The Floating Factory

DESIGNERS’ PLAYGROUND

The United Nations statistics show that 53.6Mt of E-Waste was generated globally in 2019. With the current growth of consumerism and dependency on electronics, it is estimated that 74.7 Mt e-waste will be generated globally. Out of the estimated generated waste - 82.6% (44.3Mt) is undocumented while 43.7Mt is unknown - likely dumped, traded or recycled in a non-environtmentally friendly way.

“E-waste is often a misunderstood black box. If recycled properly, it is an urban mining treasure.“

The project is understood as neither a dystopian nor a utopian intervention in the undocumented and unrecognized flows of electronic wastes. The neocolonialism narrative of the story of electronic waste exposes the situational realization of the power of first world countries.

The electronic waste shipped in containers arrive at free ports, transitory harbors and importers (third world countries) as clear waste products, dumped in underutilized spaces and ungoverned territories. This shipment is waste as understood in today’s context. With the growing global introspection towards waste, the question I would like to ask is, ‘is this still waste?’. This perceived waste is actually a resource that can play a potential accelerator for reused and extracted materials. ‘The Floating Factory’ attempts to convert this electronic waste as a resource for the third world countries. The architectural infrastructure here uses TIME as a resource for its function. Thus the ship acts as a base for a transitional infrastructure that acts as a displaced factory.

Mapping trade routes, travel times, harbors and the friction of entertainment and awareness play as facilitators for the program and functioning of the project.

How can we unveil the global situation of e-waste ?

How can one sensitively expose the situation and hidden flows and global networks ?

There is a distinct functionality between the two programmes that co-exist in this ship. The distinction of their characteristics and functions gives opportunities of friction, establishing parallels between the two. While incorporating the two typologies adds complexity to the program as a whole, the friction between the two will actually enhance their co-existence. The spaces share facilities and elements of design. The everyday chance encounters will give a potential to make people understand duality of the ship and the reality of the electronic waste.

The visual, aesthetic and involuntary connection will put emphasis on the problem. The quantity and quality of these situations will help deeper understanding of the magnitude of the situation.

Architectural Thesis : Individual Academic Project Fifth Year B.Arch | 10th Semester | 2019 | Mentor : Ar. Shekhar Garud (shekhar.garud@pvpcoapune.edu.in)

Area : 5,000 SM.

PVP College of Architecture, India.

Amelioration of Bharat Gayan Samaj (Music Institute)

The project was a revitalisation of an existing institute of classical music. Located in the dense fabric in the city of Pune, Bharat Gayan samaj, a 100 year old institute is one of the leading schools that nurtured the growth of Indian classical music. The current conditions made it hardly functional contradicting its strong foundations and importance in the field. Here the attempt was to understand the importance an institute plays in the upbringing, education and development of the neighbourhood. It contributes in preserving the culture, its values and thus its architecture. The project used reclaimed material from old ‘wadas’ (traditional courtyard houses) and houses thus preserving its architecture and achieving a reduced carbon footprint.

INTERACTIVE

The school is situated in old Pune with a dense built mass. Shared walls and compact residential typology form the identity of the neighbourhood. The study shows courtyards, light wells and interconnecting pathways and passages that tie the whole context together. These are a result of light and ventilation needs while planning this dense neighbourbood. New

Contextual Urban Massing Studies

Existing institute

Proposed Institute

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Building use

Built-mass ;built to open

Traffic analysis

Massing And Structure

Vistas and Internal Courtyards

Vistas And Internal Courtyards

The dense built mass and need for light and ventilation gave rise to staggerred mass. Internal vistas and courtyards became core and pause points.

These pause points became places of interaction and enhanced the dialouge between students of different discipline. This led to a staggered mass reducing artificial light load by almost 30%. Daylighting is key to functionality and thus spaces are designed for 6 hours of average daylight.

REUSE , RECLAMATION OF MATERIALS

The project used reclaimed material from the early modern era buildings, ‘wadas’, and older houses thus recycling and preserving the architecture whilst reducing carbon footprint.

The neighbourhood thus contributed to the insititution, preserving its arhictecture. This reduced the material procurement and reduced carbon footprint by 38%.