Synopsis for the Design Thesis- Aarohan, centre for spiritual studies.
Student name- Saket Mehendale (PA200815) Guided by- Prof Dr. Deepa Maheshwari
Introduction The project taken up for this design thesis is the new campus for Brahmavidya sadhak sangha (Brahmavidya study group), which is an organization practicing a school of spirituality. The project has been named ‘Aarohan’, which means ‘new beginning’. The site is located near Lonavala in Maharashtra. The philosophy is based on theoretical knowledge, meditation and pranayam-related breathing exercises for physical and mental healing. The theory is secular in nature. The organization was founded in Mumbai in 1997 and is currently operational mainly in Pune and Mumbai. It imparts the knowledge through courses, which can be residential or non-residential. There are 125 centres spread out in the two cities, with approximately 5000 people enrolled at a time. Besides, courses and satellite offices have also newly emerged in several district and taluka places in other parts of Maharashtra. Having nurtured and built a community of students and followers over 20 years, the Trust has proposed to have, for the first time, a permanent campus for its activities, residential camps and study retreats. Therefore, land measuring more than 68,000 sq. m had been bought near Kamshet village, close to Lonavala, in Pune district. The location was chosen because it is equidistant from both Pune and Mumbai. The building footprint is only 4,677 sqm and has residential facility for 480 persons. The remaining area is open for a landscape intervention. I had done the foundation course of Brahmavidya in 2014 and have been acquainted with the group. When the idea of a landscape proposal for its new ashram was discussed with the senior members of the Trust, following points came forth;
People enrolled in the courses, would generally stay for one week. Four residential blocks can allow four courses to run simultaneously. There is a separate residential facility for faculties and senior students who can come for a few days to purely focus on Brahmavidya studies. The landscape should thus be pleasant, peaceful, healing and rejuvenating. The location of the ashram is 11 km away from Kamshet, the nearest village that has a market for daily supplies like vegetables, fruits etc. So the design should explore the possibility of a kitchen garden for convenience of supplies and cost savings. So these two functions were analogous to a living area and a service area. On the likeliness of this fragmentation of experiential and utilitarian horticulture, the critical enquiry got framed- Can landscape be experiential and productive?
Concept of an experiential landscape is a landscape that can be interacted with through five senses. It implies alterations made in spaces using grading, space organization, circulation, planting design, sight lines etc. to impart a certain experience to its subjects. So this can include visual, spatial compositions, aesthetics, vistas, viewpoints, screening, panoramas, refuge- prospect spaces etc.
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Concept of a productive landscape is a landscape where a considerable portion of plant matter is useful to humans as food, medicine, timber etc. Such plant material can include all types of vegetation like trees, shrubs, grasses, ground covers and climbers. The various types of plant sources commonly used by humans are;
Fruits – consumed directly (mango), cooked as vegetables (tomatoes, drumstick), culinary use as spices (pepper), medicine (amla), making of dye (copper pod) etc. Flowers- In rituals or decoration (roses), use in perfumes (champa), culinary use (gulmohar), medicine (tulsi) Leaves- vegetables (lettuce), culinary use (spinach, pudina), composting and mulching (litter fall), making articles like plates (palash), medicine (adulsa) Roots- Culinary use (ginger), food (carrot), medicine Trunk / Bark- Culinary use (Cinnamon), medicines (ayurveda), Gum / resin, timber (Teak), furniture (Bamboo)
Aim The thesis develops a proposal of a designed landscape for a newly establishing institutional community, addressing to their experiential and productive needs Objective The design proposal has to respond to;•
The institute’s school of thought, activities and lifestyle.
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Produce a portion of consumable matter like vegetables, herbs, fruits etc that shall support in its running.
Methodology •
Study of the practice of Brahmavidya
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Study of site.
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Study of designed landscape
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Study of productive plants.
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Design proposal
Limitations- Experiential framework of design is going to be a constant, for which, a suitable plant list shall be used. The entire range of productive plants may not get incorporated. Since the design is site specific, it will explore plants fit to be grown in the given geographical location. Introduction to the practice of Brahmavidya. Brahmavidya is a school of spirituality based upon three activities literature study, meditation, pranayam and practice of breathing exercises. It is imparted over two levels of courses- foundation and advanced. The studies are based upon three practices- literature, breathing exercises (pranayam) and meditation. Site Introduction
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Site location map
Satellite image of the site Two plots on either side of a 12 metre road is collectively referred as site. The trapezoidal plot to the north is a hill slope. Its area is 28,450 sqm. The rectangular, bigger plot to the south measures 45,747 sqm. It is nearly flat. The ashram complex is located on this plot. (refer plate no 01)The complex is currently under the sanctioning process and there is no built structure on the site. The site was studied for its topography, hydrology, soil cover, existing flora and experiential character.
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Site plan showing building footprint
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Research Component 1. Concept of designed landscape The factors that influence the character of a landscape were studied. This included grading, planting design principles, sight lines, textures and line work, visual energy and details. 2. Productive plants Vegetables, fruit trees, indigenous flora were studied for growth cycles, seasons, plant sizes etc
Design Proposal 01. Programme- Outdoor spaces for conducting the courses, collective sessions for breathing exercises for a crowd of 70 persons and for 800 persons. Intimate spaces to practice meditation individually were also required. 02. Conceptual plan (Refer conceptual plan on Pg 6) The four buildings enclose a square shaped space with the main auditorium placed as a focus at its centre. This enclosure functions like the core of the campus. It will also be the most used space with people moving around the hall. A certain amount of focus and dedication is expected in the students in order to inculcate the new school of thought and thus make the most of it. Therefore this space needs to have a stable, humble and harmonious visual energy which would not distract anybody. It shall also serve as an outdoor space for classes. The four transition spaces between the four buildings connect the core to the surroundings. They are elongated, dynamic spaces suggesting movement. The passage is flanked by tall elements to segregate the visual effect of the core from the surrounding landscape. The open spaces on the south west and south east are for breathing exercises to be done in groups of eighty to one hundred. The open space on south east is adjacent to the dining + kitchen and thus can also be used as outdoor dining area for larger crowd. The sixty metres diameter circle meant for Pragat revision session, with a capacity for 800 students, is located on the big chunk of open space to the north west. This will be used only for three hours on a Sunday, once a month. The 800 students will be day visitors. The circle is closer to the entrance for quick mob movement. On the other hand, spaces to the south are more convenient for residents, who will perform exercises only in groups of eighty. The open spaces in the campus have been generated by growing green enclosures made of trees or shrubs. Enclosure is essential to offer a sense of retreat and protection. The visual energy here is slightly more dynamic than the core and is achieved through the relevant planting design principles. Since the soil on the southern half is deep and fertile, trees are used to create enclosure. Thickness of tree belts is thin but their towering effect will create vertical screens to define space. It is more intimate and well suited for smaller gatherings. On the northern half, the soil depth is less (0.45m), followed by underlying rock. Stretches of shrubs or ground covers have been used here to form green carpet on the land. It is more open and better suited for big crowds. The hill slope shall be planted with indigenous dry deciduous teak forest and be allowed to grow to its original three-storey form. With maximum plant diversity, the visual energy of the hill will be more
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dynamic. The spaces on the east side of the upper half shall be used as small gathering spaces, primarily to observe sunrise.
Conceptual Plan
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