Application Jan 2015

The following is a compliation of the works of Purvi Pallavkumar Rathod, graduate from the Faculty of Design, Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology.

Pre final Studio Final Studio Research Thesis Environmental Graphics Urban Furniture System Foundation years Volvo Office Illustrations Workshops

PRE FINAL STUDIO

Prof. Dilip Patel Prof. Vinay Dudhaiya Prof. Shrutie Tambolie The studio was about an ‘adaptive-reuse’ project of a hundred year old ‘Deewanjibhai ni haveli’.

The aim was to interpret an old building into the present times.

Understanding heritage Finding

Towards Mangaldas ni haveli

Rearside entry from Rughnath ji ni pol

the

missing

link

between

a

citizen

and

the

1. Historic building of all time periods set in the historic precints of cities and their relationships to the natural environments.

2. Culturally significant buildings and towns.

H e r i t a g e Intangible form

This project is a part of the pre-final year studio at the Faculty of Design CEPT University. With an aim to understand the ‘adaptive-reuse’ of a 150 year old haveli of Deewanjibhai, the project aims to explore the cultural and contextual behaviour of a site in the old city of Ahmedabad. A conscious effort was given to re-locate the haveli in the historical timeline of the city.

fabric

One of the most crucial aspect of a heritage site is the pride that one feels about one’s country.

And, to my mind this is possible when a citizen is aware about the richness of the heritage in more than one ways. India, has an age old tradition of storytelling through varied mediums, be it through plays, poems, dramas or the stories itself. If this story reaches the citizens, there would be an undercurrent towards building and re-shaping the heritage at both micro and macro levels. The missing link could be in the form of visual media as it is one of the most instrumental medium to connect to the vast audience.

Tangible form

Entry from Sankdi sheri

heritage

1. Culture of traditional building skills and knowledge.

2. Social life and lifetsyle of the inhabitants.

3. Rites, riutals and festivals.

Programme

Role of Municipal Corporation Municipal Corporation

Empowering the system

Ground floor plan Courtyard for interaction and performances.

A cafeteria serving local gujarati cuisine and ‘chai’.

A photographic wall display about Ahmedabad.

A space for temporary and permanent exhibiton.

A space to browse rare archives of the city.

A space for children to engage in pottery, playing lego, puzzles and marbles.

Audio-visual room for screening documentries.

Retail outlet for Anokhi.

First floor plan A visual timeline depicting the history of Ahmedabad city through photographs, maps, etc.

Audio visual room for presentation.

Workspace for the employees.

Book library, reading area and discussion space.

Material library and lunch table for employees.

Second floor plan Director’s cabin and employee’s workstation.

Space for board meetings and discussions.

Spreading awareness

Financial support

Movie screening

Poetry reading

Heritage walk

Street play

Workshop

Theatre

Dance

Music

Initial sketches and ideas

Streetscapes

The courtyard of the haveli was put out for public involvement. Along with the permanent exhibition, retail outlets and a performace space, certain elements were included where the visitors feel the need to engage themselves. A writting board where kids could write, and a graffiti panel where they would get curious to play with color. The purpose was to create curiousity in the haveli by engaging the visitors into different fun activities.

The sketch was to understand the nature of the outdoor seating in the performance area.A parallel seating with the performer in the centre wproposed.

The tree gave an interesting focal point around which the visitors coud sit

Use of natural materials like clay, kotahstone and Jaiselmer stone was used to evoke a sense of warmth in the haveli.

Clients of the heritage office Tourists and travellers

U s e r Students and professionals Artists, dancers and musicians

The permanent exhibition highlighted the history and other crucial events that shaped the city while the temporary exhibition was open to amateur artists from the city and outside to put up their work. Window sills were used to rest books and refer. A tulsi plant was kept in the central courtyard along with an earthern pot to serve water.

Use of wood was made prominent through furniture, window frames, etc.

The study of the street section was to understand the situation that existed on site.

Re-looking at the ‘Courtyard’ Introduction element

primary

approach

courtyard

as

an

Defining the courtyard an entry point, a different treatment was envisioned for its overall spatial nature. The existing steps were broken to create informal levels.

