OSCILLATING OBJECT (1:1 )
Building Technology Studio Project: We designed, sized and assembled a 5m high oscillating bamboo swing installation based on the principle of a rolling pendulum using jute twine, resulting in successful completion and playful user experience
Craftsmanship-focused studio aimed at mastery of wood, steel, and concrete materials, culminating in successful integration of all three in the final product shown above
a unique and cohesive final product.”
A CHAIR FOR A SHORT VISIT (1:1)
Conseptualised and produced a unique chair concept with a rotating drum in place of a traditional seat, encouraging short-term use.
EARTHQUAKE RESISTANT TIMBER STRUCTURES
Constructed 1:2 scale version of a vernacular, earthquakeresistant house in Chakrata, Uttarakhand using POP for bricks, wood beading, solid wood, and MDF with all elements and joineries made in-house
Exploration of illuminating objects, combining Wood, Steel, and Concrete materials in-house to produce and assemble
WOOD CONCRETE STEEL
Lucknow is commonly know as the cultural city of India. The identity has been built by the cultural practices, the people living in it and the built form. It is this cultural identity which is still very much a part of the memory of people. Today as the forces of globalisation act on the city the cultural characteristic which differentiated the city from other places will soon fade into oblivion leading to gentrification , loss of identity and loss of sense of place.
The language, Urdu, played a major role in shaping this culture. It was at the very heart of it. Today despite the various schemes and large fund allocations from the government at the centre and state to promote the language and cultural practices in the city, there has been no significant change in the position of Urdu .
The aim of the thesis is to explore the architecture for the promotion and propagation of Urdu which can be adopted by the government instead of the current one, such that the city is able to maintain its individuality giving its people a sense of place.
The intervention tries to Re-imagine a park as a place for learning which moves away from the idea of closed door education. Revival of the heritage structure alongside new scattered interventions will give it value. It will also serve as a connection between the past and the present, just as the argument of Urdu revival in the present day tries to bridge that same gap.
An online survey was conducted among the people of lucknow to understand what they associated the city with most. Language & Etiquettes and Food gained the majority votes.
At the time when Urdu was thriving it was never associated/related with religion
It was a language which allowed for -Flexibility
-Freedom of expression
-Diversity
-Open to new ideas
Present completely opposite major
Upon studying the various institutions related to Urdu, both public and private, in the present following observations were made:
The government institutions have more infrastructure and are older as opposed to the newer private festivals and NGOs with less or no infrastructure . Government institutions have been less successful in promoting Urdu and spreading awareness as compared to private festivals and NGOs promoting the Lucknowi Culture.
Working members are less throughout.
Places with voluntary youth participation have seemed to achieve more success.
The site is located in one of the older parts of the city of Lucknow, called Kaiserbagh . It lies at the turning of a busy roads and has residential areas on two sides ,a mixed used area on the third and city station opposite it. Its location makes it an easily accessible and a visible site. The site also has an existing heritage structure which adds to the importance of the site. The main road towards the north connects the bridge to cross the river Gomti .Which connects it to the newer parts of the city.
The Rifa-e-Aam club has been chosen as the final site for the intervention. Site has been chosen because of its location and its historical connection. It is a site which many people pass by during everyday. Thus making the intervention directly and easily accessible by the general public .
Present day it is completely the opposite , which is a major cause for its downfall
day the
Institutions with other cultural activities apart from just one way teaching of Urdu , are more successful.
Dearth
A common space for people to come together whilst trying to make them aware of the language Urdu and its various forms
Monument will also serve as a connection between the past and the present. Just as the argument of Urdu revival in the present day tries to bridge that same gap.
Revive the Heritage structure and give it value, by assigning newer functions to it along with the new scattered interventions on site
Re-imagine a park as a place for learning which moves away from the idea of closed door learning .
Located in the heart of the Kaiserbagh area, the older city in Lucknow .
It was set up by the Maharaja of Mahmoodabad, in retaliation to the British Clubs present in the city where Indians weren’t allowed.
The Progressive Writers’ Association was formed in 1936 , which went on to revolutionize literary writings.
The Lucknow Pact of 1916 , between The Indian National Congress and Muslim League was signed in this building.
Site : Rifa-e-aam Club , Lucknow
The landscape is designed in a way to make the visitor meander, such that when moving through the park the they chances upon the activities happening in the various pavilion like structures. Smaller pavilions and seating spaces have been integrated within the landscape which function as pause points when walking through the park. They become spaces where people can sit together have discussions, chat with a friend, do yoga or any activity they like. Adding such small elements makes the park more welcoming for people.
The site had a variety of existing trees all of which have been retained. The new trees have been strategically planted alongside the existing ones to hide the pavilions. The trees act as sound and visual barriers and give shade while walking through the park.
