palak patel
p o r t f o l i o
“
I often wonder why certain spaces hold much deeper values than another, why they feel like home, why they become timeless in our memories? I, as designer(human) believe that such arousing experiences emerges when the interaction of space and the living entities is stronger. When the space or object exists organically, with habitants so as with the surroundings. When space is an extension of ourselves and the environment. Hence, I look forward to recreate such natural phenomena within my design, where people Wfeel like they belong to, where it feels familiar because either it expresses ‘the everyday’ or its ‘the nature’ where we can all relate to. I wish to craft such humane habitat. This portfolio summaries my quest for understanding the field and the reflection of the process I went through all these five years. And the quest continues...
P R O F I L E Name: Palak Patel Date of birth: 08.03.1996 Nationality: Indian Languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati & German C O N T A C T +91-9998083787 palak8396@gmail.com B-202 Shyam Paradise, near Ugti lake view, Sola,Science city road, Ahmedabad, 380060.
R E S U M E
E D U C A T I O N Nalanda Vidhyalaya SSC in GSEB, 2011, 85.4% Infocity juniour science collage HSC in GSEB, 2013, 75.3% Anant institute of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture, 2013, 77% CEPT University, Gujarat, India. Bachelor of Design, 2014-19 Cumulative GPA : 3.5/4.3, 82% Hochschule für Technik, Germany Exchange semester, 2017-18
A C H I E V E M E N T S
D I G I T A L
Selected for International student exchange program to HFT university, Stuttgart, Germany (Winter semester 2017-18)
Advanced Archicad AutoCAD 2D Adobe Photoshop
Winner of the CEPT Kohler Design Scholarship 2018. Competion winner of labs,2020 W O R K
Bharat flooring and Idha
E X P E R I E N C E
Summer intern at “DICRC: Design innovation and crafts resource centre ” march-june ‘16 In the reResearch project of:“Vernacular Furniture of North-west, India” Internship at PVDRS, Ahmedabad. may-aug’17 Interiors of a satellite home. Volunteer at VSSM, Ahmedabad march-may’18 Worked in advocacy department to understand lifestyle and concerns of nomads Worked as teaching assistant at CEPT Uni ‘19 Volunteer for ‘Ahmedabad- commons’: Architecture for all Worked at Rayirth Studio, A’bad. june’18june’20 Interiors of a Rami residences, Shantam and The sheth house Worked as architect at Sangath,A’bad, june’20-oct’21 Interiors for Nalanda Vidhyalay, Mehra house, Patel Estate and Nandi hills villa Freelancing parallaly from aug’19
S K I L L S
Intermediate Adobe InDesign Rhino Sketch up Basics Grasshopper O T H E R
S K I L L S
Market study, execution,conceptualising,detailed space planning,furniture detailing, Hand drafting & rendering,Graphical representation, making clips R E S E A R C H & W O R K S H O P S: Thesis: Abstraction of ‘humanizing’ : treatment of ‘nature and need’ in the interior-architecture of Alvar Alto Workshops: theatre, digital craft, carpentry, weaving, metal sculpting, tribal art, color workshop, origami, crafts of Kullu-Spiti, music in architecture Atman theater workshop, nonschool by sealab 2021
seaflux
freelanced office project, 2021, Ahmedabad, India
‘The wall was happy that the woman was facing it. But damn laptop in between had hijacked her gaze’-Kavin shah We use the word work-environment, its a sensitive word when one thinks of it as whole. Blue and green codes running on the screen like a line of ants,keyboard sounds, our fingers and eyes not in the control of us but more of this objects in front. In such a time and kind of work the IT offices deal with, it becomes important to let their eyes flow around, look at the sun setting while they choose to look up from their screens, find their friends chatting over tea by the window, knowing which code is hard for a fellow to crack, or which meme he laughed loud on. Cubicals can’t an answer to the new ways of work, where as pushing people towards walls is equally sad. Hence seaflux opens the vision, set the workstation away from the walls, allowing free physical and psychological movement. Taking conference in the front by the window, imagining it to be more like a multipurpose space being used for lunch time to enjoy endless doze of teas overlooking greens. This idea of liberating from the walls continue in the way partitions are being treated; deliberately offsetting from ceiling, leaving cross junctions open so that spaces can breathe and feel like one. Hence this intentions call for the material which blends and is visual subtle. Birch ply with its open edges, textured wire glass and shades of blues traveling in the space; was a way to make a space which becomes the calming backdrop and not yell for attention. The lighting solutions and HVAC piping has been a major design drivers as well, to make sure evenings at the seaflux are even more soothing to contemplate the work. Seaflux hence makes sure to feel like sea but allows the constant flux to happen.