The people gathered in small numbers or choose a quiet spot. The levels gave the flexibility to use the space according to one’s need. The courtyard became a space for performances like music, dance, etc. making it an active zone of the entire haveli, buzzing with people and activity.

The street offset opposite the front facade is proposed as ‘evening cafe’ where the viewers can engage while appreciating the intricate facade. The same facade is also used as a backdrop for puppet shows and plays for children. The facade is lit up in the night for a different view altogether.

The

of

Women’s college

to

the

haveli

is

from

‘Sankdi

sheri’.

One of the main urban issue that I wanted to address here was to turn the Sankdi sheri into a pedestraints path by stopping the vehicular movement. The word ‘Sankdi’ in gujarati means narrow.

The constant clutter of the vehicles took away the quaintness of the street and made it noisy. Stopping the vehicles would not only mean a quieter path but it would also encourage the passers-by to pause for a moment and get a glimpse of the intricately carved facade.

The main entry was proposed from the rear side of the Rughnath ji ni pol. The courtyard was the inviting point to the haveli and gave a broader view of the haveli.

ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS

Prof. Chaula Patel Prof. Kireet Patel The aim of the subject was to understand the components and constituents of an urban fabric and to highlight the issues and the problems that it poses to the citizens.

Sketch of Manekchowk, Ahmedabad

The area chosen for study is the road stretch between Junu sher bazaar towards the Manekchowk vegetable market. It has various landmarks in its immediate context including residential blocks and commercial shops and vendors. The main approach to the area is from the point where the Gandhi road bifurcates.

A variety of vehicular traffic is seen within the area. A constant flow of vehicles, pedestraints, cows, buffaloes and stray dogs form an integral part of the urban landscape here. The permanent shops are lined with vegetable vendors and food stalls, making the entire area busy and noisy. The small open pockets of land serve as a parking space for motorcycles and cycles. The variety of people, activites and the layering of busy spaces add to a very interesting composition to the study.

Mapping activities What

is

the

aim

of

this

The inhabitants of the near-by pols. Ex: Mahurat ni pol, Mandvi ni pol, Sankdi sheri, etc.

project?

The primary aim of this project is to create an awareness and a sense of belonging for one’s living culture and the architectural heritage. The ornately carved facade and the elements such as doors, windows and stairs that add value to the urbanscape needs to be refurbished and revived. A dire need to preserve the dilapidated buildings was felt. Also, to organise the traffic and vehicular flow and restructure the activities that took place in Manekchowk was important.

Target user

The shop owners and the employees working in the offices in Manekchowk.

The foreign tourists and travellers who are visitng Makechowk for the first time.

Citizens from in and around the city.

A daily schedule of activities in Manekchowk Morning: The vegetable vendors that line the permanent shops and the tea stalls set up by around 7 am. This is usually full of office going people and the housewives who come for fresh purchase of veegtables.

9:00am - 10:00am: By this time the jewellery stores, the offices and the food stalls start. The shop owners are seen cleaning the front yard of their respective shops and light the diya near the entrance. The food stalls are buzzing with office goers. The empty pockets start getting filled up with vehicles. By the time its is noon, the place is filled with people, tourists, etc. This continues untill early evening.

Evening: The food stalls and the juice shops start crowding up with students from the nearby girls college. The shops and offices are near to their closing up time. The space is setting up for its busy night time activity.

Night: Manekchowk is most active as the local food market sets in. It is filled with people of all ages. The music sets the tone!

Highlighting issues Identifying the urban issues in Manekchowk

Design

1. There is an unoragnized traffic flow in this area since there is more than one way of approach to Manekchowk. And, since there is no allotted parking space, the vehicles parked in a hap-hazard manner creates blocking of the main roads.

Pedestrainise the area It is proposed that the entire area of Manekchowk be experienced by walks. Stopping the vehicles would not just bring an end to the chaos but will also lead a more peacful and enjoyable time in the area.

