SMRUTHI MOHAN
d e s i g n portfolio
Architecture as I understand it, is the art of narrating a story - an ancient practice of transmitting an experience. At the core of these experiences, are the things we have in common, familiar yet unique in vocabulary, values and beliefs, all of which is synthesized in language and craft. Architecture is a tale presented in the language of .tectonics. It is simple, yet sublime Architecture relies, as do all forms of ,human creation,on man's imagination mankind's past and a compelling urge to tell a story. It is this penchant to see a story in every stone that serves .as an endless source of inspiration
This portfolio is an investigation .of Architecture as a raconteur
01 Presence of Absence - A Crematorium Graduate thesis | Bettahalli quarry | Bengaluru
02 Youth Facilation Center IV semster | context studio | Gavipuram | Bengaluru
03 A place in the park - A Library Competetion entry | Hyde Park | London
04 Self sufficient housing for tribals Competition entry | Thrikaipetta | Kerala
05 A chair for the Biennale pavilion Competition entry | Fort Kochi | Kerala
06 Artwork pavilion for Cabral Yard | Kochi Biennale '16 - '17 Internship | Little River Architects | Bengaluru
07 Cube House, Bengaluru Internship | BetweenSpaces | Bengaluru
01
GRADUATE THESIS | VIII SEM
PRESENCE OF ABSENCE - A CREMATORIUM BETTAHALLI QUARRY | BENGALURU
PREMISE Architecture , through phenomenology, has the power to recreate or induce memory by engaging the body at the level of an individual. It also has the ability to establish visual and physical link with memory of the landscape and the manmade. But how can one experience emptiness.. Absence? To what extent will the sense of loss be emotional, physical or visual? Is it a building? ( end of journey) Is it a route , a sequence of places of significance? ( the journey itself) Or is it both?
The experience of death is one of sudden experience of complete loss. Death is more than simply the absence of life, it is the absence of the person, of all the characteristics that the deceased had with the living over life. The universality of death as a condition of life means that deadspaces exists across cultures and even transcends human creation. But, the justification of cremation grounds as an architectural entity in the urban scenario will always remain a big question. But, Why are these Cremation Grounds seen as ‘Blind Spots’ in the urban sprawl, the lost landscapes of the Indian Cities?. The near endemic state of dereliction in which we find most mausoleums across India mocks, with no restraint, the sense of reverence that we seem to attach to both Death and the Dead. While it would be sacrilegious and an affront to centuries of tradition and convention for me to suggest that we do away with such garish pageantry, it would, I believe fall well within the ambit of prudence to suggest that we at least strive to dedicate to the upkeep and maintenance of our mausoleums, a mite of the attention that we do to observing ceremonies.
IN THIS THESIS The project speculates the stigma of death as something that is sensorial and sublime. It explores how architecture can play a role in eliciting this intangible realm through the amplification of experiences. The idea presents the truth and the beauty of life, whether it is pleasant or not. It looks at life as something that is cyclically returned to the earth and eternally present within us through our sensory cues.
PHILOSOPHY OF DESIGN AND THEORETICAL BACKGROUND A place that embraces the moment and an empty shell, a shelter in a city environment ,reflecting on primary existential needs , it provides architectural silence to help release the burden of care , reflecting on biological needs, to provide a space to help release physical burden. The sheltering not only of the physical body but of the mind and soul, to soothe the fear for the unknown and the understanding of the experience called life. A place to filter the natural world through our mortal eyes. Maybe in vanity, we attempt to create order , out of what we are experi-encing as chaos.
SITE APPROPRIATION
BASE MAP
As canvases are to painters, sites are a fundamental aspect to architects. As breathing entities , they seem to grasp a whole unique language of their own. However, there is one aspect of .the site which seems to be overlooked THE UNRETRIEVABLE SITE– A DEAD GROUND, POLLUTED, ISOLATED, BATTERED AND BRUISED, THE SCARS OF A .CULTURAL WASTE The quarry is the perfect example of landscape as architecture. This is building not as a presence but as a void, where land is removed one block at a time. It’s a space with character . Its . mysterious What if One of the many quarries scattered upon land became more than just the scar of our industrial intentions. What if, the un-usual and spiritual nature of the half made, half nature reclaimed sites was put to good use in the form of a crematorium where a series of thresholds comfort mourners as they take steps towards the letting go of a loved one before ?ending the spiritual journey in the space of the quarry itself LOCATION: the site is an abandoned Quarry which once used .to be the highest point of Bangalore The site is approx. 6.25 acres with prominent east –west axis with 0.65 acres of water body . LANDUSE AND FAR: Residential FAR 2.25 with ground coverage of 45%
SUN
WIND
PHYSIOLOGY : It has a highly undulated terrain with a flat )trench (location chosen for the crematorium BUILTFORM AND SURROUNDING : The quarry which extends up to 50 acres is surrounded by low rise residential buildings of Bettahalli village. The buildings start disappearing as one moves into the site. A sense of privacy and seclusion is .achieved CIRCULATORY NETWORK : Sandeep Unnikrishnan road( New town main road) abuts the site connecting Jalahalli, Vidyaranyapura, and Ye-lahanka. and merge via a dirt road at .the entry point to the quarry
QUARRY
SITE EXTENTS
CONTOUR
WATER
CHARACTER
EARTH FILL
ELEMENTS ON THE SITE
SURROUNDINGS
CREMATORIUM
ROAD
GREENERY
CITY OF THE DEAD - CREMATORIUM The design objective is to treat the built environment like a public realm, while representing the nature of a crematorium. The challenge will be to marry spaces of constrasting nature in a general sense, yet bring out a homogeneous sync while designating every space, its sanctity. The intent is to overcome the negativity associated with death and mourning spaces. And also enhance a sense of nature acceptance of such built forms while attempting to elloquently navigate the changing role of religion in the modern socity by creating an environment that is secular in nature and open to all.
