Design Portfolio 2013 - 2019
VISHAL UDESHI Architect Mumbai, India. +91 91675 27730 +91-22-21024565
udeshivishaal@gmail.com udeshivishaal | Instagram Through all my education and added experiences, I see myself inclined towards a design language that I wish to pursue and develop. The collection of projects reflects my interest that dwells into storytelling through spaces, that are being occupied and experienced by the users in the society. Ageing of the built environment as it converses with the external forces of nature to be in sync has always gained my attention as I manoeuvre through my design decisions. Locating chances to get into the process of making, learning from the craftsmen, and improvising enthralls me, irrespective of the scale of the work.
SKILLS Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro, Autodesk AutoCAD, Sketchup, Rhinoceros, Microsoft Office Suite, Lumion. Wood-working, Concrete-casting, Model making, Sewing, Sketching, Gardening, Photography, Writing.
EDUCATION 2013 - 2019 Dr. Baliram Hiray College of Architecture, Bandra, Mumbai. 2011 - 2013 S.I.E.S - South Indian Education Society, Sion, Mumbai. 1998 - 2011 S.V.D.D - Sheth Virchand Dhanji Devshi English Medium School, Ghatkopar, Mumbai.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Deepshikha Jaiswal, The Drawing Studio, Mumbai.
Dharmalaya Institute, Bir, Himachal Pradesh.
May 2020 - June 2020 November 2018 - January 2019
May 2017
Freelance
Student Volunteer
Involved in making drawings for the woodworks of a 160 sq.m. apartment in Suburban Mumbai. Working on different layouts of a 70 sq.m. apartment in Mumbai city.
Worked on various stages in the making of a faculty cottage within the campus. Hands-on making of a solar cooker with Didi Contractor at Sambhavna Institute, Kandbari.
Proposal for Office + Factory, Vasai.
Samir Raut, Studio Eight Twenty Three, Mumbai.
August 2019 - October 2019
Architect
Collaborator
April 2017
Worked on the design for Western Rubbers Pvt. Ltd. for a 600 sq.m. of office + 1500 sq.m. factory. Involved in site survey, design development, multiple meetings with the client, liasoning architect, and the contractor.
Involved in execution of an experimental temporary pavilion, “making a house”, made out of cardboard at School of Environment and Architecture, also featured in Domus India, Sept 2017 issue.
Aangan, Mumbai.
Ratan J. Batliboi Consultants Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
Novemeber 2018 - January 2019
Architect
October 2016 - April 2017
Trainee, Urban Design
Refurbishment and landscape development of a 140 sq.m. row house for an independent family. Worked on an individual basis for material procurement and the complete execution of the project.
Design proposals, Design development for Refurbishment of Marine Drive Phase 2013. Making diagrammatic representations for the “Rethinking Mehrangarh Fort & Museum Precinct” report. Involved in designing of the Indoor Sports Block as a part of the Proposed Campus Development for IIIT Naya Raipur.
GrassrootED, Mumbai.
Sameep Padora & Associates, Mumbai.
Novemeber 2017 - January 2018
Collaborator
December 2015 - January 2016
Student Volunteer
Involved in design development and construction of the vernacular playground for a village school in Udagirinallapannahalli, Karnataka. The playground was set in a natural rural context and the material procured was highly upcycled.
“In the Name of Housing”
HONOURS
BOOK PUBLICATION
Winning Entry: INTACH Heritage Award for Excellence in Documentation, 2016 for “Approach to Documentation | Preserving Patterns”
Co-designed: “Approach to Documentation | Preserving Patterns”
2nd Position in TIMSR’s Lakshya : Display of GrassrootED initiative’s vernacular playground.
Collecting data, interviews with residents and measure drawings for a chawl typology of housing in Mumbai, as part of sPare Research + Exhibition and Book Publication.
Measured Drawings: “In the Name of Housing” by Sameep Padora, published by UDRI (Urban Design Research Institute), Mumbai.
CONTENTS
PAUSE
Design Dissertation AANGAN Refurbishment + Landscape of a row house, Mumbai Suburban. BLOOM Task lighting, Mumbai. BISCUIT AND BALCONY Reflection from a course on Reading and Writing Architecture. JOURNEY OF A TYRE Design and Execution of a School Playground in a village in Karnataka, a GrassrootED initiative.
06
28
32
34
36
CONTEXT IN MAKING Museum for the city, Mumbai City, Design Studio 9.
