Architecture Portfolio Shreya Sharma 2020

SHREYA SHARMA

PORTFOLIO 2020

MASTER IN ADVANCED ECOLOGICAL BUILDINGS AND BIOCITIES INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE OF CATALONIA

Hello! My name is Shreya Sharma. I am a graduate from IAAC, Barcelona with a Master in Adavanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities.

I have a passion for ecological design and exploring advanced strategies to integrate sustainable methodologies in construction and design and to adapt the same principles in everyday life.

Aside from my curiosities in ecological design I constantly find places to explore different cultures and architecture around the world and an abundance of different landscapes.

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Tel-

+34 612 264 401 +91 805 49 24 503

Email- shreyasharma.arts@gmail.com Addr- 821, Sector-2, 134112, Panchkula, Haryana, India

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2015

2016

2018

{Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigarh} 2013-15// Studios: Architectural Design, Building Construction, Structural Systems & Design, History of Built Environment, Theory of Design, Building Services, Surveying & Mapping, Estimating & Costing, Building Climatology, Landscape Design, Building Bye-laws & Codes

Summer Studio

{Bartlett School of Architecture, London, UK} July 2016// The studio focused on rethinking and reinventing the work of pioneering inventors. I visualized a philosophical take on the work of Grace Hopper, re-imagining computers and focusing on the most powerful computing system, the human brain.

Architectural Intern {Ensamble Studio}

Aug 2016-Jan 17// During this six month internship I was involved in three projects for Ensamble Studio. Ensamble Place: Hands-on construction and documentation. Towers of Landscape: Prototypes for the work to be showcased at Chicago Biennial, 2017. WOHO Towers: Prototype for prefab panels for tower construction.

Bachelor of Architecture

{Chandigarh College of Architecture, Chandigarh}

2013-18// Studios: Architectural Design, Building Construction, Disaster Management, Art & Architecture, Interior Design, Professional Practice, Research Methodology, Service Control System & Building, Sustainable Architecture, Lighting Design, Architectural Thesis

Global Summer School, Chandigarh Edition

2019

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Bachelor of Building Science

{Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona} July 2018// The studio focused on developing strategies for application of Advanced Digital Design Strategies. Testing the combination of software and hardware to explore real-time data capture, energy generation, storage and reuse, material adaptability, real-time management of time-uses and citizen-space interaction.

Architectural Assistant {Cipher Lab, Chandigarh}

March-May 2019// Working on concepts and mood-boards for ongoing projects. Writing narratives for project concepts.

Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings and Biocities {Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Barcelona}

2019-20// Studios: Raw Nature, Thermodynamic Fabrications, Metabolic Structures, Proactive Envelopes, Ecosystemic Structures, Design Synthesis, Woodworking & Material Processing, Quarantine Cabin Seminars: Fabrication Techniques, Theory Readings, Making with Film, Advanced Digital Tools, Project Visualization, Prototyping

Skills

Competitions NASA Design Competition- HUDCO Trophy 2013-14 NASA Design Competition- ANDC Trophy 2014 NASA Design Competition- GSEN Trophy 2014-15 National Runners Up

NASA Design Competition- ANDC Trophy 2015 NASA Design Competition- Writing Architecture Trophy 2015 Paper on Revolution vs Re-evolution in Architecture

NASA Design Competition- GSEN Trophy 2015-16 National Runners Up

Rhinoceros 3D Grasshopper AutoCad ArchiCad Lumion Adobe Illustartor Adobe Photoshop Adobe InDesign Adobe Lightroom Laser-cutting 3D Printing Woodworking Hand Drafting

Reference

Reference

Reference

Guillermo Sevillano

Elena Orte

Michael Salka

Founder Architect SUMA

Founder Architect SUMA

Technical Coordinator of Valldaura Labs

Associate Professor DPA, ETSAM, UPM

Assistant Professor DPA, ETSAM, UPM

Professor Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings, IAAC

Professor Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings, IAAC

Academic Coordinator of the Master in Advanced Ecological Buildings & Biocities

Phone: +34 615 33 48 76

Phone: + 34 91 772 90 01

Phone: +34 655 509 867

gsevillano@sumaarquitectura.eu

eorte@sumaarquitectura.eu

michael.salka@iaac.net

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1.

THESIS 2018: HYBRID STRUCTURE

2.

