Sleep and Fatigue by Shreya Mehta

SLEEP AND FATIGUE RESEARCH REPORT SHREYA MEHTA PSD LEVEL 2

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO DESIGN “REST STOPS“ ALONG THE HIGHWAY (YELAHANKA TO KEMPEGOWDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT). THESE STOPS NEED TO BE STRATEGICALLY LOCATED AT DEFINITE LOCATIONS AFTER DOING A THROUGH NEED ANALYSIS. THESE REST STOPS SHOULD BE DESIGNED SUCH THAT THEY MOTIVATE AND ENCOURAGE A TIRED DRIVER TO STOP AND TAKE A BREAK.

CONTEXT ANALYSIS

The site in question is the NH 44. National Highway 44 is a part of the North South corridor, connecting Srinagar to Kanyakumari and is the longest highway in India. It actually comprises of seven smaller highways, combined and renamed in 2010 under the scheme of the then- Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A part of this highway runs through Bangalore, connecting Yelahanka, a satellite town in northern Bangalore, to Kempegowda International Airport. This stretch of the highway is approx. 18 kms long. The highway is surrounded by a number of IT districts and suburbs. Along the highway there are a lot of smaller villages and various showrooms. The BSF campus is also located along the highway. The highway also passes three lakes, the Yelahanka Kere, Chikkajala Lake and Hunasmaranahalli Lake. Being a national highway, the area sees a lot of freight traffic. There are also a lot of cabs on the road, transporting passengers to and fro the airport and various tourist buses. There are a lot of private vehicles on the stretch, with most vehicles shuttling between the various areas.

SITE ANALYSIS

SITE

GEOGRAPHIC ORIENTATION

MUNICIPAL AMENITIES

The highway is located in the northern part of Bengaluru. The site is located at the almost at the center of this stretch, at 13°10’39.2”N 77°38’07.5”E.

Since the site is largely unbuilt, there are no amenities on the site itself. Due to the flyover nearby, there are electric poles, and a storm water drain built on the service road.

THE SITE

ACCESS

The area is at a lower level than the road, by 2 ft. There was a bridge built on the road, so the site is at par with the bottom of the bridge. The area under this bridge is marshy, signifying that there may be water logging in the area during heavy rains. Besides this RCC construction, there is nothing built on this piece of land. There are a few trees scattered around the central region of the site. There is also a train track which cuts across the piece of land next to the site. Two large billboards signify the beginning and the end of the space. The Chikkajala Lake is the nearest landmark to the space. The Chikkajal Fort is diagonally opposite to the site.

The area is accessible by a service road adjoining the flyover. It does not have a direct entrance; instead a steep slope leads downwards to the area. This slope is located towards the end of the plot. CLIMATE

The area has a hot climate, with temperatures ranging between 20 -35, and around 16% humidity. Due to the absence of green cover, the area receives harsh sunlight. Since there is little to no built environment around, the wind blows freely over the region, often flying loose mud with it.

VIEW TO THE WEST

VIEW TO THE EAST

ON SITE

VIEW OF THE ADJOINING ROAD

STAKEHOLDERS

CITIZENS - Drivers- cabs, buses and trucks - “Backseaters“- children and animals - Pedestrians - Passengers.

GOVERNMENT - National highway authority of India (nhai) - Ministry of transport and highways - National highway development project

CASE STUDIES

MOTORWAYS- BRIDGE RESTAURANTS

REST AREA AT DAMMER MOUNTAINS, GERMANY

The concept of bridge restaurants is found in Italy, Germany, South Korea and Malaysia. The structure of the rest stop, rather than being placed on the side of the road, is placed over the highway, like an overhead bridge. This unique concept saves a lot of space, and it also serves travelers from both sides of the highway, unlike a traditional structure.

https://www.serways.de/standorte/standortdetails/dammer-berge-ost/

REST AREA AT PRATTEIN, SWITZERLAND

https://www.autobahnen.ch/index.php?lg=001&page=018

NINDRA DAAN KENDRA

DORMITORY

BARBERSHOP

This initiative is by a citizen Ramesh Agarwal, specifically for truck drivers. He found out in a conference that the India is the world leader in deaths in highways and decided to take it upon himself to come up with a facility for these drivers where they can rest, eat and bathe in a safe and clean space. Thus Nindra Daan Kendra was born. Set near Jaipur, the facility offers cots, food, bathrooms as well as a barber shop, all free of cost. The Kendra plans to open more branches in other parts of the country as well. “I want to change the mindset against these drivers, who are the backbone of this industry,” said Agarwal. “They are neglected and need to be given their dignity and lives back.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/04/05/truck-drivers-sleep-india_n_9615816.html

RAJMARG VILLAGES

Rajmarg Villages are an initiative by the Government of India and NHAI for the safety and comfort of the various people who use the national highways of the country. It is an ambitious project which plans on including restaurants, handloom showrooms, parking and garage as well as living spaces, bathing areas and dormitories. Some sites may also include a helipad.