42
IN CONVERSATION WITH EARTH Making of faculty cottages at Dhamaralaya Institute for Compassionate Living, Bir.
50
MAKING A HOUSE Installation of a temporary cardboard pavilion, Mumbai Suburban.
52
PRESERVING PATTERNS Temple Complex Documentation, Kudal.
56
SPACES BETWEEN THE SPACES Business Management School, Mumbai Suburban, Design Studio 6.
60
URBAN SPRAWL Mapping of Hindmata Cloth Market, Mumbai City, Urban Design Studio.
64
HARMONIZING FACETS Refining Concepts, Summer Winter School, CEPT University, Ahmedabad City.
66
IN THE NAME OF HOUSING Documentation of Swadeshi Market Chawl, Kalbadevi, Mumbai City.
68
FRAGMENTED ELICIT Primary and Secondary School with Hostel Jaisalmer, Design Studio 4.
70
AXIAL MASSING Tourist Information Centre, Mumbai City, Design Studio 3.
76
PAUSE Design Dissertation 2019 | Mumbai City | Individual Academic Work | Public Recreation | 13000 sq.m.
The body knows and remembers. Our sensations of comfort, protection, and home are rooted in the primordial experiences of countless generations. The ‘elements’ of architecture are not just visual units or gestalt principles; they are encounters, confrontations, that interact with memory. The inhumanity of contemporary architecture and cities can be understood as a consequence of the human body’s negligence and senses. What if sound, touch, taste, and smell were as equally emphasized as sight? What would our built environment look, smell, and feel like, and how would that affect us? Today, Modernist design at large has housed the intellect and the eye, but it has left the body and the other senses, as well as our memories, imagination, and dreams; homeless.
Among the sixty-five textile mills in The Manchester of the east - Mumbai, was The Untied Textile Mill No. 04 that also suffered from the political heat between the Union Militancy and the Central government, led to the shutting of textile mills in the city. An inward-looking lost in time, mill land that was once the breadwinner to the economy of the city and its natives lost all its muscle by the end of the 1980s. Adaptive reuse of the meticulous construction systems in stone and timber gave birth to cathedral-like structures that can attempt the formation of a whole new narrative of the sensual body. The linearity of this site could be one of the reasons that it has not been sucked into the crass development of the early 2000s and preserved its memories to date. However, other mill lands in Lalbaug-Parel have forgotten their illustrious history and labor of love in pursuit of towers filled with hope. A site that introspects its resistance would not shy away from welcoming its visitors to dwell on their questions and inquiries with oneself!
6
7
23 22
25 16
21
20
17
12
19
18
0
26.25
52.5 M
TEMPORARY PAVILION SPACE COMMUNITY KITCHEN + DINNER IN THE DARK
BEYOND THE SKY
COU
URT
25
8
11 10
9 24
7 13
14 3
4
LEGEND 2 5
15 6
REVISITING THE BYGONE
1
1 PEDESTRIAN ENTRY / EXIT 2 FALLEN LEAVES 3 DEPOSITORY 4 5 6 7 8
EXHIBITION ON STILTS
COMMUNITY KITCHEN DINNER IN THE DARK TEMPORARY EXHIBITION SPACE ADMINISTRATION PEAK INTO YOU
14 BEYOND THE SKY 15 EXHIBITION SPACE 16 CARVING A VOLUME 17 EXHIBITION ON STILTS 18 MEMORY CYLINDERS 19 REACHING THE SKY
9 DAPPLED LIGHT
20 CLOUD BRIDGE 21 EXHIBITION SPACE
10 THROUGH THE FABRIC
22 EXHIBITION SPACE
11 CONTRASTING STEPS 12 REVISIT THE BYGONE
23 INTO THE EARTH
13 COURT + CHIMNEY
25 WASHROOMS
WAY TO CLOUD BRIDGE
24 BASEMENT PARKING
REACHING THE SKY
DAPPLED LIGHT The journey commences with the idea of gathering in a place with lower light intensity created with shadows and light beams penetrating through a plane-like sleeve attached to the roof. Invariably argues one to stop and leave the outside to discover what is coming ahead. This refines the senses towards more archaic behavior, bringing vision down to hear, touch, and smell. The transition from light to shadow, keeps the environment stimulating yet comfortable.