mehra’s
Sangath, 2021, Ahmedabad, India
Mehra house is a residence of 3 generations living together. They carry memories of their old tower like house, hence it was an attempt to recreate the same in a modern way, compact but yet a versatile home. In other ways its a house of many staircases, as it connects to many different levels, crosses through bridges, going up somewhere and in some parts looking down, giving all kind of playful volumes to suit each activity. It is experimental how in some parts the spaces make one feel like an apartment arrangement and how the treatment of center changes this feeling, volumes are like unpredictable turns. This shifting volumes vertically create some negatives where additional functions have been placed, like chanting room, home office and utility shafts. However the space is a mystery box, reveals as you go. The house yet makes sure that it feels serene and let everyone merge. Dining space being a main bridge, it is spaced in such a way that all three generations can overlap their activities. It over looks the living space , veranda, while feel at most connected to food cooking in the kitchen, be aware of children playing upstairs and overlooking big neem trees outside at the corner. All private spaces are branched out around th staircase shaft. As the space is playful in terms of its levels and volumes, the interiors are hence been kept most basic and simple out of oak. One experiences a gray box with a little terracotta band on top from outside, it travels inside in the granite floor keeping all walls white, as light as possible, hence oak adds to rest of the lightness leaving a habitant with sense of a adventure and calmness at the same time.
fallen church re-use italy, competition 2021 This building has been standing tall in the middle of the town for centuries now as a symbol of their church, community gathering space of their previous generations. This project is an attempt to give a rebirth to this abandoned space by letting the community own this space once again. The design approach was to see this building as it’s 24 hour cycle and not just for the concert hours which would happen once in a while. This intention guides to a major design decision to dissolve concert hall into amphitheatre,which comes with many flexibility during performances and when there is no performance it becomes a hangout place for town people. Other interventions of roof and walls slightly get stitched through wire mash to the robust stone keeping it visually fragile. It is with the intention of making the buidling more breezy and porus. A metal bridge becomes a connecting point between the main entry at the extreme corner and the street, entering through a dark tall tower like space and slowly the curiosity gets answered as you move forward to box office cum gallery space and so on.From terracotta red terrazzo in the interior spaces to locally available stone on theatre steps, intention was to paint the floor as a canvas and keep everything else as it is to enhance the broken beauty and perforated metal roof covered with greens brings filtered light to add its own play of light when there is no play going on. A small bar counter and gift shop take place near the beautiful balcony and gets extended to the balcony as a small cafe in daytime. The hidden door in the stitched wall at the back becomes an exit point after performance and always remains as entrygate for daily access for town people. This project could have a possibility to become an active brething spot amongst the narrow streets of Grottole town.
