architecture internship report by thesanchitakhanal

PRACTICUM REPORT S A N C H I TA K H A N A L HCE074BAR029

SANCHITA KHANAL

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Firstly, I would like to thank my university for providing us with this great opportunity to gain experience in the professional practice. Secondly, I would like to express my deep gratitude towards the chief architect of AFA Ar. Prajal Pradhan, Ar. Mahesh Maharjan for letting me work as a trainee architect in the firm - ‘A FOR ARCHITECTURE’ , Chakupat, Lalitpur. Their constant guidance and support has been overwhelming. It has helped me design better than yesterday. The working environment in AFA is incredibly comfortable which did not restrict me to ask as many questions as possible. My fellow interns Rujal Manandhar, Manish Dhoju, Sandeep Tandukar, Umang Kayastha were also a major part of my internship journey.During my internship period, I worked on variety of projects that extended my knowledge on how to approach, develop and complete that particular project. I would also like to extend my gratitude towards my supervisor Ar. Yam Rai for his guidance and supervision during the practicum period. SANCHITA KHANAL 074BAR029.

SANCHITA KHANAL

This is a report that is prepared as the final assignment of the practicum that I practiced as a course of study for the 4th Year 1st part, in context of my Bachelor in Architecture. Practicum course intends to provide the students of Architecture an overview of professional practice, this enables them to perceive the challenges and seek the ways of enhancing their knowledge.The aim of practicum is to make us students ready for the reality of architecture which can be contradicting to the student life and to re-energize the students for final year thesis. All these prerequisite were surely fulfilled duiring my practicing period. A sense of confidence is developed within me which will be helpful for me throughtout my life. This report covers the insight on how work is done at “A FOR ARCHITECTURE” and the projects I got to be involved in during my working period there which includes Concept Development Technique, Designing, Architecture Drawings, Detail Drawings, Municipal Drawing, Perspective drawings, Structural drawings, Preparation of Bill of Quantity, Observation at Site, Measurement of Works and other necessary details which makes easy to understand the designs. I hope that this report conveys all the targeted messages and information and provides informative to the readers.

SANCHITA KHANAL

OBJEC TIVES OF PRAC TI C UM

ABSTRACT To gain experience in professional responsibilities, opportunities, and increase confidence. Improves our communal and other professional skills. To familiarize with the organization process, project management, and legal procedures. To understand team work with good co-ordination and management. To understand what truly is an Architect’s profession and the ways around practice.

SANCHITA KHANAL

WHY AFA?

OFFICE PROFILE Contact Address: Chakupat, Lalitpur Contact no. : +977-9808043473 E-mail: aforarchitecture@gmail.com

Architects and designers:

1. Chief Architect/ Director: Ar. Prajal Pradhan 2. Senior Architect/ Director : Ar. Mahesh Maharjan 3. Senior Architect : Ar. Karishma Manandhar 4. Junior Architect : Ar. Shreya Singh 5. Junior Architect : Ar. Nirmal Bagale Magar

AFA is one of the recongized and well known architecture firm in Nepal. It is one of the best emerging young firms with the stance of creating a threshold in Nepali Architecture firms in Global Architecture. AFA values IDEAS over the IDENTITY and STYLE over SUBSTANCE. It believes in creating a change while respecting the culture and identity of our own. AFA has been involving in variours local, national projects as well as in International Design Competitions and made it to the finalists as well as secured Top 3 position.

Architecture is what and how you feel in a space

The environment inside AFA is more like a DESIGN STUDIO rather than a typical OFFICE ENVIRONMENT which totally stands out from all the design firms in Nepal. It aims to sort out the ambigious scenario of the present architecture style with various innovative ideas and practices. The friendly environment and constanly supporting culture helps newbees to overcome the design problems and seek out the new innovative ideas among each others. Also with the aim ovf maintaining ethical norms and standards for the best interest of the client it covers a wide range of activities including architectural,estimation,contract documentation,construction, supervision etc.

Field of Expertise:

1. ARCHITECTURE AND BUILDING 2. URBAN DESIGN AND PLANNING 3. LANDSCAPE DESIGN 4. INTERIOR DESIGN 5. LOW COST DESIGN 6. ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN 7. VISUALIZATION AND INTERPRETATION

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1. NATURE’S RETREAT - 07

W H AT ’ S I N S I D E ?

N AT U R E ’ S R E T R E AT R ES O RT I N S U RYAC H AU R

Resort in suryachaur VVV

6. NAXAL COMPLEX - 51

10. KNOW YOUR ARCHITECT - 70

Facade design.

Alejandro Aravena, Anna Heringer.

3. LANDSCAPE - 23

7. ETHIOPIAN PRESCHOOL - 56

11. MATERIAL STUDY - 73

Residential

International design competition.

MCM flexi cladding, Hempcrete.

8. SPACES MAGAZINE - 65

12. WORD OF THE DAY - 75

Illustrations, articles & layout.

Architectural vocabulary.

9. AFA TALKS - 68

13. MARKET SURVEY - 76

Human behaviour & architecture. Micro-home competition.

Light Fixtures, UPVC doors & windows.

2. OLD AGE HOME - 16

4. THE URBAN SPACE - 29 Housing units

“A resort is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer’s wants, such as food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises.” (wikipedia)

Location : Suryachaur, Kathmandu. Client: Rajan Simkhada. Type: Resort Status: deisgn fInalized, bank process going on.

5. FARMHOUSE - 43

SANCHITA KHANAL

Skills Learned: Research, case studies, reference, planning, overall designing, municipal drawings, structure, materials, communication with client.

Nature’s Retreat is a resort placed on a hill top, facing the chaotic yet beautiful valley of Kathmandu, engulfed by the majestic views of mountain ranges. This resort is designed for rejuvination, yoga gateaway and other amenities. Here, we have tried to capture the essence of Bali, Venice and the villages of Nepal through planning, choice of materials, overall design, facilities, architecture, experience and many more. With the addition of a ‘USP’ that is found nowhere in Kathmandu, we aim for more visitors for prolonged as well as a short-term stay.

