Internship Portfolio | Rohin Sikka

INTERNSHIP PORTFOLIO

Rohin Sikka

Title : Internship portfolio

Company : CallisonRTKL - Dubai office

Internship period : 05 th Jan 2020 - 28 th May 2020

Mentor : Mohamed Halimeh

Intern : Rohin Sikka

Roll No. : A/2970/2016

University : School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi

Semester : 8 th

Coordinator : Prof. Anil Dewan

. Initial thoughts and Broad objectives .

The architectural internship semester is an excellent opportunity to expand and productively use the practical and theoretical knowledge acquired over the past three and a half years of my architectural education as well as my previous professional experiences over the summers. This is also an opportunity to get an insight into the practice of architecture along with the workflow of a professional office. Spending time in a professional setting gives me the possibility to actively partcipate in, learn about and get exposure to the professional approach as well as to try and combine both the professional and the academic approach to a project. I look at it as my responsibility to use this internship period to learn as much as possible about the practical aspects of the profession, that are not a part of my formal architectural education.

I had been fervently waiting for the internship semester since my first year in college, and when the time finally came I was eager to pursue my internship abroad. Yes, it did mean hopping onto a plane, moving to a different country, returning home only months later and it did seem daunting at first, but I liked the uncertainity of it and was excited for the challenge. I was looking forward to the international exposure, learning about the professional practices of a different country, living away from the comfort of my own home and meeting people from around the world.

Being the hub of modern architectural innovation, I sent my portfolio to a few shortlisted firms in Singapore, Hong-Kong and Dubai and after a couple of callbacks and a round of interviews, I received an internship offer from CallisonRTKL’s Dubai office.

CallisonRTKL (CRTKL) is a global architecture, planning and design firm formed from the merger of Callison and RTKL Associates in late 2015. CRTKL combines the legacy of these two great design practices into an even stronger, more distinct voice that is characterised by the strength of their ideas, the spirit of their culture and the passion of their people to make the world a better place. People are at the center of what they do. Their process centers on creativity, cross-pollinating ideas and talents across geographies and industries to deliver quality at all levels and in all places. With over 1500 employees and 19 offices all around the world, they are part of the global community and they realise this responsibility while striving to be an active participant

across the world. In all their efforts, they set out to do the right thing for the people, the clients and the community, with their thirst for innovation and quest for creative solutions to complex issues helping them set out a path that leads to new heights and continued success. CRTKL is a firm that is eager to face the challenges of the world and is ready to ask questions that hold others back.

CRTKL has been ranked as the leading retail architecture firm worldwide for several years now, with their architecture showing a certain level of polish while being perfectly suited to the individual clients at the same time.

For me personally, amongst the main reasons for choosing to intern at CRTKL was to understand how the firm managed to implement their beliefs and ideals to produce buildings both beautiful and high-performing. Apart from being an integral part of the architecture design team in the office, I also wanted to see and learn

how studios all around the world collaborated and worked in cohesion to blend their exceptional design skills, project management capabilities and creative vision to create designs that have a long-lasting positive economic, social and environmental impact on communities and organisations.

My general personal expectations from the internship period at CRTKL were to get exposure to and experience how architecture can be used as a primary instrument to make the world a better place, to get an insight into the working structure of a large firm with offices around the world as well as to gain knowledge about cooperating with people having different experiences and backgrounds. I saw this internship as a stepping stone to developing my own way to approach architectural

problems and started my internship wanting to make the most of this amazing learning opportunity I had, along with the idea of enjoying my entire time in Dubai, remembering and trusting in Steve Jobs’ quote-

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

Development initiatives in the Middle East have captivated CRTKL’s collective imagination in terms of the quality and scale of projects possible in the near future. From their offices in the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, CRTKL helps create strong cities and strengthen cultural identities by bringing high-quality design and technology to this flourishing part of the world.

Dubai has emerged as a truly international city that is in the heart of an increasingly important part of the world, and as CRTKL’s first office in the Middle East, this is where all their work throughout the region - from new retail centers to luxurt resorts and new community plans - is coordinated from. With their experience in this region and world-class services, CRTKL are leading the way with development initiatives in the region.

. The Dubai office .

CRTKL’s Dubai office is located on the 44th floor, overlooking Bur Dubai and the Deira area, with views extending as far beyond as the Persian Gulf and even Sharjah. The office is divided into four teams broadly - residential & hospitality, interiors, PUD (planning & urban design), SEDs (shopping & entertainment districts) - with everyone in the office being a part of one of these teams and usually working on projects assigned to that team only. There often are projects that include multiple programmes and in such instances members of different teams (sometimes even from other CRTKL offices around the world) work together on the project.

The Dubai office has one large open studio space with everyone, right from the senior associate directors to the interns, sitting in the studio itself. The only exceptions being the executive director of the office and the HR, who have entire rooms to themselves. Everyone in the office (around 90 people) mostly sit with their respective teams. Apart from the studio, the office also has a pantry and eating space, a printing room, and seven meeting /discussion rooms of varying sizes, each named after one of the seven emirates in the UAE. The Dubai room (below) is the largest meeting room in the office followed by the Abu Dhabi room.

Walking into a new workplace is something that is definitely going to be intimidating at first, but this initial trepidation quickly transforms into familiarity and comfort. I was going to be interning in the residential & hospitality team of the CRTKL Dubai office, and on the first day in the office I was introduced to everyone, I was shown around the office, had a desk assigned to me along with my office e-mail ID and I also went through a couple of orientation sessions with the HR informing me about the working procedures, copyright and confidentiality terms, timesheets etc. Even though I had

been interviewed for this position by him before, this was also when I first met my trainer, Mohamed Halimeh, in person. I spent the first couple of days familiarising myself with the new environment and the workings of the office and going through previous reports and drawings, understanding the background of the first project that I was going to work on. The entire office was extremely welcoming and amiable and before I even knew it I had settled in and had started looking forward to the eight hours I would be spending in the office everyday. I was now a part of the larger CRTKL whole.