CENTER FOR HUMAN INTERACTION: URBAN LAB

PG 9-20

3.

NATURAL PLAYGROUND: RAW NATURE PG 35-50

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PG 21-34

4.

ECO BUILDING: LOW DENSITY HOUSING PG 51-66

5.

QUARANTINE CABIN:

THE VOXEL

6.

ENSAMBLE STUDIO: ENSAMBLE PLACE

PG 67-86

7.

ENSAMBLE STUDIO: TOWERS OF LANDSCAPE PG 97-102

PG 89-96

8.

IAAC GSS: DIGITIZE

PG 105-112

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//ACADEMIC

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Bamboo

i-section

FURNITURE plan T H E

p r e f a b

S C H O O L

outdoor learning

music.dance.play

P L A Y G R O U N D

7.2M X 6M

P AN E L S

M U L T IP U R P O S E

C L A S R O O M

LO U VE R S

the ‘a’ R O O F

L I B R A R Y

CO LO R E D

THESIS 2018:

E L E V A T I O N

READ.WRITE.LEARN

HYBRID STRUCTURE

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BAMBOO-STEEL HYBRID STRUCTURE

FOR PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL, SUNI, INDIA // THESIS - CCA

CLIMATIC ANALYSIS -Average annual temperature is 22.2 ˚C. -Average temperatures vary during the year by 18.2 ˚C. -Precipitation of 1474 mm annually.

-Most precipitation falls in July, with an average of 424 mm.

VIEW OF SUNI VILLAGE FROM A HILL TOP

INTRODUCTION

LOCATION -Site l ocation, Suni in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh.

-Located on the banks o f river Sutlej.

-Population of 2591 in 2011.

-Village lies in a deep valley region.

T he thesis project focuses on designing a public high school for Suni village in the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh to promote education through design. By bringing the social practices rooted in the vernacular architecture and taking advantage of the natural affinity of students to be able to perform highly in rough terrains in response to the natural surroundings.

The project also focuses in parallel on developing a bamboo-steel hybrid construction technique that is responsive to the earthquake prone site that makes use of locally available materials as opposed to the modern practice of constructing unsuitable concrete buildings that are considered more “advanced” by the local population. This in turn aims at providing employment for locals while educating them on safe construction techniques.

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LOCAL ARCHITECTURE -Vernacular construction - Dhajji Dewari and Kath Kuni.

-Newer constructions - RCC .

-Unsafe for the seismic zone.

-Timber can b e easily replaced b y Bamboo.

-Bamboo i s cheaper due to increasing cultivation in the state.

GOVERNMENT SCHOOL RESIDENTIAL AREAS

SITE

RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREAS

SITE CONTEXT

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SITE CONTEXT The site is located in a valley near the Himalayan city of Shimla.

The village is on the banks of river Sutlej which makes for unique climatic conditions in the mountains. The site of the school is edged by the main arterial road of the village and is surrounded by mostly residential and some commercial buildings.

SITE ANALYSIS The site is oriented longitudinally North West- South East making the prevalent wind direction perpendicular to the site orientation.

The main access to the site is from the arterial road of the village which is also a state highway making it easily accessible and visible. The sparse usage of motor vehicles in the village resolves the issue of overcrowding.

The site allows for designated vehicular zones for the purpose of parking for faculty and dignitaries.

Existing vegetation on the site provides for opportunities for natural shading and passive cooling techniques.

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SUN AND WIND ORIENTATION Summer winds- NE to SW Winter winds- SW to NE

EXSISTING VEGETATION The site consists of a variety o f trees ranging from deciduous to evergreen.

MAIN ACCESS ROAD The State Highway 13 becomes the main approach road for the site.

VEHICULAR AND PEDESTRIAN ZONES The site is divided into t wo z ones and thus pedestrian zone is the maximum.

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SITE AREA : 6.59 ACRES (26,660 M2 ) BUILT UP AREA : 5,947 M2 GROUND COVERAGE : 3,456 M2

SCALE- 1:500

SECTION BB’ SCALE 1:50

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ARCHITECTURAL (SOCIAL) PLANNING The school is divided into two wings by the cricket/football ground. The separation ensures a controlled interaction between younger and older students for positive mental and physical well-being.