MY INVOLVEMENT: This was a new experience for me as I had never designed any kind of hotel / resort before this. We designed this during lockdown, through virtual communication with my mentors, discussing our case studies and references so, I found it a bit difficult. Things took a lot of time than usual. I got involved in this project for re-designing, according to client’s changed requirements. I conducted a lot of research and case studies of resorts located in Bali and other parts of the world. I got to design the main admin block and it’s connection to other areas. I also assisted in designing the restaurant, multipurpose halls, market place, swimming pool and other surrounding elements. My involvement includes research, planning, overall designing, municipal drawings, 3D, client meetings, etc.

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D e s i g n

p r o c e s s

THE REQUIREMENTS The client from Nature’s Retreat had the vision of creating Bali - like experierence by including new activities that will draw attention. The initial requirement was 30 rooms with user defined spaces, restaurants, swimming pool, market place, which was open to public (short term visitors), multipurpose / seminar halls, admin blocks, etc. User defined spaces include: luxurious villa, hotel rooms, yoga huts, glamping tents, play area for kids, etc. Talking about the architecture of this resort, client wanted to depict the architecture of Nepal, like mud houses of Hilly region, Stone masonry buildings of the Himalayas, Sloped roof and choice of materials.

fig: site map

SITE & SURROUNDINGS Site is located in Surya chaur, near Shivapuri National Park, Kathmandu. While designing, site is the main guiding factor so, our proposed site and it’s surrounding was studied. This huge site includes numerous contour levels, enveloped by breathtaking views and local settlement. To know the site better, survey was done allocating different elevations and the local area was briefly explored. Then, a challenge came up. The portion of land right at the center of our site was someone else’s which complicated the circulation of resort. But, it was taken as an opportunity rather than weakness, which would also contribute in income generation.

fig: view from water canal and yoga huts.

SANCHITA KHANAL

Conceptual drawings started from what the site and client demanded. The major thing in this project for us was to add a ‘USP’. For that, we saw a bunch of references and, finally we came up with running a small water canal in between the site, offering boat rides above the hill of suryachaur with views of Kathmandu and mountain ranges. How we settled on water canal? As I said earlier, there was a challenge, considering there was a large portion of land in the middle of our site that wasn’t ours. We took it as an opportunity and ran a water canal around it. From which the visitors can take a boat ride to their rooms / villas or just simply enjoy the view. This would attract more customers. The water canal would also flow into the restaurant creating Venice-like atmosphere.

RESEARCH & CASE-STUDIES After understanding the site, next crucial step is case studies. It shapes our design and how we approach it. We performed case studies on large number of resorts in Bali, watched the tour videos on youtube. Those videos helped in visualizing our spaces. Performing case study on Mandapa resort, Bulgaria resort and other Carl-Ritz holdings, I learnt about how a resort should be, it’s circulation, flow, spaces, zones and other ways that a resort can sustain. I also learnt about how to make the main arrival point more welcoming, facilities, axis and everything.

I completely got involved in designing the entry way and admin block with reception, lounges, meeting hall, store, stores, house keeping, back offices, account section, etc. With the help of anthropometric research, designing got a bit efficient.

By going back to Neufert’s Architectural data, I extracted all the information on anthropometry of required spaces in a resort. It helped me design more sensitively and in human scale. Bulgaria resort, Bali

Mandapa resort, Bali

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T h e

C o n c e p t mountain blocks

swimming pool

restaurant

hall

not our land admin block parking

luxury villas

village area units

water canal

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OPTIONS

After experimenting with roof, overall exterior’s architectural elements and materials, this is the final design of admin block. Here, a pavillion has been incorporated at the entry staircase of reception which has made it look grand and welcoming. From the starting point, One can see this kind of raw architecture of Nepal.

ADMIN BLOCK

According to the requiremnts, research had been done and i started designed from scratch, assigning spaces, levels and zones, keeping in mind the connection between that particlar space and other amenities of the resort. The main goal in designing the admin block was to fulfill all the requirements of functional spaces, to depict Nepali architecture where the visitors can see instantly while entering the gates of Nature’s Retreat, to make the reception and first spaces welcoming.

fig: admin block SANCHITA KHANAL

SANCHITA KHANAL

SOME RENDERS

W H AT I L E A R N E D ?

- The overall planning and circulation of a resort. - Understood the requirements and how a resort functions. - To make a resort exotic, we can add some unusual activity or element into it. - How to design by integrating Nepali and Modern architecture.

villas

- Municipal drawings - Drafting skills improvement. - Understood the structure. - sketchup skills. - communication with client (virtual) - Rendering. - Designing is not a linear process.

restaurant

M AT E R I A L S

STONE village units

WOOD

MUD PLASTER

BAMBOO

ROOF TILES

entrance

* Refer to annex for more drawings SANCHITA KHANAL

SANCHITA KHANAL

OLD AGE HOME KIRTIPUR

Location : Kirtipur, Kathmandu. Client: Ani Choying Drolma. Type: Old age home. Site Area: 2176.87 sq. ft. Built-up Area: 1524.23 sq. ft. Status: deisgn finalized, construction going on. Skills Learned: Municipal drawings, structure, SketchUp, Render.

“ An old age home is a shelter that is home to the older and needy people who the family has abandoned.” The client Ani Choying Drolma is a Nepalese Buddhist nun renowned for her numerous humanitarian efforts including the education of young girls, care of older people, and providing medical services for the underprivileged and dispossessed, singing. Her efforts have been constantly praised and emulated. This old age home in kirtipur offers reconciliation spaces, halls to conduct programs in the community for older population. They can come in here to get along with their old friends, get involved in some activities and thrive.