. A part of the whole .

. More than just a workplace .

Interning at CRTKL was much more than just any other internship experience, I was part of something bigger. During my time at CRTKL I was offered a creative environment, challenging but rewarding opportunities as well as constant guidance and encouragement, all of which have helped me develop both professionally and personally over this period. I got the opportunity to collaborate and work with industry experts on some of the most transformative and innovative architecture, engineering and planning projects in the world.

CRTKL’s Dubai office was an inclusive and suppportive workplace that offered a variety of different activities regularly, right from month end birthday celebrations, festival celebrations, Lunch’n’Learn interactive sessions, CRTKL social committee events, to video game competitions, nights by the beach and even morning hikes. CRTKL offered a rewarding career experience and a comprehensive environment that helps make its professionals, better and happier people - making them a better firm in turn.

Dubai office’s birthday celebrations

With a very active Social Committee, CRTKL’s Dubai office was an inclusive and suppportive workplace where everyone was part of a network that stretched much further beyond the office. Finding a balance between one’s work and life is important to be a healthy and happy professional and there were several informal events planned regularly for everyone, both inside and outside the office. The Food Explorers group of the office would organise ‘open to all’ dinners, at a new restaurant every time, atleast once a month (this was a great way for everyone to explore the different cuisines on offer across the city). Everyone was encouraged to

take initiative and organise activities that others in the office would enjoy being a part of. Over my internship period I also got to participate in several such events with the CRTKL family, like the morning hike amongst hills and small mountains in Wadi Shawka, the Fruit Ninja VR competition, the Night by the Beach and even the post work football games with the office team every week. It was these regular informal interactions with the others in the office that helped me spend time with and get to know them better and enjoy my time in Dubai outside of the office as well, along with making my internship experience a memorable one.

Dubai office’s morning hike in Wadi Shawka

ill. 09/ CallisonRTKL Dubai office’s Night by the Beach

ill. 07/ videogames in the office meeting room

ill. 08/ football with the CallisonRTKL Dubai office team

Halfway through my internship period the world was coming to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic and with most of the offices starting to shift to work from home, I was advised by the HR and senior leadership to head back to New Delhi. Everyone felt that this was in my best interest at the given stage in time, keeping in mind the ongoing developments regarding the pandemic and

the changing landscape of travel restrictions around the world, along with the uncertainity of the entire situation. I was however given the opportunity to continue with my internship while being back home without letting this unfortunate situation disrupt it and I ended up completing the second half of my internship working from my home itself.

Spending the second half of my internship period working from home was an experience unlike any other, and it came with its own set of challenges and advantages. Working from home took the need to balance my work and life to a whole new level. Practices like getting into a good routine on office days, setting up a ‘work zone’ just like I have my designated desk in the office and also taking short but regular breaks to

avoid feeling overworked and exhausted were some of the things that I picked up in the initial few days and were instrumental in helping me maintain my efficiency and productivity while working from home. Moreover, the constant support, guidance and understanding from everyone I worked with, contributed tremendously in making working from home also an incredibly valuable experience.

. Connecting the dots .

The internship at CRTKL was a great opportunity to both get a professional insight into an architecture firms’s work and to integrate socially in an office environment, I truly value the time I have spent at CallisonRTKL, both in the Dubai office and even while working from home. Spending months following the CRTKL approach of designing keeping the customer, resident or the guest in mind has made me understand, learn and see first hand how business needs are combined with a user-focused design to generate strategic returns for the clients along with leaving a lasting impression on the users of the

place. During my internship period I got the opportunity to be a part of various projects, each of them at a different stage of design, including a revitalisation and a competition project as well. It has been a joy for me to experience and be involved in producing cutting-edge designs that test the limits of practical architecture while maintaining functionality as well as enhancing the users’ quality of life. In a region steeped with tradition, the opportunity to see CRTKL’s ability to combine the best of local tradition with their knowledge of global best practices has been a remarkable learning experience.

I am incredibly grateful for all the exposure, guidance, encouragement, tremendous support and the opportunity to work and interact with such a talented, creative and enthusiastic bunch of people. Looking back at the internship period, I can confidently say that the numerous amazing experiences I’ve had over this entire time have helped me develop both professionally and personally as well. I also know that even though I

might not be completely aware of it now, yet trusting and believing in what Steve Jobs famously said - “trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future”- I’m sure this internship experience has been an integral step towards developing my own understanding and approach to architectural problems, and is something that will definitely influence my life as an architect in the coming years.

. Exploring the architecture of Dubai .

Interning in one of the hubs of modern architecural innovation meant that along with spending time on my internship in the office I could also just step out anywhere into the city and be amidst some of the world’s most extravagant, opulent, stunning and unique architectural marvels. In the last thirty years Dubai has generated some of the most daring and groundbreaking engineering and architectural achievments to date. It is home to the world’s tallest building, largest shopping mall, largest indoor ski slope and even a set of world map shaped man-made islands. While most cities have just one or two truly spectacular buildings, Dubai has dozens of them and over the weekends or even after

office hours on some days I would enjoy visiting these architectural marvels.

Without any hurry (unlike most of my visits to such places while on a holiday), I would end up spending hours at just one building, soaking it all in, looking into every nook and corner of the space, reading up about the buildings and their designers and also photographing the amazing architectural accomplishments. During my time in Dubai I got the chance to visit and photograph the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Frame, Sama tower, Emirates towers, Etihad Museum, DIFC gate building to name few.

