work. This particular chair is constructed in powder coated CRC pipes shaped into a simple frame. The seating and backrest surface are made in bent plywood finished in the upholstery of the user’s choice. The product is in the prototyping stage in Ahmedabad.
2014 Atelier Umwelten Ahmedabad
‘Bored’ Room Bench This is a bench for board game enthusiasts. Designed to revive the fast vanishing board game culture, this bench is ideal for hostel common rooms, private dens, weekend homes, society clubs and even relaxed cafes. The bench is made entirely in wood and marine grade ply culpted carefully with rounded edges and a smooth polish. The playing surface is made from a combination of veneers. Different boards for different games are easily fitted into the playing surface and drawers that is designed to hold plenty of coins and pieces.
2014 Atelier Umwelten Ahmedabad
Serving Trolley Design for this serving trolley is still in its developing stages. It is an object of convenience, whether one were to use it between the kitchen and the dining at a farmhouse, or as a mobile bar trolley in the verandah, or even as an effective tray that brings all the food ordered at the table at one go in a small restaurant. The trolley is constructed in 30mm x 5mm MS or SS flats that form its armature. The surfaces are designed to be made in 18mm plywood finished in the desired water resistant material. The top of the trolley can accommodate six 12� serving bowls. The middle tier is to store cutlery, a stack of 8 dining plates, side plates and small serving trays. The bottom most tier is for the tall bottles of jams, sauces, spices, pickles, wine etc. The top tier has drawers which open on either side of the trolley, used for storing forks, spoons, knifes and serving spoons. The design is currently being prototyped in Ahmedabad.
2013-2014 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
The first prototype of the stack chair is ready.
Stacking being tested at the fabricator’s workshop.
With the seat and backrest fitted, the first prototype is ready to be carted.
Stack Chairs This series of chairs was designed for short duration seating for public places and events, be it a library or a banquet. The lines for the design were carried forward from the wooden chair without armrest (AW 05) developed earlier in the year. The frame of the chair is made with powder coated 20mm dia CRC pipe fitted with bent laminated plywood finished with surface laminates and DUCO automotive grade paint. The chair proved to be extremely economical to manufacture. The quality of finish turned out to be immaculate since the frame and seating and backrest surfaces were seperately prepared and assembled. Stacking these lightweight chairs makes for efficient storage.
2013-2014 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
COW: Chairs On Wheels The COW extends the idea of the stack-able chairs and gives each stack mobility. The trolley brings ease of movement and storage at the same time. The angular storage allows for more stacking, upto 20 chairs, by containing the centre of gravity within the base of the trolley.
2014 Atelier Umwelten Ahmedabad
Swinging Loveseat The ‘Hichka’, or the swing, is fast vanishing from the Gujarati household. It is an important part of the house where the family gathers. Shrinking urban dwellings and the mismatch of traditional designs and modern construction are the main reasons why the hichka is being forgotten. This design of a hichka, the Swinging Loveseat, attempts to revive the tradition of swinging and spending time with family and friends at home. Its steel and wood aesthetic is industrial yet fleshy. The straight lines and simple curves compliment the aesthetics of modern construction. The swinging loveseat also offers a flexibility in terms of usage. The seats can be flipped to face either ways and unlike the traditional hichka the two seats can face different directions. This is made possible by using a double arm that swings under the seat to move the back from one side to the other. The design will materialize in 2014.
2013 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
Woodwork for the stools over barring the extra legs that will be chopped off to match the level of the top.
Junction of the leg and tie before the final curve is given using the router.
All the parts of the stool, cut and ready to be assembled.
Trying out the stacking before the finishing work begins. The wood was finished in traditional oil polish while the MDF was painted with matt enamel paint.
Phool Stack Stools The stool get its name from the Hindi word ‘phool’ which means flower. The Phool Stack Stool is a set of stackable stools designed for home or institutional use. They come as two variants, three legged and four legged. The seating surface is made of 16mm thick MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) finished with three coats of matt oil paint. The legs are made of Ghana Teak fixed together with the beams using a tongue and groove joint fastened with Wenge wood dowels. The frames are then either joined with a lap joint at 90º, in the case of the four legged one, and using a MS welded triangular star at 120º, in case of the three legged one. The stool is a special design since the entire manufacturing process was conceived within the restrictions of the machines available at the Antworks workshop. Yet, it possesses the character of hand crafted furniture.
2013 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
Detail showing the junction of the CRC pipe frame with the MS perforated sheet and the MDF laminated boards.
With some modifications after the first prototype, such as the anchorage of the footrest and distance between the seat and the writing surface, this model is ready for mass production. The frames in production at the fabricator’s workshop in Odhav, Ahmedabad,
Post production processes: Packaging and stacking for transport.
