IA&B June 2015

www.iabforum.com JUNE 2015 VOL 28 (10) FOCUS Sustainable Architecture: Survival and Revival IN CONVERSATION Dr Singh Intrachooto URBAN Reviving the Derelict: Anupama Kundoo APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABILITY Redefining the Greys of the Green: Yatin Pandya INTERNATIONAL A New Kind of Urban Campus: SOM

INDIAN ARCHITECT & BUILDER

EXPLORE

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An Ecological Pedagogy In conversation with IA&B, architect Dr Singh Intrachooto talks about his unique approach to architecture with a keen awareness towards the methods of sustainable design.

Images: courtesy Dr Singh Intrachooto

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in conversation

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Singh Intrachooto is the Principal Designer of OSISU, Thailand’s leading eco-design venture as well as founder of Scrap Lab and Head of Creative Centre for Eco-design, a design and research centre focusing on green product and material development at Kasetsart University Architecture (Bangkok). He is also partner with award-winning architectural practice: Architect Kidd (Bangkok). Singh is considered a pioneer of ecological design in Thailand. His focus is on bridging academia and industry to leverage technology, education and production approaches to stimulate environmentally responsible innovations within the design and architecture industry.

IA&B: Tell us about OSISU. It is a unique idea for a practice. What are its origins and core philosophies?

SI: OSISU is a company that capitalises on the abundance of material offcuts for its design and products. I set up OSISU with my partner, Ja Tanchookiat, in 2006. We observed that there are tremendous amounts of debris being halted away from our construction sites daily.

Claiming to be designing eco-friendly buildings, it is shocking to see the monumental amount of waste discarded every day. Ja also practices as a construction contractor; debris are a huge burden to her operation.

We decided to join hands and focus on reclaiming construction wastes for product design and material development. All the products and materials from OSISU are all developed from discarded solid wastes.

IA&B: Your endeavours seem to suggest a certain need for innovative yet simple methods of sustainable design. Can you tell us more about this approach?

SI: There are so many dimensions to sustainable design. As an architect, my take on sustainable design is on material reclamation and

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development. This is far from simple. There are negative connotations with scraps and wastes. Using them as raw materials can mean outright rejection. “Design” has been a great tool for me in the reclamation processes. All products and upcycled materials must meet high quality in terms of functional requirements as well as aesthetic sensibility.

Only then can people overlook the fact that my works are created from leftovers.

IA&B: Architecture as a field involves several diverse segments of interest. What, do you think, defines your characteristic approach and position in the profession?

SI: I think my works reflect the idea of eco-design through material development. My approach is very much material based while integrating design and technologies in the process. I feel it is quite rare for architects to spend time developing new materials for architecture.

In the global warming era, the time we are living in now, crafting new materials out of scraps is even rarer. I am privileged to be able to do so, which puts me into a unique position within the architectural profession.

Wall panels designed from material left over of aluminium food packaging.

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Starbucks in Asia, using tiles made from coffee wastes.

IA&B: Your latest project, the Green Bird Sanctuary won the gold Global Holcim award last year. Can you talk us through the significant features of this project?

SI: Together with Architect Kidd, we created a truly unique project, i.e., “Chiang Mai Bird Sanctuary” to house injured birds rescued from smuggling. The key material which we used for this project were discarded oil palm bunches. Thailand has extensive oil palm plantations. The main product of these plantations is the oil.

However, their by-products are numerous: discarded palm bunches, shells, leaves and tree trunks. We developed an ecology-skin (soft skin) for this project, not only because it has a low environmental impact but because it can provide habitat and serve as a food source for migratory birds. We also integrated an egg hatchery into the project. Injured birds can still breed and therefore their off-springs can return to the wild again. We also integrated skyscraper-nests Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

high above the bird nurseries. These nests are for Asian Open-bills who prey on Apple snails, a pest that wreak havoc on the surrounding rice farms.

IA&B: You are the founder of the ‘Scrap Lab and Head of Creative Centre for Eco-Design’ at the Kasetsart Architecture University in Bangkok. What was the inspiration behind this initiative and what are its founding principles?

SI: I wanted to teach new generations of architects to be sensible to the environment through their creative skills. I also teach them material developments using reclaimed debris. This learning process, I imagine, will also give them the “out of the box” thinking process because they need to create beautiful and useful works from things that are already trashed (clearly that means no one has solved these scraps yet). Finding solutions for such things will ensure its novelty.

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Using local skill and surplus material to develop façades.

IA&B: Over the last decade the term “Upcycling” has been coined and worked into the discourse of sustainability efforts. Can you throw some light on this ideology through the example of your work?

SI: The practice of Upcycling (or reusing a material without degrading the quality and composition of the material for its next use) helps reduce the amount of waste that we produce (and ultimately goes into the ground) for longer than any of us will be around. It also reduces the need for new virgin material to be harvested as feedstock for new generations of products. Upcycled products often offer higher economic value (per unit) than recycling. Most of my upcycled furniture goes through hand-tool processes and mostly uses offcuts. You can see our works at www.OSISU.com. We avoid the use of virgin materials. When we really need to use recycling process, we make sure that it is worth the effort. For example, we turn coffee wastes into tiles, mosaics and counter tops. These new materials have much higher value and offer better qualities that the coffee itself. Now Starbucks in Asia uses these materials for their stores.

IA&B: In terms of a formal office and in terms of a studio that constantly engages in experimentation and research– how does your multi-dimensional practice function?

SI: There are 3 separate functional units: OSISU, Scrap Lab and Architect Kidd. OSISU runs product design. Architect Kidd works on building design. Scrap Lab conducts research and studies of new materialsmore academic endeavours. All 3 share knowledge and new discoveries.

I work across the 3 units and therefore am the link between research and implementations. OSISU and Architect Kidd are design professional practices. They are quick, generate income, and work directly with clients. Scrap Lab is more about exploration and experimentation. It gets funding from research grants and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.

The works of Dr Singh Intrachooto is chronicled in this issue in the article titled Protective Wings on page 40

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PROTECTIVE WING BIRD SANCTUARY | CHIANG MAI,THAILAND

An architecture that serves local communities and the bird wildlife by reclaiming failed land parcels and reusing existing structures. This bird sanctuary is a composition of notions which creates an energy-efficient and eco-friendly space.

Text: Lavina Bulchandani Drawings and Images: courtesy Dr Singh Intrachooto

Site B: Bird Rehabilitation Facility.

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architecture

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SECTIONS SHOWING THE BIRD REHABILITTION FACILITY

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SITE A

SITE B

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MASTER PLAN SHOWING SITE A AND SITE B

1A

2A

3A

4A

7A

8A

Big Wing Cafe

Curing Barn Museum

Hatchery

Barn for Injured Night Birds

Barn for Injured Small Birds

Avian Library

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SECTION THROUGH SITE A

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opulation growth and urban sprawl have encroached on flat terrains, leaving birds and other animals without any habitat.

The Chiang Mai Bird Sanctuary (CBS) in Thailand is an integrated approach to bird conservation designed by Jariyawadee Lekawatana and Singh Intrachooto together with Chak Cherdsatirkul. This bird sanctuary serves as both an educational facility as well as a bird rehabilitation centre. Located over two sites in northern Thailand, the design simulates the natural habitat and has an ambition to restore the scales of balance in the ecological community.

Each year nearly 10,000 Birds are being smuggled in and out of Thailand.

These birds, of all sizes, are taken from the wild merely for their exotic colours and tweeting sounds. Even if these birds are rescued by police officers, their lives remain in jeopardy. All birds retrieved from smugglers are kept in cages inside police stations as crime evidence.

Unable to provide the birds with proper care, the police often feed them with dog or cat food, which leads to extreme malnutrition and eventual death. Most birds do not survive police rescue.

This project aims at creating a bird haven that allows these birds to nurture in an integrated facility that resembles their natural environment. Using architecture as an instrument for intervention, this proposal revives the biodiversity of the surround and familiarises people with the charm of nature’s magnificent flying creatures while nurturing the coexistence of humans and birds for future generations.

There are two main sites that operate simultaneously.

Site A is an educational facility and homes for permanently injured birds.

Site B is the rehabilitation facility that nurtures the rescued birds, preparing them to return to their natural habitat.

Existing Brick wall

Auditorium 30 seats Old wood Sunken Foyer

Steel Structure

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Adaptive reuse by inserting salvged materials in to existing buildings.

9A

10A

5A

6A

30 seats Forum Space

Information Centre and Working Space

Farm for Injured Raptor

Injured Water Birds’ Barn

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View of the Main Information Centre.

Observation Area

Information Centre

Ground Birds

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SECTION THROUGH THE MAIN INFORMATION CENTRE Tree Birds

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SECTION THROUGH THE BIRD VIEWING TOWER

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Observation Area

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View of the Bird Viewing Tower.

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Connecting pathways leading up to the Main Information Centre.

Site A, houses more than 20 tobacco curing barns which have been standing empty for decades since the tobacco industry left the area.

These compact structures are reminiscent of European silos with open-brick façades and therefore, demolishing them would be a waste of resources. The interventions on this site would transform these 70 year old structures in to rooms for the ‘Kaomai Lanna’ boutique hotel.

Visitors who stay at Kaomai Lanna are typically eco-conscious. To augment the experience of their stay, additional abandoned barns have been redesigned to be learning facilities for bird studies. The Learning Facilities welcome visitors with real life examples of human impact on avian population.

Chiang Mai Bird Sanctuary preserves the curing barns in their original conditions, which gives the travellers a glimpse of history of the tobacco industry through an organised museum space. Rising spiral wood structures and platforms are inserted inside, allowing visitors to step up and observe the architecture, the floating information panels and screens, which narrate the history and curing process.

