Portfolio by Jiya Benni

a research and design

PORTFOLIO on urbanism

Jiya Benni

Contact Details Jiya Benni, 1310 - 170 Fort York Blvd, Toronto, ON M5V 0E6 jiya.benni@gmail.com +1 -(416)-871-3839 Cover page: Sketch collage by author

FOREWORD This portfolio is a compilation of different projects I've worked on as part of my academic and professional life across various scales like urbanism, architecture and interior design. Most of my works showcase a method of using the 'existing' (culture, landscape, identity etc) for the 'future' (development, flood resilience, public spaces etc). My areas of interest include urban regeneration and water-related urbanism and answering questions like what the blue-green grids can do for the city.

CONTENTS 01. WATER URBANISM

1

1. Floating City Apps

1

2.Building with Nature

7

02. URBAN REGENERATION

19

1. Urbanism on Track

19

2.Creating Neighbourhood Parks

21

3.Heritage Market Spaces

23

03. ARCHITECTURE

25

1. PBSS Corporate Headquarters

25

01. Water Urbanism Waterbodies play an important role in waterfront cities. It not only creates beautiful backdrops and public spaces, but if put to proper use, can also help mitigate flood and provide additional space for building.

While the first project explores water as a safe and viable space to upgrade slums, the second project explores the potential of water-bodies as a solution to flood problems.

1. Floating City Apps 1

Year: 2014 - 2015 Firm: Waterstudio.NL, The Netherlands Principal Architect: Koen Olthuis My Role: Urbanist/Researcher and led the research team Type of project: Slum upgrading, Social entrepreneurship

Exterior of the construted City App. Source: Waterstudio.NL

Floating City Apps are renovated shipping containers on floating platforms that are retrofitted with basic facilities like sanitation and health facilities, schools etc to upgrade the wetslums of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Developing countries with high densities always exhibit a lack of space when it comes to slum upgrading. This problem is all the more profound when it comes to wetslums i.e waterfront slums.

Floating City Apps, being small and floating, can easily be placed on water. If it is not required, it can easily be plugged out and moved elsewhere. They are thus a highly flexible solution for uncertain entities like slums. In order to place the App in a

Interior of the constructed City App. Source: Waterstudio.NL

2

Apps are floating structures retrofitted with basic facilities that can be placed on water to improve communities. Just like apps on the phone, they can be removed when not required Source: Waterstudio.NL

wetslum, proper research about the wetslum is required.

3

The initial stages of research confirmed that wetslums always spread onto the adjacent waterbodies resulting in living conditions that were hugely influenced by water. Results of this study were published as a scientific paper. In the following stages, a method to study the relation between flooding and deprivation of basic services through mapping was developed. By correlating these features, it became possible to understand which part of the slum required most attention thereby guiding practitioners to a more precise and targeted slum upgrading process.

Slums like these need flexible upgrading solutions like the Floating City Apps. Source: Waterstudio.NL

The study revealed how slums exhibited spatial diversity in their needs and emphasised how dangerous it could be if practitioners assumed slums to be homogeneous.

City Apps can be plugged in and out as required.

Source: Waterstudio.NL

4

Render of a City App in a slum in Dhaka. Source: Waterstudio.NL

5

Korail slum, Dhaka in 2001. Source: Waterstudio.NL

Korail slum, Dhaka in 2014. Source: Waterstudio.NL

6

- low incidence

of flood - low to medium incidence of flood - medium incidence of flood - medium to high incidence of flood - high incidence of flood - located on water

Flood map of Korail. Source: Waterstudio.NL

- highly deprived areas with high tendency of flood - slightly deprived areas with low tendency of flood - highly deprived areas with low tendency of flood - slightly deprived areas with high tendency of flood -not significant

Correlating flood and deprivation of services in Korail.

Source: Waterstudio.NL

2. Building with Nature Year: 2012-2013 University: Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Mentors: Anne Loes Nillesen, Saskia de Witt Type of project: Master Thesis The project takes root in the observations that cities in developing countries grow without form and structure and often by reclaiming land, filling up waterbodies and eroding r ecological structures which are integral to the flood management system of the city.