MY INVOLVEMENT: My involvement in this project was during lockdown, so the experience was different due to virtual communication. Before my involvement, the design had already been finalized. so, I only worked in this project’s municipal drawings, 3D, renders, detail drawings,

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D e s i g n

P r o c e s s

THE REQUIREMENTS

THE CONCEPT

The client, Ani Choying Drolma wanted multi purpose halls to conduct programs in the community. Dining halls, spaces and rooms for general checkup of the elderly and other areas following that function, spaces for office staffs, stores, washrooms, kitchen, reconciliation spaces, etc. The other thing that had to be done was the connection of 2 contour levels: community park and the road, so that it will be easier for the people to access respective spaces.

Concept originated from conncetion of contour levels, providing functional spaces according to the requirements. This old age home is not for accomodating elderly people but for providing spaces fro activities and events. Design was approached by providing good accessibility and easy movement around the building. so, the contour level difference catered in good accessibility provision. At first, some options were prepared with sensitive planning including courtyards, interesting level difference play with more activities. But, these options were rejected because the people living around the site would feel overwhelmed and wouldn’t accept it in the community. Instead, they wanted simple, regular building with halls and other functional spaces, depicting Newari architecture of the community. The finalized design was very simple, keeping in mind the movement of elderly people.

SITE & SURROUNDINGS Site is located in Kirtipur, Kathmandu. It has massive contour level difference of 18’. That difference in contour level was taken as an opportunity. It was also the main concept of the design, to connect both levels. Proposed site is located at residential area. The southern part of the site faces road and northern part faces a community park that is said to be designed properly later.

rough site section

other option

* Refer to annex for more drawings

finalized option

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W h a t

l e a r n e d ?

- By preparing the municipal drawings, my drafting skills have improved. - I did the 3D modelling in sketchup, so i can say that my skills have grown. - Since, this project depicts Newari architecture, I also got to Learn about the details in Newari Architecture. - I learnt how to use Enscape and did all the rendering works in Enscape and edited in Photoshop. - Constrtuction site visits.

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LANDSCAPE RESIDENCE

front view from the main street

perspective view from main street

Location : Tikhidewal, Lalitpur. Type: Residence landscape. Site Area: 684.5 sq. ft. Status: deisgn finalized, Construction not started. Skills Learned: Landscape designing, communication with client, 3D modelling, etc.

view from community ground

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“A landscape is all the visible features of an area of land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.” The interior of the residence in which landscape was to be designed, was previously done by AFA itself. In this project, we were given the freedom of designing whatever but the requirements of client had to be fulfilled. Other than that, we were free to design whatever we liked. Landscaping on a small plot of land can be tricky but Prajal sir guided me.

MY INVOLVEMENT: I was involved in this project from the very beginning, this is also my first project in AFA. First, we went to the site, measured it and started sketching there in the site. We came up with some ideas and developed it. My involvement includes: designing on site, design development, communication with client, re measuring the site according to our design (we were doubtful in some areas), design finalizing, etc. Currently, this project is on hold.

SANCHITA KHANAL

D e s i g n

P r o c e s s

THE REQUIREMENTS There were clear requirements for the landscaping. The client wanted a little fountain and sitting area, his kids wanted an open space for playing Badminton and a smallfish pond, his wife wanted a kitchen garden as well. They also said that they wanted trees on the boundary for privacy from the street outside but didn’t want to block sunlight during winter. We clearly understood everyone’s requirement.

SITE & SURROUNDINGS The area of proposed land for landscaping is approximately 684.5 sq.ft. While designing, we have to respect the site and it’s surroundings. The landscape has to compliment the residence it’s sitting on. The proposed site already consisted of kitchen garden and 1 papaya tree.

SANCHITA KHANAL

RESEARCH & CASE STUDY Because this was the first project of my internship period, research and case study was very crucial for me. Pajal sir guided me through the design. He taught me how to design in a small plot of land and how to approach it. For case study, i searched pinterest for residential landscaping, landscaping in a small land area.

W H AT I L E A R N E D ?

As this was my very first project in my internship and also first landdscaping project, I got to learn a lot of things - what to look in a site in he beginning of design, to understand the requirement of the client, to separate different zones in landscape, to fulfill the requirements and give client something more than their imagination, to design in a small area, what forms to use, what furniture and accessories to use, what materials to use, what kind of plants to use, to think about every function and events that is going to happen in the future, communication with the client, bill of quantity preparation.

THE CONCEPT In a small plot, landscape should be designed using curves, it makes the land look bigger. By keeping each consecutive backdrop in mind, I created heirarchy that does not look crowded. Also, i thought about the functionality of spaces provided. Visual angle and other visibility was critically thought, like what will we see from the entrance? will it be better to make the entrance from flower beds or water? is the kitchen garded needed to be seen from the entrance? where is the best place for a fountain?

SANCHITA KHANAL

S.N

FOUNTAIN BACK ( NATURAL STONE) BRICKWORK WATER PROOFING WORKS STONE CLADDING WORKS

WALLS TOTAL QUANTITY OF STONE WORKS

TOTAL QUANTITY OF WATER PROOFING WORKS STONE WORKS FLOOR

4 INCH BRICKWORK WATER PROOFING WORKS

BRICKWORK 9 INCH BRICKWORK

TOTAL QUANTITY OF FLAT BRICK SOLING WORK PCC WORKS

SOLING WORKS

5 WATER FOUNATIN AREA ( MAIN AREA+SPILL OUT AREA) EXCAVATION WORKS

4 STONE RAISED PLATFORM( 6 INCH) 1 LAYER FLAT BRICK SOLING PCC WORKS STONE WORKS

3 FLOWER BED NEAR WATER POND 4 INCH BRICK PLASTER WORK

13.333 26.666

1 1 1

8 8 8

1 3.833 1 Area= 1 19.666

1 13.666 1 4.833 1 Area=

1 3.833 1 Area=

1 Area= 1 Area= 1 Area=

1 1

1 11 1 10.833 1 10.833 1 10.833 1 27.332 2 Perimeter= 1 10.833

2 RAISED WATER POND ( LOTUS FLOWER) EXCAVATION WORKS SOLING WORKS PCC WORKS BRICKWORK 4 inch brickwork PLASTER WORK WATERPROOFING WORKS

LENGTH

1 Area= 1 Area= 1 Area=

NOS.

