pg 1
pg 2
From 17’ Batch
A Place for Prayer
pg 4
pg 6
Dissolving Club Boundaries Coverage
pg 6 News
pg 8
Reflective Piece
pg 9
Memory Lane
pg 10
pg 12
Reimagining Fun Section Boundaries
Issue no.3 13 May 2022
FROM 17’ BATCH “I reme m my firs ber naively te t week lling so meone he five ye in ars of re that I was expectin happin know th ess. Lit g at the v tle ar emotion s that ca iety and magn did I me in w itude of other w ave ou in the a ld shake me u s one after the p ir. is only b But each tim and throw me e I didn ecause ’t drow of my fr everyon n ien e who tu on campus, to ds, family and rned ar th e auto ou told me driver ... ‘it wil nd after the ride an l be alrig d ht’.” (Sandra
- Go Palathin d gal)
but somehow was confusing “The opening e interval so the plot till th happened to tie ed too long. em e interval se th at th , ly ul tif beau w, building up lf was a little slo The second ha climax, which minutes of the to the final few stalgic.” otional and no - Safina left everyone em i Jain) an w (Sa
en ve be t I ha s and a h t y s e sit ite str 15 niver ral U ions, infin price of u t c e t d s i s o i h o c g m r b best A pretty ess su oli n, the ep, countl this for a s here.” w - Vaso ) o d l l e s r l a d a s e n d o y a h h S ah 5 er an was, anshi ved z onus other (Dev “This of. I recei s a huge b spend an a t a a par tationery itely wann s n fancy pees. Defi “Definitely not th ru e product I was ex lakh pecting, but at the same time, I wouldn’t return or exchange it for anything else. The pro and con of it is that you never really know what to expect nextas soon as you think you’ve go tten used to it, it th rows a new curveball at you. Bu t the thrill is what makes this product one of a kin d.”
- Scooby Doo
“A one of kind exp erience like; someth ings just fit for you and no thing other than tha t fits you better. Some gre at lessons learnt and some beliefs erased. It wa s totally worth explor ing my strengths and we aknesses through the se last five years.”
(Shreya Shridhar)
- JiJi
(Tarjanee Soni)
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(Namra Issue no.3 13 May 2022
L3 STUDIOS A PLACE FOR PRAYER
STUDIO OVERVIEW
A Place for Prayer The studio primarily focuses on three major aspects, the first of which involves understanding spiritual spaces and the architecture that enables it. To that extent, the initial exercises involved reading two key pieces of literature regarding Islamic and Hindu architecture, namely : 1. Footprints of Vishwakarma by M. A. Dhaky 2. Indo-Islamic Architecture by Z. A. Desai
Glossary of Elements
A booklet of all the elements studied was compiled and used for modern abstractions and interpretations in design. For reliable definitions, the Penguin’s Dictionary of Architecture was referred.
Side by side, there were multiple site visits to various mosques, tombs, and temples, all from different time periods, each embodying a strong spiritual sense in their architectural language. Based on the learnings from these site visits and the reference readings, a small design exercise was given, where the students were required to design a place for prayer in a remote setting. This was done in order to emphasize the difference between a place for prayer and a place for worship. The second major learning from the studio was in the form of architectural elements. An exercise was given wherein each student was required to study five different architectural elements every week, in order to understand primarily the genesis and development of them to better enrich their architectural vocabulary. At the end of the exercise, each student was equipped with the knowledge of not only where the element originated from, but also the development and modifications to the element over the course of time. Side by side, the students were also asked to study the manner in which light can be brought into a building. All of these exercises were done to build a base for the third key learning of the studio, which is to build a strong premise to further develop each student’s ‘Place for Prayer’.
How to Read a Book
How do we read in order to absorb and understand the content in the best manner? 1. Through a thorough positional analysis of the author 2. By reading the text at the slowest speed, scrutinizing every word and looking it up when required 3. By using books as references to jump to other knowledge.
M. A. Dhaky
Z. A. Desai
Peter Zumthor
Abstract Abstract drawings enable us to present notions of our prjects in ways that typical drawings can’t. The abstract drawing of Aldo Rossi for San Cataldo’s cemetery is one such example of the same.