The crematorium is positioned on the site, away from the bustle of the city life. The trench being considerably constresting from life life on the street. It is yet another connection to an untouched natural environment. The crematorium is below the ground, this allows visitors to descend inti when entering and reappear at a complete different location on site while exiting. CITY OF THE LIVING - URBAN REALM The openness and expansive-ness of the view to the quarry provides a vista to the quarried landscape and beyond. This will result in creating roofscape at road level that would receive people and carve out rest of the programme underneath.
ORIENTATION | AXIS
RESTORATION OF QUARRY.
Two axes were chosen for the orientation of the strucures. One represent the linearity of the crematorium, the other being a formal , transitional route which guides the visitors through the facility.
As an act of giving back to the nature, a longer - term scheme of restoration through vegetation is employed. The bio ash from the ceremony is used to nurture these plants. It also serves as memory of the deceased. Over the years, trees will envelop the quarry trench resulting in an everchanging environ.
North - South is the axis for orientation of the ceremonial spaces due to the religious practices. East - West is the axis for the procession.
PUBLIC REALM It can act as green space for neighborhood and help in reducing the stigma attached with such spaces , without the hampering the sanctity of the place.
DESIGNING A JOURNEY "From one side to the other.. from life to death.. from pain to peace, A journey that begins with loss and ends with acceptance." Looking at the program of a crematorium, there is a clear association with procession. An articulate journey taking the the visitor from city to nature, grief to reconcillation, public to private, with the building sitting in the landscape as a threshold between states and redefining a connection between the city and this liminal space. The experience is of a sequence of poetic setting, articulated by light, texture and space, settings which appeal to commonly held experiences and which mark episodes on a journey - conceptually a journey through the quarry of which the building is a part of.
STAGE 1
TWO AXES - LIFE AND DEATH Carrying forward the idea of journey , the intervention comprised of two system, symbolic of life and death, one solid and heavy, the other light and transparent. The two systems create one coherent whole and ovelap each other representing the link between life and death. The journey and its sense of the progression becomes a metaphor for the whole project. this journey into the quarry is achieved through a ramp. The idea is to create a processional street that descends from the entrance entrance with the intention of leading the bereaved down into a "city of dead". After the completion of the ceremony, you eventually rejoin the path of everyday spaces and continue onwards, not looking back, but looking back, but looking forward with memories of those dear to you.
STAGE 2
LINEARITY AND BARRENNESS Bringing in order to the previous stage, linearity was introduced to the organisation. Why linearity? Personally, I view life as a linear progression from A (birth) to B (death), the inbetweenis what we refer to as life. Along the path , there are distractions that soften and sooth the movement towards death. These distractions translate into PAUSES in the journey to the incenerators. These pause points are of different character at different stages of the ritual. Despite the connection , each pause has its specificity due to its use.
STAGE 3
ARCHITECTURE OF EMPTINESS AND DISTORTION OF TIME Architecture has the ability to distort our perception, wrapping us in another dimension where time stops. Expectional architectural paradigms, like crematoria have this tremendous effect on our bodies. Penetrating our existence.. forcing us to slow down. Here, the linearity of the program is broken to give a sense of direction. There is an attempt to distort the sense of time by doing so. The journey down into the quarry is further emphasized in this stage. The changing effect of the light with the increasing enclosure, the forced perspective with narrowing passages. Similarly , a ritualistic path is created throughout the journey with a sequence of spaces articulated along a clearly defined route.
