April issue 2018

TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES INCLUDING COVER 90 MUMBAI ` 200

SONAM WANGCHUK YAMA KARIM PREM CHANDAVARKAR SANJAY PRAKASH

VOL 31 (8)

APRIL 2018

SHAUN KILLA RAHUL SRIVASTAVA MATIAS ECHANOVE AMIT PROTHI SUSHANT VERMA YASHWANT PITKAR G. V. SREEKUMAR ISHAAN DIXIT S. VISHWANATH GLENN BERRILL ASHOK B LALL AROMAR REVI SHUBHENDU SHARMA PRASOON KUMAR SANJAY PATIL

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industry news

6

Viega opens manufacturing facility in India On course for growth

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wo years after the ground-breaking ceremony, Viega, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plumbing and heating installation technology, has opened a manufacturing facility in India. The company has invested 20 million euros in the approximately 1,60,000-squarefeet facility which also includes a logistics centre, research & development department, and a customer experience centre. The new facility is an important building block in the growth plans of the international group. At the new Viega location in Sanand, around 30 km from Ahmedabad, floor drains and toilet cisterns are currently being manufactured for the Indian market. At the opening ceremony, Manoj Maithani, Vice President Sales and Marketing, at Viega India Pvt. Ltd., welcomed customers and employees of Viega India along with the representatives of the executive board of the Viega Group.

Speaking on the occasion Manoj Maithani, Vice President Sales and Marketing at Viega India Pvt. Ltd. says, “’Make in India’ is not only the eponymous Indian government initiative but also the mark of quality that will characterise ever more Viega products for the Indian market from now on. In the coming years, we want to locally manufacture products that we currently import into India. To this end, we have designed the plant so that it can always be adapted to changing production requirements and market needs.”

Additionally, the company’s own research and development at Sanand will also focus on local product requirements. In this way, Viega intends to become a driving force for the plumbing and heating industry in India.

Family business bears responsibility “The opening of the plant in Sanand is a major highlight in our 119-year company history, which began in 1899 with three employees in a backyard in Attendorn, Germany,” says Anna Viegener, Chief Strategy Officer and Viega Shareholder.

Adding further she says, “Today, Viega is an internationally successful group of companies that has nevertheless remained a down-to-earth family business. We want to continue to invest in the future and reinvest the profits generated in our company. This cycle has proven itself over decades and has had a lasting impact on our success.”

With 4,300 employees, worldwide, Viega now sells piping systems for plumbing and heating, drainage technology and flushing systems for toilets and urinals.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

“To Viega, Hygiene for sanitary facilities in general and drinking water in particular is one of the core competencies, to which we dedicate ourselves with passion and great commitment,” stresses Anna Viegener.

Since 2016, the company has been supporting the ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ initiative, which is the official partner of the Indian government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ has set itself the task of increasing the awareness of children at 3,500 schools in India on the topic of hygiene and the use of sanitary facilities.

India is a strong pillar for Viega’s global growth plans The Viega Group has been active in India since 2005. Following the opening of the first sales offices in Gurgaon and Mumbai in 2009 and 2012 respectively, the subsidiary Viega India Pvt Ltd. was founded in 2015 with headquarters in Ahmedabad and currently employs around 85 people. Moreover, a 30-strong sales team ensures proximity to the customer.

“India is a major pillar for our global growth plans. With 1.3 billion inhabitants and a rapidly growing economy, offers enormous potential for us to grow in the Indian market. In line with our sales growth, we intend to expand the local team by 120 employees over the next few years.” emphasizes Claus Holst-Gydesen, CEO of Viega Holding GmbH & Co. KG. About the company: Viega was founded in Attendorn, Germany, in 1899. Worldwide, more than 4,000 people are employed by the Viega Group, which is among the leading manufacturers of installation technology for plumbing and heating. The range consists of approximately 17,000 articles in the product categories of piping systems as well as flushing and drainage technology. They are used nearly everywhere: in building services installations, in utilities or in industrial plant construction and shipbuilding.

Since 2005 Viega has operated successfully in the Indian market. After several years with independent sales representatives, in 2015 the legal entity Viega India Pvt. Ltd. was founded in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to foster the company’s local footprint in India. This includes investments in a production facility in Sanand to better serve local market needs. Sales and service teams are present in all the major cities in India.

For further media queries contact ITW Playworx (PR) @: Namrata Aswani - 09920710261 Sushil Panigrahi - 09930634197 Amar Kirale - 9892459300

industry news

8

Excellence Award Ceremony

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onfluence is an annual event organized by FunderMax India to bring its Business Partners together under one single platform and discuss the year gone by and outline the strategy for the way forward.

It also gives the dais for FunderMax India to recognize and felicitate the top performing Business Partners and FunderMax India employees. The Confluence is held every year since 2012 and sees participation from all members of the FunderMax India’s partner network.

Confluence 2018 edition witnessed participation of 120 people from Business Partners throughout the country. The event’s theme was “Partnership for Profitable growth” which reiterates the company’s vision for the sustainable and profitable growth of partners as well as the brand. This year’s edition marked “FunderMax India’s 10 Years completion” in India. We were privileged to have the presence of CIAG board members Dr. Erlfried Taurer and Dr. Johannes Liechtenstein and also, Mr. Rene Haberl, the board member and Managing Director of FunderMax GmbH. A key note address was delivered by Mr. VN Bhattacharya on, “Macroeconomic trends & its impact on Construction and Infrastructure Sectors”.

The other highlight of the day was the “FunderMax Product display station” covering offerings like Max Lato Series (Sun Shading Façade), Neon range of decors, Max Resistance2 & Interior Applications. In addition, a wall depicting the “10 year’s journey of FunderMax” in India

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

was created in a unique way to showcase the summary of major events in each year of the journey. The other traction element was “Corporate Social Responsibility” wall which portrayed the noble initiative undertaken by the company for the betterment of the society.

The event concluded with an “Excellence Award Ceremony” for the business partners and FunderMax India employees recognizing their success interspersed with cultural performances.

For further information, visit: FunderMax India Private Ltd. #13, 1st Floor, 13th Cross, Wilson Garden, Bangalore - 560027.

India Tel: +91 80 4661 7000 Email: officeindia@fundermax.biz Website: www.fundermax.at

EXPLORE

EXPLORE

VOL 31 (8) | APRIL 2018 | ` 200 | MUMBAI RNI REGISTRATION NO. 46976/87, ISSN 0971-5509 INDIAN ARCHITECT AND BUILDER Chairman & Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah Printer, Publisher & Chief Executive Officer: Hemant K Shetty Writers: Shriti Das, Sharmila Chakravorty Email: iab_editorial@jasubhai.com Design: Mansi Chikani Subscription: Dilip Parab Production Team: V Raj Misquitta (Head), Prakash Nerkar Head Office: JMPL, Taj Building, 3rd Floor, 210, Dr D N Road, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001.

Tel: + 91-22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 SALES Brand Manager: Sudhanshu Nagar Email: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com MARKETING TEAM & OFFICES

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POST EVENT

An overview of the 11 th Edition of the 361 Degree Design Conference 2018, held at Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, Mumbai on 16 th and 17 th February 2018

ICON LECTURE

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Sonam Wangchuk, Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL)

INAUGURAL ADDRESS

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Yama Karim, Studio Libeskind

44 48 50 54 58

TRACK – DESIGN & SUSTAIN Prem Chandavarkar, CnT Architects Sanjay Prakash, SHiFt: Studio for Habitat Futures Shaun Killa, Killa Designs Rahul Srivastava & Matias Echanove, urbz Amit Prothi, 100 Resilient Cities

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TRACK – DESIGN EDUCATION Sushant Verma, rat[LAB] – Research in Architecture

361 DEGREE CONFERENCE 2018

& Technology

Yashwant Pitkar G. V. Sreekumar Ishaan Dixit

68 70 74 76 78 82 84

TRACK – BUILD & SUSTAIN S. Vishwanath, Biome Solutions Glenn Berrill, Thompson Berrill Landscape Design (TBLD) Ashok B Lall, Ashok B Lall Architects Aromar Revi, Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) Shubhendu Sharma, Afforestt Prasoon Kumar, billionBricks Sanjay Patil, Environ Planners

88 EPILOGUE Cover Image: © Sonam Wangchuk

Mumbai Parvez Memon Taj Building, 3rd Floor, 210, Dr D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Tel: + 91-22-4037 3636, Fax: +91-22-4037 3635 Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com Delhi: Chitra Sharma, Sukesh Singh, Suman Kumar 803, Chiranjeev Tower, No 43, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110 019 Tel: +91 11 2623 5332, Fax: 011 2642 7404 Email: chitra_sharma@jasubhai.com sukesh_singh@jasubhai.com suman_kumar@jasubhai.com Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Gujarat: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: +91 9833104834, Email: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com Chennai / Coimbatore: Princebel M Mobile: +91 9444728035, +91 9823410712, Email: princebel_m@jasubhai.com Kolkata: Sudhanshu Nagar Mobile: +91 9833104834, Email: sudhanshu_nagar@jasubhai.com Pune: Parvez Memon Mobile: +91 9769758712, Email: parvez_memon@jasubhai.com

Indian Architect & Builder: (ISSN 0971-5509), RNI No 46976/87, is a monthly publication. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part, in English or any other language is strictly prohibited. We welcome articles, but do not accept responsibility for contributions lost in the mail.

Printed and Published by Hemant K Shetty on behalf of Jasubhai Media Pvt Ltd (JMPL), 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

Printed at The Great Art Printers, 25, S A Brelvi Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001 and Published from Mumbai - 3rd Floor, Taj Building, 210, Dr D N Road, Fort, Mumbai 400 001.

Editor: Maulik Jasubhai Shah, 26, Maker Chamber VI, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

industry news

12

Ozone introduces fire rated Push Panic Bars for fire exit doors!

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1 point modular Push Panic Bar for single leaf door.

O

zone, the leading provider of innovative Architectural Hardware Solutions, introduces the Fire-rated Push Panic Bars for Fire Exit Doors. It is important to install a fire-rated Push Panic Bar on a Fire Exit Door so that door remains functional even in case of fire hazard. Push Panic Bar works on a press bar mechanism i.e. push & open, which allows people to move out securely from the building at the time of panic or emergency by simply pushing the bar at any point and opening the door. As per demand these are made available in different variety such as – 1 point locking push panic bar for single leaf door and 2 point locking push panic bar for double leaf door. They are crafted with stainless steel latch and security anti-thrust latch.

These do not have dogging device hence once people pass through, door secure itself & restricts fire spread. The new Fire-rated push panic bars are certified as per UL 10C for 1-3 hours fire rating; for metal door- 3 hours fire-rated and for wooden door– 1.5 hours fire-rated. These are suitable for maximum door thickness of upto 60mm. The external body & rear cover plate of these are made of SS 304 grade. They are compatible with Ozone external trim, OZPB-CTRIM-D-STD SS. These newly launched Fire-rated Push Panic Bars from Ozone are available at your nearest hardware store.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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2 point modular Push Panic Bar for double leaf door.

For further information, contact: Ozone customer care at +91 9310012300, Email: ozone@ozone-india.com

industry news

14

CERA launches premium brand SENATOR

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Unveiling of SENATOR by CERA by Mrs. Deepshikha Khaitan, Vice Chairperson, CERA Sanitaryware Limited. Also seen are (left to right) Mr Abbey Rodrigues, Senior Vice President Sales, Mr Bharat Mody, Corporate Strategy Consultant, Mr P K Shashidharan, Senior Vice President Marketing and Mr Atul Sanghvi, Executive Director.

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rs. Deepshikha Khaitan, Vice Chairperson, CERA Sanitaryware Limited, unveiled SENATOR by CERA, the premium offering from CERA stable, at a glittering function held at Ahmedabad, in the presence of trade associates invited from all over India.

CERA, the fastest growing brand in sanitaryware, faucet and tiles, has been established as the leader in the mid and upper segment, while SENATOR will cater to the premium segment.

SENTOAR by CERA is conceived by CERA’s own core team consisting of designing, manufacturing, sales and marketing and is curated by the famous Italian designer, Mr Ettore Giordano. He is based out of Milan and runs a successful design company.

The SENATOR range currently consists of sanitaryware, faucets, wellness and mirrors. The range would gradually be expanded to include more products.

Speaking to media, after the launch, Mrs. Deepshikha Khaitan said that CERA is filling and vacuum and moving up the value chain with the new range.

Mr Atul Sanghvi, Executive Director, CERA said that the distribution of SENATOR would be through select outlets from among existing CERA distribution network. He said that with SENATOR, CERA would now be able to garner a larger share from the premium segment and put the company on a faster lane of growth.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Photograph of few ranges.

For further information, contact: Mr. P.K. Shashidharan, Senior Vice President Marketing, CERA Sanitaryware Limited, Ahmedabad on 9327674111 or pks@cera-india.com

industry news

16

K-LITE Introduces LED Landscape – Redefined

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he Essence of lighting is one of the most important things in our lives.

At K-Lite we are passionate about creating a distinctive atmosphere that improves the quality of life in the cities and towns by exploring the many potential facets of lighting that supports the wellbeing and safety of all.

Founded in 1977 in India, K-Lite has grown to be the leading manufacturer of outdoor luminaires and decorative poles. K-Lite’s proven performance in the landscape segment is because of its ability to stylishly convey the identity of a space with a blend of efficiency and modularity to maximise the visual comfort that is best suited to each specific space.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

Our Landscape range includes : Linear Wall Washer, Up-Down Lighters, LED Strips/Neon flex, Promenade Lighting, Bollards, Under Water Lighting, Post top luminaires, Bulk Heads, Path finders, Polar lighting and newly added series of Facade Lighting.

For further information, contact: K-LITE INDUSTRIES D-10, Ambattur Industrial Estate, Chennai – 600058 Tel: 044-26257710, 42281950, Fax: 044-26257866 Mobile: 95000 79797, 95000 85511 E-mail: info@klite.in Hyperlink :“https://kfs.klite.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=632c4e c34de44a8da62583e803b4de3a&URL=http%3A%2

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CREDAI-MCHI inks memorandum of understanding (MOU) for 2.5 Lakhs affordable housing in Mumbai & MMR

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From left: CREDAI – MCHI’s Shri Nayan Shah, President – Elect, Shri S.S.Hussain, CEO, Shri Domnic Romell, Secretary, Shri Deepak Goradia, VP and Shri Mayur Shah, President presenting the MoU to Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis along with Shri Sanjay Kumar, IAS, ACS, Housing and Shri Sunil Porwal, IAS, ACS, Industry Dept.

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REDAI-MCHI inked an important Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Government of Maharashtra for Affordable Housing in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis on the day 2 of “Magnetic Maharashtra” Summit in Mumbai.

The MoU was jointly signed by Shri Sanjay Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Housing, Government of Maharashtra and Shri Mayur Shah, President, CREDAI – MCHI. Shri Sunil Porwal, Additional Chief Secretary, Industry Deptt. Govt. of Maharashtra was also present on the occasion.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

CREDAI – MCHI was represented by Shri Mayur Shah, President, Shri Nayan Shah, President – Elect, Shri Harish Patel, VP, Shri Deepak Goradia, VP, Shri Domnic Romell, Secretary and Shri S.S.Hussain, CEO and presented MoU document to Hon’ble Chief Minister.

The “Magnetic Maharashtra” Summit was inaugurated yesterday by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi amidst the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis along with many Indian & International CEOs and Business fraternity.

industry news

Highlights: • Signed during magnetic maharashtra summit inaugurated by hon’ble prime minister of india • Mou for estimated investment of Rs. 75,000 Crore • 2.5 Lakhs affordable houses • Direct employment generation of 5,21,000 • 121 Projects to be commissioned ↑

Shri Mayur Shah, President, CREDAI-MCHI exchanging documents with Shri Sanjay Kumar, IAS, Addl. Chief Secretary, Housing and Shri Sunil Porwal, IAS, Addl. Chief Secretary, Industry in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis. Seen on left Shri Domnic Romell, Secretary, CREDAI – MCHI.

By inking this MOU, Government of Maharashtra and CREDAIMCHI have taken a major step towards shaping the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s flagship project of “Housing for All”, thus paving the way for affordable housing. The move is to be in sync with Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of providing every family with a pucca house of his own with water & electric connection with basic sanitation facilities when the nation celebrates 75 years of Independence. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Mayur Shah, President, MCHI-CREDAI said, “This MoU is a landmark step in providing the desired momentum to the affordable housing in Mumbai, which is need of the hour. It is a matter a great pride for us that MoU for 2.5 Lakhs houses, with an estimated investment of Rs. 75,000 crores has been signed during “Magnetic Maharashtra” Summit, inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

We at CREDAI – MCHI are moving ahead with our mission to solve the housing problem of Mumbai & MMR and this MoU will go a long way in enabling us achieving it.”

