Image on Cover is Artist Proof 1, a graphic made with Black and White print from a Zinc Plate etching workshop, 2018
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Landscape/ Architecture, Semester 10
Public spaces along a canal, Semester 9 Congregation for a city, Semester 8 Detractio, Competition entry
Landscape of Waste, LEAF
Untraversed, Competition entry Bamboo Fractals, Semester 2 Explorations and discoveries, various
The story of a community, a hill and the designed public space which links them together, expressively remediating the relationship between landscape and architecture
Thesis, Semester 10 Remediating the Interface between landscape and architecture: Expressing a city center building as public space The principal intent of the thesis was to critique and study the relation between landscape design and architectural design, in terms of the professional divide as well as design disparity of the two disciplines. An exhaustive study revealed a set of criteria which one could follow to overcome that divide. In an industrial city of India, one f inds a shopping complex, titled a “City Center”, designed by one of the “starchitects” of the country. The design of the building strictly negates the aforementioned criteria at the f irst glance, by becoming a barrier between a low-rise residential community and a natural hillock with dense vegetation, denying the people any interaction with their natural context. The building sits like a goliath, not engaging in any conversation with the urbanity around, with an intimidating scale which denies the community the possibility of a people- centric public space.
Studying Factors of Influence around the site
The site and its relationship in different levels to the surroundings was mapped and studied extensively. The continued inquiry revealed challenges in terms of responding to the urbanity, trying to include pedestrian activity to the entire area as a urban level response, informally inviting the street vendors into the precinct to boost economy, responding to the existing landscape while creating new gardens and courtyards, as well as allowing pedestrians to occupy and enter the site through different levels and angles.
Activity sections depicting the chaos in urban precincts in Indian cities, inspiring the city center
Describing the programme of the reimagined public space, responding to its context
Reimagination of the city center took an interesting approach of partially retaining certain components of the public space, while adding (after discussions with the community) more layers unto it. The graphic demonstrates the 6 spheres into which the public space was spread. The initiation space introduced people to the space, trade spaces comprised of varying scales of market and smaller street vendors, cuisine included a fine dining space and small cafes. The Art and literature spaces included an art gallery, convention halls, a public library and an amphitheater. The spaces for amusement included a cinema hall and different plazas for play and seating.
Expressing the city center as an Urban Insert
Siting Iterations considered throughout the design process
The thesis questions the stereotypical design of cinemas, shopping malls, and public spaces, in general, while suggesting an appropriate solution. It attempts to remediate the relationship of the hillock and the community, while providing the city a public space which belongs to its people.
Site Plan- Ground Level
Site Plan- Bridge Plaza Level
Basement Level Plan
2nd Basement Level Plan: Parking
Art Gallery
Gallery 1
Ground Level Plan
Sub- Level Plan
Gallery 2
Convention Halls
Explorative Section of Gallery through landform
Sub level seating
Library
Conventional Reading
Ground Level Plan
Sub- Level Plan
Unconventional Reading
Open Library
Explorative Section of Library across levels
Open Library
Amphitheater & Cafe
Ground Level Plan: Amphitheatre
Explorative Section of Gallery through landform
Sub- Level Plan: Cafe/ Co-working
Various Renders throughout both levels
Cinema and Markets
Ground level: Cinemas
Sub- Level Markets
Explorative Section of Library across levels
Various Renders throughout both levels
The proposal is a tale of all ‘Maidans’ in India, which are common grounds with functions that change throughout the year
Urban Transformation, Semester 9 Activating Public spaces along Uyyakondan Canal, Tiruchirappalli An interestingly titled studio, ‘Urban Transformations’, attempts to reinvigorate Urban precincts while understanding (and addressing) City level issues and relationship challenges. Tiruchirappalli was one of the 8 cities that the batch had taken up, to study and propose possible interventions, if needed. Following weeks of rigorous study, the team of 5 identif ied a glaring hole in the city’s urban fabric: A lack of good public spaces. The core areas of city had heritage precincts like Rockfort and poorly organized commercial spaces like Gandhi Market. The team adopted a design strategy that could solve the city’s problems: Proposing a string of public spaces along Trichy’s greatest asset, Uyyakondan Canal, and decentralize the activities f rom the core.
Figure Ground diagrams expressing the density of Trichy alongwith mapping efforts of various spheres of the city
Group Intervention: Pedestrianizing the canal stretch
Axonometric diagram describing Central public space
Proposed Master plan of 3 km canal stretch with 7 new public spaces and 4 connecting bridges Group Members: Sona, Harni, Thenmozhi, Rajsheram and Kaustabh
View through Arcade Pavilion
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View of entrance to public space
Individual Intervention: Flexible Cultural Space
View looking at plaza with seating
Site plan of Flexible Cultural Space
View through forested walkway
The proposal also became a tribute to historic waterfronts of India, which would allow a multitude of activities to take place, with people congregating year round, and a protest to the monotonous waterfronts that we see today. The entire 3 KM stretch became walkable and accessible attributing to the network of pathways, seaters, decks and bridges, establishing a connection with the water across the canal.