10
12
12
6
6
3
3
0
0
4 MM WEATHERING STEEL FLASHING 25MM CHINA MOSAIC 40 MM CONCRETE SCREED 100 MM BRICK BAT COBA BITUMINOUS MEMBRANE WITH 5MM FIBREGLASS REINFORCEMENT
11
THROUGH THE FABRIC
CONTRATSTING STEPS
Tactile space physically separates or brings together viewers and objects, whereas visual sense only does the same from a distance and tricks into the presumptuous analysis.
Contrasting touch engraves a deep mark in the cognitive response. The sinking sand eases the glide as compared to the solid cold steps of the asphalt.
12
12
6
6
3
3
0
0
12
BEYOND THE SKY The sky has the power to heal the soul. Lying down in these individual pods and gazing the sky takes you further away from your body and highlighting emotional experiences into the realm of looking within. We close our eyes and participate with the sheers of the dervish-like forms to caress us as the background notes of the piano softens the wounds of the everyday.
SKYLIGHT WITH 08/16/08 MM GLAZING UNIT ALUMINIUM RETAINING FRAME
20 MM POLYURETHANE RIGID INSULATION
ROOF COMPRISING PEBBLES 40 MM POLYURETHANE RIGID INSULATION WATERPROOFING MEMBRANE
MULLION FALSE CEILING PANELS BENDED C-PROFILE FRAMING
12
6 3 0
13
MEMORY CYLINDERS The only sensory impulse that can sneak through the thalamus in our brain to form memories is olfaction. Every dwelling has been orchestrated with a certain smell that varies during the day and with the changing season that emanates a certain form of memory in the individuals, as they sit and wonder. Several levels of odours, left by a succession of families, of plants, of perfumes in an old fashioned country home or smell of fresh paint or woodwork in a new house.
12
6 3 0
14
CARVING A VOLUME The silence of architecture is responsive, remembering the silence. A powerful architectural experience silences all external noise; it focuses our attention on our very existence and makes us aware of our fundamental solitude. The space traced by the ear in the darkness becomes a cavity sculpted directly in the interior of the mind.
12
6 3 0
15
16
CLOUD BRIDGE The narrow elevated bridge acts as a spine of solitude. It connects the isolated memory cylinders in the existing forest like dense vegetation to the rest of the development. It thrives on self-exploration with the help of mist that awakens the imagination by making images unclear and ambiguous, giving rise to an unfocused way of looking, evoking a trance-like meditative state. Solitude, coupled with memories enters into the dialogue with one’s past, present, future.
4 NOs. 50X50 MM L-ANGLES SUPPORTING A 50MM WATER MIST PIPE 25 MM THK SLEEPER WOOD DECKING 50x50 MM L- ANGLE SUPPORTING SLEEPER WOOD DECKING ANGLE CLEAT WELDED TO 50X50 MM L ANGLE SUPPORTING SLEEPER WOOD DECKING 4 NOs. 50X50 MM L-ANGLES SUPPORTING A 50MM WATER MIST PIPE
350X350 MM 6MM THICK BASE PLATE ANGLE CLEAT WELDED ON TO THE 4 L-ANGLED COLUMN BOLTED INTO THE CONCRETE PEDESTAL
450 X 600 CONCRETE PEDESTAL
17
VERTICAL SEAMING WEATHERING STEEL PLATES ANCHORED TO THE WALL.
ROOF COMPRISING STANDING SEAMED ZINC SHEET ROOFING, SYNTHETIC MESH, 16 MM THK MARINE WATERPROOF PLYWOOD, 40 MM ROCK WOOL INSULATION, CEILING COMPRISING 12 MM FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE PANELS, 100X50 C- PROFILE STRUCTURAL STEEL PURLINS
ZINC FLASHING, SYNTHETIC MESH, 16MM WATERPROOF PLYWOOD, BEAM WITH 8 MM FLAT STEEL PLATES AND 150X75 STEEL C- PROFILE 6MM FILLET WELD 30X30X2.5 MM STRUCTURAL STEEL PURLIN BOX SECTIONS SUPPORTING THE SKYLIGHT 4MM GLASS ABOVE
ADMINISTRATION BLOCK The notion of dismantling to its pre-formal state and being absorbed by the landscape around, post its tenure has enthralled me on using steel for the architectonics of this building. The weathering steel is used as the facade cladding develops a patina that reflects on the passage of time with the users. The cantilevered section of the first floor creates a shelter above for pleasing of the eye with the existing landscape from the ground floor.
