Sneha Mandhan Design Portfolio
Planning Urban Design Landscape Design Architecture
portfolio - table of contents 1.
Designing Indian Streets as Social Public Spaces – Contextual design and planning in Bangalore Masters Thesis, MIT
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Salton Sea Eco-Research Institute and Bird Sancturary, California Urban Design Studio, MIT
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Baltimore Inversions: Spectacular Productivity, Maryland Urban Design Studio, MIT
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The Community Backyard Project, Bogota, Colombia Workshop, MIT
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A Vision and Plan for the Union Square Gateway, Somerville, Massachusetts Practicum, MIT
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Braj Gopika Dham Master Plan, Tangi, Orissa Integrated Design
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Residential Township at Palsana, Surat, Gujarat Integrated Design
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Urban Design and Planning of the Existing BITS Campus, Pilani, Rajasthan Integrated Design
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International Competition for Urban Design and Harmony of Ramses Square, Cairo, Egypt Anangpur Building Center
10. %JCPIKPI %QWTUG %QORGVKVKQP 2JCUG ++ EQPĆ’FGPVKCN Louisiana Sasaki Associates 11. Development Study and Proposal for Extension of Bangalore city into the Kempegowda Layout, Bangalore, Karnataka Integrated Design 12. 7TDCP &GUKIP CPF 6TCHĆ’E 5VWF[ CPF 2TQRQUCN HQT VJG 1NF Delhi Railway Station Precinct, Delhi Anangpur Building Center
Designing Indian Streets as Social Public Spaces – Contextual design and planning in Bangalore Masters Thesis, MIT
Streets in India have traditionally been the public spaces around which social life has revolved. They constitute the urban public realm where people congregate, celebrate and interact. The hypothesis that forms the basis of this thesis is that there is a need to understand and design these urban streets as living corridors through which one perceives and understands the city, and the places where one has daily social encounters. Using Bangalore as a case study, this thesis analyzes spatial and social forces that shape street experience and culture at the scale of the city, the locality, and the street itself. By performing a reconnaissance study and an analysis of the street RCVVGTPU KP Ć’HVGGP NQECNKVKGU YKVJKP VJG EKV[ CNQPI with a detailed spatial analysis and interpretation of four different types of streets, the thesis sheds new light on the social life of different types of streets, and suggest ways in which the stimuli for these social lives can be understood and used to formulate design guidelines for streets in Indian cities that are currently undergoing similar transitions in their development. Through this process, the thesis proposes a method to identify urban typologies that relate to the physical and social conditions that occupy the city, along with a set of criteria that can be used to assess, plan and design streets that are more contextual in nature.
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Shivaji Nagar
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Basavangudi
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Jayanagar
Koramangala
Whitefield
Salton Sea Eco-Research Institute and Bird Sancturary, California Urban Design Studio, MIT
The Salton Sea in California is an environmental anamoly caused by an accident. However, over the period of the past 100 years, it has come to become an essential stoppage point for large RQRWNCVKQPU QH DKTFU QH VJG 2CEKĆ’E (N[YC[ FWTKPI their migration cycles. Being a terminal lake, it is an indispensible habitat providing food and shelter for the birds during the winter season. Currently, these birds inhabit small pockets around the sea, with maximum concentration along the southern edge, followed by the northern edge. In order to ensure that development around the sea does not interfere with the bird habitats, this project proposes to concentrate the bird population in the Salton Sea region into one designed habitat that will provide for the needs of all birds seasonally.
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Due to the anomalous nature of the Sea, it has been a major site of interest for ecological and environmental research. Millions of dollars have been spent on studying the Sea and its surrounding areas. This project proposes to develop a university town on the southern edge of the sea which can consist of several scales of research facilities for CXKCP UVWFKGU IGQNQI[ CPF QVJGT TGNCVGF ƒGNFU The process of this studio, taught by Alexander D’Hooghe and Alan Berger, included an intensive research phase on the various facets of the lake including tourism, ecology, industry, and the urban form in the surrounding communities. That was followed by a site visit which yielded design ideas that were developed throughout the rest of the semester.