A Plumeria tree is planted in close proximity to each intervention. It acts as a visual marker and guides the visitor with its white fragrant flowers. The singular banyan tree next to the Urdu learning institute acts as an additional marker to the main intervention of Urdu learning.
1.Roof lines of all interventions are aligned with the top of the cornice of the ground floor
2. Height of the stone piers and walls aligns with the springing line of the arches of the heritage structure
The Material choice of sandstone and corton steel in the new interventions in contrast to the lakhori bricks in the heritage structure stemmed from the idea of combining the traditional systems with more modern contemporary building techniques. The combination of sandstone and steel, i.e. a traditional building element and a modern contemporary one , tries to physically manifest that old and new connection. The architecture thus created is contemporary , which is rooted in the combination of historical elements with a modern vocabulary.
Column Detail
L section, 75mm * 75mm* 6mm in corton steel , bent to profile welded to base plate
20 Mm cover stone over base plate
Bolts
Base plate 250mm *250mm
Coping stone 450 mm thk
Sandstone stone pier uncoursed ashlar masonry
The proportions and heights of the new ground level inserts are derived from the existing heritage structure.
The use of steel on the ground level makes the inserts light and transparent.The use of the thin steel columns makes the interventions almost invisible amongst the trees in contrast to the heritage structure which has a heavy and imposing presence. Thus keeping the idea of a garden intact.
1. Grid laid on site taking the dimensions of the monument as reference , to help locate the building on the land.
2. Placing of building masses
3. Removing grid.
4. Adding landscape to add the experience of the visitor. Main movements and central axis.
The studio explored the role that architecture can have as ‘scaffolding’ upon which urban citizens can build their lives by suggesting public infrastructure insertions in different areas of the city to be built by the Municipal Corporation.
To arrive upon the strategy, we explored a particular geography of the city through a transect walk; we then understood narratives of communities who lie along the walk through postcards that look into different aspects of the neighbourhood. These narratives indicate the nature of the infrastructure needed for that particular geography. Sitting in the dense fabric of Saki-Naka, the intent of the intervention is to provide for basic amenities of lodging and sanitation to the daily wage migrant labourer working in the neighbourhood.
The design aims to create a sanctuary, a semi open space which is in close contact with nature, cut off from the street and the life outside; thus creating a world within. The process explored movement through the site and form through model making. Giving a better idea of scale and proportions. This translated to internal spaces that spread and rise from the ground creating different levels that seamlessly flow into each other. The intersection of the ground plane at different levels creates spaces and corners where the dormitory, public toilets, recreational facilities and places of interaction for the users are tucked in. The thin metal cage acts as a huge pergola encapsulating the heavy structure within.
Ground floor plan
First floor plan
Process Models - Exploring user movement and massing on site
Front Elevation
The moment when body, time and space collapse is the ‘Event’. These events can be important or inconsequential. They can be celebrations, meetings, love affairs. Architecture is within these. It is created by these and in turn allows them to exist. What is the relationship between the idea of the institution and that of the everyday life? While one is steeped in creating value systems that transcend the everyday, the other is steeped in the rhythms of eating, sleeping, working. This is the space explored in the Studio through the creation of an ‘Institution of Everyday Life’ in the Hamlets of Uttarakhand. The aim shall be the place to create spaces for these events to occur. Events that range from the intimate to the public
The program was derived from the given narratives by drawing connections and interpretations. The Community center sits on the extreme edge of the Hamlet- Sawra amidst the Upper class houses, secluding it from rest of the village. The design aims to create spaces which can be used by people of all castes, to train them in performing arts and for public gatherings. It tries to do so by pulling lines from the contoured site, which turn into walls of different materials which rise and fall, wrapping around, making spaces within them that seamlessly flow into one other. The ground plane like cascading terraces merges into the landscape. It contains what is within , at the same time blends into the site effortlessly, overlooking the scenic valley.
Section AA’
Section BB’
Section CC’
The studio is an interrogation of the architecture of Institutions. The institutions to be examined in this semester are those related with religious practices and their relationship with the communities that they serve. The study of the Dargah(Sufi shrine) in Ajmer used ‘biography’ as the method of understanding this relationship. Interviews conducted with actors in and around the Dargah examined the nature of the relationship of the visitors and inhabitants of the old city of Ajmer with the institutional systems in the city.
The given oblique strategy and interaction with people on site lead one to rethink and re-imagine the position of the Qawal and Qawalli(Sufi Islamic devotional singing)and its relation to the dargah the audience and lyrics in current times. Alternate ways to form these connections opened up new possibilities and relationships which can be formed. By decentralising Qawali, as an art form, detached from its traditional and devotional values, one tries to achieve a level playing field for all artists, be it the qawals or modern day artists. It creates opportunities for fusion and exchange of culture and art between troupes from around the world. The Intervention is a public interface between the dargah and the street. The terraces cascade from the street into the dargah complex. This shuts off the door to the building from within the dargah, opening it up only to the street; creating pockets where one can hear the musical activities within the building without actually making the listener a part of it.