The objective of the MOU is to provide a big push to the construction of more Affordable Housing and to address the housing deficit in the MMR. This is one big step towards fulfilment of the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s vision of providing a roof to every Mumbaikar so that no one remains homeless in MMR. Thus, addressing the problem of housing in Mumbai & MMR in a major way.

Under the MOU, the immediate initiative would be to kick start 2.5 Lakh Affordable Housing Units at an estimated investment of Rs.75,000 Crore in 2018, with joint efforts of Government of Maharashtra and CREDAI-MCHI.

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CREDAI-MCHI Committee Members with (In Centre) Shri Sanjay Kumar, IAS, Secretary, Housing. Seen from left Shri Deepak Goradia, VP, Shri Harish Patel, VP, Shri Domnic Romell, Secretary. On his right: Nayan Shah, President, Elect, Shri Mayur Shah, President and Shri S.S.Hussain, CEO, CREDAI-MCHI.

The “Ease of Doing Business” which was implemented by MCGM in the recent past would enable to complete the task in stipulated time.

Here the desired focus would be provided by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis by ensuring that all proposed projects are able to obtain necessary permissions, registrations, approvals, clearances and fiscal incentives etc. from the concerned departments of the State in time.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Presents

th

th

16 & 17 February 2018, Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, Mumbai Powered by:

Yama Karim Opening Lecture

Sonam Wangchuk Closing Lecture

TRACK: DESIGN & SUSTAIN

TRACK: BUILD & SUSTAIN

TRACK: DESIGN EDUCATION Sustainability Mission Partner

ORGANIZED BY

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361 Degrees Design Conference 2018:

“Resilient City”

16th & 17th February 2018, Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium, Mumbai The Eleventh Edition of 361 Degree Design Conference 2018 initiated discussions to building resilient cities and communities. Resilience is an attribute that defines strength, adaptation and responses to growing challenges, immediate threats and long-term but looming adversities that humanity is faced with. Exploding population, scarcity of resources, global warming, terrorism, deforestation, etc. are hazards that hinder holistic upkeep of places and its people. To fight or survive is the need of the hour. It is increasingly imperative that humanity and urbanism be equipped with resources and systems to deal with shocks and stresses. The long term perspective of a robust built environment is an inevitable endeavour.

RESILIENT CITY Designing for resilience focuses on progressive and corrective; spatial and intermittent design challenges of cities. As cities emerge denser and populous, complexities confront architects and planners to build smart and sustainable. Resilience entails deploying technology and traditional practices to build and create inclusive architecture for the urban and rural populace. To build for better stability, strength and structure utilizing green materials and methods. Resiliency is a priority for sustainable growth and energy efficiency. It shall play a key role in future development.

Understanding the needs of the micro and macro entities; the individual, clusters, communities and cities; and to devise resilience within each along with addressing urbanization and climate related changes is the need of the hour.

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Lighting of the lamp ceremony.

Exploring the theme of Resilient City, the 361 Degree Design Conference witnessed a diverse and contrasting spectrum of practitioners who addressed many facets of resilience – resilience within the individual systems and the larger narratives of cities and urbanisms.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

post event

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Inaugural Address – 16th February: Yama Karim.

Open mic of Track - Design & Sustain: Moderated by Prem Chandavarkar with Amit Prothi, Rahul Srivastava, Matias Echanove & Sanjay Prakash.

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he 11th Edition of the 361 Degree Design Conference witnessed detailed deliberations, reflections and ideas on ‘Resilience’.

It was conducted at the Sri Shanmukhananda Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Auditorium on 16th and 17th February 2018 in Mumbai.

The theme of the conference being ‘Resilient City’, the conference aimed at addressing consequences of insensitive construction and developments across the globe. Resilience is strength, adaptation, hardiness and even resistance. It was addressed in the face of manmade and natural threats, in a situation where most ‘natural’ threats are an offshoot of manmade outcomes.

Organised by Indian Architect & Builder Magazine of Jasubhai Media, the conference was presented by Armstrong Ceiling Solutions and powered by ACC Limited. Outokumpu was the sustainability mission partner. At the inaugural on 16th of February the auditorium was filled with over 1000 professionals and students. To mark the commencement of the conference, Maulik Jasubhai, Chairman and Chief Executive of

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Icon Lecture: Sonam Wangchuk.

Panel Discussion on Track - Design Education: Curated & Moderated by Sushant Verma with Panellist Prof Yashwant Pitkar, Prof G V Sreekumar, Ishaan Dixit.

Jasubhai Group & ChemTech Foundation, addressed the gathering, throwing light on the founding principles of Indian Architect & Builder and the core values of the conference. This was followed by the lighting of the lamp with Mr. Maulik Jasubhai, Mr. Yama Karim, Mr O C Karnaney, Mr Yatinder Suri, Ms Priyanka Pande and Mr Hemant Shetty to mark the ceremonial beginning of the conference.

The Inaugural lecture was presented by Yama Karim, partner at Studio Libeskind. His presentation shared works of Studio Libeskind. Each project of the firm sets newer benchmarks. Yama Karim reinstated the firm’s practice of careful consideration of elements and functions; retaining and deploying only crucial entities, as the design transits from the drawing board to manifestation on site. His lecture was followed by an engaging discussion in the form of comments and questions from the audience present at the conference. The Inaugural session concluded with closing remarks by Mr Yatinder Pal Singh Suri of Outokumpu.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Closing lecture of the Conference on 17th February was presented

by Sonam Wangchuk, SECMOL, the Icon Speaker. His lecture was eagerly awaited and received a standing ovation from the audience; the popular notion being that his address was one of the best in the history of the 361 Degree Design Conference. His work in education stemmed from witnessing students in his native city of Ladakh. They struggled to grasp a curriculum that was standardised for the country but had no relevance to the hilly high-altitude region of Ladakh. The work that began with devising appropriate learning methods for the Ladakhi children spiralled into the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) School. His work includes also the Ice Stupa and the upcoming Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh.

Naresh Duble from Armstrong Ceiling Solutions along with Professor Neeraj Gupta, an academician of acclaim addressed the audience on

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Keynote speaker Amit Prothi.

Keynote speakers Rahul Srivastava & Matias Echanove.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Track – Design & Sustain: Opening note by Prem Chandavarkar

Keynote speaker Shaun Killa

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Track – Build & Sustain: Keynote lecture by S. Vishwanath.

Keynote speaker Aromar Revi.

Architecture & Acoustics. Priyanka Pande, who leads New Business Initiatives and Digital Transformation for ACC Limited spoke on the theme of the conference – Resilient City.

The conference was characterized into three tracks to initiate discussions and streamline the emergent ideas. The tracks were: Design and Sustain; Design Education; Build and Sustain. The Design and Sustain track addressed design challenges in cities.

Cities are constantly laden with population, infrastructure failures and calamities. The speakers addressed these complexities in cities and strategies to build smart and sustainable systems.

The Design & Sustain track on 16th February was opened by Prem Chandavarkar and keynote lecturers Sanjay Prakash, Shaun Killa, Matias Echanove, Rahul Srivastava and Amit Prothi addressed the same. It was interesting that Prem Chandavarkar addressed the audience sans a presentation to provoke thoughts that would persist in the audience even after the conference concluded. Sanjay Prakash emphasised on reducing carbon emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, followed by Shaun Killa, whose work is cutting edge but with a conscious responsibility towards sustainability.

Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava jointly shared experiences wherein they pushed the boundary of urbanism to accommodate notions that go beyond the physicality of urban space. Amit Prothi brought to light the realities of urban cities and resilience being a key attribute for all humanity in the impending future. The track concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Prem Chandavarkar

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Keynote speaker Glenn Berrill.

Keynote speaker Ashok Lall.

with some highly thought-provoking questions and comments. The Second Track, Resilience in Design Education was a panel discussion curated & moderated by Sushant Verma. Panellists included leading academician, photographer and artist Prof Yashwant Pitkar, Prof G. V. Sreekumar and Ishaan Dixit.

The Third track on Build and Sustain commenced on 17 th February with opening lecture by S. Vishwanath followed by lectures by Glenn Berrill, Ashok B Lall, Aromar Revi, Shubhendu Sharma, Prasoon Kumar and Sanjay Patil. The speakers were practitioners from diverse vocations. S.Vishwanath, a civil engineer concentrated on restoring traditional India’s sustainable water practices citing examples from his recent works. Glenn Berrill delved deep into waterways and measures that his practice adopted in Australia to restore the rivers; a contextual study that can be adopted across regions. Ashok B Lall with his detailed study, facts and statistics, put forth an efficient strategy to combat carbon emissions. Aromar Revi addressed resilience as a systematic process beyond being an individual attribute. Shubhendu Sharma, a mechanical engineer shared his experience of building dense forests in concretised city jungles. Prasoon Kumar made a strong argument for solution oriented business strategies for creating homes for the homeless. Sanjay Patil showcased ingenuous work; that ticked all boxes of sustainability and underlined the track with aspirations that perhaps each architect holds dear to them. The lectures focussed upon deploying traditional practices along with technology to build inclusive architecture that is stable, resilient and structured.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Keynote speaker Prasoon Kumar.

Keynote speaker Sanjay Patil.

Young Designer felicitation by Nilabh Nagar & Armstrong Ceilings.

Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Keynote speaker Shubhendu Sharma.

Alongside discourse and dialogue, the conference also felicitated the winners of Young Designers 2018, an initiative of Indian Architect & Builder. It is a design competition for firms in their formative years. Young Designers 2018 received over 90 entries.

The winners were announced in January after a detailed evaluation by the jury architect, Nilabh Nagar. At the conference, the winners were felicitated by Nilabh Nagar. The projects were classified into 5 categories to arrive at the winning entries. These included – Architecture, residential interior design, commercial interior design, product design and installation. The winning design firms were; .warp, ARUR, STUDIO 4000, Studio Whitescape, UDAI, Hsc Designs, White Edge Architects, Architecture_Interspace, Architecture Basics, MyInnoSpace, and Studio acrossZero. Their projects were showcased to the audience and each winner received much accolade.

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Presentation by Industry Partners: Welcome Address at Inaugural by O C Karnaney of Armstrong Ceilings, Closing Note at Inaugural by Yatinder Suri of Outokumpu, Presentation on Resilient City by Priyanka Pande of ACC, Presentation on Architecture & Acoustics by Naresh Duble of Armstrong Ceilings & Prof. Neeraj Gupta.

The 361 Degree Design Conference engaged practitioners from diverse vocations. The conference saw attendance from students in the first year of their design schools to senior and eminent architects. This spectrum of learners and practitioners posed questions and perspectives that further cemented and underlined the ideas that were put forth by the speakers. The two days offered valuable insight on how cities are desired to be versus how they are being built. It addressed the gaps that exist within the system and beyond the system; and measures that can be adopted by the individual to the authorities, laying a path towards resilient futures.

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Interaction with attendees

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Closing note of 361 degree design conference.

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SONAM WANGCHUK Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL)

Empowering the Roof of the World Sonam Wangchuk is a Laureate of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2017, Paris. A mechanical engineer, he was born in the trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh in J&K. In 1988, post his engineering studies; he founded SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh).

In 1994 he was instrumental in the launch of Operation New Hope, a triangular collaboration of the government, village communities and the civil society to bring reforms in the government school systems. He has invented the ‘Ice Stupa’ – an artificial glacier that stores water from streams for the late springs when the region faces acute water shortage.

Closing Address: Icon Lecture Text: Sharmila Chakravorty Images: SECMOL & Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh

Arguably one of the best lectures in the 361 series, Lakadhi engineer, innovator, and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk’s lecture was an eye-opener in many ways. From ingeniously changing the face of the Ladakhi education system to using local, contextual solutions to a variety of problems, Sonam Wangchuk is slowly turning an entire generation of Ladakhi children into visionary innovators that are no longer limited by their secluded landscape or the lack of opportunity – for they create their own opportunities.

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ne of the most common complains we come across in everyday life is perhaps ‘being taken for granted’. And ironically, almost laughably, one of the most common things we still continue to do, despite complaining at lengths when the exact same is done to us, is – taking things for granted. Perhaps owing to our sense of entitlement, or our sheer good fortune at being blessed with the basics, we forget what it would be like to have to worry about the basics. Somewhat akin to ‘first world problems’, our privilege blinds us, preventing us from thinking about issues that exist in the world, but do not affect us directly.

We seem to forget that the world exists beyond us, beyond our own little bubble. This is the very first realization that Lakadhi engineer, innovator, and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk’s lecture brings – we have no understanding, or consideration for issues that plague parts of our own country, taken for granted for centuries, ignored by the government, cut off from the rest of world owing to its unforgiving terrain, and yet the birthplace of the most ingenious innovations.

If you’ve visited Ladakh, and many of us may have because it somehow became a ‘trend’ in the past few years, earning the rather meaningless status of ‘bike rider’s mecca’ due to its high passes and treacherous terrains, Sonam’s lecture is an eye-opener for problems that lurk in the background, and yet we as tourists, or as fellow country-people, have never given a thought to.

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The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) School.

Straightening out a flawed system Sonam’s work in the field of education was born out of necessity, seeing that the region had one of the lowest success rates in matriculation exams. Children speaking Ladakhi at home were thrust English and Hindi books that were alien to them in the first place. To add to it, examples for learning vowels and alphabets – a for apple, b for ball… f for fan… t for train – were tricky for children of the region given that they have probably never seen fans or trains; the -35 degree C winters and cool summer winds don’t warrant fans, and trains are obviously impractical and unusable in the region. Sonam realized that the poor matriculation success rate was a result of a flawed system and not unintelligent children.

Working with the government, he managed to give education a much-needed makeover.

Books were relooked at, customized to make learning easy for Ladakhi children, teachers were retrained, and the mere fact that the government was working towards reforms, finally not taking the region for granted for a change gave the children the required boost.

Slowly but steadily the matriculation success rate increased. But there were still some children who couldn’t cope with the system – branded as ‘failures’, at least as far as education was concerned.

The birth of SECMOL School For these ‘failures’, Sonam founded The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) School. The school is based on a ‘learning by doing’ principle where the students are given ‘life lessons’. The students are put in the driving seat. The school buildings are designed and built by the students, the administration is carried out by them.

The school is run like a small country, with voting and elections. Students learn goal-setting, planning, execution, communication, entrepreneurship, architecture, design, innovation, animal husbandry, organic farming, solar-based cooking… These are life lessons no textbook can impart. Optimizing nature, its bounty and energy, the school is a shining experiment of simple, common-sense design and local, traditional solutions to age-old problems such as -35 degrees C temperatures during winters, heating, lack of water during Spring time, etc.

Common-sense design, ancient knowledge Here, fancy words like sun-path analysis do not feature. Yet, by logic, common sense, and observation building are placed facing south – the sun in the northern hemisphere stays mostly in the south. Better still, the day use buildings are placed at a slight angle of 15 degrees towards the east. With this slight tweak, the building starts warming up before the students arrive to their classrooms, almost an hour in advance, making it comfortable to study even in the harshest winter days.

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The Ice-Stupa.

Outside, a resourceful placement of trees in a way to cut the wind, and the manipulation of the contours of the landscape ensure that no artificial energy is used to channel flowing water. Here the earth is used to buildings, the sun for cooking, lighting and heating, trees for breaking the wind, and gravity for drawing water to its intended location. Everything abundantly available, free of cost. Sustainable without the commotion the word carries with itself these days.

To run this school, student revisited the way their ancestors lived. They took these best practices and infused their own customizations and innovations. They studied forts and monasteries – some as old as 600 years, some centuries old, and still intact, exposed to the elements. They studied the soil and its properties. Thus, most buildings are double-storey green houses with extremely thick, insulated walls, which are covered during winters.

This ensures passive heating and flow of warm air throughout the building by convection.

Thus, textbook principles such as heat transfer are learnt by actually feeling the warm air circulating in the building. Feeling the pleasant 15 degree C air inside the room when it is -15 degrees C outside. This, just by using the free for all energy of the sun. Clearly, you don’t need a bag of money to ensure comfort. Common-sense, respect and understanding of nature, and the will to harmonize with nature are enough. We don’t have to kill the planet just to lead a comfortable, temporary existence.

The sun warms everything in the campus. Even cow sheds. And they realized that keeping the cows at a solar-heated comfortable temperature does wonders on their milk yield. They become three times as productive as cows left out in the cold. And again, no mention of marketing jargon such as free-range, happy fed, comfortably nurtured, organic are thrown in. Simply because there is no need for them to market something that works so brilliantly that the results are enough to prove the success. As further evidence, within the school buildings flowers grow in peak January, when the rest of Ladakh shuts down under sheets of snow and unforgiving cold!