Classroom Desk & Bench The two seater classroom desk and bench was developed and manufactured for a junior school in India. The construction is kept as simple as the concept. The frame is constructed from powder coated 25mm dia. CRC pipe. The central compartments for school bags is made using powder coated perforated MS sheet. Seating surfaces and the table top are made with 20mm MDF boards finished with 1mm surface laminates and edges painted with DUCO automotive grade paint.
2013 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
The Antworks Chair Series The Antworks Chair Series was developed over a period of one year as a family of chairs. The language of bends, angles and chamfers developed in the first prototype of the dining chair was carried forward in the two versions of the armchair. The armature of the chairs was built in Ghana Teak. The ‘Randha’, manual surface planar, was the tool around which this design was developed. Each member of the chair was broken into two or more facets by making a ridge and a valley using the surface plane. This process itself became the language for the wooden armature. The chairs were finished in traditional oil polish and upholstered in three different materials, the dining chair in raw silk and the two armchairs in a jute weave and rexene. The chairs are completely handcrafted by the master carpenters of Antworks.
2013 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
Children’s Carts School furniture in India, especially for children in kindergartens and junior schools, is need of serious design thought. After conducting preliminary research we found the furniture lacking on the following fronts: • Children’s furniture mimicked furniture for adults whereas children occupy and use their furniture very differently from adults. • Children’s furniture was a proportionately scaled down version of adult furniture, which does not account for the fact that the body proportion and requirements of children is very different from that of adults. • The furniture was designed for only one teaching method, i.e. blackboard teaching. Schools are fast changing their teaching methods, especially for the younger students and the furniture must adapt to the various methods of teaching and working with students. The Children’s Cart provides each child his/her personalized space within the classroom. At the same time it is possible for them to come together for group work and shared activities introducing the child to notions of private and shared space, which was in tandem with what the curriculum sought to inculcate. The design was fine tuned by way of making prototypes and asking children to experiment with it. This helped in adjusting the measurements, deciding on surface finishes and working out details.
2013 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
The first prototype being pulled and checked for weight by Ruhaan, aged 5 then. The prototype weighed 7.4 Kg. and was easy to pull, even for a child as young as 3.
The first prototype on the left and a revised prototype on the right.
The first of the ergonomic tests. Many followed which led to changes in the length of the frame and distance between the seat and top.
The final prototype made in black powder coated CRC pipe, recycled fibre wheels and plywood table top and seat painted in lime green enamel paint.
Antworks Design Room The Antworks Design Room is the design space in the Antworks Furniture workshop. A space that feeds designs into the workshop needed protection from the loud sound of machines, the omnipresent sawdust and the dust storms of the industrial estate. The space was envisaged as one that overlooks the workshop, keeping it visually connected with its processes. The construction was worked out in modules of 4’ and 8’ to minimize wastage of plywood that is available as sheets of 8’x4’ and Canadian pine that is available in 1.75”x9” sections of 16’ length. The structure was designed as an assembly of parts that could be dismantled and shifted to another location if and when desired.
2013 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
Large planks of seasoned Canadian Pine at the saw mill.
The notch where the tongue of the column sits. The beam and columns are fastened using bolts.
Sandwich pine beam.
Canadian
The MS sleeves being positioned and fixed in the floor using cement mortar.
The MS foundations after being fixed.
Sections of Canadian Pine being sized using the jointer and planar.
Structure is erected. The modular work stations and storage cabinets gave it more stability against torsion.
The modular work stations in place within the pinewood frame. Hamdan trying out the ergonomics.
Photographs showing the junction when the beam, column, steel joist, roofing and window meet.
The central partition that can be shifted in case the space need to be extended.
Sandwiched beam constructed from Canadian pine. The groove is used as a conduit for electrical and data cables.
Exterior of the Design Room clad with soft boards so that drawings can be pinned up for the carpenter’s reference.
The Antworks Design Room in the Workshop shed. One can see the drawers being painted and polished.
The roof of the Design Room is used for stocking sections of timber.
The inside cabinetwork in lime green, white and brown. Notice the wiring accommodated between the beams for the reflector.
Otla: Spaces in Conversation
2013 Architecture: Time, Space & People
Study Desk NCPA, Mumbai The Russian School of Music at the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai approached us to design elegant writing desks for their students. There were two key ideas that fuelled the design. Elegance and Economy. The language of the design converted each leg into a built up section of wood instead of using it whole. This, along with the combination of natural wood polish and paint, made the members visually extremely light and chic. The other design consideration was the economy of production. Since mortise and tenon are labour intensive joints, the joints, wherever possible, were resolved into bolted joints fixed using countersunk Allen bolts. This also solved the problem of transporting these desks as they were packed in flat packs and assembled on location in Mumbai. A newer version of this design, which includes a set of drawers too, has been developed now that makes it possible to stack desks over desks and benches over benches such more space is available while the desks are not in use.
