Undergraduate Thesis 2022

SLOWING DOWN

EXPLORING FOOD THROUGH SPACE Nithyashree. S 4CM17AT029

January 2022

THESIS PROJECT

SLOWING DOWN

EXPLORING FOOD THROUGH SPACE

Submitted by Nithyashree. S 4CM17AT029 2021-22 Wadiyar Centre for Architecture, Mysuru

2022

SLOWING DOWN

EXPLORING FOOD THROUGH SPACE

Thesis Panel/Guides/Mentors Associate Prof. R Kiran Kumar Ar. Aabid Raheem Assistant Prof. Kavana Kumar Assistant Prof. Shreyas Baindur Prof. Anna Cherian

Wadiyar Centre for Architecture,Mysuru Submitted by Nithyashree. S 4CM17AT029 2021-22

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This certify that the thesis entitled “Slowing Down: Exploring Food Through Space” This isis toto certify that the thesis entitled “Slowing Down: Exploring Food Through Space” hasbeen beensubmitted submittedby byNithyashree.S Nithyashree.Sininpartial partialfulfilment fulfilmentofof the requirement for the has the requirement for the awardofofBachelor’s Bachelor’sDegree DegreeininArchitecture Architecturefrom fromWadiyar Wadiyarcentre centrefor forArchitecture, Architecture, award Mysuruaffiliated affiliatedtotoVisvesvaraya VisvesvarayaTechnological TechnologicalUniversity Universityfor forthe theacademic academicyear year Mysuru 2021-22.

2021-22.

WadiyarCentre CentreFor ForArchitecture Architecture Wadiyar

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Prof.Shrutie ShrutieShah Shah Principal: Affiliation:Wadiyar WadiyarCentre Centrefor forArchitecture, Architecture, Affiliation: Mysuru Mysuru

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Prof.Julie JulieAnn Ann Thesis Tharakan

Tharakan Affiliation:Wadiyar WadiyarCentre Centrefor forArchitecture, Architecture, Affiliation: Mysuru Mysuru

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Prof.R RKiran KiranKumar Kumar Thesis Affiliation:Wadiyar WadiyarCentre Centrefor forArchitecture, Architecture, Affiliation: Mysuru Mysuru

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SlowingDown Down Slowing

Exploring Food Through Space Exploring Food Through Space

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Declaration

I hereby declare that the Thesis entitled “Slowing Down: Exploring Food Through Space” which has been undertaken by me in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from Wadiyar Centre for Architecture, Mysuru affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University for the year 2021-22 is a record of my own work. The work has not been submitted previously, in part or whole, anywhere else.

Date: 4 February 2022 Place: Wadiyar Centre For Architecture

Nithyashree.S 4CM17AT029

Architectural Thesis Nithyashree S | 4CM17AT029

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Credits: Author

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Acknowledgement This thesis has been a result of constant mentorship and support provided by many important people. Among them, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to my parents Dr. Hema Srinivasan and R.Srinivasan and brother Narayanan S who is the reason where I am today and providing their unrelenting support through my entire course.

I am grateful to my college for providing me an opportunity to take up this thesis under the guidance of Ar. R Kiran Kumar without whom this thesis would not have been possible. His enthusiasm and patience has helped me in doing this research to understand my topic and finetune it to the product that it is today.

I also thank Ar. Aabid Raheem for his mentorship and constructive criticism throughout the research.

I am thankful to Grameen Koota and Mrs.Vinitha Reddy for trusting me with important drawings. I am also thankful to Revamma and her family for allowing me to use her mess as and when I needed to.

I would like to thank the faculty and staff at Wadiyar Centre for Architecture, Mysuru for always providing and the best environment for us to learn and grow.

I thank my friends S Sanjana Rao, Anish Bhargav, Lamiya Huda, Tony Koshy Sam, Harshith D Jain, GM Srivishal, Anivratha Baggunji, Ann Lia Mathew,Madhavi SN, Varsha Vijaymurthy, Varun S Bapu, and Punarva Praveen for being my constant cheerleaders.

I will not forget to thank Geetha Srikant, Sanjana Srikant and Srikant Srinivasan for their constant support.

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WHY SLOW?

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An Inquiry Starting Points

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WHAT DOES SLOWNESS MEAN? In Pursuit of Wellbeing, Take it Slow The Character of Slowness and Fastness The Art of Stillness

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HOW CAN FOOD BECOME A TOOL WHICH CARRIES RITUALS OF DELAY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hand taste Making Chutney Recipe 1- Kadale Chutney

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WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS THAT SLOWS ONE DOWN? Principle 1- Interval and Pause Principle 2- After Object Principle 3- Deliberate contemplation Principle 4- Time and Tide Principle 5- Participation Principle 6-Cooking and Communication

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Credits: Author The illustration depicts memories associated with food.