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
THE WORLD BELOW : CREMATORIUM
Entrance Administration Waiting area Reception Urn Collection room Office Toilets Entrance pavilion Memorial Park Ambulance drop off Ramp Shrine Staff Break room Morgue Ghats Congregation room Inceneration chamber Mechanical room Kitchen and Dining Library Waiting Pavilion Meditation pavilion Memorial garden
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 09 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
THE WORLD ABOVE
Entrance Administration Waiting area Reception Urn Collection room Office Toilets Entrance pavilion Memorial Park Memorial Park Memorial garden Office Congreration Halls Memorial walk Watch tower Staff residence Morgue Office
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Entrance Administration Waiting area Reception Urn Collection room Office Toilets Entrance pavilion Memorial Park Ambulance drop off Ramp Shrine Staff Break room Morgue Ghats Congregation room Inceneration chamber Mechanical room Kitchen and Dining Library Waiting Pavilion Meditation pavilion Memorial garden
THE WORLD BELOW : CREMATORIUM
trees above
trees
people water vegetation
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 09 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Entrance Administration Waiting area Reception Urn Collection room Office Toilets Entrance pavilion Memorial Park Memorial Park Memorial garden Office Congreration Halls Memorial walk Watch tower Staff residence Morgue Office
THE WORLD BELOW
01
EPISODES IN THE JOURNEY The ceremonial pathway unravels in the quarry. The funeral itself is divided into six chapters, including three main spaces; the pavilion on land, the crematorium, the memorial garden. The three spaces are linked together by an unbroken ceremonial route, which follows the slope of the land, merging into the water and back onto land; appearing and disappearing during the ceremony. The function, or the meaning of the space can also be continually altered and deciphered due to the identity of the participant and the differentiation of the time process.
1
02
04
03
05
06
EPISODE 01: THE CANOPY OF TREE TOPS
Idea for the crematorium is centered around becoming one with the path, enforcing the nature of architecture. A large overseeing canopy of trees is envisioned at the entrance. The perforations in the raised canopy finding their influence in the entrance and waiting area of crematorium. Light seems less ordered and formal gently lighting the scene, setting the tone of the architecture. It is this journey of the path, the visual interest and play of light in the perforated canopy that led to the first ideas for the crematorium.
The psychological shock and grief associated with the program, make the idea of a spatial itinerary or a journey, a vital issue. In the time of emotional distress, we need to coast, not decide. The site has many attributes when considering the aptness of the proposal for the scheme. Present is the idea of the cycle of life, where the beginning and the end are not defined in a linear way, but rather as a continuation of one another.
ENTRANCE PAVILION The entrance appears as small gap in the continuous outer wall, narrow and dark. The area behind it is, at first, hidden. This place, in the first few meters, puts into perspective the worldly knowledge of death. An old tree reaches the sun through a hole cut in the ceiling. The light coming through it washes over the visitors, as if welcoming them. The actual cremation site is still hidden from the mourners.
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
Entrance Administration Waiting area Reception Urn Collection room Office Toilets Entrance pavilion Memorial Park Ambulance drop off Ramp
EPISODE 02 : THE IMPRESSION OF BARK
The ramp takes you to the shrine, a gentle downward slope telling you that things are changing. The walls are cast in rugged manner, giving the building a connection to its surroundings. The harsh texture also constrast the tall clean shrine. A recessed handrail cast in to same concrete as the wall guide you while the light gently penetrates. As the wall guides you there is no direct outside.
RAMP A processional street that descends from the entrance, with the intention of leading the bereaved down into the landscape to a city of the dead. As you descend deeper into the contour, the pathway acts as a boundary wall for the crematorium on site, while simultaneously holding back the force the earth. It also acts as transition space, where quitening of the atmosphere of everyday life and keeping out the chaos of the city occurs. With the descent, the pallbearer’s job is extended in time, a difficult and elongated process, physical as well as emotional. This descent towards the shrine serves to emphasize the movement across the threshold from the outside into the sacred interior.
07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14
Toilets Entrance pavilion Memorial Park Ambulance drop off Ramp Shrine Staff Break room Morgue
12 13 14 15
Shrine Staff Break room Morgue Ghat
EPISODE 03 : THE UPLIFTING SKY The shrine creates a simple and sympathetic backdrop to the ceremony with a focus on the sky. It is aimed at guiding the view upwards, in response to what goes on there.Feeling even higher and brighter compared to the ramp that leads one to it. Every aspect of concrete material attempts to enrich what the building is trying to do further.
SHRINE There is shift of focus from the ramp walls to the entrance of the shrine. This shift marks the point at which we find earth as being the place of return. The thick, heavy, concrete on either side create a hard, reflective space. Light infiltrates the space through the opening in the top washing down the boundary wall guiding pallbearers through the momentarily light deprived pathway. Slight changes in the tilt of the wall give the procession a sense of depth of the space, where light hits these slight variations in the surface qualities. The sudden enclosure and the reflective qualities of the space serve to intensity the sound of the slow, heavy and pronounced footsteps of the pallbearers and its procession. The echo becomes aural means by which we become aware of the wall and its properties.
EPISODE 04 : THE SERENITY OF WATER Water is calming and enduring. This space immdiately follows the service, first through sound, then through sight, then as a guiding path, in an attempt to give an area for contemplation and reflection. Traces of those before you and the world around you are imprinted upon the building, creating a deep sense of oneness in this intervention reinforcing a world connection with the earth and things primitive. It is an open air space occupying a site sensitive to an existing route, merely becoming a temporary meander from that usual treaded path.
FIRST SIGHT OF THE QUARRY AND THE WATER The introduction of this natural element is to connect the interior space with its surroundings beyond the boundaries of the landings beyond the boundaries of the land—what we can see from the space, yet not directly experience in the space. Water is a universal landscape element which can bring life and has the strangest power to stimulate the imagination and to make us aware of life’s possibilities. The also induces lightness to the journey which until then is seemingly heavy.