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Futuristic city, traditional methods Having run the school with astonishing results over the last two decades, Sonam now has a bigger dream. The city of Leh in Ladakh has been subjected to unmindful tourism, decaying the environment and making it unlivable with every passing year. The inflow of money and the desire to make tourists’ stay comfortable has resulted in a massive spike in wood burning to heat rooms and water. This tourist influx is not only killing the city; it is also killing the villages in Ladakh. Youngsters from the villages are flocking to Leh, leaving behind the hard agricultural work to the elders. Instead of remedying the situation of Leh, which seems somewhat undoable me, to be honest, Sonam envisioned an alternate city in another valley in Ladakh which will be a futuristic, sustainable world in its own, built with primordial materials like mud and soil, using the sun, the wind, and gravity as their prime sources of energy.

The new city will actually start out as a university that grows into a city that researches and learns on the go. A city that learns by doing. A city that questions inefficiencies and innovates to best suit their requirement, to best answer their problems. In Ladakh, solutions from cities like Punjab or Delhi or Bombay do not work. The underlying variables that we take for granted are too different for the solutions to be universal. This new city will refuse to be taken for granted.

The Ice Stupas Our Ladakhi ancestors mastered the art of channeling glacier water from flowing streams into villages to green them. So typically, a village would be a green zone surrounded by endless barren dessert. So, they greened as much as possible, depending on the water they could channel. And contrary to our ill-informed belief, water was never a problem in the region – it is the availability of water during the spring time. It is during the spring that farmers need water for sowing, and in general to support the onslaught of tourists. As a solution to this problem, Sonam and his student conducted experiments to freeze large amounts of water with comparatively lower surface areas so as so reduce heat-based melting of this ice.

For this, they channeled water from upstream and attached a fountain at valley end. The gravitational forced working on the water flowing downstream made it naturally rise up the fountain and freeze as the water came in contact with the cold, -20 degree C winter air. And this gave birth to huge ice conical structures, 80 feet tall that held millions of litres of water.

Astonishingly simple, yet brilliant beyond words.

The success of an innovation is when it is wholeheartedly accepted by the community. To ensure these ice cones are accepted by the locals, they branded them as Ice Stupas, taking after the revered spiritual Stupas found all over Ladakh. Even prayer flags were tied to the Ice Stupas much like the traditional stupas, endearing them to the locals.

The experiment paid off; the ice structures lasted well into June, in summer, ensuring water supply during spring, solving the problem. Again, clearly it was a problem due to the non-optimization of water, and not the water supply itself. Understanding this distinction, and customizing the solution, could have only come from locals who have lived their lives battling these problems.

As proof of concept, the Ice Stupas have helped water about 5000 trees planted by Sonam and his students. To make these Ice Stupas sustainable, they are also thinking of monetizing the structures – does the Ice Hotel in Canada ring a bell? In future, perhaps, the students could run bars and hotels with these massive ice cones!

View from the Roof of the World In Ladakh, a very common signboard at a number of places alongside the road reads “Our land is so barren and the passes so high, that only the best of friends or the fiercest of enemies come to visit us” – and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Life doesn’t seem possible. There are villages which can only be access by trekking for days at a stretch. It is not only a minority in the sense of linguistic, ethnicity or accessibility, it is also a technological and climatic minority. The dry, cold desert with hostile neighboring countries and heavy army presence, lies in the rain-shadow region of the Himalayas.

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The Ice-Stupa

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Sonam has envisioned an alternate city in another valley in Ladakh which will be a futuristic, sustainable world in its own, built with primordial materials like mud and soil, using the sun, the wind, and gravity as their prime sources of energy. The new city will actually start out as a university that grows into a city that researches and learns on the go. A city that learns by doing. A city that questions inefficiencies and innovates to best suit their requirement, to best answer their problems. In Ladakh, solutions from cities like Punjab or Delhi or Bombay do not work. The underlying variables that we take for granted are too different for the solutions to be universal. This new city will refuse to be taken for granted.

Technically, life is terribly arduous in this fragile ecology. The landscape is compared to that of the moon for a reason after all! It is a miracle that people inhabit this landscape, and thrive. With their colourful culture, lifestyle, spirituality and livelihood. Cut off from the rest of the country, and the world, taken for granted.

And yet, today, with SECMOL School and Sonam’s futuristic new city, the region is solving its problem – slowly but surely. With the education system reformed, the water optimization problem solved, the passive heating issue sorted, the region is pioneering innovations one after another! Though the glories are pouring in now, surely the road to where they have reached now must have been an uphill, lonely one. It is not the elite, the highly educated, the architects and the designers that have orchestrated this change. We forgot the region and its problems existed! It is the locals, the dreamers, the ‘failures’ that have changed their own futures, and for that – take a bow!

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YAMA KARIM Studio Libeskind

Architecture of optimism Yama Karim had collaborated with Daniel Libeskind for several years in the late 1990s in Berlin before he joined Studio Libeskind’s New York office in 2003. He is currently managing the master plan and redevelopment of the former fairgrounds in Milan, Italy; the Downtown Tower in Vilnius, and several high-rise and cultural projects throughout the Middle East. Yama has taught full-time at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich and as a visiting professor at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

Inaugural Address: Icon lecture Text: Sharmila Chakravorty Images: Studio Libeskind

Innovative, expressive design solutions that reflect life in our contemporary times, Studio Libeskind’s work needs no introduction. At the 361 degrees conference, Yama Karim from Studio Libeskind took us through a captivating journey behind-the-scenes, acquainting us with the lesser known details and nuances of their iconic projects, ideas on sustainability, and their constant endeavor to add value to their projects and give back to the community.

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eing one of the most renowned architectural practices in the world can sometimes be a double-edged sword. While you revel in the glory and adoration that your works receive, with every new project you are expected to step your game up; the benchmark is higher than ever before. As is the flow of criticism. The moment the ‘renowned’ steps into the ‘starchitecture’ zone, every design move is questioned, and sometimes without even a chance to explain yourself, your design and the thought process behind it is falsely perceived as vain, or an attempt to create iconic structures for the sake of putting the structure ‘on the map’.

Studio Libeskind is no stranger to this phenomenon. In his lecture at the 361 degrees conference, Yama Karim from Studio Libeskind perhaps took the opportunity to communicate to the wider audience that contrary to public perception of vanity, every project from the studio undergoes a careful consideration and only the absolutely necessary design elements make their journey from the design board to physical reality. Armed with a selection of projects – some completed, some under construction, and some yet to be built – Yama made a compelling case for the studio, outlining the thought process and often interesting background of restrictions and constraints that shape their projects.

In his lecture, he began by highlighting the two basic elements that go a long way in ensuring a structure’s sustainability – the way it is designed and the way it is built. If people care about what the architect designs and builds for them, they will ensure the structure sustains. But in today’s world, where cities are over-built on, the larger question remains – Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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The L Tower and Sony Centre in Toronto. © doublespace Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Design for the World Trade Centre redevelopment in New York. © Studio Libeskind

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Design for the World Trade Centre redevelopment in New York. © DBOX

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If people care about what the architect designs and builds for them, they will ensure the structure sustains. But in today’s world, where cities are over-built on, the larger question remains – how do we redesign and rebuild.

how do we redesign and rebuild. Here, the same idea gets tweaked owing to today’s context to form a more fitting question. How do we not assume that cities have exhausted themselves and their built fabrics? How do we regenerate cities so as to let them redefine and reinvent themselves?

He drew upon a variety of projects to illustrate how this, though difficult, can still be done.

The first project he showcased, the L Tower and Sony Centre in Toronto, was a cultural institute that had somewhat lost its sheen – a sort of ‘cultural bankruptcy’ if you will. The tower that the studio eventually built had a very expressive form, and helped save the cultural grain of the site. And while people lamented that the form of the tower was frivolous and meaningless, it was derived after careful sun-path analysis, and allowed for additional construction without being in conflict with Toronto’s regulations. Clearly, it wasn’t form for the sake of form-making, and was a logical, informed decision even if such things aren’t always obvious to onlookers.

The next project, Zlota in Warsaw to had a similar sun-path analysis informing the design. It also symbolizes a new era, as the old structure invoked communist-era buildings. The curvature of the façade, deliberately added, while is evocative of a bird soaring its wings into the sky, also affords the regulation-required sunlight to adjacent residential structures. Thus, both these projects not only excel despite regulations, they use the restrictions as stepping stones to create innovative solutions that not only situate the project in their context but also give back to the community, breathing a new life in the neighborhood they exist in.

The next two projects showcased were high-end residential towers in Singapore, both adjacent to the waterfront. In a densely populated and land starved place like Singapore, the studio’s solution to maximizing space utilization was to build clusters of high rises. However, in Reflection at Keppel Bay, the studio doubled the height of the towers, reducing the number of towers by half. Thus, the same amount of units would be built, and yet, more open space was possible due to this responsible distribution of density. Also, by pushing back the towers from the waterfront, the studio achieved a natural buffer between the public waterfront promenade and the private homes, transitioning the distinction with ease. Corals at Keppel Bay however, had limited waterfront. Discarding the idea to build maximum units facing the waterfront, the studio built the least number of units, leaving the rest of the waterfront, most of it in fact, open. All units were designed with terraces, which gives the buildings a cascading effect, and views for all. Also, in addition to the waterfront, the studio could also provide views of a central garden feature that becomes an environmental yet aesthetic design device. The other projects showcased at Yama’s lecture – Grand Canal Development in Ireland, Ko-bogen in Germany, Occitanie Tower in France, Tempere in Finland, City Life in Italy, and One Madison in New York – all brilliantly illustrate the thought-process behind the inclusion or discarding of design elements, and what shapes the buildings as we see them. It also highlights innovation in thought – the theatre at the Grand Canal Development in Ireland is transparent, making it a whole new experience. You don’t have to go inside to be a part of the performance; both from inside and outside, the people on the other side of the glass wall are drawn into the action. Then, in the Occitanie Tower in France, the basic tower typology is challenged and redefined. The design brings the outdoors, green spaces, natural light and ventilation to the tower at all levels via a coiling walkway of sorts. As for drawing inspiration from the surrounding and making a connection and relatability between the two, the City Life development in Italy pays homage to the existing villas alongside the site. However, it places them at the top of every tower – somewhat taking cues from the villas that exist on the ground, and building them in the skies. This eases the transition from the old neighborhood to the new – taking into account how the new development will affect the neighborhood once it is built. The One Madison project in New York, on the other hand, attempted to modernize the train station underneath, making it modern, differently abled-friendly. In all these projects, the development adds value to not just the inhabitants but the community at large.

Lastly, Yama showcased the design for the World Trade Centre redevelopment in New York.

When a few early designs were rejected by the public, it became apparent that there is an increasing awareness of the role and responsibility of architecture and urbanism in public life, and that landmarks reflect the spirit of the people, they are a reflection of our times. With this, it was also evident that architecture, besides being a means to design and build structures, was evolving into a response for tragic events. A reminder of our strength and resolve that imparts an almost sacred to buildings created at affected sites – carefully balancing the memory of the tragedy with the need to foster vibrant, optimistic aspirations for the future.

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PREM CHANDAVARKAR CnT Architects

To design so as to sustain Prem Chandavarkar is the managing partner of CnT Architects: an architectural practice based in Bangalore, India. He is a former Executive Director of Srishti School of Art Design & Technology in Bangalore. In 2016, he was the Walton Critic at The School of Architecture and Planning at Catholic University of America in Washington DC. In the same year, he was appointed as a member of the board of The Architecture, Culture and Spirituality Forum, USA. He is a member of the current Executive Committee of Indian Institute of Architects Karnataka Chapter. He was also the curator of the centenary year National Convention of the Indian Institute of Architects, on the theme “Imagining the Indian City”.

Day 1: Opening Note - Design & Sustain Text: Prem Chandavarkar Edited: Shriti Das

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he opening note on design and sustain was delivered by Ar. Prem Chandavarakar, who deliberately and thoughtfully did away with a presentation. The intent of this action was to initiate reflections and perspectives within the viewer beyond communicating ideas. He began with a powerful quote

by William McDonnough, “It is not enough to be sustainable. If you were to ask someone about how their relationship with their spouse was, and they answered ‘sustainable’, it is not very hopeful.” It is a quote that has coloured his approach to sustainable design; one that he references at almost every talk that he delivers on sustainable design. He introduced the track with the argument that sustainability is first a state of being before it can be viewed as a system or structure of knowledge.

This is not how one has tended to approach the challenge. Architects have conventionally approached the challenge of sustainability as a knowledge problem. One may argue that the profession is badly trained, and unaware of the ecological impact of the mode of design that constitutes the mainstream of architectural production. To fix this problem, it is deemed necessary to proselytise about sustainable design; build awareness on issues such as climate-responsive and low-energy design, recycling systems and technologies, materials and products that promote sustainability, renewable energy, ecology, the water cycle, etc. Rating systems on sustainable design such as Griha, LEED, and Bream are propagated. There are conferences such as the 361 Degree Design Conference wherein enlightened speakers who are at the cutting edge of design and research on sustainability; expect that their work will offer precepts that will light the path to be followed.

The aforementioned is not wrong. It is necessary, but as the logicians says “necessary but insufficient”.

It will only facilitate the first few steps of the collective journey, and the major part of the journey requires attitude rather than knowledge, a personal relationship with the natural environment rather than knowledge about it. The reason why a knowledge-based path is insufficient is that sustainability involves natural systems, and natural systems are inherently non-linear rather than linear. To make a simplistic differentiation between these two kinds of systems: a linear system is one where the output of the system is directly proportionate to the input, whereas in a non-linear system the output is not proportionate to the input. In a linear system, a huge input has a huge impact and a small input has a small impact. But in a non-linear system a small input can have a huge impact and a huge input can have a small impact.

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A knowledge based system is inherently linear, for knowledge is rational, and rationality rests on the linear links between cause and effect. The knowledge-oriented education imparts a belief that one inhabits a linear world, where if one knows something, and acts based on that knowledge, a certain result will be produced, and that is the motive for choosing what one knows and how one acts. One thinks of a desirable result – a sustainable world – and believes that progress will be made if one learns about sustainability, and implements that knowledge in design processes.

Action rests upon conceptual models of cause and effect, built through scientific research and rational analysis, subsequently applied in practice, and modified gradually through the feedback loop of practical experience.

But what happens when one inhabit non-linear systems where the relationship between cause and effect becomes fundamentally elusive to the point that it becomes difficult to construct reliable foundations of conceptual models? A classic example of a non-linear system is the weather, which is why meteorologists have such a difficult time in being accurate in their forecasts beyond the extremely short term. It is also why on an issue like climate change, despite getting warnings from most of the scientific community, it is still so difficult to get people to change their behaviour. Because of the complex non-linearity of climate, one cannot draw logical connections between input and output – one can at best draw statistical correlations.

This not only gives sceptics a space to operate, it also becomes difficult to incentivise changes in behaviour. Even a scientific expert who has ascertained that climate change is happening, cannot give you any concrete assurance that a specific change in behaviour today will produce a definable result tomorrow. So how can one convince a person to radically change their lifestyle without any assurance that this great effort will produce a tangible and worthwhile result that can be visualised today?

Implementing a system that is dominantly linear usually involves what is termed the “last mile problem”. Taking an electricity distribution system as an example, one can easily implement the backbone of the system, but the myriad number of final connections are the most difficult to implement. In contrast, the stumbling block in implementing non-linear systems is a “first mile problem”: how do you get people to take the first fundamental steps when there is no clear conceptual model that facilitates giving any rational assurance on where those steps will lead them. One can create some change through new knowledge and legislation, but if one relies only on this, change will be slower than necessitated. More significantly, the knowledge base may remain out of sync with the world to which it is to be applied. One needs to get people to fully appreciate what it means to inhabit a non-linear system, and how to seek harmony with it; to transcend our dominant reliance on linear logic, and supplement it with network logic. What does this entail?

