Bachelor's Portfolio 1

THEIN M S ARCHITECTURE FOLIO

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 2011-2016

MEDITATION HALL 01-04 APARTMENT 05-10

EVOLO 11-16

MY UTOPIA 17-22

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS 23-32

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MEDITATION CENTER YEAR 1 -SEMESTER 2-STUDIO DESIGN

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CONCEPT AND APPROACH

Historically, from the land of India, houses of spirituality and meditation have always been inspired from the human anatomy.

Similarly, I sought to mimic the chakra power sources of a human body and symbolically representing the transcendental journey of a man in a 3D plane.

From entering the arena as a worldly human ( entering at feet) to the position of attaining mukthi (power source at head) , the journey is envisioned in a singular arena, through a sequence of chakra forms in human beings and relevant substitutions in architectural spaces. For example, The heart chakra which represents laughter love and play with a colour code of green has been spatially designed as lawn and play area at site. Similarly , all chakras have been abstracted and re-flexed in terms of form and landscape .

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CROWN CHAKRA They relate and pure consciousness and peace. The Space for aftermath of meditation.

BOW CHAKRA Point of transcendence. Meditation hall

THROAT CHAKRA It defines the travel to growth and maturity- Pathways to meditation hall.

HEART CHAKRA Where you search and feel abstract notions of love, laughter and play- lawn and play area.

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA A place to fulfil your emotional and physical needs and move beyond. - Dining and accommodation SACRAL CHAKRA To do with human and his materialistic needs- souvenir shops, lobby and retail.

ROOT CHAKRA Denotes survival, instincts and security- Entrance to arena, parking area .

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APARTMENT

YEAR 2 -SEMESTER 4-STUDIO DESIGN

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CONCEPT AND APPROACH

The Petals of a flower , despite originating from a single point allows for light and ventilation with maximum orientations . This fulfills the efficiency that is commonly required in apartment planning with limitations of not many exterior walls and multiple entry points. Having a broad, singular access point, it requires only one exterior wall with a broader spectrum.

- Light and ventilation is achieved through balconies & Light ducts between each housing units/Petals.

-Plumbing and electrical lines are made abutting the corridor spaces in ducts.

Thus a clear separation was formed and utilized based on function and aesthetics.

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PLANNING AND PROCESS

The Space program was made with having multiple parameters at hand. 5 pairs of spaces were eventually analysed and arranged according to their spatial requirements ( area) and lighting conditions. The five pairs were 1. Access space ( the connectivity of the foyer with the common atrium) 2 .Living Spaces ( Common area and dining with maximum allowance of natural light) 3. Kitchen and Utility , 4. Rooms ( Priority to Scenic views) and 5. All Bathrooms with common ducts

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“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. ... In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportsmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.�

-John Lubbock 10

EVOLO

YEAR 3- SEMESTER 06- COMPETITION DESIGN

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SKYSCRAPER DESIGN

Evolo’s only designing criteria being the design be a super structure with no other contingencies, I decided to design a structure that , in theory, generates rain.

We now live in a time where the skyscrapers not only need to address spatial issues but also need to be equipped to affray the current slew of environment issues. Rain forms the dispensable link between the sky and the earth. Due to the growing levels of the deforestation of the trees , the link between the sky and the earth is lost.

The structure uses a system of ionization initiated by to the piezzo electrical effect to ionize the clouds thereby seeding rain. It also reduces the dependency and the load on the earth because the structure is self-sustaining in every aspect. It’s definitely an ode to nature, so much so that the structure actually mimics the tree in every sense! The structures’ fundamental requirement-the need for it to be a skyscraper, only adds to the cause. Because of the height of the structure, the cloud layer is extremely close to the ionizing zone, thus making the process more effective.

Energy is thus harnessed, garnered and reinstituted to nature while seeding rain.

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NIGHT VIEW

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SCIENCE AND METHODOLOGY CORE : The panel mechanism allows for seeding rain through ionization of rain-clouds. The ionization is brought about by the ionizing panels that function due to the piezzo electrical effect.

MATERIALS: The wings’ skin boasts of panels that are composed of PVDF (Poly Vinyl-Diene Fluoride, a thermoplastic) and function on the basis of Piezo’s electrical principle. Vibro-wind is used to initiate the mechanical movement of the suspended, leaf-like PVDF panels.