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The bird hospice and library are integrated to offer an unparalleled learning facility, giving injured birds a permanent home and becoming an important attraction for visitors.

On the other site, the project reclaims three abandoned demo-houses for the rehabilitation facilities which serve three protected habitats for the water birds, small birds and birds of prey. Sizes of each protected areas are designed with specific requirements, namely, flight suitability, recapturing readiness and visitor visibility. Since the rescued birds will be kept for 1-5 years (period of lawsuit) before returning to nature, their relationship with humans is minimised while maximising their interactivities with wild birds. Size of the shielded territories supports the flight and wings of the injured birds. The cascading shapes of the enclosure give varying heights and better conditions for flying.

The animal sanctuary serves a growing niche of eco-tourism. CBS offers opportunity and space to reconstruct facilities that serve

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View of the meditation pods.

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Site A: Human and Injured birda facility.

numerous activities such as bird watching, bird caring and learning.

Educating future generations about ecology through a hand-on experience has been proven effective in embedding ideas, knowledge and skills.

The architecture of Chiang Mai Bird Sanctuary is derived from agricultural wastes. An ‘Ecology Skin’ is crafted out of the judicious use of the abundant agricultural wastes in Thailand. This building epidermis integrates natural fibres into the built enclosures.

Palm fibre is used because of its volume, availability, insulati and moisture-retention capability, and compatibility with nature. This fibre skin protects buildings from the heat, allows seeds to grow, and in turn supports food regeneration for all birds in the area.

This architectural skin utilises natural fibre to serve four functions: thermal insulation, acoustic barrier, food supply, and animal habitat.

These structures of brick and palm highlight the local landscape in new ways. Each tower and pavilion transforms over time, integrating natural materials within the natural bird habitat, resulting in gentle and ecologically-rich architecture.

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Inside the Bird viewing tower.

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The Chiang Mai Bird Sanctuary delivers a strong political message concerning the devastating effects of bird trafficking on the survival of endangered wildlife. Considering architecture as an instrument of ‘action’, the project literally establishes the link between political activism and building practice, combining architectural qualities with conservation, education, research and eco-tourism in a complete and convincing way. The bird sanctuary is created not only to supplement the avian habitats that have been taken away by humans, but also to act as ‘catalyst’ for people to realise the magnificence of these flying species are and re-establish an ecological balance between the various species of nature.

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Soft Architecture

Bird Habitat

Co-existance of Birds on plants

Ecology Skin

Ecology Skin Architecture

The Ecology Skin- soft architecture.

FACT FILE: P roject Location Architect Client Project Area Project Value Completion of project

: : : : : : :

Chiang Mai Bird Sanctuary Chiang Mai, Thailand Jariyawadee Lekawatana and Singh Intrachooto Chak Cherdsatirkul 4,950sqm 1,000,000 USD 2017

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city chronicles

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Perceptions of a Smart City A conversation between B V Doshi, Rajeev Kathpalia and Morgan Campbell, where the various interpretations of the Smart City were discussed in the context of India.

Images: courtesy Rajeev Kathpalia

Shortly after coming to office in 2014, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi announced an urban agenda in the form of 100 new Smart Cities for the country. The idea has captured attention at home and abroad, provoking intense discourse and debate regarding the form and context into which these cities should be developed. In January of this year, the city of Jaipur hosted the first annual Architecture Festival. Crafting Future Cities is just one of many platforms for this discussion.

On the occasion of the Festival, B V Doshi and Rajeev Kathpalia of VÄ stu ShilpÄ consultants sat together and discussed the meaning of the city in the Indian context.

B V Doshi is known across the world as an architect, an urban planner, an academician, an institution builder and a mentor. In a career spanning across 62 years, Doshi has been instrumental in changing the discourse of architecture in post-independent India and known for his work with Le Corbusier in the 1950s.

Rajeev Kathpalia is currently involved in the designing of several institutions including Nalanda and IIM Udaipur.

He considers the design approach of these campuses as seeds of our future cities. Doshi and Kathpalia are presently finishing a net zero environmental impact Master Plan for Nalanda University in eastern India. The plan is transitional, demonstrating that when a campus is integrated into the larger regional eco-system, cohesive sustainability can be achieved.

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Morgan: When we talk about Modernism and Le Corbusier, we dwell on the aspect of universality and particularly the idea that the building can be anywhere; this has received a lot of criticism in the aftermath.

Architectural history strives to keep up with a dichotomy between what is considered modern/postmodern and yet not universal, how does your ideology fit in against the background of this context?

Doshi: I believe we cannot look at architecture as merely a product because it is not what one calls a passive space, form or structure.

Architecture is an extension of our body. It’s not outside of me, it is a part of me and we live within it. When you think it is part of yourself then the questions are the food you eat, the life you live, the people you meet and the world in which we live. It is an understanding of culture, aesthetics, climate and space. That’s how I understood Corbusier. He would talk about behaviour, attitudes and about climate.

He spoke about the relationship between people and the building, about the space. And I think because of that my whole understanding of architecture is different.

Morgan: How would you describe your formal education in respect to Doshi’s approach?

Rajeev: I learned about Corbusier’s work when I met Doshi. When I was in Chandigarh, it wasn’t this fortress like place and it used to be open to the people. I remember going there in my first and second year on my cycle and spending the sunset almost every day amongst the capital complex and I would think this place is very alive.

In Chandigarh nobody really knows Le Corbusier, so it was another opening to understand Corbusier in a completely different way.

The sky, horizon, silhouettes, the daily cycle are elements we forget in our busy lives when we become mindful of time. I think architecture takes you away from time; it is timeless, taking you into another realm all together. Working with Doshi, I started thinking of architecture from a completely different perspective, how is it rooted in the place and what are the fundamentals that you look at?

the vitality so that you are able to use your time most effectively and create the sort of life you want to have?

The next question is what kind of place would you like it to be? The place has to be good, society has to be good and workplace has to also be good and also close by. Diversity is very important in life, so whether you are working in craft or whether you are working in crafts, IT or are a banker, everyone’s basic needs are the same. And one cannot assume these things without saying I feel secure here, I feel comfortable and I feel that this can be a place where I can dwell.

Rajeev: I see opportunity and growth. Whether I’m rich or poor, old or young, whether these things, this place energises me. I think it’s important to understand that fundamental human desire and need.

Doshi: I think it is a fact that we have been impacted by the grammar of high technology, high efficiency, high productivity, fast earning, fast life and infinite choices. But we have forgotten that deep within we also want some place to be quiet and dwell in emotionally satisfying ways.

The planners who are working on these Smart Cities are only talking about it as an idea without really knowing what it is. When we talk about Smart Cities, one should really ask, are you talking about economic growth?

Morgan: It has been previously stated, about Smart Cities in India, that no economy can grow on the basis of agriculture and so it is inevitable that people will move to cities. There seems to be an assumption that buildings are only in cities, that development and technology can only be in cities. How can architects help shape a discussion around the rural?

Morgan: What do you think is the entry point into the future city?

Doshi: I think the word ‘Urban’ needs to be redefined. Urban is when there are those facilities by which one can communicate and create, have choices and opportunities and less of a fear. If I have everything nearby, why should I go to the city, spend on transportation or have improper housing?

Doshi: I think energy is the most important thing. Energy is in everything and becomes a fundamental connector to the things for which we build a city. Whether you are single, a family or a community the question is, is that city going to energise life? Does that city have

Rajeev: People will have the choice, to decide if they want to become part of city or stay small. Our cities, to a large extent, are not the same as what is defined as the city in the West. It is a collection of villages where everything is put together, where farming goes on.

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Cattle are still bred in the city so what kind of place is that? Is that a city or is that rural or is that something in between? I think we need to find our own mix and derive a definition that is specific to us.

Doshi: Now with the internet I don’t think that the world needs to be in one multi storey tower. What you need is the means to realise your dreams. I think the land pressure is actually an illusion. Who wants to be there? Why should you be close by all the time to a million people?

Rajeev: At one level, we are talking about how to achieve choices by decentralising some things and centralising others. We are used to cities as centralised entities and we are saying perhaps the time has come to start thinking of each place as independent and selfsupporting. There are new kinds of arteries and infrastructure that are possible today. I think you can conceive of different cities of different scales or I won’t use the term cities, but rather settlements or habitats at different scales. I believe each one is complete by itself or moving toward this completion, because nothing is ever complete.

This is what people will strive to do and I think that is much better than this whole top down system of delivering these 100 cities and ambitions that these cities are going to be structured around the idea of downtowns that look like Shanghai or Manhattan.

Doshi: What was the reason of the migration in India? The main basis of the diaspora, is the number choices offered by cities which invariably leave the villages starving, without those facilities.

Rajeev: If you look at the base of urbanisation. Most countries have changed over very quickly. Strangely this is not the case in India. There is a larger connection to the land that people feel and the legacy they carry on. Therefore, I believe it’s not going to be a huge change where suddenly everything has to become urban.

Morgan: What about the younger generation who is not satisfied in the village?

Doshi: They are not satisfied because they do not find the facilities they need nearby. Efficiency is not the definition of a Smart City.

Diversity, healthy diversity is the definition of the Smart City. A Smart City is when I have choice and time under my command, as one. Ideal culture gives as much freedom and choice as you desire. When we are talking of a Smart City we are talking about a physical entity of a certain size and scale which will provide for everything one needs.

However, no one is satisfied. They live in Bombay but they want to go in a silent, small place. They are living in a village they want to go to the big city. Rural networks will continue to work in the mental state even if one is occupying an urban space. Smart Cities would destroy any of the informality, diversity and society would become faceless.

Morgan: And this kind of society would also be data driven.

