ARCHITECTURE
DESIGN PORTFOLIO
JAGBIR SINGH
1.
ESCAPE
Located in the heart of Amritsar city and completed in 2021, this is an addition of a 600 sqft studio apartment on the top floor of my parents house that has been designed and built by me.
2. HOUSE OF VOIDS
A House that I designed and built as a freelancer in 2019-2020. The objective of taking up this project was to find my inner voice of architecture. Area of the project 3200 square feet.
3. MUNICIPAL CORP. OFFICE
College thesis project completed in 2015. I designed a proposal for the municipal Corporation office of Amritsar.
4. NURTURE
Architecture competition done by me in a team of 2 during the year 2020 where a resilience center for the widows of Afghanistan was designed in the town of Kandahar.
ESCAPE (THE POND OF NECTAR)
This intimate 600 sq ft studio apartment in Amritsar has been conceived with the idea of creating a home for functionality catering to unique identities of the occupant couple. The core essence of the project lies in the ingenuity of materials used and the design process that did away with the employment of a singular stylistic grammar allowing the apartment to take shape in accordance with the needs of the couple; to finally result in a space which allows them to revel in each other’s company.
The apartment is built on the roof of a 25 year old existing residential building. It is situated in the heart of walled city of Amritsar. Surrounded by five water ponds which had a significant role in the origin of this city in 16th century. The place is culturally rich and attracts tourist from around the world. Hence this apartment was conceived with the idea that it would have a dual purpose. This space can be used by the residents and also be used as rental space for tourists.
Built by local artisans using chemical free local materials of the region, A environmentally friendly approach to design this apartment has been made.
1. existing roof plan
2. parralel walls to block neighbours view
3. making puntures to allow wind flow
4. diving two spaces with the courtyard in center.
The total roof area of the house is 1350 sqft out which almost half is occupied i.e. 600 sqft. The building has a view of adjacent public garden. This determined the placement of the apartment abode the house.
The 1st graphic depicts the use of two walls to block the view of neighboring houses as their proximity hindered privacy. In the 2nd graphic we can see the apartment opens up to the public garden which is along the south west side of the building.
VIEW OF COURTYARD AND PANTRY
BEDROOM AND TERRACE
HOUSE OF VOIDS
Project Type: Private Residence
Size: 3400 sqft
Location: Amritsar
Status: Completed in 2020
The House of Voids is nestled in an upcoming township in the city of Amritsar. The plot is narrow and deep, bounded by residential buildings on three sides while facing a beautiful park on one edge.
A combination of passive design techniques has been used to make the enclosed spaces comfortable and open to the elements of nature. From the outside, the mass of the home is solid and unassuming, giving almost no hint of the vibrant interior. The entire mass is punctured with green spaces and courtyards, which become necessary voids allowing porosity between the interior and exterior spaces – blurring the line between the two. This, coupled with the tall clerestory windows, allow natural light to filter through both storeys. Brick, stone, concrete, and wood are juxtaposed throughout the home in different ways to create a sense of raw richness that is tactile and present. Light and proportion bring contrast to the spaces that begin to create warmth and timelessness that the family can identify with over the years.
01. extrusion of full volume of plot
02. dividing public, private and south setback
03. adjusting volumes as as per requirement
DINING AND KITCHEN AREA ALONG WITH ENTRANCE COURTYARD
SECTION SHOWING DIFFERENT VOIDS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS FOR PASSIVE VENTILATION
MAIN DOOR of the house was designed by using ply board and wooden leftovers during the construction of cabinetry in the house. This has been done with the help of skilled carpenters as shown in the picture.
The composition was made on site as per the availability of the waste materials.
MUMTY DOOR of the house was custom designed with louvers which can be opened for the escape of warm air inside. This can also be closed in case incase mechanical air- conditioning is turned on.
OF FINISHED MAIN DOOR
PHOTO
PHOTO OF FINISHED MUMTY DOOR
WALLS are made of flyash bricks using rat trap bond. This is the most cost effective way to make thermally insulated walls due to the air gap inside the 9 inch wall.
We were able to place electric conduts inside that 3 inch cavity by carefully coordinating with electrician and mason. we also used BRICKY(r) a wall building tool to maintain a uniform groove of 10mm between bricks.
DIAGRAM OF RAT TRAP BOND WALL WITH AIR GAPS.