E. H. Carr
How to Read a Book
Study the site, architect and building beforehand and then read the building by continuously examining the structure, the parts and proportions by going in and out of the building - this was the method of reading a building.
2
Rozi : Queen’s Tomb Sayyid Md Bukhari
Ranakpur Temple
ATMA House
Mannat Singh - Midsemester abstract recalling Hiroshige and Hokusai’s prints in an architectural narative to explain the space and ritual of the design. Issue no.3
L3 STUDIOS A PLACE FOR PRAYER
SPOTLIGHT
THE WALL AND THE FLOOR
Snehil Tripathi
The project is a culmination of various elements of architecture that combine to form a space with purpose. This purpose is to invigorate spirituality and a certain sense of intimidation that leads to submission into the act of prayer. The elements that form the architecture have been interpreted in a contemporary manner after studying their genesis and development. The site is Kocharab Ashram, hence the project programmatically responds to Gandhian ideologies and memorialisation. At the site level, the plan integrated itseld with the lawns which hold all the scattered elements in the irregular plan of the site. The lawns are also vital for perceiving the site as a whole in a horizontal frame. Prayer is informed by the ‘Anthropocentric’ approach which places human above all. Under this philosophy, any act of prayer is directed to oneself, in order to reach out to a higher conscience within - one that exists beyond common sense. Often in my personal experiences, I have also observed that the precursor to any act of prayer is an act of submission and being conscious. Thus, the corresponding architecture is one of intimidation - both in scale and geometry. In its materiality, the architecture of the project aims to project an Indian-ness which amidst our Globalist condition. This is an attitude I could take from the Gandhian philosophy. Alongisde this, the program also aims to address to Gandhi’s presence on the site.
13 May 2022
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L2 STUDIOS DISSOLVING BOUNDARIES: CHILDREN’S LIBRARY AT LOVING COMMUNITY
STUDIO OVERVIEW
Dissolving Boundaries
Learning Outcomes
The ability to identify the needs of the community and understand its social and physical network. Formulate a design programme that aids to the needs of the community. Develop a comprehensive design process with conceptual and construction strategies that can help dissolve the boundary between the community and its urban fabric.
Dissolving Boundaries is an effort in introducing inclusivity through design by blurring the physical and mental margins that exist between the leprosy-afflicted Loving Community and the rest of society.
Process of Design
The process begins with the Ideal Reading Space exercise where, as the title suggests, the students explore what the term ‘Ideal Reading Space’ means to them. This is followed by a thorough mapping procedure that studies internal conditions as well as the relationship of the site with its context. These two exercises serve as a base, in terms of experience and contextual understanding respectively, for the final design process.
1968
1990
Intervention in White tower-Francisco Javier Saenz de Oiza- Dhyani S.
2022 Speculative drawings of site - Disha Kothari , Trisha Karthik
Studio Methodology
Students are introduced to the outline of the studio through the Ideal Reading Space exercise, which urges the students to explore what experiential and spatial qualities their ideal reading space would consist of through a narrative, an intervention on an existing graphic, and a model. The group mapping process that follows is a way for students to study and understand the site that they will be working on. Outcomes of this include site Plan, site sections, threshold sections, speculative drawings, house evolution studies, cluster plans and a site model. After these studies of experiences and context, students revert back to individual exercises, marking the beginning of the final design process where we work site selection, organisational iterations and so on.
Intentions
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To create equitable and inclusive spaces which help in improving the lives of the people of the community and using the Children’s Library as a means to dissolve the boundaries between the Loving Community and the surrounding city.
Design Process Issue no.3
L2 STUDIOS DISSOLVING BOUNDARIES: CHILDREN’S LIBRARY AT LOVING COMMUNITY
SPOTLIGHT
JOURNEY TO THE OASIS
Sanjana Mehta
An ideal reading space for me is something that is secluded and introspective. It would be a sacred place with a strong connection with the ground, a place that is intimate, has a sense of belonging and feels like a monastery or an oasis where I can find myself at peace. A place that is cut off from the outside world, yet creating an environment of its own that forces me to concentrate, relax and focus on my reading. The heaviness and rawness is felt as the structure is submerged and there are niches of different forms scooped out of the thick walls which form different reading spaces. The shadows created by the light coming in from a variety of roof typologies- skylights create an atmosphere that is warm and exciting, one which changes every hour each day, creating a sacred space for me to pick up a book and get lost in its story.
