The Tourist Information Center and the Retail Units -

The first place that you see when you reach the Visitor’s Center is the Tourist Information area where you can get an overview of things to do in Udaipur with details. The main Movement axis is diagonal and once done, it brings you out face to face with the lake, the hills, and the greens.

Retail Units is a system of three separate yet connected courtyards. Each is surrounded with a separate local made product - miniature paintings, handicrafts, clothing material. These units have the same quality as the streets in old city of Udaipur - contracting and expanding spatially.

1:100, 3-D printed models on a frosted acrylic base.

The local trains in Mumbai have been the lifeline for the people, weaving the city together from North to South. However, with the city’s exponential population growth and increasing number of private vehicles, a new public transport system, the Metro, is being developed to keep the city functional. The brief was to design an extension infrastructure space for the proposed or existing Metro stations, catering to the public using the facility. Additionally, we were required to provide a program suitable for the extension.

The given site is adjacent to the proposed metro in Bandra Kurla Complex, a majorly commercial hub in Mumbai. Block A’s fabric consists of Department of Sales Tax, Family Court, State Bank of India & its ancillary offices, Department for Regional Development, MMR Environmental Consultancy, various customer care and courier services, and residential blocks. Block B on the other hand consists of a plethora of significant restaurants of the city. Due to the diversity of programs, the proposed design hold the potential to serve each of the above across its respective levels. With rental office spaces to a green market for the residents & restaurants, the proposed design can add to the existing fabric of BKC.

PROPOSED METRO BLOCK-B BLOCK-A

The site currently is an open ground with an existing bus stop, public seating, a fountain, an amphitheater with Mithi river on one end. With the coming of proposed metro plan, the site experiences a natural gradiation. A form that follows this said gradiation would complement and resonate with the site itself.

achieved

Light Now (2015) - The ‘Light Now’ workshop explored the possibilities of artificial lighting in design through hands-on projects. The first project involved creating a dynamic viewer interaction on multiple screens using spotlights. The second project was a one-day temporary light installation for a chapel in Cesky Krumlov, where our group highlighted the central dome and created a gradient effect for the front elevation. I participated in both projects.

Earth and Bamboo Workshop (2017) - The Auroville Green Practices conducted a five-day Earth and Bamboo Workshop that was rigorous, methodical, and hands-on. The workshop focused on both the theoretical and practical aspects of earth and bamboo as sustainable building materials. The first three days were dedicated to learning about earth and building sample walls in groups to explore its structural capabilities. The next two days were spent at the Bamboo Center where participants learned about the physical aspects, advantages, and treatment of bamboo. We also worked in groups to build parts of a treehouse and learn about fish-mouth joinery.

The brief required us to select a self-organising pattern from nature. We examined patterns, conducted a diagram study, then with physical models, analyzed a specific pattern in response to varying environmental conditions. Later, we worked in groups on 1:1 scale installations. For this project, we chose the organization of sand ripples at the sea shore. The process occurs at an intertidal area where sand particles form repetitive patterns perpendicular to the water current. The thickness of ripples depends on sediment size. Asymmetrical ripples form with one-directional flow, symmetrical with two.

For our installation, we used file cards to create an origami sand grain with 5000 pieces in five sizes. We assembled it on site without adhesive, relying on inter-piece friction. The final product served as furniture for 14 months with no damage.