270X100 MM ISMB C- PROFILE WITH 6MM FILLET WELD TO 250X200 MM H - PROFILE
18
20 MM POLISHED KOTA STONE, 50MM SCREED, 150MM COMPOSITE SLAB OF CONCRETE FILL OVER CORRUGATED SHEETING
20
21
22
24
25
26
27
AANGAN Refurbishment + Landscape of a row house, Mumbai. 2019 | Mumbai Suburban | Individual Work | Private Residence | 140 sq.m.
Section of the house
Plan of the house
28
29
Incremental rebuilding has always been a norm amongst Indian families. Such is the case with Aangan, nestled in the suburban by-lanes, a time-worn row house. The client had unoccupied the house for the last ten years and wanted the house to come back to its basic functionalities. The shorter timeline and a smaller budget funneled the project’s scope to do just the needful came as a challenge. The brief manifested ideas that involve holding on to the bygone vines of building around the landscape. The neighboring row houses had progressively resulted in very less natural light flooding into their spaces. Echoing onto these, the thought of being grounded was inevitable to the owner. Loads of sun breaking in through the skylights and windows framing views of the fruit-bearing trees would make one dislike the idea of living way above the earth’s crust. Planting textures all across the periphery of the house; aims at a complete merge into the landscape and letting the structure disappear with time!
30
31
32
BLOOM 2018 | Individual Work | Task lighting
33
34
BISCUIT AND THE BALCONY! 2018 | Reading and Writing Architecture, the built environment with a range of theoretical lenses, conducted by Anuj Daga and Nisha Nair. It was 10 minutes past 10. Uncle Decosta was still finishing the last few sips of his King’s beer while John fixing his bed was anxious about his cricket match the next day at the Oval. Every CharPai was taking the load of some or the other Madgaon fellow except the one near the balcony whose load was still in transit from Borivali. Next Morning, black scooter wala dashed into an old Gujarati lady crossing the junction, waking up Pedro, who was almost signing the possession papers of his 4 BHK flat in Cuffe Parade in his sleep. Not bothering about the chaos at the junction, disappointed Pedro hurriedly went down to roll up the shutters of Kyani & Co. Margaokars and Pondakars, queuing the narrow corridors of the courtyard making comments on their respective football clubs. While everyone was worried about bathing before the water runs out, Savio was still in bed. He would never get sound sleep on land. Young Shipman would keep gazing at the ceiling washed in Metro Cinemas blood-red neon light. Nostalgic about the chilled rose sharbat, that would be his favourite on the ship. Walking on the sidewalk on a long avenue from Victoria Terminus, Joseph remembers what Aunty Ruby said,” These policemen would catch you even if you crossroads”, listening to her voice, also reminded him that the building where the club is was supposed to be is a tall building turning with the road, and there is a music store named after some Furtado uncle. He chose the subway over crossing roads. He got lost.
He kept speeding straight, where he could see some light falling on the side walls. As soon as he came out, he was welcomed by a huge Bollywood Actor posing on the banner of Metro Cinema. This time he didn’t care about using the dingy subway and just ran the crossing signal after signal till he reached Furtados. His trunk was less of clothes and more of masalas for his everyday fish curry. He knew that Bombay Duck wasn’t as delicious as Goan Rawas. Joseph Mascarenas takes every step with the idea of the twisted candy-like staircase or even the building coming down all at once. Why do we leave Goa for this paralyzed building? Why? The retrofitted stainless steel railing helped him to reach the first floor. Savio blocks his way to ask, “Hey, You play the guitar in the band at Dario’s, right? I think I have seen you performing there, I come there often.” Joseph felt like he has finally back home. The cat, Nancy, was seated on the balcony railing for John to come with some relaxing news, or else she would have to go back to Ponda and share food with Jimmy. Meanwhile, Savio and Joseph started jamming over a few jazz classics. The exhausted smile on John’s face, giving Pedro a hint that it was the time for some Bun Maska and Chai. He called Savio to be a part of the victory treat. Savio missed his reading session across the road and took Mascarenas as well for some free fresh buns. John gave some crucial insights into the match. His actions with the bat even made Irani Uncle believe in this young Mapusa boy. Savio gazing at John’s shots never realized that the dipped biscuit fell into the chai and so did the first-floor balcony on to the ground. Jer Mahal was only a dream to be living in… The cat went missing!