The first inherent property one must recognise in non-linear systems is that they exhibit the capacity for emergence. An emergent system is a system characterised by fundamental properties that did not exist at all in an earlier state of the system. One of the most cited examples of an emergent system is a termite’s nest. To plot its equivalent on a human scale – a medium-sized termite’s nest can be equivalent to a human mega-structure that is two kilometres wide and three to four kilometres high. Within this is incredible order and sustainability: there is functional zoning, traffic hierarchy, climate control, recycling, efficient waste disposal, graveyards, and so on. For a long time, biologists wondered how this order was created, thinking there must be a special class of termites: leaders who directed how this order is to be created. But experiments and observation failed to yield any such class of master-planning termite. Then it was discovered it was a system that evolved without leadership or top-level control. Every termite, as it moves, exudes a trail of a chemical classed as a pheromone – and there are different kinds of pheromones that result from different kinds of behaviour or intent. When a termite moves, from the pheromone trail it can discern the pattern of termites that have moved before it. Termites are genetically programmed with a set of simple rules that say things like “if you smell a pheromone trail like this, then place a piece of mud like that”. And that is how the wonderful order of the termites’ nest emerges. From this one can see the conditions for emergence: High-synchrony and frequent moment-to-moment interaction All actions leave a trace of themselves.

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All traces are in the public domain and visible to all parts of the system.

There is an inherent tendency toward pattern recognition in the traces, usually involving specific responses to specific patterns Most significantly, there is low preoccupation with grand design, and the focus is on immediate experience. Steven Johnson, whose book on emergence is a wonderful introduction to the subject, points out that the human brain is an emergent system that would cease to function if each neurone sought to be individually sentient with its own grand vision. It works because each neurone just focuses on making connections with others, and patterns emerge from the connections made.

An emergent system develops from the bottom up toward higher states through iterative evolutionary spirals. If one feels that emergence is a mode of functioning that is distant from us, that conclusion would a product of our education’s bias toward linear logic. Upon reflecting on how intuitively one lives, we find that we are, by nature, beings who live spontaneously by the principles of emergence. Take the example of friendship. One knows that if they set out to find friends primarily through a knowledge or philosophy of friendship they would perhaps never have friends. Friends and friendships exist because we primarily focus on the immediate engagement, what is said, what is heard, the way eyes light up, and not on an eventual goal or system of knowledge. Then one recognises traces (memories of our engagement) and patterns in those traces (the empathy of shared likes, dislikes, and points of view). Gradually the core of friendship emerges, a property that was not present when at first meet.

This emergent relationship with the natural environment is lost. This is because the knowledge bias has schooled us to view nature as a scientific fact, and this socialises a perception that creates a distance between nature and man at several levels. These are the people who were born, brought up, and currently living in urban environments. The scientific perspective encourages one to delegate an understanding of nature to specialists such as scientists, and this distancing reduces nature to an aesthetic spectacle. William Cronon writes on this in “Uncommon Ground�, the title essay in the collection edited by him, pointing out that one tends to recognise nature only when the visual spectacle is at a scale powerful enough to evoke wonder. This happens in wilderness when one is moved by the majesty of a mountain, ocean, or forest; awed by being within a presence far greater than humanity. When it is closer to home, one needs the vantage of water or hills, or the presence of a strikingly colourful sunset to feel wonder. Come down to the routine and mundane scales that most of us inhabit, and we think we are in an ordinary and fallen place distanced from nature. Wonder hardly stirs when one looks at the natural everyday: the shrubs in the backyard, the weeds in an empty lot, the call of urban birds like the crow or pigeon, the routine movement of sunlight, or the presence of rain and how the water flows away.

With this distancing, one loses the ability to read the signs of nature from which they may recognise the patterns to build an emergence in which they can participate. Consequently and perhaps biased by the origin of cities as ringed by fortified defences, practitioners build an imagination of the city as a bounded entity, where the boundary designates a separation of the city within from nature without. The only nature recognised within is that which contributes to the aesthetic spectacle of the city, recognised through a predictability enforced by straightjacketing it into recognisable geometry, or disciplining it with the mower or pruning shears. We should, as John Thackara suggests, reimagine the city as a sponge; for the sponge has a defined shape as well as a porosity that allows flows through it. Similarly, there are always natural flows moving through a city, and practitioners need to be able to recognise and read their signs: a continuous daily reading that is necessary to develop the resilient adaptability of emergence that thrives on local richness without seeking to force it into conformance with predefined silos of ego and expertise.

This is something that must be learnt experientially: it cannot be constructed from knowledge.

Knowledge crowds our perceptions, so we become obsessed with the abstract reflective turn that will win us fame or fortune as creative innovators, and we lose sight of the experiential turn to careful listening to our environment with non-judgmental alertness of eyes, ears, nostrils and fingertips. Knowledge leans toward an abstraction that shifts us toward a disembodied existence in the world: a disembodiment that has become enhanced in recent years where our existence is increasingly mediated by digital screens. Knowledge preconditions the patterns we Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Our ancestors held such a participating consciousness, and many traditional communities in India today still do: that is the natural order of things, and it is only the recent abstractions of modernity that has displaced it from our lives, distancing nature from our perceptions to the point that sustainability has become a serious and urgent challenge.

recognise, and this recognition blinds us to the potential that lies in the emergent patterns we may glean through our experiences in an environment to which we humbly offer a sensitive and perspicacious awareness. Remember that beyond intelligent beings, the human species is also a conscious being. And this relationship with the environment is one that exists most vividly at the full range of our consciousness, transcending intelligent understanding to also cover one’s entire sense of being, as a living breathing organism inhabiting a world that is also alive. For this reason, Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex, argues, in a TED talk, that while we may aim at an artificial intelligence we will never achieve an artificial consciousness. Seth, through his rigorous experimental research, convincingly demonstrates that the reality we perceive is not a direct product of our perceptions and intelligence: it is a set of rational hallucinations produced by our brain through a process that is shaped by our experiences of consciousness.And these experiences also embrace what flies below the radar of intelligent recognition, including the sensations of one’s own body: the sound of breath, the rhythm of heartbeat, the energy and freedom of muscles. This is a cohesiveness of existence that can only be felt by a living being.

If we feel this as living beings, we must discern and appreciate that the natural environment we inhabit is also alive. Maybe, not reflectively sentient in the way we are, but alive nonetheless. When the richness of our own living consciousness expands to connect with this wider consciousness around us, we construct what the philosopher Morris Berman calls “a participating consciousness”: one that participates in the wider consciousness around to seek harmony with it, a far cry from the personalised consciousness that we currently worship and pursue. A participating consciousness recognises that the signs of nature are subtle, and rigorous practice is required to recognise them. We must become like the woodsman, who even when deep within an unfamiliar forest, is never lost and knows how to navigate his way out because he has the experience to recognise and read the angle of the sun, the position of the stars, the feel of the wind on his skin, the direction and range of noise, or the smells of the forest.

With this kind of experience, conversations of friendship emerge. Our everyday world, apparent to our perceptions, picks up two conversations. One delves inward into the self, into the inner aspirations of our souls. And the other turns outward to the primordial rhythms of the natural world. Two friendships develop, and the epiphany of sustainability occurs when it dawns on us that all conversations are with the same friend, for the conversations have led to an inextricable intertwining of the memory of the people and the memory of the land.

Our ancestors held such a participating consciousness, and many traditional communities in India today still do: that is the natural order of things, and it is only the recent abstractions of modernity that has displaced it from our lives, distancing nature from our perceptions to the point that sustainability has become a serious and urgent challenge. This is not to romanticise ancient or traditional life as perfect, for it is deprived of a lot of things that are of paramount and indisputable value. But today, modern urbanism has deprived us of this type of consciousness that is fundamental to the processes of life. Without a participating consciousness, all the new knowledge and techniques that we pick up will have limited reach in serving the cause of sustainability. Sustainability will happen only when the authenticity of one’s own inner being wholeheartedly feels it is an inseparable component of the web of life within which it is embedded.

The Celtic philosopher, poet, and one-time priest, John O’Donohue quotes, “I think that one of the things that humans have done, and especially Western consciousness, is that we have hijacked all the primary mystical qualities for the human mind; and we have made this claim that only the human self has soul, and everything else is de-souled or un-souled as a result of that. And I think that is an awful travesty of presence, because I think that landscape has a soul, has a presence. And I think that landscape, living in the mode of silence, is always wrapped in seamless prayer.” To draw a conclusion and a commencement to the preceding speakers, it is imperative to be aware that the knowledge shared is only the tip of the iceberg, and do not think that the primary purpose for being here is to pick up the direct lessons they offer, so that all one needs do is go back home and apply them. Use the lessons they offer wisely, but remember those lessons need to rest on a bigger foundation: one that responds to the call of a non-linear world.

Humanity will attain a sustainable world only when each one of us transcends the linear world of knowledge to commit every day to a rigorous contemplative and emergent practice that jettisons filters of judgment to pay homage to the soul of the universe.

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SANJAY PRAKASH SHiFt: Studio for Habitat Futures

How do we actively shape the future?

Sanjay Prakash is the Principal Consultant of his design firm, SHiFt: Studio for Habitat Futures. He is a co-founder of the Future Institute, a not-for-profit, multi-disciplinary appliedresearch platform seeking to undertake and enable initiatives towards informing how India shapes its urban future. He is an architect with a commitment to energy-conscious architecture, eco-friendly design, people’s participation in planning, music and production design. His name and work is mentioned in the twentieth edition of one of the main reference works in architectural history, ‘A History of Architecture’ by Sir Bannister Fletcher.

Day 1: lecture 3 Text: Sharmila Chakravorty

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anjay Prakash from SHiFt - Studio for Habitat Futures has built his practice around sustainable architecture, energy consciousness, eco-friendly design, and people’s participation. There is also a call for sustainability not just in the professional world, but also in personal life, in the form of everyday choices we make. And since the firm hasn’t worked in the realm of city or urban planning focusing on resilience, his lecture at the 361 degrees conference didn’t speak about the firm’s work! He presented a paper, coauthored with Ashok Khosla, an environmentalist and physicist.

The thoughts present in the paper were developed over time. The simple message was that before we get into designing and infusing resilience into cities, we must set them right. And to do so, we must first realize what’s wrong with them. The primary agenda must be to eliminate air emissions, carbon footprint, and eliminate poverty. Without elimination of these underlying conditions, resilient cities cannot exist socially or environmentally. Unless we treat emissions and poverty as two sides of the same coin, we won’t be able to address the issues hampering sustainability and resilience of cities.

During the industrial revolution in the past, 3 billion people became part of the urban fabric.

But this shift happened mostly in the developed nations. This unprecedented growth was fueled by fossil fuels – oil and coal were exploited. In addition, it was also fueled by human resources; more precisely, people from the colonized nations. Since then, most colonized became independent, we depleted coal and oil reserves considerably, but the urbanization of the developed world almost completed itself.

But this current wave of urbanization is not in the developed world anymore; all the action is happening in the developing world. The rate of change is 3-4 times of what the industrial revolution of the past experienced. And, we have no models for tracking, predicting or tackling this change! We cannot obviously use human resources the way they were used before, we have limited natural fuel resources as we have already reached peak oil and are facing several severe environmental changes. The current wave of urbanization has also made middle-income Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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We have historically been disadvantages and lived with limited resources. It is only in the recent past that resources have become abundant. We have therefore more experience reuse and judicial, indigenous use of resources. This bring to mind the famous Indian ‘Jugaad’ way of life. Thus we are poised to better handle the changes we are facing today amidst depleting resources, and deal with it better than the Westerners did in the past.

countries powerful; countries with a majority of poor, underprivileged people. Thus, the urban pattern of cities, say in North America or Europe before, are vastly different from say a Shanghai or a Mumbai.

Yet, to tackle this, it is evident that we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And we need to do this fast. Additionally, poverty eradication too has to happen rapidly, on a large scale. Though there are several formulae to calculate how much of a carbon footprint we leave behind, these are all theoretical, and the effects on paper pale in comparison with the environmental damage we see in practice. Thus, to reduce emission, we could try and increase forests, algae, and mangroves. The can help in creating a sink of carbon. Then, reduction in population by meaning of avoiding new births would ensure sustainability as the resources would be better distributed between a small population. To add to this, efficiency must be high on the agenda as would be low consumption and waste reduction. This is where developing nation have a chance to shine.

We have historically been disadvantages and lived with limited resources. It is only in the recent past that resources have become abundant. We have therefore more experience reuse and judicial, indigenous use of resources. This bring to mind the famous Indian ‘Jugaad’ way of life. Thus we are poised to better handle the changes we are facing today amidst depleting resources, and deal with it better than the Westerners did in the past. Our disadvantage puts us in an advantageous position, and we must rise up to the challenge. We must build our own model because the western models will never truly reflect or work in our conditions. And that is the reason why so many of them fail when introduced in developing nations. It is history in the making and we are all participants in how this plays out in the future. We must figure out a middle path where innovation and advancement do not ruin the environment in the name of development. This balancing act has to be customized to our needs, and undertaken with traditional logic that was sustainable and resilient simply by recognizing that resources need to be revered and respected.

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SHAUN KILLA Killa Designs

Weaving together innovation and sustainability Shaun Killa studied architecture at the University of Cape Town and worked with several award winning architectural firms in Cape Town. Shaun was involved in designing masterplans, waterfront developments and stadia before he moved to Dubai in 1998 and joined Atkins working on the Burj Al Arab. In 2000 he became Design Director and lead Atkins Dubai by winning multiple international competitions such as 21st Century Tower, Chelsea Tower, Millennium Tower and Al Mas Tower (370m). In 2015 Shaun Killa left Atkins and created Killa Design. Here he has won multiple international commissions such as Museum of the Future, Address Jumeriah Gate (twin 77 St), W Hotel Mumbai, Vida Marina. These also include innovative buildings such as the Office of the Future, the first occupied printed building in the world, and SRG Tower which is a 111st, 470m ultra-green super high-rise tower in Dubai.

Day 1: lecture 2 Text: Sharmila Chakravorty Images: Killa Designs

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aving worked in Dubai and its adjoining regions for the last 20 years, Shaun Killa has the region develop and progress first-hand, often being instrumental in shaping the future of its urban fabric. In his lecture at the 361 degrees conference, he pointed out at the outset that if all the projects his firm was currently working on at the moment were to be combined, they’d make up 400 floors! And yet, he chose to elucidate his design philosophy, his firm’s ethos, and his larger quest as an architect using three of his recent projects. This guiding principles are, to an observer, a way to practice common-sense, logical architecture.

And yet, these ought-to-be common, common-sense principles are unfortunately not that common; evident by the current state of affairs in the urban fabric of our cities.

Killa Design, taking small but sure steps towards making the world a better, more efficiently built place, makes it a point to design responsible. Irrespective of the site, the client brief, the building typology, they start infusing the basic concept with sustainable elements of design. This includes choosing the right orientation for the building so as to shade it from the harsh middle-eastern sun, yet provide sufficient natural light and ventilation. Thus natural lighting and passive cooling are cornerstones of their design philosophy. Challenging the client’s though-process, pushing the client to see the firm’s sustainable point of view and yet ensuring ways for maximizing the building’s commercially viability while reducing the energy consumption is something they do on a regular basis. Moreover, by rooting the design in its context and making it responsive to its climatic conditions, sustainability is achieved automatically. The firm also places a lot of emphasis on how the building is integrated into the society, and so, a majority of their projects have a landscape that makes the onlookers Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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The Office of the Future. © WAM

a part of the building too. Open spaces, plazas and other avenues for pause are a common feature of their work, in a bid to integrate the building better into its milieu and make its users, whether direct or indirect, an integral part of it. Everyone in the vicinity benefits from the buildings. Of course, innovation too plays a central role. The firm prides itself on its innovative solution while not compromising on sustainability.

Design, the firm believes, should be a timeless entity. Meticulously avoiding design trends that could possibly make their buildings look dated 30 years down in future, Shaun Killa makes it a point to ensure that his designs, even 30 years later, are as timeless and relevant as they would be today. There is a great degree of thought put into every aspect that goes into the design. Overall, the ambition is to give back to the society in the form of open spaces, gardens, and thoughtful spaces that assert the idea that the users are the most important part of the building, and the design must take them into consideration. One can’t design a building independent of its users. The building’s purpose must be to enhance life, offer spaces that make life worth living! Thus, the design must consider people who inhabit it as key.

The Office of the Future in Dubai is innovation at its best. The building is 3D print, from China, and assembled on site in a way that maximizes natural light within the interior spaces, and saves the trees on site from being cut down. As one of the first projects that uses 3D printing, this project lays the foundation and raises the benchmark for other such projects in the future. They integrated a series of open spaces. Though these are only one Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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The Office of the Future. © WAM

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There is a great degree of thought put into every aspect that goes into the design. Overall, the ambition is to give back to the society in the form of open spaces, gardens, and thoughtful spaces that assert the idea that the users are the most important part of the building, and the design must take them into consideration.

storey tall, the project show that no matter how small the building, something special can always be done if you put your heart into it. You don’t need a mighty tower to create an iconic project. The 11 international awards this futuristic igloo-esque project won reiterates this quite well!

