Master's in Architecture portfolio

NITYA GUPTA

+ 1 5 8 7 9 6 6 4 2 9 0 | N i tya . gupta 9 6 @gm a i l . com | Ni tya . gupta @uca l ga r y. ca

Table of Contents...

URBAN DESIGN | Winery Design Intervention ........................................................................................................ 01 URBAN DESIGN | Downtown, Lethbridge ............................................................................................................... 04 URBAN INFILL AND RESTORATION | Barron Building, Calgary ............................................................................... 08 CULTURAL CENTRE | Centre for Futurism, Calgary .................................................................................................. 11 RESIDENCE | House for a Transgender Activist ....................................................................................................... 15 INTERNSHIP | Clubhouse ........................................................................................................................................ 17 COMPETITION | Railway Station Redevelopment Competition .............................................................................. 19 RESEARCH | High Performance Facade Design ....................................................................................................... 21 FURNITURE | Metal Bending ................................................................................................................................... 24 GRAPHICS ................................................................................................................................................................ 26

URBAN DESIGN CONVERGE Study of Ordered & Natural at Painted Rock Winery WIL Semester | September 2023- December 2023 University of Calgary Urban | Community | Redevelopment Faculty: Ashley Ortlieb & Tim Smith | MBAC Collaboration: Carrie Richardson Location: Okanagan, BC

Painted Rock is an existing winery in the Okanagan Valley that sits upon a vast, underutilized site.

It is surrounded by the Skaha bluffs, lake and Provincial Park, and located south of the City of Penticton. Our proposed intervention pays homage to the site’s rich past as an apricot orchard and a home for historic artifacts, inviting both the local community and tourist to connect to the land and it’s surroundings. The new integrated plan allows the topography to dictate the pathways and program placements, showing a sensitivity as we merge ordered elements into the natural portion of the site. The architecture borrows language from the exisiting tasting room, and carefully alters the new massings to create both formal and informal elements producing spaces inspired by wine, nature, and fire. The new architecutre seeks to give prioroity to the landscape by using minimalist materiality and framing the picturesque views. The new programs allow the winery to be operational year round resulting in increased income and full-time jobs as well as opportunities for visitors to enjoy the space both in summers and winters. Ultimately, this place will celebrate both wine and community, enriching the overall experience through the synergy of architecture and landscape.

01

ORDERED V/S NATURAL

1920

SITE PLAN

1970

Present

SITE’S HISTORY: The site developed into an apricot orchid in 1920 and became one of the largest orchids in BC by 1970.

Continuing the same plantation trend, the owner of the Painted Rock winery convered the site into a vineyard.

SITE DEVELOPMENT

The site development was derived from 2 factors – One, providing the visitors with an experience and Second, doing least harm to nature. First step was to look at the topography and carving out the experiential route along the same lines to do minimum destruction. Followed by that we looked into the natural vegetation and calculated the usable area without cutting down any tree.

SITE AXONOMETRIC

SITE SECTIONS A and C

The site plan shows the production programs at the bottom of the map which includes production and entry space, tasting room , bottling facility and a market. As we move above along the switchback, we have the community garden and community table area with a few warming huts dispersed along the path. The top most point of our site is the event space which has a dual season ice skating rink and plaza, with a rental store and informal tasting bar. It also has a space for hosting concerts.

The space can be approached from the second point of entrance through Provincial park and the trails in the Skaha Bluff.

The section shows the gradual progression of the programs as we go up. The site which was empty before and had no synergy between the existing tasting room and trails in the skaha buffs, now are connected through wine and community programs.

02

ARCHITECTURAL RULES

PRODUCTION FACILITY

WARMING HUTS

MERLOT CABINS

The architecture existing on-site was analyzed and some important rules were extracted based on which the new architecture was porposed. The rules that were recognized are - Rotation of the curved form on different angles, Openings leading to external views of the landscape, and Materiality.

DESIGN INTERVENTION TO EXISTING

3 out of the 11 buildings existing on site were looked closely for further development. The exisitng production facility was expaned and merged with an entry reception and a rental store to give the glimpse of the winery’s concept - wine, fire and nature at the entrane. Existing forms were used in all three building to amplify the architecture of the tasting room.