Etihad Museum

. all of these are photographs clicked by me during my internship period in Dubai .

Sama Tower

ill. 18/ Dubai Frame

ill. 15/ Burj Khalifa

ill. 16/ Dubai skyline

. Project timeline .

The following timeline provides an overview of the various projects that I was involved in, over the course of my internship at CRTKL’s Dubai office. The timeline reflects how I was involved in the various projects for different durations of time; while I was involved in a few of them for over a month, there were also some projects that required me to work on a select few tasks. Being the only intern in the office I was often called on to work on a particular project just before a submission

or a client meeting and as a result there are a couple of projects that I worked on for less than a week as well. The timeline also shows how some projects were linear and had a start and an end but some were constantly reviewed. These were ongoing projects and therefore whenever there was a need for a change or there were some comments from the client that had to be incorporated into the design I would complete the required tasks.

. all work in this portfolio was produced by me while interning at CallisonRTKL, unless stated otherwise .

SAADIYAT GROVE

SAADIYAT ISLAND, ABU DHABI, UAE

Programme : Client : Size :

Project stage :

Weeks spent on this project :

hospitality, residential, retail ALDAR Properties PJSC

512,659 m 2

Schematic design

7 weeks

The Saadiyat Grove development commissioned by ALDAR Properties PJSC is located on a plot covering a total area of 241,776.96 m 2 .

The project is a mixed-use ‘community’ development located on the west edge of the Saadiyat Island Cultural District master plan, strategically positioned among three proposed world-class museums, including Zayed National Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The program includes residential, retail, and co-working components in addition to 3-star & 4-star hotels with branded apartments.

The Grove is a key component of the Cultural District Concept Master Plan, integrating with the surrounding community, open space and utility infrastructure to

ensure the District Project is well connected, activated and serviced.

With the three neighbouring museums hugely influencing the experiential retail at Saadiyat Grove a series of contemporary but distinct museum districts (not museums) are planned. Pedestrianized streets and squares are realized through thoughtful urban design principles and vibrant shopping is provided for an exciting sensory experience.

Uniquely located, the residential components enjoy the proximity to the retail and museums while preserving the sense of community. Both the response to the surrounding residential buildings and internal green loop and the retail, generate the language of the architecture.

MOCK-UP SAADIYAT GROVE

The Saadiyat Grove mock-up presents the unique Saadiyat Grove Development, offering its visitors a glance of what they can experience in the project.

The layout for the mock-up building is proposed to included 3 modules of the retail concourse, a welcome lobby, 1 & 2 bedroom apartment mock-ups and a typical residential lobby with a corridor. The mock-up also includes the immediate context of the green loop, pedestrian & vehicular street and parking area.

The mock-up programme is listed as following :

Retail

1. Three grids of double loaded retail corridor, showing different retail design typologies, internal & external facade & shop-front details.

2. Sky light with all suspended fittings.

3. Car parking grid column.

4. 2 retail toilet (cabin & wash basin) male & female.

5. Retail floor pattern/landscape/signage/lighting.

6. Sound system provision.

Residential

1. Corner 1bedroom apartment facing green loop with sea view.

2. Corner 2bedroom apartment facing green loop with sea view.

3. Typical residential lobby (partial).

4. Residential elevator (lift car finishes).

5. Typical residential corridor (partial).

6. Residential building facade materials with special lighting/fittings.

Public Realm

1. VIP drop-off area and pedestrian walkway.

2. Residential partial green podium roof seating/ landscape.

3. Bike route.

4. A portion of the Louvre Plaza (facing the sea).

5. Landscape around the parking and arrival area.

My Role : My responsibilities included modeling and detailing of the complete mock-up building using Autodesk Revit BIM software, along with producing detailed plans, sections and elevations. Following client

reviews and the integration of their comments, these drawings were used to prepare a design report to be used as a design intent guideline for the execution of the mock-up building.

ill. 21/ mock-up ground floor plan

RESIDENTIAL - 1BR CORNER UNIT

Curtain wall, clear glazing

Curtain wall, insulated spandrel glass panel

Aluminum cladding, wood finish, matte

Aluminum, 20mm plaster, 200mm solid concrete block work, 50mm rockwool, 100mm cavity, 5mm aluminum panel, matte, dark grey textured

Aluminum, matte beige (canopy structure)

Aluminum extruded profile, semi polished, dark grey

RESIDENTIAL - 2BR CORNER UNIT

ill. 38/ 2 BR elevation B

A - GL02

Curtain wall, clear glazing

Curtain wall, insulated spandrel glass panel

Aluminum cladding, wood finish, matte

Aluminum, 20mm plaster, 200mm solid concrete block work, 50mm rockwool, 100mm cavity, 5mm aluminum panel, matte, dark grey textured

Aluminum, matte beige (canopy structure)

-

Aluminum extruded profile, semi polished, dark grey

A - GL01 A - MT04 A _29_

A - GL01

A - GL01

A - MT02

A - MT01

A - GL02

A - MT04

A - MT05

A - GL01

A - GL02

A - MT02

Curtain wall, clear glazing

Curtain wall, insulated spandrel glass panel

Aluminum, 20mm plaster, 200mm solid concrete block work, 50mm rockwool, 100mm cavity, 5mm aluminum panel, matte, dark grey textured

A - GL01 A - MT02

A - GL02

ill. 41/ residential lobby elevation A

ill.