EPISODE 05 : THE YOUTHFULNESS AND LIVELINESS OF WILDFLOWERS
A wildflower garden leads you through to the condolence halls. Water remains with you as a guiding line. Leading you forward and also giving life to the garden.The flowers remind you the life in the world, of moving on and remembering. Breaks in the beds show you the way . The garden is also the first shared space of the crematorium with the publicpath, allowing the visitors to return and pay their respects. CONDOLENCE HALLS From expansiveness experienced, the mourners then move towards the committal space through the play of light and shadow., the dead is carried. Amount of light which enters this space so that it is in sync with the physical expression of opening ourselves up during a service, doesn't assume the way in which we should act at this time, it rather enhances the act of something that we have already given the consent for doing. INCENRATORS To the left, the sound of heavy footsteps becomes apparent, announcing that the procession has begun. Visitors respond by turning to the left, and the responsive wall begins to subtly reconfigure in reaction to the sound of the pallbearers footsteps. However, as we move into the spaces of cremation, the need of the mourner changes in a way which becomes specific to each individual. Daylight filter through the circular opening on top, emphasizing the vertically and importance of the space demanded the change in geometry and treatment of the space.
07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Toilets Entrance pavilion Memorial Park Ambulance drop off Ramp Shrine Staff Break room Morgue Ghats Congregation room Inceneration chamber Mechanical room Kitchen and Dining Library Waiting Pavilion Meditation pavilion Memorial garden
EPISODE 06 : THE JOURNEY BEYOND After the cremation, a path leads the mourners to the pavilion behind the incinerators. Here, with a view of the water , family and friends gather to wait until they can receive the ashes of the deceased. Though the entire site appears permeable, it is especially around the pyres that one can sense the symbolic connection between the fire elements: the furnace stands for fire, the floor for earth, the holes in the ceiling letting in the air and are open to sky, and the lake represents water. THE NEW MEMORY A major part of death is the mysterious affect of not knowing what come after death. People desire to be remembered after death. These spaces become the shared memory of all involved, where you can find collective comfort. The spaces are carved in to the earth and have no immediate resonance with other things before, a way to create strong connected emotions. Here, the interaction between architecture and the ground ia only as much as needed to acheive a sense of connectionwith the earth. To gain its benefits without disrupting the environment to a large extent and also creating an alternate route through the park for use of the crematorium.
09 24 25 26 27
Memorial garden Office Congreration Halls Memorial walk Watch tower
02
CONTEXT STUDIO | IV SEMESTER
YOUTH FACILATION CENTER GAVIPURAM | BENGALURU
BRIEF A center that conducts vocational training to empower the neighborhood that can however be approached by anyone interested in being involved. OBJECTIVE To understand the meaning of context of built environment and to isolate the factors of the context which influence the design of the built enviroment. It is an attempt to define the nature of relation between built and un-built spaces and the need of using un-built spaces for programmatic needs. CONTEXT Gavipuram, a modest neighborhood, which once enjoyed royal patronage and was the the centre of socio-cultural activities in Pre-Historic Bengaluru, is now a forgotten piece of history for the present day Bengalorean. Closely knit traditional housing pattern, narrow lanes and historic structures the dot the area. An insert in this area had to appropriate for the residents of this neighborhood and something that would also benefit the community as a whole.
AXIAL CONNECT The site bears a historic and religious importance as there is a linear axis connecting the shrine within the site and the cave temple of Gavi Gangadhareshwara. Keeping the axis undisturbed, the spaces are designed along the axis with courts becoming the focal points, very similar to traditional Indian house.
RECONFIGURATION OF THE GROUND The
center
is laid out as a mat of pavilion-like structuresand open courts. it is not as a building, but as reconfiguration of levels on the site. The spatial quality invokes the image of an ordered village. Exposed Brickwork and the enigma of the ruin define the architecture.
POROSITY AND HIERARCHY The intent was to design the facility in an inclusive manner to the already existing activities of the site.. A layer a porosity is introduced to keep the axis energised across its plethora of activities and also to bear an outlook of curiosity.