1. The sense of coziness one feels under a tree foliage 2. The sense of community that the ‘Ghats’ allow, steps becoming key element 3.fragiles greens being a roof againt robust ruins 4. feeling of emergences in the one move explores volumes and sense of arrival
Seating which immerges from the floor and goes all around the building and take it over creating different levels to let you sit, lean, walk, jump from level to level and can also make you sit quietly when some concert is happening. Amphitheatre answers lot of need off today’s experimental performance art.
luna
BFT table top competition,2020
The first question that came to our mind was, when are we connected to any table surface the most, and the answer was while eating! And as Louis Sullivan says Form follows function; the function of eating bare foot on the floor with our dear ones in our Thalis brought the idea of low height dining table and little gestures like keeping flowers in water bowl in the house, having a serving tray on the table top and the circular form of the Thali triggered the possibilities of making the best background (which is table top) for the foreground (act of eating in our Thalis). The low height table makes one feel little grounded and also the terrazzo colour palatte is inclined towards earthy palette inspired from Mother Nature with wooden base and patti to add softness to the overall design. little gestures like flower bowl on the top adds up subtle everyday excitement on the table top. “Experince the simple joy of eating together on the floor”
the nest IDHa labs, humane object
competition,2020
‘I have been thinking how objects and spaces add values to our lives, they create a subconscious impact on us, almost like they are shaping us into the human we become. Thus, how can this idea of wellness and nourishing can be brought to designing our everyday. Designing our object of comfort’ Hence, I propose here a working table, which becomes a place in it self, an object like a cosy corner, inviting for activities to happen, it some how becomes our soul pampering spot with our own moods. I can imagine, that I would start my day playing some indie folk on my vinyl player, put fresh flowers in the bowl everyday, work a little, eat right there, doze off in the afternoons, do some oil pastels or just random doodling, and yes in between Netflix breaks, while in the evening I would chat a little with my dear plant family, set warm lighting for book reading time and just end my day again curling up into soothing music I love. Every thing on and around table. As if table is helping me to do all the activities I love doing, it is catering to the different moods I feel during the day, and almost slowly makes me forget about the reminiscing past. Instead, it make my self journey of going inside be more creative and soothing as the day passes. This is how I Imagine my self nesting in THE NEST.
material expression: The form of table is hence creating a little corner with two pieces, and the curves direct a person to reside within. It is with the intention of allowing a person to focus inward. The geometry is thus partially rigid in it forms while other parts try to break that rational lines with soothing curves. As it also allows to incorporate little nuances of having a concrete planter, a marble sphere lamp with candle stand, a brass flower ball and painting like stand to hung memories on it or just kept as a gesture of visual pleasure, while in the other corner it allows to incorporate the need of having a cabinet. All together cater to the functional needs as well as balances proportions, mass vs slick, textured vs plain, wood vs granite figures and lines vs free form curves.
torch-it
freelanced project, 2019, Ahmedabad, India
Torchit: empowering visions beyond sight. It envisions to empower the differently-abled persons across the world to lead more independent, meaningful, effective, and affordable assistive devices. It is a growing start-up of a young entrepreneur, wanting to create more devices for the disable community. The project is a work station of the company’s marketing team as well as creative team. Thus the space had to be inspiring to let the creativity bloom, while giving a peaceful work environment to young employees. As client insisted to make a space more disabled friendly, since there were few blind employees working in the company. Another challenge was to complete a project entirely in a budget of 3 lakhs and a month. The design concept revolved around these above major aspects, along with taking inspiration from Alvar Alto. Calling it, a major influence during the process or call it a live experimentation of my thesis through actually applying his design principles. Since Alto dealt meticulously with nature and need as found in his sanatorium project, where he sensitively play with scale-proportion, planning and colours to let the space physiological heal user. The thesis research on his articulation of design principles led me to design this office as human centric as possible. The light shrub green ceiling to provide calming work ambiance, the rust red to highlight few parts within objects and space; setting boundaries and being a navigator for blind employees, since they can partially see red and all the other was kept white to ensure it gives subtle soothing work ambiance as envisioned. Planters adding more value to the whole palate.It was quite an interesting process of reflecting Alto as well as client’s vision.
RAYIRTH STUDIO
june’18-june’20, Ahmedabad
The sheth house
Rami residence 32
Rami residence 33, 34
the sheth house rayirth studio june’19, Ahmedabad.
