sowmya sudarsanam (425) 505-7841 / 989, 112 Ave NE, Apt 1203, Bellevue WA - 98004
contents
urban renewal _ Renewal of the historic urban settlement of George Town _ Anna University, 2008 vertical greens _ Residential township with woven green network _ architectureRED, 2010 ÛELD ÛGURE FORM AND FUNCTION _ Field theory and form finding _ University of Illinois at Chicago, 2012 TRANSFORM X _ Competition winner _ Design of community schools _ architectureRED, 2011 ENURBIA COMMUNE?ITY _ Revisiting suburbia through energy _ University of Illinois at Chicago, 2012 CAMPUS EXTENSION _ LEED certified multi-storeyed institutional green building _ architectureRED, 2011
urban renewal /
This project aimed to understand continuity of the human built environment in an urban context shaped by people and processes over time. The objective was to study the urban morphology as a physical manifestation of such processes and the interdependency among them. The studio ended with proposals of urban interventions with design solutions that were driven primarily by need. Being the first organized settlement in Chennai, George Town essentially defines a paradox in its character and this complexity posed both an opportunity and a challenge to design for it. On one hand, it is a vibrant economic and cultural hub buzzing with activity, on the other hand the physical fabric of the settlement is unable to accommodate for such enormity of growth and commerce. The challenge lay in designing a workable solution to this highly introverted and extremely dense settlement.
?3TUDY -APS _The Constants and the Variables
_Landuse
_Traffic Pattern
_Visual Edge
?4HE #OMMERCIALIZATION OF 'EORGE 4OWN
?#ONTEXT 3PECIÛC )SSUES Market Activity the unregulated movement of heavy vehicles throughout the day, pausing amidst the buzz of daily activities to load/ unload goods adds on to chaotic conditions in the area
Deteriorating Urban Fabric Poor Waste Management
buildings are in a state of deterioration, being waste generated by mix of commercial and structurally instable and are therefore defunct market activities remain uncollected leading to and not cared for - the value associated with poor and unhygienic living conditions. these buildings by the local community is minimal and are rather regarded as being burdensome in an area of such high density
Spill-over of Commercial Activity from parking to extension of commercial spaces onto the street, from pedestrian movement to lorry traffic - the spill over activities tend to disturb free movement through the streets choking prime commercial areas in the settlement
Encroachments George town is largely dependent on the informal sector of its working population proximity to economic opportunities drives the homeless to occupy the pavements and open parks of the area
_Strategy
_Delineating the Area
the focus
generic proposals for the model area to be adapted for future developments. community level interventions within delineated area to serve the entire zone of influence. proposing prototypical units to serve as plug in public amenities at various spots in the model area.
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The design strategy was to carry out an ‘accupuncture’ of the settlement- to identify key areas (points of urban pressure) and propose remedial measures. The design proposal is thus three fold
_01 Points
_02 Lines
_03 Planes
_04 Acupuncture
the points of pressure identified are junctions of two main streets. The focus would be to regulate the traffic pattern to avoid choking.
the aim is to create distinct pedestrian and motor ways. The pedestrian experience focuses on creating a continuing visual sequence along the street-scape.
the area hosts a prime high density market deteriorating buildings and demolished sites that would be reorganized to control the spill are targeted to serve as ‘open spaces’- a over of commercial activities onto the street. prototype with community programs to serve the locals.
_Prototypical Model for Plug-in
_Views
_Community centre
_Public Plaza
vertical greens / This project called for the master planning and architecture for a 5 acre - 600,000 sq.ft of mixed use development at Kovilambakkam, Chennai. The brief was to create a residential community that was vibrant and pedestrian oriented which a clear distinction in the hierarchy of spaces. As the project architect, the scope of work included development of client brief, concept generation, design presentation-graphic and 3d visualization, master plan alternatives, design development and coordination with consultants and marketing team. Designed as a pedestrian-friendly development with a network of public, semi public and private open spaces, high end residential units and amenities abutting a lake front, the overall development is oriented to take maximum advantage of the lake view. The residential towers step down towards the lake allowing for visual linkage as well as creating a strong skyline.