ROOF PLAN
1 0
5 2
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
A
16 13
15
12
10 14 11
B 08
08 09
06
08 05
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Entrance Office Waiting area Manager's Cabin Registration Office Classroom Court Library Storage Toilet Shrine Garadi / Gynamasium Exhibition gallery Store Katte / Ritual platform
SECTION A
07 04 01 03
01
FIRST FLOOR PLAN
A
17
18
B
19
17 Workshop 18 Computer Center 19 Display gallery
SECTION B
STRUCTURE
SITE | LEVELS
06
terrace garden
05
roof
04
collapsible bamboo blinds
03
structure- exposed brick
ledge acts as seating during the day 02
exposed concrete walls
01
plinth with bare concrete flooring EXPLODED VIEW OF THE MODULE
03
COMPETITION ENTRY | MAR ' 17
A PLACE IN THE PARK HYDE PARK | LONDON
PREMISE London-literature’s labyrinth of ‘lost souls’ is one of the favorite settings for intellgentsia who have nurtured the city into the greatest hub of intellectual revolution. The city has a great reading culture among its residents, who like to drown into their books looking for some respite from the fast paced metropolitan life. BRIEF The aim of the competition was to erect a ‘Public Library in Hyde park’ that would promote reading culture among the general public and visitors. To create a 21st century ‘library in a park’ paradox that would incorporate the social factor in an anti-social built form like a library. It would further become a useful prototypical public resource and an architectural landmark within the park that would even attract non-readers to visit the place. The library would strive to become a zone in the park where people could gather, share, exchange and spread knowledge on a daily basis, thus promoting imagination and creativity, rationality and intellectual thought process. To create a landmark and a useful public resource for the people of the park. CONTEXT Hyde Park is one of the largest parks of London and one of its royal parks. Spread over an area of 325 acres, it is contiguous with Kensington gardens, being divided by the Serpentine and the Long water. It is one major attraction for the people of London who flock here every day to relax, have fun and savor the natural environment. The park is also a major venue for concerts, exhibitions and festivals.
PLACEMENT
ORDERING PRINCIPLE
The ideation process started off with by positioning the approximate footprint in different zones and configurations to analyze the impact of built on the park and people, and vice versa.
Taking into regard the preceeding analysis, the built was positioned towards the lake side, parallel to the existing path.Dimensions of the building were decided based a grid system consisting 3x3 grid, the final dimensionof the building being 12x93m
After the analysis a linear mass was positioned towards the lake side. it acts as a datum and a backdrop for the lake where the positioning of it is on the edge closer to the lake facilitating a closer visual of it from within the building.
Solid cores that formed the structural system for the building too are a multiple of the grid. Off the 12m, 3m on the rear side, is kept free for visual connect through and through. Another 3m strip (towards the lake side) is added as wooden and steel pods thar are connected to the built , which act as quiter private spaces such as individual cubicles or office spaces.
Foreground is larger hence taking a person longer time to analyze and understand the environment created. This creates an impactful visual of the building, Where the building more of an physical and visual thoroughfare rather than a barrier. The foreground acts as the plaza for varied activities.
Public restrooms (also following the grid (6x6m)) were placed on the periphery to cater to the needs of the park community.
DESIGN
The library molds itself as a simple, transparent skeleton that blends with its surroundings; it is a semi-porous insert of order within the natural chaos of the park. The intent is to bring about a shift from the conscious willingness to a subconscious act of accessing a library, not just by entering the building, but through the mere existence of the space. It takes its shape as a transparent portal to the park, through which the activities within the building are perceived, and not the building itself. This is achieved by positioning solid cores forming the structural system of building along its length, housing spaces that aid the functioning of the library. Being the only solid enclosures within the transparent skin of the building, they mimic the majestic trees of Hyde Park. Residue becomes the library, fluctuating with varying levels of visual porosity. Opportunistically exploiting the scenic beauty of the water and the park, the library is pushed to the rear, enabling the park community to across, also engage with the primary program. One has to tread between a series of mounds which subtly define the pathway to reach the building. This unimposing landmark becomes a backdrop for the activities of the park, constantly reminding the users, of the relationship between the park and the city.
ROOF PLAN
RESIDUE
I N T E G R AT I O N
INSERT
GRID
S PAT I A L T R A N S PA R E N C Y
CORES
CHARACTER
POROSITY
GROUND FLOOR PLAN 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15
Serpentine lake Entrance Lobby Serial desk Children's Library Office Napping area Pantry Restroom Informal seating Play area Outdoor Playarea Janitor's store Reception Desk Training/Hobby zone Storage
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Temporal Gallery Co-working space Court Meet,Work,Study Coffee Bar Serving Counter Souvenir Store Deck Moat Plaza Acquisition Section Information center Public Plaza Viewing Deck Landscaping Public Restrooms
41 42 43 44 45
Lounge PR Office Multi-PurposeHall Pantry Group workstation
FIRST FLOOR PLAN 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Individual workstation Waiting lounge Supervisor's office Conference area Survillence room Office Reference Library Copy Centre Digital Lab
08 Restrooms 13 Reception Desk 15 Storage
UPPER BASEMENT PLAN 46 47 48 49
Archival Gallery Exhibition space Counselling rooms Archival Section
57 58 13 15 24
Cafeteria Kitchen Reception Desk Storage Moat
LOWER BASEMENT PLAN 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
Cataloging section Office Main storage facility Workstation Breakroom Services Server room
08 Restroom 12 Janitor's store 15 Storage
S O U T H E L E VAT I O N
N O R T H E L E VAT I O N
CROSS SECTION
W E S T E L E VAT I O N
E A S T E L E VAT I O N
LONGITUDINAL SECTION
MODEL
EXPLODED AXONOMMETRIC
MEZZANINE ROOF COFFER
SKIN
LIBRARY FLOOR
STRUCTURAL CORES
PUBLIC FLOOR
MOUNDS
EXISTING VEGETATION
SITE
04
COMPETITION ENTRY | SEPTEMBER ' 16
SELF SUFFICIENT HOUSING FOR TRIBALS THRIKAIPETTA | KERALA
OBJECTIVE A house of 300 sq ft is to be designed with a budget of 1 50 000 INR under IAY scheme. The goal is to address the inevitable imitation of urban typologies in rural settlements. The tribals are leaning towards going through a similar cycle of unregulatrd, uncontrolled development like urban areas. The objective is to exhibit a self sufficient , sustainable development model. PREMISE Tribal communities embody the most original living identity of any given geographical area. Their way of living, culture, heritage, livelihood, economy and social practices gives a clear idea about ancient history of that region. But by very passing day, the tribal groups are strugglling hard to maintin their identity. This is because of several radical changes in the society. It is clear that there needs to be a radical change in designing houses for the tribal. CONTEXT The highland district of Wayanad in Northern Kerala was selected for the study. The district has the highest percentage of Adivasi in the state. Today, the district is the focal point of tribal struggle for land. The vast areas of forest lands which is described to be pristine and enchanting, has a history of Adivasi struggle for land against the "powerful" , which makes it an interesting study in the area of the housing.