1 TURF STONE PAVEMENT FOR CAR PARKING SOLING PCC WORKS STONE PAVEMENT WORKS

DESCRIPTION OF WORKS

1.5 1

6 17.26

6.5 6.5 5.5

1.33

0.83 0.17

6 17.26

8 25.89

0.25 0.25

6 17.26

0.25

1.5 1.33

0.25 0.75 1.833 1.833

0.75

0.33

124.01 124.01 124.01

27.332 6.499

3 2.833 2.833 2.833

162.45 162.45 162.45

BREADTH HEIGHT

DETAIL ESTIMATE OF GARDEN LANDSCAPE A FOR ARCHITECTURE

CUFT SQFT CUFT CUFT SQFT SQFT SQFT

52 SQFT 52 SQFT 44 SQFT

23 17.26 26.16 66.42 SQFT

19.09 2.93 22.02 CUFT 13.666 SQFT 38.664 25.89 64.554 SQFT

23 17.26 40.26 SQFT 5.75 4.315 10.065 CUFT

34.497 17.26 51.757 CUFT

124.01 SQFT 31.0025 CUFT 124.01 SQFT

20 SQFT 35.47 SQFT

24.75 30.69 7.67 23.02 50.1 100.2 70.4

162.45 SQFT 53.61 CUFT 162.45 SQFT

QUANTITY UNITS

T H E U R B A N SPAC E ROW HOUSING

Location : Satdobato, Lalitpur. Client: Mero Ghar. Type: Housing units. No. of units: 11. Status: Construction started. Skills Learned: Planning, Facade design, drafting, 3D modelling, illustration, render, interior design, detail drawings, structure, client meetings, site visits.

The urban space is a townhouse concept unlike other housing practices in Nepal where physical boundaries blur out to form a shared urban space. For the first time in Nepal, this housing offers European standard facilities. Situated at a busy location Satdobato, this housing has tried to give all the facilities available in a typical housing, but in small plot of land. Like other projects mentioned in this report, we have taken the small plot of land as an opportunity rather than weakness to create something extraordinary. MY INVOLVEMENT: This project can be called the major project of my internship period. Half of my internship has been spent on this project. I worked on planning, facade designs, re designng, municipal drawings, brochure making, client meetings, interior, detail drawings, site visits. This is the project I’ve learnt the most from. This was a challenging one as designs was being changed after every meeting with the client. Luxurious designing on a small plot of land was difficult.

SANCHITA KHANAL

D e s i g n

P r o c e s s

THE REQUIREMENTS The requirments of the Real Estate company ‘Mero Ghar’ was to design 11 houses, the boundaries of which shall blur out to form a shared urban space that is equally accessible to all the people living there. PROGRAMS: - 4 bedrooms with attached washroom and closet. - Living rooms connected to urban space. - Optimum daylight and ventilation. - Insulation from weather and sound. - Double glazed doors and windows. - HVAC and efficient fire fighting system. - Space for parking 2 cars. - And other spaces required in a house.

site SANCHITA KHANAL

SITE & SURROUNDINGS The site is located in Satdobato, a very prime location in the heart of Lalitpur. The site is very small and 11 houses had to be incorporated within the available area so, palnning was done considering the site factors : levels, climate and proximity of services. Also, there is high tension line running through the site that became a constraint. The problems in site later known was the gradual decreament of the access road that affected the plinth level of the houses. Singular plot of land where the houses are to be built are approximately 3 ana (1026.75 sq.ft.).

site SANCHITA KHANAL

PLANS RESEARCH & CASE STUDY Research for the European standard safety and needs were done prior to planning and the core necessity in townhouses were done. Study on urban design and urban spaces were done to preserve the essence of an urban space in the row housing. All the research and references led to next stage of design.

BRAINSTORMING After doing all the research and references, we came with the design ideas that would be new in Nepal. Several ideas like making the groundfloor open and common for all, roof garden terraces that become the shared urban space in the sky were proposed but it all seemed radical so we thought for new ideas that would give simple and interesting design solution.

SANCHITA KHANAL

When each plot gives one aana of land area as a shared backyard, every house will get 11 aana of land area that will provide a space for the social, psychological and physical needs of the people. Thus is the concept of urban space that is boundaryless where each house shares a common backyard. Also, we had the challenge of fulfilling all the requiremnets in this 3 aana plot of land. Luxirious living with attached w/c and closets, balconies, double heighted living rooms, car park for 2 was very difficult, thus leading to change of plans every week. Here, every inch of space is critically analysed.The Urban space is a core space of the row housing where different kinds of activities from kids playing to sun basking and playing guitars to jogging takes place. The urban space in Satdobato is a prototype of many more Urban Spaces in Nepal to come. After the sketching of conceptual plans, a detail plan was designed to accomodate all the amenities in the most optimum way possible. The row housing is divided in to two blocks, block A and block B. There are 5 plots in block A and 6 plots in block B. The plans and designs of each house in block A is different from one another wheres the plans of houses in block B is kept modular. The eclectic nature of block A has provided it with an eclectic facade and likewise the modular nature of block B has provided it with a modular yet a bit visually varying facade. All the houses have four bedrooms with attached bathrooms and accommodate living- dining-kitchen layout in the first floor of block B and the ground floor of the block A such that both the blocks are connected via urban space.I assisted in planning and replanning of all plots in block A & B and then I was assigned to design the facades for block A that became the key defining characteristic of the ‘urban space’.