The site visit revealed, a set of existing conditions such as a lack of empty space and a place for women to work comfortably. The former observation urged me towards a submerged structure that would not encroach on the existing voids. I then attempted to solve the latter by reconstructing the storage space to function as a pavilion for women to work. Thus the footprint of my design does not affect the vacancies on the site. I wanted the library to have a strong connection with the existing Anganwadi, thus that becomes the starting point of the journey to the library underground. The journey to the central courtyard is exciting and playful that is regulated by a variety of spaces opening up at various levels and different qualities of light that is brought in from above. The central courtyard forms the heart of the library around which the functions have been arranged. Architectural elements like the courtyards and the skylights give hints of spaces that are below but one has to take the journey inside to experience the spaces that are cut off from the outside world yet creates their own environment inside.
Intervention in the ‘Rome Concrete Poetry Hall’-Gino Baldi & Serena Comi
13 May 2022
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NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CLUB REPORTS
NEW
CLUB COVERAGE
De-Cyphering It’s 6:30 in the evening. Nothing special to note on a usual campus routine, but on the 13th of April it was as the Dance Cypher made everyone filtering out of their studios and into the Sagara basement. Its circular platform became a perfect place to showcase the energy of the atmosphere, but it was not just about what happened in the centre. Even as everyone hooted and cheered for ones dancing off in the centre, it became a space for people who ‘wanted to see and do something other than their plans and sections.’ The event had morphed from its original battle call-off style to suit the context it was held in, even as the traditional African culture couldn’t end without some ‘CEPT Garba’ in it. It didn’t matter if one put their best foot forward or had two left feet, because the dance had been an incentive to get people out of their seats, but the event was so much more than that. It was as varied as the function of the space itself, with some laughing, some relaxing, some ‘doing a little stretching’ even as others blew some steam off at the centre. DANCE CLUB DANCE CYPHER
‘Unki Jury hi le li...’ Sheets pinned up, models on display and presentations compiled…and before your minds drift off to the impending or already happened juries, the topic of discussion is, or rather was the talk of the past and present students of construction and specifying studios. The talk had elicited different associations for each of the attendees; relating to or drawing contrasts of their experiences from the talks, eager to learn of the structure of such studios, learning about others designs, among others. However, the proceedings of the event had taken an interesting turn during the presentation of the current students of the studio, becoming a ‘jury’ as some had commented. With feedback abundantly showered over each discussion, it was fascinating as to how the senior students had voluntarily taken interest and commented on the designs, a derivative of the practised and cultural practice of our studios, where peer learnings are valued. And that moment gave a glimpse of the present students as future practising designers discussing the possibilities of their imagination.
FA runners u Sympatico
Sympatico tournament match between teams PG where the latter
Caricature an Night
Students from across batc volume on the 6th of A imitate their respective c 18 batch. The evening ex organized by FA UG
Talking Music
The Sarod recital is held Pro. Sohan Neelkanth, a Shankar on 3rd May, 20
DOTW TECTONIC OPERATIONS- WHAT ABOUT IT?
Unplanned Trips to Mind Notes With every new journey comes great stories. Many find their way to personal diaries, and some turn out as pithy texts in posts; only a few become reflective articles in print or medium that many use. Traveling and seeing do inspire, so does the act of documenting and sharing them from a new perspective. If travel is a pleasure, sharing is a multiplier. To explore ‘traveling without moving’ from a new perspective, TWM’s session with Prof. A. Srivathsan took us through his travels through newspaper articles that he had written. While the session consisted of him explaining his journeys and encounters with ‘lost’ Roman ports, precious artifacts and trade routes, it was the question-answer session that was the most intriguing. On being asked how he makes note of points to write for his articles while traveling, he clarified that he simply doesn’t. In fact, he doesn’t even have planned schedules for the trips; it is the small, memorable incidents that define the essence of the entire trip for him, and that is exactly what he writes about.