Rajeev: Because we have such deep-rooted connections to our past, anonymity is not relevant. Here you are talking about a traditional society which is still connected in all respects through its connection to its past and its lineage and everyone traces their connections through this lineage. Despite all the ill things about caste, it still matters. Your name gives this away. So where is this anonymity? I think what is going to happen is that the younger generation is forgetting those barriers and inter marrying, forgetting things like North, South, East, West, and that is a good thing but I think what will happen is a process on its own. I don’t think Smart Cities can help us with this. I think when you segregate and say Smart City, who can be a part of the Smart City? Who can afford it?

Doshi: Another thing one should look at is how do people feel secure? How do they connect with their colleagues or friends over a long period of time and what brings them emotional, social, economic security. If you carve those questions then you can make an open ended plan and the rest is left to chance.

Morgan: Who do we need to bring to the table?

Doshi: We need social anthropologists, philosophers, scientists, technocrats and industrialists; we need everybody of different disciplines because actually we are not talking in terms of what is the philosophy of life we are talking only in terms of efficiency. Smart Cities are making, perfecting, efficiency in terms of production and returns. But that is not what life is about.

Morgan Campbell is a 2014/15 Nehru Scholar from New York, USA, affiliated with the Delhi School of Planning and Architecture. Her work investigates gender and class dynamics within urban infrastructure, particularly transportation, and ties this to larger questions of urbanisation processes.

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Recycling material to create pervasive, economical and eco-friendly building components.

REDEFINING THE GREYS OF THE GREEN “Green” has been a fashionable word these days. Unfortunately, more often than not it has remained a word rather than a colour. As a result it gets interpreted in numerous shades.

On one hand, fully glazed building using photo sensitive glass products may be rendered as green, on the other end, building with adequate comfort conditions without use of air conditioners would not find favours with the LEED rating system. There needs to be a boundary defining the blacks and whites of the green. No doubt that with the current state of affairs, which has rendered the environment dismal grey, every possible shade of green may be a welcome tone. The range is vast,hence the priorities need to be defined.

Text, Drawings and Images: courtsey Yatin Pandya - Footprints E.A.R.T.H (Environment Architecture Research Technology Housing) Compilation: Meghna Mehta

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hile turning the television off at night, rather than keeping it on standby mode we can save billions of Rupees worth of Energy (50 million pound estimated for entire UK in a year). We still need to identify our own spectrum of green and chart strategies around the same. It has to be a contextual resolution rather than a global statement. Universal-global norms have been one of the major factors in aggravating the problems. For example, even for the basic essential tasks there are such diverse norms existing in the world that universalising them with the higher denominator as the Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

benchmark will only remain unduly wasteful. For example, an average consumption of water in USA is 600 litres per person per day, in Europe it is 250 litres, 135 litres is the Indian average while in Africa they manage with as little as 30 litres per day. India has 8 vehicles per thousand as compared to nearly 800 of America. Ninety per cent of the world’s cars are owned by sixteen richest nations accounting for only one fifth of world population. No wonder, Christopher Alexander in his studies found nearly sixty per cent of downtown Los angles land devoted to cars. Need India follow suit? India ironically ranks fifth in

approaches to sustainability

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the energy requirements; of which buildings account to nearly forty per cent (Residences 23.4 per cent and Commercial buildings 6.6 per cent). Industries follow next with 36.5 per cent and agriculture 30.7 per cent. As a development agent dealing with the building industry it makes us quite responsible for our decision making.

In daytime usage, nearly ninety two per cent of energy in a building is spent in cooling (60 per cent) and day lighting (32 per cent). The same figures for residential buildings are 64 per cent. This makes it quite logical for us to prioritise cooling and day lighting to be the preoccupation of sustainable designs. How does our decision matter in these aspects? For example a building type can be a critical decision for its energy demands. A multi owner high-rise residential building has energy demands of (59.8 kwh/sqm) one and half times that of the single owner low rise building (40 kwh/sqm), owing largely to the elevators and the energy intensive services. Entertainment centres guzzle three and a half times (135 kwh/sqm) while hotels and data centres are ten times intensive. But topping all the list are the recently found shopping malls pegging energy needs at 565 kwh/sqm.

Needless is the debate whether after all these if they even measure up to the plurality and vitality of the traditional street bazaars. Air conditioners take up nearly half of the energy demands consuming at 1000 watt unit rate versus a fan which is only 80 watts. Need we chart an agenda for twenty per cent reduction of air conditioning load or to resolve to find comfort without one? It is also a fallacy to think that modern times imply more comfort.

Electricity has been invented and applied since over two centuries but the energy consumption of the entire year of 1950, even after 150 years of its invention, is equivalent of today’s consumption of six weeks only. And yet it remains inaccessible to over 40 per cent of world’s population. Where has it been consumed and what are its alternatives? Entire estimated stock of fossil fuel of the world is equivalent of eleven days of solar energy. Moreover one kilowatt of solar panel saves one ton of carbon dioxide. In last fifty years world’s population has doubled and that along with the enhanced consumerism has put strain on the resources. Not to mention the severities of alarming pollution levels. In this reality of the world and times of inundated construction can we take a step back to question ourselves, the taken for granted conclusions?

It is still of value to apply common sense and conventional wisdom in resolving architecture. As architects we are called to take six basic decisions, the sum total of which is architecture.

A) Sitting and Location has severe implications through orientation, exposure and impact of natural forces. In western hot arid zones of India orienting building with its longer faces to North-South compared to East-West, can reduce solar radiation and exposure and thereby the energy demands to nearly half.

B) Form and Mass has potential for confronting natural forces as well as to benefit from mutual shading and scaling. As a thumb rule exposure levels and thereby energy demands can be reduced in a building in hotarid zone up to ten per cent by optimising on volumes of the building in areas such as passages, verandas, toilets, alcoves, etc. Something like split levels. By adding a floor with reduced radiation from the top it gets reduced to about twenty per cent. It is nearly halved by attaching the building from sides as well as stacking floors above.

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Discarded plastic bottles used as building material.

C) Space organisation governs the extrovertedness or introvertedness, compactness or fragmentation, along with directionality and exposure value of the architecture. For example traditional buildings from hot arid regions have been compact, stacked and attached in their form, and have been interspersed with multiple yet small scale courtyards to reduce heat gain. As against Bungalows of the hot-humid zones have been extroverted with veranda like living spaces in the periphery to increase its transparency to breeze.

D) Elements of Space making forms the essential syntax of the architecture and thereby it’s interactivity with external conditions. For example, pavilion like structure with prominence of inclined roof form versus lightness-often absence- of wall is the syntax of hot-humid climate. Conversely predominance of wall and subjugation of roof is the grammar of hot-arid climate zone.

E) Material and Construction techniques are vital in setting forth the chemistry of building with external elements through its thermal coefficient, material properties and dynamics of its physics.

If sunburnt clay block is taken as a unit of energy demand of material, cement is nearly ten times energy intensive, steel thirty times, PVC 120 times and aluminium 160 times.

F) Finishes and surface articulation, although seemingly micro, the skin rendering turns out to be the first aspect of building to negotiate Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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Environmental Sanitation Institute.

with environmental conditions. As the first line soldier it takes most of the brunt of the vagaries of nature. Dark versus white or very light colour rendering with glossier surface can create up to five degree temperature difference within, through its high reflectance value.

Any building, good or bad, demands the architectural decision on these six aspects. If only we understand the wider implications of these decisions we would be able to make informed choices and arrive at the resolutions basically sustaining. While smallest details can matter and advanced technology can help further in achieving efficiency of environment management these device or technology based solutions come later after the basic architectural resolutions.

For example if heat gain through clear glass opening is seen as 100 per cent the double glazing can help reduce it by about ten to twenty per cent. The tainted glass can reduce by about forty per cent. As against external awning or a meter wide eaves band can reduce it easily by over sixty per cent. Thus technology does not absolve us, as doctor of vital forces, from our primary responsibility of managing the basic architectural resolution in consonance with the forces of nature and the local context.

So the debate is not about shying away from the technological advancements but rather to let it play as second fiddle and not to

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SOUTH WEST- NORTH EAST SECTION

SOUTH EAST - NORTH WEST SECTION

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hide architectural fallacies behind the façades of energy intensive technologies. Through history we have known of full wall openings or undeterred views but we resolved them either as perforated Jaali walls in Rajput or Islamic phase or as stained glass openings in colonial phase. Both discouraged ingress of heat and yet provided extended views from inside out while protected outsider’s peek within. Smaller apertures of Jaali created microclimate features to induce velocity of air and cooling of air particle through Ventury and Bernoulli’s principle respectively. There is no logic for omission of overhangs for curtain glazed western or Southern façades in present day buildings, in our extreme hot climatic condition. We seem to have left our bearings somewhere.

Here is a quick overview of the range of architectural resolutions and approaches as explored in our architecture.

Environmental Sanitation Institute is a combination of solar passive as well as solar active strategies. Soil management through cut and fill approach, land as reproductive resource through cultivation, breaking the mass into chequered board pattern of the built and un built to optimise outdoors as active extension of indoors, north-eastern orientation for daytime use spaces while South-western orientation for the night time use spaces, mutual shading through taller masses

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in south and west, projecting profiles of upper floors and roofs for sun shading, ventilated cavity wall construction for active insulation, ferrocement shell roofs for optimisation of structural stresses and reduced material consumption, vaulted roof forms for volume optimisation within, over two million litres of rain water harvesting in cistern, percolating well as well as an open pond, recycling of waste through natural plant based root zone system, generation of methane gas through bio-gas digesters attached to the toilet waste, use of low water sanitary pans, fertilising of the compost, saving of finishing material and maintenance through exposed brick external surfaces, frameless fenestrations, louvered-glazed and perforated window combinations for light-view and ventilation, interactive courtyard and terraces for outdoor use, solar active applications as water heater, solar cooking (100 persons), solar photovoltaic panels producing electricity are some of the nuances applied at the institute that provides training in the areas of alternative low cost solutions for rural sanitation.