_Concept
_Masterplan
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_green network cuts across site and stitches it together _gateway green for sense of identity and relation to main road
_buildings oriented to open views out to the main road and the lake _central vehicular spine _buildings relate to strong street edge
_staggered building heights enhance views and break down scale of the buildings
tower 20 levels 2 3 4
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tower 17 levels
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_Layering of green network _green layers are vertically distributed vertically through three kinds of spaces - open spaces at ground level, intermediate terraces housing amenities and private residential terraces
Maximizing views _scale of the buildings is broken down through staggering of building heights _buildings step down towards the lake and up towards the main road
_Staggering
_Stacking
tower 14 levels
_1 main entry _2 gateway green _3 main central spine _4 service apartments _5 mini golfing green _6 landscaped green _7 private villa
_The Quartetmodules of floor plans
_alternating terraces
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_Plan Diagram
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_The Quartet
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_The Township
Ă›ELD Ă›GURE FORM FUNCTION The studio explores concepts of Stan Allen’s Field Theory through progressive experiments using design elements of lines and color and by employing graphic techniques in order to ‘create a field’. The experiment is extended into the third dimension by using the field to create graphic forms that are in the later stage envisioned in their desired/ possible habitats through possible program and function. This project attempts at creating a field condition based on the qualities of ‘aggregation’ that also helps in creating a graphic form. By virtue of its form, the object is envisioned as a pavilion - a place for people to congregate and pause on the busiest days of the State Assembly at Bangalore, India.
?,INES AND &IELD _Affects/Effects
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1_01 stray stray
_02 undulate
_03 noise
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_04 aggregate
?&IELD TO &IGURE _Identifying aggregates
One of the potentials of the field is to redefine the relation between figure and ground. If we think of the figure not as a demarcated object read against a stable field, but as an effect emerging from the field itself – as moments of intensity, as peaks or valley within a continuous field – than it might be possible to imagine figure and field as more closely allied.� Stan Allen
?'RAPHIC &ORM
_Habitat With the intention to define and distinguish form, object and architecture, there is an exploration of the potentials of graphic form in scenarios. With the aid of function in context, the object transforms into architecture .
?IN#ONTEXT Situated in Bengaluru, The Vidhana Soudha, is the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka. The complex comprises of government institutions such as the legislative assembly and the high court facing each other on a monumental axis. The site falls on the strip of land between the two, a common area for public seating, rest and sight during the working hours. The location offers potentials for place making within the large institutional complex calling for an icon against the language of immensely traditional architectures.
?'EOMETRICAL %XPLORATION 3EQUENTIAL 3ECTION
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?&ORM AND 3CALE %LEVATIONS
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transform 24x7 /
The competition brief called for a prototypical design of a school to be implemented all over India that will have state-of-the-art infrastructure on land parcels not less than five acres with separate academic blocks as clusters for students across grades.The prototype will address the schools’ ambition of being a 24X7 public space of activity. Wherein the school premises have a multi-dimensional character to answering the locality and then the city’s demand for educational/ cultural infrastructure. As a member of the design team, the scope of work included understanding the client brief, design concept evolution and 2d/ 3d visualization of the design. The competition was won and consequently, the project has been awarded to the firm.
_Approach
__Destructuring the Fabric
_Design Process
With technological access comes spatial freedom and the need for spatial boundaries cease to exist.Hence, a design that allows for continual change in programmatic and physical expression can maximize the fullest potential of the space, fostering creative learning and application.
work - learn - play zone community amenities plugged across time
preferred movement pattern
landscape systems
live zone residences | dorms @ first level
_01_ layering of programs Opposing the generic horizontal, a vertical stacking of live - study - work - play can generate a space that remains in a constant state of activity. The inclusion of residential units creates a living community within the campus.
superimposing the grid
public zone
_02_ the prototype The creation of a programmatic prototype of live - study - work - play allows for varying physical transformation.The prototype can be replicated in phases, with each building acting as a link in a larger network of live - study - work -play.By adopting a programmatic prototype, every phase is self sustained.
learn - play zone classrooms @ ground level
primary circulation spine pedestrian link
activity intensity mapping live
live
learn
learn
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live play
work
distortion
semi public zone
play
_03_ transform 24.7 The built entity is to support the nature of change of space. A mix of programs and uses creates an opportunity to develop a vibrant public space at the ground level.