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FA C A D E D E S I G N

INTERIOR DESIGN

At first, i was lost on what to do , what furnitures to put, the space was small, how to make it look big, how to provide optimum space for every fuction? But gradually, I came around designing it cleverly by using the type of furnitures that catered two functions, light colors and textures to make the space feel airy, accent walls, accent furnitures, accessories, type of materials, etc. It was hit and trial process.

The interior design was to be done in such a way to make the small space look big. For this use of light and warm colour and material palette was done, and to use floating like furniture. The interior of a typical living room, bedroom and kitchen was done.

I searched for all kinds of references and studied ways to make a faccade lively with perfect balance and imbalance. To create small contrasts harmoniously in a series of alternating pattern, a lot of experimentation with 2D and 3D forms were done. It was a long period of facade experimentation that led me to the knowledge of finding a balance and rhythm in facade

The interior design was started by the creation of a mood board. The mood board is a composition of all the materials and colours as well as type of furniture and accessories to be used. I created mood board for the interior design of living room and bedroom.

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MY DESIGNS

living room

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kitchen, dining

bed room

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C L I E N T M E E T I N G S & C O N S U LTAT I O N S Design is a two way communicative process, and a good design demands countless of meetings and consultations. We had countless of meetings with Er, Bipin Gaire, the founder of Meroghar and Urban space with whom we discussed about the design process and development, and was approved after few meetings.

Chakupat, Patan

D E TA I L D R A W I N G S

The Urban Space Satdobato S NO DATE

We also sat on a major formal meeting with the contractors, engineers and people from various technical fileds to consult about various problems that arose in our design. Through these meetings, a wide knowledge of structural details, construction details, sanitary engineering and electrical engineering were known.

STAIRCASE DETAILS SECTION AT XX (B1)

S NO DATE

1:30

STAIRCASE DETAILED PLAN B1

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AFA

CT-01

AFA

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STAIRCASE DETAILS

3RD SEPT, 2021

The Urban Space Satdobato

1:40

Chakupat, Patan

* Refer to annex for more drawings

SANCHITA KHANAL

FARMHOUSE

W H AT I L E A R N E D ?

SANGHA

site visit - construction going on

- Compact planning methods, human scale and anthropometry. - Critical thinking of each and every inch of the house. - The concept of shared space in the commnity. - To design a lively facade with the experimentation of materials. - Enhance my drafting, modelling and rendering skills. - The impact how a render and illustration makes in the market. - Detail drawings for construction. - Structural insight. - Sanitary, electrical systems. - How to tackle problems aling the way. - The importance of collaboration with different engineering disciplines before hand.

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Location : Sangha, Kavre. Type: Farmhouse Site Area: 44897 sq. ft. Status: Design finalized. Skills Learned: Planning, Facade design, drafting, 3D modelling, render, interior design, structure, client meetings.

Sanga farmhouse is a Bali themed vacation hideout for a family of 5 located on the top of a hilly terrain of Sanga. It is double storied building that merges out from the landscape with a common living-dining room that opens up to the view outside through an open deck on the ground floor. Other amenities on the ground floor are the steam lounge, swimming pool, kitchen and a bedroom. The floor above holds a family space with bedrooms on the either side and on further going up you reach the master-bedrooms that embraces the vast landscape to the east.

My Involvement: I was lucky enough to get this project on which I got to be involved from the very beginning. I studied the requirements the client had and we visited the site to study its characteristics. We brainstormed and went through the design process that included research, references studying, conceptual development, planning, 3d development, rendering, material studies, back and forth communication with the client, talks with structural engineer and municipal drawing.

SANCHITA KHANAL

D e s i g n

P r o c e s s

THE REQUIREMENTS The requirement of the project was to create a vacation home for the client that would be themed as a Bali villa that the client could rent out occasionally as Airbnb. - 4 bedrooms each at least 300 sq.ft. with attached bathrooms - 1 master bedroom 450 sq.ft. with attached bathroom - Open deck with outdoor dining - Semi closed exterior space- pergola - Plunge pool 2m*4m - Double heighted living-dining room - Staff quarters - 30 ft* 60 ft open garden - Orchards

SITE & SURROUNDINGS We studied the site surroundings and land relief of the site. We measured the tentative contour cut and fill that was done prior to the survey data. The frequent site visits led to development of building structure that perfectly sits on the land mass.

SANCHITA KHANAL

RESEARCH & CASE STUDIES First of all I started my research by studying the previous farmhouses that were done by my office. Then I researched on various rooms required and the connection of spaces that a farmhouse needs. I studied the room layouts of hotel rooms and anthropometric aspect of design including dimensions of furniture, standard distances between furniture layouts and Balinese elements of architecture. Along with this I also did some international case studies. As I went on developing I knew that the spaces lacked the ambience of the artwork so I also started studying the environment and surrounding elements that make a space feel full.

BRAINSTORMING After enough research and references, we conceptualized some ideas. We opted for those ideas that respected the contour of the site. The ideas include connecting each rooms to the nature, techniques to introduce ample natural light into the building,

using natural light

bedroom with views

Typical hotel room layout

THE CONCEPT

The concept of the farmhouse is based on a Bali villa and interconnectivity of each spaces with the nature. Because the client would occasionally rent it as hotel rooms the planning had to be done such that the lining between hotels and residence could be blurred and function as either when necessary. The materials we chose to use would directly link to the earth itself. Though the structural material is concrete, the finishing is such that the walls retained would be exposed and some would be mud plastered, lime plastered and normal plaster painted with earthy tones. For roofing and external flooring we decided to use WPC, so as to make the structure light and durable.