CEPT Summe 2022
CEPT summer exhibitio 9th May at 8pm. It show studios from across faci commences with a rock Chirag Todi and Heat Sin
TWM PROF. A. SRIVATHSAM
ANNOUNC
Sonal - e - Thesis Imagine if you could work on your thesis with no time constraints. Imagine, that instead of getting a short four months for your research, you get to devote an entire year to it. In her Shaam-e-Thesis event, Sonal Sancheti reminisced on her own thesis days. Quickly deciding on a seemingly easy topic of the various facets of Indian architecture, she spent months working on a subject matter she wasn’t exactly too keen on working with. It almost seemed like it was meant to be, when her guide Prof. Rajeev Kathpalia gave her a way out - quite literally, as she got the opportunity to visit Pritzker Laureate Fumihoko Maki in Japan. The experience was a life changing one for her, as she went on to do extensive undergraduate research on traditional Japanese architecture. She mentioned how she had attended a lecture on Japanese architecture in her times, much like the one she herself was conducting now, influenced her entire career path. Perhaps her lecture would have inspired a member from the audience to buckle up and do the same!
WANT
New position for a graph up in th Interested applicants plea and/or Snehi mannat.ug1803 snehil.ug18058
SHAAM-E-THESIS SONAL SANCHETI
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Issue no.3
NEWS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CLUB REPORTS
WS
CLUB COVERAGE
Achilles’ Heel
up in
nt culminates in a s from FA and FP are declared winners.
nd BBG
ches gather in the double April, 2022 as 21 batch caricatures from 17 and xtends into a BBQ Night
c
d (in conversation) with accompanied by Anirudh 022 at Sagara Basement
The Reading club held a reading of this Greek romantic tragedy on the 11th of April,2022. The discussion that followed the reading analyzed how, someone acquainted with Greek mythology and its history, often overlook the peculiarities of how the dynamics of society and relationships in ancient Greeks worked, whereas, to a novice, these unconventional occurrences stand out. 1500 BCE or today, the questions remain the same, how does one maneuver the complexities of belonging to a society, how does one carve out a niche for themselves as expectations layer themselves before they can even step out, this begs the questions, should one even have to in the first place? Madeline Miller weaves together a tale that resonates deeply with most of its readers, turning this rendering of the Trojan War into an LGBTQ classic. The discussion was very appreciative of how the narration was paced so as to keep the reader hooked till the end. She curates just enough twists and turns to keep the readers at the edge of their seat, while the story unravels before the reader, raw and laid bare. THE READING CLUB THE SONG OF ACHILLES
Caring for Plants 101 In a campus such as ours, it is of utmost importance that we all use the resources that we have responsibly and of even more importance is, what we do with the waste. The Eco Club initiative got creative this time as they collected all the waste generated from each studio and went on to create posters from it, while the excess waste would eventually be given out for recycling. In another event, the collective made cuttings from plants like money plant, pudina, ajwain and pineapple (from the south canteen) and potted them in recycled cups, plastic bottles, metal tins and glass bottles, many of which were contributions from the participants themselves. The event also involved a session where the process of making cuttings, along with how to care for the plants was explained. Kudos to the team and all those involved who have taken up the initiative of raising and addressing these pressing issues and tackling them. CEPT ECO CLUB
ADOPT A PLANT
er Exhibition
on ‘22 is inaugurated on wcases 58 UG and 32 PG ilities. The inauguration k band performance by nk
‘Six days he was Raju, but one day he was Feroz’ Continuing with its array of events this semester, TWM conducted an event with the ever-animated Riyaz Tayyibji. With talks of many spontaneous motorcycle trips, sometimes with his father, sometimes with his dear friends, and other times with his son (who he later poked fun at for being on his phone most times on the trips), he showed his love and fascination for the hobby by mapping the various trips he had been on - quite literally, he actually showed us a map of the country covered with markers for all trips he had been on! He exclaimed that the most enjoyable parts of a motorcycling trip was not just the act itself, but how and what the trip to a new destination offered with new scenic landscapes, different foods and exciting people. In one such instance, he met a man who was the caretaker of a temple and a mosque both - for six days of the week he was Raju, for one he was Feroz! “In Riyaz’s own words, “A good trip is one with great stories to tell!” TWM CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT THE ROAD?