As people draw close to their destiny, they leave trailing behind them a history. Most instances of this phenomenon begin and end in silence. A story worth jotting down in tomes, to be retold, time and again, is rare. Not all stories are lucky enough to be immortalized in words, but they are sure to leave behind dots, a collection of imprints, to a line that cuts through space; a tale as old as time. A tale about time. You find yourself following a ledge that will turn, as you follow it along the gradually rounding wall, preceding the kitchen, into a dining table— a cantilevered slice of marble, resting atop tapering wood. It juts out from the wall and instates itself as the place of convergence for all rooms. This is where Bina and Ashwin carry out most of their daily activities- from drinking tea at 7 a.m to lazily reading the newspaper dead in the afternoon. To soften the transition from the living to the dining and to break that a hard-edged wall would cause in an apartment of this scale, the walls have been liberated from their fated flat ends to induce a sense of continuum; while being easy on the eye. The fluted glass shutter that follows, facades the TV room, dissipates all behind it, separate from the rest. When pushed to the side, the dining is allowed a sudden rush of space to look upon- marked by only a tv and a carpet, pictures of them with their daughter on the wall, it marries well with the rest. Sōl will be their last home. The dark wood, rooms accented by a faded green and earthy brown mean to reflect the rustic richness of their history. It is a place where a crackling stereo with a bent antenna, playing commentary from a cricket match would be one with the rest. The Sheth Residence a.k.a Sōl looks over the rest of the condominium.
houses of three brothers rayirth studio,2018, Ahmedabad. India House of three brothers is an entity of two identical residences and one entirely different residence, while having the same plot areas The clients are strict marwadis from southern Rajasthan. At the moment all three brothers with their respective families and grand parents live under the same roof sharing commonality. Hence, their requirement was to built similar spaces with the touch of different interiors according to each family’s lifestyle. Therefore this became an opportunity to play with interiors acquiring same shell. As the time passed, clients got convinced to experiment with the third house and, thus one house was designed completely with different form altogether. All three houses share similar approach of dealing with light, scale and proportion, yet experimenting with color and texture of the material changes the experience of each residences. Thus, the houses become an experiment model of ‘similar yet different’ feeling of the internal spaces.
Rami residence 32
Rami residence 33
Rami residence 34
rami residence 32 Rami residence 32, being the experimental house of all three, it focuses on playing around with different volumes and forms. It breaks the notional idea of contemporary residences, trying to recreate modern homes with utmost simplicity of form and material. The clients were interested into having modern home which doesn’t feel cold yet translates the new idea of modern lifestyle. Hence, the scale and proportion of certain parts of the house have been kept modest to let the residents feel more lively and grounded while the other parts expresses grandeur, being gathering pockets. The approach was from the visionary point of view of ‘the idea of future homes’ yet respecting clients lifestyle. As if the home is a canvas to let them all bloom by the time. Thus, keeping most simpleminimal materiality and only sculpting spaces through forms, allowed light it self to become material and render surfaces for sensual experiences. Therefor apertures, geometry of the walls and tectonic details become the key tool to experiment, and interior materiality was kept as subtle and monochrome as possible. House continues to experiment with internal materiality and its articulation to achieve simplest form of aesthetics. ongoing,
rami residence 33,34 Rami residences 33,34 being the identical design and only experimenting with interiors was the key aspect. One brother had vision of the house having amalgamation of traditional craft and contemporary aesthetics, while the other one was yet again a new formation of minimal modern house. Hence, materiality of both the houses have been in to binary of earthy, organic and silk modern palate. Rami residence 33, designed through an approach using contemporary craft as main concept of objects in the space, while the rest being plain, minimal canvas so that the objects could be accentuated. Thus, the treatment of certain wall paneling, painting or furniture objects carries new aesthetic language of craft, using same material and technique yet having modern outlook. The palate being earthy oranges, greens, browns and yellows. While in Rami residence 34, the mood board carries quite cold palate. Monochromes, Blues and bold colours to highlight. Therefor the concept tries to soften the coldness of canvas by detailing out certain tectonics of space and objects. By creating surreal aesthetics through plain minimal materials and its articulation. Hence, as we zoom out and see both the projects from the distance its quite challenging to bring out different aesthetics of the similar shell. Ultimately it could be a way one can know how the different application of material, impacts the experience of the same space.