The exterior material was kept the same, that is, Aluminum panels cladding iwth 30% reflectivity and Mirror finish but the interior material was changed to native Aspen wood and Rhodonite stone. Aspen wood brings a warmth to the space and Rhodonite stone is found in the Skaha bluffs.

03

URBAN DESIGN MICROPOLIS Propasal for a Smart City Spring Semester | May 2023- June 2023 University of Calgary Urban | Revitalization | Redevelopment Faculty: Alberto de Salvatierra | Centre of Civilization Group of 4 members Location: Lethbridge Downtown, AB

This urban project helps in the revitalization of Lethbridge downtown core by making it into a Smart City. On our trip to Lethbridge we perceived the diverse programs running in the Downtown as different data sets which when efficiently combined together would reflect the image of the entire city, like a microchip, so small yet has the data of an entire complex circuit. Various other programs are also introduced which are seen as integral to uplift the services and accommodations within the Downtown. Housings and hotel are placed on the periphery of the site to allow for better functionality, with student housing closer to the transit hub. All the other pockets are developed using the infill strategy with spaces such as Youth Center, Retail, and Entertainment.

Major programs such as AgriTech are an instance of how the entire functioning of downtown can be directed towards leveraging its existing knowledge of agriculture with technology, allowing for Lethbridge to boom economically and socially! These physical and functional connections between a dynamic and thoroughly balanced set of programs (data)s, allow for an optimized flow and desirable presence within the Downtown!

04

EXPERIENTIAL MAPPING 1

VIBRANCY MAP -

SOLAR MASSING

This map shows the population density in the Lethbridge downton at different times of the day.

During the day the office zone is more populated and by the evening people start filling in the restaurants and eventually the nightclubs.

UN-UTILIZED SPACES -

2

This map analyzes the vacant surface parkin lots and under-utilized green spaces in the downtown area. It then looks at these spaces with a different lens which allow redevelopment of the under-utilized spaces into something with a function.

After the mapping exercise, we looked in to introducing more programming and using the under-utilized spaces for new construction for making Lethbridge a Smart City. As Lethbridge is one of the most sunniest cities in Canada, we decide to derive our massing from sun study. The above diagram shows the high density and low density meshes formed due to sun.

The area with low density can allow to form terraces and open areas. The below diagram shows examples of 3 massings and how the mass and void was formed.

MASSING

This map recognizes the spots with most number of criminal cases like assault, theft, etc and compares it with the density of unhouse population. The result of this exercise was that people feel most unsafe where there is more unhoused population.

New Massings

3

Vacant Spaces

CRIME & SAFETY -

05

MAJOR NODES

GALT GARDENS

PROGRAM

RESEARCH and GREENHOUSE

CIVIV COMMONS

CONCEPT3 major nodes were identified - Galt Gardens, Research and Greenhouse (central node), and the Civic Commons, with first and latter already existing in the downtown area. The central node was a new addition to facilitate more jobs and education opportunities. With Uniersity of Lethbridge in the vicinty, introducing a new course focused on Agriculture-Technology will help to develop new skilled force as this course is limited to a very few colleges in Canada. Having new tech offices will generate more jobs in downtown and will also provide opportunities for students for internship. Affordable housing will also be introduced in downtown to respond to the hosuing crisis in Lethbridge downtown helping to make downtown almost car-free.

06

PLANNING STRATEGIES

1

2

3

4

1 - Identify the green spaces and convert all the surface parking lots to green spaces 2 - Connect green spaces in order to create different public realms which serve different functions.

3- Pedestrianize the main roads and make downtown almost car-free

a CASA

4 - Make back alleys as the core route for garbage collection, emergency vehicle, e-car, etc.

GALT GARDEN

b AFFORDABLE HOUSING PUBLIC REALM

NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN

d

a

c INFO CENTRE c

JOB FAIR

d GREEN PARKING LOT GREENHOUSE

b

07

URBAN INFILL UNVEILED Preserving old buildings to make new Architecture Intermediate Studio | September 2022- December 2022 University of Calgary Preservation | Historical | Revitalization Faculty: Philip Vandermey| Spectacle Bureau of Architecture Location: Calgary, AB

A city is identified by its historical landmarks which gives city a character, adds value, and stabilizes the economy. The main problem noticed in the Calgary downtown was that the prime locations of the city had some historical buildings which are lying abandoned and unmaintained, thus leading to wastage of space and resources. So the idea was to preserve it and create landmarks to highlight city’s heritage. By preserving heritage to create landmarks, it is possible to increase the economic value of the city, save natural resources and preserve the sentimental value attached to it. By creating landmarks on these prime locations, we add value to the places. Therefore, with this studio project, which frames one of the last standing Art Deco historical building i.e the Barron Building, I am trying to highlight the utilization of space as well as restore history. By restoring the original materials of the Barron building i.e stone, I am trying to save resources, and the building around it use similar natural resources which are good for the environment. The new building carries the same language of the arch, from other historical buildings in the area and repeats itself on the whole façade, thus giving recognition to the history of Calgary.