PARAPET WALL AND BOUNDARY
WALL are made with RCC using shuttering made out of bamboo. This allows us to add bamboo impression on the wall resulting in interesting play of light on the front elevation
FINAL PHOTO OF BAMBOO RCC WALLS
PHOTO OF BAMBOO SHUTTERING
+32'-9" t.o. slab
exposed flyash brick masonary in rat-trap bond
glass railing
paint over plaster
+23'-6" t.o. slab
+20'-6" t.o. slab
exposed concrete parapet cast in-situ
exposed concrete parapet cast in-situ handrail as per specifications
+10'-9" t.o. slab
hardwood main door as per specifications
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION OFFICE
This is my Thesis project that I designed during my Bachelor’s degree in 2015. The central idea was to critically think about the situation of public buildings in my home town Amritsar. Proposed by the Municipal office of the city this building would house the government employees responsible for the administration and infrastructure of the city. The designed was envisioned as an institute rather than a typical office building, As it was going to serve public of the city. The idea was to make the building more inviting and inspire citizens on the importance of our natural environment. The landscape of the building was envisaged from early design stages. Trees were introduce on the entrance of the premises by overlapping the important function of building i.e. parking with large canopy trees. For security reasons the public and private functions of the building had to be segregated. Through the introduction of a large courtyard proposed in the center of the office area the entrance became communal allowing for dialogue between the officials and citizens. The introduction of this also aided in providing views and natural light to the internal spaces,
SITE PLAN
Usable area after setbacks
Providing views to office spaces
built area pushed back to make public space infront
adding angles to make inviting impression
large opening in the built form for public access.
gardens are built on terrace and in public area
The process of planning started with the understanding of circulation of people around the building. This was translated in my design by segregating public functions from executive functions.
Public parking was made in front and executive parking from rear to give a sense of citizen centric design. The diagram shows the flow of public, executive and administrative people on the different levels
This section of the building aids in depicting the integration of trees with the parking and courtyard.
PHYSICAL MODEL 1:100
NURTURE (RESILIENCE CENTER FOR AFGHAN WOMEN)
This project was primarily inspired from Tunisian underground houses and the cave houses of Afghanistan which are known to provide Thermally comfortable spaces in hot and dry climate.
From the graphic depicting the section of an underground house, it can be derived that enough thermal mass is present around the livable space to shelter it from the extreme heat and cold.
outside temperatures. It is fascinating to see how a basic material (mud) has the ability to control the temperature and humidity levels of a space. Earth sheltering also known to have a very similar impact on the interior thermal environment.
To apply this concept on a multilevel housing steps have been carved out of the sheltered earth to provide seating space to people for interaction and space for farming purposes which is located just outside the door of their house.
showing the underground houses of Tunisia with the openings facing a courtyard.
Cave house of Bamiyan showing openings on one side at various levels to accommodate a larger family size.
Image
1. section of underground house
2. section earth sheltered house.
3. multilevel earth sheltered house.
4. earth filled stepped housing
Ladies working in the farm developed in the vicinity. This provides them food to eat and also sell in the local markets.
Adding program requirements on site
Adding a courtyard to bring more natural light and ventilation. This also doubles as an interactive space for women and kids.
Narrowing down the courtyard from the edges to create privacy. This results in an elliptical shape of the courtyard.
Vertical stacking of housing blocks to leave the ground free for purpose of agriculture.
Modifying the courtyard into steps to facilitate interaction of people and organization of cultural functions.
6. Adding a Skill development center and School in the middle of the courtyard for people to have better access to it. Also it allows deliberate interaction between people and skill center.
5.
1. UTILITY
This courtyard is like a big living room for all the residents, providing them large gathering space. It is a place for kids to play and women to perform cultural activities. It also acts as an outdoor garden for residences.
2. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER.
The shaded corridor and sitting areas have been inspired by the traditional Afghani market streets, giving a lively experience as we move along the corridors. Designed with varying levels The scale of the building ensures it doesn’t create an overwhelming feeling. This helps in creating a dialogue of a of a micro level space at a macro level.
3. CLIMATIC IMPORTANCE
This design is derived from earth sheltering technique adding additional thermal mass to building which allows it to absorb more heat, resulting in a cooler interior space. Further addition of trees provides shade and fresh air to the residents of this building.
4. INTANGIBLE IMPORTANCE
The elevated courtyard provides privacy making women and kids feel safe. It allows them to be themselves with a carefree attitude. Women can sit around and mingle with each other, share experiences to cope with their psychological traumas of their pasts and also share laughter.