People lack awareness, not in spatial organisation, but in optimizing the techniques of construction. The design attempts to two different solutions for optimization of the construction process, keeping the spatial organization of the unit constant , resulting in two different prototypes with respect to volumes, material usages and construction techniques.
PROTOTYPE 1 making modest alteration to existing techniques in terms of construction, material usage resonating the richness of the existing traditional architecture of the land. The design follows a standardized requirenment which can be varied endlessly to provide a rich and provocative statement about low cost housing. Extremely local in language, imitating the richness of the already existing, The unit gets shaped by the realities of the land. This is an attempt to create a good, safe, affordable shelter with local resources and to understand these people and to design further something out of their needs and emotions to address the hierarchy followed in the society through architecture and deisgn. Minor changes in material usage and techniques of laying the foundation ( cast in situ pad foundation) , biocrete walls , bamboo ladders as windows can result in major difference in the end product.
PRIVACY
POROSITY
A
5500 625
bath
2000
dry toilet
kitchen
living room
1500
1500
6150
400
3000 bedroom
bedroom
4450
1800
partition optional
lvl +200mm
2000
access to mezzanine
1100
820
lvl +450mm
lvl +250mm
300
B
1500
front court (communal space) outdoor kitchen
lvl +300mm
ELEVATION B
PLAN AT 1200 mm
ELEVATION A
MASSING
FRAMES
A
5500 325
600
600
510
510
510
510
510
450
640
1420
640
375
640
opening to access mezanine
mezzanine
740
split bamboo flooring lvl +3150mm
B
2175
4700 6880
PLAN AT 3200 mm
1 0
2
ELEVATION A
exposure roof- polycarbonate sheet
bamboo shingle roof with an bamboo mat / polythene sheet underlay(refer to roof details)
mezzanine lvl +3150
bamboo mat after lintel beam serving as ventilator throughout partition optional bamboo ladder as window frame and bamboo blinds as covering
bamboo louvres on top for release of soot and smoke in the kitchen
kitchen
SECTION A
lvl +450
bedroom lvl +450
bedroom lvl +450
lvl +450
ELEVATION B
exposure roof- polycarbonate sheet 60 mm dia bamboo rafter
t
bamboo shingle roof with an bamboo mat / polythene sheet underlay(refer to roof details) mezzanine lvl +3150
bamboo mat after lintel beam serving as ventilator throughout
top and bottom hung window biocrete composite wall (refer to detail)
bedroom lvl +450
SECTION B
living
bamboo post 80mm dia bamboo louvres lvl +450
lvl +450
refer to plinth details 0
1
2
80mm bamboo post anchored to precast (on site) concrete stumps
15mm bamboo lattice
poured and compacted earth in formwork plinthwith 64% laterite, 30%sand, 3% cement and 3% lime
bamboo armed concrete bond beam
PLINTH DETAIL
high level of translucen provide natural light fo
80 mm bamboo post sealed in biocrete wall( faced with slit bamboo) and connected to the lintel
bamboo shingles roof w polythene sheet underla 60mm dia bamboo fram
15mm bamboo lattice 60mm bamboo lintel beams
bamboo mat weave allo into the house parapet for mezzanine fl split bamboo( 20mm wid transverse beam door opening
LINTEL DETAIL lintel beam 60mm dia
support frame for biocre
biocrete infill ( lime, fibre composite, agri waste) it possesses hygroscopic and insulation properties and protects bamboo from wood borers.