The objective of the Museum of the Future in Dubai, was to create an institution that pays homage to science and the future of innovation, be an incubator for innovative ideas, inspire people to think innovatively. So, to reflect this in the design, the façade of the building is an oval, with a central void. The former houses exhibition spaces for all this innovation, while the latter – the void – represents everything that we don’t yet know. Much like the ‘shunya’ and ‘bindu’ that Charles Correa has written at length about, the void becomes nothing and everything (in terms of energy) at the same time then! The façade also sports windows in the form of calligraphy; selected texts were used to create this unimaginable window form, a surprise element that surely inspires wonder. Having used technology to its fullest potential despite the many challenges the form and the window-making posed, the firm won awards for best use of software!

Lastly, he introduced the SRG Tower which he claims is super tall yet super sustainable. It will be one of the tallest residential towers, and yet the site is a small square. Thus, the problem that the design faced was the swaying of the building as they made it taller. As a response, the structural support which is traditionally inside the building in a core was brought out into the open, making it an envelope for the building. The efficient, highly engineered building resonates sustainable innovation, and creates a new benchmark for future high rises. It is a great addition to the skyline of the city, iconic yet timeless, bearing all the hallmarks of a great design.

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MATIAS ECHANOVE & RAHUL SRIVASTAVA urbz

The notion of urban space beyond the physical urbz is an experimental action and research collective specialized in participatory planning and design. Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava are co-founders of this platform for experimental urban research and action, with collaborators in Mumbai, Goa, São Paulo, Bogotá, Seoul and Geneva. The work of urbz has been exhibited at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad City Museum, Mumbai; MoMA, New York; MAXXI, Rome; MAK Vienna; The Centre for Contemporary Art in Bordeaux, the Istanbul Design Biennial; the Chicago Architecture Biennial; and the Sao Paulo Cultural Center. Rahul Srivastava studied social and urban anthropology in Mumbai, Delhi and Cambridge (UK).

Matias Echanove studied government and economics at the London School of Economics, urban planning at Columbia University and urban information systems at the University of Tokyo.

Day 1: Lecture 3 Text: Shriti Das Images: urbz

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he story of urbz and its co-founders started at a week-long workshop in Dharavi, Mumbai. The organisation works across the globe with people, places and cities. And much of their work is shaped from inferences that are derived from Mumbai. While cities like Mumbai are challenging to work with and within, it showcases a language of urbanism that is a complex yet significant premise in work of urbz. Their work has travelled from Mumbai to Sao Paulo, Bogota, Seoul, Geneva, Montreal and back to Mumbai wherein they have conducted workshops involving public participatory planning from their experiences in Dharavi. Their first project, the Dharavi workshop entailed planning and producing a counter-narrative to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. The Dharavi residents aimed to establish that the settlement is not a slum, but a village. Its original inhabitants are the ‘koliwadas’ and the village has grown and accommodated multiple roles and functions. The organisation’s first learning from the project was that participatory planning is not a novel idea or invention but citizens at various levels and scales are already involved and perceptive. It is interesting to note details of how people are participating and building on existing frameworks to ideate or create something beyond those realms.

While the aforementioned is perhaps common knowledge to many, urbz also noted that unless practitioners and practices of urbanism delve beyond the physical space, one cannot validate design and building. Their work is a collective and collaboration across professions; architects being a large part of their work. And this ‘team’ also encompasses the locality and its people.

The team believes that that unless they shape a language of urban practice, wherein one looks beyond the physical space; they cannot fully realise the potentials of architecture and urban planning. The idea stems from the notion that the locality is not a physical thing but is collectively produced and shaped by its inhabitants. The first concept is that of the homegrown economy.

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A design that emerged in collaboration with local knowledge of the workers who ‘build’ and not necessarily design.

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Mumbai neighbourhoods have a street culture of vendors, artisans, artists, etc. They provide services and also endow culture and communal spirit to the locale. This spirit and culture is absent in other global cities owing to strict zoning and regulations. While stringent policies are essential, they also created a culture where citizens travel huge distances to reach their place of work or avail any service. But the neighbourhoods themselves are inert. On the other hand, the street culture does result in chaos in many parts of Mumbai. But the same is also imperative to create a sense of neighbourhood and community. This home-grown economy is also linked to the identity and culture of a neighbourhood. Beyond commercial opportunities, it creates the ethos of a neighbourhood.

In this premise, the organisation questions the bifurcations or rather the exclusion of the home-grown economy from the formal economy.

The home-grown economy is termed as the ‘informal’ economy which is perceived as the antithesis of the formal economy. If one eliminates the division between formal and informal or perceives all economy with a different frame of reference the city; it becomes evident that there is a structure and process to typologies. And much of what is deemed as a ‘slum’ is essentially a combined work-living space. It creates an appearance that a contemporary imagination cannot expect. Whereas actually the shop-house, the tool house are typologies that emerge from the fact that there are people who use skills and resources and they respond to the environment and produce an economy.

Such locales, again the reference being Dharavi, also deploy locally governed systems (known as ‘jamaats’ in Dharavi) which are prevalent across India. The Bandra Villages in Mumbai, housing colonies in Goa are owned by single entities. The idea that land can be outside the space of private ownership is endemic to Mumbai history. While global cities are struggling to implement similar systems, the same has evolved organically in India. urbz was approached to redesign a structure owned by a ‘jamaat’ in Dharavi wherein they deployed the context of multiple aspects that reflects the existing modern economics in Dharavi and its home-grown neighbourhoods. This was done by designing to accommodate social and cultural activities. Planned across three storeys; ground floor will house the existing shops, the first floor is a bank and the third floor is a banquet hall. The program was devised by the owner but the organisation tried to envisage the space post the user inhabiting it. There will be billboard extensions and curtains that will occupy the façade; perhaps some extended activities and similar unanticipated undertakings. Such appropriation is welcomed and expected by the organisation and the former is what offers character to the neighbourhood.

The work; programme, design and execution were collaborations with contractors, workers and so on. The owner hired 5 contractors to execute the work to avoid internal competition or conflict. In an environment that is cutthroat, collaboration and coexistence also prevails.

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While cities like Mumbai are challenging to work with and within, it showcases a language of urbanism that is a complex yet significant premise in work of urbz.

or evolves as construction proceeds. Another aspect is that of the local knowledge; which is also the most important for the organisation. It is essential to not undermine the proficiency of the locals’ ideas. They create designs in collaboration with local contractors in Dharavi, who generally build, and not necessarily design. The design emerges from dialogue and not a conscious design process. The only perquisite being that the built-form should accommodate an economic activity.

Interactions with the locals also revealed another intriguing facet; that the third generation residents in cities aspire to build homes in their native land, while theories always point at burgeoning cities and rural-urban migration. This alters many perceptions on affordable housing and ideas that stem from the notion that urban-rural migration is a one way channel. However, on delving deeper, urbz realised that most migrations in India are cyclical, seasonal and circulatory. The trail of research was exhibited at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai, called ‘Mumbai Return’. One of the pieces at the exhibition was a map of Mumbai alongside the map of India. The visitors were asked to connect their neighbourhood in Mumbai to their native village in India. These connections are intangible and complex to document in numbers. It showcased an urban fabric of India and the circulatory urbanism. Villages are also on the brink on urbanising as people from cities bring back ideas and implement them in their native land. A simple tale that emerged from the long winded research was that of a house in rural Ratnagiri that was documented by an architect on the urbz team. It revealed that the house was the reproduction of a Mumbai chawl. The house owner mentioned that the chawl system could house his own joint family. The idea that an urban form can be reproduced in rural areas with income earned in urban areas, and the role of urbanism in circulatory arc is an on-going research at the organisation. urbz began work in Geneva to create a participatory plan for a site on the outskirts of the city to accommodate its growing demographics. With prior experience of organising locals and deriving solutions in accordance with their needs and opinions, urbz started work around an existing house in the village. They called the house ‘The house of Process’.

They organised workshops where they involved the citizens and created a plan with their involvement. The municipality had put forth a proposal 3 years prior to the involvement of urbz which was rejected. It was the urbz organisation that communicated the significance of people’s participation and that it is not the architects and developers who solely conceive urban living systems.

And that is the premise of their work, to envisage opportunities and ideas beyond the standard practices; to understand the ethos of a place, culture, aspirations and the many intangibles and translate them into a space. And then again study the place once the user occupies it and then derive supplementary nuances which can be deployed in similar contexts or perhaps even investigate them in newer or diverse premises.

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AMIT PROTHI 100ResilientCities

Building Resilience: Intent, Parameters and agendas Amit Prothi is Associate Director at 100ResilientCities, a program of the Rockefeller Foundation. He is working with cities in Asia including Singapore, Seoul, Melaka, Chennai, Surat, Da Nang and Can Tho to promote urban resilience. Amit has practiced in North America, Asia and Africa for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, US Government, and numerous municipalities and private sector clients. For nearly 20 years, he has worked on thematic areas including environmental planning, urban policy, urban design, land use planning, natural resource management, flood management, disaster risk reduction, housing, and community development.

Day 1: Lecture 4 Text: Shriti Das Images: Amit Prothi, 100ResilientCities

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ities encompass a substantial ratio of world population. Cities offer jobs, housing, opportunities and inevitably it is cities that contribute a large chunk (approximately 3/4 th quarter) to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Cities showcase three persistent trends – rapid urbanisation, globalisation and climate change. Rapid urbanisation and globalisation are interconnected processes while climate change is a consequence of many factors, of which the aforementioned play a major role. The world is urbanizing at a rapid pace. From 10% in 1800 AD to 54% in 2017 to 75% in 2050; urbanisation will impact the world substantially. And 75% of the infrastructure that the world will consume in 2050 is un-built. Given the substantial potential and prospect that the future holds, the time to build resilience in current cities and to design cities of the future, is the present age.

The Rockefeller Foundation wrestled with the notion of future cities and subsequent infrastructure.

100 Resilient Cities (100RC) was established to deliberate upon the same - 100 cities across the globe wherein cities avail resources and strategies to build resilience. Resilience is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses and systems within a city to survive, adapt and grow; irrespective of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience. The initiative works with cities and offers them 4 resources – A Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation for two years. The CRO advocates and convenes resilience and is the point person on the matter.

The second resource is Resilient Strategies. A resilient strategy is a participatory process that facilitates stakeholder engagement. There are various stakeholders, professionals, practitioners along with the government who can offer expertise and solutions to issues plaguing the city.

100RC enables conversation amidst these individuals and bodies to devise a resilient strategy.

Next, the 100RC have established platform partners. Platform partners are 100 institutions; private sector firms, World Bank, etc. who have partnered with the cities and offer a pro-bono service. The partners get an opportunity to engage with a city and the cities acquire new ideas. And lastly, there is a global network of cities that is established wherein cities communicate learning.

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Given the substantial potential and prospect that the future holds, the time to build resilience in current cities and to design cities of the future, is the present age.

Urban Resilience – The City Resilience Framework and Resilience Dividends Urban Resilience in practice is a catchphrase with many variables. ARUP a platform partner, funded by Rockefeller foundation, devised a framework that outlines 12 drivers of resilience that determine the city’s ability to withstand a wide range of shocks and stresses. The framework of 12 drivers are categorised in groups of 3 under 4 umbrellas wherein the cities should ideally: 1. Infrastructure and Environment – Provide reliable communication and mobility; Ensures continuity of critical services; provides and enhances natural and manmade assets.

2. Health and well-being – Meets basic needs; supports livelihoods and employment; ensures public health services.

3. Economy and society – Fosters economic prosperity; Ensures social stability, security and justice; promotes cohesive and engaged communities.

Under these drivers, 100RC investigates ecosystems in cities pertaining to their contexts. It underlines parameters that have led to disasters or underlying stresses that may create problems in the future. For example, on investigating the Houston Floods, it was revealed that Houston was built onto flood plains. Mumbai has severe traffic congestions that cannot have an immediate solution. It calls for a long-term plan, stakeholders, policies and efficient leaders who will implement the same. 100RC also intervenes and initiates discussions in cities where hindrances are imperceptible but dialogue brings them to the fore. For example, Seoul was analysed from various perspectives, multiple criteria, multiple dimensions, and multiple approaches before recognizing the need for women’s safety. The government may not always be equipped to look into all entities of a city, which is why collaborations and such conversations are essential. It is a mirror, a reflection to the city to understand its attributes with respect to other global cities.

Resilience Dividends Cities are faced with multiple problems and addressing each individually or aiming to resolve every problem is impractical. Especially for infrastructural concerns, capital may never suffice.

The key is, to work in reverse and devise solutions that solve multiple problems singularly. The Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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75% of the infrastructure that the world will consume in 2050 is un-built. Given the substantial potential and prospect that the future holds, the time to build resilience in current cities and to design cities of the future, is the present age.

Marina Barrage project in Singapore is a flood-wall between the river and ocean. During flooding it captures water from the downtown area and becomes an outlet. When it rains and during high-tide, the gates are lowered and the water flows out. The single infrastructure provides flood control and water supply. Similarly, Rotterdam faces flood due the coast, river, ground and rainfall. But the Benthemplein Watersquare in Rotterdam is a park and a flood pond. It is designed in a series of layers. When it rains or floods, the park is filled up sequentially.

The Marina Barrage and the Benthemplein Watersquare are infrastructure that addresses multiple verticals. This knowledge or innovation is not new or recent but the step-wells in India, the ghats in Varanasi had similar functions. They are places of social significance and infrastructure when the need be. The imperative question here is, there is opportunity to build cities, and the 75% of un-built infrastructure awaits impending urbanisation. Given the resources, opportunities, communication and references of the past and present, what shall be bestowed to the city by its practitioners?

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Towards a Smarter Architectural Education: The Alternative Routes Text: Sushant Verma Design Education: Curated and moderated by Sushant Verma

Ar. Sushant Verma - Curator and Moderator

Prof. Yashwant Pitkar – Panellist

Prof. G. V. Sreekumar – Panellist

Ar. Ishaan Dixit – Panellist Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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L-R: Ar. Sushant Verma, Ar. Ishaan Dixit, Prof. G. V. Sreekumar and Prof. Yashwant Pitkar

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rchitectural Education in India has been in the highlight since a long time now, especially with the shift of ‘business’ interests of stakeholders of education sector from Engineering to Architecture. The number of rising colleges imparting undergraduate degree courses in architecture has always been good enough to indicate a clear problem as the industry lacks skilled professionals at various levels. Council of Architecture’s website currently states 538 recognized institutes that impart undergraduate degree courses in architecture . This list was updated in April 2017 so there would have been a good rise in this, since then. While this is helping in the long run to have more architects in the country, the skill set and education standard has been in question. The curriculum is highly outdated, student-to-faculty ratio has been deteriorating qualitatively as well quantitatively and many of institutes lack the basic infrastructural facilities for an undergraduate programme. The list of issues is quite long and many responsible professionals are trying to address the issue in their own ways by engaging with architectural education by being lecturers, guest critics, board members and through other means of raising their concerns.

Being a young educator, I happen to have the understanding from students’ perspective as frustration builds in, when one is not getting the right quality of education that one deserves.

At the same time, having a design practice has shown me the missing gaps in architectural education as I frequently go through recruitment process and evaluate academic work. Being an educator allows me to interact with students and young professionals where, more often than not, there is a venting behaviour that prevails regarding the state of architectural education they have been exposed to. We started the Indian studio of our organization in 2015 after its conception in 2012 in London. Among many aspects that I gathered from my post-graduate education at Architectural Association, London, one was an exposure to an open-learning environment which prevailed in the institute as well as multiple workshops and forums I was engaged in.

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The Indian studio adapted well to the growing needs of change that ‘architectural education’ was possibly waiting to undergo and we started an educational division of the company to look into changing needs of education. The focus was (and currently is) on intersections of design and technology which further extends to design thinking and computational thinking at an undergraduate level. We started with independently organized design modules and workshops that comprised of a theoretical discourse on Computational Design extending to technical tutorials across a two-day or a three-day studio. This led to the rise of ‘Filling The Void’ Design Tour extending its legs to different cities in India and created a nation-wide awareness on the subject. Additionally, this also led to an independent workshop-culture in the country which was adopted well by various independent studio and is now a part of various Universities and Institutes in India to teach various design-related subjects (technical and non-technical) through a limited-time workshop structure. This allows flexibility to students without affecting the static curriculum, which is not very flexible to change on a short-term basis. In the last 3 years, workshop-culture has become a part of architectural education and is serving to be a good add-on to the conventional course structure following the guidelines of Council of Architecture. Students and young professionals are keen to extend their skill-set and knowledge through these short-term programmes initiated by many organizations and individuals in India.