The wings are divided into clusters of classrooms with each cluster sharing a courtyard for two consecutive years. The classrooms are designed with full length pivoting windows that create a dynamic indoor-outdoor space which combined with the courtyards become a fluid outdoor learning space and opportunities for interaction between different classes.

The double storey classrooms have a short upper storey which acts as the activity area for the students to study, read and play indoors. This also acts as a buffer space to keep the lower floor warm during the colder moths.

The classrooms are fitted with operable shutter bamboo windows facing SE-NW for cross ventilation and shading for the summer months.

SECTION AA’ SCALE 1:50

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MATERIAL EVOLUTION Initially, Dhajji wall construction was to be used, which mostly uses Timber a s construction m aterial.

Because of scarcity o f timber i n the region, a lternate materials were l ooked upon, keeping t he framed structure same.

Bamboo is a very good alternative for timber n ow a d ays. A lso, bamboo cultivation has been started by the government in the region to replace timber. The only problem remains in t he f act that the species of bamboo found here is n ot t hat strong t o be u sed in multi level buildings.

Steel was considered f or the construction a s the framing system i nvolved in steel i s quite strong. But steel couldn’t be used exclusively because of h igh cost and high embodied energy.

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Hence, an amalgamation of steel and bamboo i s being u sed, w ith the steel bracing system. Bamboo provides with extra support to the structure w ithout g iving extra weight. Also, it cuts down the cost of steel usage.

FIRE BOARD It is a noncombustible core, composed primarily of gypsum and a paper surfacing on the face, back and long edges. It is durable, economical as well as versatile.

LOUVRES They have been used for natural light and ventlation to enter.

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CENTER FOR HUMAN INTERACTION: URBAN LAB

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CENTER FOR HUMAN INTERACTION: URBAN LAB SUKHNA LAKE, CHANDIGARH // NASA - CCA

URBAN LAB We interact with a number of people daily, whether consciously aware of the built environment or not. To initiate talks on an urban level, only a platform is needed to make people aware of such discussions. An urban lab is one such platform where people can initiate or participate in discussions and debates.

The idea of a center for human interaction in this project, lies in its invisibility. To achieve this goal we ask people to organize themselves through selfless and open collaborations, participate in public opinion and self-organize, forging a new culture of participation. The objective is to change the role of citizens from ‘being part of’ to ‘taking part in’ the most important collective process of their lives: the construction of their city.

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2010

‘‘

LET THIS BE A NEW TOWN, SYMBOLIC OF FREEDOM OF INDIA, UNFETTERED BY THE TRADITIONS OF THE PAST..... AN EXPRESSION OF THE NATION’S FAITH IN THE FUTURE

1990

’’

1970

1950

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NOMY ECO

NATURAL RESOURCES

CONSUMPTION

Although the link between the two given entities is strong but natural resources are not being replenished as much as they are being consumed.

Therefore a strong link , doesn’t necessarily denote a healthy link.

E N VIRO N M E N T

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A strong link between the two indicates that the population on an average is economically stable.

CULTURE

ECONOMY

A weak link between the two indicates that there is great potential for markets like clothing , art etc.

GREAT CITY Great city is a complex, hybrid space held together by different layers. It does not focus on adding new layers, rather its main agenda is to strengthen the existing ones.

On studying each of these layers in depth, an index, indigenous to each city can be fixed. These indices develop a network representing the urban fabric of the city. This leads to an inter-reliant network of all the different patterns and becomes an icon for the city. A fluid logo which each city updates with time, giving a platform to urban planners to analyze where the city needs to be worked on; by analyzing the strong, mild and weak links.

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bypassing

1950-Corbusian approach

nesting

1980-Post-corbusian approach

condescending

2010-Contemporary approach

proposed mutation 2010-symbiosis

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BUILDING ON THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE

CO-CREATION

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PRODUCT PRODUCT PRODUCT PRODUCT PRODUCT

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THE SITE Sukhna Lake, located in Sector-6 of Chandigarh, is a 3 sq km rain fed lake. Sukhna is an inseparable part of the city of Chandigarh. Le Corbusier had foreseen that the residents of the city would be drawn to it for the ‘care of the body and spirit’. It is the most popular attraction of Chandigarh for tourists as well as residents The lake has a unique character as one can witness direct interactions between locals and tourists and can get a glimpse of the city through varying perspectives. It is a socio-cultural hub where all kinds of people come together and have the potential to make it interactive. Being a deeply ingrained space in the urban sphere of the city residents, it is an ideal space for collaboration for divergent groups.

