about Site about Studio

The relationship between the water edge and the city is often problematic as it connects high-quality natural systems from the urban sprawl. The homogenous nature of riverfront development design projects tends to lose the visual imprint of experiences that riverbanks and edges have had. It also lacks in connecting people’s past associations at varied points along that landscape. The developmental approach towards land-water mediation is greatly influenced by the political system in which we operate; the economic use we see for land; our aesthetic preferences; and our social conventions.

In most examples of riverfront development, river water is canalized, by means of constructing hard edge. This breaks or discontinues flow of water and in-stream ecology. Designers design these urban spaces, while ecologists and landscape designers counter the decisions made during the design process. What misses out in this process is the negotiation between land and water. This studio questions the monotonous treatment of the riverfront and the ways of designing at the intersection of land and water.

The studio proposal is developed along the river continuum theory – where the patters and process along the RIVER MUST CONTINUE…and it is non-negotiable. This exhibition is of Module 1, which was adapted from Christophe Girot’s “Four Point in Landscape” Landing, grounding, Finding, Founding (using a landscape framework for site assessment and analysis).

Students

Faculty

Special thanks to

Charan V Priyanka Kanhare Vaishal Patel

Garima Sinha Parth Patel (Teaching Associate) (Photogrametry Data)

Ketki Sandeep Nandanwar

Patel Kanisha Kalpeshbhai

Rajeev Rajesh Bhagat

Rishabh Jain

Shrayana Ray

Simran Khatter

Sneha Ramachandran

Teesta Singh

Zankhna

The Vishwamitri river originates in the western and southern slopes of Pavagadh hills. It travels through the city of Vadodara before joining two additional tributaries, the Dhadhar and Jambuva, further down the river, where it eventually reaches the Gulf of Khambhat. The river is a 220 km long stretch which has a distinctive habitat that is home to numerous ravines from the beginning to end. The presence of the Indian crocodile, a highly protected species, is of utmost significance to its ecology. For thousands of years, these crocodiles have lived and reproduced in an 18 kilometer stretch of the Vishwamitri River.

Due to the rapid development and disregard for water systems inside the city and its surroundings, the river has experienced serious abuse over the years of its passage within the city of Vadodara. Sewage, polluted storm water outfalls, industrial effluents dumped into the river, as well as other point and nonpoint sources of pollution, have all caused constant ecological harm to the area.