In a recent exchange between IA&B and rat[LAB]EDU, a discourse on Design Education was initiated as a series of steps. A survey on design education questioning its current state was curated into an online survey that was distributed online through social media platforms to engage Academics, Professionals and Students of Design. The survey comprised of about 15 questions of objective and subjective nature to draw conclusive data for a debate and panel discussion at 361° Conference 2018. The survey was filled up by 350+ individuals and the resulting data was analysed and translated into statistical graphs. A small report was collated and distributed at the conference to all attendees for a live survey that took place on first day – 16 th February 2018.

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The live survey and panel discussion went concurrently in the session where many of the survey questions were put across to the eminent panellists and the audience through a live ARS (Audience Response System) by using the front and back cover of survey report – printed as solid green and red colour to indicate ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ or an ‘Agreement’ and ‘Disagreement’, respectively. The panel comprised of educators from a varied stream of design background with Prof. Yashwant Pitkar, Prof. G.V. Sreekumar and Ar. Ishaan Dixit, sharing the stage and giving their valuable insights on design and architectural education through their experiences.

They responded to survey questions while audience participated through live ARS and online survey results were flashed on the screen as a comparative. This created an engaging dialogue and allowed an open-ended discussion to persist.

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Prof. Yashwant Pitkar highlighted on role of Council of Architecture and other governing bodies that conduct inspections to give clearances to institutes. He threw light on some of the valid points about the nature of inspections being more quantitative and less qualitative as checklists are often dominated by quantitative aspects such as number of classrooms, build-up area, number of teachers, etc. Less focus is put on quality of teachers, their involvements in research, seminars, workshops, etc. leading to a poor quality of qualified educators in many institutes. He also spoke later on increasing number of young and inexperienced graduates taking up teaching jobs on a temporary basis against a comparable salary that institutes offer. This is seen more as a job securing opportunity rather than actual intent of contributing to academia.

Prof. G.V. Sreekumar spoke on some interesting aspects about outdated curriculum in many institutes by giving comparative examples from IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay which he heads, where an update of curriculum is followed on yearly basis. He spoke about the missing ‘human’ aspects in education as there is no focus on ‘values of life’. Mental wellbeing of students is not looked into by educators who are only focussing on imparting knowledge without understanding the psychological response of students. Importance of research and a continuous updating of self being are required to be carried out by all academicians to be able to keep themselves up to date with the changing world. He also spoke about the reduced attention span of students in today’s era of technology as he adapts by spreading his single lectures to multiple parts and talks about how academicians need to adapt to changing social behaviour of student community.

Ar. Ishaan Dixit highlighted on some interesting aspects about decision makers in Design Education who are controlling many institutes in the country. He spoke about a managementled business of education where many private colleges have commercialized education through irrelevant advertisement methods. He spoke about the generational differences of individuals as many schools of thoughts co-exist but age-old methods are prevailing as far as design curriculum goes. He also advocated on use of technology to its maximum potential to reach out to a maximized group of students in the country who deserve to be exposed to the fact changing world.

The panel discussion and audience engagement kept the session alive and we noted the generic differences of how students and academicians perceive of architectural education.

This was evident through specific questions in the survey where results were analysed to infer interesting points of argument. Questions allowed touching down on topics such as Design Entrepreneurship, Architectural Journalism, Independent Workshops, Software Skills, Fee Structures, Pay-scales, Role of technology and even Online Education Methods.

There was a fair argument about online education, which is also one of the key areas of focus at rat[LAB]EDUCATION which was spoken about in the keynote before the start of panel discussion. This was in context to a 6-month design module of ‘hybrid’ nature – Smart Labs, which was started as Indian’s first Hybrid Design studio combining Online Education and Real-time Studio spread across a semester and focussing on Design Technologies. We see this as an experimental approach beyond the evolving workshop-culture which might find its way forward as a common approach in the next few years as communication technologies continue to evolve and become a part of conventional education systems. This also has potentials to expand the bandwidth of design curriculum and fill the missing gap between profession and academia.

At the end of the day, education is about imparting knowledge and information in conducive environments, which may not be restricted to real space and should extend to virtual space as well. It is about harnessing the potentials of evolving technologies as methods of designing, as well as methods of teaching.

Such alternative routes to alter architectural design education can offer a small-term solution to locally impact the design education sphere and may also lead to a long-term surgical effect on the flawed system we have. Focusing on students to become smarter with changing times and growing needs of profession will lead to a smarter education system and alternative routes shall play a major role in the same.

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S. VISHWANATH Biome Solutions

Criticality of water in the Indian context S. Vishwanath is a civil engineer and urban planner with 30 years of experience in the water, waste-water and sanitation sector helping design rainwater harvesting, aquifer recharge, wastewater recycling and eco-sanitation systems for the Ecological Architecture firm Biome Solutions. He has been in the policy writing space on rainwater harvesting, faecal sludge management and waste-water reuse for the Government of Karnataka, India. He is an adjunct professor and teaches a course on water at the Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, India. He also is an Advisor to Arghyam, a funding agency in the water and sanitation sector in India and to Biome Trust, which implements sustainable water and sanitation systems in schools. He writes a weekly column called Waterwise for over the last 10 years in a national newspaper - The Hindu.

Day 2: Lecture 1 Text: Shriti Das

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ndia is the largest user of groundwater. It accounts for 50% of potable water in urban areas and 90% of potable water in rural areas. India consumes more groundwater than China and USA collectively. India has always been a groundwater civilization. While The Indus valley civilization flourished on the banks of river Indus, its inhabitants drew water from wells.

Sarnath, the site of Siddhartha Gautama’s (Buddha) first sermon, has no rivers or lakes but a series of wells with potable water. Are we privileged to drink the same water that Gautama Buddha drank? Or are we blessed to not only receive his spiritual discourse, but also be a part of his endeavour for good drinking water?

While designing resilience around water, it is these age old sustainability ideas and technologies that one must address. The crucial question here is, can our designs sustain 2500 years, akin to the wells at Sarnath and similar water systems? One needs to communicate and more importantly, listen to this resource called water. The open well is a notable communicator. It indicates the arrival of summer when the waters receded, suggesting that the individual must consume water judiciously. The levels would increase in monsoons suggesting that one could utilize water liberally. There existed this constant communication and interaction with water.

Hydro-science was also perhaps the first science. The well liberated humans from the tyranny of rivers and lakes. Till humans discovered ground water, they mandatorily lived along river and lake banks. The technology of wells endowed them the liberty to travel and occupy newer lands.

Around this developed the knowledge of techniques; of digging, understanding landscape, flora, fauna, and rock and soil structure. Beyond the science, the well imparted philosophical and principled learning; that if the aquifers are charged, water will be abundant and life will function efficiently. On the other hand if the water is polluted, it is deemed unusable.

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While designing resilience around water, it is these age old sustainability ideas and technologies that one must address. The crucial question here is, can our designs sustain 2500 years, akin to the wells at Sarnath and similar water systems?

There is disconnect and a breakdown in this system in the urban fabric of cities. The user is almost disconnected from their source of water which impedes any conversation or even the desired empathy between them. This has led to the problem of unsustainable water management. Bengaluru is dependent solely on the River Cauvery for its entire water requirement. How does one build water resilience with a single water source? The second option is rainwater harvesting, waste water harvesting and demand management around the same. The process can commence with the smallest unit, the home and the hydrological cycle within and around its periphery. The surface run-off on an un-built plot is between 10-15%, recharge is 8-10% and 75% stays on soil and evaporates. If a home is built on the plot the surface run-off increases from 15% to 90%. The process can be reversed on the basis of policies, bylaws and design. If a law dictates that for every 1 square meter of roof area the site must store or recharge 20liters of rainwater. And for 1 square meter of paved area, one has to become responsible for 10litres of rainwater storage or recharge. The recharge should be 3 meters deep so that it by-passes the clay layer and reaches the aquifers. Simple policy by-laws can follow from understanding hydrological cycles at the site level.

At the community housing level, the same process is reversed by turning the ground water into a collective pool resource instead of each home sinking a bore-well and eventually drawing and competing from a common pool. This ensures that no home sinks an independent borewell. The community sources the water and shares it equitably. Each community member takes responsibility for recharge. Each one adopts storm water drainage. This creates sustainability through demand management. A price is levied on water beyond a certain amount to minimize usage. Pricing, understanding demand management, hydrology, recharge and a community centric approach to the resource is crucial. Subsequently, the waste water is recycled in treatment plants and reused for non-potable requirements. This, at units of 36 acres, 70 acres, and 100 acres eventually perhaps the city, is the larger goal.

Bengaluru also had the system of tanks and lakes constructed for irrigation more than 5 centuries ago. To render them relevant to current demands and functions is crucial. These water-bodies are currently managed by multiple government authorities, simultaneously and at various levels. In this context, community participation is important. Citizen groups can adopt a lake and undertake nodal co-ordination with respective authorities and department.

Post this; it is design and strategy that takes lead to constructively deploy technology, wastewater treatment and subsequent actions. It is also essential that the strategy is not only financially viable but also generates additional capital to keep the initiative moving. There are ways to organise waste-water treatment systems with the ecosystem design to make it financially viable. The waste-water in the sewage can be treated by removing the sludge and the water can be released to wetlands and lakes. By the time the water reaches a well, it is potable. The Jakkur Lake on the outskirts of Bengaluru is a centuries old lake that was revived in a similar manner. The lakes can provide fishery opportunities and sludge can be used and sold as manure. This creates an ecosystem of a financially viable process that serves multiple functions at many levels. The design challenge is the coordination of people, government and design institutes to work cohesively. It is imperative to devise replicable models fitting various contexts; a million contextual solutions will work better than a singular large scale fix.

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GLENN BERRILL Thompson Berrill Landscape Design (TBLD)

Waterways: The lives within and beyond Glenn Berrill as co-director of Thompson Berrill Landscape Design (TBLD), offers over 25 years professional experience as a landscape architect and waterway designer in the planning, design, documentation and delivery of innovative waterway restoration projects encompassing urban waterways, wetlands and coastal environments along the eastern seaboard of Australia. The practice is passionately committed to protecting and restoring the health of our waterways, by inspiring governments and communities to build capacity to achieve outstanding and heroic waterway restoration projects. With courage to develop holistic designs that achieve improved waterway health and living environments. The practice is professionally inspired and driven to assist communities with meaningful disruption of waterway degradation, to build on the inherent resilience of waterways to survive, recover and thrive.

Day 2: lecture 2 Text: Shriti Das Images: Glenn Berrill, Thompson Berrill Landscape Design (TBLD)

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he semblance of Sydney’s waterways and coastland is a romanticised and an aspirational notion across the globe. But at his lecture, Glenn Berrill put forth the premise that this ‘semblance’ is an objective that the practice, TBLD strives to achieve. During the Great Depression in 1930, employment opportunities were created in the country in the form of constructing trapezoidal concrete channels through the city. This impaired the ecological remnants in the water channels. The concrete is currently degrading and adding to the contamination caused by stilt, debris, industrial waste, etc.

These were followed by flooding instances that affected health and property. The rivers and other water channels resembled drains and were fenced. This creates disconnect of the community from the water system; almost a loss of sense of belonging towards the rivers. Amidst these situations, the practice tried to explore strategies, opportunities and an inspiration to drive change, if not reverse the situation entirely.

While the waterways had lost almost all species, a few surviving flora and fauna were investigated to understand the habitat that they perhaps desired. They observed that while there was not much left to restore; the flora and fauna showed resilience towards the inhospitable built-environment thrust upon them. There were birds who would occasionally visit the waterways seeking fish, worms and other food. A long-neck fresh water tortoise was scaling the water-channel bank, looking for a way out of the polluted water. Water in one of the channels had turned saline owing to discharge and while most of its fauna had withered away, there were also some species endemic to saline water that proliferated at the banks. These minor but insightful occurrences pointed to an optimistic circumstance wherein ecology and its many species showcased resilience and trust in their habitat with a hope, that perhaps a liveable habitation will come through.

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Spotted - A bird species awaits fish or worms to arrive before the river restoration was undertaken.

Taking cue from this veracity, the practice devised a cycle that would be a tool to address the watersystems. The cycle entailed understanding hydrology – the water source, its flow-rate, quality, etc. and restoring the same; physical form and vegetation – while the waterway is being modified from its natural state, it is imperative to think of limitations, strengths and opportunities; flora and fauna that are remnants but also rightful owners of the waterways and must be enabled to claim their habitat; water quality; aesthetics – a healthy waterway is reflected in its aesthetics which also offers an improved quality of life to citizens; community connections – ownership of the waterways and devising joint ambitions for its future is crucial to establish a sense of belonging with the rivers.

The aforementioned sets a sound theoretical foundation for groundwork, process methodology and execution. The first step towards creating a substantial change is a courageous vision. Because there is the realisation that ecology is hampered beyond repairs, funds may be insufficient, etc. These are some of many deterrents that hinder constructive processes. The next step, derived from the predecessor, entails trusting the resilience of the ecology to revert and revel in the habitation.

Subsequently, understand the strengths, environment and other tangibles pertaining to the waterway and the precinct. These data determine how engineering and technology comes into play. It is essential to push the boundaries of traditional engineering systems to derive appropriate solutions.

Walk and physically scale the precinct multiple times. This not only familiarises one with the space but also allows ideas to emerge seamlessly and efficiently than perhaps a desk or computer would facilitate. Concentrate on the bank as it is the bank that offers much potential for interventions and change. It is again vital to have a promotional plan or program for the site under development. It helps in clinching sponsorships and financial aid. Get communities and organisations involved at all levels – from authorities to citizens; each individual is a mediator of change. Post the groundwork, one needs to translate the research and all activity onto paper, designs and models. Map the degradations, densities and services which will help identify potential sites.

Citing an example of the Cooks River; TBLD started work on the river 10 years ago. The banks were dense with housing and there was little open space. They studied and documented the site to devise a master-plan. They involved the community, journalists and individuals to contribute ideas, Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Cooks River Naturalisation - Before.

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Cooks River Flockhart Park - Before.

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While there was not much left to restore; the flora and fauna showed resilience towards the inhospitable built-environment thrust upon them. Birds would occasionally visit the waterways seeking fish, worms and other food. A long-neck fresh water tortoise was scaling the water-channel bank, looking for a way out of the polluted water.

requirements and share their aspirations. The practice discovered an open park that had no function but only grass and a tributary of the river. They saw opportunity in the unused land and proposed to divert the tributary and create wetland over the same. The second site was a 2 kilometre long bank where they decided to take up both sides of the bank and create major impacts. The third site was smaller but encompassed major infrastructure and network towers. In 2 years, the waterways were restored and the concrete channel was done away with. They conceived a ‘bank’ ecology. This was done by using a combination of rocks, plants and geotextiles. Of these 3 projects pertaining to Cooks River, one bank was fenced off ceasing any interactions between the community and the river. They kept the concrete base owing to structural reasons but created a stone and grass bank. A few months post the execution, the precinct saw a massive flood but only a single rock moved from its location, owing to the soil erosion prevented by the grass roots. A reserve of the Cooks River has a salt marsh wherein species that live in such saline habitats have occupied it.

Another project, Carrs Park Foreshore had an unsightly concrete edge. The waterway was transformed to accommodate inter-tidal pools where species can breed. Before commencing work, there were 4 species that inhabited the waters. Currently there are 38 species that also contains an octopus. They have an abundantly rich ecosystem where food is abundant and growth is copious. The Heynes Project, is particularly inspiring and brings the success stories to perhaps a logical conclusion. The project post work was a wetland that got polluted by an industry. The local community took note and sought legal help to persecute the industry. The community won the case and the industry was sued. Such examples bring to the forth that even the smallest intervention can spiral to exponential capacities.

And resilience may not always be a physical or ‘built’ attribute. Here it was the hope that the bird, tortoise and fish inculcated within them. It brought accomplishment and in turn bestowed resilience upon the individual and the community to reinstate the sense of belonging with their waterways.

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ASHOK B LALL Ashok B Lall Architects

Equitable cities Ashok B Lall is the Principal of Ashok B Lall Architects in New Delhi, India. He is a visiting professor at the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) in New Delhi, and Chair for Design and Technology at the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture (KRVIA) in Mumbai. He was Dean of the TVB School of Habitat Studies till 2007. The firm Ashok B Lall Architects was established in New Delhi in 1981. The practice has executed projects for educational research institutions in many parts of India, and specializes in low-energy sustainable architecture. Recent projects in India include the Indian Institute of Health Management Research, Jaipur; Sehgal Foundation, Gurgaon and Development Alternatives World Headquarters, New Delhi. He is currently l initiatives for the improvement of public spaces in cities and affordable housing.