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Application of recycled materials in ManavSadhna Activity Centre.

Manavsadhna Activity Centre is a very different interpretation of sustainability. A community centre in a squatter settlement, it uses the building components recycled from the domestic and municipal waste. The entire building is the demonstrative application of waste recycled products indigenously developed. Recycling the waste answers the call of environment through reduced pollution, empowers and employs the poor through value addition processes, and helps towards affordable and durable housing as these products are cheaper and more performing than the present options. The building uses fly ash bricks, dump fill site waste residue bricks, stabilised soil blocks, wood crate panels, glass bottles and waste filled plastic bottles. for walling options. It uses cement bonded sheets with clay tiles, stone slabs, glass-plastic bottle filled filler slabs, etc. for the roofing, wrapping waste reinforced FRP, oil tin container panelling, wood crate panelling, etc. for the doors and windows and in parts wastefly ash-china mosaic tiles and blocks for flooring. These become live demonstrations for the urban poor to emulate in their homes.

Gandhi-nu-Gam: Ludiya, Kutchchh : The devastating earthquake measuring 6.9 at Richter scale struck the state of Gujarat in India on 26 th January 2001, leaving more than 20,000 persons dead and millions homeless. The worst hit was the region of Kutch. Virtually a desert, it has limited natural resources

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for basic sustenance. However, people are full of resilience and sustain through handicraft and skills. The hamlets have circular adobe dwellings with a conical thatch roof, which are richly embellished with clay and mirror work relief. Thus, it is a complete milieu where art, culture and architecture are symbiotically interwoven and cannot be separated. It was therefore important to recognise that any redevelopment effort should be holistic and should not disrupt the established chain of sustenance. Continuum of long set traditions yet introduction of the element of “new” for progressive change was the need of the situation.

Gandhi nu gam was developed entirely through user participation where inhabitants were involved in all key aspects of development such as selection of site, layout plan with location of plot and choice of neighbours, self help house construction, provision of amenities and services. A holistic development where not only shelter system but also economic activities, service infrastructure. support amenities provision, craft development and natural resource management were included to make the living environment complete and sustainable.

A total of 455 Bhungas – circular traditional dwellings in earthquake resistant adobe block construction, schools, health centre, grass bank, shrines, house to house sanitation blocks, solar lighting, rain water harvesting ponds and check-dams are built. Craft and agriculture has also been rejuvenated. Thus the rehabilitation has been sustainable from the point of view of its socio-cultural appropriateness, Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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environmental management, earthquake resistance, opportunities and support amenities provision.

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Shahjehan- an abode for intuitive sojourn Living environment is rendered sustainable through multi prong strategies employed consistently from design to detailing .The formed contiguity and connectivity to intersperse common areas such as living spaces, verandah and entrance vestibule and yet their staggered alignment in plan offered identity and individuality to each unit.

The staggered massing also integrated the unbuilt with the built respectively in north east and southwest corners blurring the sense of front or back. Each side opened positively to nature. Verandah located in the southwest was conceived as the pivot as active living spaces of both homes opened into this sheltered node. This verandah in turn opened and extended into the garden in the south. Thus with sliding folding doors providing least barrier to the interior spaces they visually and physically extended into garden and vegetated nature. Nature is also integrated within through courtyard on ground floor, while terraces and terrace garden on the upper floor. Even verandah has large cut out to sky with temple tree piercing through void connecting both the floors visually and spatially. Large thickly vegetated garden, Water body and deep verandah in the southwest direction offer cooling to prevailing breeze. Sleeping alcoves extending beyond room space provide for cross ventilation over the bed at night. Internal

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Diverse approaches for climatic benefits and energy conservation in the Shahjehan bungalow.

courtyard makes the interior space cheerful with daylight illumination without ingress of heat and direct sun and also helps ventilate warm air out through convective principles. Curvilinear roof profile with slit along the roof not only render the roof floating with a golden glow of setting sun but also create air draft to flush hot air out. Cavity is ventilated through perforations to guide warm air out through convective currents. Roof insulation is provided through an external layer of china mosaic characterised by the non conductive clay and white and glossy surface reflecting sun. Floor surfaces are rendered with natural and local stones animated through textural treatment and inlaid patterns.

Evosys - Evolutionary Systems Pvt. Ltd. Interior space designing for Evolutionary Systems Pvt Ltd – an Information technology multinational corporate on an eleventh floor of a commercial tower was one such challenge except for the client’s brief which had an open window on concerns for “Green” and “Sustainable”. Here is an account of design explorations to evolve humane, interactive and eco friendly interiors within an Information Technology corporate office.

The first bold step is to create practically the entire internal periphery of the floor plate next to windows amounting to nearly as green belt with live plantation indoors. While the periphery takes the shrubs like and, the entrance lounge with additional exposure to outdoors has

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Aesthetically lit up roofs in Shahejehan.

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natural ventilation and cross breeze in a favourable climate conditions through parts of spring, fall and winter. Combination of natural wind and fan could be allowed to maintain comfort as an option and only in intense climate conditions operate through mechanised cooling through air conditioners. Air conditioning is prioritised in peripheral zones intense for working spaces while inner zones rely on borrowed or say sheltered ventilation. Apart from commonsense wisdom the state of the art gadgetry and VRV technologies optimises the tonnage by variable factors of occupancy fluctuation, external conditions and ambient temperatures. Fresh air is introduced in work environments through separate ducting while plants help oxygenate in addition.

General toilets are installed with low flush systems as well as fully dry waterless urinals. The lighting fixtures are energy savers from the current technology band. Self perpetuating water elements like fountains bring in a dash of nature within packaged interior space.

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small trees like Champa (Temple trees). Choice of vegetation and their density is governed by solar orientation, negligible maintenance needs and endurance to indoor conditioned environment. Natural light is put to the optimum use by zoning of activity spaces to periphery, open plan organisation and detailing of partitions with visual transparency.

Bulk of work stations are organised along the perimeter zone next to window within reach of natural light. The passive functions such as server, services and storage as well as closed in functions like audiovisual rooms and teleconferencing areas are organised around opaque – non window- surfaces of the envelope. Inner core meant for circulation, informal lounging and occasional group activities also continue to receive day lighting through glazed partitions or open voids. Predominantly white coloured wall surfaces within also help dissipate light through internal surface reflections. In addition to natural plants roller screens with alternated opaque bands offer softening of the glare as well as manual control of the environment for intensity of light, blocking of direct Sun yet allowance of breeze and partial views outdoors. The direct glare of the fully glazed lounge space is moderated by contemporary application of a traditional ‘jaali’ like element. While, the workspaces are air-conditioned by provision, the fenestration systems are maintained as operable to allow for Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

‘Ujasiyu’- Sustainable and affordable lighting and natural ventilation for slums.

‘Ujasiyu’, which means ‘light’, developed jointly with Mahila housing trust (SEWA) was initiated to improve the living environment and quality of life of the urban poor in Slums.

With the housing deficit of nearly 24.7 million in urban areas of India, nearly half of the population in Indian Cities create their own housing by illegally squatting on the Government or abandoned land. While they build their homes themselves, due to lack of legal tenure, these housing lack the provision of quality and adequate infrastructure which is usually provided by authorities through formal systems. Even the houses so built are built with rudimentary material and crude technologies. High density neighbourhood housing are built compactly as deep long houses - (about 25 sqmt) with wall on three sides shared with the neighbours. This narrow long house space, when internally divided into rooms, the rear rooms invariably remain devoid of any light, ventilation or view. This implies that even in broad day light the families need to use bulb/artificial lighting all the time including the daytime. This unduly increases their electricity bills for lighting the space as well through undue use of fan in cooling the place. It also means that their living spaces being dark and dingy (un ventilated) are detrimental for occupant’s health mental and physical health. It also adversely affects the home-based economic activities due to non comfortable work environments.

In such a milieu the intention was to derive cost effective, non mechanised and sustainable solutions to illuminate and ventilate the room spaces with natural daylight possibilities. This would have multi-folded advantages such as health related by having ventilated and well lit quality of indoor air and spaces; economical advantages by savings in electricity costs, by also increasing work efficiency for home based workshops and productions; as well as environmental aspects by consuming and wasting less energy.

To achieve this goal, a number of strategies were employed. First was to undertake a detailed and scientific home surveys in hundreds households by noting the number of lighting fixtures (bulbs) and fans in the house along with fuel based implements like stove, etc. Their monthly electricity bills and fuel bills were recorded. These surveys were conducted after intense social engineering and community rapport building through meetings and home visits. Volunteers from the community itself were prepared and eventually hired for survey.

After initial energy consumption survey, the surveyed households

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for hot air ventilation keeping the place naturally ventilated through convective principles, avoiding undue use of fan and improving indoor air quality with fresh air exchanges. For night time use low energy electrical fixtures came in handy. Thus as integrated strategy these initiatives offered 50 per cent saving every month per household simply in electricity bills. These ventilating elements were called “Ujasiyu” one that cheers up - which further, on direct demand based, bottom up from the actual end users were produced and provided.

In less than two years they are so far already installed in hundred and forty houses alone in the slums of Ahmedabad, Gujarat State and the task is in progress to spread it through most houses of the slum settlement. It is also being introduced and replicated in the state of Madhya Pradesh, other cities, Surat and Vyara in Gujarat itself, in Urban and Rural settlements.

