Bridging the gap: Reconnecting the riverfront

from MAAD Foundation Studio - Monsoon 2021, FA, CEPT

Reebanta Paul Chowdhury | Shreya Pathak

The garden latch received as an object has been replaced with organic materials namely wood and bamboo. The exercise looked towards understanding the mechanisms behing the functioning of the latch and to re-create the same with new materials. The action is a downward rotational force on thehandle which rotates the lever which pushes the latch out of the bamboo lock holder therby openng it. Further modifications have been made with the introduction of a wooden spring lock system to ensure the latch doesnt fall back, unless intended to

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-Major road networks identified -Gives an insight into the major access routes and important nodes of the area.

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-Provides a detailed idea of the shapes of the building and it’s surrounding open spaces. -A rough demarcation of the plot

-Building Layout with wall thickness -Openings, cutouts and immediate surroundings

-Wall and other relevant details

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-Shows the neighbourhood with exsting vegetation. -The boundary lines between properties are better understood at this scale

-Shows the furniture layout. -Gives an idea of the structural Layout -Relation between the primary and internal road networks -Gives an insight into the density dis tribution of the buildings with unbuilt

-The building layout can be identified -Boundary walls and openings into the site can be observed

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-Shows the flooring pattern. -Gives an idea of the materials.

Integrated Analysis Diagram Visual Connection Diagram

Knee Level Analysis

Layout Visual Integration Analysis Isovost Analysis

Eye Level Analysis

Layout Visual Integration Analysis Isovost Analysis

Problematising the Context :

The Ashram road runs parallelly to the riverfront through it’s strech, but while walking down the street one feels the disconnect with the riverfront very evidently. On mapping the entire strech we came across a number of issues that needed to be addressed. On further scrutiny we chose to adress a few of them in detail as given as follows below.

Lack of Restaurants and FoodJoints on Ashram Road

The highlighted Red zone on the map are the resturants and hotels present in the study area, which lead to the understanding that the amount of the food joints needed the area is much more than it’s current number in the presinct. This makes the street dead and unsafe at night, after office hours.

Lack of pedestrian connection on the Ashram Road

The pedestrian footfall on the ashram road is highlighted on the Map leading to the understanding of the maximum pedestrian interaction in the prescint at the peak hours.

Lack of socially active Spaces on the Ashram

The highlighted zones on the map show the concentration of public on the street. Most of the zones shown are the enchrochments on the pedestrian walkways selling tea and cigarettes etc. The commercial and institutional landuse in the precinct requires other social recreational spaces that cater to the user group on site.

Current Condition

The selected site at the Chinu Bhai Towers is chosen for estabilishing the connection between the riverfront and the ashram road which will add on to the liveliness of the road at night and provide a socially and culturally active space in the precinct. Intended Use

Site Area : 12,222 sq.mt FSI (Maximum Permissible) : 5.4 Total Built-up: 65998 sq.mt Ground Coverage (permissible) : 4888 sq.mt Ground Coverage (used) : 2200 sq.mt

Problem Statement :

The project aims at creating a space that opens up and lets the city pass through the site, making spaces that are uniquely public while connecting the Ashram road to the Riverfront. The legacy of the site is to be honoured by retaining the program as intended but was unfortunately never completed, with retail spaces in the podium and office towers on top. The retail spaces are to be transparent, porous spaces that connect both the edges of the site, while the towers grow above it. While using the available revised FSI for the CBD, the project aims to bring back life at the heart of the city.

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Site Area

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Dividing retail and office spaces

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Dividing into repeating modules Building Block

Creating thoroughfare between

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Creating functional floors

Iteration 01

Iteration 02

Iteration 03

The site plan is defined by the connection between the Ashram road and the Riverfront. The thoroughfare through the site divides the site and building functions into two creating a physical and visual connection to the riverfront. The pedestrians walking on the ashram road will finally have a direct access to the river and feel at one with the immediate surroundings that had been disconnected ever since. To ensure the threshold between public and private with seperate dropoffs and cores to cater to the different use cases in the site.

Iteration-1

This exercise helps understand the structural forces while trying to balance a 1m strip horizontally using only 8 cm strips and pin joints. Then furthering the process by developing a simple structural system using simple geometry to transfefr load and stabilize the strip. Unlike the vertical strip, the forces acting here have to be balanced by tension forces using threads.

Iteration-2

Furthering from the previous exercise, this exercise attempts to create a working structural spanning system that can work in tandem with the bearing system resulting in a functional structural system. We have changed the orientation of the strips to ensure lesser load along the normal and lesser use of material. In the next iteration we remove the middle 1m strip as it could be held easily by the two strips on the edges.

Iteration-1

Understanding the structural forces while trying to balance a 1m strip vertically using only 8 cm strips and pin joints. Then furthering the process by developing a simple structural system using simple geometry to transfefr load and stabilize the strip.

Furthering the idea from the first iteration, the second iteration brings in stability in the third axis to ocounter lateral forces while using pin joints as well as mechanical joints.

Along with the structure, this attempt looks into the creation of different types of spaces as a result of the structure. This is later developed into the building’s structural system.

Iteration-2

1. 150 mm AAC Block wall 2. 100 mm metal frame 3. 100 mm box sections 4. 50 mm thick GFRC louvers 5. 2 mm deck sheet 6. 100 mm thick concrete slab 7. 50 mm Flooring A. 150 mm c-channel to ISMB 300 junction detail

B. Cable connector fixing detail