SHARED LEARNING
A
which
The crowd density map of pilgrims formed by collapsing a days’ data roughly indicates the Langar area(Food serving area) at the end of the complex to be of least density allowing for supplementary Qawali functions to take place smoothly without any Acoustical Disturbance. This is further supported by the pedestrian road abutting the site. Interestingly this road houses most of the Qawal homes, allowing for easy access either to the recording facilities or to the performance spaces opposite the shrine.
* Collaborative Study
An Imaginary barrier between the qawal and pilgrim, eliminating interaction.
QAWALI BROADCASTING
An imaginary barrier of space and time , separating qawal troupes from each other.
A membrane which allows for spacial connect at the same time barring visual relationship.
RECORDING AND ARCHIVING
membrane
allows for elements to seep through yet experimenting with new ones.
EXPERIMENTAL JAMMING STUDIOS
The Koba Jain Museum is a building that draws its plan from the Mandala, but lifts itself off the ground completely on stilts with a shallow water body in the centre within which the existing neem trees nestle. The building draws all its light and ventilation from this shaded and filtered courtyard and presents a calm lime plastered exterior with inlaid Jain graphics and glass jharokhas. The internal skin of the building facing the courtyard is entirely composed of vertical louvres of white marble jali that bring in the air and ventilation in a highly modulated manner responding to simulated studies on sun and wind paths.
There are a number of galleries in the Museum each focusing on the extensive collection of miniatures, exquisite bronzes and rare scrolls among other things.
While on this project I was involved in the design development for the The Ratna Pratima galleryGallery 7, the largest and is to house gemstone idols. I had the chance to work on the interior design of this gallery alongside the principal architect and design director. The Design idea for this gallery was to create the most dramatic of spaces. Being a dark gallery, a play with lights and creating different spacial experiences allowed for some drama to seep in. Production of 3d views, renders, Layout development, Display case designs and meetings with the Museum consultants, presentations for the client was done while on this project.
Bodhgaya is perhaps one of the holiest and oldest sites of pilgrimage for the Buddhist world. This context as well as the skills and materials relevant to the area informed the design for this hotel, which makes extensive use of brick – a cottage industry that has remained active in the area over the last 2000 years. The vocabulary of the building, using the craftsmanship of brick vaults, pillars and architraves also attempts to convey the emotions that most embody the Buddhist practice – wisdom, courage, compassion, forbearance and perseverance.
Spread over 4.5 acres, the courtyards and waterbodies as well as the sloping roofscapes create the conditions for an ecologically sustainable and highly contextual resort for Buddhist pilgrims.
Working on this project I was responsible for the production of the interior design GFC(Good for Constructions) drawings for the Residential and Public block. The Drawings ranged from flooring, lighting, furniture layout, soft furnishings and bathroom drawings. I also had a chance to give my inputs for the design of the banquet and produce 3D Models and Renders for the same. I was part of the design meetings with the client as well. Another major aspect was coordination with the Fabric and Rug vendors; which involved procuring the catalogues for the office, selection of fabrics and colours and conveying the same back to the vendor.
Designed as an extension to a 1930’s load bearing house in Lucknow , the terrace apartment functions as a Bachelor pad for the client.
Currently under construction, the language is contemporary, minimal and incorporates design elements such as terracotta pot roof to regulate the temperature inside. Skylights illuminate the internal spaces and add drama with changing light directions.
The layout successfully creates a separation in private and family areas. Maintaining the openness of the terrace and framing views of the park outside.
A design in collaboration with Canadian Architect Martin Laferrière, The Creative School lies on a 34 acre site on the outskirts of Bangalore, India. A school which follows the teachings of The Mother (Auroville) accommodates spaces for meditation, reflection and expressing gratitude apart from the necessary functions of a school. Landscape is an essential component in a site this large. The core idea is to build consciously, be it structures or landscapes. The buildings are made of stabilised mud blocks and are located to have minimum effect on the natural water flow on the heavily contoured site. The landscapes are areas to recharge the earth and provide experiences. Of the many designed landscaped areas, the most important are the Sungardens. Located outside the temple, the nucleus of the entire site. They are divided two parts, north and south. The South Garden is a formal, manicured garden as opposed to the north. The Gardens are connected via nodes which are points of visual connect to the temple. The direction of the paths, pause points and seating areas frame views of the expansive landscape. A canopy of trees covers the gardens. The location of trees is decided by a radial grid which emanates from the temple as radiations. Within the gardens are pockets to gather and offer gratitude around fire-pits. Additionally, the North Garden has an open area for larger gatherings for yoga and prayer.