Thus Green comes in various shades. It is a phenomenon and not a formula. It is a concept more than a configuration. As architects we alter the landscape forever and as responsible professionals we need to understand and own its consequence. Green has to be our resolve rather than a mere rendering.

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An affordable, local and easily applicable approach to sustainability.

were provided with alternative low energy consuming lighting fixtures, electrical appliances and fuel alternatives. These were mounted and old tungsten bulb lighting and energy inefficient fixtures were removed. For three months after these altered devices monthly electricity bills were recorded. There was a significant reduction in electricity bill by 30 per cent. This significant and evident savings in electricity convinced the house owners to go with efficient fixtures, which as required, were customised and bulk purchased at discounted rates for permanent replacement During the monitoring phase of replaced fixtures and cooking implements, design interventions were developed to economically and appropriately provide natural day lighting and ventilation. Multiple alternative solutions were evolved and five different prototypes were developed and actually mounted in the volunteer’s homes. Community was invited to experience the performance themselves. Based on their popular choice, one of the four options was selected for bulk production. The chosen option was the fibre reinforced translucent corrugated sheets with built in dormer window for ventilation.

Translucent sheet provided diffused glare and heat free light and very effectively illuminated inner rooms through natural light during day time, while the aperture of dormer provided for natural passage for air

Yatin Pandya is an author, activist, academician, researcher as well as a practising architect, with his firm FOOTPRINTS E.A.R.T.H. (Environment Architecture Research Technology Housing). Graduate of CEPT university, Ahmedabad he has availed Master of Architecture degree from McGill University, Montreal. He has been involved with city planning, urban design, mass housing, architecture, interior design, product design as well as conservation projects. He has written over two hundred articles in National and International Journals. Several books authored by him on architecture, especially “Concepts of space in traditional Indian architecture”, and “Elements of space making” have been published internationally. He has also been involved in preparing over 30 video documentaries on Architecture. He has been visiting faculty at National Institute of design, CEPT University and a guest lecturer/critic to various universities in India and abroad. He has served as a thesis guide to nearly 200 Graduate, Masters and PhD students.

He has lectured in over fifteen countries in over hundred forums.

He has won over twenty five National and International awards for architectural design, research as well as dissemination. Environmental sustainability, Socio-cultural appropriateness, Timeless aesthetics and Economic affordability are key principles of his work.

FACT FILE: P rojects : Environmental Sanitation Institute, Manavsadhna

Activity Centre, Gandhi-nu-Gam, Shahjehan, Evosys -

Evolutionary Systems Pvt Ltd, ‘Ujasiyu’ developed

jointly with Mahila housing trust (SEWA) Location : Gujarat, India Architect : Yatin Pandya, Footprints E.A.R.T.H (Environment

Architecture Research Technology Housing) Client : Various

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An installation as an expression of freedom and a symbol of knowledge.

REVIVING THE DERELICT

UNBOUND, LIBRARY OF LOST BOOKS, PLAÇA DE SALVADOR SEGUÍ, BARCELONA, SPAIN Architect Anupama Kundoo designed the ‘Library of Lost Books’ based on the theme ‘Liberty’ as a part of the 300 th year commemoration of Barcelona’s historical event, a project by the Municipality of Barcelona (Ajuntament de Barcelona) – Tricentenari Barcelona (BCN RE.Set). The project is fundamentally a bookless library with an animate program of reading.

This library can be rightly described as ‘unbound’, a term that describes books, expresses freedom and anchors the idea of boundaries of knowledge being limitless.

Text: Meghna Mehta Drawings: courtesy Anupama Kundoo architects Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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ooks have unarguably been the most imperative carriers of knowledge and growth in our society; however their importance is progressively diminishing. Transition in the form of the book through time; has led it to become lighter, unkempt and often only virtual.

However the act of reading continues to be celebrated. Books act as transitory elements of knowledge which pass through the hands of many readers through libraries and institutions, while some lie unused on shelves of owners, or still with publishers.

“The concept of ‘liberty’ has been explored in this project by creating a space that celebrates the act of ‘reading’, an abode that symbolises the expression of freedom and a space where knowledge is free.”quotes the architect.

Organised by the local authorities, Anupama Kundoo was the only Indian architect of 6 other international ones who were invited to design the installation based on various themes and hence a rather universal yet grounded idea drove the design process. An influential thought that knowledge is empowerment which will lead to progress, has been appropriately expressed into an outdoor space under the shade of these ‘Reading trees’ free from the confines of a walled building.

Through this project installation, which can be applied at any location, the intention was to re-imbibe the power of reading and encourage its continued growth and survival. As the key elements of the project, some ‘obsolete’ books locked in storages about to be defunct, are saved from pulping and reclaimed as a construction material, to build a canopy which will give shade to those who engage in ‘reading’, ‘listening to stories’ and can be later used for ‘free exchange’ without exchanging money. Thus the pure physicality of the form of the books is used in the design process to convey a simple idea to serve the community to revive valuable habits.

After dismantling the installation, the books used to construct the canopy can be made available to the public as a souvenir commemorating the event. This installation would thus form to be an existential one that strives to exist for many years and once declared redundant the books can be distributed free of cost.

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Unwanted books used as building material.

“My hope is that light, flexible architecture might bring about a new and open society.” Frei Otto The team at Anupama Kundoo Architects followed a design process constantly abiding by the moto,“Liberation is lightness”. The lightweight structures for heavy-weight books transcend the ‘weight’ to focus on the perception of the ‘light’ element of the book, which is the content. This installation can be an excellent one at free lands of institutions, plazas and community centres to encourage the revival of the lost joy of reading. Books made of paper are at the environmental cost of deduced trees. Hence these reclaimed books are used to reconstruct these ‘Reading trees’ as a symbol of acknowledgement, creating an open-air library to re-generate the mere delight in the process of reading.

Technical Description Three canopy structures of different sizes and varying heights, called ‘Reading Trees’, shade the existing square of Salvador Seguí in Barcelona, Spain through central supports like trunks. The technical Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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Regenerating communal spirit through architecture.

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outward thrust of each through the thrust of the other in the opposite direction. At the top, the ends of poles are connected through a web of steel cables.

The canopy consists of a fabric made of plastic-wrapped book modules that are assembled together and attached to the structure using cable wire. The plastic wrapping is the same as the vacuum packaging of delicate items like ham and olives and symbolise the attempt to extend the shelf life of the book and create the association of a highly valued though familiar object.

The design process by the team for the structural base and its various components was developed using a module of straws and through experimentation the final form was achieved. The technicalities of this process were comprehended and executed in a very short span of time determining its ease of construction and execution.

The project with its strong concept and diverse applications stands to rejuvenate the social, cultural and educational intentions that the design set out to achieve.

Anupama Kundoo Anupama Kundoo graduated from Sir JJ College of Architecture, University of Mumbai in 1989, and received her PhD degree from the TU Berlin in 2008.

She has built extensively in India and has had the experience of working, researching and teaching in a variety of cultural contexts across the world: TU Berlin, AA School of Architecture London, Parsons New School of Design New York, University of Queensland Brisbane, IUAV Venice and ETSAB Barcelona.

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Simple processes and diverse application for collective benefits.

design is a reflection of the symbolic intention of using knowledge to ‘liberate’ the structure from its weight expressing lightness and effortlessness.

The structure is constructed out of steel tubular profiles of varying diameters according to the load they carry similar to branches of trees. Smaller diameter tubes penetrate the larger diameter ones leaning outwards to progressively create a large overhang. The penetration of tubes is enabled through precise laser cut apertures in the larger diameter tubes. The subsequently smaller diameter tube penetrates the larger tubes twice to establish a triangulated geometry in the joints and strengthen them.

The arrangement of interlocking steel tubes achieves a large cantilever with little material. Although the trees have different spans, 10m, 9m and 8m diameter respectively, the same radial assembly is used to achieve ease in fabrication through repetition.

Heavy concrete bases receive the trunks, indicated through the polygonal design of the bases that are pentagonal, hexagonal and heptagonal. These varying polygons symbolise the diversity of expressions of an idea resulting from similar units and scales.

The radially placed steel profile assemblies are connected to each other in the central area through a web of cables to balance the

Kundoo’s internationally recognised and award-winning architecture practice started in 1990. She received an honourable mention in the ArcVision International Prize for Women in Architecture in 2013. She recently proposed her strategies for a future city for Africa, as part of the Milan Triennale 2014. She is also the author of ‘Roger Anger: Research on Beauty/Recherche sur la Beauté, Architecture 1958-2008’ published in Berlin by Jovis Verlag and is currently Professor at UCJC Madrid where she is Chair of ‘Affordable Habitat.’

FACT FILE: Project : Location : Architect : Design Team : Client : Project Area : Structural Engineers :

Civil Contractors : Carpentry Contractors : Project by :

Organised by : Curators : In collaboration with :

Sponsors : Initiation of the Project : Completion of the Project :

Unbound: The Library of Lost Books Plaça de Salvador Seguí (Barcelona) Anupama Kundoo Anupama Kundoo, Ali Dabirian, Alba Balmaseda Barcelona City Council 400 m2 Mike Schlaich and Arndt Goldack (TU Berlin); Lara Pellegrini, Diego Sisí and Joan Agustí (Pedelta Barcelona) Sigmatot Esteve Miret Ajuntament de Barcelona – Tricentenari Barcelona called BCN RE.Set Fundaciò Enric Miralles.

Benedetta Tagliabue and Àlex Ollé.

Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IaaC), University of Queensland (UQ) and Technischen Universität Berlin (TU).

Viabizzuno (lighting).

June 2014 June 2014

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Fifth Avenue façade.

A NEW KIND OF URBAN CAMPUS Designed by SOM, the University Centre in New York is an innovative design that responds to the school’s increasing demand for state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary spaces.