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walking on water to reach bedrooms

interesting view points within the building

using natural light

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PLANNING The planning was a to and fro process of interaction with the client and making plans accordingly. The meetings were held virtually and also physically which helped me understand the client’s perspective on what he wants and also about the approximate budgeting of the project. The planning was done such that different spaces were interconnected to each other and also with the nature. Various options for the plans were presented to the client, out of which the plans that were the most simple and elegant was chosen.

option 1

I also had the opportunity to discuss the project with the structural engineer where he described the importance of not only structural analysis but also that of a geotechnical engineer specifically on this site where the contour is a steep land. A geotechnical engineer studies the bearing capacity of soil and how a structure behaves on various types of soil, weather the soil can hold the structure above, how the load of the structure is distributed on lands that lie on contour and so on.

option 2

option 3

option 4 Bare concrete finish SANCHITA KHANAL

stone with lime mortar

WPC roof tiles

Raw wood finish

Beige paint on cment plaster

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NAXAL COMPLEX I N T E R N AT I O N A L D E S I G N C O M P E T I T I O N

Naxal complex is all office building with penthouse on top. The Planning phase was already done by Himalayan builders, and we just had to design the façade.

MY INVOLVEMENT

Location : Naxal, Kathmandu. Type: Commercial complex. Status: Design finalized.

outdoor seating space

bed room

It was my first project related to commercial. I understood the land value of commercial area that the client wanted. I was involved in façade design and drawing details of the façade after the idea was finalized.

covered pool

* Refer to annex for more drawings

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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Design process started by brainstorming the ideas on how we can treat the single plain facade while the internal plan was already done. Since the location of the project was on main road of naxal, I wanted to incorporate some green designs i.e, I wanted the facade to seem like it’s connected to nature by adding greenary. The reason behind that was because of the location of site, the site is completely enveloped by plain buildings with no space to breathe. I wanted this building to be a breath of fresh air and soothing to soar eyes. Except that, i kept the facade modern, minimal and clean.

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FINAL DESIGN

Final design consisted of vertical louvers placed at different spacing in 3 horizontal levels of different heights. framing those louvers by a beam made the design look more bold and attractive. Similarly to make the entrance grand we played with varying heights at the entry portion of the building. since it was office building so we needed enough amount of light in building so this louvers design made that possible louvers even acted as the shad-

W H AT I L E A R N E D ?

option 2

- About commercial building projects. - skethcup 3D modelling and rendering. - Editing with Photoshop. - Facade designing and producing options. - How to experiment with different forms in a facade.

option 3

Considering the requirements, we proposed these 3 options, that justified the internal spaces as well. But due to high land value of rentable area, the first design was preferred by the client. In these options, i have tried to incorporate greenary in the building to make interior space more interesting. Another reason for client to choose the first one was because of easy maitainence and easy construction.

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ETHIOPIAN PRE-SCHOOL I N T E R N AT I O N A L D E S I G N C O M P E T I T I O N

The design competition was organised by Abay Ethiopia, an organization based in Ethiopia that has already built a school in Gaba Kemisa, a village in Ethiopia. The goal was to build another school in Dillu and Hiddi that replicate the pre-existing model. So that the students don’t have to walk far away from their village, which is the main cause of dropping out from school in primary / secondary school.

Location : Dillu & Hiddi, Ethiopia. Client: Abay, Ethiopia. Type: Satellite pre-school. Site Area: 4,550 sq.m. (Hiddi) 19,000 sq.m. (Dillu) Status: Finalist.

This design competition gave us the opportunity to work in the creation of a school in an underdeveloped country. For better access to education, the school will be developed for preschoolers from Dillu and Hiddi.

MY INVOLVEMENT This design competition is one of the most important project of my internship period as it provided me the opportunity to think beyond plans and elevations. It has been a unique experience. I got to understand and be part of the design process followed by our studio. I was involvded from conceptual phase to final sheet submission. This includes site study, case studies, research on child psychology, conceptual development, 3D development, rendering and post productions. The highlight of the learnings being the understanding of DESIGN PROCESS that will be beneficial for me throughout my architectural studies and practice.

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D e s i g n

P r o c e s s

U N D E R S TA N D I N G T H E P R O B L E M

REQUIREMENTS - Classrooms x 4, each 50m2 (accommodate 30 to 50 students) - Latrines: 4 latrines. - Covered courtyard for rainy season – sports activites approximate 100 m2. - Open courtyard to practice sports, one of the basic pillars that Abay wants to implement. - Multifunctional space : size =100m2, place where literacy class can be taught, program for infants with malnutrition, can serve for dining purpose, school principal and teacher office included. - Kitchen, dining. - Corral + orchard : for 50 chickens ,for fruits and making self sufficient five major crops (teff, wheat, maize, sorghum and barley) - Flexibility: the model that is developed can be adapted to the different places where Abay wants to build schools. Like in Dillu and Hiddi.

The main hurdle we had was to create a school that was flexible and modular which could fit into any context around the site. Hence, the main objective was flexibility in use of spaces and possibility of extension. Another problem was regarding the availability of materials as Hiddi and Dillu are one of the poorest region of Ethiopia and the availability of industrial material was questionable. The project would be built by locals hence, the construction had to be simple but effective. The other difficulty was to design for the age group of 3 to 6 year old kids. Designing for the kids of that age group had to be percieved through the eyes of children rather than we designers as adults.

SITE & SURROUNDINGS As Prajal sir says, “Respect the site” Site is where the structure is built and it is from where architecture begins. While designing we must respect the character of site and try to preserve it. For this project, the physical, climatic, social, historical, economical, architectural, vernacular features of site were studied. The topography of site is plain, weather - moderate, humid, drought occurs almost half a year, people living here are below the poverty line with very limited facilities and social problems prevail in this society.

The learning curve- Takaharu Tezuka

RESEARCH & CASE STUDIES Research is the most insightful part of any project. It gives us access to the knowledge that results in fruitful outcome of the project. We studied various research papers related to child psychology and preschool design all of which led to one simple conclusion that children love playing in spaces that are new to them i.e, they want to explore as much as possible. To understand the spatial essence of child spaces, we did some case studies that focused on how playful the spaces for children could be made. We also studied the schools in Africa and schools in similar type of climate.