PROPOSED PLAN FOR THE VILLAGE

http://theindiandiaspora.com/news-details/india-news/primary-news/soon-indianhighways-to-get-large-rest-areas-called-rajmarg-villages.htm http://dailyworld.in/soon-highways-to-get-large-rest-areas-called-rajmarg-villages/

JAIN DHARAMSHALAS

PARSHWA PRADNYALAY, PUNE, MAHARASHTRA

HIMMAT VIHAR, PALITANA, GUJURAT

India has had a very old tradition of resting houses, which are often a part of our religious complexes, these being the center of the city in ancient times. A lot of Jain temples have continued this tradition till date, with a lot of them offering rooms, food and bathing facilities at a very cheap cost.

http://www.shribahubali.org/

NEED ANALYSIS

As mentioned in the abstract, drivers are often tired and sleepy on the road, which has been the cause of numerous accidents on the highway. The aim of this design project is to provide rest stops for these fatigued travellers alongside the highway. After the various talks and further research, I came up with the following components that need to be a part of the stop. 1. Facilities for food and rest 2. Additional amenities like washrooms, fuel refill stations, garages for the maintenance of vehicles and adequate parking. 3. The place should be safe and accessible to allboth in its physicality as well as its affordability. 4. The place should also have a certain quality which will attract haggard travellers and please and soothe them. The ambience of the place should be the anti-thesis of what the drivers experience on the road. 5. There should be an option of short term and/or long term stay.

I then looked at various examples of rest areas from around the world, and tried my hand at several of them. One idea which I really liked was the idea of an overhead bridge restaurant, which has been implemented in Italy, Germany, South Korea and Malaysia. The rest area in this case was built like a bridge over the road, rather than on the side of it. The idea was different than the regular stop, in the way that it saved on a lot of space by making the stop over the existing road, and it also ensured that people from both directions of the road could access the stop. While the idea seemed quite effective and unique to the Indian context, I soon realized the structure may not be entirely feasible. It would require a lot of initial investment, as building a superstructure over major national highway would demand as much. Moreover, the structure would have to be made using RCC which would heat up immensely in the Deccan climate. Thus along with the initial capital, the structure will also require a lot of money in its maintenance. All this would be in clashes against the accessibility of the place, as these factors would lead to an increase in the cost of using this place.

Since this idea would not work, I went back to the beginning and started anew. Incidentally, I had a conversation with my parents about living accommodations for a holiday when I suddenly recalled the concept of dharamshalas housed with Jain temples. These temples usually have living, bathing and eating quarters at a low cost which can be accessed by anyone. I then dwelled upon it further to realize that India has had a long tradition of these rest areas, one of the earliest examples being the Virupaksha Temple in Hampi. These earliest rest stops provided a place for everyone to stay, within the temple/ mosque compound, with spaces also created for their vehicles. Taking up this idea, I then decided to base my design as well as the materials on the vernacular architecture of India, which would definitely be relevant in the climate as well. I started BY working on various layouts deriving from the various types of community based architecture in India, including Chawls, the classic houses with built in courtyards as well as various Jain temples which still follow this tradition of rest houses. The more I explored this form of architecture the more I realized that most of the planning was already done for me. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go out of my way to include certain elements, like play areas for kids, or ensuring the coolness of the structure. While the plans would have to be updated to fulfill the demands of today, nevertheless, these ideas are not obsolete, and in fact have a very good chance of bringing about an informal community space which is truly inclusive.

Along with the larger structure, I also looked the facility at a macro level. Thus, I zoomed into the basic unit of the facility, which is the dormitory, the wash area and the courtyard. Working in just this space, I narrowed down on the kind of experience I wanted the users of the space to have. The rest stop was to be the opposite of what the drivers see and face on the road. Hence, since the road is hot, the area would be cold. Since the car which they travel in restricts their movement, the stop would be free and open, to traverse anywhere they like. Since the road and the car are all man-made, the rest stop should be abounding with nature. Keeping these ideals in mind, I created my vision of the rest stop.

MATERIAL STUDY

FINAL DRAWINGS

SITE ANALYSIS

MASTER PLAN

DETAILED PLAN

3D VIEWS OF THE SITE

VIEWS OF THE SITE