The project focusses on the coastal city of Kochi in India where it proposes a phase by phase strategy for urban development. Through the proposal, the city's urban development is structured along major 7 features like waterbodies, ecologically important areas and post-industrial sites - features that were identified as ignored but important through studies done on the city. While the city gets a solid structure, the canals and ecological areas which constitute the 'blue-green' grid are ensured their place of importance in the city preventing them from being sacrificed in the name of development.

The 'blue-green' grid becomes an infrastructure for urban development, Over the years, the blue-green grid of the city had become extremely damaged by the combination of urban growth, lack of maintenance, and proper management. The canal network had become silted, polluted or encroached while the wetlands which constituted the ecological struture and was a great source of biodiversity - had become restricted to the periphery of the city. These wetlands were also areas of groundwater retention and were important for flood management. With only a seawall protecting it, the coast was

How the city grew and ate up the ecological structure.

Source: Author

Problems identified in Kochi - canals have become backyards, city has no structure, very few public spaces, fragmented ecological structure(clockwise). Source: Author

Use the green, blue and post-industrial sites in the city to create a structure for the city. Source: Author

Lay streets where urban development is desired, Source: Author

Existing profile of the islands

If the current trend of urbanisation continues

What if urbanisation and ecology are balanced.

Now, if, what if scenario. Source: Author

Concept - where city and nature coexist. Source: Author

8

9

The existing ecological structure of the city. Source: Author

Ecological structure of the city which manages flood. Source: Author

Ecological structure of the city which protects from flood and provides food, cultural products, recreational facilities etc. Source: Author

The scope of biodiversity provided by the wetlands of Kochi. Source: Author

10

1 . Littoral drift blocked by jetties or groynes to facilitate navigation

2. Waves that hit at the end of the monsoon season erode the beach away. Seawalls don't prevent this

11

Flood Map of Kochi. Source: Compiled by author

3. Waves easily overtop the seawalls

4. Coastal communities and fields get waterlogged due to lack of proper drainage

5. In the dry season, saltwater intrusion hinders proper agricultural cultivation

6. During the monsoons, fields remain waterlogged due to rain and river run-off

Water-table Map of Kochi. Source: Compiled by author

Problems identified. Source: Author

1 . Plant mangroves to encourage accretion to create a stable beach. Vegetation should be planned along the coast as a flood defence.

12 2. Flexible uses proposed for the fields. In the monsoon, they will be floodplains and in the dry season, they could be used for aquaculture.

Alternatively, they can also be used to cultivate Pokkali rice, a rice variety resistant to salinity.

3. Existing canals have to be renetworked such that there is a continuous flow of water at all times. The drainage system should thus be solidified.

Solutions proposed Source: Author

Proposed Regional Flood Management Strategy. Source: Author

constantly flooded and eroded by the sea. Coastal fields were rarely fit for use for it was either flooded by the monsoons or pentetrated by seawater.

Planting coastal vegetation and finding seasonal uses for the coastal fields were seen as solutions to these problems. It became clear from the watertable map and rainfall data that the exisiting canal network was sufficient to manage the flood in the city. The canal network and the ecological structure throughout the city were proposed to be reinforced to have a sustainable flood management system in the city.

The strategy is divided into four phases. The first two phases establishes the blue-green grid throughout the city. This includes regenerating old canals, planting mangroves and creating floodplains. This largely takes off from the flood management strategy implemented at the 1 3 regional scale. In the next phase, public spaces are laid out along this grid. This newly formed public space network not only becomes a solution to the lack of public spaces in the city but also ensures that the blue-green grid is part of the urban life.

Taking cue from the current urban pattern, in the next phase, streets are laid out in those areas where urban development is desired.

Phase 1: Consolidating the blue grid. Source: Author

In the west of the city, this scheme is implemented at a local scale. The wetland and the canal which together constitute the blue-green grid is protected and framed with a boardwalk that forms a public space. This brings the wetland and the canal to the public sphere where people can interact with it as opposed to how it is now.

Infrastructure is laid out to encourage development beside the boardwalk. Therefore, the wetland, in other words, the ecological and flood management structure, becomes the focus of the urban development.

Phase 2: Consolidating the green grid. Source: Author

14

Phase 4: Laying the infrastructure. Source: Author

Bridges proposed to go over the wetland

15

Sequence of vegetation = Sequence of spaces

A canalfront before intervention. Source: The Hindu

Activities connect both sides of the wetlands

Boardwalk framing the wetland

The canalfront after intervention. Source: Author

Study of a wetland area in the west of the city and reccommendations to improve its public experience.