_04_ a sustainable vision the campus is sustained by its symbiotic relationship with the surrounding community with shared programs that root it to the context. the school becomes a community centre that makes it a free inclusive space for all.
the ground plane
vertical stacking
built and open fabric
Re-establishing the circling notion of live-work-play where study is essential to complete the system is the need of the hour. The notion of mixed use planning and living has been proved historically as a success and hence greater the multiplicity of space, the higher is the efficiency of living.
_Site Plan
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private zone
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circulation spine
transformable spaces
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_1 gateway _2 amphitheatre _3 playfields _4 pedestrain green _5 permeable public front
_Transform 24x7 a. private_enclosed
b. private_semi open
c. public_compartmentalised
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e. public_enclosed
f. public _completely open
classroom
classroom
civic office classroom
outdoor sp spillover mm community hall
playfield
cultural raal centre
performance space
classroom l
festival ground
playfield market
classroom
classroom
craft workshop
exhibition
outdoor performance
The panels enclose the classrooms to allow for privacyy and focused learning.
Outdoor learning related activities to spill over through panels - louvers to maintain sense of enclosure while establishing contact to ext x erior.
For independent uses such as amenities which may be available for a certain period of time eg. evenings | weekends.
During social gatherings for the local communityy , the panels can be arranged to allow for spill over to ext x eriors while allowing for privacy from surrounding programs.
For indoor activities which may be open to the public but screened for privacy.
During occasions, the campus can transform itself into festival grounds for regional cultural events.
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_Bamboo Panel Module To allow for the multiplicity of activities while maintaining privacy when required, a bamboo panel system which is user friendly and cost effective is proposed to create dynamic facades.This system is proposed at the ground level closer to the public front where the nature of use changes from learn to work - play - interact across the day to create a vibrant 24.7 environment.
_Floor Plans _ pla play-inter y interact | perm permeable meable public zone
_ learn-w learn work | semi semi-public public zone
_ liv live | private zone
ground plane
ground floor
f irst f loo oorr
By allowing the local community to share the resources of the campus and extend the amenities to the larger community, the vision of a true integrated sustainable system is set in place. The zone closer to the intersection of the public roads serves as the spillover for public -community activities and hence the spaces in this zone are to be multifunctional in character.
_aerial view
_east-west site section
dormitories
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pedestrian spine
transforming spaces
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_aerial view
_elevations of prototype
dormitory
dormitory
multifunctional space
multifunctional space
enurbia COMMUNE?ITY This project explores the formal and programmatic potentials of a designed community by mining its ecological, economic and social relationships to project new possibilities of communal living. By employing techniques of mixing and fusion, this project seeks to develop programmatic hybrids and their formal possibilities within the live, work and play set up of american suburbs.
%NURBIA?RETHINKING SUBURBIA THROUGH ENERGY Enurbia ‘s identity is linked more closely with how the inhabitants choose to utilize energy at their disposal. The Enurbans believe in some of the best ways of utilizing excess energy rather than through conservation. Hence, the Enerbans are not motivated by scarcity and they only strive forward to use the available resource to gain maximum productivity for pursuits of collective luxury. These pursuits are more evaluated by their aesthetic, communal and cultural value. They view the re-imagination of energy systems as opportunities to create new forms of civic and social interfaces by making unexpected connections between seemingly disparate programs and groups of people. This would result in irrational hybrids that positively transform the existing landscape.
Commune_ity Interlocking Excess Energies
Commune_ity Interlocking Excess Energies
_interlock 1 | house level
_interlock 2 | neighborhood level
The Enurban blocks are characterized by the juxtaposition of the enurban circle with the suburban block. Each block leads into the other by an interlocking technique where usually the link between two blocks is an enurban invention that is shared with the suburbans. Hence, the commune is further defined by sharing the pool of excess energies.