CEMENTS
TED!!
hic designer has opened he EB. ase contact Mannat Singh il Tripathi at 343@cept.ac.in 83@cept.ac.in
Duality, Discrimination, Differentiation The screening of TJ Gnanavel’s ‘Jai Bhim’was in continuation of the ‘Caste in Design’ topic where the previous movie was ‘Karnan’. The handful of people occupying the room were mostlyTamil speakers or South Indian film buffs, with a glow of their laptop shining on their face in the dim seminar room as they multitasked work and leisure. As the film proceeded the clicking sounds of the mouse reduced as the story pulled the people in. What began as a story of a happy couple gradually started turning into a mirror of the society. Discrimination, reality, violence, corruption, law and justice; the horrors and boons of the current political India began emerging and the suspense intensifying in the atmosphere. For some, the visuals were too striking, but alas they are more near to reality than fiction. As the movie ended, some were too stunned to speak, some still trying to absorb and some in utter hopelessness of the situation. Nonetheless everyone was feeling empathetic to the lesser privileged than us sitting in the room. As we struggled to find words for this real life adaptation film, two staff members from FT began sharing their experiences that they face in the rural vs the urban context that we live in. Starting from their caste being asked each and every municipal procedure to feeling inferior at every opportunity given to them. We turn a blind eye to these incidents in the cities by calling ourselves ‘forward thinking’ as if denial will solve them. This film has been an eye opener to many. THE FILM CLUB JAI BHIM
13 May 2022
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REFLECTIVE PIECE
REFLECTIVE PIECE
The Nights That Never Die There comes a time during every semester when the days and nights begin to blur together; when afternoons are meant for sleeping and midnights are for sipping chai on the ramp. For two weeks leading up to the jury, the campus brought back ‘night outs’ after the two dreadful years of COVID. Every night, for almost fifteen days, you’d see students hunched over their desks drafting, laptops lighting up their faces, working through the sleep threatening to shut their eyes. There is something to be said about the mahoul of these night outs. Walking from FA307 to FA201, every studio was bustling with a vibe of its own. While one studio blared upbeat Punjabi music, the studio right opposite it was filled with students clustered around their site model. Where one studio shut themselves in the AC watching a Harry Potter marathon, the neighbouring studio was bare, full of early risers who had already gone to bed. Some studios were filled with students, each one wrapped up in their own work, while in others, a handful of people were scattered around the studio, laughing amongst themselves. The fun didn’t just stop there. Sometimes, the music from the speakers blasting through the air made its way out of the FA building and into the studios next-door. One such night, the students of FA and FP came together for an impromptu dance session that left everyone feeling refreshed and energised. Spontaneous singalongs and out of key notes helped keep the morale high through those long nights of seemingly endless work. As is customary to a typical ‘FA night out’, every night around 2 am, students would gather in one of the studios to relax with a hot cup of chai or coffee. These moments saw students from 2nd year till 5th year, those doing studios and those doing DRPs, all coming together to take a break from the intense work of the night. A lot of laughs were shared over those couple of cups, sometimes even a few heated discussions that had a lot to teach everyone of us. The chai break came at a much needed time, students walking through the other studios, trying to see what everyone else was up to, and maybe even get into an intense debate or two. One thing is for sure, these moments were truly some of the most memorable of the fortnight. The nights slowly began unwinding into days, most of the time passing by in the blink of an eye. By the time the sun came up, eyes were drooping, and sleepy yawns were heard all around. An entire night’s efforts at work all culminating in a more than rewarding breakfast at Irani Cafe or Parimal Gardens. Those fourteen days during the high speed mad chase to prepare for the juries were filled with adrenaline, coffee, late night fast food and a whole orchestra of music playing all through the night. Finally, it’s starting to feel like CEPT again.
AHR Symposium Research: Is This the Only Way?
had been shortlisted as its moderators. While two faculties had overseen its working, it had been the complete autonomy of the moderators to start from a clean slate to define the topics that would be discussed to which panellists would be invited for it. Imagine how exciting it would be to curate an event based on what you decide it should be on! Thinking back, some had pointed out how it gave them the opportunity to reflect on their individual opinions and thoughts on various subjects that they had never taken time for before. The four month window of preparation had sequential progress with fortnightly discussions; meetings that had been casual and conversational over even chai at the canteen, as they went back and forth over deciding the topics of discussion and the panellists for it. While the aim had been to bring out these varied themes for everyone to deliberate on, the moderators’ own process of arriving at it had been interesting and quite useful for them. For instance, one had commented on how it had opened their network to many prominent architects, as they looked up their work, and got in contact with them.