ongoing,
jack arch house PVDRS, Internship 2017, Ahmedabad,India
The Jack Arch House is a contemporary manifestation of the traditional method of slab construction. Spatially, the Jack Arch House being the satellite home connects to the existing house and garden through its south west facing verandah edge. The thought process behind selecting the jack arch system was influenced by the client’s personality. The father-son duo are one of India’s leading aeromodellers, they assemble their own planes and with that comes an eye for detailing, appreciation for geometry, structure and the art of making. Going beyond the narratives, the jack arches impart geometry, order and rhythm to the internal spaces. Whilst it emphasizes the connectivity to the outside by means of its linearity, its geometry is carried forward in the patterns of the veneered doors, the brown kotah stone flooring and the custom designed furniture. Experientially, the house offers vertical connection to nature (sky and sun) through the courtyards and a horizontal connection to the man-made landscape (pool and garden). Materially, the ground floor comprises of a neutral palette of white walls, polished brown kotah flooring and light polished wood to compliment the exposed brick arches. The basement is intentionally released in contrast to that of the ground floor. It is characterized by river wash champagne gray granite, gray walls, dark veneered furniture and sparks of colour to bring vibrancy to a space that will be primarily used to entertain guests.
women’s club Semester 9, Goa, India
Site was a warehouse in Goa. The brief of studio was to propose a public place which becomes a focal point for the community around and for the tourists. Main design driver was to create a spectacle yet being the utilitarian. In the time we are living right now, where women have been celebrated and its changing how we are perceived now, its changing how we celebrate on the table what we bring to the table. Still In the society where we live , women’s leisure have been taken as secondary and fragmented. As a woman and a designer I believe that there is requirement of a public realm, an open canvas to let women feel connected let them bloom together, while they spend their leisure time. The women’s club can be an asset to the society to let the women-hood grow. Therefore the space planning has been done in way that ground feels more inviting, and a part of the outside. It is a lounge for women to eat, sit, talk, read and be aware of the activities happening in the club. The ground accommodates a cafe, an amphitheatre, open library, toilets and rest is just kept as sitting areas, while other levels accommodates spaces for a retail shop, a lecture room/a multi-purpose space, a gym with an adjoin yoga space, a salon and a space to let them ‘pour out their body’ and feel relived. The circular form allowed free smooth movement and bring people together as well as separate when the activity demanded on upper levels. As if the chambers are metaphor of ‘a tree,’ freeing the ground around the trunk while expanding the foliage above as required. The materiality of the space being a pink terrazzo adding the punk, while the rest of the canvas is being kept simple white walls with glass ribs as partitions. Interiors have been kept subtly luxurious yet minimal,. evoking a modest feeling. This is how project tries to create a balance between the binary of ‘spectacle yet utilitarian’.
Visuals representing ‘a spectacle’ one have seen., and translating through own memories that what of those spaces made it feel spectacular as a public place.
‘A metaphor of a tree’: Illustrations translating the idea of keeping the ground as free canvas to let women lounge, while the activities were taken on upper level. It explains a need of a circular geometry to let women feel free, united and lively.