SLOWNESS IN DESIGN

Analysing Revamma’s Mess Design Intervention 1 Analysing Intervention 1 Introducing the Nandi Site Analysing the Nandi Site Design Intervention 2

Bibliography

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WHY SLOW? An Inquiry India is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and the world’s fastest-growing democracy. The expansion of the working class, advancements in infrastructure and technology, and our establishment as a global power have caused people to lead increasingly frenetic lives in the country. In the pursuit of astronomical success, we are losing our collective humanity, our instinct to reconnect with the world around us and within ourselves. Pico Iyer, author of The Art of stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere, talks about how today sometimes making a living and making a life point in opposite directions.

Slowness does not mean working at a snail’s pace but is about quality over quantity. (Waters, 2021). When we are allowed to bring our consciousness back to our surroundings, our breath and our emotions, we naturally begin to live more mindfully, with a deeper sense of wellbeing and fulfillment. When our decisions come from a place of connection, and not competition, we are able to engage with ourselves and our communities with much greater joy and involvement and foster a society that is rooted in sustainability.

Our lives revolve around food irrespective of religion, age, occupation, economic status. Preparing and consuming food is something so personal, yet something which is an identity of a culture. It’s what brings people together. We cook and eat at least 3 times a day and so, it is the most frequently performed activity in all of our lives.

As Nao Saito says, “...Yet each of us has a kitchen at home,and we associate it with distinctive scents,tastes,conversation,laughter, and perhaps also solitude...” (Saito, 2017). The kitchen occupies most space in your hearts and we should find more ways to reconnect with it.

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Starting Points Improving people’s consciousness about life and slowing them down using space.

Making people aware of traditional and local ways of cooking and eating, thus, giving them an option of alternative healthy food habits.

Food is the means to slow down, apart from other complementary activities which will help in the same.

To create the platform for the growing slow food movement in India.

Being sustainable by responding to the slow movement- lesser wastage, effective and conscious food choices/preferences Making local, organic, fresh, and clean food available and affordable by everyone.

The place where people from different backgrounds come to socialize or unwind on a stressful day.

Focusing on user experience by elevating one’s senses by exploring taste, tactility, sound, smell, and sight.

Sharing cultures through food.

Minimizing the use of technology and making engagements humane.

Credits: Yashwanth Kumar

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WHY SLOW?

Pg.no

An Inquiry Starting Points

8 9

WHAT DOES SLOWNESS MEAN? In Pursuit of Wellbeing, Take it Slow The Character of Slowness and Fastness The Art of Stillness

12 12 13

HOW CAN FOOD BECOME A TOOL WHICH CARRIES RITUALS OF DELAY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hand taste Making Chutney Recipe 1- Kadale Chutney

16 16 17

WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS THAT SLOWS ONE DOWN? Principle 1- Interval and Pause Principle 2- After Object Principle 3- Deliberate contemplation Principle 4- Time and Tide Principle 5- Participation Principle 6-Cooking and Communication

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The Slow Research Lab has helped in understanding theoritical approach to Slowness. The following chapter summerises articles from the website. “ Through a mix of theoretical reflection and creative experimentation, we investigate an expanded terrain of individual and collective potential that brings balance to the pace at which we encounter the world, and integrity to how we position ourselves within it.”

SLOWNESS IN DESIGN

Analysing Revamma’s Mess Design Intervention 1 Analysing Intervention 1 Introducing the Nandi Site Analysing the Nandi Site Design Intervention 2

Bibliography

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WHAT DOES SLOWNESS MEAN? In Pursuit of Well-being, Take it Slow The article “In Pursuit of Well-being, Take it Slow” (Carolyn Strauss, October 2014)introduces the spatial aspects of slowness: spaces for reflection, dialogue, and engagement. The authors explore slow knowledge through a framework of 6 core research principles. With each idea is a description of its approach and an example of a design and its concept.

It is understood that there are two parts to slowness: one is the velocity at which something happens.

It encompasses the physicality or measurable part of the architecture.

The other is about the quality of spaces: the intangible/ immeasurable aspects.

A diagram explaining the parts to slowness and it’s application in design

The Character of Slowness and Fastness Character of fast knowledge: (Fuad-Luke, July 2007, p. 5) Technological, profit oriented, hierarchical, competitive, universally applied.

Character of slow knowledge: (Fuad-Luke, July 2007, p. 4) Shared, multi-disciplinary, shaped to particular cultural and geographic contexts, humble, open source, belongs to communities/societies, meta-physical, intuitive, designs for individuals first and commercialization second

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Fuad-Luke, A. (July 2007).

CONSCIOUSNESS, PROGRESS: SLOW DESIGNING THE PRESENT.

REFLECTION, CREATIVELY

The Art of Stillness, Pico Iyer We are moving faster and faster in search of contentment and meaning. Pico Iyer (Iyer, November, 2014) talks about why we need to slow down and there lies an adventure in doing nothing and sitting still. Not to be confused with meditation, doing nothing is about working in solitude. It is about having the ability to react to life independently, without the information cycle guiding us to make decisions. Being conscious is about taking in the right information, grounding oneself with the people around us, and coming close to our senses.