PROCESS: Inspired by the way leaves move in the wind , I sought to capitalize on this vibratory motion as a way to harvest energy and bring about rain along the deforestation belt of the Amazonian rainforests.

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1.CANOPY INTERCEPTION It is the rainfall that successfully evaporates from the canopy and its artificial leaves. Essential for increasing the moisture content in adjacent clouds

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2.ACCESS PADS Located in the upper region of the structure , the helipad becomes the major access point for tourists and researchers alike.

3.GALLERY Intended for the use of preservation of local flora and fauna, the deck offers a 36o degree view of the entire Amazon landscape

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4.HOTEL/ BIO-TOURISM Accommodation is provided as part of the space program to facilitate bio-tourism and revenue.

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5.IN-HOUSE RESEARCH FACILITY Situated in the Amazonian rainforests, The facility provides laboratories to further develop survey of local zones.

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6.CAPILLARY TUBES Thin tubes that mimic the function of tree- roots provides the necessary anchorage to the building, They form a root like foundation system encased in a waterboxx .

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7.FOREST FLOOR INTERCEPTION Part of the precipitation network or thouroughfall that is stored in the top-layer of the soil. This is custom designed to increase the ground water level and not evaporated in excess heat.

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MY UTOPIA

YEAR 4- SEMESTER 08-PERSONAL INTEREST

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CONCEPT AND APPROACH Utopia lies at the horizon, when I drew nearer by two steps, retreat two steps. If I proceed ten steps forward, it swiftly slips ten steps ahead. No matter how far I go, I can never reach it. What, then, is the purpose of utopia? It is to cause us to advance - Eduardo Galeano Similarly, my notions of utopia were not of a idealistic future eradicating the past or a mirage of the past without moving technologically and functionally forward.

My utopia projectes, -Clear demarcation of public and private spaces -Pedestrian friendly and enjoyable public spaces - Multi layer routes that facilitated free and easy movement within the space - Characterisation and legibility to spaces and its function -Preservation of its political, social and cultural narrative The process included studying all its spatial narratives, the quality and the colours of chennai. I took a step further and backward to imagine the premise under the lens of idealism, convenience and perfection without dismissing its rich interweave of chaos and order. Hence the following is my proposal towards Utopia caught in the cycle of past present and future- 1800 AD to 2100 AD chennai.

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CHARACTER, NARRATIVE AND THE CITY 1.A city respectful of its leaders 2.Houses that define their spiritual beliefs in its facade 3.Eclectic interference of its built and the unbuilt. 4.Temples that boasts architectural marvels of 15th century 5.Streets and its people tolerant of its many religious processions. 6. People musically and culturally inclined with chennai, being the birthplace of bharathanatyam and world renowned carnatic music..

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MARINA BEACH

STREET DESIGN, POLICIES AND ALIGNMENT The red circles within the map denote the oldest neighbourhoods within the sect. Streets of such neighbourhoods were analysed and documented for preservation. The rest of the streets which spilled over to the beach, hindering any further development , were re-routed and looped to create the vehicular accessed part of the sect. These loops intersected the old roads at multiple points, These nodes acts as drop off zone to the all- public pedestrian zone that houses the cultural, retail , eatery joints.

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PROPOSALS FOR CHENNAI With vehicular traffic and congestion being one of the critical issues of the city, the utopic proposals were also mainly aligned along orientation, alternative routes, demarcation of the public and the private with transit points connecting continuously without a hiatus in the linkages. For example, chennai has state of the art metro rail infrastructure but it spills on to the main roads that have no pedestrian access - such links were established.

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16 LANE ROAD 8 LANE ROAD 4 LANE ROAD Retail food and cultural nodes Preserved spaces due to their cultural and historical importance Refined old neighbourhoods for their heritage value and unique distinct quality as explained above, Traffic roundabouts for ease of movement Community parks Housing units allocated to the culturally and athletically inclined citizens Urban forest zone Financial and commercial head quarters/ Finance sector Multi Modal transit- hub 50

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HOUSE OF STORIES YEAR 5- SEMESTER 10- THESIS DESIGN

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AGENDA OF THE HOUSE OF STORIES

Many a times, we continue learning every moment of our lives beginning from the previous moments of accumulated knowledge without stopping to think. We believe in knowing, we believe in it altering our lives and more importantly, we demand it to be enjoyable. Our innumerable attempts of creating books and movies to emphasize love, the values of family, hate, money and life itself. These pockets of values are still being taught to us intentionally or unintentionally through various media that the human mind can then explore and manifest. If art, words and cinema were a medium then, what is it now? What next? Isn’t now the time like a previous moment in history when we jumped from words to videos-- for a better understanding and a lack of time?