Top Row (Left to Right) - Mannat Singh, Yukta R A, M. Mallika, Aashumi Shah, Naomi Mehta, Yakin Kinger. Bottom Row (Left to Right) - Chinmay Gheware, Tanvi Karia
The inaugural AHR Symposium had happened just a few weeks back, with panellists discussing and deliberating on their research. But, how and what was put into it to make the event a reality? And most importantly, who? The event that we had seen happen across two days had its preparation and organisation ongoing over a span of four months from the time eight students
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Another interesting aspect was in the composition of the moderators, involving both undergraduate and postgraduate students. This was a curious characteristic that even the moderators themselves had asked and gotten to understand as to how the interactions of people at different stages in their educations had been mutually beneficial, where the PG students went beyond and worked out the larger picture, while the UG students would look into and deliberate on details of it as they started on a clean slate. Learning had been at every stage, from the different panels of the symposium itself, to the process behind it. So, while learnings from the event and conversations on it itself would be enriching, why not also start to take interest in the tales and experiences of organising it. Who knows what one might learn.
Issue no.3
MEMORY LANE
MEMORY LANE
A Trip Down Memory Lane
Aashumi Shah
Abhinav Jayanti
Abhishek Sondarva
Abishek P
Aditi Kanodia
Aditya Agarwal
Aditya Setalvad
Aesha Shah
Agrima Manglik
Aishwarya Gupta
Almitra R
Anirudh Shankar
Anoushka Mittal
Anushka Reddi
Arsh Kania
Arya Dhanda
Aryan Karena
C M Sanandana
Chanda Patel
Charmi Patel
Daksh Goel
Darshan Patel
Deekshit SLN
Devanshi Shah
Devyani Chandak
Dhruv Patel
Divolka Sawlani
Drashti Kanabar
Hamsika G
Harsh Prajapati
Harshal Gajjar
Harshil Sen
Harshil Shah
Heena Diwan
Ishita Sojitra
Jay Odharia
Jaya Khurana
Kairav Trivedi
Khushi Shah
Khyati Rajpara
Krishna Patel
Kriti Kothari
Marut Gajjar
Meghana Toutireddy
Namrata Ukani
Nechal Maggon
Nishra Shah
Palak Choksi
Parikshit Kalavadia
Pooja Mistry
Prachi Bedia
Praharsh Gyan
Preet Patel
Priyanka Kolhe
Pulak Goyal
Reya Kundu
Ritvi Broker
Ritwik Behuria
Riya Pai
Rupal Singh
Rutvik Faldu
Samyak Jain
Sandra Palathingal
Sandra George
Sawani Jain
Sharvi Shah
Shiv Mistry
Shreya Shridhar
Siddhi Agarwal
Sunny Tuvar
Takshil Jagani
Tarjanee Soni
Tushar Kanoi
Twisha Vaghasia
Varisha Chauhan
Vatsal Sanghavi
Vipasha Chauhan
Viraj Bhatt
Vrushti Shah
Yashi Tripathi
13 May 2022
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L3 DIRECTED RESEARCH
DRP OVERVIEW
Reimaginaing Boundaries
The first research aims to investigate the nature of neighbourhood boundaries to unravel the relationships between the household, the neigbourhood and the city. The second research investigates how Town Planning Schemes influence the built environment and the tenurial relationship between various stakeholders.