2012 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
Study Desk Prototype NCPA, Mumbai The Russian School of Music at the National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai approached us to design elegant writing desks for their students. This was the first prototype designed and developed. There were two key ideas that fuelled the design. Elegance and Economy. The language of the design converted each leg into a built up section of wood instead of using it whole. This, along with the combination of natural wood polish and paint, made the members visually extremely light and chic. The other design consideration was the economy of production. Since mortise and tenon are labour intensive joints, the joints, wherever possible, were resolved into bolted joints fixed using countersunk Allen bolts. This also solved the problem of transporting these desks as they were packed in flat packs and assembled on location in Mumbai.
2012 Antworks Furniture Ahmedabad
The wood and brass railing looks like filigree against the textured paint.
The mother’s and grandmother’s bedroom finished in subdued shades of brown and grey
House Restoration Dadar, Mumbai Two condos connected with a staircase and a lift are a luxury very few can afford in Mumbai. The interior has to be styled to a very particular taste of the client that we filtered through after many discussions. The family that was to inhabit this house was a typical conservative ‘Marwadi’ joint family, three brothers, their wives, mother, grandmother, and a handful of children. What they aspired for was a rich contemporary feel to their home that functioned in an old fashioned manner. The spaces were rearranged to accommodate the extra requirements of the family. The 3rd floor was the main living level which consisted of the living room, kitchen, dining, the mother’s and grandmother’s bedroom and a verandah. The 4th was a more private level occupied by bedrooms and a private terrace. A language that used extensive wood work was kept central to design. This was used in contrast with polished white marble flooring, highly reflective back painted glass and lacquer polished brass hardware. Along with that we used a variety of textured paints and wallpapers to impart a rich feel to the space.
2012-2013 Large wooden windows give the condo a bungalow like feel.
Anthill Design Ahmedabad
The extensive use of wood in all the elements of construction: beds, side tables, headboard, doors and windows.
The bedroom overlooking the private terrace.
View of the private terrace by night. The terrace is shared between two bedrooms.
Wooden sliding doors that open the rooms to the terrace fixed with MS grills.
Bedroom layouts typological.
Skylight in the lobby on the 4th floor.
were
The bathrooms have a similar layout and standardized details. Only the preferences in tiles, colours and finished vary.
The details of the brass railing against the backdrop of Burma Teak and White Australian Marble.
The kitchen. The counter is made in polished granite. The cabinetwork is finished in beige PU coated glossy paint fitted with extruded aluminium section handles.
Large wooden windows give the condo a bungalow like feel. Wood is contrasted with high gloss surfaces of stone and paint.
The wardrobes made in 18mm Plywood clad with back painted glass and fitted with wooden moulded handles
A 3D view of the chair.
Photographs showing the bolted joints of the chair at the level of the seat and the hand rest.
Exploded view of the corner junction of the chair. By displacing the three members slightly one can avoid a mortice and tenon and work with the aesthetics of a bolted joint.
The double seater uses a modified version of the same joint.
The contrasting woods: American Sycamore and Burma Teak.
Living Room Furniture: Mathew Francis Living rooms in urban housings are becoming smaller by the day. This is the reason why designs for this small condo were kept skeletal, planar and visually light and hard. The wood used for the frames of the seats and tables is American Sycamore, while the surfaces are made from 18mm marine plywood finished with Burma Teak veneer. The naturally contrasting colour and figure of the wood make the surface and structure distinct. The woods are finished with a coat of Melamine after polishing to ensure longevity of the polish. Mortise and Tenon joints are avoided as that is a labour intensive joinery. Instead, stainless steel bolts were used to secure junctions.
2012 Atelier Umwelten Ahmedabad
Rounded off inside corners of the chair such that they don’t hurt the back.
The shelf under the table to store items of everyday use yet keep the tabletop clear.
Position of chairs when the table is kept abutting to a wall.
All the chairs housed in the belly of the table.
Mortise and tenon joints.
Dining Furniture: Sarin’s This dining table and set of chairs and stools was designed for the Sarin family. The chairs were designed as low back chairs that could slide under the dining table when not is use. A small shelf is accommodated in the belly of the table to store cutlery, bottles of jams, pickles, and sauces, coasters, table mats. This keeps the table clear of all the mess. The table is designed with a cross legged frame, made in American Sycamore, and a cantilevered tabletop made in 18mm marine plywood, finished on both surfaces with teakwood veneer. The table is finished with a Melamine coat to ensure longevity of the finish. The contrasting colour and figure of the woods is used an element of play in the design. Colourful lose cushions were later added to the chairs. The furniture is now used both indoors and outdoors by the family.