This thesis is an exploration of that moment , that narrative as a denominator to Architecture. That encounter with reality, the future; by profitably bringing back the smarter notions of the past. Technology has made our arenas smaller and realities virtual. How about taking a inversion and making our arenas meaningful and realities more real and experience richer.

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DESIGN SCHEME

Environement- Real , Stationary Building typologies- real, adaptable grids Skin Overlay- Define Period, Place And Character Staging Area For Actors - Movable Platforms Visitor gallery - Revolving Table

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CONCEPT AND MATRIX DEVELOPMENT As a research process, random samples of 400 odd stories of varied cultures were collected and categorized based on locations and environments that they travel in. At the end of the process, a world with 25 elements were short-listed on the basis of recurring quality ( repetition) and created for the narrative of culture evidence to evolve within the design of those elements. It is a matrix of 5 land terrains ( Mountains, Forests, Farmlands, Coast, Dessert/ Snow lands) versus 5 building typologies (5x5) that includes representations for Housing, Recreation ( Market/ Wedding hall/ Common area), Power ( King’s castle or a secretariat in present scenario) ,Work place & a adhering water body pertaining to each environment.

But to further the narration process, factors of period/ time and adaptability to the local ‘look and feel’ were missing. Hence another element of “skin” were introduced to the elements of architectural storytelling.

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WORKING METHODOLOGY

Adding to the matrix, A layer system is developed for actual functioning of the arena.

The layer matrix takes the shape of concentric circles, where people ( Layer 1) are seated in the centre, provisioned to revolve in a rotating table.

Layer 2 of the concentric systems consists of moving stages for actors who travel along with the users.

Layer 3 is the skin that communicates to the spectator, the era of the narrative by details like materials, light, colour, props, etc. ( The evolution of the community) Layer 4 is the building typology layer, consisting of the 25 elements all arranged radially to the viewer with a removable building skin ( layer 3) Layer 5, is a fixed and the furthest layer ,encompassing the environments.

The perspective ( A wedge of the concentric system) of these 5 layers arranged in angle of human view, transcend the arrangement of discrete units of meaning and become experiential of cultural value.

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SPATIAL PROGRAM AND SUPPORT FACILITIES

Our world consists of over 8313 cultural groups. Even in its diversity, each culture instils in its people an association and thus a natural consciousness to protect it. But through a tragic trend of homogenization and obsession with foreign methodologies, the present millennials suffer no knowledge of their past, their legacy and culture. This project is a venture to provide a architectural solution that can adhere to the missing link and yet cover per-requisites of recreation, multi-functionality, cultural curiosity, travel impulses, budget constraints and restlessness of each evolving generation.

This culture park, House of stories, is envisioned to be developed in every summit of a culture diaspora, to act like a representative module for cultures that require capitalization, preservation and glamour. Like an amusement park, it is open to all consumer groups and is ideally enjoyed within a day.

Imagery shows the various aspects of the house of stories pertaining to each of the environments within the arena.

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HYPOTHESIS: A Model culture park with a architectural prototype for storytelling.

Imagine an arena, where in a day we can experience the culture of any community- It’s image, art, architecture, history, food, long-lost legacies and continuous expressions of the past, present and future.

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STORYTELLING Storytelling happens everywhere at the house of stories. It could be the radially arranged units pertaining to each environment when seen in a visual perspective provide closeness and reality or it could each of the units that take a people along in the arena.

As a narrator, the possibilities are infinite.

For example, when you find a grandmother sitting by the farm, you can listen to her stories, cycle around the farm, get wet in the waterfall, eat fish caught fresh out of the sea, learn a thing or two about the life of a man who lived by the coast 10o0 years ago An unconscious experience of the past by immersing ourselves in social rituals (Or) Watch the actors take you around the same arena with a controlled script and narration technique(s)- i.e, Take a directed approach by being an interactive listener of a narrative in a contolled plotline and evnvironment.

The House allows for both.

Either-way, it is the choice of the visitor to experience / explore his story of the day and be more informed of his culture thanthe day before.

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