Such ways of working are seen in Japanese offices and restaurants. There is hardly any conversation happening in the workspace/ kitchen because everyone knows their role and any communication happens before/ after the task. This allows full focus on work, despite the speed around. In a restaurant, for example, the focus is completely on smells, plating, etc. Thus, the silence of being in the moment helps them find the flavor they look for.

Is it possible to look at the consumption of food in a different manner in order to make a person slower and conscious in a fast-paced city?

An initial diagram integrating the meaning of slowness and the architecture of food

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WHY SLOW?

Pg.no

An Inquiry Starting Points

8 9

WHAT DOES SLOWNESS MEAN? In Pursuit of Wellbeing, Take it Slow The Character of Slowness and Fastness The Art of Stillness

12 12 13

HOW CAN FOOD BECOME A TOOL WHICH CARRIES RITUALS OF DELAY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hand taste Making Chutney Recipe 1- Kadale Chutney

16 16 17

WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS THAT SLOWS ONE DOWN? Principle 1- Interval and Pause Principle 2- After Object Principle 3- Deliberate contemplation Principle 4- Time and Tide Principle 5- Participation Principle 6-Cooking and Communication

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The following chapter integrates slowness and the kitchen as a typology. The narrative to slowness could have taken other tangents but food and consumption are chosen because it is something we don’t want to lose touch with, but are little day by day, to consciously connect.

Reading cooked has helped in understanding the importance of the kitchen and the “real stuff” that goes into food.

SLOWNESS IN DESIGN

Analysing Revamma’s Mess Design Intervention 1 Analysing Intervention 1 Introducing the Nandi Site Analysing the Nandi Site Design Intervention 2

Bibliography

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HOW CAN FOOD BECOME A TOOL WHICH CARRIES RITUALS OF DELAY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hand Taste “Hands are central to cooking and eating in South India.” (Saito, Kitchen With Many Hands, 2017) This is because it leaves the signature of the person who made it. The hand taste bears the taste of culture, thought, happy mistakes, and effort of the cook. When we say, “comfort food”, it comes from this hand taste. It’s also about eating with the hand literally. We feel the portion, heat, and texture of food one is about to eat, thus activating sight, taste, smell, and touch all at one time.

We don’t find this comfort in “Tongue taste”. Tongue taste carries the taste of machine- MSG, refined oil, and other synthetic additions. (Pollan, 2013) With urbanization and fast food chains coming up, we are habituating to this tongue taste. As a consequence, both culture and health slip away from our lives.

Making Chutney As an exercise to understand hand taste, I made chutney using a grinding stone, and the same chutney in an electric blender.

Chutney made on a stone tastes richer: each ingredient has its distinct taste unlike the one made in a blender, which is pretty much a pulp of everything together. We also can control the amount of water added to a stone. It is very easy to misgauge the water added in a blender.

Chutney ground by author on a stone

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Recipe credits: Revamma

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WHY SLOW?

Pg.no

An Inquiry Starting Points

8 9

WHAT DOES SLOWNESS MEAN? In Pursuit of Wellbeing, Take it Slow The Character of Slowness and Fastness The Art of Stillness

12 12 13

HOW CAN FOOD BECOME A TOOL WHICH CARRIES RITUALS OF DELAY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hand taste Making Chutney Recipe 1- Kadale Chutney

16 16 17

WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS THAT SLOWS ONE DOWN? Principle 1- Interval and Pause Principle 2- After Object Principle 3- Deliberate contemplation Principle 4- Time and Tide Principle 5- Participation Principle 6-Cooking and Communication

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20 25 30 32 34 36

SLOWNESS IN DESIGN

Analysing Revamma’s Mess Design Intervention 1 Analysing Intervention 1 Introducing the Nandi Site Analysing the Nandi Site Design Intervention 2

Bibliography

Pg.no

42 46 50 52 54

58

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WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS THAT SLOW ONE DOWN? This chapter is based on the paper “The Slow Design Principles A new interrogative and reflexive tool for design research and practice” written by Carolyn F. Strauss and Alastair Fuad-Luke. The 6 principles they detail out are: 1. Reveal 2. Expand 3. Reflect 4. Engage 5. Participate 6. Evolve These chapters have been seen through the lens of this thesis, thus combining architecture and slowness. The chapters are recontextualized and remolded to fit into this area of study.

Principle 1 (Strauss C.F, July 2008, pp. 3-4)

Interval and Pause

“Slow design reveals experiences in everyday life that are often missed or forgotten, including the materials and the processes that can be easily overlooked in an artifact’s existence or creation.”

In order to reveal this experience of daily life, an element is introduced. The principle of interval and pause is about physically slowing down a person, by which their attention is drawn to the reality around.