play + narration semester 8, Mandu, India
‘Play being a theater’ and ‘narration being a museum.’ Mandu carries a rich heritage with it for centuries now. This Project is an attempt to add a new life to this ruined building by attracting visitors through museum and theatre for locals to let them own the building as well. The design approach was a constant effort to enhance the beauty of the ruined site by giving a strong narration through materials and different elements. The idea was to exaggerate the feeling of being an ant surrounded by ruins, hence to multiple this feeling, the theater was taken down and mirror facade was proposed. The aesthetics of material was terrazzo in interior spaces to china mosaic for outdoor spaces, from brass rods to hold the display panels ending at slick teak patti to Gond art telling stories on the ceiling, from white stucco covering few parts and leaving few to visualize the actual walls, to maze of arches covered with white stucco- soft enough for one to lean on it, from sepia colored customized bricks taking over all the ruined stone walls to baobab in the center saying I’m the tallest of all, from almost passing through monotonous shades and then seeing dull yellow almost like a dried haldi on the huge walls along the side of theatre steps, from water-body in the central courtyard to a theatre space reminds me of step-wells, the journey ends here on the steps of theatre and with the water of thoughts. (a group project)
film archive centre semester 6, NCPA, Mumbai, India
A place will promote Indie film industries and its films as a medium of art. It will be a social hub for the film enthusiasts and academicians in this media. Hence, this studio attempts to interpret the correlation between public place and the ideas of collective presence in a civic world. The vision of the project was to showcase the world of Indie films through the layers of ‘behind the scenes’, having a lens of attempting a project as a set more then a building. Where the language of set is described through temporariness, modularity pre fabrication and packed up. The characteristic of a set being less rigid and more flexible, less permanent and more temporary, materials were such. Slotted MS angles, M.S box sections, cort-en steel, Fiberglass panels, PEB panels and oak wood to give a contrasting visual texture. Since space follows modularity as a concept, it plays with angular grid as main design driver. It allows spaces to be viewed from a different perspective, some where blocking the views, else where directing a way to open up towards spillovers. Functions of the Centre have yet been arranged in a similar manner, temporary being galleries and screening pods to permanent being theater and audio-visual library. A cafe being a mediator which binds both the binary. The life of the space is where there are gathering nodes, where people indulge into discussing films, and see the making; behind the scenes actually being translated in the space.
According to site context in respect to gates and traffic the angle was initiated, also the intention of designing a space from the concept of ‘behind scenes’, angular geometry allow space to slowly reveal like a set as one moves and it became a modular grid.
BUS
for film archive centre:
the game pavilion winter school, 2018, Ahmedabad, India Digital Craft: Timber grid structure through computation and digital fabrication Digital technology as a creative tool conceives itself as being able to complete the process right from the ability to formalize the design to create construction documents that are directly compatible to machines created for producing parts that are assembled to the required form. This course introduced the vision, tools and techniques of form making through generative design. Dynamic models to be set that allows several iterations before assembly/construction involved digital as well as crafting techniques. After the exploration of forms, the selection was done considering a feasible timber grid structure which can allow us to span 10 m without column or any support, digital stimulation were to ensure white triangular grid was more most durable for the respective form. The activity of game pavilion was to accommodate group of people playing board games, children playing with toys, certain digital media to play video games and conducting group workshops to make people aware about new games. All these function let us to have space which is partially open to invite people while keeping it protected from the surrounding, The grid structure was a result of such design intentions. The course and the project focused on redefining craft by using a digital medium.
some fun stuff! all in-process or failed attempts goes here, because that’s where real fun lies
weird dresser, which is like a sculpture and a lamp with mirror inside; for ein und zwanzig entry
no glue bucky ball out of origami, survived in my room hanging for 2 years
‘I love grocery bags’ some oil pastles fun
handcrafted first ever furniture replica, damn angles are tricky
upcycled furniture out of construction wood waste for workers, but later was was discovered cats and dogs loved it too
at atman theater school we play play play!
mapped 500 trees with trees of Ahmedabad I do this because i’m fond of tree shadows
some glass exploration for kind of a mirrior which turnes into a lamp at night \failed at it but still love the idea
started a shirt company called ‘mandi’
making short films is a good collabarative work, I find joy doing this with kahlveen bong
if you like this, please contact pluck =) at palak8396@gmail.com or call on 9998083787