2012 Atelier Umwelten Ahmedabad
The Sauna of Momentary Logic Helsinki Summer School: Wood Program The main idea of the design was to provide a cover to the provided LVL Panel frame against harsh weather conditions of snow, rain and sun. The concept of the design was thus similar to that of a protecting box covering the existing box. Every wooden structure essentially has a structural frame that is protected by a sacrificial layer, which is exposed to adverse weather conditions, and can be replaced as often as required. The key to the design concept lay in its simplicity as a design of the exterior and interior that utilizes the structural strength of the frame provided to its maximum potential.
as simple as possible, yet symbolic. The sauna in Finnish culture is close to a sacred space. It is a space for cleansing and is considered one of the most sterile spaces of the house, due to the presence of the heat and steam that kills all bacteria. It is often compared to a temple. To emphasize this the stove of the sauna was placed in the centre and all the seating around it. The vertical axis of the sauna was emphasized by placing a window for light in the centre of the space, in line with the stove. The design was mostly symmetrical except at the entrance where its symmetry gave way to an elaborate sequence of entrance.
All structural members, as well as all the interior benches and the terrace were anchored from this structural frame. The floor beams pierced through the frame from one end to the other with a slight cantilever where the columns rest. The cantilever was designed such that the roof extends beyond the structure in order to provide an overhang over the frame. The cladding was fixed to the exterior structure to protect the structure as well as the frame. The roof was at a slight angle such that it is easy to drain water and snow. The benches were cantilevers from the frame anchored at the columns for support and counterweight. Thus there was no need for any external structure that supports the sacrificial layer for the frame. Conceptually the design was kept
2011 Aalto University Helsinki, Finland
This study investigates contemporary spatial practices and landscape construction that reflect power configurations in a historical town called Rajpipla in Western India. Rajpipla, a princely town during the British Raj, has witnessed the simultaneous presence of various actors/agencies like the state government, the erstwhile royal family, a film industry, popular media, the tribal community, and the town dwellers in its landscape. The landscape is replete with narratives making it a space for negotiation, subversion and enforcing power structures that inscribe meaning to hierarchies of spaces and territories in the natural and built environment. A constant flux of narratives shapes the lived experience of the landscape where each agency asserts its power by imposing its narrative and altering the landscape temporally through spatial practices, from building palaces to ritual processions. This sequence of assertion and action leads to an intertextual re-reading of the narratives allowing for the sedimentation of meaning in the landscape. The thesis relies on theoretical frameworks from Narratology (AJ Greimas), Semiotics (Structuralism) and Landscape Studies to elaborate the hypothesis presented. This paper sets out to understand the landscape as a perception in a manner of positional possibilities and orientation. The people seem to mold the landscape in their memories and narration enmeshed with a network of relationships between humans, humans and nature and humans and the social
structure. Little ethnography proved to be an effective method of collecting these narratives and of laying them out on one table. The ethnographic data reveals several disparate myths that form the warp and weft of the intricate fabric of power relationships in Rajpipla. Narrations reveal tensions amid sections of people to assert their claim on the landscape. What begins to emerge is a complex mesh of opposing, colliding, even indifferent narratives that needed a powerful analytical tool to lay it all down coherently and understand their relationship with the landscape. The ethnographic research reveals undercurrents of nostalgia for the royal family, mistrust amongst the tribal community, fear of the cursing goddess, new hope from the outside in the form of the cinema. The history of the town suggests a strong role played by outside influences, at once the Rajputs themselves who came to power by ousting the tribal king, followed by the British who liaised with the royals in order to control the town through them and finally the Government of India, which rendered all previous institutions of authority powerless by implementing the constitutional law and order. Yet, each figure/agency of authority continues its struggle to hold on to its sphere of influence, notionally and temporarily, by reliving the past through ritual enactments and marking territories by reviving collective memory. The thesis treads through a challenge to leave behind a method that is able to negotiate the overpowering nature of ‘real’, ‘material’ and the ‘taken for granted’ imaginary world of people. Key words: Landscape, Narratives, Myths, Ethnography, Semiotics, Narratology, Structuralism, Power Structures
Blues of a Small Town with Pink Palaces: Landscape Narratives of Rajpipla Undergraduate Research Thesis
2011-2012 CEPT University Ahmedabad