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Baltimore Inversions: Spectacular Productivity, Maryland Urban Design Studio, MIT
Sneha Mandhan, Michael Waldrep
6JG FGUKIP UVWFKQ CKOGF VQ EQPHTQPV VJG URGEKƒE needs of the site, located in Baltimore, a legacy city KP VJG 75 6JG UKVG KU C DTQYPƒGNF UKVG QYPGF D[ C major energy company, located within the Canton industrial part of the city, close to the Baltimore port. The studio, taught by Brent Ryan, included a research phase, and a site visit, followed by a design phase. This project aimed to understand the former TGƒPGT[ UKVG CU UQOGVJKPI VJCV ECP DG QH WUG to Baltimore. The oil industry’s legacy will take decades to remove. Proposed programs - derived from research and experiences in Baltimore addressed the needs of the city and the region. A hybrid program was developed, built around the paired ideals of spectacle and productivity. The four site parcels were separated by busy roads and railroad trucks, understood individually rather than as a whole. The spectacle programs were positioned in the north-west, near the tourist axis along the waterfront and pedestrian Canton, while the productive programs were situated to the southeast. A National Museum of American Industry was linked by elevated, view granting pedestrian bridges over Boston street to the Museum of Baltimore Homes, a collection of the transported, reconstructed, and preserved exemplars of the city’s unique housing stock. Unifying the parcels into QPG UKVG YGTG FQ\GPU QH CTVKƒEKCN RQPFU HQT TCKUKPI Maryland Blue Crabs, as a cultural touchstone for the Chesapeake Bay region.
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BALTIMORE MUSEUM OF HOMES
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PRODUCTIVE PUBLIC LANDSCAPE PRODUCTIVE LANDSCAPE FOR EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM OF INDUSTRY
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INDUSTRIAL CRAB FARM
The Community Backyard Project, Bogota, Colombia Workshop, MIT
Sneha Mandhan, Laura Schmitz
This design workshop. taught by Jota Samper and Oscar Grauer, was a unique learning experience into public spaces in conflict areas within cities. The workshop included a site visit and on-site design charrette with students from multiple universities in Bogota, Colombia. This was followed by an intense research phase and development of proposals that not only catered to physical design parameters but also looked into providing community buy-in and social programming. The site, Bogota’s Parque Tercer Milenio currently suffers from opacity of edges within the park, insecurity and inactivity. Most importantly, the park is owned by no one. Due to the absence of a public institution in or directly adjacent to the park, it has not been adopted by an institutional body or a community. This has allowed it to fall into a state of disrepair. The re-designed park created potential JGCNVJ UQEKCN GEQPQOKE CPF GEQNQIKECN DGPGƒVU HQT the neighborhood through the processes of farming, community organization, education, community engagement, recreation and retail. Since there are a multitude of public institutions in the surrounding area including churches, libraries, government institutions and retail, around the site, the establishment of a new kind of institution, a community garden, was suggested in this project. The proposal included an in-depth strategy for the site’s physical design and implementation, and a social integration process through community gardening. The gardening process was managed through two parallel systems: a Non-Governmental Organization for collective farming on large plots of land, and a San Bernando Neighborhood Initiative for farming on individual plots of land rented out by the communities surrounding the park.
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The Community Backyard Project, Bogota, Colombia Workshop, MIT
Sneha Mandhan, Laura Schmitz
The garden plots form the larger fabric of the landscape in the park. composed of a multitude of systems working together over time. Irrigation, compositing, edges, gardens, pathways and markets, all form layers of varying permanence which support each other and are built and expanded as time and demand increases. Activity spaces and social public spaces are interspersed throughout the park. The flow of pedestrians on to the site and connectivity with the neighboring communities increases through extension of the edges and corners into surrounding streets. Daylighting of an existing canal results in the formation of a new natural edge along the south-west edge of the site. An extension of the San Bernando neighborhood up to the canal brings the urban fabric into the existing site boundaries.