35
JOURNEY OF A TYRE, a GrassrootED Inititative, Mumbai. Design and Execution of a School Playground, Udagirinallappanahalli, Karnataka. 2018 | Chikkaballapur District, Karnataka | Team Project | School Playground in a village. Rakesh grinned, Manohar screamed and Navya gleamed, as the entire lot ran along to devour their newest toy. Some jumped onto the walking pole, some hung on to the tyres, a few tormented the slide, while the swing was pulled into momentum and a see-saw was now the new beacon of balance. After thirty-eight days it was a befitting reward for all the effort that had gone in. We stood there with a sense of disbelief, overlooking our first project being brought to life by the innocent mischief of the children of Udagirinallapannahalli. Education through play was integrated into the design, facilitating their practice of outdoor learning. The chromatic compound wall added not only a sense of fun but even recognition for the children. Outdoor seating and blackboard added to the feasibility to host classes outside, supporting the ancient gurukul like teaching of the Indian practices. A community participative design included the views and expertise of the locals at every stage from design to execution. 13,00,000 schools are covering 650 districts in India. At the same time, this fact is something the government is proud of; the schools can barely hold the interests of the children and suffer greatly from absenteeism, ignorant teachers and lack of infrastructure. The playground is a way how children can be lured on to school premises in fun, engaging ways.
36
38
39
Bamboo protection
Welded chains to tyreRope knots
Belan joinery Belan joinery with rope knots
Slide landing
Bamboo Swing
40
Welded chains to timber joinery
Infographic explaining energy and material consumption to construct the vernacular playground.
CONTEXT IN-MAKING Museum for the City, Mumbai. 2017 | Mumbai City | Individual Academic Work | Public Recreation | 8000 sq.m.
43
H - height, F - foliage, T - trunk diameter, dimensions in meters
Existing Trees Layout on Site
A pavilion that hosts ancillary functions.
44
A seamless landscape trail that connects all exhibition galleries.
A sunken trail in the lap of bamboo groove.
The stillness of the quaint warehouses of the neighbourhood of Sewri on the east coast of the Mumbai city entailed an inward-looking approach. Repository of trees attempting to make a point in the allocation of the program on the site. Adaptive reuse of the oil tanks and turning it into a dining space questions one about the abundance opportunity that the city offers with sublime heritage. The successive arrangement of the galleries is cohesively stitched together with a seamless trail. Free Movement in the museum pavilion erected on the pilotis that blend in with the existing trees forms a visual epiphany, thus making the ancillary spaces exciting.
45
0
17.5
35 M
North Elevation
South Elevation
48
49
IN CONVERSATION WITH EARTH Volunteering in the making of faculty cottages at Dhamaralaya Institute for Compassionate Living, Bir. 2017 | Kangra Region, Himachal Pradesh | Volunteering | Earth Construction
50
51
The brief was to set up an exhibition of the models and works of Architect Samir Raut in the gallery space. Instead of using the white-box gallery, the choice was of using the stilt area, to build a 1:1 scale model of one of the houses designed by the studio. The house, which is an exhibit, itself becomes a container to hold its exhibition within it.
MAKING A HOUSE A display of “collection of ideas� on the process of making a house at School of Environment and Architecture 2017 | Mumbai Suburban | Collaborator | Temporary Pavilion | 100 sq.m.
52
The entire cardboard pavilion was constructed in eight days, using accessible, light, and sustainable materials such as cardboard, plywood, and cloth sheets. The whole design was conceived as a modular system, made up of various components coming together. Multiple types of complex plywood joineries were designed with immense focus on detail and precision. Experience of walking into a porous, yet permanent space was calibrated.
53
54
55
PRESERVING PATTERNS Documentation of Shree LakshmiNarayan Temple Complex, Kudal. 2016 | Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra | Team Project | Temple Complex Documentation
The architecture of space often reects on the sensorial factors of the user. The transitions of spaces, the use of elements have a virtual conversation with the user. God reects the divine connection with heaven. Temples are often designed to unravel a route towards this heavenly abode. The rising shikharas and the ascending plinths acknowledge this path. Hindu notion of prayer is a rather intimate practice; hence, the development of spaces is done to create the warm sacred aura that acts as a barrier between the mundane and the celestial world. The increasing degree of closure and decreasing intensity of light scales the intimacy of the space. In the case of Shree Laxminarayan temple, the progress of the facade assists in controlling the light and monitoring the vision of the devotees. The sabhamandapa is fringed with large openings allowing direct light and ventilation into the space, constructed at a noticeably lower plinth. An ascending plinth leads the devotee towards the mukhashala, bringing the devotee closer to the deity. The openings for this space are similar to that of the sabhamandapa but a meagre change in level acts on the vision connectivity and progresses the concentration towards the spirituality. The garbhagriha is placed on the highest plinth, marking the superiority of the deity. This space is devoid of any kind of openings, increasing the intimacy of the space. The spatial transition thus funnels the connection between the deity and the devotee to facilitate a rather private space for prayer.