SPIRETEC Competition Honorary Mention The work-play-live experience of SPIRETEC was paramount and needed to be interspersed both as horizontal plates and in the vertical formats of the built. The priority here was the humanistic element where human needs and desires both lead the design intent and its manifestation. Innovation here is not in the imagery but in the intrinsic way the site is used. The mixed use development of 17,500 sq.m. is broadly developed as 75% IT office, 10% residential development and 5% institutional development. The master plan was intrinsically interwoven with the landscape, with all its grains and textures aims to modulate the ground plane holding all possibilities for creating a vibrant plate of life. The project worked with the idea of many grounds that are both continuous and articulate the potential for places of individual character. Earth-ground/ dense-ground/density. At 15000 people on a site of 8.5 Hectare we are dealing with an extrapolated density 16 times the average density of Delhi and 6 times the density of its densest parts. Density is seen as potential. It is potential of human interaction. Density is the number of human interactions per unit area per time. Indian architecture has had two metaphors for the spatiality of density, the cave and the forest. The built environment has been articulated as the spread of a porous fabric to be inhabited. The small grain functions occupy the ground and are
2011 Anthill Design Ahmedabad
positioned to allow for programmatic permeability across the site as a whole. The fabric connects disparate functions not making a distinction between the existing and proposed buildings. As one moves upwards the grain grows larger. The fabric gives way to building objects composed in space. There is a corresponding spatial change from the hapticity of the labyrinthine to the visual space of objects. There is a structural advantage in placing the small scale functions on the ground, span, bays are smallest at the bottom and merge to larger and larger spans as the building rises. Structure is seen as an armature of relationships. Vertically the relationship of small to big, heavy to light, and earth to sky. Horizontally the relationship between open and closed, public and private. The proposed project works with an open system of program. Functions are sometimes overlaid, sometimes spread across the boundaries of buildings. The hotel for example is seen as part of the habitation and is spread horizontally under the existing buildings connecting the commercial and residential with other functions while lending its own facilities for common usage. Forms collide to create spatial redundancies which are not in need of functional resolution but in search of the potentialities of inhabitation by the vitalities of life.
The tin-tin fuses ready and lined up before installation.
View of the basement at night when the columns were lit.
Tins with bulbs and holders ready to be fixed to the paper rolls. The rolls needn’t be fixed to the tins as they slide perfectly between the gap of the reflector and the tin.
The bulb holders being fixed to the packaging tins that are to be fixed at both ends.
Due to the light source being placed at the ends of the columns, it appears as if the column s thinner in the middle. This is an optical illusion as the columns were rolled into perfect cylinders.
Tintin Fuse: Lighting Design Navratri ‘Garba’ in Gujarat is a festival of dance during the nine days of ‘Navratri’, when the Devi is worshipped in India. CEPT has celebrated Navratri on campus since 1984 when it began as a student cultural activity. The students fill the campus with innovative lighting installations but since the its a student funded event, all installations are done on a shoestring budget. This particular installation consisted of columns of light installed in the basement of the Faculty of Architecture building. Each column was made with 4 elephant size cartridge paper sheets (Rs. 4 x 4), 2 sets of reused packaging tins (Rs. 8 x 2), bulbs (Rs. 15 x 2), holders (Rs. 10 x 2), reflectors (Rs. 25 x 2) adhesives and other materials (Rs. 1000) and wire. Put together, the cost of each column was a mere Rs. 165/- and the cost of the entire installation Rs. 4,960/- (≈80$) in addition to the wiring which was reused from the previous year. By using paper, we were able to increase the size of the installation to match the scale of the basement (160m2). In addition to this, we were able to resell the packaging tins and reuse the holders, bulbs and wiring again next year.
2009 CEPT University Ahmedabad
The project situates itself in the midst of an urban context, Bhuleshwar, a dense fabric of commercial and residential buildings interspersed with institutional buildings. The urban structure of Bhuleshwar is accretive and organic in character. The main streets consist of the bazaars (vegetables, flowers, steel, utensils, cloth etc.); the narrower streets are more private and function at a residential scale. The streets exhibit constancy in character with a continuous built form; almost all buildings have horizontal projections onto the street in the form of balconies and verandahs. The overall fabric is tightly knit. Along the primary streets the buildings are built on long and narrow plots in order to maximize the frontage to the street. The shop is the common interface between the buildings and the street irrespective of the function of the building i.e. residence/ temple/ social or commercial institution. The system of common shared walls is rare in this area, the space between two buildings constitutes of narrow alleys. Institutions of various kinds coexist within the dense built mass, from temples to community and social institutions. Movement through these areas is primarily on foot enabling the mover to stop at will and interact with the activities of the street. Due to close proximity of dwellings, business, social and community institutions within this enclave renders vehicular transport unnecessary.