Notion of Neighbourhood Boundaries Sandra Maria George | ‘17 Batch, FA UG | Guide: Vishwanath Kashikar
“A neighbourhood occupies a unique location in the life of a city. It is located in between the home on one side of a social axis and the anonymous and alienated city on the other..”( Jha, S., Pathak, D. N., & Das, A. K. (2021) The acknowledgment of the neighbourhood as a critical component in structuring of cities, has lead to an increasing shift towards utilization of neighbourhoods as sites of substantial intervention activity. Concerns of a manageable of operation, exhaustive implementation, control and responsiveness of target population has led to more neighbourhood collaborative models in planning. Since Clarence Perry defined the ‘neighbourhood unit’ in the 1920s we see a growing interest in its definition. The planning agencies continue to adapt and make modular use of the neighbourhood unit when planning new communities as there exists a direct relationship of development of neighbourhoods to the changing structure of the city. The general trends of current research acknowledge the over-arching definition of the term neighbourhood through the recognition of it’s spatial, social and cognitive interpretations.The variety and number of interpretations and theoretical definitions of the term it brings with it an understanding of the wider context in which the term is used. There has also been an active attempt to create and defined the “ideal neighbourhood”, but no method to identify one. However, when conducting empirical research and deriving methods of neighbourhood delineation the ambiguous nature of the concept becomes an obstacle. There are large gaps in research when it comes to deriving methods to determine and identify the neighbourhood and its boundaries or lack of it thereof. There is a bridge to be crossed from theory to practical application. This research aims to establish a theoretical framework for mapping boundaries which guides the parameters to analyse data collected which verify the notion of boundary in an urban neighbourhood. It organizes data under classifications of neighbourhood boundaries(objective,territorial,cognitive and boundaries of social organization) and later overlaps resultant maps to co-relate and infer the extent of the buffer zone between them. The nature of such overlaps of different boundaries establishes relationships between perception of the neighbourhood as a unit as opposed to the perception of it as a continuum of space. It also tries to clarify if the neighbourhood is always a distinguishable unit. The research indicates through the analysis of the case studies that the notion of the neighbourhood boundary is variable and relational.
Figure. A plotted map of extent of intervention of different social organizations that impact the selected neighbourhood. (Source:Auhor)
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Figure. A sample of a cognitive map of a neighbourhood resident plotted using the research framework.(from the selected case study site).(Source:Auhor)
Figure. .A sample of a territorial boundary map neighbourhood. (Source:Auhor)
plotted of the selected
Issue no.3
L3 DIRECTED RESEARCH
The Role of Utopias in Imagining the Future of Spatiality Nechal Maggon | ‘17 Batch, FA UG | Guide: Prasad Shetty
the current growing needs or to build to achieve the future goals laid out by the cities’ utopic visions, i.e. the Development Goals of the city. Ahmedabad has attempted to solve this by implementing the DP-TP mechanism (Development Planning- Town Planning). The Development Plan of the city are implemented through the Town Planning Schemes of the city.
Research Question:
Figure. Town Planning Scheme in Gota, Ahmedabad
Relevance of the Research:
In Talen, E., and Ellis, C. (2002) Beyond Relativism: Reclaiming the Search for Good City Form, they argue for the prescriptive nature of urban planning through their theory of Good City Form. The theory states that the absence of clear guidelines (policy) for the urban designers as well as citizens would ultimately dilute the objectives and its subsequent builtform. There is, however, a lack of understanding of the depth and impact of these guidelines and what drives their intention (utopic visions). This has led to a significant disconnect between the policy and its implementation. (Talen, E., 2012) Hence, this research aims to investigate the influence of policy on its resultant urban-form and evaluate it against its utopic imaginations. In India, the continuous and rapid urbanization has left the cities with a pressing conundrum- to constantly and quickly build to accommodate
While Town Planning Schemes are merely a landpooling and readjusting mechanism, the tranformative nature of the policy has direct implications on the resultant urban-form it produces and the lives of the inhabitants within it. Hence, through first-hand site studies, documentation, and stakeholder interviews, the research stands to answer the following three questions vis-a-vis utopia and its influence on urbanform and the lives of its inhabitants:
resources, networks, diversity, affordance, and production. Different urban forms have different capacities to afford flows of life- people, commodities, economy, culture, etc. When the transactional capacity increases in a form, it is able to afford higher densities, number of activities, networks, transactions, livelihoods, security, diversity, care etc. “Higher the flow, higher the transactional capacity” (P. Shetty, 2015).
Original Plots before TPS
• Does the resultant urban-form achieve its utopic visions of efficiency, equity, and growth? • Which stakeholders have benefited and which have incurred loss due to the process? • What is the influence the policy has on the development in the built-environment?