SITE PLAN MAIN ENTRANCE SCALE 1:2000

WATER BODY PROMENADE JOGGING TRACK PATHWAY BUILT AREA SEATING AREA SITE BOUNDARY AMUSEMENT RIDES GREEN SPACE

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RESIDENTS TOURISTS

TREES

SITE

GARDEN OF SILENCE

ACCESS POINTS

GARDEN

ROAD

AREA: 741.32 ACRES 1.75 ACRES SITE AREA : AVG DEPTH : 8 FEET MAX DEPTH : 16 FEET INFLUX : 800/DAY (APPROX.)

8 AM - 12 PM MORNING

4M 12 PM - 4 PM

4 PM - 8 PM EVENING

AFTERNOON

RESIDENTS

TOURISTS

25 M

REAR ENTRANCE SCALE 1:2000

SUKHNA LAKE PLAN SCALE 1:2500

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SITE CONTEXT The idea of a center for human interaction in this project, lies in its invisibility. To achieve this goal we ask people to organize themselves through selfless and open collaborations, participate in public opinion and self-organize, forging a new culture of participation. The objective is to change the role of citizens from ‘being part of’ to ‘taking part in’ the most important collective process of their lives: the construction of their city. This process would: • • • •

Raise awareness of important issues Generate ideas specific to each urban situation Engage with innovative sustainable designs Involving the city residents in urban planning, who are the real architects of the city • Create inter disciplinary knowledge platform for the cross polination of ideas within urban communities • To empower free interaction between innovators, residents, students and professionals

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TALKTHECITY.IN Talkthecity is an exploration of the 21st century social service offering a new model for how we make shared decisions about shared spaces. It tests the exciting potential of crowd-sourcing and open source engagement along with the practical realities of debating, governing, investing in and ultimately delivering the built environment.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN URBAN LAB

CNC

18 mm

01 talkthecity is an “open source construction kit.” It enables anyone with an Internet connection to access a shared library of structural designs.

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Users simply choose a design. By clicking a button marked, “Build your own lab” each of the parts that goes into that particular structure.

02

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Using a CNC machine, the parts can be “printed” from a standard sheet material such as plywood, metal etc.

04

All of the parts in the open source construction kit are numbered, and designed to minimize confusion.

wedges and pegs. Here’s another radi

using the open source technology. manufacture your own mallet!

START YOUR OWN

LAB

DO YOU WANT TO START A DISCUSSION TODAY? YES

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR WEBSITE?

DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA YET? NO

the website!

Be part of the nearest discussion.

NO

YES

YES

NO

DO YOU REQUIRE A PHYSICAL FRAMEWORK? NO

YES

A cup of coffee is enough to start a discussion!

ARE YOU AN ARCHITECT? NO

YES

Select a TEMPLATE of your choice.

Get hold of the MATERIALS of you like.

Almost there.

ASSEMBLE your framework.

Post your own template.

1 2

HELP OTHERS BUILD A LAB.

3

DO YOU WANT TO ADD YOUR OWN TOUCH TO IT? NO Don’t worry, there is beauty in simplicity!

YES Go ahead, customize it!

STUFF SPACE PLAN SERVICE STRUCTURE SKIN SITE

DO YOU WANT TO PITCH YOUR IDEA ON THE SITE? NO Okay, but do spread the word.

YES Crowd-sourcing can bring about a revolution.

YOU ARE DONE

05

ical idea: even

. Design and

06

Before the Industrial Revolution, barn-raisings were a common occurrence. Why shouldn’t family and friends be involved in the construction of a modern house?

A building’s panels are screwed into place. A small team can complete a house structure in about a day.

07

Mod cons might not be included on our site, but they can certainly be

08

include the likes of cladding, insulation and windows as well as other

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NATURAL PLAYGROUND:

RAW NATURE

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RAW NATURE: NATURAL PLAYGROUND Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola // MAEBB - IAAC

THE SITE EL Mirador de Collserola Park is a very central location for adventure and nature lovers, with breathtaking views of the city and the mountains. It is located at the end of tree hiking paths, and some excellent route for road and mountain bikers. We aimed with the natural structure to bring more families and kids to this beautiful place to reconnect with nature and take a break away from the city.