Gharana: Evolving a Traditional Institution Undergraduate Design Thesis A gharana is a system of social organization linking musicians by lineage and/or apprenticeship and by adherence to a particular musical style. It cultivates a comprehensive musical ideology which directly moulds the thinking, teaching, performance and appreciation of music. In Hindustani classical tradition the guru shishya relationship is very different from the modern education system. The students stay and learn at the institution for the initial period of his training in music, under the guidance of the guru. The training is intense with long hours of practice followed by time for contemplation. In some ways the two ends of the training are the riyaz and the performance. The student is completely submissive to the art form and his/her guru. The guru needs to devote as much time to his disciples. The process of learning is intimate; here the student feels part of the guru’s family, unlike the university system, where the relationship between the student and the teacher is restricted in many ways. The institution is an extension of the guru’s residence. Thus there is a domestic scale to the institution. Functionally the program includes the houses of the gurus (Bahauddin Dagar, Fariduddin Dagar and Zia Mohiyuddin Dagar). The students of the three ustads stay together as a community. The students live cut off from the city in a manner similar to a monastery, yet connected to the busy streets below. The place that holds the institution together is the kitchen. It is
the place where everyone meets; the kitchen is the heart/h of the institution. The institution gathers musicians of the city and those visiting it. Musicians and listeners gather weekly to have intense sessions. A feast, where the students and gurus cook together, is a must before the concert. Chai is an important ingredient of a concert, and must flow continuously throughout its length. . The kitchen keeps functioning throughout the day and night. It is the container of the activity of the collective. The project attempts to explore the actualization of the built form from a conceptual level to tangible architecture; the making/crafting of space and the environment through architectural development. Architectural limits play an important role in this project: limits of the institution, residence and public interface. The project aims at developing a residence + institution type of a program in contemporary times. The project would include the residences of the gurus/ ustads as an institution for imparting knowledge in the manner as has been happening in Hindustani classical tradition. Understanding the limits where a residence extends into an institution and vice versa. The architectural expression of the built would evolve out of the articulation of thresholds. The articulation of the in between is as important as the articulation of the absolutes.
2009-2010 CEPT University Ahmedabad
Documentation Panchkuva Darwaja The Panchkuva Darwaja in Ahmedabad is one of the 14 gates in the fort wall that surrounds the medieval city of Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad is also a contender for the status of a ‘World heritage City’. While compiling a document on its archeological ad architectural heritage, the university undertook the documentation of many of these structures. We documented the Panchkuva Darwaja as part of this exercise. This gate is built in yellow sandstone. Since it would be an expensive and time consuming process to build such a thick fortification and gate out of stone, the hollow of the structure was filled with brickwork. Wherever the stone is not exposed, the structure is covered in lime plaster. It is probable that the structure was restored by the British.
2009 CEPT University Ahmedabad
The beam and column junction. 1:1 prototype at the NID workshop.
Mezzanine floor using half split bamboos to span between beams
Bamboo beam clamped to the existing brick and concrete structure.
Bamboos being harvested from Centre of Environment Education (CEE) campus.
Foundation detail for the trussed column. The bottoms ends of the bamboos were sealed with rubber solution to avoid decay from moisture and termites. The footing of the column is made using brick bat lime concrete.
Clay Club Clay Club was a place on CEPT University campus that was revived as a workshop where one could get their hands dirty by working in terracotta, ceramics and handmade paper. Being a student body initiative the workshop hitherto had run with makeshift shelters made with reused advertisement banners. We decided to build a temporary structure made in bamboo such that workshops could be held in that space and the space could be organized and utilized in a proper manner. We designed the structure on site taking quick decisions and sorting out issues. The joinery and details were developed in the NID workshop with the help of M.P. Ranjan. The structure was designed in a tight space between three buildings. U-bolts and threaded MS rods were used to fasten bamboos to make trussed columns and beams to ensure load carrying capacities over 3m spans. The beams and columns were clamped onto the existing crumbling brick and concrete structure. Bamboo mats were used as roofing, to protect the workspace from sunlight and leaves.
2008-2009 CEPT University Ahmedabad
Library and Studios Being an art residency, Shilpapaddiam required some studios and a place for archives. This was the primary project Vishnu and I designed and executed under the guidance of Architects Rajasekharan Menon and Kunjan Garg of Mangrove Architecture Alliance. In this hot and humid climate, most of the time is spent in the verandah, i.e. the semi-open space. Thus, it is important to place workplaces and studios on the ground floor, which have access to verandah and can spill over to the open. The library on the other hand needs a place that is devoid of moisture and is quieter with restricted access. Thus, the library was placed on the first floor. The building was divided in six bays, equal in width. The first two and last two were made into studios while the middle two were kept as semi-open. Segmental laterite vaults spanned the parallel walls. This gave direction to the studio spaces such that they opened towards the verandah. Blocks of laterite stone, 20cm x 20cm x 40cm, were used for the masonry. A mixture of sand, cement, moulten jaggery and water was used as the mortar. The drawings on explain the form of the building. Since we were actively involved in the construction process and site work, many decisions were taken on site.