Tenant shopfront glazing

Grey metal, aluminium profile

Dark grey metal

Red metal texture, industrial

Grey finish on wood textured GRC panels

Rough grey finish on textured and grooved GRC panels

Red brick tiles

GL01 ill. 45/ retail shopfront elevation A

ill. 46/ retail shopfront elevation B

R - GL01

PLANTER AND AHU CONNECTION

ill. 47/ lifestyle skylight section

SAADIYAT GROVE

SCHEMATIC DESIGN

My Role : My responsibilities involved producing detailed plans and elevations of the two types of toilets in the public component of the Saadiyat Grove development. These drawings were compiled and issued

to the client as part of the schematic design closure package. I also worked on new options for the cinema component facade and the residential core facade as per the comments of the client.

ill. 51/ type 1 general setting out plan

ill. 67/ type 2 general setting out plan

ill. 69/ type 2 finish/power & comms plan

PUBLIC AMENITIES - TOILET

CINEMA FACADE REVISION

DESIGN horizontality & common base language

ill. 82/ current design principle

outdoor cinema screen

media screens covered external stairs

louvered MEP outdoor cinema seating covered external stairs

ill. 84/ current design street view 1 visualisation

ill. 85/ current design street view 2 visualisation

CINEMA FACADE REVISION

ill. 87/ simplified option design principle

ill. 88/ simplified option axometric view

outdoor cinema screen

media screens open external metal stairs

louvered MEP outdoor cinema seating open external metal stairs glazed corner

ill. 89/ simplified option street view 1 visualisation

ill. 90/ simplified option street view 2 visualisation

CINEMA FACADE REVISION

ALTERNATE OPTION independent character

ill. 92/ alternate option design principle

ill. 93/ alternate option axometric view

outdoor cinema screen

traslucent media screens covered external metal stairs

louvered MEP outdoor cinema seating covered external metal stairs full height glazed corner

BUILDING A

BUILDING B

ill. 94/ alternate option street view 1 visualisation

ill. 95/ alternate option street view 2 visualisation

RESIDENTIAL CORE FACADE REVISION

CURRENT DESIGN horizontal grooves

ill. 97/ current residential core design *(not produced by me)

ALTERNATE OPTION perforated metal cladding

ill. 98/ perforated metal with signage/ALDAR logo option

ill. 99/ perforated metal super graphic option

ill. 100/

metal

SAADIYAT GROVE 3D VISUALISATION

My Role : With the client wanting to start the sale of retail space in the Saadiyat Grove development, a number of new 3D visualisations were required for the sales material package. The client brief called for these visualisations to highlight certain important nodes and storefronts of the retail component interior.

My responsibilites included setting up the cameras to best capture the character of the space as per the brief, along with producing plain vignettes of these views (images on the left) for the client’s review before the professionals were engaged for the final renders (images to the right) .

*(visualisations not produced by me) (visualisations produced by me)

SAADIYAT GROVE RESIDENTIAL LOUVRES STUDY

My Role : The client expressed their doubts about the use of vertical louvres along the facade of the residential buildings, fearing that these might obstruct the views from within and as a result dissuade potential buyers. With the client being skeptical about these louvres I was

front type B

responsible to analyse the different types of facade louvre situations and produce a report highlighting how the louvres were positioned in a way that neither hampered the views from within nor affected the space in the balconies.

front type C

corner type A

front type A

front type C

front type B

front type A

corner type D

corner type C

corner type A

corner type B

front type A

front type A

corner type A

corner type B

front type A

front type C

front type A

corner type D

ill. 101/ building 2

corner type C

front type A

corner type D

ill. 02/ building 1 & 4

FACADE LOUVRE POSITIONS aligned with the mullion or edge of the window staggered to create variation

typical facade louvre

ill. 103/ front type A plan

FRONT TYPE B

FACADE LOUVRE POSITIONS

aligned with the mullion or edge of the window staggered to create variation

typical facade louvre

UnnamedSAADIYATISLANDDEVELOPMENT –THE GROVE

three levels

typical facade louvre

aligned with the mullion or edge of the window stacked in first

ill. 112/ corner type D plan

FACADE LOUVRE POSITIONS

aligned with the mullion or edge of the window

N o D e s cri p ti o n D a te

stacked in all levels

C ityWalk + L aM er

DUBAI, UAE

Programme : Client : Project stage : Weeks spent on this project :

Meeras Holding and Brookfield Asset Management entered into a strategic partnership at the end of 2019 to form a joint venture to own and operate the diversified portfolio of Meeras’ retail assets and serve as a dedicated platform to explore growth opportunites in the retail sector across the GCC region.

With the partnership aiming to curate lifestyle-focused mixed-use developments and execute retail oriented opportunities across the region including expansion into high growth markets, they want to help reinforce Dubai as a premium retail destination.

Two existing retail assets, CityWalk and LaMer, were singled out and a select few architecture firms were invited to hold a brainstorming workshop and suggest possble options to revitalise these developments. The

entertainment, F&B, retail Merex Investment Group

Preliminary brainstorming workshop

1 week

intention of this workshop was to get an idea of the possible options to increase footfall as well as to improve the customer to visitor ratio in order to increase the revenue from both of these developments, before any decision/design competition was formalised.

CityWalk is an open, design-inspired neighbourhood in the heart of Dubai with exclusive shops, restaurants and leisure activities set among low-rise residential buildings, tree-lined avenues and a stunning collection of contemporary street art murals.

LaMer is a beachfront in the prestigious Jumeira 1 neighbourhood that incorporates a minimalist and contemporary design with shops, restaurants, cafés and entertainment along 2.5 kilometres of relaxing white sand.