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PARC NATURAL DE LA SERRA DE COLLSEROLA

BARCELONA

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SIT E

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CHOOSING THE TREES Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola has a long-term forest management plan to reduce the amount of biomass in the park as a way of preventing fires and increasing the amount of biodiversity and the health of the forest. If biomass is reduced strategically in Valldaura, there is less risk of fires and gives other species the opportunity to thrive in the forest and a greater biodiversity of flora, which in turn increases the biodiversity of fauna.

The team learned about responsible forest management in order to select trees gradually meet the 40% reduction of biomass that the park requires. The team decided to cut pines as these are a colonizing species that have long out-competed other species in the forest, considering it essential to increase the biodiversity in the park.

The criteria for choosing the trees was their structural stability and branching aesthetics to provide more opportunity to create movements across the structure. This assisted us in choosing four trees out of which three were used for the final structure.

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PHOTOGRAMMETRY // DESIGN Once we had the trees chosen, the next step was to digitally scan the trees using low-tech methods to extract a 3D model to create an accurate approximation for the purpose of designing the playground.

For this purpose close to a hundred photos were taken of each tree from all possible angles from the ground before cutting and then horizontally after tree felling. To create the scans we used a software called Agisoft Metashape that performs photogrammetric processing of digital images and generates 3D spatial data from which a close approximation mesh was generated for the trees. Further refining with was done on 3D softwares to get a usable model for the design process.

Once the photogrammetry was complete we proceeded to design a structure with trees laid out horizontally and vertically making use of their natural structural shape to form the design. By forming an interlocking layout of trees we create a space for climbing ropes while the rest of the structure becomes a natural climbing structure assisted by ropes winding around branches.

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JOINERY Dealing and trying to connect natural wood is not an easy task because the wood is not tested to know what and how it is inside. We had to be as precise and careful dealing and testing ways to make successful joints. Finally we managed to come up with a great way of dealing with the natural wood and succeeded in applying safe and strong joints.

The joints request few steps in order to be assembled correctly. First, we started drilling down the big washer that would hold a bigger surface of the wood. Second, we took the center and we drilled the hole that the screw would go through.

Third, on the other side we needed to make another space for a washer, so we could put a spacer in between both of the woods. The spacer is used to give a measured space between the two peace’s of wood for safety reasons so kids don’t get stuck. The same methods were applied to the other trees.

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FINAL ASSEMBLY Transporting the whole structure to the site for preparation was quite a challenging task, which took into account not only the vehicle, but also the test assembly in the back yard and the final transportation.

Firstly, for the test assembly we used ropes, bricks and rocks to hold the trunks to ensure their position and to be able to disassemble easily. Then, for the site transportation we chose to move the vertical and large horizontal trunks first, as they still needed to be treated on-site. Finally, we transported all the small horizontal trunks to the site with help of a bobcat for the final assembly.

With the help of cranes, we transported the preprocessed tree trunks to the work site for final treatment. We continued to peel and paint some tree trunks on-site.

We first dug holes in the ground according to the size of the stone, drilled holes in the stone, placed threaded rods, and finally drilled holes in tree trunks and connected them with nuts.

We first placed the larger stones in v1 as the base, then put them into the trunk, then placed the smaller stones as further fixing, finally put the gravel to fill the gap, and used the machine to compress. So the trunks can be set upright in the pit.

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ECO BUILDING:

LOW DENSITY HOUSING

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ECO BUILDING: NATURAL PLAYGROUND ECOLOGICAL CITY BLOCK UTOPIA, BARCELONA// MAEBB - IAAC

INTRODUCTION When considering what makes an ecological building, it is useful to see its physical incarnation as a snapshot of a larger network of metabolic systems. The materials that compose the final product are the results of not only the raw materials and transformation processes that they undergo, but the assemblage of industrial regimes that produced those materials.

Our project focuses less on shifting the paradigm around the visual appearance of a building, opting instead for a fairly simple massing strategy. Instead, it is the way in which the materials are deployed that create a truly new dimension of design. The building is composed almost entirely of wood, utilizing massive timber CLT panels, glulam columns, and raw timber struts. Each element deploys a different wood species, attempting to show the diverse range of properties that the material can perform.

BUILDING DESIGN While we navigated through the design process, we made sure to document and maintain a running archive of each evolution of our model massing. We had some idea of a negative space our courtyard at the center from the beginning, which can be seen in step 1 above.

