Architecture Portfolio - Selected Works by Vaishnavi Gondane

Architecture Portfolio Vaishnavi Gondane Selected works 2016-2021

HEY!

I’m Vaishnavi Gondane. I have been exposed to varied faction from commercial projects to Art theories. Academics have allow and understand how various spaces of politics, worship, living, a coherently through a lens of sensitivity. In my five years, I deve inclination towards art, curation, research, architecture theory and

I enrolled in a few online courses which enabled me to further ex and look at art through a variety of themes: Places & Space Transforming everyday objects, and Art & Society. I understood understanding and curating art and understanding where the i from, how work of art is created to express, explore, and the qu This is very well translated into my Undergrad Design Dissertati exploration of how art responds to social, cultural, and political is where the enquiry explores how they then stand as a testimony of

I am in constant process to develop the sensitivity towards socio-c prevails in India. And that’s the most amazing part because now stand as an architect.

ns of architecture wed me to travel and working, work eloped a growing d criticism.

xplore my interests es, Art & Identity, d what goes into inspiration comes uestion of identity. ion which was an ssues of their time, f some events.

cultural issues that I can see where I

Vaishnavi Gondane B.Arch Architecture Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies, Mumbai University

vugondane@gmail.com Instagram : vaishnavigondane education Mumbai, India

Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies, Bachelor’s Degree

2014-2016

Centre Point School Katol Road

Nagpur, India

H.S.C.

2004-2014

Modern School

Nagpur, India

S.S.C

2016-2021

work experience Jan 2020 - April 2020

Intern at Malik Architecture

Mumbai - Nagpur, India

(Commercial, Educational, Hospitality, Research & Development, Interior, Healthcare, Residential, Urban Design & Master Planning)

2020-19

Freelancing

Work from Home

-Curating interior moodboards for a Brand launched in 2020 in Bulgaria. - Documentation of a Bungalow typology house in Nagpur

2012-2014

Rotary Secretary Intra School

Nagpur, India

2013

Nagpur, India academic experience

- Prepared drawings for scheme and details for MEP & structural revision and assisted on meetings with clients, various vendors. - Communicated with engineers and planners via phone, emails & in person and Supervised the construction site for several months. - Prepared working drawings to get approved by Municipal corporation.

Rotary Club, Nagpur

- Representing the school as Secretary of Rotary club and Contributing in various events and donations. - Books collection and segregation from the school for donations and Clothes collection and segregation from the school for donations.

Smile Foundation SMILE, Nagpur

- Helping the NGO to collect donations for the under-priviledged children of Indian Society

2019

Strasbourg National School of Architectures (ENSAS)

Bhubaneswar - France

Exchange Programme in Bhubaneswar, Orissa & Strasbourg, France.

- Worked on recommendations for the Heritage in Smart city proposals for Bhubhaneswar - Analysis of Bubhaneswar smart city planning

softwares

other skills

Autocad, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, Imovies, Sketchup, Microsoft Office, Lumion

Research, Time management, Project Management, Graphic design, physcial model-making

publications 2021

The Idea Of Inclusiveness As A Subversion Of Monumentality- FOLIO Matter

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

Link - https://formfolio.in/portfolio/vaishnavigondane/

- The drawing is a part of the miniature drawing for my thesis on bridging identities between Neo-Buddhists and the urban public.

2019

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

Reflective text & Architectural Paradigm

Elective - Manoj Parmar Blog - Between architecture and Urbanism; https://betweenarchitectureandurbanism.com/2019/10/06/reflective-text-architectural-paradigm/

- Examined the architectural paradigm through reflective text that has been an operative metaphor of time along with the philosophies that existed somewhere in history.

2019

Housing Ecologies Hyderabad

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

K.R.V.I.A Semester 7 research documentation

workshops

- Studied of 50 housing typologies in Hyderabad - Looked into identifying various emerging phenomenons in production of housing over time.

March 2021

Working with the Sustainable Development Goals

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

Conductor: Kimaya Keluskar Online

2018

Publicity

- identified communities and created podcasts discussing cultural shifts owing to globalisation, impact of pandemic on daily life and how Sustainable Development Goals could act as catalyst to re-establish the lost culture, livelihood, liveability, and wellbeing.