My Role : My responsibilities included collating data on successful retail developments across the world to understand the shortcomings of CityWalk and LaMer. I was also responsible to analyse the demographics and climate of Dubai and create presentation graphics for the same as well as for the proposed revitalisation

options. I also came up with revitalisation options of my own for each of the two developments and produced zoning sketches for the same. All the sketches, proposals and the benchmarking data was pinned up on the conference room walls for an interactive workshop with the client at the end of the week.

photograph of the conference room with everything pinned up for the brainstorming workshop

OUTDOOR COMFORT

DUBAI POPULATION END OF Q3 2018

Identity

Having a Distinct identity for the development that isn’t found anywhere else in the UAE and isn’t comparable to other benchmarks within the city. Identifying signature characteristics within the development to differentiate it from other similar developments in close proximity or sister developments by the same developer.

Connectivity

Travel time, traffic congestion, parking, and connection to public transport hubs and routes is vital to ensuring a steady visitor flow to the development.

Year- Round activation

Integrated residential development comprising of assets and amenities that reflect the best principles and practices in community planning and design. Provides attractive and affordable housing products in line with the target market segments, by offering a variety of housing types and sizes to address the needs of people at different income levels and different phases of life.

Diversified Offering

Striking a balance between the type of retail , F&B and entertainment offerings within the development. Having a true mixed use development with different land use offerings. Striking a balance between I want vs. I need retail offerings.

Target Demographics

Understanding the resident/visitor demographics - where are they coming from. What is their age group. What are their interests and what are their spending capabilities and needs. How can you cater the development offerings to encourage spending and target a larger catchment.

Trends

What are the current local and international trends as they relate to lifestyle, living and working. Big international trends include a lifestyle shift towards health and well-being, sustainbility, tech-savvy lifestyle, as well as new travel (hospitality) and working trends.

01 Ensuring All Year Round ACTIVATION

- Need for climate control

- Ensuring pristine water quality

- Explore water-sports activation

02 Provide stronger CONNECTIVITY

- Traffic to site (overall context)

- Entrance/Exit to the development

- Parking within the development

5

CHALLENGES to increase the revenue

05 Rethinking the RETAIL OFFERING

- Size of existing units

- Distance of retail from water

- Current offering at similar price-points

- Possible new land uses

04 Attract users from the IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

- Reconfigure current density of the development

- Reconsider journey to site

03 Establish IDENTITY

- Differentiate the identity

- Establish anchor entertainment

- Establish target demographic

- Attract tourists

dubai creek harbour

design district

ras al khor

lagoons

downtown

DIFC

DXB airport

dubai festival city

LaMer CityWalk

ill. 115/ CityWalk & LaMer site context

LA MER - STRATEGY

DevelopmentTraffic

present day LaMer

PROVIDING STRONGER CONNECTIVITY

don’t forget to validate your car park ticket in any retail outlet or parking will cost you a fortune

... the scenery around the beach is full of construction cranes and prices in the stores are extremely high (e.g... sand-bed for 200AED which is 50€).

Trip Advisor Reviews

ESTABLISHING IDENTITY

- Explore overall traffic to site on a city-wide level

- Relieve traffic to the site by increasing entrances

- Ensure sufficient parking within the development

- Explore if current parking structure can handle added density (load)

- Establish anchor (specialized) entertainment

- Differentiate the land use offerings

- Establish a target demographic

- Attract tourists

LaMer beach

LaMer traffic

Kite beach

ATTRACT USERS FROM THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

I paid 60 Dirhams as parking Fees for less than 3 Hours. Ice Cream (Street trolley) 45 Dhs, Shisha 95 Dhs ............ I was with a group of 4 People from Germany. All have said the same: TOO EXPENSIVE

... the scenery around the beach is full of construction cranes and prices in the stores are extremely high (e.g... sand-bed for 200AED which is 50€).

Trip Advisor Reviews

- Reconfigure current density of the development

- Reconsider journey to site

134 38% 78% 4% retail units food & beverage retail & services leisure & entertainment

- Size of existing units owned by single tenants

THE RETAIL OFFERING

RETHINKING

- Distance of retail from water affects experience

- Current offering at similar price point

- Spaced-out distribution of outlets; 130 shops over 1.3km

CRYSTAL LAGOON

- Water can be cooled to extend summer season

- Ensures pristine water quality

- Allows for water-sports activation

- Privatization opportunity of qaterfront leisure

LaMer OCR map

LaMer future context

LaMer existing context

San Alfonso crystal lagoon - Chile

MICRO-HOTELS & VACATION HOMES

- New hospitality spaces offering smaller spaces

- Attracting a younger/trendy audience

- Establishing a critical mass to support leisure offerings

- Establishing development as a trendy ‘place to be’

PIERS, JETTIES & SEA BATHS

- Access to cooler water/opportunity for pools

- New look-out points

- Extends F&B and retail closer to water

- Offer new waterfront experience

Kastrup sea bath - Copenhagen

Traffic Congestion Typical PM Traffic

present day CityWalk

Zero parking after looking for 50 minutes

... you can endlessly drive around the never ending blocks... without even realising there is an underground car park

Paid $22 to park for an hour lunch!...

Trip Advisor Reviews

CityWalk traffic

PROVIDING STRONGER CONNECTIVITY

Restaurants are little on the pricey side ... There’s really not much to do here, except shop and stroll ... Same things as other places in Dubai, just a different set up.

... the scenery around the beach is full of construction cranes and prices in the stores are extremely high (e.g... sand-bed for 200AED which is 50€).

Trip Advisor Reviews

- Explore overall traffic to site on a city-wide level

- Relieve traffic to the site by controlling entrances

- Ensure sufficient parking within the development

- Explore if additional car parks can be built

City Walk & La Mer Review

PROMOTING A DIFFERENTIATED DESTINATION

- Low visitor rate during the hotter periods

- Similar offering and price-point for F&B and retail

- Differentiate CityWalk identity

- Establish anchor entertainment

ATTRACT USERS FROM THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT

No major loss if you give this place a miss. Shame, it could be so much better, if us wasn’t so overpriced to shop and eat there.