cross bracing
30mm bamboo post sealed in biocrete acting as a frame for the bamboo wall bamboo and timber skeleton frame for the wall
bamboo ladder across fo
20mm split bamboo
refer to plinth detail
WALL DETAIL
precast concrete stump 510
DETAIL SECTION
nt resin roof to or the interior space
with bamboo mat/ ay me to receive the roof
ows light to penetrate
loor de) flooring
In a scenario where self construction is the rule, Architecture is a luxury, people all over the world are building their houses and will continue to do so. ROOF DETAIL This design solution is just an attempt to offer a modest improvement in construction and the use of local material, thus creating an opportunity for the community , as it awakens interest in harnesing local resource with local labour, causing low impact on the environment and improving the quality of life of the inhabitants.
ete -composite wall
or planting
FOUNDATION DETAIL
foundation
CONSTRUCTION DIAGRAM / ASSEMBLY
PROTOTYPE 2: MODULAR | INCREMATAL
The housing unit is designed with the focus on encouraging self help housing, which implies that the construction techniques used in this design are very simple and hence could be taken up by households all by themselves. One of the most common made bamboo product is the bamboo ladder. With the abundance of locally available bamboo and the commonly known skill of making bamboo ladders in the community. Ladders are selected as the most apt structural member for the housing unit. Like the structure of ancient dolmens, four bamboo ladders become the vertical members supporting two inclined bamboo ladders. Six ladders form a tie holding each other their places. This module is repeated at a distance and are held together with a cross bracing to a make housing units of varying sizes. This module in varying dimensions can be used to customize the housing unit to suit the occupant's needs.
kitchen
living
module 1
module 2
module 3
module 4
module 5
module 6
toilet
bath
bedroom
INCREMENTALITY AND MODULAR The arrangement of the modules decide the spaces within the housing unit. The gaps in the modules can either be filled with biocrete and split bamboo to make walls or become the opening. The house could be designed in phases to add rooms as ans when the household size and nicome grows. Since the walls are made of split bamboo and biocrete, it can be removed during extension without affecting the structural strength of the module. 0
2 1
bedroom
PLAN AT 1200 mm
MEZZANINE DETAILS
550 1450 300 300 900
900
900 300 600
Al roofing sheet Main member Ø 10 cm
600
MEZZANINE DETAILS
300
500
Horizontal Ladder Ø 10cm, Ø 5 cm
details of structural elements
1200
250 Supporting members Ø 10cm
300
500
Vertical Ladder
1100
625
Split bamboo 8cm wide
900
300 300 300 300 300 300 300
Split bamboo flooring 8cm wide
1500
Bolt Ø 1cm, 15 cm long Bamboo Dowel
Split Bamboo 8cm wide Supporting Membrane
Main member Ø 10 cm Ladder Tread Ø 5 cm
730
200 180 300
2400
Mezzanine member Ø 8 cm
Cement Fooring Gravel Bed Cement Footing
MODULE DETAILS
INCREMENTAL PLANS
kitchen
toilet
bath
bath
toilet
kitchen
kitchen
toilet
bath
living
bedroom
bedroom
living
living
bedroom
living
bedroom
bedroom
living
living
bedroom
porch
porch
bedroom
porch
STAGE 01
kitchen
STAGE 03
bath
toilet
bath
toilet
kitchen
kitchen
toilet
bath
living
bedroom
bedroom
living
living
bedroom
living
bedroom
bedroom
living
living
bedroom
porch
bedroom
porch
porch
bedroom
STAGE 02
STAGE 04
ALTERNATE PLANS
bath
toilet
bedroom
bedroom
kitchen
living
living
PLAN 01
kitchen
dining
bedroom
living
toilet
bath
bedroom
PLAN 02
bath
kitchen
bedroom
toilet living
PLAN 03
bedroom
05
COMPETITION ENTRY | NOVEMBER ' 16
A CHAIR FOR THE BIENNALE PAVILION FORT KOCHI | KERALA
BRIEF To Design & Fabricate a chair using parts of used wooden chairs. The challenge was to come up with a design that is creative and comfortable. The fabricated chairs would have to be structurally stable and durable.
renew: /rÉŞËˆnjuË?/ begin again after interruption. Give fresh life or strength to Replace something broken or worn out.
DESIGN The process began with accessing the stool and removal of severed parts resulting in letting go off the forelegs, decorative bracing all around. Two tapering members of Pine wood was selected to create a visual contrast of materials. The back rest member of the same material (pine wood) is in the form a segment of a circle completing the cut off part of the seat. This holds the two forelegs , coming together as one single element, seemingly.