Final Plots after TPS
Theoretical Framework:
The above questions are studied through the lens of transactional capacities. Transactional capacity is defined as the measure of density, utilization of
Margins and setbacks
Key Inferences:
Through the measure of transactional capacity, TPS in Gota manages to partially and relative to the existing gamtal, achieve its utopic visions of increased efficiency and growth. However, the resultant form is not efficient for all economic groups and does not facilitate equal opportunities to grow. While the TPS in itself can be termed as a process of gentrification, it claims to mutually benefit the government agencies that execute it as well as the people that are directly affected by it. However, through the stakeholder interviews it was discovered that the urbanization negatively impacts the original inhabitants- the people the TPS claims to directly benefit- by inadvertently displacing their homes, livelihoods, and more importantlytheir sense of belonging to that place. The TPS largely impacts two things- boundaries and ownership. The sense of beauty that the TPS aims to create through this rigid sense of order is reflected in its form as well. The plot shape, road, zoning, and amenitiesall facilitate the introverted, disconnected, rigid gated housing community typology by iterating and reiterating the definite boundary between
13 May 2022
various owners. This does not allow for any collective ownership among the community and results in the monotonous and apathetic form of Gota. Cities in India often dilute the conventional boundary that distinguishes public and private space, urban property regimes, and inside and outside. This produces a blurred form of the city, where the notion of the boundary is in constant flux, which in a way reflects the constantly changing state of the city itself. Much of the logic and life of Indian cities get worked out in this blur. Therefore, the inability of TPS to account for and allow blurred lines of the urban-form is what hinders it from achieving its utopic visions in Gota.
Built-form within it
Demarcating the boundary
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FUN SECTION
Complete the Graphic
You have before you sixteen squares, with five of them filled with different hatch patterns. Now the rest is up to you! Fill in the other squares with whatever comes to your mind!
Sudoku
Fill the 9 X 9 grid with numbers from 1 - 9, such that each row, column, and box has only one of each number.
Fortnightly Quiz 01
In 1966, Ar.Louis Kahn accepted a commission to build a monastery for the sisters of St.Catherine de Ricci, a religious order of nuns. The project never materialized due to cost issues, but became the subject of a famous book named “Drawing to Find out”. What was the Project called?
02 03
These ancient, Timber framed churches of North Europe are famous for their building technique, that allowed architects to build selfsupporting walls entirely on a stone foundation. What are these churches called?
04
This medieval mosque in Ahmedabad was built in honour of a Muslim saint of African descent, and is most well-known for its intricate Latticework design and arcuated structure. It has become an unofficial symbol of Ahmedabad, to the point where IIM Ahmedabad adopted its motif as part of its official symbol. What building is this ?
05
Built in arcuated style and situated on top of a hillock, this temple in Morena, Madhya Pradesh is rumoured to have inspired Lutyens’ design for the Indian Parliament, and bears a strong resemblance to the same. What is this temple called?
The name of this religious structure is derived from the Sanskrit word for “heap”. Its domed shape symbolizes a person engaged in meditation. Most often, this structure served as a burial mound containing either the ashes or mortal remains of a great religious teacher or leader. What is the name of this structure?
1. The Dominican Motherhouse 2. Stave Churches 3. Stupa 4. Sidi Saiyyed ni Jali 5. Chausath YogiTi temple
With the last issue of the semester, we endeavour to slide in some last qisse and khabarein in your suitcases as you pack them up to depart for the well deserved summer holidays. We also intend that this newsletter sees some tears shed as our beloved seniors leave soon. Farewell 17 Batch, farewell to the campus, farewell to the Ahmedabad summer sun.
Editorial Board Published By: The Student Council, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University Editors in Chief: Mannat Singh, Snehil Tripathi Senior Correspondents: Yukta Ramanujapuram Junior Correspondents: Ananya Sahdev, Eyaleigai Vivekanandan, Shreeya Luharuka, Sivatmika Jayaprakash Graphics: Mannat Singh, Ananya Sahdev, Eyaleigai Vivekanandan Printed By: Siddhi Printech, CEPT University Issue no.3 13 May 2022
MAY 13, 2022: Feedback: snehil.ug180583@cept.ac.in, mannat.ug180343@cept.ac.in