_interlock 3 | community level
The Waste Eater waste disposal plant + fine dining
The waste generated in the suburbs is used as fuel to power the kitchens of the restaurant. The excess heat from the incinerators of the waste disposal plant is harnessed through heat traps in the floor slab and air shafts to provide heat for cooking and warmth in the open to sky dining areas during the night, simultaneously creating a dynamic landscape for outdoor activity.
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?M R 1 Waste disposal 2 Incineration 3 Kitchens 4 Outdoor Dining 5 Heat Trap
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The Air Forester houses + community gathering
The excess carbon dioxide generated by American households indicate potential to be captures and reused. The carbon-dioxide from ambient air is collected by osmosis through the walls of the houses made of a solvent based membrane. This is then transferred to inflate large balloons via the landscape. The inflated balloons provide shade in the common courtyard creating spaces for community engagement while the bouncing landscape creates a varied experience of the ground.
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1 Enurban House 2 Solvent Wall 3 Carbon Landscape
Enurbia Intensity active spectacles
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blur n
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CAMPUS EXTENSION The client brief demanded a building that would serve as an extension of the existing 60 acre campus, hosting departments of various disciplines under one roof. Consequently, a 130,000 sq.ft multi-storeyed building was proposed, exploring the idea of a vertical university. The overall mix of programs for the project includes labs, classrooms, seminar halls and other administrative areas.
The massing of the building is perceived as a juxtaposition of three distinct wings, with one wing projecting into the streetscape to craft a strong visual statement. The architecture of the building is designed to be LEED compliant, taking into account all the local climatic factors.
?SITE PANORAMA ?$ESIGN !PPROACH
_street character The entry into the campus is characterized by a monumental axis. This axis is intersected by the street that links all the departments within the campus and is thereby highly active in nature. The intersection of these two roads becomes an active campus node that hosts most of the interaction spaces. However such attributes are not felt on the street abutting the site. The street acts more like a physical link without any qualities of engagement.
?$ESIGN !PPROACH
_building-street relationship The buildings along the monumental axis as well as the campus street overlook onto them and also have a physical access. Thus they establish a direct as well as visual relationship with the street and also activates it. However, these buildings also form a blank wall edge along the street abutting the site. As a result, the buildings do not interact physically or visually with the street.
_relation to existing spine The site for the proposed building terminates the existing campus spine, which calls for the creation of an iconic space and form.
?EXTENDING THE STREETSCAPE The idea is also to create a relationship between the building and the street. The plaza created is envisioned as a continuation of the street into the building. The plaza becomes an active interaction space and also a link between the foreground to the building to the open space behind it.
_Concept Diagram
street
_placemaking The campus spine linking the institutional blocks is highly active in nature. The location of the site offers the opportunity to draw in the character of the spine through a usable open space adjacent to the building.This usable space can in turn interact with the street, the buildings and also the open space in its vicinity.
playground
_distinct address There is an opportunity to create an address for the proposed building by establishing a relationship between the street edge and building front, thereby also creating an engaging street.
_of continuing the experience The intent is to define a usable open space around the existing banyan tree by orienting the building edge in such a way that it responds to the tree. This open space provides a setting for future expansion of the campus along the street. While one block responds to the open space framed on the side, the other block overlooks the main street and creates a strong edge to the adjacent building.
_site plan
_ground floor plan
_section through plaza +26.00 lvl
classroom classroom
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_Drawings
_first floor plan _section
_seventh floor plan
_second-sixth floor plan
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?,AYERING The architectural form highlights the juxtaposition of three defined volumes - with each volume expressed in individual stylistic languages. The choice of fenestration and material selection further refines the language of the volumes, while accounting for climatic requirement.
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The cantilevered volume that seeks to engage with the street is treated so as to get a float like , lightweight feel, while the tallest mass is identified as a solid, bulky mass pinned to the ground. The third volume bridges the two masses, creating voids that become active public zones, and is articulated to highlight its horizontal connection.
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`The three volumes come together to create a central courtyard space within the plaza.
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_Views
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_On Site
_On Site
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