2007-2008 Shilpapaddiam, Kerela
Excavation work in progress after lining out the foundation lines of the building.
An arch in the foundation that flies over the roots of a coconut tree that can be quite damaging to the building in the long run.
Foundation and plinth course being laid out in rough masonry.
Formwork for an arch in the foundation
Half-notch joints of the timber tie beams over the masonry. The different colours of masonry. The darker reddish stones are more oxidised and therefore harder, more difficult to carve. The yellow ones are more recently quarried which makes them softer, easier to carve. Laterite, over many year of exposure to sun, water and air, oxidizes to become an extremely hard black stone. Timber (Malaysian Teak) tie beams at lintel level to distribute the thrust of the segmental vaults.
Niches in the thick end walls to take the thrust of the 2 ton vaults.
Central arch of laterite stones between two studio spaces.
The timber beams being fastened in position.
Bamboo scaffolds were used to prop the formwork of the vault.
Formwork of vault made in situ using rough sawn timber trusses, timber planks, laterite stones and a week plaster finished with laterite powder.
The vaulted space from inside once the shuttering was removed.
Taking inspiration from the infinity toilet, a toilet and staircase was added to this building using all the waste chips. The two vaulted studio spaces along with the staircase and toilet.
The blocks of the vaults being placed one by one. The keystones were added once counterweight was in place to absorb the thrust.
The vaulted studio space from the inside. The arched wall can be used to separate or club two studio spaces.
The chip and mortar masonry was used to create an external staircase and toilet for the studio and library building.
The formwork, made from 6mm and 18mm plywood and reused teakwood slats. Inner wall radius is 1m and outer wall 1.2m. Thus, a wall thickness of 200mm.
Excavation done for the Toil-8. The ground is being watered in order to saturate it in order to densify it and increase its stability.
The ground being prepared after the excavation by making a foundation of large stone chips. This provides an even bedding to begin masonry.
Aluminium pipes were used along with threaded rods to keep the inner and outer surfaces of the formwork at equal distance. They also functioned as alignment points for placing the formwork at subsequent levels of masonry.
Semi-finished stones being placed in the radial manner to make a plinth where the chip masonry is to follow.
The roof of the toilet being made from waste timber pieces found in the form of ends of rafters and beams and joined together with bolts.
We checked the formwork for alignment, with respect to the plinth masonry, using chalk dust. It fit alright!
Infinity (∞) Toilet Shilpapaddiam is sculptor Valsan Koorma Kolleri’s studio and home. It is a new type of residential institution for artists. Thus, Shilpapaddiam consists of studios, both covered and semi-open, storage spaces and retiring dens. The Infinity Toilet is Valsan’s brainchild. Each building must shit a toilet. This toilet was made from the waste chips obtained from chiselling rough stone to make masonry blocks for the main buildings. The stone chips are dipped in mortar and placed in the formwork to obtain the desired form. The Infinity Toilet is known so because of its (∞)shape in plan, it is also known as the Toil-8.
Carefully placing stone chips with mortar into the formwork such that we get a finished face on the outer surface. Inside surface was designed to be plastered.
Two earthen pots are cut and joined mouth to mouth such that they can be placed inside the formwork and embedded in the masonry to make openings for light and ventilation.
2007-2008 Shilpapaddiam, Kerela
Vishnu inspecting the masonry and checking for loose stones.
Kumaratan and Manohar continuing the third and final course of masonry. Each layer of masonry is distinct from the other and one can even identify which part has been done by whom as the masonry has changing patterns.
The formwork is placed and aligned in order to continue the masonry in the curve.
The formwork filled with stone chips and mortar. The masonry takes 2-3 hours as initial setting time after which the formwork can be removed carefully. The mortar takes 24 hours to dry and bind with he stone chips completely.
Kumaratan continuing the third and final course of masonry. One can see how the earthen pots have been accommodated in the masonry and provide excellent holes for ventilation.
The Infinity Toilet with the thatch roof, pot openings and a makeshift wooden door on pivot. The Infinity Toilet in its final form.
Bamboo joinery using U-bolts, machine bolts and bamboo and steel washers. Also known as a fish-mouth joint.
The laterite block masonry with gaps had already been made over a concrete plinth. The bamboo roof was a makeshift roof for a wooden one that was to come post the monsoons season.
We decided to develop a language that expressed the natural curves of the bamboo.
The camber of the bamboo was used to counter the bending moment induced in the members.