EXISTING
PROPOSED
PROPOSED
325
390
EXISTING
291
390
20
460 441
35
19
390
30
289
30
12
12
PLAN
SIDE ELEVATION
283
13
13
85
297
537
629
365
23
15
174
13
313
325
18.9°
391
71
377
PLAN
37.0°
425 485
17.3°
13
377
SIDE ELEVATION
30
REAR ELEVATION
423
515
8.0°
121
28
319
484
FRONT ELEVATION
06
INTERNSHIP
LITTLE RIVER ARCHITECTS JUNE 2016 | DECEMBER 2016 PROJECTS WORK ON ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN | JANAPADA LOKA , SIRIBHUVANA FOLKLORE MUSEUM | BENGALURU project team : Ceejo Cyriac . Smruthi Mohan concept and design development | preparation of working drawings and sanction drawings | 3D model SPACE DESIGN | URU ART HARBOR | MATTANCHERRY , KOCHI project team : Anna Varghese . Smruthi Mohan | duration : 3 weeks concept and design development | preparation of working drawings and presentation drawings | 3D model SPACE DESIGN | ASPINWALL HOUSE , KOCHI BIENNALE 2016 -2017 | FORT KOCHI project team : Smruthi Mohan . Prajwal Matthad . Anna Varghese | duration : 2 months concept and design development | preparation of working drawings and presentation drawings | physical models | 3D model ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN | CABRAL YARD PAVILION , KOCHI BIENNALE 2016 -2017 | FORT KOCHI project team : Ceejo Cyriac . Smruthi Mohan | duration : 2 weeks concept and design development | preparation of working drawings and presentation drawings | 3D model BOOK DESIGN | DESIGN MATTERS, ANNUAL MASA EVENT | BENGALURU project team : Smruthi Mohan
MAY 2017 - JULY 2017 ART CURATION | FOUR SEASONS HOTEL | BENGALURU project team : Artist.Riyas Komu . Ceejo Cyriac . Smruthi Mohan identification of potential artworks and locations | preparation of drawings , presentation | 3D model
CABRAL YARD | ART PAVILION | KOCHI BIENNALE 2016-2017 (UNBUILT) BRIEF A pavilion to display children's artwork. CONTEXT The space taken over by thick foliage, is also site for a temporary theatre space that will feature performances and film screenings during Biennale.
DESIGN An umimposing structure that effortlessly merges with its surroundings. Architecture, here is meant to be insignificant. It never claims to be complete.It stay in flux and tries to efface itself. The Pavilion is a simple and almost invisible structure comprising of a visibly floating base and glass roof held by multiple slender MS flats . A glass surfaces that encase the structural supports become the display surface for the artworks, creating an apparent visual merger between the site and the artworks. The Pavilion is reduced to merely the essential elements of architecture.
VIEW OF THE PAVILION
ROOF MEMBER
DISPLAY SURFACE
STRUCTURAL MEMBER
|
|
|
GLASSS
GLASSS
MS FLATS
ANCHOR BOLTS
CONCRETE BASE
EXPLODED VIEW OF THE PAVILION
eq
eq
1000 eq eq
eq
eq
8 x 30 MS flat 12mm dia cut hole to receive transverse member
ROOF MEMBER 1850
PLAN AT 300 mm
75 x75 4mm thk base plate
eq
275
extrusion of bracing for overlap with horizontal member
8 x 30 MS plate
1000 230
1150
A
8 x 30 MS plate
eq
85 x 85 x 5mm groove in concrete
PLAN AT 1200 mm
bracing member 8 x 30 MS flat 8 x 30 MS flat
eq
eq
2400
DETAIL AT A
VERTICAL MEMBER
375
1425
612
ROOF PLAN
SECTION A
SECTION B
1 0
2
ROOF PLAN A
6000 610
5390 4659
600
600
600
600
600
370
600
1000
1429
3033
622
1617
1600
204
957
1429
1667
1800
3535
115
B
4661
955
PLAN AT 1200 mm
1 0
2
07
INTERNSHIP
BETWEENSPACES AUGUST 2015 | DECEMBER 2015 PROJECTS WORK ON INTERIOR DESIGN | ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE | BENGALURU project team : Shajil . Smruthi Mohan preparation of working drawings and tender drawings | 3D model ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN | CUBE HOUSE | BENGALURU project team : Shajil . Smruthi Mohan design development | site visits | preparation of working drawings and presentation drawings | 3D model | physical model MODEL MAKING | BETWEENSPACES RESIDENCE/OFFICE | BENGALURU project team : Smruthi Mohan | duration : 1 month a detactable model of scale 1:50 for the client HAND DRAFTING | PRESENTATION DRAWINGS | TWO PROJECTS project team : Smruthi Mohan | duration : 1 week ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY | BETWEENSPACES STUDIO | BENGALURU project team : Smruthi Mohan
CUBE HOUSE | BENGALURU DESIGN The 30’x40′ plot being in a layout which is sparsely populated with only a handful of residential buildings, security was a key issue. The house stands as a solid cuboid with minimum fenestration. The internal spaces comprising of 3 bedrooms , living, dining, parking, a study room and a home theater has been arranged around a central open to sky space. The complex weave of habitable spaces around a central staircase with the help of split level arrangement stands in contrast to the stoic exterior of the house. The south west side facing the road has a long cantilevered window bringing natural light to the master bedroom. The central skylight brings natural light and ventilation into the heart of the house.
KITCHEN LVL FLOOR PLAN PLAN AT +7'0"
GUEST BEDROOM LVL FLOOR PLAN PLAN AT +12'0"
MASTER BEDROOM LVL FLOOR PLAN PLAN AT +22'0"
STUDY LVL FLOOR PLAN PLAN AT +36'0"
SECTION AA
SECTION XX
smruthi mohan
| smruthi.sm@gmail.com | +91 895 10 33400