Five fields play structure by Matter design +FR|SCH

Gando primary school by Francis Kere. site - Dillu

site - Hiddi

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BRAINSTORMING This was the crucial phase of the project where all the information we collected were shared with each other: the case studies we did, research papers, ideas we had. Then we went on to do a 1 hour design studio. In 1 hour design studio, we design separately for 1 full hour, it is mostly conceptual, and then share the ideas.

After being held back for long during our conceptual phase, a concept of aligning a central pathway covered by roofs of alternate blocks with green orchards and play spaces in the middle of either blocks was generated, which would also portray the developmental phase of a child. Then, we developed a concept of branching out, inspired from a growing tree which branches out from a common stem and provides ample possibilities. The branching out continues further as it grows establishing a module for future growth of the school. The major corridor, stem would make the children feel secure and would also give the sense of belongingness to the students as this is where all the activities of play takes place. It provides opportunities of flexibility to make modifications as per the site features. A classroom will have views of courtyard from 2 sides so that children have calming environment to study in. In this design, sustainability is also well thought of. i.e, rainwater harvesting, reusing gray water, solar energy, etc.

THE CONCEPT “branching out ”

We discussed on child psychology, spaces required for cognitive development of a child, innovative materials, space management, built form appropriate to the site context.

A common corridor acts as a stem from which the classrooms and other spaces branches out

The brainstorming led us to conclude that the design be simple, effective in construction, local building techniques, connectivity of each space to nature and open field outside that would be done by placing the blocks by staggering about a definitive path which could act as a covered multipurpose space.

Connects to each other providing an interactive discourse amongst each other. The established connections also help to harness safety values as it gets easier to oversee the children under this structure.

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- The courtyards are intended to provide an eclectic themes or envirments for the children to experience, learn, play and grow. - The classrooms have options to open up entirely to its adjacent courtyards for some instances or programs. - Multipurpose halls with leading colonnades emphasize the entrance and create clearance between the public and the private zones.

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S PAC E S DESIGN MAGAZINE

W H AT I L E A R N E D ?

Spaces Magazine is the first architecture magazine of Nepal which is under the operation of Ar. Prajal Pradhan and Anu Rajbansh.

- Design is hugely influenced by geographical, economical and socio cultural status. - Research despite preliminary is the most important step of design. - Child’s perception of the outside world / child psychology. - Material choice and experimentation. - Renders and illustrations. - Sheet composition. - The experience and importance of teamwork. - Always backup files. - Always complete the work before deadline.

I am currently a member of Spaces magazine volunteering as graphics designer and occassional writer since 2020. My journey in spaces till now has consisted of interviewing artists, designers and other people, research, writing, illustrating and graphic designing. This has helped me in a lot of ways, also in preparing this report. MY INVOLVEMENTS: - Interview with an illustrator (Patelo Patan). - Unpopular opinion (Lumbini park in Spain). - In rememberance (Rajkumar Shakya). - A day out with Narayan Acharya. - City portraits (ongoing).

A classroom that opens up to the surrounding whenever necessary.

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ARCHITECTURE AND HUMAN BEHAVIOUR In this presentation, i explained about how architecture can affect human behaviour directly or indirectly, from what we see outside to how we feel inside. The exterior of buildings can impact on if we want to go inside or not. If the exterior looks dark, damp, plain with no character, we refrain ourselves from going in. But if the exterior looks interesting and has some kind of character to it, we feel like going inside and exploring more. Similarly, the interior can also affect how we feel and behave in a space. The inside of a building can shape our converstaions, our moods, our appetite, our concentration, and so on. Talking about how architecture can affect human behaviour, i took another example of Kathmandu valley. We know that public spaces play a major role in human interaction, which also determines our social behaviour. But the only public spaces in Kathmandu valley are in ancient cities of Patan, Bhaktapur and Kathmandu. We as a progressive society should have learned and evolved from our ancestors and create more public spaces but looking back, we have failed as a society and we have failed as an architect.

A FA TA L K S AFA talks is one of the weekly sessions we have in our office where one presents on certain topic relating to architecture. This helps us keep track of architecture when we totally forget about it doing our office works. It is a very informative session to hear on topics that we never pondered upon. An ancient public square in Bhaktapur.

Interior of school of architecture, Sao Paulo.

AFA TALKS SO FAR

MICRO HOME - 2020, SMALL LIVING HUGE IMPACT In this presentation, I studied and analysed the 3 winners of international design competition Micro home 2020, small living huge impact. The participants had to design a fully facilitated living space for 2 people in a floor area of 25 sq. m, and the site could be anywhere in the world. I found it quite interesting on seeing how the winners had designed. To design in such small area is very difficult but, not only the designs were fully facilitated for 2 people, they also had extra quirks to it, like aquaponics system for growing plants, technological incorporation, construction technology and even the site itself! I also analysed the sheets of these winners and gave my critics on why the winner became winner, what was it about second runner up and so on. All these 3 designs were very good, but the winning submission was mindblowing. Through this exercise, my mind opened up to more possibilities and as a presentor, I gained more confidence in public speaking.

- Architecture and music. - Yoga house on a cliff competition. - Architecture as an experience. - Ethiopian satellite preschool competition. - Architecture and technology. - Cambodia hideout hut competition. - Perseverance: The reason behind growth. - Architecture and psychology. - Microhome 2020- small home huge impact. First Runner up.

Winner.

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KNOW

YOUR

ARCHITECT

ALEJANDRO ARAVENA

Another on of the weekly design exercise is the know your architect segment where you present on any speeches or presentations that an architect has done. This helps us keep track of current architecture trends and also on various new ideas that architects of this generation bring into the architectural realm.

Alejandro Aravena, the 2017 Pritzker award winner, works inside paradoxes, seeing space and flexibility in public housing, clarity in economic scarcity and ways to rebuild things caused by natural calamities. The Chilian architect founded Elemental in 1994 through which he has tried to solve what he calls the double condition of cities ie attracting knowledge and opportunities but magnifying social pressure. The firm doesn’t only build buildings but also shapes people’s lives.