56
FLOOR PLAN OF THE MAIN TEMPLE
SECTION OF THE MAIN TEMPLE
0
7.5
15 M
59
SPACE BETWEEN THE SPACES Business Management School, Mumbai. 2016 | Mumbai Suburban | Individual Academic Work | Institution | 13400 sq.m.
A business school is often associated with a tensed nature. The constant urge for creation and innovation coupled with heated debates on either side of the classroom wall results in creating an environment of continuous pressure. This functionality is gradually relaxed through the balconies and open spaces introduced at every level of the building. The intensified speed of the institute is sighed by the permeable facade that provides a spilling connection with the outside. The massing of the building is also lightened by adding a courtyard inside the building. With the rising need of floor plates, the courtyard remains beneficial for the higher floors of the building. Intending the Eastern facade on the lower floors balances porosity throughout the building. The complete form helps in maintaining an individualistic scale towards the street as the building doesn’t hover on the pedestrians.
60
URBAN SPRAWL Mapping of Hindmata Cloth Market, Mumbai 2015 | Mumbai City + Suburban | Team Project | Urban Mapping
Mumbai is a city famous for its organic urbanization while becoming a metropolis. At the heart of Mumbai city is the tale of an urban unraveling. The study aims at observing the work patterns, trajectories, and evolution of livelihood for people in the neighbourhood of the clothMUMBAI market. The result is a pattern of urban growth and trends that changed its face HINDMATA CLOTHDadar MARKET, and now shapes the lives of its residents. Notable shifts in the paradigm assess the study.
URBAN SPRAWL
eraofofanthe mills: Around the mid 19th century, this area of then Bombay was predominantly At the heart of Mumbai city isThe the tale urban unraveling. The study was aimed at observing the work patterns, trajectories and evolution of occupied by textile mills. During the isIndependence era, the area originated as a cultural livelihood for people in the neighbourhood of the Dadar cloth market. The result a pattern of urban growth andand trends that changed face and now shapesmeetings the lives social hub,itshosting historic during movements like the Quit India Movement. of its residents.
The shift: In the 1960s, the growing needs of the businessmen, merchants, and upcoming The residents started migrating from central areas ofsewing Dadar totaken other parts of the city, leading to a gradual development of the suburbs. The shift: brought up the infancy of tailoring and jobs up in the market dating back to the 1960s. The DrivenSprawl: by the drift of needs mong businessmen, Around the early 2000s, the typology completely shifted from residential to merchants and upcoming residents. A wave of migrating residentscommercial. from Dadar alongThe with other areas in Mumbai formed establishment of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network enabled a sprawl the urban sprawl that ultimately led to the growth of the suburbs. from the northern part of the city to the cloth market’s central location that offered jobs. The era of the mills: the area was originated as a cultural and social hub, hosting the traders brought up the need for commercialization. historic meetings during the Quit India Movement.
Commercialization: The central location of the cloth market eased the access fo the users from all parts of the city, providing employement and emergring opportunity on a scale beyond their immediate radius.
1852 2000 1940
RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL TATA MILLS HINDMATA THEATRE ROADS
1970
1985 65
HARMONIZING FACETS Refining Concepts, Winter School, CEPT University, Ahmedabad. 2015 | Ahmedabad Old City | Team Project | Artist’s Studio | 60 sq.m.
An artist studio is placed amidst the glorious chaos of Manek Chowk, a famous square in Ahmedabad. Famous for its unique character, the spatial functions of the chowk are distinguished in a blurry manner. Developed incrementally, the square is a modest combination of both—housing and heritage structures with a backdrop of contrasting cultural significance. An inward orientation disconnects the workspace from the ephemeral nature of the chowk, while the pivoted panels allow voluntary actions with the crowds outside. The space matches the self-evolving nature of the context- a personal studio to a public exhibition space. Materials exposed to its face value are used in various combinations in a manner that subtly blends into the age-old aura of the space. Weathered steel and recycled teak wood, sourced from the neighbourhood facilitate the design to grow on the same concept.