Contents: Chappal Stand Watch Your Step Hand Wash Ramps

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Strauss C.F , Fuad-Luke. A (2008,July). The Slow Design Principles: A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Thinking and Practice.

Chappal Stand A chappal* stand is an effective pause point because it makes a person stop and observe his/her surroundings.

It not only takes time to remove footwear, but many a time one ends up waiting for another person.

Bottom Left: A plinth difference and change in material can indicate that one must remove their footwear. A smooth surface can also inform that the surface is friendly to bare feet.

B

Bottom right: A shallow pool of water forces one to leave footwear at an entrance.

They would have to move through it to reach point B.

A

*Chappal- Footwear Illustration credits: Author

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Watch Your Step The Japanese have a way of slowing down physically and moving consciously. For example, steps are designed with changing intervals with an intent to shun routine or inattentive motion. It also doesn’t happen in a straight line.

The contrast in texture or materials truly helps in slowing down and “tap extra levels of skill in the feet, magnifying deeds in space.” (Plummer.H, 2016) Credits: Author

“Nobody trips or falls on the unbroken plane, nor is anyone slowed when gliding over it’s vacant texture.” (Plummer.H, 2016)

Such steps provide the merits of security and comfort,despite being adventurous.

Typical stepping stones in Japanese gardens

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Plummer.H (2016). The Experience of Architecture

Hand Wash

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

The handwash in Gurukul school draws children to linger around the area a bit longer.

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The handwash area can become a pause point to draw one’s attention to the surroundings.

Tamarind Tree and Gurukul have not-so-commonly found handwash areas. They are adjacent to courts and plinths.

In solitude Farm, Auroville, one washes his/her plate. This not only reduces the work for staff but also increases the time takenin lingering around the area.

Another way to slow them down physically is by redesigning the handwash itself. What if one has to use a mug and bucket to wash his/ her plate?

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Designing a handwash/vessel wash area to slow down people physcially

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

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The handwash in Tamarind Tree, Bengaluru

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Ramps Ramps slow down people physically, because of the extra distance they would travel compared to climbing stairs.

A ramp also makes a person conscious of his/ her surroundings because the oblique form forces one to find balance. Claude Parent talks about how nothing happens on a flat plane, and adds, “…There is no brain activity.

On the oblique, you have feelings; you feel a force when climbing and euphoria during descent. This is the basis. The oblique creates shapes that displease people because they don’t like to feel off-balance”. (Rem Koolhaas, 2014)

A ramp at Visitor’s Centre, Auroville

Le Corbusier is another architect who employed ramps. He saw stairs as an element which would be used only when one is in a hurry. He also believed that ramps connect spaces and stairs separate a floor from another. (Schmid)

To sum it up, ramps not only slow down people physically, but also make them conscious of space. Moreover, they are aids to connect spaces.

At Tamarind Tree, Bengaluru

One moves 6.6m to reach a height of 3m by stairs, but around 28.8m to reach the same height by a ramp.

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Khoolas R, Mostafavi M, Trüby S (2014), Elements of Architecture: Ramp

Principle 2 (Strauss C.F, July 2008, pp. 4-5)

After-Object

“Slow design considers the real and potential ‘expressions’ of artifacts and environments beyond their perceived functionalities, physical attributes and lifespans.”

Every element has a physical presence (form and functionality) or a “form of interaction”. This form also has a symbolic/intangible aspect which gives it it’s identity.

The focus here to use this aspect as a tool to add value to design.

Contents: The Expanding Kitchen Cooking with Fire

Strauss C.F , Fuad-Luke. A (2008,July). The Slow Design Principles: A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Thinking and Practice.

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One finds the extension of a kitchen in a bookshelf, in the living room, in a balcony and even in the backyard!

Understanding the chapter on “Expanding Kitchens” through an illustration redone by author.

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Documetation credits: Travels through South Indian Kitchens, Nao Saito

The Expanding Kitchen

In her book Travels Through South Indian Kitchens, architect Nao Saito throws light on the expansive nature of an Indian kitchen. One finds a part of cooking throughout the house, and even outside! This shows how connected we are to preparing, cooking, and eating.

However, the kitchen that Nao Saito also talks about is the routines that tell us time, smells that tell us when dinner is ready, and the “uninvited creatures”(monkeys, ants, and crows) in the kitchen. It is not only restricted to the room where cooking happens, which is why she calls it the expanding kitchen. (Saito, Expanding Kitchen, 2017) Slow design is not only about spatial form but also about the interaction and effects of design. Thus “after-object” is about these intangible aspects of physical space.

Saito Nao, Travels Through South Indian Kitchens

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Cooking with Fire Michael Pollan talks about the importance of fire in his book “Cooked” . Cooking with fire demands collaboration. Bringing firewood, preparation of food, and keeping the fire alive draws people close together. Smoke and the smell of wood, combined with the cooking food is something that has the power to bring people near the source.