Text: Lavina Bulchandani Drawings: courtesy Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Images: courtesy James Ewing Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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ocated at the intersection of Fifth avenue and Fourteenth Street, the University Centre is an extension to the New School originally situated in New York’s Greenwich Village. Being a testimony for progressive education, the New School has grown in to a major degree granting university over the last fifteen years. Now accommodating nearly 10,000 students, who carry on the legacy of research driven approaches to academics, the current campus saw the need of an upgrade. This pedagogical model proved challenging to maintain without the physical provision to support it. The University Centre both supports and furthers this model through its innovative design and responds to the school’s increasing demand for state-of-the-art, interdisciplinary spaces.

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Constructing an academic utility of 375,000sqft the architects at SOM had an ambition to shape this University Centre as a ‘campus within a building’ that would give a new form to the traditional university environment. The 16 storey centre houses design studios, laboratories, interdisciplinary classrooms, the main university library, a nine floor student residence, an 800 seat auditorium, a café, and flexible academic and social spaces for student activity.

Breaking away from the conventional method of compartmentalising its functions, this design organises its spaces in a vertical fashion.

The learning, living, dining, and socialising spaces are interspersed vertically to create strategic adjacencies and heightening the university’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning. Connections Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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between these spaces take the form of stacked staircases and “sky quads” that facilitate the chance encounters vital to the cultivation of discussion and debate at The New School.

Nestled with the strong streetscape of New York, the University Centre building mediates between the cast-iron facades of the Ladies’ Mile Historic District to the north and the brownstones of the Greenwich Village Historic District to the south and west. The innovative interior design techniques are also reflected in the exterior of the building. Tightly woven, purpose-built spaces clad in hand finished brass shingles contrast with the open connective tissue of the stairs and quads visible through a glazed skin. Owing to its strong external character and interactive interior space, the University Centre broadcasts the experimental nature of the school’s new home, creating a dialogue between the campus community, the local neighbourhood, and the city.

The University Campus The University Centre is a pristine urban campus that is envisioned within a building. Anchored by this 230,000sqft of campus amenities at the building’s base, this school also houses a 130,000sqft residential tower. This design reimagines the organising elements of a traditional campus, from quads to classrooms and living quarters.

The various interactive spaces are connected with a series of vertical, horizontal and diagonal connectors that not only facilitate movement throughout the enclosure but also avail the opportunity for node of chance conversation and spontaneous communication to develop. Academic spaces are flexible and easily adaptable, and can Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

be renovated or reconfigured with minimal impact on power, data, or lighting to meet changing needs.

Raw finishes and an exposed mechanical system further ensure flexibility in the academic spaces. To bring light into the 30,000sqft academic floor plates, clerestory windows line both walls of the main corridor. Horizontal windows and light shelves naturally illuminate classroom ceilings, reducing lighting loads.

Pathways to Discussion and Debate The network of stairways of the University Centre as almost like living creature that has crawled organically within the mass of this academic block. Pulsating with life, these connectors play a critical role in the design and work in conjunction with the skip-stop elevators to move large numbers of students vertically through the building.

Stacked one above the other, the fire stair is designed for quick circulation, while the broader, open “communicating stair” allows for travel between floors at a more leisurely pace. With faceted walls clad in glass-fibre-reinforced concrete panels, the high-use stairways are a place for chance meetings between students and faculty, and encourage social interaction and interdisciplinary exchange.

Circulation paths that weave vertically, horizontally and diagonally through the building lead into and activate sky quads—interactive spaces that also orient users due to their adjacency to stairways and corridors. These sky quads promote formal and informal encounters between the students and faculty. To avoid crowded conditions and delays during class-change times in this vertical campus, peak

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elevator demand is mitigated through the combination of the intuitive system of stairways and a skip-stop elevator system. During peak times, the elevators stop at floors one, four, and six, and stairs are utilised to access the intermediate floors, while at off-peak times, the elevators stop at all floors. Through the use of clerestory windows in hallways and on the façade, the University Centre provides for daylighting along paths of travel, and the design is organised to encourage walking between destinations, as well as spaces for social interaction.

A Commitment to Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Designed to meet LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council, the University Centre sets the New York City standard for green technology and building practices with super-efficient LED lights, occupancy sensors, a 265-kilowatt cogeneration plant, and sustainably sourced materials.

Envisioned as a model of energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and sustainability, the building anticipates 31 per cent energy savings over a code-compliant school. Both passive and high-tech solutions increase energy efficiency. The envelope of the building is limited to 35 per cent glass, which decreases solar heat gain while optimising interior daylighting. The shingled cladding shades the windows up to 20 per cent during daylight hours. An ice-storage system, located in the second basement, uses electricity from the power grid during off-peak times to freeze water in a series of chambers; the ice melts during the day, reducing consumption during peak times. Heat recovery wheels recover heat from exhaust air and help heat supply Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

air, saving energy. A green roof, funded in part by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, mitigates the heat-island effect, as well as storm-water runoff, capturing water for both grey and black-water treatment facilities in the building. Waterless urinals contribute to potable-water conservation. Composting is employed with an in-vessel composter in the cafeteria.

The building serves as a living element of the curriculum, providing on-site training to the next generation of green leaders to students in environmental studies, sustainability management, and urban design. Design elements that demonstrate architectural, structural, mechanical and green building strategies are visible through signage and working exhibits. Back-of-the-house systems have been transformed into instructional spaces for New School students and facilities staff, as well as for professional organisations and unions, who are expected to use the building for hands-on training.

FACT FILE: Project Location Architect Client Project Area Structural Engineer Civil Engineer MEP Engineer Initiation of Project Completion of project

: : : : : : : : : :

University Centre, The New School New York City, New York, USA Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP The New School 370,000sqft DeSimone Consulting Engineers Langan Environmental & Engineering Services Cosentini Associates 2005 2013 (formal opening ceremony 2014)

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AESTHETICS OF SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

By Jigna Desai

Sustainability has been understood fundamentally as an issue of earth’s ability to house human life, or rather, as our ability to ‘manage’ the earth and its finite resources in a way that human life could be sustained for a longer period of time. In short the question that is asked is; will the human race survive?

Can we ‘manage’ human actions to ensure our survival?

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hile the debates about the authenticity of this crisis are still on, there is an overwhelming perception that things need to change drastically and fundamentally. Architects, after having practiced with an assumption of abundance, have responded to it in variety of ways.

However, there are two known extremes to these directions. There are ‘conservationists’ who believe in the precautionary measures of relieving the pressures on ecology through preservation of resources and there are ‘eco-modernists’, who believe in redesigning all the existing systems of making architecture (and all other products) into a cyclic process of renewal and regeneration 1. One of the extremes points towards a simple life of the past and the other towards a flawless futuristic world. If one looks at most of the buildings that are discussed as a part of the ‘sustainable architecture’ discourse in India, one can categorise them in similar poles. 2 If one dwells into the discussions that go on as a part of these projects, what is striking is that, while they take seemingly opposite ideological positions, they treat an architectural project essentially as a ‘product’ with an onus of creating formal values and the aspects of sustainability are dealt through innovations in technologies rather than as social, political, environmental and economical processes. 3 More importantly, majority of a built environment (if i may call it the ‘main-stream practice’) continues to incorporate certain ‘strategies’ of sustainable design as and when possible while continuing with the ‘business as usual’. Main stream discourses of architecture, more or less, are still about ‘apolitical formalism’ that discusses aesthetics as a metaphorical expression or worse, for the sake of it. 4 The critical distance of the architect from the project is still a norm in such discourses and processes of making these products do not provide any place for contingencies that occur due to the place or the people involved in making of it.

In this article, I argue that it is neither the polarised thinking nor the critical distance that will take us closer to responding to the crisis of sustainability or pursuing new sense of aesthetics. We as practitioners need to work in close proximity to the projects/ its processes of making and blur the boundaries between various and seemingly opposite ‘formalist’ and technological points of view.

For the practice of architecture to truly respond to challenges of sustainability, we will need to question and take radical positions visa-vis the processes of architectural production and through that arrive at aesthetics of sustainable design.

Man is an aesthetic being before becoming an ethical being, sustainable architecture has a future only if we can make it aesthetically exciting and seducing. Paradoxically, sustainability has to be turned into a new concept of beauty. 5 - Juhaani Pallasmaa Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

Ecology of the Built Environment The idea of context, in most architectural projects is understood as the immediate physical surroundings and the design of a project in most cases as an aesthetic or a functional problem solving pursuit.

N J Habraken, in his book Palladio’s Children (Taylor and Francis, 2005) uses the word field to define the context and the purpose of an

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Today... It (architecture) must become more primitive and more refined at the same time: more primitive in terms of meeting the most fundamental human needs with an economy of expression and meditating man’s relation to the world... and more sophisticated in the sense of adapting to cyclic systems of nature in terms of both matter and energy. Ecological architecture also implies a view of building more as a process than a product... After the decades of affluences and abundance, architecture is likely to return to the aesthetics of necessity in which the elements of metaphorical expressions and practical craft fuse into each other again: utility and beauty again united.6 - Juhaani Pallasma

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‘architectural enterprise’. He argues that the term field encompasses all that a built environment is related to (physical or otherwise/ of place and its people) and includes the need to understand the interrelationships of its various aspects. He also argues that fields are not static and in most cases endure constant change. An architect’s role in this field must be to recognise and shape the interventions with a view to maintaining continuity and triggering change. Instead, we as architects believe that we can ‘design’ the field towards a desired goal or transform it completely to a new imagination. The irony is that while we keep ourselves at a ‘critical distance’ from this field to ensure that our creative pursuits are not ‘limited’ by the reality of the situation, as ‘designers’ we feel free to take up the role of completely altering that reality. We take decisions that are at times quite outside our agency as architects, resulting in a vast gap between what we design and what becomes of it.

