Meeta Kanal Portfolio 2023

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

RETHINKING A ‘DOWNTOWN’

Rethinking a University Downtown

“Analysing and understandig the need of a Downtown in many ways is a challenge since there is never just a set of criteria hat can make a Downtown in any city a successful plan.”

The site comprising of Downtown Urbana, Lincoln Square Mall and the neighbouring parks and residential zones has more potential than it is currently fulfilling. The central commercial core including the Lincoln square mall and the restaurants, bars and cafes around, is not catering to the needs of the twin cities - Urbana and Champaign.

The location has great promise for growth in the areas of housing, commerce, shopping, leisure, and transportation. The housing chance is in planning and offering mixed-use neighbourhoods that accommodate both locals and students at nearby universities.

The proposed masterplan commits to drawing more attention towards Downtown Urbana with increased residential development alongside commercial and retail establishments that cater to the needs and programs around the residents of the city alongside the student community in Urbana-Champaign.

URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - GRADUATE LEVEL SPRING-SUMMER SEMESTER

Urban Landscape Design

A sense of placemaking and connections should be able to drive opportunity in the area which is now lacking. Through sustainable green routes, cycling and biking routes, programming connections and future proposals, this problem could be solved through solutions taking into account the problems of today.

A sense of placemaking and connections should be able to drive opportunity in the area which is now lacking. Through sustainable green routes, cycling and biking routes, programming connections and future proposals, this problem could be solved through solutions taking into account the problems of today.

The central vertical axis - Broadway avenue that passes through the site holds housing at one end with a commercial core and ecological centres at the other. The three peculiar zones could be connected in order to generate footfall, economy and opportunities. The proposed masterplan commits to drawing more attention towards Downtown Urbana with increased residential development alongside commercial and retail establishments.

The Downtown area has been proposed to serve the purpose similar to a gated community but at a much larger scale. With most amenities and programs required by residents or visiting populations within reach on foot or a bike, this could potentially be a new way to look at transit and development in most cities in the country.

The Downtown area has been proposed to serve the purpose similar to a gated community but at a much larger scale. With most amenities and programs required by residents or visiting populations within reach on foot or a bike, this could potentially be a new way to look at transit and development in most cities in the country.

LAST MILE LANDSCAPES

Re-imagining E-commerce warehouses in Chicago

“Understanding the need of a change in the logistical supply in urban jungles today and letting in the end consumer in the whole supply chain by not alienating warehouses away from the city centres.”

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of e-commerce warehouse construction across North America, and the transition to virtual shopping resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this trend.

However, despite their near-universal presence and society’s dependence on these warehouses to facilitate e-commerce, landscape architecture is noticeably absent from offering critical design alternatives to the status quo.

As last-mile fulfillment centers continue to be built at a rapid pace, they bring with them large amounts of impervious surfaces; as well as noise, air, and light pollution. They are often built in the neighborhoods of marginalized communities, raising issues of environmental justice.

How might urban design play a role in mitigating this trend?

The design proposal involves the proposal of an urban island that is for the people of Chicago while still maintaining the multi level transit and access that the city functions on. Deploying technologies of the near-future, this urban island has plazas, warehouses, gardens and even an ice skating rink.

Study and analysis of the logistical chain supply in the city of Chicago through precedents helped gauge the amount of inflow of traffic, goods and workforce is required in order to keep the cycle running. Through the years the warehousing industry has been rapidly developing and making its way to city centres in order to cater more efficiently to the end consumer, which has caused serious backlash in certain parts of cities. Chicago being one of the major hubs of transit and logistical centres, it has seen this change closely.

To view the project development video, please scan the QR Code.

URBAN DESIGN STUDIO - GRADUATE LEVEL FALL SEMESTER

The site lays above the Kennedy expressway in chicago which serves as one of the main transit axes in the city, specially for Logistics.

The context has a varied mix of communities and uses all around, right from the Greek Town which still holds cultural value to the Randolph street which originally was an area that was not frequented but now boasts of the finest restaurants and bars in the city

The main axes connects through either sides via the parallel streets running over the Kennedy. There is an opportunity in the area for an urban island and public space but the Kennedy causes a greta divide.

Conceptual visualisation of the proposal.

Newer opportunities can be created upon ‘Capping the Kennedy’ through the lens of logistics where the users of these logistical services are travelling through the entire process...

RECLAIMING THE CONNECT

Food Hub and Experience Centre in Mumbai

DESIGN DISSERTATION SEMESTER 9 & 10

- UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL

“An attempt to connect the city, its people and its culture through food and ephemeral programmes.”