In most cultures, cooking over fire is a ritualistic ceremony.

It has now come down to relying on professional catering services.

As fire’s presence in our daily lives has diminished, the social magnetism of the cook fire, if anything, to have only grown more powerful. Urban replacements like barbeques on the terrace have found their way into youngsters.

The role of fire is not only to provide heat but smolder wood.

This smoldering is what flavors the food. The “second smoke” imparts subtler woody flavors because of the tarry, pungent compounds that the initial combustion of wood releases.

(Pollan M. , 2013) “Cooking on wood also makes the vessel last longer”, says Revamma, a local mess owner in Bangalore.

Illustration of a wood burning stove in Auroville,Tamilnadu by author

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Pollan.M (2013). Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation

Fire falls under this chapter of “Afterobject” because eveything about slowness in food comes from it’s “product” : smoke, flavor, bringing together people, quality to food,etc.

Top: Sambar being made on a wood burning stove in Auroville, Tamilnadu Left: A wood burning stove is used everyday to cook in Revamma’s mess in Bangalore, Karnataka

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Principle 3 (Strauss C.F, July 2008, pp. 5-6)

Deliberate Contemplation

“Slow design processes are open source and collaborative, relying on sharing, co-operation and transparency of information so that designs may continue to evolve into the future.”

Why dont we find places to just sit and look around in cities(not even in parks!) anymore?

Unexpected plinths, adventourous steps can be anywhere and offer an opportunity to engage with people, with oneslef or the surroundings. In these places, we do nothing.

Contents: Plinths at Auroville

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Strauss C.F , Fuad-Luke. A (2008,July). The Slow Design Principles: A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Thinking and Practice.

Plinths

Unexpected plinths at Auroville

Plinths at Shravanabelagula

When plinths respond anthropometrically, they become spots for resting, sitting, eating, playing, and other activities specifically. Modulation of the ground plane also brings in an enclosure to a space. They become landscape elements with soft-scape and hardscape applications. Plinths thus can also become focal points when espied from a distance.

Thinnais at Udaiyalur are not only transition zones into the house, but also hosts for entertainment, rest and deliberation all at the same time.

Thinnais at Udiyalur Credits: Author

Plinths as tools for enclosing spaces

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Principle 4 (Strauss C.F, July 2008, pp. 7-8)

Time and Tide

“Slow design recognizes that richer experiences can emerge from the dynamic maturation of artifacts, environments and systems over time.”

A living wall or window connects people to nature. Observing the sky grow or a wall grow is a character of slow knowledge which involves the qualitative, philosophical and meta physical aspects.

Contents: Weathering

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Strauss C.F , Fuad-Luke. A (2008,July). The Slow Design Principles: A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Thinking and Practice.

Weathering

Credits: Author

“...the greatest glory of a building is not in it’s stones, nor in it’s gold.It’s glory is in it’s Age...in the walls that have long been washed by the passing waves of humanity. ...It is in that golden stain of time, that we are to look for the real light and color, and the preciousness of architecture” (Weston, 2003)

Architectural Thesis Weston, R. (2003). Materials, Form, and Architecture.

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Principle 5 (Strauss C.F, July 2008, pp. 6-7)

Participation

“Slow design encourages users to become active participants in the design process, embracing ideas of conviviality and exchange to foster social accountability and enhance communities.”

Participating, even as passive entrants can remind people of their part and responsibility as members of a household or a community. Cooking transforms us into producers. It is rewarding to convert rice into dosa batter(let alone a crispy ghee-dosa). We should not depend only on machines to make food for us because we are what we eat.

Contents: Comparing Consumption

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Strauss C.F , Fuad-Luke. A (2008,July). The Slow Design Principles: A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Thinking and Practice.

Consuming Fast Consuming Slow There are two ways to look at participation: As the cook and in the lens of the eater.

The cook experiences the rhythm of cutting vegetables, the sound of splattering oil, the movement in grinding chutney, etc.

From observing people eat at Veena Stores in Bengaluru, the only participation is them taking thier food on a plate from the owner behind the counter and looking at the plate while eating. They might rush for a second serving of chutney, but that’s it.

A slower way of participation is experienced at Solitude Farm, Auroville. One takes his/her plate and walks to a pavilion. They climb up to sit on a plinth. Sitting crosslegged makes one linger longer at the table, looking at trees above or children playing around.

How else can one participate in slowness while eating?

Top left: People queuing outside Veena stores, Bengaluru Right: Sitting at pavillions which look out to trees at Solitude Farm, Auroville

This diagram explains how a person moves around the kitchen to take what they want to eat. They start at a point to take the plate, wash their hands, etc and end at washing their plate. Between this, they interact with the cooks and others eating.

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Principle 6 (Strauss C.F, July 2008, p. 6)

Cooking and Communication

“Slow design processes are open source and collaborative, relying on sharing, co-operation and transparency of information so that designs may continue to evolve into the future.”