We also wanted to allow for street level access to the first level, which could serve as a semi private cafe terrace that is elevated above the street. In step 4, we started to incorporate the scale of apartments that we needed to provide, which informed us of how many levels we should have. Step 6 shows how we eventually wrapped these apartment units around the courtyard in a ‘mustache’ configuration.

Steps 7-9 detail how we refined this shape to conform to the spatial needs of circulation as well as balcony articulation.

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STRUCTURE The structure of this project is based on the material properties of the types of wood utilized within it. While the overall appearance and scheme changed many times throughout the design process, there was always an effort to address different structural needs with discreet material assemblies. The first floor was always intended to be open, public, and inviting to allow neighbors and city dwellers to occupy the space of the building.

To create this arcade of sorts, we established a foundational geometry to link all of the columns, creating horizontal deflection resistance in addition to the compression resistance that was already being generated and create a more simplified CLT ‘house of cards’ structure in the upper floors.

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ENVELOPE The envelope of the building creates a uniform exterior surface, performing several functions simultaneously. Structurally, the cantilevered balconies that make up the irregular shape of the facade get supported by the conituous wooden vertical strips. The strips also become thicker in the south facade, and thinner on the north, providing appropriate shade protection from the harsh Barcelona sun. Based on privacy needs, a pattern was generated to provide more or less visibility. The envelope also serves as a handrail attachment and armature for gutters that connect to the balcony planters.

The envelope was generated through a combination of manual assessment and grasshopper assisted design. First, each elevation of the building was placed on a grid with a corresponding number related to the amount of privacy each area needed. A simple scheme of wooden strips was then placed over the undulating facade, and then culled according to the value of privacy.

In previous iterations, the facade was composed of a layered system of different thicknesses of wooden slats that created a dynamic movement. Later versions combined this into a single layer to save materials.

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nally serves as a ttachment system nd planters.

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ENERGY CYCLE After conducting an exhaustive energy analysis, we came up with several strategies to offset the power usage of our building in an effort to waste as little energy as possible.

Most importantly, our Biomiler waste to energy system helps to drastically reduce the heating needs of the building during the wintertime by using a resource that is already produced naturally on site. The large amount of both human and food waste that the residents produce is usually budgeted into the water and energy usage of the building, and are a net loss in terms of how we manage to properly dispose of them. Instead, we can take those products that seem like waste and turn them into a source of energy. The heat produced during the exothermic chemical breakdown process is powerful, and when one considers just how much waste 300 people can produce, it starts to seem less like a wild eyed idea and more like an obvious solution to connect the material flows of the building back into one another. A waste problem becomes an energy solution.

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WATER CYCLE Water from the municipal tap is used in bathroom sinks, showers, WC and laundry, as well as the kitchen sink and dishwasher. Grey water from the bathroom sink and shower as well as laundry is collected and filtered organically with plants. The gray water from the WC and kitchen is sent to the municipal treatment plant.

Some gray water treated from the plants is used for the radiant floor heating system before being stored in the cistern which waters the garden beds. Rain water from the street is also filtered through plants and then stored in the irrigation cistern as well as the water collected through the rainwater gutter system is also stored in the cistern. Ultimately a very small amount of waste water is diverted into municipal treatment.

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FACADE DETAIL The facade is connected to the building with metal ‘L’ plates which extend outward and also hold planters that run throughout the edge of the floor.

These ‘L’ plates are screwed into the planters from one end and into the CLT floor slab on the other end. The facade fins which run continuously from top to bottom have attached the rainwater gutter pipes attached to them which also water the edge planters. The cantilevered balconies for different apartments are separated by bigger planters with lattices for climbers.

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BASE DETAIL The column on the ground floor is developed by splitting a column of a large size into multiple smaller columns. The columns have a concrete foundation and are bolted into the foundation with ‘T’ plates. The angled branches helped distribute the loads over a larger span while leaving the ground space free.

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QUARANTINE CABIN:

THE VOXEL

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QUARANTINE CABIN: THE VOXEL

Parc Natural de la Serra de Collserola // MAEBB - IAAC

THE VOXEL Given the pandemic of COVID-19, a large part of the world’s population underwent lock-down. Our routines have changed, and for some our homes became our workplace. The anxiety of the global health situation, the social isolation, and the confined spaces in which people live have been taking a toll on people’s mental health. Voxel functions as a quarantine cabin rethinking these challenges, while responding to the current environmental situation.