One example is the social housing of Chile where he proposed constructing a 40 m2 house instead of 80 phrasing it “ a half of a good one instead of a small one” where the other half will be extended by the family itself upon its economic growth channeling the PEOPLE’s own building.

ARCHITECTS STUDIED SO FAR Fransis Kere Alejandro Aravena Anupama kundoo Anna Herringer Daniel Lebskind Marina Tabassum Peter Zumthor

CONCEPTUAL DIALOGUES If there’s any power in design, that’s the power of synthesis. The more complex the problem, the more the need for simplicity. Sustainability is the nothing but the rigorous use of common sense. …let’s have an open atrium, a hollowed core, the same collection of floors, but have the walls and the mass in the perimeter, so that when the sun hits, it’s not impacting directly glass, but a wall. When you have an open atrium inside, you are preventing direct sun radiation. You may also open those windows and get cross-ventilation. Designing is preferring.

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ANNA HERINGER

M AT E R I A L S T U DY

“Learning with joy is the school’s philosophy - the best for me is to see the building crowded with sprightly kids, who are really happy to go to school. It is primarily not the architecture that makes something special - it’s the people: everyone who worked on it with all efforts and potentials and all who live in it and fill the space with atmosphere.” [Anna Heringer]

MCM FLEXI CLADDING

METI School in Bangladesh is one of the most empowering projects created by Anna. While construction blindly depends on advanced technology it subdues the strength locally available earthly materials like mud frequently as underrated for construction. This project defies such notions by predominantly using earth as a primary material. The project uses earth and bamboo to promote employment amid low-cost labor in rural areas as prime action towards potential development. Engaging the local labor mitigates the persistent migration from rural to urban, it collaterally strategies employment for the locals and eradicates the dependency on external systems – creates a strategy to cultivate and develop building skills among the local population on a grassroots level which improves the collective quality of living in rural areas.

MCM , modified clay material as the name suggests is made from stone powder, sand and clay that is environmentally safe and recyclable through an unfired patent manufacturing technology. This new material is proved to be class A fireproof. The clay is constituted with recycled materials to reduce carbon footprint, thus making it the closet pure form with the nature. The natural characteristics of the soil remain, giving the benefits of fire retardant, breathability, non toxic, durability and recyclability features. The products come with a base thickness of only 2.5 mm. Properties of this material The material is thin, lightweight, flexible and extremely durable and yet suitable for both interior and exterior. Can be installed on either new or old walls and floors. The product has a high degree of shock resistance and will not shatter This is a moisture regulating material i.e. it offers breathability, and regulates humidity. MCM can be manufactured to look like various products such as leather, stone, weaving, wood, brick, concrete, stacked stone, sedimentary stone, granite, sandstone,

Anna Heringer, born October 1977, grew up in Laufen, a small town at the Austrian-Bavarian border close to Salzburg. At the age of 19 she lived in Bangladesh for almost a year, where she had the chance to learn from the NGO Dipshikha about sustainable development work. The main lesson was the experience, that the most successful development strategy is to trust in existing, readily available resources and to make the best out of it instead of getting depended on external systems. Eight years later, in 2005, she tried to transfer this philosophy into the field of architecture. SANCHITA KHANAL

flexible

durable

fire resistant

water resistant

MCM stone

MCM granite

MCM wood

MCM leather

MCM weave

MCM block

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HEMCRETE

W O R D O F T H E D AY Hempcrete, or “hemp-lime composite building material” is a mixture of lime, hemp hurd and water that will petrify into a bio-composite building material. The material is usually either cast on site on shuttering around a structural frame, mechanically spray-applied or pre-cast into blocks or panels. Hemp is a plant that can be grown without using plant protection chemicals, requires little water and contributes to agricultural soil regeneration. And, hemp hurds are made using hemp stalks. BENEFITS OF HEMPCRETE AS BUILDING MATERIAL - Naturally grows in nature. - Due to it’s insulating properties, it can cut down energy consumption to 10% only. - Absorbs greenhouse gases. - Easy construction and flexible. - Smells good and does not produce toxic gases. - Fire resistant.

This is an exercise in which all the interns prepare a new architectural word and it’s meaning with a sketch and share it with the whole office. The reason behind doing this is to increase our architectural vocabulary

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CONCLUSION My time at practicum has been very beneficial to me, the works I did and the knowledge that I got to learn during these months days at A for architecture shall forever be with me. Everything that I learned, theoretically, at college, never seemed to be enough as a whole different part of seeing it practically was missing. Here at A for Architecture, I got to see first-hand, the design procedure being executed into reality, the ways and how to run an architecture firm, the difficulties one might face in process and the ways to handle them. Starting with site visits my internship began whose effect remained throughout the whole practicum period. Then I got to learn about resort and farmhouse architecture and also interior when working on Sanga farmhouse and Suryachaur resort. My verbal communication and speaking skills improved every week and so did my knowledge on worldwide architecture with a weekly practice of presentation series “Know your architect” and “AFA talks”. My approach on design thinking has changed completely into next level. I learned dealing with a client, and presenting design ideas to a layman. While working for the international competitions I got to peek inside the world of architecture competitions that I would never had gained information if it were not in AFA that I was doing my internship. Taking part in an international design competition made me gain confidence to further participate in other national and international competitions. Most importantly, I learned team work, and how it’s impossible to be the best in field without good team work. Furthermore, projects like the urban space taught me to make mistakes and iterate the plans for as much as possible to get the most suitable result. This also taught me how timely submissions are important to please the clients. I am extremely happy to have been a part of a great team at A for Architecture, where my opinions were equally valued, though I was just a trainee architect. This team has taught me a lot, both directly and indirectly. Each group meetings or gatherings inspired me to become a better architect and I sure did learn to be a “Better” architect than I was before. My architectural knowledge would have been incomplete without these best 140 days of my architectural life . I am very grateful to everyone who helped me learn during this period.

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