The word “element” does not fit in this chapter. A restaurant puts out it’s philosophy in sublte ways, which informs one, the quality they are about to expect. Not only the quality of food, but also method of cooking,experience of eating,sitting, etc.

Some restaurants probably do not realize they put out themselves. In such a case, the design/design intervention can become about exposing concealed values of the kitchen.

Contents: Material Case study: Upadupi Upahar Veg, Bengaluru Case study: Revamma’s Mess,Bengaluru

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Strauss C.F , Fuad-Luke. A (2008,July). The Slow Design Principles: A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Thinking and Practice.

Material

A hand crafted building by Andagere Architects

Smoothly plastered white walls make the building look like machines: ones which have “conquered time”. Any defect is covered, any mistake is corrected, and any stain from earth is protected. Concrete will not decay, stainless steel frames will not not rust, glazed bricks will not crack are reasons for these materials accomodated in the modern world.

But these materials cannot seem to be a part of earth because they lack the power to hold nature’s embellishments.

Different sizes of stone and brick already make this building look more handmade. The effect of weathering adds another layer to this quality of slowness.

Ecokathedraal , Louis Le Roy

The floor and wall appear to be unified because of moss.

Picture taken at Auroville.

Brick and mud accomodating nature.

A pavement in Auroville.

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What is Fast?

Case study: Udupi Upahar Veg,Bengaluru Bengaluru is known for its darshini culture. The city has over 100 darshinis and has continued to thrive over the last 38 years. A darshini made food available at low prices, and quickly to everyone, especially students and the working population.

“I saw KFC and McDonald’s and realized that we needed south Indian fast-food restaurants”, says Prabhakar (Soman, 2017), who first envisioned the idea of a darshini in 1983. From a limited number of South Indian items on the menu, they grew to accommodate a homesick North Indian population.

The dining area

Credits: Author

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Customer 1

What is Slow?

Case study: Revamma’s Mess,Bengaluru There are aspects of slowness in Revamma’s mess that are either hidden or subtle.

When viewed with a lens of “Slowness in Cooking and Communication”, one begins to observe the nuances of cooking in fire, using a stone to grind chutney and idlidosa batter, the limited items on the menu (thereby ensuring quality) , and timings of the mess: 7 am to 11 am.

Revamma operates her mess more like a kitchen at home than a commercial canteen.

Revamma Customer 1- eats at the mess Customer 2- takes a parcel

The dining area

An abandoned grinder

Stove

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WHY SLOW?

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An Inquiry Starting Points

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WHAT DOES SLOWNESS MEAN? In Pursuit of Wellbeing, Take it Slow The Character of Slowness and Fastness The Art of Stillness

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HOW CAN FOOD BECOME A TOOL WHICH CARRIES RITUALS OF DELAY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Hand taste Making Chutney Recipe 1- Kadale Chutney

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WHAT ARE THE PARAMETERS THAT SLOWS ONE DOWN? Principle 1- Interval and Pause Principle 2- After Object Principle 3- Deliberate contemplation Principle 4- Time and Tide Principle 5- Participation Principle 6-Cooking and Communication

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20 25 30 32 34 36

SLOWNESS IN DESIGN

Analysing Revamma’s Mess Design Intervention 1 Analysing Intervention 1 Introducing the Nandi Site Analysing the Nandi Site Design Intervention 2

Bibliography

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Analyzing Revamma’s Mess Revamma’s Mess is located in the south of Bengaluru in the densely populated town of Avalahalli in Anjanapura Township.

The area has a density of 1488 people per sq km on average. Revamma has been a resident for more than 30 years in this area.

Based on the case study on Slow Consumption in the previous chapter, it is worthwhile to explore Revamma’s mess further. This will also help understand how slowness manifests itself in everyday life.

Revamma’s mess Gurukul school

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The mess is located in a gully connected to Avalahalli main road

The kitchen, dining hall and a machine room are attached to her bedroom. A service area run between the kitchen and her room.

She serves breakfast and closes by 11 am. It sees around 60 people in a day who either eat at the dining area or take a parcel home.

Around ten years ago, she packed lunch for the teachers in a school nearby- Gurukul.

Revamma’s mess is surrounded by residential plots with small grocery shops along the main road

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Analyzing Revamma’s Mess It is rewarding to convert rice into dosa batter(let alone a crispy ghee-dosa). We should not depend only on machines to make food for us because we are what we eat.

What it used to be: Stone grinder What it is: Machine

What it is in darshinis: Steel plate, banana leaf in some cases, eaten by spoons.

What is is: Tetrapack plates, banana leaf of top. Food eaten by hand.

The hand taste bears the taste of culture, thought, happy mistakes, and effort of the cook. We feel the portion, heat, and texture of food one is about to eat, thus activating sight, taste, smell, and touch all at one time.