This is especially true while intervening in fields that are rich with indigenous knowledge of and relationship with environment and ecology. I will illustrate this with a study of Huangbayu in China done by anthropologist Shannon May 7. Huangbayu was designed as the model village and as a demonstration of sustainable development based on the cradle to cradle design principles. The China – US Centre for Sustainable Development had assigned the work of designing a master plan to William McDonough + Partners who completed it in 2004. The Master plan followed all principles of the cradle to cradle theory by suggesting the use of locally sourced, rapidly renewable materials that can become a part of the technological cycle or the biological cycle, powering the buildings though waste and solar power, centralisation and optimisation of the productive land, considerations to quality of life etc. However, the project fell apart in its execution stages owing to apparent conflicts, personal interests, technical inexperience, faulty materials, lack of supervision and poor communication, amongst other things. Most architects working with such transformative ideas in an Indian context will identify with this and probably empathise with the reasons stated.

Shannon May’s analysis of this situation, as presented in her paper published in The New Directions of Sustainable Design (ed. Adrian Parr and Michael Zaretsky, 2011), suggests that the reason for failure of such projects lie in the architects’ ‘modernist sensibilities’ of isolating the field from its people. ‘Local’ in this sensibility just means environment, its resources, not the people and their practices.

The designer is considered to have the right of ‘restoring the natural order’ with universal principles of modernity and sustainability and in the process, the right to alter the spatial and temporal, social and economic relationships that the people have formed in their environments. Sustainable Design (or designing for ‘modernity’) in such cases, according to her, unintentionally becomes a ‘scheme’ to transfer economic values from existing communities to a centralised body for ‘governance’, rather than an intervention that is intended to sustain life in a place.

Designing for Contingencies of the process Issues of sustainability, in practice, do not present themselves as ideological moorings, but as contingencies in a project. Lack of availability of sand on a site, power restrictions, water shortage, lack of accessibility of skilled/ unskilled labour are all results of larger Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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An alumnus from Cardiff University, Wales and School of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad, Jigna is the founding director and consultant of the firm JMA Design Collaborative, Ahmedabad. Jigna is a full time faculty at CEPT University since 2008 and is involved in teaching and research in architecture, sustainable design and conservation. Having done her specialisation in sustainable design, she brings to the firm frameworks of sustainability. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral Studies and has worked extensively on conservation projects in different parts of Gujarat and has carried out advocacy for community based conservation with institutions such as the Khamir Crafts Park in Bhuj, India and Center for Environmental Education in Ahmedabad, and is the coordinator for the UNESCO Chair for Education for Sustainable Development and Human Habitat.

environmental or social crises that are often considered as ‘barriers’ in a project. In most cases architects respond to these ‘barriers’ by finding ways to overcome them and as a result put more pressure on the crisis or by ‘compromising’ their designs through minor changes.

These ‘products’ then have their own life and when they are not able to adapt to changing situations are demolished for new forms to take their place.

Jeremy Till, in his book Architecture Depends (2013), argues that of all professions, the process of making architecture is the messiest and most exposed to the contingencies of day to day life (and as identified, to aspects of sustainability). However, the theories and practice of architecture, he argues, continue to operate in a ‘black box’ of autonomy and isolation. He links it to the processes the education of an architect, where a design studio is a laboratory for students to practice a process of design simulating a ‘real life situation’.

Each school has over the period of time arrived at its own process of teaching the practice of architecture, which the student exercises devoid of any ‘real’ contingencies to ‘create’ a pure ‘product’ that is then to be defended against all odds. He argues that, this becomes an accepted norm of the practice of the profession and for an architect; the goal of our practice is to be able to successfully execute our design or the closest ‘formal’ version of it.

While the self referential nature of architectural discourse and its practice has been critiqued by many including Jane Jacobs albeit for different reasons, the relevance of this critique can be considered to be quite urgent in the face of the crisis of sustainability. It is arguably the most difficult hurdle to cross to be able to arrive at innovations for the newly identified realities and to radically rethink our notions of beauty and aesthetics. Architecture that responds to contingencies during its process of construction and its life must necessarily be open to making drastic choices during any phase of the process. These are informed choices that respond to and incorporate in their process of design, the ‘situated knowledge’ of people involved in it (as ‘makers’, ‘builders’ and as occupiers). The end of the process in this case is not a predetermined ‘product’ with a specific aesthetics but an end to a collective process that is based on a shared vision.

Conserve and Scavenge While, we as architects dream of what we ‘create’ as an everlasting built environment, the reality of the world within which we practice is that design, construction and demolition are much closer in time than we expect them to be. This clubbed with the pace at which we are making new buildings would lead to a serious resource crisis in near future 8. The response to this crisis is quite obvious where for any project an architect would consider conserving resources or using Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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them in a way that they become a part of a cyclic process. How does it translate in practice?

The production of any new object is always followed by waste, but to imagine our projects as inevitable ‘waste’ is to understand architecture as a part of a time cycle that is not related to the idea of history or memory, but to production 9. It establishes architecture’s relationship to the environment as a temporary one and thus leads to more fundamental questions like; why build, unless the new intervention has meaning in the field, in terms of the sense of place and value to the people? Why not reuse, if there is a possibility of adapting the existing built environment, which has inherent values, to new programs and new possibilities? Can the existing buildings which are ‘out of their time’ become the new mines for recovering materials?

Can new materials be generated out of these ‘urban mines’? Can we design reversible buildings in a way that architecture lends itself to active recovery? 10 In principle, these questions point to the approaches taken by architects practicing in the area of conservation, where fundamental to any project is the ethics of minimal and reversible intervention in the built environment that is threatened 11.

As opposed to the scarcity of resources we face, the thought processes of designing and making architecture that we inherit belong to a modernist paradigm whose values are based on the idea of abundance. The resultant aesthetics is of a ‘product’ that is valued for its purity of form and universality of expression. To respond to the crisis of sustainability we will have to free ourselves and our practice from that and pursue a new aesthetics that is radically close to the field, innovates in response to contingencies of the process and is rooted in the ethics of conservation.

References: 1 As explained by Carter, N. in his book The Politics of the Environment; Ideas, Activism, Policy (Cambridge University Press, 2001). It divides the approaches to sustainability in two distinct categories; one following the precautionary principle and another being a modernist one.

2 Mathur, D. Examining the technological approach to environmentally sustainable architecture in India. Paper available on https://www.inter-disciplinary.net/ptb/ejgc/ ejgc5/mathur%20paper.pdf on 14th May, 2015.

3 Ibid.

4 As discussed by Cruz, T. Letter to the Profession of Architecture, New Directions of Sustainable Design (ed. Parr A. and Zaretsky, M. Routledge, 2011).

5 Available on an online portal www.ads.org.uk/. As on 14th May, 2015 6 The information is sourced from Shannon May’s blog http://www.shannonmay.com/ Huangbaiyu_Facts_3.html as accessed on 14th May, 2015.

7 Sand Slips, A report Published in Down to Earth Magazine (online portal http://www. downtoearth.org.in/content/sand-slips, as accessed on 14th May, 2015) identifies the sand crisis faced by the construction industry.

8 Jeremy Till elaborates on this idea extensively in the chapter Time of Waste (page 67 – 73) in his book Architecture Depends. (London, MIT Press, 2009) 9 A paper co-authored with Mehul Bhatt titled Design for Recovery demonstrates the possibilities of this approach in practice. This paper was presented in the PLEA Conference at Ahmedabad and is available on http://www.plea2014.in/wp-content/ uploads/2014/12/Paper_3D_2353_PR.pdf as on 14th May, 2015.

10 In this paragraph I refer to the ethics of conservation identified by Bernard Feilden his seminal book Conservation of Historic Buildings (London, Butterworths, 1982.

Page 6) and argue that if environment and its ecological relationships are considered to be as valuable as the architectural object, the ethics of reversibility and minimal intervention (the one that “allows as much existing material to be retained”, physical and well as non-physical can be considered a good place to start.

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Revival of traditional technology for the survival of heritage buildings Text and Research: Neeta Das Sketches: courtesy Gaurav Baneerji based on photographs taken by Neeta Das Edited by: Meghna Mehta

Introduction: he negation of history and all things traditional during the Modern period, due to the advent of the new technology with use of cement, steel, and glass in the early twentieth century marked the decline of the customary building crafts and skills. Architectural graduates (including from engineering colleges) were educated in this new technology and materials. More and more buildings were built out of cement, steel, and RCC fast replacing the traditional lime, brick, and stone buildings.

The masons too moved away from the old systems of construction as they found more work in this ‘new’ sector. So by the middle of the 20 th century, when craftsmen and masons, who were conversant with the traditional methods, were needed for conservation, very few were to be found. By the beginning of the twenty first century an urgent need was thus felt for the development of a revival of the knowledge of the tradition construction materials and techniques since the availability, choice of materials and construction techniques are one of the major considerations in the development of architecture. Therefore research and study of the traditional systems becomes very important.

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In this research essay Neeta Das explores various materials through the process of development of houses through the history of India affected by various social, political and cultural aspects, leading to the change in the use of building material and technology that brought in innovative methods in design and construction. ↑

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Fig 1. Different types and sizes of bricks used in historic houses.

Fig 2. Construction of a flat roof with lakhori bricks in Kanpur.

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Development of the construction system Most houses in India over the years were built by brick as it was the most easily available and economical material. With the passage of time the types of bricks and their construction systems changed. (Fig. 1) However, the forms and plans of the houses did not evolve. One of the basic concepts considered in construction is the spanning of spaces, the accumulation of gravitational forces, and their transmission to the ground. Building techniques necessitated materials with high tensile strength and a reasonable weight-strength ratio.