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A Vision and Plan for the Union Square Gateway, Somerville, Massachusetts Practicum, MIT
Sneha Mandhan, Gary Chan, Andrew Cook, Zachary Gerson-Nieder, Talia Kaufmann, Jonah Rogoff, Farrah Sabouni, Ruth Sappelt, Yuqi Wang, Qianqian Zhang
A Vision and Plan for the Union Square Gateway aimed to inform future growth in the Union Square Gateway study area in Somerville, Massachusetts. This plan provided an understanding of the historical and contemporary neighborhood setting, offered UJQTV CPF NQPI VGTO EQPVGZV URGEKĆ’E RTQRQUCNU and suggested appropriate implementation strategies. The upcoming MBTA Green Line extension and partial de-elevation of Route 28/McGrath Highway has brought increased attention to this area of the city. This plan is based on both the 2012 SomerVision Comprehensive Plan and 2012 Union quare Revitalization Plan, as well as additional examination of the study area. This plan focused on green infrastructure, a diverse mix of commercial and residential development through both new and repurposed buildings, and increased pedestrian and cyclist accessibility. Overall, it offered a proactive strategy for future land use, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization that could meet the needs of Union 5SWCTG TGUKFGPVU CPF DGPGĆ’V 5QOGTXKNNG CPF VJG region at large. Multiple site visits and collaboration with the communties living in the area yielded a design zoning for the area which helped develop design guidelines and zoning regulations that aligned YKVJ VJG NQPI VGTO XKUKQP QH VJG CTGC 5RGEKĆ’E zoning overlays were created for a Transit Oriented Development near the proposed train station.
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A Vision and Plan for the Union Square Gateway, Somerville, Massachusetts Practicum, MIT
Sneha Mandhan, Gary Chan, Andrew Cook, Zachary Gerson-Nieder, Talia Kaufmann, Jonah Rogoff, Farrah Sabouni, Ruth Sappelt, Yuqi Wang, Qianqian Zhang
Through the semester, the class, taught by Terry Szold and Susan Silberberg, worked with city QHĆ’EKCNU VQ WPFGTUVCPF VJG UVWF[ CTGC CU YGNN CU host a series of community engagement events which yielded public feedback that was extremely valuable throughout the design process. The three major parts of the plan were the design, which included creating an identity for the neighborhood through streetscape improvements, public realm improvements and design of an open space PGVYQTM RNCPPKPI YJKEJ KPENWFGF Ć’PFKPI HWPFKPI sources, engaging the community through the process, and aligning the vision of the city with that of the community; and implementation, which included an in-depth analysis of current land-use and zoning and proposing new zoning to align with the proposed vision.
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26% 14%
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SUB-AREA A
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The Green Gateway
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27%
41%
Boynton Yards
SUB-AREA C
The Community Center
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25% 19% 30% 30%
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71%
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SUB-AREA E
SUB-AREA D
New Industry
The Central Gateway
SUB-AREA F
Twin City
Legend
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Residential
Mixed Use
Commercial
Civic/Institutional
Light Industry
Parking
Open Space
Braj Gopika Dham Master Plan, Tangi, Orissa Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Rahul Paul, Preetanshi Singh
The scope of the project included planning for landscape, environmental and infrastructure for the 26 acre site to be developed within 10 to 20 years as and when funds are available. It was essential that the campus was planned with due importance given to the cultural and religious values of the Braj Gopika Seva Mission and to ensure that their principles are represented in the design and planning of the campus and its facilities.
Satsang/Katha Space with adjoining open maidan
Organic farmlands
The central court
Entrance court
It was also essential to ensure that the design of the master plan was sustainable and provided for low maintenance, productive landscapes which would serve the inmates and provide maximum UGNH UWHĆ’GPE[ VQ VJG ECORWU A detailed analysis of the topography and drainage of the land was carried out and accordingly the master plan for the campus was prepared. Following the master planning stage, a detailed landscape design was done for the open spaces. Sustainable parameters were drawn up for the planning and FGUKIP YJKEJ GPUWTGF VJCV UGNH UWHĆ’EKGPE[ YCU achieved to the maximum extent possible.
Thematic gardens depicting a particular philosophy or mythology of Radha-Krishna
temple court Orchards around Radha kund
the
Retreat huts for Deviji and Swamiji approached through picturesque trail around the lake
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Courts for interaction within the clusters
Braj Gopika Dham Master Plan, Tangi, Orissa Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Rahul Paul, Preetanshi Singh
Open spaces like the temple complex, the wetlands, the lake and the kinds were treated specially to ensure that the spaces around them were given a URGEKĆ’E HWPEVKQPCN EWNVWTCN CPF URCVKCN EJCTCEVGT while ensuring that the natural systems on site were not disturbed. The public spaces like pathways, plazas and other interaction spaces are treated especially to provide varying degrees of physical and visual access using landscape elements.