The city of Mumbai, with its unique cultural background, allows its residents to connect and socialise through food, culture, and the city’s origins in an ephemeral organisation. Beginning with research into the many configurations of food and experiences associated with markets in the city, the study evolved into the design of a centre for permanent programmes such as food markets and experimental kitchens, along with ephemeral programmes including pop-up markets.

The study focused on the slow food movement, the history of markets, and diverse food-related experiences in the city and around the world.

The design proposal is based on an integration of numerous communities and their culinary inclinations in one of Mumbai’s most thriving areas.

With the reclamation of the derelict areas under most flyovers in the city to provide experiences and a “place” for people to visit, the programme has ideas for temporary exhibitions as well as the push for urban agriculture, in an attempt to set an example for the rest of the city’s dilapidated areas, to create something for people to come together and celebrate.

To view the Semester 9 Thesis Research Book, please scan the QR Code.

Sectional Elevation

Sectional Elevation through the project

Conceptual visualisationof the experience hub

Elevation

Conceptual visualisationof the experience hub

INTRODUCING OPPORTUNITY Understanding the need for Social Amenities

URBANISM SEMESTER 9

“Understanding the need and lack of programmes in a set context in order to provide for the people of the area by introducing permanent or temporary proposals.”

The project concept and study are an attempt to comprehend and repurpose the land parcels provided by the municipality in order to offer single or multiple programmes to meet the demands of the users in the specified region, a gated neighbourhood. This also contained a step toward comprehending the demographics of the aforementioned setting.

Understanding diverse land uses, local municipality norms and guidelines, and deploying the same for the programme that was lacking in the particular location were all part of the analysis.

One of the most alarming aspects was the lack of fundamental educational institutions for the less privileged elements of society, as well as a shortage of public libraries and daycare facilities for working-class children. The study and additional examination of the given environment resulted in a programme for an educational facility for children as well as an adjacent public library for neighbourhood users.

Squatter settlement

Mandatory Rehabilitation

Municipal

Study and analysis of the context under study

Circulation

Existing Condition on site Squatter settlement in low density

Mandatory Rehabilitation

Building Typology

Municipal School

Proposed Development Rehab and Municipal School

Municipal School Administration

Elevation

Proposed Development Phase-wise Development on Site

Ancilliary functions

Municipal School

Primary Municipal School Identifying areas and requirements and zoning on site

Landform

Primary Municipal School Opening up the front portion of the site and classrooms towards the quieter end of the site

Design process and conceptualisation as per site context and user experience

Primary Municipal School Open yet shaded courtyard provided for planning of play areas as well as other exhibitions etc.

CHANGE

Challenging the typical housing typology in the city of Thane

ARCHITECTURAL

“An attempt to understanding the housing typologies in the city of Thane and realising the need for a different approach.”

Thane, an ever-expanding city, has undergone a tremendous real estate boom in the last two decades and has been the victim of conventional developments to provide homes for the massive influx of citizens. Most emerging home typologies do not accommodate the residents’ fundamental conveniences and wants, and they are oblivious to their surroundings. The need for a housing project has never been in doubt, and massive projects have been built that are now vacant.

The city’s primary demand is for rental housing and accommodation for the working class, and the area surrounding the chosen location appears to cater to several IT parks as the primary place for residence for most employees. The required benefits in the neighbourhood are similar to those of serviced apartments and rental homes, but with working-class facilities.

This requirement was challenged, and a proposal for rehabilitation, serviced and rental apartments, and appropriate amenities and services for the residents, whether permanent or temporary, was launched for the land in issue.

DESIGN & URBANISM SEMESTER 7

Conceptual

Existing Housing Condition

Scattered phase wise development with a lack of overall planning & common amenities

Prevalent Development

Lower levels for access & upper shared podium level for interaction & living

Inward - Exclusive

Exclusive spaces for the existing residents along with shared amenities for incoming residents

INTERACTION N T E R A C T O N

Proposed Housing Condition

Allocation & planning of common spaces for existing & incoming residents

LIVING AREAS

ACCESS

Proposed Development

LIVING AREAS

INTERACTION

INTERACTION

ACCESS

Connection - Interaction

Connecting the lowest levels to the higher podium levels - visually

Design process and conceptualisation as per site context and user experience

visualisation of the scheme

PLACE-MAKING

Creating a ‘place’ for Vidhyadhar Nagar

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN & URBANISM SEMESTER 6

“Defining a place for the residents of Vidhyadhar Nagar in order to increase social and cultural engagement in this new planned city.”

Vidhyadhar Nagar, Jaipur’s first planned neighbourhood, was created to break away from the customary organisation found in the city’s historic quarters. The vastness and alien concept of a planned metropolis have left little room for the citizens’ imagination, resulting in a calm and sterile climate throughout the area. The lack of public connection, combined with the shortage of social activities and projects, has increased safety concerns in the area.