Programmatic Section of public space through canal
Birds’ eye view looking at Amphitheatre
The riverfront proposal was a reimagination of an ongoing project at Palava smart city, which really becomes the point of congregation of man and nature
Complex Typology, Semester 8 Waterfront Art appreciation and Interaction Commons, Palava City The project is based on the brief of a live project, in an integrated township development called Palava, situated on the junction of Kalyan, Thane and Navi Mumbai. The township intends to merge the benef its of city life with slow-paced country life. The second phase of the township is adorned with the presence of a waterf ront, adjacent to the Desai Creek which is fed by the perennial Ulhas river. The waterf ront would be a congregation site for the 60,000 residents, as it is present at the termination point of the central spine of the master plan. The waterf ront needed to accommodate an art gallery, an artist residency, a greenhouse, a petting zoo, informal and formal dining facilities along with an amphitheater which could be used by the demographic.
Physical models with various materials
Design process encompassing various methods of discovery
View through Entrance Pavilion
View through the Amphitheatre garden
Art Gallery
Floor plan drawings at ground and sub-level
View from the entrance
Sectional drawing of built volumes
Exploded 3d graphic of gallery spaces
View of basement gallery
Ground level gallery
Artist Residency
Floor plan drawings at ground and sub-level
View towards exterior workspaces
Sectional drawing of built volumes
Exploded 3d graphic of artist residency
Spatial character of residency
Basement level open spaces
Exploded diagram discussing the programme of spaces within the studio
Spaces carved out of container modules
Detractio, The Container Studio, Competition entry, Archdais Using Subtractive modules to express building as a studio one-with-nature The competition had a simple brief: create a haven for all designer professionals which fosters their creativity and collaboration, all while using shipping containers as the primary building material. The programme also called for including a small cafe and pavilion, which would open it up for semi- public interaction with the street and the neighbourhood. The design was therefore imagined as a symphony of subtractive shipping container modules, which converse with each other, creating open spaces by means of arranging the blocks and allowing room for open plazas, planting and a large water body to contribute to the neighbourhood.
Photographs and section graphics portraying the imminent danger of Pirana
Series of exaggerated photomontages
Landscape of Waste, LEAF, Research booklet at M/s PBB Research which turned into postcards for awareness about the Pirana landfill in Ahmedabad Back in May 2019, an opportunity to devise a research booklet for Landscape Environment Advancement Foundation presented itself during the early stages of interning at M/s Prabhakar Bhagwat. Through a long journey of f inding a method to represent the horror that the Pirana Landf ill has become, not just to its neighbours but for the entire city, at large, the idea of using postcards came forward. But these weren’t postcards that one would stumble across. The postcards intend to exaggerate and bring to light the strong, unsettling character of the place, highlighting the unliveable nature of the areas around the dumpyard.
The story of the threshold between freedom and captivity, of conviction and rehabilitation
Development diagrams exploring the form of the liminal space
Untraversed, Competition entry ANDC entry, NASA 2018 The theme for the ANDC competition in 2018 was “Untraversed.” These are spaces which are also def ined as liminal spaces or transition spaces. The idea was to design a space where the emotions were high and a call for strong containment was needed. Various examples were considered such as a waiting lobby before an interview, the green room of a theatre and corridors of a hospital. The decision was then taken to design the processing zone of a prison and Vellore Central Jail was chosen as the site. The design sought to limit and allow visual access to the prisoners in a strategic manner to as to allow them to greet their families. Vantage points were provided to the personnel of the prison.
Exploratory sketches studying the relationship of site with surroundings, expressing the gopuram as a fractal
Hands-on building of the pavilion from small to large scale
Bamboo Fractal Workshop, Semester 2 Designing a pavilion which sits at the Vellore Fort, using bamboo as a principal material with design approach of fractal repetition A workshop for fractal-based design of a pavilion in the second semester served as a good learning process of iterative approach to design. The course of the workshop saw the study of the site at Vellore Fort and the factors which come into play for interactive use of a pavilion. The form was an iteration of a 2-dimensional transition extrapolated from a gopuram in the temples of South- India, especially the Jalakandeeswarar Temple in the Fort premises. Analysis was done of the kind of views and vistas which could be captured as the site was highly active as a public space. The illusion of intersecting trapeziums as the letters ‘V’ and ‘W’ meant that the user would get converged into the path of the pavilion and would open out to see a view of the grandeur of the Fort.
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Explorations and Discoveries, Pre-internship semesters Complementary work demonstrating experiences and explorations 1. Zinc plate etching: Explorations in printmaking with Artist R.M. Palaniappan, were essential lessons in composition, textures, observing surroundings and patience, foremost. 2. and 3. Drawings to understand M.C. Escher: Drawings done in pencil and water colors, exploring tesselations, repetition and geometries with a surreal undertone. 4. Building arches by hand: Workshops in Auroville and exploring building architectural elements in large scale revealed nuances in construction. 5. Studying a village: Documentation and subsequent reproduction of an Indian village demonstrating interdependencies within communities and architecture.
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6. and 7. Designing a Nine- square village: Using principles popularised in work of Charles Correa such as the 9 square module to design a village, and understanding usage of space. 8. Materiality: Exploration of primordial materials in construction such as brick, mud and ferrocement. 9. Learning history through mavking: Constructing and understanding spatial relations of old buildings opened windows into inspiration for the future. 10. Re-visiting Corbusier through wood-working: Re-interpreting the Unite d’ habitation by Le Corbusier in a wood working workshop under Ar. Durganand Balsavar. 11. Scaling down a village: Miniaturising a village to scale to understand opportunities for intervention to make the life of community better. 12. Interventions for a community: Exploring material and level differences while developing an interesting community space for the same village.
Kaustabh Banerjee
ar.kaustabhbanerjee@gmail.com
Back cover image is an explorative sketch of a podium landscape designed as a pocket park, 2019
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