The Voxel aims at addressing isolation, mental health, and our environmental footprint. By following the tiny house movement, the house enables you to live a life adapted to your needs while reducing your environmental footprint. Tiny houses can be a more financial option, while providing the opportunity of simple-living.

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FOREST VALUE CHAIN

woodchips + sawdust

biomass power

wood waste will be used for producing clean energy

pine wood

CLT Panels Pine trees from Collserola Park each wood element of the project is fully traceable and for every tree cutted a new tree will be planted

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Voxel tiny house it will store Carbon for the period of its life

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Valldaura Labs on site manufacturing

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THE SITE Located in EL Mirador de Collserola Park is the Valldaura Labs campus of IAAC. Surrounded by forests on all sides there are various trails leading from the main building to the forest. The formal location for the prototype for the cabin is located at the beginning of one of these trails, south of the main building and next to the parking space.

The location was chosen as such to ensure enough separation from the main building to follow a due quarantine process for the residents while still remaining in close contact for the main building to perform auxiliary functions for the cabin.

The location also provides uninhibited views of the surrounding mountain ranges and a direct view of Montserrat, affording beautiful views of the sunrise and sunset. This ensures that the resident can spend the quarantine period in a calm and peaceful atmosphere surrounded by nature, enabling positive mental health in relative isolation.

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INTERIOR PLANS First Floor

SECTION

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INTERIOR PLANS Second Floor

SECTION

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THE INTERIOR The interior of the Voxel follows the basic concept of Fixed-Dynamic-Fluid which invites the adaptability of the space. One of the questions of the interior design process is the limitation of space. To avoid a dull space the interior space is designed to be a spiral form.

To reach the purpose of simplicity and flexibility, some wall panels are designed with a series of perforations.

With different prefabricated panels and dowels the user could design the wall system as per their requirements. Such panels are mostly placed in the main activity spaces The furniture elements in the interior consist of fixed as well as reconfigurable elements. The reconfiguration of elements is done using dowels to connect various wood panels to add or reduce the size of elements to be used as seating, table or storage. A fixed element is provided on the upper and lower level to fulfill the purpose of a sleeping space or a living space.

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RAINSCREEN CHARRED WOOD Shou Sugi Ban is a technique for making the wood water and insect resistant by burning it and treating with linseed oil.

The CLT panels are wrapped in a cork membrane for insulation that will allow the wood to breathe, but forbids moisture from entering.

The offcuts/waste wood from the processing of the Valldaura pine trees is placed in varying paramtetricized patterns to serve separate functions and form a rainscreen wrapped around the structure. Once these offcuts are mounted onto a frame, the framed structure is charred in the Shou Sugi Ban technique and the charred frames form the rainscreen facade.

This facade includes openings for entrance, window and an outdoor shower formed by three bigger pixels. The transition from rainscreen to more perforated screens is visible where there are openings. Corner windows are treated according to their direction. The lower corner is planned to cultivate plants therefore, it is more perforated compared to other panels.

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NORTH ELEVATION

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North

West

South

East

RAINSCREEN FACADE Rain screens are designed as separate framed units that are attached to the CLT panels individually. The first layer after CLT panel is the structure filled with 3 cm of cork to insulate the building. Water proofing membrane is a breathable element to protect the CLT from humidity while it allows it to breathe. The frames are supported on offcuts from the CLT trimmings as posts or on extruded pixel frames.

The pattern is optimized to provide varying levels of opacity depending on the functions behind, with more spacing for viewing experience and less spacing to hide and protect the various metabolic functions.

Extrusions in the facade add to the functionality of the skin, like space for the outdoor shower and roof ladder, and extends the interior space outwards.

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roof system 12 m2 rainwater collection surface 8 m2 green roof 4 m2 gravel rainwater filtration 4 m2 rainwater drain

black water/compost tank 600 L rainwater tank 250 L first flush diverter gas pillow container 500 L

Schematic Water Management

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hot water tank 30 L

grey water filter fertilizer tank 30 L potable water tank 600 L grey water tank 200 L

METABOLIC AND ROOF SYSTEM The proposed water management system optimizes the usage of water by filtering gray water and reusing it for the toilet. Using and maximizing the water capacity by using a smarter water rainwater collection and filtration system.