Source: Author

16

Proposal for the wetland area. Here, the wetland is first structured as a flood management feature and then developed as a public space making it accessible to the public. Urban development is encouraged after this.

Source: Author

Section showing the proposed boardwalk through mangroves connecting the wetlands and the beach. Source: Author 17

Sections showing water levels during dry and wet seasons, and how they would interact with urban life. Source: Author

Proposed scenario: Urban development around the wetlands. Source: Author 18

Exisiting scenario: Wetlands destroyed and have become a no-man's land. Source: Author

Proposed scenario: Rejuvenated wetlands that can host walking and jogging paths. Source: Author

02. Urban Regeneration This section consists of three academic projects which focus on regenerating ignored urban spaces in cities.

1. Urbanism on Track Year: 2012 University: TU Delft, The Netherlands Mentors: Stephan van der Spek 19 Type of project: Studio Project

Yellow area showing area of high activity. Source: Author

This unique project aimed to understand people's movement patterns in downtown Rotterdam using GPS devices. From the recordings, it was found that the downtown area had quite a few dead zones including a canalfront. Studies showed this was mainly due to buildings turning their back to the canal, an inactive water-land edge and obstructive street furniture that blocked walking routes. By introducing new programs along the waterfront, removing obstructive street furniture and placing them where needed, the negative edges were activated. The land-water edge was softened by steps that led to the water. Barriers were thus turned into seams.

The weak water-land edge is an opportunity Source: Author

Inactive Rotte canal in a residential area. Source: Author

Activated by waterfront seating & activities. Source: Author

Inactive Rotte canal in a commercial area. Source: Author

Activated by waterfront seating & activities. Source: Author

20

2. Creating Neighbourhood Parks Year: 201 University: Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Mentors: Qu Lei, Luisa Calabrese Type of project: Studio Project The project aimed at creating socio-spatial spaces in an ethnic neighbourhood of Nijmegen in the Netherlands to improve interaction among the 21 inhabitants. Studies on the neighbourhood found that although there was no lack of open spaces, they were currently being used as parking lots or as private open spaces - hence there was a lack of opportunity to interact.

Identifying opportunities in Nijmegen. Source: Author

A proposal was made to convert a centrally located unused land to a multipurpose public park with recreational facilities. A central building with a gym, a library and a movie screen for open-air cinema acts as the main anchor of the square. Its graffiti walls and easily accessible roof garden make it an interactive component of the square.

With these interactive spaces, it is hoped that the inhabitants get more opportunity to interact.

Proposed interactive public building. Source: Author

Proposal for a public square with diverse amenities like gym, library, play areas and green spaces. Source: Author

The public square can host different activities during different seasons and times of the day. Source: Author

22

3. Heritage Market Spaces Year: 2010 University: University of Kerala, India Mentors: Dr. Sunil Edward Type of project: Bachelor Thesis This was a proposal for regenerating a 150 year old market in Kochi, India situated along a canal. The market along with the derelict canal and surroundings did not make for a 23 healthy public space.

Major interventions included activating the square, streets, the canalfront, and creating enough destinations on them to attract people. Heritage aspects of the area like the nearby Jewish Synagogue were identified and incorporated into the area's public life. While the main building and the street elevations were maintained, the more recent stalls inside the building were changed for better circulation. Street vendors outside the market building were allocated spaces to sell their goods.

Plan of the redeveloped market and its surroundings. Source: Author

The regenerated canalfront of the market. Source: Author

24

Bird's eye view of the outdoor market spaces and the waterfront. Source: Author

Steps leading to the canal.

Source: Author

Inner courtyard of the market.

Source: Author

Space outside main building for street vendors. Source: Author

03. Architecture I was involved in various aspects of these projects like preparing design schemes, working drawings, bill of quantities etc.

1. PBSS Corporate Headquarters Year: 2011 Firm: InForm Architects Pvt Ltd, Bangalore, India Principal Architect: Kiran Venkatesh Type of project: Office Building Location: Hospet, India 25

PBSS Corporate Headquarters. Source: InForm Architects

Interior of the building. Source: InForm Architects

Floor Plans. Source: InForm Architects

Slab end sections. Source: InForm Architects

26