2. The inappropriate location of public lavatories is causing unhygienic conditions in the area.

3. There is a complete lack of waste management system and methods of waste collection in the residential area.

4. The absence of way-finding system in the area is leading to chaos and confusion especially for those who are new to the place and are completely unaware.

proposal

in

Manekchowk

Emphasise the ornate facades One of the key feature is to revive the character of Manekchowk by preserving thedilapidated buildings and all the other elements that lend a distinct character to this area and makes it unique from the rest of the city.

It is proposed that few of the facades can be treated as a backdrop for cultural performances that is part of the heritage walk.

Information panel A surface that talks about the plays, drama, cultural performances that are happening in the city could be highlighted at a strategic location where a person enters Manekchowk.

Animal and bird feeder A ‘chabutro’ which in itself is a distinct elemnet of the life of the old city should be placed along with a dedicated surface to feed the cattle such that they do not enter the area and create mess.

Through the looking glass This could be at various locations in the area which contains travelogues, notes by travellers, a book of ancient pictures of Ahmedabad so that a viewer can zoom in through the timeline of Ahmedabad.

Way-finding

system

in

Manekchowk

A need for a systematic signage sytem that outlines the landmarks, eateries, famous shops and other services in Manekchowk is important.

I began by identifying the layout of the signanges and the junctions that would hold these signages. The next step was categorising the options under primary signages, secondary signages and destination signages. Designing the logo system and choice of typeface, material of the signage was a step further.

Brainstorming about the siganges Monuments Manekchowk Raja no hajiro Rani no hajiro Mahurat ni pol Jumma Masjid Junu Sher Bazaar Bazaars Fruit market Vegtable market

Services Restroom Internet cafe Phone booth Police chowki

Eateries Farki Chai shop Chat corner Girish coldrinks Janta ice-cream

URBAN FURNITURE SYSTEM

Prof. Krishna Shastri Prof. Kireet Patel The subject aimed to understand the systems that exist in a city at both micro and macro levels, thereby researching in one specific zone in Ahmedabad and proposing a problemsolving proposal.

Need What

is

urban

furniture?

Urban furniture is a collective term for elements installed on streets that cater to the needs of the citizens at an urban scale. They reflect local issues and in some ways, they are the response to a problem at an urban level. Urban furniture includes benches, bollards, post boxes, phone booths, streetlamps, bus stops, public lavatories, fountains, etc.

Such furniture are either consciously designed and installed or sometimes unintentionally acquires a temporary language by the way it is used and a location it is placed. For example: In India, the parapet walls on street are made to demarcate the land but it serves as a sitting point for people to wait for bus. The extended plinth in the pol houses of Ahmedabad act as a place to chit-chat for women during evenings.

Why

do

we

need

urban

furniture?

Urban furniture serve a variety of function at not just at a utilitarian level but also in organisational aspect.

To strategize the location of sitting/waiting on the roads for buses and auto-rickshaws in order to avoid unequal distribution of mass. Ex: the bus stops and taxi stands .

To create an urban interactive community. Ex: The ghostbike is a set up as a roadside memorial in a place where a cyclist has been killed or severly injured.

To add an aesthetic fabric at an urban level. Ex: The cloud gate in Chicago, USA serves as a public sculpture that attracts tourists worldwide.

To systemize the infrastructure and services provided to the citizen. Ex: Public lavatories or telephone booths.

Settlement pattern

Nature of the ‘bazaar’ The shops along the stretch are a rich mix of apparels, shoes, hair accessories etc. They differin their layouts offering a unique customer - shopkeeper relation. In mornings from 10am, the customes start coming in and during the afternoon, the entire road is jampcaked with customers, vehicles and small food-stalls or eateries. The restaurents entertain most of the office-goers from the nearby areas.

Women finish their vegtable shopping from the market and stop-by for buying other knick-knacks. The road comes alive, buzzing with people, traffic and countless vendors.

The road strecth between the Bhadra fort and Teen Darwaza in the old city of Ahmedabad emerged as the royal entrance to Bhadra square. The Bhadra fort was an entity approached from all the directions. When teen darwaza was positioned, it marked the royal entrance to the fort. The location of the two entities led in creating a trasitional space between the fort and the darwaza. The darwaza had a merit because of its scale. The walkway above gave an interesting perspective for the kings and the queens to witness the relegious processions happening on the road strecth.