08

FACADE MAP

FLOOR PLANS

MASSING STRATEGY Concept - The planning strategy of the new extension is inspiration from the nuances of the existing Barron Building. Th eimage on the right showws the various patterns discovered in the planning of the Barron Building and these patterns were then taken and amplified in the new building either by repition or by elongating or twisting the form to form various features in the plan.

SECTION

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

09

FLOOR PLANS

STRUCTURE

Floors from 11 to 16 have its own terrace garden which reduce in width as we go up. The 15th floor hosts a huge music concert space which was inspred from the idea of Folk Music Festival that happens every year in Calgary. This hall can host such music festivals all year round. The topmost floor has a public bath and a kids pool serving as a place to socialize and rejuvenate in downtown. The building exterior uses native Alberta Paskapoo stone and Tyndall stone which are originally used on the Barron Building. This gives the building a monolistic and historical look.

CHUNK MODEL

FRONT ELEVATION

10

ARCHITECTURE DIVER(T)SE CULTURAL CENTRE Place of Oneness for Immigrants Comprehensive Studio | May 2023- June 2023 University of Calgary Futuristic | Folded-Plate | Dynamic Co-Author: Twinkle Lakhani Faculty: Summer Singh | Sumer Singh Studio Location: Calgary, AB

Canada is celebrated for welcoming people from various parts of the world, but are citizens really embracing them & their culture? With the government providing citizenship to diverse people from across the globe, there is an immense social impact on the existing communities. From a political standpoint, it appears to be an interesting situation with the available talent across sectors as well as the influx of diverse cultures. With ‘Unity in Diversity’ turning out to be a utopian concept in this current environment, the key concern here is how this will impact the future. With this Project, the intention is to address this isolation & bring more inclusiveness in Calgary. The idea is to create a centre in the downtown where everyone has the opportunity to experience diverse cultures and embrace them. With the world moving towards the ideology of ‘one culture’, it is ideal to embrace and celebrate everyone - the concept of ‘global citizen’ and oneness. The centre will seek to represent the process of evolution, the journey of immigrants coming from various lands and settling on one land. The cultural centre will be a means to divert towards a cohesive future.

11

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

MASSING CONCEPT Parti Model

1

4

Blocks twisted and rotated to replicate the rocks

2

Taking inspiration from Parti model explorations

5

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

Throwing additional skin on top

3

The roofline achieved is Rocky like the parti model

6

The roofline achieved is flat unlike the parti model

Combining both results

12

STRUCTURE

SUSTAINABILITY DIAGRAM - Snow Melt

The building envelope is based on Solar Radiation analysis and Sky Exposure analysis of the facade. The fenestrations were designed such that to allow more glare-free light and expose the interiors to more riverside views.

MECHANICAL DIAGRAM - UFD

A Sprung Structure was used to support this building form. This meant that Primary members were place in a Cross-Sectional position at the back and front of each shell and was connected with trusses.

13

FLOORING DETAIL

ALUMINUM PANEL ASSEMBLY

ALUMINUM PANEL CROSS-SECTION

The facade is cladded with alternate concrete shells and aluminum panels. The aluminum panel assembly uses Roxul Rockwool as the insulation backed with Gypsum sheathing. These aluminum panels are fire-resistant.

GFRC WALL DETAIL

GFRC WALL ASSEMBLY

Similar to aluminum panels the GFRC panels use roxul rockwool insulation with gypsum sheathing. The 19mm GFRC panels are held by aluminum channels placed in the 100mm gap. The gap between two panels is kept 3/4” to consider expansion.