Water Drainage

The roof is defined by four box pixels that facilitate the capturing of rainwater. The drainage system directs the water from the highest pixel to the lowest pixel and the water is filtered through the rainwater pipe and is redirected to the water tank under the cabin.

Each of the roof box is divided into four parts for the planting of specific flowers that attract desired pollinators that are not currently abundant in the Collserola Park.

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ENERGY Regarding energy consumption we needed to incorporate sustainable considerations to all the stages of design through optimizing and reducing energy consumption in order to achieve a low impact self-sufficient building.

With a proper balance between passive design, efficiency, renewable source energy generation, good energy storage and a reasonable demand by the user, the building can respond properly to all its energy needs.

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Energy Generation

Electrical Circuit

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//PROFESSIONAL

// 88

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ENSAMBLE STUDIO:

ENSAMBLE PLACE

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ENSAMBLE STUDIO: ENSAMBLE PLACE Las Rozas, Madrid // Internship

ENSAMBLE PLACE Esamble Place is a project conceived by Ensamble Studio to serve as an office and intern residence in Las Rozas, Madrid. The aim of constructing Ensamble Place was to provide the employees a better working environment which feels light, airy and close to nature and take advantage of the studio’s multicultural environment by providing employees a place to work and live together to encourage the cultural exchange.

The project was developed and designed by Ensamble Studio and the construction was done in-house. The majority of the construction was undertaken by the interns employed by the studio under the supervision of senior staff members, providing an excellent platform for interns to get hands-on experience. As an intern I got firsthand experience of a construction site and the process of construction and was a part of bringing the structure to life.

The structure is located on a steep hill in suburban Madrid, so the building is constructed in various levels, making use of the natural slope to create a basement that is open. The higher vantage point also affords a beautiful view of the hills nearby.

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Construction Process

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Project Completion

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ENSAMBLE STUDIO:

TOWERS OF LANDSCAPE

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ENSAMBLE STUDIO: TOWERS OF LANDSCAPE Chicago Biennial, 2017 // Internship

STRUCTURES TOWERS OF LANDSCAPE The Towers of Landscaped was first developed for the Chicago Biennial for which I was a part of the team but was later showcased in the Orléans Architecture Biennial, France, 2017, developed as an extension of the previously showcased Structures of Landscape.

Structures of Landscape (Tippet Rise Art Center, 2015) as was first envisioned, emerge from and resonate with the landscape where they are sited, they become embedded in their larger systems and constellations of elements, that provide context and meaning.

This research keeps us wondering whether it is possible to partially dislocate such experience and operate in the city with some of the lessons learnt, as a counter-movement where “nature” can be newly built to invade some of the spaces reserved for efficient industrialized structures, where the natural and the artificial blur and architecture is allowed to refer to the space of the mountains, the canyons, the cliffs and the caves; as the starting point of a new research: Towers of Landscape.

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IAAC GSS: DIGITIZE

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IAAC GSS: DIGITIZE

Chandigarh, India Node // Global Summer School

FACADE DIGITIZATION OF SMART CITIES The field of dynamic facades is growing rapidly due to the requirement for better environmental performance of buildings, and the recent rise of computational tools as well as open programmability of electronics for framework control. Dynamic facades have the potential to add to the architectural expression of a building by visualizing the changeable aspects of the environment. Since the building envelope , or facade, is in essence the public face of a building, and has therefore a large impact on the perception of the building, thus from an energetic perspective, a shape shifting envelope acts as an even more optimized buffer or mediator between the interior and the exterior environment.

In the studio we visualized a facade system that responds to stimuli on multiple levels in an urban context resulting in better environmental performance and adding an element in the socio-cultural fabric of the city.

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THE ORIGAMI FAN The facade system uses a basic origami fan as an opening and closing mechanism for the facade. The fans are supported by a sub-structure that supports the motion of the fan. The entire fan system is attached to a servo motor that enables the mechanical rotation and has a motion and light sensor attached which acts as the stimuli.

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THE STIMULI The facade system works on two stimuli, that of motion and light.

The individual fans of the facade open upon sensing the motion of individuals walking by and open up completely to reveal an artwork behind. The fans also change position during the entire day in response to sunlight providing more or less shade

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