As the road stretch started gaining popularity, the citizens felt the need of settling around it. A row of resdiential blocks emerged as the first layer of occupancy in the stretch.

Because of its popularity and historical importance, a flourishing trade was envisioned along the road. This gave rise to a commercial edge, which became the second layer of occupancy. As it started feeming with people and activities, a need to categorise the vehicular movement from the pedestraint’s movement was felt. A raised platform formed the footpath for passers-by.

Understanding shop as a system System Bhadra fort Teen Darwaza Parts Premanand hall

Mosque

Residence

Temple

Food stalls

Park

Shops

Permanent

Temporary

The permanent shops are housed within built units and are majorly dealing with footwear and apparels. The temporary shops have wider options in the things that they sell. The set-up of these shops depend on the product that they are selling. Although a defined area, these shops do not have a fixed location. The shop owners usually group with other owners selling similar products. The shop set up ranges from ‘kahtlo’ a metal frame structure, to vertical partitioning members and wooden drawers.

The hair accessory market mainly includes multi colored rubber bands, hair bands, etc. Arranged by similar sizes and colors, these bands are put to display in a wooden drawer.

The depth of the drawer offers ample storage while the open face provides a larger display to the cutomer. The distance between the seller and the buyer is roughly 1 to 1.2 metres.

The footwear market is a combination of shoes, chappals, slippers, sandals and wedges. Categorized on the basis of men and women, these footwear are arranged on a metal ladder. The staggered arrangement helps for a proper display while the negative space below the ladder helps in storing the package boxes for each footwear.

The cloth market mainly includes apparels for men, women and children.

It also includes dupattas, shawls, etc. A ‘khatlo’ or a cot acts as a mobile element for shops in this situation. Arranged in a linear pattern or forming a C shape, these cots provide an ample space for display and also allows storage under them. The clothes are stacked and categorized on the basis of size.

Urban issues Current situation A c t i v i t y Components

Market

Variations

Parking space between the cluster of shops Shops selling different products grouped together

Identifying the urban issues in the Teen Darwaza - Bhadra Fort

Permanent shops

The inconsistent parking spots and the spreading of shops in a random fashion is the main concern in this area. Especially during the peak hours, there’s a lot of vehicular traffic such that it interferes with the customers shopping. This creates chaos.

Residences

S y s t e m Eateries

P a r k s

H o u s e s

Mosques

S h o p s

Looking at the Market as a system, there are various components that make the system. The parks, the residence, a mosque, the eateries and the shops are the prominent componenets.

To understand the urban issue in the Teen Darwaza area, I analysed the shop systems that is existing.

Proposed situation

Parking space organised in the middle of the road.

Shops with similar products clustered together Permanent shops Residences

The chances of traffic and pick-pocketing shoots up. The food-stalls and eateries that spring up at odd places further add to the confusion. One can clearly see that the place needs structuring of services and an orgnised planning space.

I proposed that the parking of two wheelers be shifted from the shop edge to the centre of the road. This will give an un-interfered shopping interaction.

Moreover, I also proposed that shops selling similar products be clustered together than the current scenarios, where shops selling diverse products are clustered together. This will resuce the crowding at one particular point and spread the crowd evenly.

VOLVO OFFICE

Client: Mr. R Narasimhan

To highlight my career as a freelancer, this project talks about the journey from design to execution of a Volvo Dealership office.

Design approach

The directo’rs cabin at the west face is the only closed cabin in the entire office whereas the junior and senior work stations followed open plan facilitating interaction.

The passage from the recption to the cabin overlooks an informal discussion space with a concelaed storage system. A table of four helps for an impromptu discussion or a quick problem-solving session. A subtle yet perceptible approach was chosen to brand the Volvo as a product. Apart from an overall use of white and yellow color, the wall space between the junior and senior workstations is used for the images of Volvo equipments. The material and color palette was intended to be minimal. The lighting highlighted the spaces and the walkway, leading to an ambience suitable for work.