Day 1: lecture 3 Text: Shriti Das

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he becoming of a city is a result of subliminal dialogue between a vision and its subsequent inhabitation. The vision is conceived, built and bequeathed by architects and urban planners. The built-forms are inhabited by its citizens and shaped thereon. But if the vision is eschewed from the citizen’s aspiration; the city comes under duress. Effective urban development must facilitate equitable opportunities and commercial progress. Often the infrastructure and development of cites pertains to wealth generation in the city. The idea, that how cities will be designed so that they can offer equal opportunity and wealth distribution is left unaddressed. Secondly, cities, owing to the world urbanising at a rapid rate, must take on the responsibility of leading low-carbon urban living while offering a safe, comfortable and dignified living condition.

However, the on-ground reality in Indian cities is far from desirable. Cities; especially the developing cities, are in a state of economic disparity and infrastructural turmoil. Data from built and un-built designs reveal that embodied energy consumption in low-rise buildings (4-5 storeys high) is substantially lower than a high-rise building. As one builds high-rises, the operational costs increase along with construction costs. Additional services; lifts, pumps, fire-fighting, etc. have to be provided in high-rises that not only consume resources but also use up built-space to accommodate these entities. The lifecycle of a high-rise is less owing to maintenance costs. 60%-70% space roof-space of a low-rise building can be deployed to install solar panels. These panels can provide 80% of the required energy to these buildings.

The same ratio is substantially reduced in tall buildings. Low-rise buildings often house Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Effective urban development must facilitate equitable opportunities and commercial progress.

Often the infrastructure and development of cites pertains to wealth generation in the city.

The idea, that how cities will be designed so that they can offer equal opportunity and wealth distribution is left unaddressed.

high-density spaces wherein balconies, verandahs and roofs become spill-out or communal areas. High-rise buildings have thicker walls that reduce the efficiency of built-up spaces. The increase in FSI does not yield proportionate increase in number of houses because regulations mandate that taller buildings must be separated at greater distances. One also needs to build wider roads as a prerequisite to tall buildings, which, at times, are a wasted use of space and land. Additional parking is necessitated for tall buildings. The hard surface provided for roads and parking inhibits groundwater recharge during monsoons. Beyond 8 or 9 storeys, the effective land-use density remains unchanged owing to the complementary facilities that are provided alongside. All these parameters; open area per person, embodied energy efficiency, operational energy efficiency, solar roof potential, carpet area, construction cost and time, maintenance and affordability, disaster or breakdown resilience; are affected as the height of buildings increase.

The theoretical summary of a low-carbon fabric, beyond building, also dictates low carbon mobility; less private vehicles, more walk-able and cycling roads and efficient public transport.

Transit and location; housing and transportation are key to a sustainable city. Locating and reserving land near public transport systems for low-cost housing is essential. Regulations controlling large developments should allow permeability for walkability to public transport routes. Summarising, a low-rise high density has the advantages of – 400-500 dwellings per hectare, 15 Sq.mt. open space per person, low construction costs, 80% Solar Potential for renewable energy from rooftops, 3 million tonnes reduced carbon emissions as compared to high-rise buildings, faster construction and the construction process is driven by local labourers that creates income generation for the community.

At their practice, Ar. Ashol Lall tried to bring back robustness into some degraded parts of Delhi as a part of speculative work for the Living City Design competition. They decided to take experiences from the city and devise a strategy from there on. They reclaimed the drainage systems of the city to recover and restore its original ecosystem. This reclaimed space could be converted to a recreational and communal space. They studied the mobility and transport systems and derived that a para-transport network in the city that connects schools, hospitals and markets can greatly reduce dependencies on private vehicles. They worked out that if water is reused and managed responsibly by means of rain-water harvesting, waste-water recycling; a person only consumes 35 litres of fresh water per day. Parks can double as amphitheatres where water percolates during heavy rains. This can be redirected to underground storage tanks. The next step is to reduce roads and convert them into parks as access-ways to residences. If dependency on private vehicles is minimized, the aforementioned is a viable possibility. Solar panels on rooftops of low-rise buildings and umbrellas in open spaces and chowks can meet 60%-70% of energy demands. As the city regenerates and creates waste from entities that are perhaps demolished, discarded and refused; every zone of the city can house a recycling centre. They can also be trade and manufacturing posts that converts the city economy to circular economy.

To test the idea, the practice experimented and collaborated with citizens, building on their aspirations, sharing ideas and working on their priorities. They came up with a design plan that was approved from the development authorities and municipality. A budget was also approved.

But it took all of 3 individuals to stop work from commencing. The first being an engineer in the authority who claimed that the plan was ‘impossible’ to implement and raised the bogey that people who had encroached public streets would not give up the space wherein the architects had procured their consent and approval. The second, a minister who was afraid of radical change and risk. And lastly a shopkeeper who believed that doing away with roads would lead to less cars coming to his shop; the people who came to his shop from distant parts of the city in private cars would no longer visit the shop. These mind-sets point at a cultural problem wherein notions like nature, convenience and even convention is dictated by imageries that are far from desirable. The cities that are perceived as archetypical cities often showcase a swanky tall glass façade buildings; be it Shanghai, Singapore or New York. These cities do offer insight; they offer insight to the 3 sins of the unwise citizen - private cars, air-conditioned spaces and the high-rise culture. Their infrastructure and economy primarily function around the same. And put together these 3 entities produce a viscous cycle of rising temperature, pollution, increasing energy consumptions and all repercussions of climate change.

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AROMAR REVI

Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS)

Resilience: A systems attribute Aromar Revi is an alumnus of IIT-Delhi, the Law and Management schools of the University of Delhi. He is an international practice and thought leader, educator with 33 years of experience in public policy & governance, sustainable development, human settlements, global environmental and technological change.

He has led over 100 major practice, consulting & research assignments in India and internationally; has deep governance, institutional development and management experience, across public, private and academic institutions; has published 75 peer reviewed publications and books; lectured & taught at over 60 of the world’s leading Universities and think tanks across 6 continents; has travelled to over 55 countries; including 19 of the G-20; helped structure, design & review development investments of over $ 8 billion; worked on 3 of the world’s 10 largest cities; across urban and rural areas in all of India’s 29 states and in multiple international projects across over a dozen countries.

Day 2: lecture 4 Text: Shriti Das

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t the time of India’s independence in 1947, the global urban population was 750 million with a global economy of US$ 3 trillion. In 2010, the global population expanded to 2.9 billion and the subsequent economy was US$ 30 trillion. The next decade expects the global economy to grow at US$ 90 trillion. Urbanisation drives this process. As cities expand and grow, they create economic upsurges; in productivity, consumption and wealth generation. Cities amass opportunity, education, culture, jobs, etc. They also concentrate conflict, urban poverty, violence and inequality among other things. The transformations are immense that can undertake many forms. The population growth itself shall demand and consume much resource. The current calculation in accordance with the earth’s biological resource determines that two earths are needed to meet the current resource requirements. As population grows, to meet this growing requirement, humanity needs additional 1.5 earths. Further on, the resources that are required to end the current state of poverty call for 2 additional earths. To summarise the theory, we need 5 earths to end poverty, address population growth and tackle unsustainable consumption. But in reality, there exists only one earth with its limited resources. Within its limited resources, India is graduating to a high middle-income country from a low middle-income country. This traverse will be made in its cities.

However, ecosystem capacities are degrading while human demand is increasing. The ecosystem capacities are further distorted and convulsing owing to drought, floods, desertification, etc. Resilience enables this transition to be notionally within control of economic, social and political processes. Taking an example of the water crisis, the challenge, beyond running out of water, is that riots will ensue for water before the calamity strikes. And cities have been centres of such conflicts, riots and violence.

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During Mumbai floods of 2005, infrastructure failure brought the city to a standstill. However, resilience in another form, resilience in the social systems compensated for the lack of infrastructure.

Resilience in an urban context involves organising the subsystems in a logical rationale.

Cities are systems of systems. They are complex interdependent systems outlined into subsystems of - Economic systems, Social Social and cultural systems, Ecological, Infrastructural & Building systems, Land and property, Water & Environmental services, Food systems, Energy systems, Mobility systems, Information system and Built Environment. A resilient city entails that each subsystem possesses resilience as an attribute. And organised together they deliver desired functions. If a single subsystem or link within them fails, the result can cascade and affect large populations. Example, during Mumbai floods of 2005, infrastructure failure brought the city to a standstill. However, resilience in another form, resilience in the social systems compensated for the lack of infrastructure. Resilience in an urban context involves organising the subsystems in a logical rationale. It commences from the micro and scales to multi-levels; from the individual, to communities to cities; from the citizen to the artisans to authorities who are building the city. Resilience is a systems attribute. One can ring fence a particular entity or subset and imply resilience. But that ‘resilience’ gives away when if another process or entity fails. Cities accommodate people of all kinds, classes and cultures; from different income groups.

The city being inclusive is again a core prerequisite to resilience. The quality of recovering or bouncing back is another attribute that indicates resilience. Japan bounced back after the Tokyo bombing. The essence lies in a dynamic ability to heal and manage itself at various levels instead of holding onto things and keeping them static. The question or perspective remains, given the examples of Mumbai and Japan, the ability to do that will be different in different contexts in different cultures, in different lookouts. Because the resources, the constraints, histories are quite different.

And there is a systematic process that deals with the aforementioned. The United Nations Development programme outlined the Sustainable Development Goals of 2016 that addresses and documents the universal entitlements that need to be delivered to every citizen of the world – eliminate poverty and hunger; ensue health and wellbeing; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry innovation and infrastructure; reduce inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water and on land; peace, justice and strong institutions and partnership for the goals. Here, the city and community are associated together as a single entity. That does reaffirm the idea of inclusivity and addressing the singular and micro entities. Poverty is addressed, akin to many prior agendas. But the idea of dealing with poverty and space together is fundamentally an urban imagination. Furthermore, resilience is embedded within these goals.

These urban sustainable development goals are essentially a resilience framework. If each citizen has access to adequate water supply, clean energy, healthcare and education; it inevitably lays the foundation to resilience. The National Institution of Transforming India Aayog (NITI Aayog) deals with the same framework. But for the case of India, to document change, growth or even degeneration; the system lacks data. Climate change, carbon inventories, etc. are not recorded. Hence, the next big shock, be it inflation, floods, drought or attacks; little can be addressed tangibly without data. How is the system operationalized? Cities exist to enable equitable development. However, they are not designed to do so. In the case of India, the approach fundamentally lies in working on the basics of housing, water and sanitation to improve the quality of life and numbers on any framework. Advances in the aforementioned will consequentially lead to improvements in other parameters.

To investigate into further details, to break down the basics, it becomes evident that cities not only encompass economic activity but also wealth. The most important medium of concentrating wealth, is the built-environment; property, buildings and infrastructure. The other challenge or inequality lies in the workforce. The country lacks female workforce because cities are unsafe, they lack infrastructure for women in the built-environment such as day-care, etc. If resilience is to be achieved, each subset needs evaluation for desired outcomes. Better standard of living, end of poverty, liveable spaces and services is the first agenda which is then layered and reinforced with amenities like internet, infrastructure and so on. But it is the built environment that endows the desired scope and space for progress; so that they provide outcomes in rapidly evolving scenarios. And for such circumstances, it is imperative to organise citizens and democratic processes that function comprehensively.

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SHUBHENDU SHARMA Afforestt

Reforesting Urbanizations 2007. In 2011 Shubhendu launched Afforestt, a company which specialise in making forests using Miyawaki Method in urban areas, these forests are as small as 1,000 Sq. ft. comprising of 300 trees and grow 10 times faster with 30 times more green surface area compared to a conventional plantation.

He has developed algorithms to standardise the process of afforestation using Toyota Production System concepts which enables one to develop multi-layered forests. They utilise 100% vertical space resulting in ultra-dense native, natural, selfsustaining forests in a period of just 2 to 3 years. In last 6 years, Afforestt has made 102 forests in 36 cities in 6 countries.

Day 2: lecture 5 Text: Shriti Das Images: Afforestt

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ities, villages and all built-environment on earth were once forests. Unless one ventures into debating life in dessert and high-altitude regions; all habitation has evolved or created from forests. Out of 8.7 million species in the world, humans are the only ones who have lost connect with the natural habitat. And gradually, this disconnect between the built-environment has encroached into the fauna that coexists harmoniously with the flora. Forests covers, national parks are gradually depleting and being replaced by concrete cover. This has leading to climate change, rising sea-levels and their much discussed and debated repercussions.

Afforestt’s practice entails making dense forests in urban areas. The forests’ areas are as small as 1000 sq. ft. that accommodate 300 trees. These forests have been created across the globe including the arid regions of Iran and Rajasthan. These forests are self-sustainable after the initial 2-3 years as they do not require water or manure. They cover every cubic volume of space over the land they are planted. The process begins with identifying soil conditions – understanding properties that the soil lacks. These include water retention capacity, perforation capacity and the nutrition content. Nutrition is linked to life in the soil which cannot be replaced by chemical fertilizers in the forests that Afforestt creates. Various peats are used for water retention capacity, cow-dung or animal manure, paddy husk for perforation capacity and microorganisms are introduced to the soil for nutrition. Simultaneously, native vegetation species are identified for planting. The vegetation is acquired from forests that have naturally evolved on land; untouched by human intervention or a human created plantation. Such natural forests or their remnants, closest to the chosen plot, are identified. These natural forests are the ones that have evolved over thousands of years. They have reached a stage where the species regenerate themselves on that geography. Afforestt labels such forests as climate’s forests. They select species from climate’s forests for plantation. The natural succession of such forests is grass, shrubs, small trees and then big trees. The big trees are the slow-growing hardwood trees which are dense forests that don’t allow the sunlight to reach the ground. This flora is divided 4 different layers; shrub layer, sub tree layer, canopy layer and the forest is planted. This ensures the dense forest that occupies every inch of vertical space. The forests are impenetrable.

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A dense forest created in arid Rajasthan, in a region that supports little vegetation.

The forests grow 10 times faster owing to the groundwork done prior to planting. A natural forest has approximately 900 seeds in a single square meter. Out of this, only 3-4 saplings grow into big trees. Afforestt plants 9-10 saplings in 1 square meter. Each sapling grows fast owing to the nutrition enriched soil. They grow taller to achieve more sunlight. The forest continues to grow and reaches a stage where the sunlight stops reaching the ground, after 2-3 years. The leaves that fall, decay quickly,t form humus and the forest keeps growing. With age, the amount of food being produced is also higher. In 10 years, this forest will reach a stage that it looks like a 100 year old forest. In this stage, the slow growing trees would have grown tall, and developed a canopy shielding the upper layer of the forest. The shade loving trees would be flourishing under the shade of the trees. The trees need no water or manure as they create their own. During this time period, a lot of trees disperse their seeds. They take life when a tree dies its natural death. At this stage they attract biodiversity and reduce urban heat gain. These forests garner a biodiversity of bees, frogs, birds and other fauna in an urban precinct where they are actually deemed the most fragile.

Building ecological resilience However, these forests are not solely about creating micro-climate or a landscape feature.

The forests build ecological resilience in the areas that they proliferate. Afforestt follows the Miyawaki method of planting forests – a technique that he learnt in Japan from Mr. Akira Miyawaki. Akira Miyawaki hails from Japan. Japan is vulnerable to tsunamis and earthquakes.

Kobe city in Japan was bombed during the Second World War. It was hit by The Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 that devastated the entire city. On both occasions, the Shintu Shrines survived all damage. The shrines are surrounded by sacred groves or ‘Chinju-no-mori’. Mr. Miyawaki visited these shrines, identified the tree species, collected the seeds and devised the forests in accordance with the Chinju-no-mori sacred groves. These forests are incredibly dense and the deep roots nullified the earthquake’s impact. The heavy green coverage prevented fire during the war bombings. Year after year, the resilience of such buildings will only increase with time. In 2011 the pacific course of Japan was hit by the Tōhoku earthquake Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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The fundamental framework of creating dense multi-layered forests.

Afforestt’s practice entails making dense forests in urban areas. The forests areas are as small as 1000 sq. ft. that accommodate 300 trees. These forests have been created across the globe including the arid regions of Iran and Rajasthan.

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and tsunami. The Amaterasu Mioya Shrine survived the destruction. The trees were identified and deployed in the Morino Project that entails creating a forest wall that will reduce the impact of tsunamis that may hit the coast in the future.