WALL TO FLOOR DETAIL

GUTTER DETAIL

The roof has SS channel which guides the water to the gutter on the roof. The parapet is also raised to hide the gutter and maintain the shape of the concrete shell. The rood also has a roofing membrane in addition to the insulataion.

14

ARCHITECTURE TRANSVISM House for a Transgender Activist | House as an Activist Foundation Year Studio | September 2021 -December 2021 University of Calgary Urban | Revitalization | Redevelopment Faculty: Daniel Hapton Location: Calgary, AB

This design focuses on a house for a ‘Transgender Activist’. While doing research about architecture + Transgender Activism, the common questions that revolved around my mind were, Can architecture insinuate gender identities? How could space reflect the activism and non-conventional views of the group who erase Gender Barriers? and Can we have a place that can be called Gender Fluid? Taking the concept of Gender Fluidity, I wanted to create a place which the transgender community could call their own and a space which promotes intersectionality.

Gender Fluid means not having a fixed identity. In the same way, I wanted the design for the house to not define one gender. Second idea was to have a fluid design which is away from the

FORM FINDING

conventional standards of design and blurs the boundaries between public and private. Thus, while designing both aspects of Gender and Fluidity were kept in mind.

15

SITE PLAN VIGNETTES

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

LOWER GROUND FLOOR PLAN

16

INTERNSHIP CLUBHOUSE Entertainment in Candor Techspace Undergrad Internship | June 2017 -December 2017 Guru Nanak Dev University Architecture | Place-making | Inclusive Supervisor: Ar. Sandip Kumar Location: Gurgaon, IND

This clubhouse was proposed by Candor Techspace in Gurgaon Sector 48 in India. It is an entertainment hub for the visitors which includes - Cafeteria, Gymnasium, Restaurant, etc. The interiors are high-end and luxurious to facilitate the business group of society. The banquet hall can be used as a multi-purpose hall. Facilities like swimming pool is provided on the first floor with changing rooms and gymnasium. This project was expected to be complete in 2019.

Cost of the Project = 20 Million CAD Cost of Clubhouse = 2 Million CAD Status = Completed

17

WORKING DRAWING 2500

SITE PLAN

235

3

4

5

6

7

8

230

8025

230

7510

9 150

230

2

CUT-OUTS AS PER DETAIL

230

2005

1

CUT-OUTS AS PER DETAIL

(3)

PLANT BUFFER 695

(5)

SANDPIT

INFANT SLEEPING AREA

KITCHEN

UP

FLOOR PLAY AREA

ACTIVE PLAY AREA

EATING AREA

OFFICE

SLEEPING AREA

SPARE CUT-OUT SIZE - 900x150 MM

230

ELE. PANNEL ROOM

2525

4010

STORE ART & CRAFT

900

SPARE CUT-OUT SIZE - 900x150 MM

(PS-01) 3855 X 900

1500

SD1

DIAPER CHANGING AREA

TOILETS

1200

TEACHER'S DESK

2400

1200

230

ALCOVES IN WALL

STORAGE

FD2

FLOOR PLANS

DRAMATIC PLAY

230

4635

450

8675 LVL +950

FD2

W=1500 mm T=300 mm R=146 mm

LVL +950

LVL +950

DOWN

FD2

UP

230MM THICK BRICK WALL IN STAIRCASE WELL FOR FIRE SEPARATION

4800

UP

99

LVL +950

SD4

CRECHE ENTRANCE

LVL +340

W=2100 mm T=300 mm R=148 mm

The clubouse has a restaurant and a daycare on the ground floor with a central courtyard which forms an atrium. The entrance and the rear gathering space are covered have a trellis on the top to create a semi-formal space. The exterior gathering space has informal sitting space to host business meetings.

600

SD3

LVL +1680

2225

UTILITY

LIFT P3

LIFT P2

2450 X 2650

2150 X 2650

3110

LIFT P1

2150 X 2650

(LPS-01) 595 X 2265

RETAIL AREA

FD2

TOI(H)

LIFT LOBBY

TOI(F)

ENTRANCE

ISLAND CAFE 1 2 3 4 5 P

RECEPTION

TOI(M)

GAMING ZONE GAMES

GAMES

GAMES

(6)

(6)

960 230

VI

960 230

230

6580

960 230

(6)

230

6580

960 230

230

4295

960 230

230

485

230 4000

CUT-OUTS AS PER DETAIL

5430

CUT-OUTS AS PER DETAIL

3515

230

4000

3445

230

45

44

43

42

41

40

39

38

37

36

35

34

VIEWS

230

230

The first floor has a pool with a deck and a Jacuzzi. It also has an open Gym. The other side has changing rooms. The stairs lead to the roof which has a green roof.