If you like shopping at expensive shops and stopping for a coffee this is the place to go. If you’re looking for something different this is not the place to go. It’s just an outdoor mall.

There are many shops, but everything is very expensive.

- Reconfigure current density of the development

- Attract dayime users during weekdays

- Isolated site with Al Safa to the east of the site with major traffic

134 38% 78% 4%

retail units

retail & services

food & beverage

leisure & entertainment

RETHINKING THE RETAIL OFFERING

- Current offering at similar price-point

- High-end retail outlets

- Narrow market catchment

- Opportunity for new land uses

- Enclosing the outdoors to improve and control the temperature

- Shading the outdoor areas

- Ensure a year round walkable environment for the street retail experience

CityWalk OCR map

enclosed retail fixed glass canopy

sky dome

ETFE operable roof

CityWalk resi. buildigs

CityWalk resi. buildigs

Trip Advisor Reviews

CHANGE UNIT MIX SIZE

- Change unit mix from small shops to big box destinations

- Attract a multitude of tenants with different rental fees

- Increase dwell time

- Reduce outdoor time

ENTERTAINMENT ANCHORS TO CREATE A DESTINATION

- Establish unique attractions that’ll attract tourists from around the world

- Establish an identity to the development

- Provide differentiated paid destinations that have a regional catchment pull

COWORKING SPACES

- Introduce office spaces and coworking spaces to increase the density

- Increase the draw for daytime tourism with unique offering

LA live - Los Angeles

digital art museum - Tokyo

third space soho - London

mercado de san miguel - Madrid

COMMUNITY SERVICES & AMENITIES

- Provide services for the day to day life of the residents - everyday shopping

- Improve adjacency of service retail

- Include retail outlets at a lower price-point

- Promote ‘I need vs. I want’ shopping experience

URBAN PARK/FARMING

- Utilise roofs of existing retail urban farming activities

- Promote CityWalk as a green refuge within the city

- Sell produce of the urban farming in the food market as part of the healthy lifestyle initiative. Introduce ‘farm to table’ restaurants

Thammasat university - Bangkok

MARSA AJMAN AJMAN, UAE

Programme : Client : Size :

Project stage : Weeks spent on this project :

Marsa Ajman is a new waterfront development that sits at the heart of the future heart of Ajman. Marsa Properties is the holding group creating Marsa Ajman and the master planned development for this waterfront location.

Located next to the established luxury hotels of Fairmont Ajman and Ajman Saray and adjacent to the highly successful Ajman Freezone and Ajman Dry Docks, Marsa Ajman offers an amazing selection of restaurants and retail outlets, a relaxed environment with endless

F&B, entertainment, retail Marsa Properties

140,000 m 2

Brainstorming workshop

2 days

activities and entertainment. It is a unique destination and situated by the 1.3 km long water side promenade it offers an exceptional setting for dining, retail and entertainment experiences.

The aim of this short workshop was for the client to get an idea of the possible revitalisation options or possible additions that can be made to increase footfall as well as to create a new and unique experience that isn’t available anywhere else in Ajman, before any decision was formalised.

My Role : My responsibilities included collating data on successful retail developments across the world to understand the best practices being followed. I was also responsible to analyse the demographics and climate of Ajman and create presentation graphics for the same

as well as for the proposed revitalisation options. All the proposals, the analysis and the benchmarking data was put together into a presentation for an interactive workshop with the client.

Marsa Ajman aerial visualisation *(not produced by me)

Entertainment offering as a main destination

A mix of supporting attractions

HIGH STREET

WATER SPORT S

Refreshment

Kids entertainment

Challenge

Entertainment

A Destination +

Nature

Technology

Optional: ad-hoc attractions based on location’s characteristics

OFFERINGS

NATURE

SPORTS PROGRAMMES

- Health and Wellbeing trends accounted for

- Intensive sports offering will target larger demographic

- Enclosed sports arenas encourage year-round activation

- Flexible spaces that can be occupied all year

BOARDWALK ATTRACTIONS

- Establish unique attractions to attract tourists and the local community

- Establish an identity for the development

- A new offering not found elsewhere in Ajman

- Mixed in with F&B and retail units CORPORATE

- Interactive experiences/electronic shows

- Mixed in with F&B and retail units

ATTRACTIONS

MICRO LIVING

- Creating smaller living units, densifying the development

- Attracting a younger/trendy audience

- Establishing a critical mass to support leisure offerings

- New residential offering in an over-saturated market

ENTERTAINMENT ATTRACTIONS

- Interactive experiences/electronic shows

- Mixed in with F&B and retail units

- Themed entertainment attractions

ENTERTAINMENT ANCHORS

- Adding anchors which are distinctive to the site

- Strategic choice of entertainment hubs that work with a global reach

- New (paid) offerings not found elsewhere in Ajman

- Identity markers

PLAY SRUCTURES

- Play structure adapted according to the particular spatial conditions

- Play area that can be built in various stages

TRAMPOLINE CIRCLE

- Interactive experiences/electronic shows

- Mixed in with F&B and retail units

- Themed entertainment attractions

WATER SPLASH ZONE

- Adding a freestanding aquatic play collection

- Strategic choice of aquatic features designed to adapt to any environment

- Transforming the space into a circus, a jungle, a seaside adventure

NUR-SULTAN develop m ent

NUR-SULTAN, KAZAKHSTAN

Programme : Client :

Project stage :

Weeks spent on this project :

commercial, entertainment, residential, retail

Ellington Properties

Concept design

5 weeks

In march 2019 following a unanimous vote in Kazakhstan’s parliament, the capital city Astana was renamed Nur-Sultan, in honor of the departing first president Nursultan Nazarbayev. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the city has developed economically into one of the most modern cities in central Asia and is home to a range of futuristic buildings, including many skyscrapers.