Furniture Layout

Electrical Layout

Views from the entry to the circulation passage

Workstations

Director’s cabin

Informal discussion desk

ILLUSTRATIONS

I illustrate to express, document and note my moods, ambience or a response to a particular situation while travelling (Udaipur and Delhi), or relaxing at home or visiting a new place for dinner.

These illustrations were done while on a weekend trip to Udaipur, a historic capital of the Kingdom of Mewar in Rajasthan.

The intention was to capture the Fateh Sagar lake against the backdrop of the Udaipur City Palace intermixed with landscape and personal details.

The first illustration was done at Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad when I visited there on August the 15th, India’s independence. It composes the elevation of the Ashram along with the busy footsteps stopping by to see the exhibition. The H columns is a key characteristic of the built-form designed by a renowned architet Sir Charles Correa.

The second illustration captures the quintessential scenes of afternoon on CEPT campus while sipping coffee. The distant murmurs of birds and people chatting comes vivid in the text.

This illustration was in response to a team of skilled labours working at my house for furniture. Engaging in an informal chat with them, I wondered the dedication they brough to their work while living an austere life. The aim was to capture the composition of the tools, paints, brushes and other paraphernelias that they worked with.

Late Mario Miranda, an acclaimed cartoonist from Goa, India has been my biggest inspiration since the day I put pen to paper with an aim to illustrate. Beginning from my studio projects, I always replicated his work in order to understand the strokes, the line quality, the over-all moos and the composition of a sketch. This was one such attempt.

WORKSHOPS

It is a compliation of few of the workshops that I attended at CEPT University and NID, Ahmedabad.

This is a part of a three day workshop conducted by National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad on ‘Cyantotype photography - Playing with Light’ with Professor Sameer Bakshi.

Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that produces a cyan blue print. Earlier it was used as a simple and a low-cost process to produce copies of drawings called ‘blue-prints’. In a typical procedure, a photosensitive solution (Potassium Ferrycyanide + Ferric amonium citrate) is applied to a receptive surface and allowed to dry in a total absense of light (natural and artificial). A positive image can be produced by exposing the photosensitive paper to UV radiation though a contact negative. The UV light reduces the iron (III) to iron (II). The result is an insoluble, blue dye known as Prussian blue. The extent of color depends on the exposure to UV light.

Print of a Maple leaf.

Surface: A4 cartridge paper.

Exposure time: 12 min.

Print of an ink bottle and a feather.

Surface: A4 cartridge paper.

Exposure time: 15 min.

This is a part of a seven day workshop at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad on ‘Block printing and dying with Natural colors’ with Professor Paresh Chatterjee.

Lithography is a method of printing originally based on the principle that oil and water do not mix. Printing is from a stone or a metal plate with a smooth surface. Lithography originally used an image drawn with oil, fat or wax onto the surface of a smooth limetsone plate.

The stone is treathed with a mixture of acid and gum, etching the portions of the stone which were not protected by the grease-based image. When the stone is subsequently moistened, the etched areas retained water. An oil based ink could then be applied and would be repeled by the water, sticking only to the original drawing. The ink would finally be transferred to a blank paper sheet, producing a printed image.

This is a part of an elective in 2nd year at Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad on ‘Photography’ with Professor Samir Bhatt.

Camera: Canon 500D Subject of photography: Still life in Monochromes and Life in the old parts of Ahmedabad.

This is a part of an elective in 3rd year at Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad on ‘Lithography’.

Lithography is a method of printing originally based on the principle that oil and water do not mix. Printing is from a stone or a metal plate with a smooth surface. Lithography originally used an image drawn with oil, fat or wax onto the surface of a smooth limetsone plate.

The stone is treathed with a mixture of acid and gum, etching the portions of the stone which were not protected by the grease-based image. When the stone is subsequently moistened, the etched areas retained water. An oil based ink could then be applied and would be repeled by the water, sticking only to the original drawing. The ink would finally be transferred to a blank paper sheet, producing a printed image.

Thank you Purvi Pallavkumar Rathod purvi.1702@gmail.com +91 972 798 9842