Every element has a physical presence (form and functionality) or a “form of interaction”. This form also has a symbolic/intangible aspect which gives it it’s identity.

The focus here to use this aspect as a tool to add value to design.

What it is in darshinis: Gas stove What is is: Firewood stove

What it used to be: Grinding stone What it is: Grinder powered by a motor

Chutney made on a stone tastes richer: each ingredient has its distinct taste unlike the one made in a blender, which is pretty much a pulp of everything together.

People can appreciate the simplicity of the food because of their relationship with the cook. Thus, this mess is not only about selling food, but also the method of cooking, experience of eating, sitting, etc.

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Design Intervention 1 Redesigning Revamma’s mess Intent: Exposing the qualities of slowness in the mess

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Design Intervention 1 Analysing the Intervention

GRINDING,CLEANING RAGI

+0.6 +0.4 +0.2 CHUTNEY COURT 0.0m

HAND WASH +0.2m

DINING AREA

KITCHEN +0.45m

+0.2m

CHAPPAL COURT -0.2m

ROAD

SECTION A

SECTION B

1.25m 0

2.5m

The mess is fragmented programmatically into points of repose: A chappal court: The first and immediate point of interaction between the street and the mess. It is a response to principle 1 (Interval and Pause) and principle 6 (Cooking and Communication)

Catching glimpses of the court through the jali wall as you enter

Stopping to remove the chappal becomes a compelling way to stop before entering.

Based on observing roadside chat stalls, we are fascinated at the food being made: the sounds, the smells, and possible secret ingredients. We find out ways to recover the reality of food, to return it to a proper place in our lives, and looking also helps us discover.)

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You watch the preparation of your food and are informed about what goes into your food. (A response to principle 6: Cooking and Communication) The dining and kitchen nearby also allows spontaneous conversations with the cook.

Exposing smaller processes like drying pickle, papad, ragi, etc.

A plinth at 0.6m height connects to eye level easily and also helps in demarcating the space.

Chutney is also prepared by hand , on this plinth.

Another point of interaction with the street: cooking and smells This is a direct response to principle 2 (After- object).

Detail on walls.

Bricks of different sizes and arrangements engage people for a longer time. A weathering wall further holds the attention. This is a response to principle 4 (Time and Tide).

Other narratives to slowness in this task: 1. Selecting handmade materials as they take time and effort to craft.

2. Hand drawn renders: It is easier to have a computer generated render. But taking extra time to draw has helped in realizing smaller details like how children remove their footwear and how adults remove footwear. People experience slowness differently. While drawing, I realize I’ll have to provide a flat stone to put a rangoli, which would otherwise be forgotten.

Larger stepping stones allow you to stop and take a breath at specific points.

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Introducing the Nandi Site The Nandi Site is located in the south of Bengaluru in the densely populated town of Avalahalli in Anjanapura Township.

The area has a density of 1488 people per sq km on average.It is around 400m away from Revamma’s mess.

It is worthwhile to explore the physical aspect of slowness in a bigger site. The larger idea is for the site to become a destination, unlike the mess(which is the place of unconscious slowness).

The area lacks bakeries and kitchens which make local snacks and this is an opportunity to involve such programs. It will also hold a coffee brewery.

The brewery starts with the plantation and ends at roasting and drinking fresh coffee.

The brewary becomes a tool to express slowness in the preparation of coffee.

Gurukul school is a wall away from the site. The school does not have a canteen.

The initial idea to intervene in the school has carried forward to designing a canteen in the Nandi site as the site and school are directly connected.

A restaurant is also designed for the localites.

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PROMAC FACTORY

The Nandi site sits adjacent to Gurukul School and Nandi Gardens apartments.

Nandi Site Gurukul school Revamma’s mess AVALAHALLI

45m

SITE OF INTERVENTION

188

m

GURUKUL SCHOOL

170

m

34

m

AV

ALA HA LLI

MA

IN R OA

D

NANDI GARDENS PHASE 2

NANDI GARDENS PHASE 1

ANJANAPURA LAKE

0

50m

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Analysing the Nandi Site Gurukul school already has a quality of slowness to it. The spaces are flexible and the open areas also accommodate different scales of activities.

Children in the primary block have common classes and their classrooms are open.

They sit on the ground in class and walk barefoot. They are constantly connected to the sky and garden. The school also encourages students to learn about cultures and skills like gardening.

The design of the canteen will refect on these values of the school.

A corridor in Gurukul school

PROMAC FACTORY

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NANDI GARDENS PHASE 2

45m

D OA IN R LLI

MA

SITE OF INTERVENTION

ALA

HA

188

m

GURUKUL SCHOOL

170

m

34 m

HASE 1

AV

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UL SCHOOL

NANDI GARDENS PHASE 1

0

50m Architectural Thesis

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Coffee Brewary

Process of Growing Coffee With a strong resistance to disease, hotter climates, and poor soil conditions, and the ability to withstand heavier tropical rainfalls, unpredictable and scant annual rains; robusta coffee beans tend to be easier to grow. (The Basics of Growing Coffee, n.d.)