6580

1 230

EW

230

18

INTERNSHIP SAFDARJUNG RAILWAY STATION Corporate Competition Undergrad Internship | June 2017 -December 2017 Guru Nanak Dev University Redevelopment | Urban Design | Recreational Supervisor: Ar. Sandip Kumar Location: Safdarjung, IND

The project was a design competition in which different firms all over India participated to present a futuristic and interactive concept for Redevelopment of Safdarjung Railway Station.

The design was made keeping in mind the Strategies to reduce solar heat gain by the building as well as electricity generation. The building design has an interesting proportion of Mass and void so that the weight of the building at the center is less and equally balance from the sides.

Railway station has been made interactive by connecting a street directly with the other side of the station and consists of interaction spaces and landscaping.

19

SOLAR STUDY

FLOOR PLANS

A solar study was done on the facade to design the pattern for the solar panels. This was done with the help of a group of people in the team. A traiglated pattern was developed with some units extending outwards to form planter beds.

MASTER PLAN

20

RESEARCH HIGH PERFORMANCE FACADE Parametric Design Graduate Research Assistant | May 2022 - August 2022 University of Calgary Facade | Performance | Parametric Supervisor: Prof. Alicia Nahmad Vazquez Location: Calgary, AB

This research project started in 2021 and continued in Summer 2022, was funded by Dialog in Calgary. The research was based on designing High Performance facade for the old library in Calgary which would be environmentally responsive. The facade was generated and designed using data from the solar radiation of the sun and sky exposures. Facade was a compositiaon of individual panels each varying in size and shape which was dependent on the environment data collected and was designed using Grasshopper software. Robots were used to bend the Glulambs which formed the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary members of the design. The rulings on the CNC milled surfaces were based on solar radiation. Higher the solar radiation, more the rulings on the surface to reflect heat. The central node of the panel has ETFE so as to protect the interiors from excess solar gain as well as provide external views and indirect light.

21

SOLAR STUDY OF FACADE

MATERIAL STUDY FACADE DEVELOPMENT

A combination of materials were selected for this facade design. Use of timber with different number of rulings was the main material. Number of rulings was dependent on the amount of solar radiation on the facade. More the solar radiataion, more are the number of rulings to deflect excess solar gain. As the surfaces are curved, the glass is assembled in different customized pieces.

SOLAR STUDY - FINAL DESIGN

22

COMPRESSION RING FIXING DETAIL

WOODEN CNC MILL SURFACE DETAIL

FABRICATION WITH ROBOTS

1

2

3

GLULAMB BENDING

GLAZING DETAIL

23

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN URBAN FURNITURE Metal Folding Graduate Research Assistant | May 2022 - August 2022 University of Calgary Research | Design | Build Supervisor: Prof. Alicia Nahmad Vazquez Location: Calgary, AB

This research project was in Collaboration with University of Calgary and City of Calgary to re-Activate the empty parking lot in Downtown, Calgary. A empty parking space was converted into an event area and was inaugurated in August. The research explored ways to bend metal to form sustainable furniture for the space which can be dismantled and folded again according to need. Different shapes and folds were explored before coming to conclusion. Once the design was finalized, its fabrication was done in various stages. First the metal sheets were CNC’d and then folded. Later they were tied together using rivets and tension cables. Once all the benches were assembled they were spray painted according to the color palette provided by the city.

24

EARLY EXPERIMENTS

PROTOTYPES

FABRICATION PROCESS

SHAPE & STRENGTH

PROTOTYPE

CNC CUT

SAMPLE 25

GRAPHICS FORMS Illustrations, Rendering, Modelling Freelance | May 2020 - Jan 2024 University of Calgary Conceptual | Forms | Figures Location: Calgary, AB & Ludhiana, IND

The following work explored different mediums and softwares to generate and revisualize forms and figures through Graphics.

26

PANEL DESIGN - USING GRASSHOPPER

TOY DESIGN - USING BLENDER

ILLUSTRATIONS

3D MODELLING AND RENDERING

27