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Residential Township at Palsana, Surat, Gujarat Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Rahul Paul
The scope of the project included all scales of development including master planning, cluster development and design of built and open spaces of a residential township on the banks of the Mindhola river near Surat in Gujarat. The township included primarily holiday homes and modern and recreational amenities like a hotel, clubhouse, spa, restaurants etc. The process of design was carried out at three scalar levels - master plan level, cluster level and housing unit level. While these three stages involved independent working, it was important to also ensure that the design processes of all three scales was intertwined to produce a congruous holistic design. The master planning involved identifying and mapping the ecologically sensitive greeninfrastructure areas including the riparian edge, steep ravine edges, valleys and wetlands. A detailed analysis of the path of the river and the slopes and elevations of the river edge at various points was carried out. Following this, the natural topography and drainage of the site was studied and accordingly the circulation network for the site was mapped. The zoning was done based on the green infrastructure and mobility network laid out.
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Residential Township at Palsana, Surat, Gujarat Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Rahul Paul
To improve the social, cultural and spatial experience of the development, housing clusters were planned with large and small open spaces in each cluster. Experiential landscape design was done for all open spaces within and between clusters. Other large open spaces on site like the entry plaza, the riverfront area and other areas that were independent of the residential areas were designed URGEKĆ’ECNN[ VQ ETGCVG C UGTKGU QH GZRGTKGPEGU through the spaces.
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Urban Design and Planning of the Existing BITS Campus, Pilani, Rajasthan Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Rahul Paul, Anna Viegas
The scope of the project included the conservation CPF TGVTQĆ’VVKPI QH WTDCP FGUKIP CPF OCUVGT RNCPPKPI solutions for the extension of the existing campus of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science at Pilani in Rajasthan. The challenges included limitations due to the pre-existence of buildings, extreme temperature variations between summer and winter, low rainfall and co-existence of various urban design typologies within the same campus. The campus was divided into a number of zones. A detailed study and analysis was carried out of the insolation, water harvesting opportunities, urban design typologies, spatial interfaces, open space structure and vegetation of the various zones of the campus. The study revealed the presence of multiple kinds of urban design typologies and spatial interfaces juxtaposed with each other on site, which provided multiple challenges as well CU QRRQTVWPKVKGU HQT C EWUVQO OCFG TGVTQĆ’V WTDCP design solution. Based on the inferences drawn from these studies, a master plan was proposed which was respectful of the pre-existing buildings and heritage of the institute but also introduced a fresh experiential quality to the unbuilt spaces on the campus. A network of urban spaces working in close collaboration with the built form were developed after careful consideration of the existing open space character in the remaining campus. Key CTGCU YGTG KFGPVKĆ’GF CPF FGUKIPGF YKVJ C OKZ QH hardscape, softscape and landscape elements which combined to impart difference experiential qualities to the open spaces on site.
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Urban Design and Planning of the Existing BITS Campus, Pilani, Rajasthan Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Rahul Paul, Anna Viegas
A set of sustainability parameters was drawn up for the campus to ensure that the ecological footprint of the campus was reduced as much as possible. Parameters for sustainable development were developed under the categories of thermal comfort, water, energy and environmental management. Located in the desert region of Rajasthan, it was essential that the use of passive design features to minimize dependency on external sources for thermal comfort, energy and water, was optimized. A system of various passive design features were KFGPVKĆ’GF CPF KPEQTRQTCVGF KPVQ VJG OCUVGT RNCP and architecture. Three categories of measures VQ DG VCMGP YGTG KFGPVKĆ’GF 4GVTQĆ’VVKPI FGUKIP interventions and policy level interventions.
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International Competition for Urban Design and Harmony of Ramses Square, Cairo, Egypt Anangpur Building Center
Sneha Mandhan, Anil Laul, Neha Rastogi, Aman Xaxa, Mohit Agrawal, Tanya Pahwa, Akash Bakshi
The competition aimed at producing solutions to VJG VTCHƒE RTQDNGOU QH VJG EKV[ QH %CKTQ KP 'I[RV The solution proposed was a series of Rotary Mode Separators planned at major intersections. The Light Motor Vehicles and Heavy Motor Vehicles were separated by creating underground CPF QXGTJGCF VTCHƒE EQTTKFQTU 6JKU CNNQYGF HQT extension of the pedestrian zone on the ground level and resulted in the creation of various large open spaces which were designed and landscaped to serve as thriving centers for public interaction. The landscape design was reflective of the architecture of the region. 6TCHƒE XQNWOGU CPF OQXGOGPVU VJTQWIJ OCLQT routes and intersections throughout the city were studied. Accordingly Rotary Mode Separators of various sizes, shapes and capacities were planned and designed. The central spaces were planned as urban plazas which would serve as an interactive network through the city and could be used for temporary markets, fairs and concerts.