8MM THK GLASS
IN
50x20MM MS STEEL BOX FRAME OUT
25x10 MM TEAK
DETAIL A ART GALLERY DOOR DETAIL IN
PIVOT
PANEL 01 3 L0
200X100 MM CHANNEL SECTION
E
N PA
OUT
PANEL 02
PANEL 04
100X50 MM CHANNEL SECTION PAINTED WHITE ON THE INSIDE
DETAIL B WORKSPACE WINDOW DETAIL
67
IN THE NAME OF HOUSING Documentation of Swadeshi Market Chawl, Kalbadevi, Mumbai. 2015 | Mumbai City | Volunteering | Housing Documentation
LOCATION Swadeshi Market Chawl is located in Gaiwadi, Kalbadevi. Owing to its scale and linearity, the complex opens out on to numerous streets but has its main entrance on the main Kalbadevi Road. Other roads that flank it are NJ Acharya Margand Old Hanuman Road.
PROGRAMME The first two levels and the road facing a block in the east are purely commercial while the rest of the units were designed to be residences. Many of them now house a commercial programme. The second floor in the west wing of the complex also accommodates a now-defunct balwadi.
ANALYSIS The structure and the design of Swadeshi Market Chawl exhibit an articulation of form and space that is inventive and unique and can be considered as a typological model for mixed-use development in the city. The nature of activity through the building is clearly the result of its built form- at the ground level, the narrow streets and tightly packed shops create a bazaar receding from the activity of the public streets, while still allowing the city fabric to connect through.
69
FRAGMENTED ELICIT Primary and Secondary School with Hostel, Jaisalmer. 2015 | Jaisalmer City Centre | Individual Academic Work | Institution | 8100 sq.m.
A school building can stimulate a learning environment. A comfortably designed space can lead to better concentration and motivation to study. An architect’s role may not be to provide a curriculum, but what remains with the architect is the capacity to fulfill the execution of the ever-changing curriculum. To provide spaces that could nurture ideas in the minds of the students, allow them to innovate and develop parallel skills beyond the power of the books. While the spatial arrangement can catalyze development, what it doesn’t fight is the initial fear children have for schools. Most children go to school as a compulsion, a feeling of being sent away from the warmth of home.
Shouldn’t a school be more welcoming for a 5-year-old? When a school is a child’s second home, why is it still so intimidating? What if a school is designed in a familiar typology as a home?
The alleys are filled with students between school bells and unannounced races to the classrooms, each bell tower acting as the finish line!
70
71
The primary and secondary school was proposed in the historic city of Jaisalmer. The design plays an exciting role in the way the school would be perceived by the students. The cluster planning with narrow alleys as circulation spaces resonates with the housing typology of the city. Contrary to a school building standing tall in a massive campus, a scale gigantic for a child to embrace.
72
The narrow alleys are further designed to be semi-open gathering spaces. The strategic placement of tensile sheets helps orchestrate shade in certain areas to conduct outdoor activities comfortably. The harsh weather of the city is tackled using naturally insulated earth walls for construction. Finished with lime plaster, making the building more breathable also fits well with the fabric of the city.
73
Last-minute revisions during exams, and lazy breakfasts before school, these semi-open spaces carry the spill outs from the dining areas.
74
The girls like to spend their evenings in these courtyards; some learn the bongos, while the others skip around in the fresh air!
The students are found here between class periods, running in some classes, and out of some.
75
AXIAL MASSING Tourist Information Centre, Mumbai. 2014 | Mumbai City | Individual Academic Work | Public Recreation | 1500 sq.m.
The image of a city is often drawn by its tourists. The tourist information centre can be the nexus of inquisitiveness for a place. The glances of culture, history, and flavours of the city accelerate the cause for exploration for a tourist. The integration of such nexus can fairly be justified by its dominant presence in the city, accessible to and from various areas of travel. The proximity of the Bombay Port Trust made it viable to explore the option of upcycling the old shipping containers to plunge into the aspect of form iterations. The building would represent the birth of the city, even in the future. The form of the building was acquired after a puzzle-like process of pairing the simple cuboids with an orientation that would create a play of light and space. Differing mass and voids resulted in multiple semi-open breathing spaces as activity nodes in the busy centre.
76
77
VISHAL UDESHI +91 91675 27730 udeshivishaal@gmail.com