With the aim of increasing interest and tourist flow to the city, a new multifunctional tourist district with

entertainment centres and hotels is being built in the capital. The design of this development features largely indoor spaces (including an indoor water park, a biodome as well as an indoor rock climbing mountain) in order operate year-round and ensure comfortable stays for the tourists even during the harsh winter months.

All the leisure and entertainment centres, tourist facilities and hotels are located on district territory itself and are expected to increase the number of tourists coming into the country.

NUR-SULTAN DEVELOPMENT ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER REPORT

I n t i m a t e P u b l i c R e a l m | C o m m u n i t y N e i g h b o u r h o o d

My Role : My responsibilities included collating and compiling reference images, to reflect the architectural character of each of the components of the Nur-Sultan development, into an architectural character report.

Following its approval by the client, the report is to be used as an architectural language guideline for the design of the development.

PUBLIC REALMTHE BOULEVARD

NUR-SULTAN DEVELOPMENT 3*HOTEL BENCHMARKING STUDY

My Role : My responsibilities included collating data on three different categories of 3*/4* hotels i.e. local operators, international operators in Nur-Sultan and international operators globally. I was also responsible to use the data collected to produce a benchmarking

report, including a comparison of the facilities planned for the 3* hotel in for the upcoming development and the exsting hotels. This benchmarking report was part of the 3* hotel pre-concept package submitted to the client.

NUR-SULTAN 3*/4* INTERNATIONAL OPERATORS

modern mixed reception

PARK INN BY RADISSON - 3* NUR-SULTAN

dated fitness facilities

conference centered work spaces

modern mixed reception

HAMPTON BY HILTON - 3* NUR-SULTAN

dated fitness facilities

conference centered work spaces

conference centered work spaces

dated fitness facilities

traditional look and feel

conference centered work spaces

dated fitness facilities

standard business hotel

GARDEN INN BY HILTON - 4* NUR-SULTAN

THE SQUARE - 3* NUR-SULTAN

TENGRI - 3* NUR-SULTAN

DIPLOMAT - 4* NUR-SULTAN

indoor swimming pool

traditional look and feel

conference centered work spaces

indoor swimming pool

conference centered work spaces dated fitness facilities

minimalistic look and feel

hostel inspired all day dining

modern mixed reception

trendy look and feel

MOTTO BY HILTON - 3* USA

CITIZEN M - 3* LONDON

THE ROVE - 3* DUBAI

classical look and feel

BENCHMARKING CONCLUSIONS

NUR-SULTAN DEVELOPMENT OFFICE PARK 3D MODELING

My Role : My responsibilities included modeling and detailing of the complete office park using SketchUp as per the client’s brief. The office park comprises of six buildings in all, with buildings of three distinct architectural characters (i.e. two buildings of each

kind). I was also responsible to produce plain vignettes of each of these buildings for the client’s review. The 3D model was then sent to the professionals to produce the final renders.

ill. 121/ Nur-Sultan development office park building types

ill. 120/ Nur-Sultan development phase 1 masterplan

type C

type B

type A

o p t i o n 1

o p t i o n 2 ( s e l e c t e d )

NUR-SULTAN DEVELOPMENT HOTEL INTERIORS 3D MODELING

My Role : My responsibilities included modeling and detailing of the interiors of the hotel using SketchUp as per the client’s brief. I was also responsible to produce

plain vignettes of each of these buildings for the client’s review. The 3D model was then sent to the professionals to produce the final renders.

ill. 132/ Nur-Sultan development phase 1 masterplan

ill. 134/ hotel lobby vignette

ill. 135/ hotel - water park link bridge vignette

ill. 136/ water park facing hotel balcony vignette

DEVELOPMENT

3D VISUALISATION

My Role : My responsibilites included setting up the cameras to best capture the character of the space as per the brief, along with producing plain vignettes of

these views (images on the left) for the client’s review before the professionals were engaged for the final renders (images to the right) .

*(visualisations not produced by me)

(visualisations produced by me)

ROU’A AL HARAM

MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA

Programme :

Client : Size :

Project stage :

Weeks spent on this project :

commercial, hospitality, residential, retail Public Investment Fund

993,010 m 2

Competition

7 weeks

Saudi Vision 2030 is a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia’s dependence on oil, diversify its economy and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, reacreation and tourism. The agenda of Vision 2030 is built on three pillars - a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation - that draw on the country’s intrinsic strengths to help the kingdom’s citizens realise their aspirations.

Vision 2030 is a bold yet achievable blueprint for an ambitious nation. It expresses the long-term goals and expectation and it is built upon the country’s unique strengths and capabilities. It guides the aspirations towards a new phase of development - to create a vibrant society in which all citizens can fulfill their

dreams, hopes and ambitions to succeed in a thriving economy.

As part of the Vision 2030 programme Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund launched the Rou’a Al Haram development with a focus on pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Holy Mosque. It is expected to act as a catalyst for development the areas around the holy sites and raising the quality of services in the local hospitality sector. The development will help boost Mecca’s economy and diversify Saudi Arabia’s economic base, in addition to contributing $2.1bn to the country’s GDP.

Phase 1 of the entire project is expected to deliver around 115 buildings upon its completion in 2024.