There are 3 systems of planting (Planting Design for mechanisation of Coffee Plantation in India, n.d.): Square system: The distance between the plant ranges from 1.2m to 3.6m.

Hedge row planting: Spacing between plants is 2.1m X 1m.

Pair planting: Two rows of plants are separated by a gap of 2.1m.

Slope: A slope of 10% is most preferred to ensure flow of excess of water and preventing soil erosion. Incase of slopes greater or equal to 25%, terrace farming is suitable.

Temperature: 18oc to 27oC in sandy to clayey loamy soils.

Initial growth period: 3 years average 1.Drying: A layer of coffee fruit 4-6cm thick is laid on a surface with slope 0.5-1% to drain water. It is preferred to use asphalt or concrete or a titled surface to dry the fruit.

The surface is well ventilated and open to sky. To increase the temperature by 10 to 15 degrees, greenhouse effect is induced. (Payel Ghosh, Issue 12, December-2014) 2.Hulling: The thin skin around dried coffee is removed by hand or by mortar and pestle.

Roasting takes around 12 minutes, after which the coffee is ground and set in the filter Slowing Down Exploring Food Through Space

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Credits: Author

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Design Intervention 2 Analysing the Intervention The site is broken by unbuilt spaces.

One moves amongst the plantation, plinths, pavillions, courts which have varying levels of enclosure One meanders between buildings .

Each building exposes an activity .

The plaza is not only a point of entry, but also is a platform for activities like farmer’s market is held and small scale food stalls form the community are set up.

Children move through their garden to enter the canteen, thus communicating with them that there is connection between cultivating, producing and cooking

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A detail of the bakery

Participating, even as passive entrants can remind people of their part and responsibility as members of a household or a community.

Maze-like movement: Entries to the rooms are hidden and thus, slow down a people physcially.

The site is a destination for slowness unlike task 1 and thus does not mean to bother a user with it’s forced moevement.

Points of interaction happen where activies merge.

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Bibliography Strauss C.F, A. P. (October 2014). In Pursuit of Wellbeing Take it Slow. Slow Research Lab, 1,2,3,4.

Fuad-Luke, A. (July 2007). REFLECTION, CONSCIOUSNESS, PROGRESS: CREATIVELY SLOW DESIGNING THE PRESENT. Slow Research Lab, 5.

Iyer, P. (November, 2014). The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere. New York: Simon & Schuster/ Ted. Payel Ghosh, D. N. (Issue 12, December-2014). Processing and Drying of Coffee – A Review. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT), 789790.

Planting Design for mechanisation of Coffee Plantation in India. (n.d.). Retrieved from indiacoffee: https://www.indiacoffee.org/Uploads/Planting%20designs%20 for%20Mechanization.pdf Plummer.H. (2016). The Experience of Architecture. Thames & Hudson.

Pollan, M. (2013). Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. Penguin Books.

Pollan, M. (2013). Fire. In M. Pollan, Cooked: A Natural Journey Through Transformation (pp. 27-121). Penguin Books.

Rem Koolhaas, I. B. (2014). Ramps : Elements of Architecture. TASCHEN America Llc. Saito, N. (2017). Expanding Kitchen. In N. Saito, Travels Through South Indian Kitchens (pp. 12-15). Chennai: Tara Books.

Saito, N. (2017). Kitchen With Many Hands. In N. Saito, Travels Through South Indian Kitchens (p. 30). Chennai: Tara Books.

Saito, N. (2017). Why South Indian Kitchens? In N. Saito, Travels Through South Indian Kitchens (pp. 4,5). Chennai: Tara Books.

Schmid, C. B. (n.d.). Pavillon: Ramps versus Staircase. Retrieved from Museum für Gestaltung Zürich: https://eguide.pavillon-le-corbusier.ch/en/objekt/rampe-versus-treppe/

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Soman, S. (2017, May 7). The Times of India. Retrieved from https://timesofindia. indiatimes.com: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/the-manwho-launched-a-thousand-darshinis/articleshow/58557709.cms Strauss C.F, F.-L. A. (July 2008). The Slow Design Principles: A New Interrogative and Reflexive Tool for Design Thinking and Practice. Reflections on Creativity: Exploring the Role of Theory in Creative Practices , 3-4.

The Basics of Growing Coffee. (n.d.). Retrieved from wanderinggoat: https://wanderinggoat.com/pages/growing-coffee Waters, A. (2021, 06 01). We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto. Retrieved from https://www.harvard.com/: https://www.harvard.com/book/we_are_what_we_ eat/ Weston, R. (2003). Time. In R. Weston, Materials, Form and Architecture (pp. 120-121).

North America: Yale University Press

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