The main objective of the workshop is to provoke students to engage with the territory of IJburg in Amsterdam and respond to the city’s housing challenges by producing an inclusive urban habitat within the new urban plan prepared by the Municipality of Amsterdam.
During the field-trip and workshop in the Netherlands, several key neighbourhoods and housing projects were visited to give students an insight into the various typologies that one can find in the city, as well as the changing living patterns and demands that Amsterdam is currently facing. The studio aims to provoke designs that are inspired and idealistic, but realistic as well.
On the island of IJburg one residential block comprises of different housing typologies such as family housing, social housing, bachelor housing, couple housing, student housing, old age homes etc. The proposed Family housing unit caters to families with young children. The requirement for this typology is for the children to have a social space within the building and also a daycare facility for the working parents.
The design is such that the front facade follows the flat street facade guidelines and height. On the inside, a combination of different housing units helps to cascade the form creating inward looking terraces (social spaces) for the children and families. The ground floor has a day care facility which can be overseen by the residents of the old age home right opposite the family housing unit.
focus on productive (di)orientation to our objects, materials, spaces, and bodies. The project aims to
The project focuses on the exploration and disassembly of a used chair, with the goal of discovering new possibilities and uses beyond its original purpose. The project encourages a circular approach to mining, extraction, and transformation of resources, power, and labor, with the ultimate objective of uncovering new ideas and possibilities through the disassembly process.
The objective was to observe and analyze a used chair for its materiality and components through drawing, scanning, or manipulating photographic and digital images.
By physically disassemble the chair, the goal was to explore the chair as a raw resource, part, and material without thinking of it by its name or usage. The focus was on “mining” for stories, parts, histories, memories, materials, narrative, questions, and origins.
Throughout the process, the idea of rituals and the chair’s place within the larger context of mining, extraction, and transformation of resources, power, and labor was considered. The aim was to shift the understanding of these concepts to a more circular one by proposing new uses and possibilities through the disassembly of the chair.
Mining history, material , stories and origins
Disassembly
Reassembly
The focus of this project was to analyze and investigate a 1911 two-story brick building, and is popularly known for the printing company of 20th century female author Anaïs Nin. The goal was to explore the site as a source of materials, inspiration, and stories, considering the human experience, objects, bodies, and space over time. The process involved inhabiting and reassembling the site, using observations, documentation, and analysis to create a ritual that reflects the lived experience and our cultural background. The program created aimed to go beyond mere labeling, starting with developing actions or relations before naming it to avoid preconceived notions. Additionally, the site was reorganized to create zero waste, reflecting on what entered, left, and would leave the building. The site was interpreted as a palimpsest of its varying occupational lives, transforming and adapting while carrying traces of its past. Delayering the site revealed uses that could be compared to the rituals of everyday life, such as knowledge sharing, recharging, physical wellbeing, grooming, nourishment, and unwinding. These Everyday Rituals have revealed themselves over a century through the changing occupations of the building. Therefore, the design intends to collapse these revealed Rituals of the Everyday into the everyday. The site is used as a quarry of materials, and through reassembly, the design aims to create a space that can transform itself, allowing the rituals to exist and be performed simultaneously in the same time and space.
Masking tape as resist
The course looked at the relationships between material, performance, and use in design and evaluated in the context of sustainable practices. The material study focused on examining different kinds of finishes that could be attained through physical and chemical means on metals. The research questioned existing practices of painting and powder coating metal, which have known toxic effects on the environment and human health.
Chemical patinas
Copper + ammonia vapours
Copper, a highly reactive metal with inherent antibacterial properties and the ability to develop a patina was choesn. The process started with the exploration of the effects of different compound solutions and combinations such as salt, vinegar, eggs(sulphur), and ammonia to assess patinization results. It was discovered that the most toxic patina produced the most vibrant color, which led to research for alternative ways to achieve similar levels of vibrant colors on copper without being harmful.
Techniques such as electro and salt etching were tested, but the application of heat at very high temperatures on copper revealed unimaginable bright colors. Through the process, it was discovered that by heating and cooling copper to different temperatures, it was possible to attain approximately 15 different shades and hues. It was fascinating to see that a process as simple as heating, which caused no harm to anyone, could give metal such vibrant colors without making the surface toxic. The colors achieved were beyond any commonly associated and naturally occurring with metals or copper.
Copper + Salt + hydrogen peroxide
Copper + hard boiled eggs
Copper + hard
is possible to achieve approximately 15 colours by flaming copper. Colour are obtained by heating and cooling of copper at varying temperatures. Butane is safe, non- toxic, clean burning fuel.
It is possible to achieve approximately 15 colours by flaming Colour are obtained by heating and cooling of copper at varying
copper plate (30mins)
It is possible to achieve Colour are obtained by Butane is safe, nonCopper plate