Forestscaping The Miyawaki forests are thick and impenetrable; almost impossible for the user to experience the same beyond the clean air that it filters. Forestscaping is an alternative to conventional landscape and integrate art and urban forests. Afforestt experimented in Minnesota with a Chinese artist. They created moving sculptures that grew with forests. They also created a park in a residential complex of 500 houses based on the concept of Shinrin-yoku – the forest of well-being. It has running and walking tracks along with benches. There are no straight lines which ensure that forests enclose the user at all times. The idea is that once the user enters the space, the forests insulate them from the adjoining urban areas. As opposed to traditional landscaping, the Afforestt’s forests encompass a larger quantity and variety of vegetation sans any cost after the first 3 years. A conventionally landscaped area usually has low ground cover, need maintenance in the form of pruning, water and manure. However the larger goal is to bring back forests that have disappeared over time. It is a feasible method that can be implemented easily and left to flourish independently. The methodology is also shared on their website (www.afforestt.com) so that the public can create forests on their own.

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PRASOON KUMAR billionBricks

Why are we designing poorly for the poor?

Prasoon Kumar is an urban planner and architect with over 10 years of international design experience with his work spanning Asia, United States, Africa and Australia. In 2013, he co-founded billionBricks, a non-profit design studio which innovates shelter solutions with a vision to end homelessness in the world. He leads multidisciplinary teams, engages with communities and stakeholders to provide for high quality shelters to the poorest communities, creating opportunities for them to emerge out of poverty. Since its founding, billionBricks has rehabilitated more than 4000 homeless through its work.

Day 2: Lecture 6 Text: Shriti Das Images: billionBricks

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ndia’s GDP has increased from US$ 36.536 billion to US$ 2.264 trillion from 1960 to 2016. During this time-period, the liberalisation of the Indian economy in 1991 created added opportunities for private and foreign sectors. Yet, poverty and homelessness has only multiplied. The Millennial Development Goals in 2000 enlisted ‘eradication of extreme poverty and hunger by 2015’ as the first goal. The big change is yet anticipated. The challenge of homelessness is multifaceted. Urban-rural migration, refugee crisis, displacements coupled with unemployment, poverty and low wages are the basis of the housing crisis that glares countries and governances in the face. The frameworks to address these entities are controlled by the larger stakeholders – the policy makers, financial institutes, politics, and land-laws and so on. The bottom-line remains that the poor cannot afford homes. This demand is immediate and glaring. A single organisation or body cannot resolve or even address these complex issues and agendas. If dependency on the larger frameworks were to be reduced or even eliminated entirely, can design strategies tackle the predicament objectively and tangibly?

The billionBricks studio works on a one-point agenda to neither help nor empower the homeless but to solve the housing crisis. The studio runs akin to a Research and Development organisation that work on solutions that are practical, scalable, replicable and immediately applicable. In 4 years, the studio has worked across South-east Asia to provide shelter as an immediate relief to the homeless. The 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots had rendered many families’ homeless and as winter set in, children died in the cold. Around the same time, the studio had devised the weatherHYDE, a reversible tent that traps the occupant’s body heat and keeps them warm. weatherHYDE was not conceived as a home but an immediate call-to-action that saves lives. Yet, the product represented a ‘home’ to many, who prior to the weatherHYDE never had a house or shelter. Another innovation, the powerHYDE is a modular rural home with a solar roof that generates 4 times the energy required by the house. The remaining energy can be sold. The home can self-sustain and finance the owners once the initial investment is covered. weatherHYDE and powerHYDE, among other projects that have been conceived and executed by billionBricks exemplify the power of innovation, design and objective solution oriented ideas. However there are critical challenges that the organisation has encountered and which must be thrown open to the sphere of aligned practitioners. These challenges are not lack of resources; but they are barriers in thought-processes and problem-solving methods that hamper innovation or any real solutions to the problem at hand.

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weatherHYDE by billionBricks.

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One needs to match the biggest problems with the smartest people in the world to come up with real concrete solutions and applied at the same scale at which consumer products are created.

Lack of talent The best minds are not solving the toughest or the critical challenges. The underprivileged or the poor lack access to finance, resources and support. But to supersede the barriers, it is not unlimited resource or charity that is the need of the hour, but transformative ideas. Ideas that can be implemented, replicated and perhaps even scaled. Citing an example of the I-pod - a pathbreaking product at the time of its advent. It replaced heavy portable players and offered an ease, a luxury that one did not deem essential till they were introduced to it. The ‘need’ or urgency in this case is debatable. However it did lead the way to how music was consumed, how gadgets were designed, from there on. So talent and expertise is available, it just not channelized in the direction to solve homelessness or poverty. One needs to match the biggest problems with the smartest people in the world to come up with real concrete solutions and applied at the same scale at which consumer products are created.

Aspiring community participation Community participation and people participation entails encompassing the client, the people as part of policy making, letting them necessitate their needs and so on. But when it comes to building homes for the poor, community participation assumes lofty ambitions of empowerment, training the poor to build their homes, etc. The user-group, the needy people may not have an understanding of their needs, may not possess the skill-set required for building. These ambitions dilute the larger and urgent agenda of sheltering and protecting the homeless. The second pressing question here is, would a mainstream client or builder allow unskilled labour to construct their home? Then why bestow the same quality to the poor? And lastly, is skill-building a priority or is home building the larger necessity?

Experimenting with the poor Like community participation, experimenting with the poor is also an extension of setting noble aspirations and the onus of integrities on the lesser privileged. Their homes and schools become playgrounds for experimenting with up-cycling and recycling. The poor cannot afford trialand-error practices. The privileged and affluent on the other hand, do have the bandwidth and resource to experiment with new materials and technologies of recycling. This also brings into play the aforementioned viewpoint of bringing in younger talent to innovate such technology before the same is deployed in practice.

Monopolistic practice The weatherHYDE, at the time of its launch competed with the practice of offering blankets to people living on streets. ‘Competition’ not in the literal sense, but there was no benchmarks established or even a standard practice to adhere to. It may not have been the best solution, but it was the sole solution. Social projects like weatherHYDE of billionBricks got much media attention because they are the only organisations that devised a tangible solution. While positive press attention is essential to inspire more minds, often social ideas are under-investigated and over-lauded. A viral social media acclaim, the positivity and ‘feel good’ communication may dilute the underlying issue that people don’t have permanent homes. If competition emerges in the market to supersede weatherHYDE, a better product may take form. And solutions for the poor becoming a common or mainstream practice are far more valuable than a successful social media story.

Pressures for perfection Another aspirational and unrealistic ambition conferred upon those struggling to survive is that of attaining sustainability, employment, healthcare, sanitation, education and employment simultaneously alongside addressing the core problem. The focus gets diluted to multiple aspects and the problem at hand becomes a means or a lens to address the ancillary problems. For example if a tent is devised, its material procurement, carbon-footprints, etc. are challenged and confronted.

While such issues are vital, homelessness is a larger priority.

Businesses deliver high quality solutions and products because they focus on the user and not peripheral concerns. Solving a social issue, especially one that is pioneered by another body, often becomes an adopted prodigal heir to many. It is imperative to address and disrupt this mind-set, to understand critical priorities before they are embellished in idealistic agendas. It is only then that a larger objective and tangible impact will be created in eradicating homelessness.

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SANJAY PATIL Environ Planners

The charm of simplicity Sanjay Patil graduated from Sir JJ College of architecture.

He established ‘Environ Planners’ in 1981 in Nashik. Environ Planners is an architectural firm that has always worked towards environment conscious architecture that seeks inspiration from nature and tradition. The firm’s efforts are consciously directed towards application of energy efficient principles to building design. The firm has designed for various institutional, industrial, residential, projects with each holding their own distinctive identity. The approach, to craft an environment together has expressed the ability to integrate landscape (symbolizing nature) with the built environment.

The firm seeks inspiration from vernacular architecture and fuses it with modern technology to achieve desired results, where simplicity prevails and nest with the nature.

Day 2: Lecture 7 Text: Sharmila Chakravorty Images: Environ Planners

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orking primarily in Nasik, Sanjay Patil is a staunch proponent of the application of energy efficient principles to building design. His approach is that of modernizing vernacular architecture, keeping intact the simplicity and practicality of the vernacular and infusing modern technology to keep it relevant in the world today. In his lecture he showcased an assortment of his projects; each different in scale and typology, form and function, yet bound together by an invisible quality that is characteristic of Patil’s work.

After graduating from The JJ school of Architecture in 1981, though keen on working with established architecture practices at the time, his average marks, he admits, were a hindrance. Owing to this, he moved back to his hometown Nasik to begin his own practice – back to his roots. With a deep understanding that cities and their natural landscapes are continually being overpowered by man, resulting in an alarming decay in the urban fabric, and the livability aspect, Sanjay proposes sustainable, balanced architecture as the answer to the problem. Yet, he disagrees with sustainable architecture just for the sake of certification, or because it is a buzz word currently in the industry. Sustainability is a way of life. It reflects in people’s work, their choices, and their lifestyles.

Thus, ‘sustainable architecture’ as a concept is somewhat pointless, because all architecture was supposed to be sustainable. Architecture was never intended to revolt against nature, but in fact, seek partnership with it. Using common sense, contextual awareness, and taking cues from the site and its characteristics to build a customized shelter that was ideal for that particular site. But with modernization, this innate logic was reduced to local tradition, and deemed unimportant as compared to modern technology and building practices. Since 1981, Sanjay Patil and Environ Planners have tried to change this mindset – that local Indian Architect & Builder - April 2018

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Mahiravani farmhouse at Nashik.

traditions and modern technology need not exist in isolation. They are meant to be paired together to create works that are efficient, sustainable, and charming. This thought process runs evidently through all his projects.

For his lecture, he selected a showcase of projects that best reflect his ‘style’ from residential, commercial, institutional, educational, adaptive reuse, and public architecture. The first project showcased was the firm’s first project, a farmhouse at Mahiravani near Nasik built two decades back. The site was a dry, arid land abutting a dam. While the site turned lush green during the rains, in summers, the lack of vegetation made the site a rather barren shade of brown. Most of the material for the farmhouse is salvaged from old wadas of Nasik. The house repurposes salvaged arches as a design and decorative feature, and a surprise element. Overall, the plan is a simple, logical one that has been tried and tested over centuries in the region. The idea was to reduce the use of unnecessary materials as much as possible, and to use salvaged elements throughout so as to ensure minimal waste. The stone masonry is rustic, very local to its context. The house has a number of open spaces that bring the outside inside, and present the opportunity for inhabitants to experience life at its simplest, at its best, just as our older generations would have. The simplicity of design and execution ensures minimal upkeep. The material palette is local, as are the traditional techniques employed for construction. Every drop of rain that fall on the compound is harvested, energy is generated by solar panels. Thus, in keeping the house true to its geographical context, the house automatically becomes sustainable. Additionally, they have planted around 4000 tress, converting the barren site and its milieu into a slowly but steadily growing forest – an oasis of sorts!

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Papaya Nursery at Nashik.

Kusumagraj Smarak.

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Simple, local and functional are perhaps how one could describe his work. Yet, what comes across most strikingly is the charm and humility that imparts an endearing quality to his projects.

His works illustrated that one does need to be grand to be noticed, one doesn’t have to be lavish to be respected.

The next two commercial projects – office building for a realtor, and a business bay – both have an ideal balance of traditional cooling strategies with modern technology. Both office spaces, though different in their design and treatment, are green buildings that make use of natural ventilation and passive cooling methods to keep temperatures comfortable. Again, salvaged wood features prominently in both projects. The next project – an energy efficient campus for Sandip University – that takes advantage of the height restrictions and the contours of the site to build an open-palm design where each finger denotes a department. The low height campus uses local material and craftspeople, and afford ample spaces of pause and interaction for students. The mass is unassuming, so as to be non-intimidating for its students. Overall, the design manages to strike a balance between modern and local, much like the next project he showcased, the YCMOU Library. The library design relies heavily on sun path analysis and uses north lighting to maximize day light within the building. The north lights also have a ventilator on their apex, ensuring the release of hot air from the top, and keeping the indoor temperature cool and comfortable.

The next project showcased, the Papaya nursery, was an example of adaptive reuse – making the best use of what we are already blessed with. The existing British armory and water tank are given a swanky, modern treatment and ambience by transforming the water tanks into a swimming pool and water feature with pavilions. The vaults under the water tank are converted into usable space that have an eclectic, chic flavor, texture and treatment. Overall, much of the existing structure is retained, only adding necessary modifications. Lastly, Patil’s public architecture project, the Kusumagraj Smarak is all about giving back to the community that which rightfully belongs to them. Kusumagraj was a prominent poet from the region, revered and loved for his literary works. The idea was to reflect the poet’s personality through the memorial, and give the public open spaces that they are deprived of. Knowing that the poet loved visiting dakbungalows – government building in British India – the ambience is outdoorsy with earth structures. The multi-level project too respects the contours of the site, incorporating undulations in the design and providing barrier-free access to all spaces.

Having observed the range of his projects, sustainability and simplicity seem to run across all projects. Respect for local, salvaged materials, techniques and traditions is reflected throughout his projects. Almost as if sustainability was his focus long before it became a marketing gimmick, or a necessity to obtain certification. Everything is his design has a place and meaning, every feature has a function. Where he wasn’t able to come to an agreement with clients, he ensured they met halfway – for instance, the Business Bay where the clients were insistent on having a glass façade. To ensure the building could still be naturally ventilated even with fixed glass on the façade, he tweaked the design so that the top and bottom parts of the glass panels could be opened as fenestrations. This is just one example in perhaps a sea of many. Simple, local and functional are perhaps how one could describe his work. Yet, what comes across most strikingly is the charm and humility that imparts an endearing quality to his projects. His works illustrated that one does need to be grand to be noticed, one doesn’t have to be lavish to be respected. In today architecture scenario where the bigger, the flashier is the better, it’s a breath of fresh air to see Environ Planners meticulously sticking to their original path that doesn’t consider sustainability and simple logic as two different things.

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Epilogue Resilience –simple concept, complex attribute R

esilience as a notion corresponds to an all-encompassing quality to withstand and overcome setbacks. But when deliberated and debated in the context of an urbanism, it reveals many processes and underlying facets that cohesively build resilience in systems; systems that range from the individual to communities and cities.

As most human habitation on earth are urbanizing, it brings along challenges of depleting forest cover, global warming and rising sea levels. It was in this context, that not only the resilience of cities and the individual that is deemed imperative, but also the flora and fauna.

They have borne the brunt of rapid development and showcased resilience by adapting and realigning their systems. Whether this is an inspiration or an indication, is a debatable subject. It points in the obvious direction of designing sustainably and sensibly; a common perquisite address at most design conferences; but the vision to build inclusivity within the different clusters and income-groups, to follow certain global frameworks for a greater good; build environmental resilience to counter climate change; addressing and replenishing the deteriorating natural resources; and tackling a core matter where fundamentals of any practice stems from – education; transpired from the conference.

The profession and practice of architecture is diverse; as diverse as it cannot be categorised within a single entity of building. Voices from the engineering community, academicians and architects cohesively addressed parameters that embed resilience in the various systems that shape the city. While conferences are known to pose tough questions to speakers, the 2018 361 Degree Design Conference saw the speakers put forth uncomfortable ground-realities, priorities versus common aspirational imageries that are propagated in the name of sustainable building. This no holds barred, objective and action oriented approach adopted by speakers is perhaps the need of the hour. Some architects themselves cited the biggest criticism that their work receives and tackled them with brutal honesty, often reflecting on their practice with a microscopic lens; an indicator of resilience within their design practice. It is endearing to note that speakers were ready to share not only knowledge and data, but also processes that they have devised after long arduous research. Processes that can be studied and replicated, all in the endeavor to build resilient futures. Government and global policies were simplified and put forth to offer a neutral outlook to certain guidelines that have been implemented.

Empowerment perhaps, is the biggest form of resilience. Empowerment to access knowledge, pose tough questions and offer honest responses.

While the conference ended on a positive note, it nonetheless drew attention to challenges that threaten resilience. These range from idealistic westernized aspirations, cultural ideas that have normalized many misdeeds and misgivings, issue of equitable development and the often left unsaid – financial constraints. And so the conundrum remains, while resilience is a simple concept it is a complex attribute.

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Presents

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RESILIENT CITY - DESIGN, BUILD, SUSTAIN The 361 Degree Design Conference is aimed at initiating discussions to building resilient cities and communities. Resilience is an attribute that deďŹ nes strength, adaptation and responses to growing challenges, immediate threats and long-term but looming adversities that humanity is faced with. Exploding population, scarcity of resources, global warming, terrorism, deforestation, growing population, etc. are hazards that hinder holistic upkeep of places and its people. To ďŹ ght or survive is the need of the hour within cities and communities. It is increasingly imperative that humanity and urbanism be equipped with resources and systems to deal with shocks and stresses. The long term perspective of a robust built environment is an inevitable endeavor.

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