PROJECT BRIEF

Mecca key statistics

• 2,489,406 Hajj attendance in 2019

• Expected 30 million visitors by 2030

Cluster-1

4,100,000 m 2 Total BUA 210,000 m 2 GFA of Cultural Facilities

by Mecca’s culture and heritage

ROU’A AL HARAM ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER REPORT

My Role : My responsibilities included collating and compiling reference images as well as producing diagrams to reflect the intended architectural character

of cluster-1 of the Rou’a Al Haram development. This architectural character report was part of the final competition presentation.

HIJAZI ARCHITECTURE

- p h y s i c a l c o n d i t i o n s -

Culture and Social customs

• Separation between public & private zones (hierarchial spatial order from public spaces on the lower floors to semi-public to private spaces)

• Privacy (upper spaces, facade treatment to prevent external visual extrusion)

Vernacular Response

• Verticality to accomodate hierarchy/division of fuctions by levels. Pilgrims at lower levels and the residents at higher levels

• Spacial Hierarchy informs facade order and rhythm

• Facade treatment with lattice screens to control visibility and privacy

FUNCTIONAL HIERARCHY

MANJUR

GATES & DOORS

PRIVACY

Climate

• Extreme heat and solar radiation

• Lack/absence of rain

Vernacular Response

• Orientation towards desirable winds (north & west)

• Verticality & narrow streets for shading and air cooling

• Vertical courts/gardens to take advantage of the cooler night wind

• Facade treatment with lattice screens to control natural light and maximize ventilation, projected volumes to shade street-scape

ORIENTATION + URBAN FABRIC

PROXIMITY OF BUILDINGS

LIGHT, VENTILATION, HEAT CONTROL

VERTICAL COURTS

NARROW STREETS

Physical conditions

• Topography

• Scarcity of land

• Immediate context (Kaaba)

Vernacular Response

• Vertical rectilinear forms (for ease of construction and density)

• Elaborate street facade ornamentation as a distinguishing device

• Chamfered corners for ease of movement within narrow streets

• Availabile materials & construction technology TOPOGRAPHY

• Materials: Coral stone, silt clay, gypsum & teak & palm wood

SCARCITY OF LAND

MATERIALITY

ORNAMENTATION AS WAYFINDING

SUSTAINABILITY

DESIGN VISION

TRADITIONAL & MODERN DAY MECCA

have INTIMATE THOROUGHFARE & ACTIVE ROAD

have PRIVATE COURTYARDS & PUBLIC PLAZAS

have HUMAN SCALE BUILDINGS & HIGHRISE TOWERS

have OPTIMUM PRIVACY & MAXIMUM VIEWS

have a UNIFIED IDENTITY & CREATE VARIETY

SURROUNDED BY NATURE

ROU’A AL HARAM CLUSTER-1 TOWERS 3D MODELING

My Role : My responsibilities included modeling and detailing of three types of the highrise towers in cluster-1 of the Rou’a Al Haram development using a combination of Rhinoceros 3D and SketchUp. I was

also responsible to produce plain vignettes of each of these buildings before The 3D model was sent to the professionals to produce the final renders for the final competition presentation.

*(not modeled and detailed by me)

type C type D type B type A

ill. 138/ Rou’a Al Haram masterplan

ROU’A AL HARAM PRESENTATION DIAGRAMS

My Role : My responsibilities included producing presentation diagrams for cluster-1, including an exploded axonometric view and sections among others,

using a combination of Adobe Illustrator, Rhinoceros 3D and SketchUp. These diagrams were produced by me for the final competition presentation.

Vertical rectilinear forms were built due to scarcity of land and to accomodate the division of fuctions by level.

+ + = =

Openings were created to allow for windows in every room and to maximize ventilation

The skeleton is infused with lattic screens to control visibility and privacy

Projected volumes/ Lattice screens are added to the main Majlis areas

The end result is the regional architectural style of western Saudi Arabia

ill. 150/ Hijazi architectural character

PLOT MASTERPLAN DEVELOPMENT SPINES

CARVING OUT THE

CREATING A LOOP FOR

VEHICLE CIRCULATION PODIUMS

CONNECTION TO FUTURE PHASES

DEFINING THE

PEDESTRIAN PENETRATION

CARVING OUT NODES FOR AND THE

TOWERS

PLOT AREA 187,000 m 2

EAST-WEST SPINE

AL-HARAM SPINE

VIEW ANALYSIS

• Restricted views to the Haram

• Towers overlooking each other

• Few towers with views to the Haram

BASE CASE (G+9)

No Views

Partial Views

Unobstructed Views

Project GFA with direct views - 37% Average view quality index - 16.9

ill. 153/ cluster-1 base case

ill. 152/ cluster-1 base case

• Unobstructed views to the Haram

• Towers not overlooking each other

PROPOSED DESIGN

ill. 154/ cluster-1 proposed design

Project GFA with direct views - 60%

Average view quality index - 26.6

Overall improvement in project GFA with direct views - 61%

Overall improvement in average view quality index - 57%

No Views

Partial Views

Unobstructed Views

ill. 156/ cluster-1 section 1

ill. 159/ cluster-1 section 4

ill. 158/ cluster-1 section 3

“

Since day one, Rohin showed his dedication and passion to be part of the internship program at CallisonRTKL, Dubai. He was assigned to work on a variety of tasks within different projects, trying to experience the wider range of day to day tasks. Rohin has always completed his task on time and in perfect manner and always showed his interest to learn more. He was a great team player and everyone enjoyed working with him. It was a pleasure to have him in the studio and we wish to see him again in the nearest future. ”

- Mohamed Halimeh (internship mentor)

All project related work, materials, drawings, and other intellectual property (‘Work Product’) in this portfolio was produced by me while interning at CallisonRTKL’s Dubai office, and is the property of CallisonRTKL. The copyright for all the ‘Work Product’ belongs to CallisonRTKL-UK Ltd. (Dubai branch).