People in this area need to adopt programmes such as temporary markets or have a specific place for similar congregation reasons. Although it is a new town, most plazas in the area are decaying and do not promote much activity. To support this, a programme concept incorporating sports and recreation has been designed to attract more inhabitants, resulting in social contact among residents and the formation of a safer environment through community building.

The facility’s various initiatives are thought to improve community engagement through events centred on sports and festivals. The proposal is all-inclusive and has been developed to accommodate any visitors at all hours of the day and night, resulting in a safer and more vigilant neighbourhood.

Activating public activity & interaction on site through activities in the plaza area.

Main dividing axes of the planned neighbourhood act as pause points for the people in the area.

The site is to be connected further with the main active points in the vicinity and increase social interaction.

Amenities / Landmarks Planning is based on the consideration of providing the necessary amenities in the area. This includes gardens, hospitals, multiplexes and grocery shops. All the necessary amenities are within 250m radii from each other.

Connections & Circulation

Wide roads provided that divide the entire planned neighbourhood into sectors in a grid manner. A futuristic approach taken into consideration while planning has offered cycling as well as pedestrian lanes for circulation.

Zoning

The planning is laid out in a manner such that the central spine of the planned neighbourhppd comprises of commercial and mixed use buildings with central plazas providing areas for congregation. The residential zones form the periphery and are well connected to most amenities in the vicinity. The plaza spaces are devoid of any activity currenlty and need activation in terms of programs.

Mass & Void

The proportion of voids is greater than that of built volumes as wide roads, urban plazas and gardens are provided. Multiple plaza spaces provided increase the distance between the superstructures and the scale of the entire planned neighbourhood seems to appear as vast and spaced out which reduces inclusivity.

An attempt to generate pause points ON and ALONG the site & enhancing social interaction that is currently absent.

Conceptual visualisation of the scheme

Sectional Elevation Elevation

Elevation

Layout of the scheme

INTO A FOREST

Designing an experience for a journey into the forest

“Analysing a site set in a valley and designing the user’s experience of approaching the depths of a forest.”

The project entails analysing a hilltop near the Pawna Dam in Maharashtra using a variety of approaches, including hydrology study, slope appropriateness, elevation suitability, and the vegetation in the area, in order to select a good location for a bungalow. The method included a thorough examination of the many factors stated above, which resulted in the selection of a few sites based on the ’suitable’ conditions provided.

This was followed by an awareness of the vegetation and physical aspects of the area, which led to the selection of a specific location and the creation of an experience based on the approach to the house.

The approach experience and journey had to be developed with the various levels in mind, adjusting and calculating the levels, and curating an experience by deciding viewpoints in mind. A visitor was envisioned to have the sensation of travelling from a large open place, such as a meadow in a valley, to the upper slopes of a hill, and finally into the depths of a dark forested area.

The elevation, slope and hydrology suitability maps have been marked and shaded as per the parameters set for the site selection.Owing to the location of the context under study, the views offered to the surrounding areas are of utmost importance in order to create an experience for the user within the bungalow. The maps when overlapped result in overlapping common parameters and criteria for site selection and depict areas that are suitable for the choice of site.

The selected site has been considered as an opportunity to create anexperience for the user as he approaches the bungalow on the site through a pathway. The pathway is to be designed along with landscape, trying to create and experience similar to that of a person walking from the openness of a meadow to the dark closed spaces within a thicket.

The structure is set amidst a thicket and the approach is designed in a way so as to surprise the visitor at every turn along the pathway.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN & ANALYSIS SEMESTER 5

PROFESSIONAL WORK

Retail, Commercial, Residential Interior Architecture & Residential and Commercial Architecture

1.5 years work experience as a Junior Architect

- Assisted design development of 21 ongoing retail, office and residential interior architecture projects and commercial architecture projects

- Led interior design team of 3, through design development and construction detailing for a commercial office space for 750 employees

- Prepared design presentations as well construction drawings, for retail stores, offices for 500-1000 employees details and 3D visualisations for these projects deploying Autocad, Archicad, Rhinoceros and Twinmotion

- Organised project meetings and presentations, and contributed to development of design concepts

- Collaborated with project managers and other team members to ensure the design intent was accurately represented in construction drawings and on site

- Published monthly project management reports for 3 clients, formed project team of 5 members presenting project status and financials to senior team on ongoing basis

To view the professional work portfolio, please scan the QR Code.

ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY DOODLEINK

A passion project in mandalas, doodles and botanical illustrations.