Bow-haus
The Bow-haus was a temporary shelter for these four miscreants in Shilpapaddiam. While they were mostly friends, the sight of their food bowls turned them into foes. The dog house, which we aptly named ‘Bowhaus’ (pun intended) was a makeshift solution in bamboo till a wooden roof replaced it post the monsoon season.
The roof overhangs were enough to offer protection from sun and rain, even to the person bringing food to the doggies.
The plinth had already been constructed in concrete. Five course of laterite masonry were enough to house the largest of dogs, the Alsatian, comfortably. The gaps in the masonry provided for sufficient ventilation. Slatted doors for each cubicle were added. The bamboo columns were clamped to the masonry instead of being anchored to the ground. The rest of the bamboo structure and the woven coconut leave roof rested on the four columns.
Coconut leaves naturally repel water. When weaved together tightly, and placed layer over layer, this type of roofing can provide adequate protection from heavy tropical rainfall.
2007-2008 Shilpapaddiam, Kerela
Related Study Program 3 Sravanabelagola Karnataka The Related Study Program at CEPT University aims at training students to conduct architectural fieldwork and documentation. The complexity of study increases over three years. The first year focuses on studying a small settlement such as a village. The second year focuses on small towns and institutions, while the third year of the program deals with large institutions such as a palace or temple complex. Sravanbelagola is a temple town in the Hassan District of Karnataka and is known to be an important pilgrimage in Jainism. The town consists of two rock outcrops, Chandragiri and Vindhyagiri, that each have temple complexes on top of them. We measure drew the temple complex at Chandragiri, the smaller of the two hills. The temples are believed to be constructed between 630-1870 A.D. Granite, a common stone of the region, is the primary material used in their construction of these temples, though one may find traces of schist stone where the carving is intricate.
2007 CEPT University Ahmedabad
Nishi Nosho As is common with agrarian societies across Asia, the beginning of the harvest season is marked by a ritual offering to the sun god. Nishi Nosho is another such Japanese agrarian semantic structure where the female (nishi) is represented by a more feminine, elegant structure and male (nosho) by a more robust structure. Nishi Nosho, like Chokoji, is made from bamboo, wild grass, coconut and jute fibre rope, wood and paper, and is given fire on the auspicious day. Nishi (left) and Nosho (right) as drawn by Nold Egenter in his book ‘Semantic and Symbolic Architecture’. The photographs show the 1:1 scale reconstruction of the agrarian structures using materials and techniques as close to the ones used in Japan and as documented in the book. We built this structure as part of International Seminar on Vernacular Settlements, 2007 hosted by CEPT University.
ISVS Conference, 2007 CEPT University Ahmedabad
Related Study Program 2 Sarahan Himachal Pradesh Sarahan is a temple town in Kinnaur mountain ranges of the Himalayas in Northern India. The Bhimkali temple, believed to be built 3000 years ago and reconstructed several times, at Sarahan is built as a series of courtyards that lead up to the main shrine. The complex is constructed in stone masonry reinforced with horizontal wooden ties, a traditional method of construction that offers seismic resistance. The roofs are constructed in roughly shaped timber and covered with slate shingles. At Sarahan, we documented the temple complex, the street and a few traditional house types.
2006 CEPT University Ahmedabad
Related Study Program 1 Ghasiyar Rajasthan Ghasiyar is a small settlement in the Aravali mountain range in Rajasthan. The architecture responds to the hot and semi-arid climate, which is evident from the thick stone masonry walls, cooling mud plaster, small fenestrations enough for ventilation, dark and moist interior spaces covered with a thatch or country tile roof. Apart from the morphological aspects of the settlement, the study focused on documenting the patterns of occupation of space. This program introduced us to the relationships between society, culture and architecture. The output of the program was a set of pen and ink drawings showing a detailed documentation of the material aspects of Ghasiyar.
2005 CEPT University Ahmedabad
Chokoji: Killing of the Sun As is common with agrarian societies across Asia, the beginning of the harvest season is marked by a ritual offering to the sun god. Chokoji is one such Japanese agrarian semantic structure which literally translates as the ‘Killing of the Sun’. The structure, made from bamboo, wild grass, coconut fibre rope, wood and paper, is built over a week and is given fire on the auspicious day. The structure burns overnight and what remains in the morning is a radial pattern of charcoal and ash on the floor signifying the sun. The structure was built using materials and techniques as close to the ones used in Japan. We built this structure as part of the Basic Design course, which focuses on vernacular architecture, taught by Prof. Miki Desai and Walter D’Souza.
2005 CEPT University Ahmedabad
Hriday Gami 12 Gujrat Vihar, Vikas Marg Delhi-110092, India +919601672629 hridaygami@gmail.com