Initially, for spanning, only organic and perishable materials were used and therefore, these structures did not survive. The medieval buildings however, started using timber as the main spanning material for houses. Smaller houses used a wooden flat roof which in turn was covered by wooden planks. Flat bricks were laid over these wooden members, covered with lime concrete and plastered on top. However, timber greatly restricted the span due to the restricted length and size of wood available. This resulted in the development of arcuate systems made of bricks and stones such as domes and vaults. Larger houses adapted arcuate roofs, using arches, domes, and vaults, as

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and when needed. Flat roofs with large spans have been constructed with brickwork that is similar to a dome and is circular. (Fig. 2) The ceiling almost seems like a flat dome with squinches. Structural iron only came to India with the coming of the British and was earlier used occasionally in gates and for ornamentation. Thus, any house can easily be dated by examining the spanning material used. The other factors that can assist in determining the date of a building are the construction system, the binder and the size of the bricks.

Brick Medieval houses were made of small bricks called lakhori or nana shahi, which were about six inches by four inches, hand made, and burnt. They were joined and plastered with a mix of lime, coarse sand, surkhi (powdered bricks), and organic admixtures. These bricks could be shaped as per requirement to give circular shapes, muqarnas, and decorative patterns. The walls made from these bricks were thick, size depending on the size of the structure, and could be produced upto one metre in thickness. Modern methods of bonding were not used however the mixture was a type of concrete, prepared with bricks as aggregate and binder as mortar. (Fig. 3.3) These buildings usually had floorings made out of brick, plaster or stone. Most houses were finished with plaster and white washed in lime.

The years between 1800 and 1900 saw the greatest changes in brick manufacturing in the history of the world. Brick making was transformed from a handicraft into a mechanised industry. After the Industrial Revolution, the demand for bricks also increased. Railway tunnels, sewers, factories, housing, and office blocks were built in the wake of the industrial era. These structures had to be built rapidly and economically. This demand was filled in by brick which saw great advances in its manufacturing. New methods were developed in 19 th century Britain to mould bricks mechanically to make bricks of uniform size and the manufacturing went up to 25,000 bricks a days. New kilns were also introduced by the middle of the 19 th century. This further enhanced the efficiency of brick making and thereby increasing its daily production. Some structures also had to be built sometimes under water as in the case of sewers and sometimes with large spans which led to the development of new materials that could be used for speedy construction under water, such as cement. 1 Lime and cement Lime for ages had been the primary material used as a binder but its slow setting property made the construction process slow. To look for a better product to replace it, further researches by bricklayer Joseph Aspdin in 1824 came up with a new artificial binder created by mixing clay and chalk in correct proportions and burning them, called Portland cement. This cement could set faster, even under water, was stronger, and more easy to use than lime. It quickly replaced lime by the middle of the twentieth century.

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Fig 3. Brick floorings in a mosque in Qadian, Punjab.

Iron and steel The fireproofing quality of brick made it an attractive material for construction however, there was no alternative material for spanning as timber was still being used. Apart from timber being easily inflammable, it was used only to make roofs and lintels over doors and windows. Alternatives to brick domes and vaults had been used in the medieval times but they were difficult to make and extremely time consuming. The invention of new and improved methods of smelting cast iron in 1709 by Abraham Darby, with the use of coke, meant Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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Fig 4. Flat roof with bricks laid on wooden beams, Kolkata.

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Fig 5. Roof constructed with steel joists and wooden/ steel beams, Kolkata

that large members such as iron columns and beams could now be produced and used in the spanning and construction of structures to replace timber. 2 Metal can be considered in two categories, ferrous and non-ferrous; ferrous metals contain iron as their main ingredient. Iron is the most common and inexpensive material and by weight makes up to 15 per cent of the planet’s crust where it is found as iron ores. The use of iron changed life away from agriculture towards industry. Three types of ferrous metals are found in historic architecture; wrought iron, cast iron, and mild steel. Wrought iron has a very low percentage of carbon (less than 0.12 per cent) and is produced by heating and hammering the iron ore. It is resistant to corrosion but has a very low tensile strength and is therefore used for making wires, ornamental grills, railings, nails, chains, straps, etc. The iron pillar in the Qutub complex was made of wrought iron in 310 AD and has survived without corrosion.

Cast iron on the other hand has a high per cent of carbon (1.7 per cent) and is made by melting and pouring it into moulds where it cools and solidifies. This type of metal is very brittle and has been used to make building columns, fire grates, and railings, etc. Steel, which is an alloy of iron and carbon (0.3 per cent:1 per cent) has been used extensively in recent times. Low carbon steels (less than 0.25 per cent) are called mild steel, first produced in 1856 by Henry Bessemer’s converter, are used extensively as structural members in the buildings, bridges, etc.

All the three types of ferrous metals noted above are magnetic. 3 Construction systems used by the British The builders of the East India Company continued the old tradition of making bricks by hand. However, as they wanted to make buildings faster, they often used a big size brick (11.5 X 6 X 3 inches). Bricks were not uniform in size and they were slightly curved in the centre indicating bending of the wet clay brick as it was transported by the labor for drying and was carried by hand. They continued to use lime mortar for making walls. The walls were quite thick in comparison to those built today. In utilitarian buildings mud mortar can also be seen. Timber continued to be the main spanning material but gradually the use of steel beams can be seen in some structures replacing the timber. (Fig. 4, 5) Indian Architect & Builder - June 2015

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Fig 6. A jack arch roof constructed with iron beams and brick.

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Fig 7. Curved wooden roof suspended from a steel truss, Lucknow

The new inventions and advancements brought by the British in Britain percolated into India and were applied in abundance in the construction of the newly acquired British colony. Canals and railways made it easier to transport the two most important raw materials of the time: steel and coal, across the length and breadth of the country.

Timber and brick as spanning materials were replaced by steel. (Fig. 6) The steel beam replaced the timber beam and brick vaults replaced by jack arches which were light weight. (Fig. 7) Most commonly used roof in the brick region was the reinforced brick construction, where alternately brick and iron rods were placed on lime mortar, allowed to set, and then plastered over. Lime mortar continued to be used up to the middle of the twentieth century. Most colonial bungalows were made with brick and mud-lime mortar. Bungalows primarily were of exposed brickwork and it was common to use mud mortar for binding and lime mortar for pointing. Many houses also used mud and lime in combination. Initially, cement was used sparingly, but after the middle of the twentieth century more commonly in the construction of houses and other building.

References: 1 Campbell, J. and Pryce, W., Brick: A World History (Thames & Hudson ,2003).

2 Ibid.

3 Reports of Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), UK.

Neeta Das is a graduate in Architecture (1987) from CEPT, Ahmedabad, MS (Arch) (1995) from the University of Cincinnati, USA, a PhD from Lucknow University (2004), and specialist in conservation from SPAB, London (2004) and Scottish Lime Center, Charlestown (2013). Based in Kolkata, she is involved in private practice, research, and writing on architectural history and conservation. Currently she is also a visiting faculty at CEPT, Ahmedabad.

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Palitana- the city of temples

A religious abode photographed by Radhika Pandit to portray the power of emotions, faith and spiritual grace.

Photographs: courtesy Radhika Pandit

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n inspiring attempt to capture spirituality in photographs has been made

by Radhika Pandit through people and it’s architectural setting to depict sanctity and tenacity.

Palitana has been a major site of salvation for Jain saints and sages since ancient times. Palitana’s jain temples (derasars) and the whole mountain is considered the most sacred pilgrimage place (tirtha) by the Jain community and is one of the world’s largest temple complexes with more than 3000 temples located on the Shatrunjaya hills in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, all of them exquisitely carved in marble. Built by generations of Jains over a period of 900 years, since the 11 th century from the foot of the hill to the top, there are 3,800 odd stone steps neatly cut to facilitate the climb. A panoramic view of Palitana unfolds itself as one progresses along.

Every Jain devotee aspires to climb to the top of the mountain at least once in his lifetime, because of its sanctity. Not just the temples on the hill but as per

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Jain Scriptures the entire Hill is sacred. This arduous journey along the stone stairway, hewn into the face of the mountain takes about an hour and a half to cpmplete. The code for the climbers is stringent, in keeping with the rigours of the Jain faith by which no food must be eaten or carried on the way.

It is believed that the gods sleep here during the night, hence no priest or people are allowed to stay in the temple overnight and the descent must begin before it is evening. While atop one can also visit a Muslim shrine of Angar Pir. Childless women seek blessings to be blessed with children where they offer miniature cradles to the Pir. Through this photo essay Radhika Pandit tries to portray the various aspects of a holy shrine, from its devotees to the saints and the architecture that encompasses them all.

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Radhika Pandit Radhika Pandit, an artist by heart and smiles. She captures the essence of human joy, love, emotions and stories of human experience and she loves to travel. A photographer specialised in Architectural, Wedding, Travel, Documentary and Childbirth photography genre.

She was born and raised in a city Ahmedabad of Gujarat, India and graduated from CEPT, Ahmedabad. She started shooting as a hobby and in a very shot span of time, her passion has taken her to venture new directions of photography.

Her aim is to touch hearts, nourish minds, and embrace souls, so that her journey unfolds the textures of human life chronicle.

Photography of all types is happening around us nowadays, which is something that we all are very used to and it is very difficult to see it in a different perspective. Hence she started as a photographer with a belief to find a particular scene or combination of objects, its arrangement and the aesthetic decision in such ways that brings life to the piece of abstract. Hence she enjoys moving through a range of styles and disciplines, and experimenting.

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Space Frames investigates issues of architecture and environment through the medium of photography. To contribute, write to us at iabedt@jasubhai.com