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7TDCP &GUKIP CPF 6TCHĆ“E 5VWF[ CPF 2TQRQUCN HQT VJG 1NF &GNJK Railway Station Precinct, Delhi Anangpur Building Center
Sneha Mandhan, Anil Laul, Neha Rastogi, Tanya Pahwa, Akash Bakshi
In the area around the Old Delhi Railway Station, the VTCHƒE QH RGFGUVTKCPU RGTUQPCN CPF RWDNKE XGJKENGU as well as the movement of goods, has been a long standing issue. A detailed analysis was carried out which led to a proposal for the urban renewal of the TCKNYC[ UVCVKQP CTGC CPF C VTCHƒE UQNWVKQP HQT VJG same. Careful analysis of the frequency, density and movement of the thela-waalas (cart-pullers), pedestrians, cycle rickshaws, Light Motor Vehicles, and Heavy Motor Vehicles. After an understanding of the various circulation patterns observed in and around the station, a proposal was developed for the phase wise development of the Queen’s park - an open area in front of the railway station CU CP WTDCP USWCTG +P QTFGT VQ TGUQNXG VJG VTCHƒE problem, options of both underground and elevated roadways were proposed for vehicular movement in order to open up the ground level for movement of pedestrians, thela-waalas and cycle rickshaws. The process included several site visits, meeting with town planners working in the area as well as the Town Planner incharge of this project.
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Development Study for Extension of Bangalore city into the Kempegowda Layout, Bangalore, Karnataka Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Berengere Mercier, Rahul Paul, Anna Viegas, Maithily Velangi, Toshi Singh
The proposed Kempegowda layout on the outskirts of the city of Bangalore was adopted for a development study and proposal for extension of the city. Bheemanakuppe, a smaller segment of the proposed Kempegowda layout, was studied in detail - the topography, rain water drainage, watershed regions, natural valleys, and green infrastructure corridors were identified. A detailed analysis of the land productivity in terms of food, water, air conditions, carbon emissions, carbon sequestration, livelihood and waste was done for the estimated population of the proposed layout. Accordingly,W a development plan was chalked out to maximize productivity of the land available. Similar settlements - Nagarbhavi and Malathahalli - in terms of land topography and population on the outskirts of Bangalore were adopted for a detailed study of the village transformation as well as an analysis of the built character of the settlement. A comparison of the various types of existing and possible density distributions, built distributions, run-off, and spatial organization was done. On the basis of these, inferences were drawn and used for the development of the layout plan for the Bheemanakuppe layout.
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Development Study for Extension of Bangalore city into the Kempegowda Layout, Bangalore, Karnataka Integrated Design
Sneha Mandhan, Mohan Rao, Berengere Mercier, Rahul Paul, Anna Viegas, Maithily Velangi, Toshi Singh
As per the inferences drawn from the land and drainage analysis, the case study of Nagarbhavi, and the land productivity analysis, a development plan for a small area in the Bheemanakuppe layout was drawn up with detailed planning and design of land-use, built form, urban relationships, movement corridors and landscape network throughout the layout. The project was done in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Human Settlements as a pilot study to develop guidelines for new development in the outskirts of Bangalore.
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Changing Course Competition Phase II
EQPĆ“FGPVKCN .QWKUKCPC Sasaki Associates
Sneha Mandhan, Gina Ford, Jill Allen Dixon, Chris Merritt, Rhiannon Sinclair
The changing course competition deals with the issue of land loss in the Mississippi River Delta. The competition process included collaborating with a team of consultants from various stakeholder groups including navigation and shipping, water management, ecological services, community outreach, and the oil and gas industry. This unique and highly challenging issue required a multiscalar approach and creative thinking to generate a solution that looked to solve multiple problems including sea level rise, frequent storm events, increasing urbanization and endangered ecological systems. The process included preparation and presentation of solutions to a Technical Team and a Leadership Team as well as a stakeholder GPICIGOGPV OGGVKPI &WG VQ VJG EQPĆ’FGPVKCN PCVWTG QH VJKU QPIQKPI RTQLGEV URGEKĆ’E FGVCKNU QH the solution cannot be disclosed.
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