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

Conductor: Arrito Bhattarcharya

2016

Design Communication

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

Conductor: Meghna Mehta at K.R.V.I.A., Mumbai with a site visit to bhau daji lad museum

2016

Slum and the city

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai exhibitions September 2019

Conductor: Trupti Amritwar Vaitla at K.R.V.I.A., Mumbai with a site visit to Jogeshwari Caves Slum

Housing Ecologies Hyderabad

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

K.R.V.I.A Mumbai Research Documentation + Sem7 Design Studio

2019

Braj - Architecture of Parikrama

- K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai - CEPT University, Ahmedabad - Kalakriti Contemporary Art Gallery, Hyderabad

2019

K.R.V.I.A, Mumbai

with Batch of 2016-21

- The study follows the parikrama routes, maps the architecture of each of the sites through the lenses of the corporeal, narrative and ritual.

Patiala - Measured Drawings with Batch of 2016-21

- Design, execution & quality control team

certificates 2021

Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts, Scientific Specimens, and the Stuff Around You HarvardX - USW30x

2021

Expert. From cave drawings to Banksy

2020

Modern Arts & Ideas

Art For Introvert Ltd. Ongoing

The Muesem of Modern Art

Third year Study trip to Mathura, UP, India A bath and worship place on the banks of river Yamuna in Mathura. The academic projects have allowed me to travel and understand how various spaces of politics, worship, living, sanitation, and transport work coherently. It has not just made me look closely, but also enabled me to connect broadly and think critically.

What can the built environment reveal about history, about the people who built it and inhibit it?

Experience 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09.

Bridging Identities

Spatial Identities Of Neo Buddhists

Nagpur, India 5th year design dissertation project Semester 9&10

Metro X Promenade

Prem Nagar, Mumbai, India 5th year Design studio- BRIDGE studio Semester 9

Breaking The Boundaries;

Housing for all

Kukatpally, Hyderabad, India 4th year design studio Semester 7

Braj And The Lost Identity

Mathura, UP, India 3rd year design studio Semester 6

From The Past To The Future

Urban cultural heritage & smart cities

Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India 4th year Student Exchange

Royal Rejuvination

GODREJ FOAID Design challenge Pondicherry, India 3rd year Competition

Khara

Professional Practice Internship

Nagpur, India

Bemoreganic Moodboards

Freelancing project

Laguvatan House

Freelancing project

25 25

01.

BRIDGING IDENTITIES Spatial Identities Of Neo Buddhists ‘A discourse between Faith, Identity & The Body’ Location : Nagpur, India | 2021 Guide : Ginella George Link : https://drive.google.com/file/d/18i64kSSFSpSaL0jAjpT8aj7XmvycERfw/view?usp=sharing Recognitions : Part of the FOLIO intiative by ThinkMatter This thesis looks at the identity crisis of Neo-Buddhist in Nagpur, India. It questions the nature of interaction and constant negotiation of the community with the city. Buddhists have followed a pattern to be an exclusive community and for a very long time wanted to assert their place in Indian society. The design intervention tries to subvert the idea of assertion and monumentality. It aims to become memorable through grounding its experience to the Shastri Nagar where Buddhism is on the verge of disappearing.

Enclosure - Today Buddhist structures are looked at as a Sanctum, which shouldn’t be touched or exacerbated but just experienced through a distance.

Miniature drawing of the intervention building

Nagpur city Map

In this context, the goal is to understand the engagement of the community (Neo-Buddhists) and the city. Besides challenging the obviousness of the program options, it also questions the nature of interactions and continuous negotiations between the community and the city. Placing emphasis on placemaking and obvious assertions, what difference have they made to the Neo-Buddhist? Buddhists have long practiced exclusivity as a religious community and have sought to make their presence felt in Indian society for a very long time. Do they demonstrate their belief in the original Buddhist teachings by their actions? It is an “exclusive” community that wants to declare and announce its place in Indian society. However, does the monument empower the Neo-Buddhists?

What does it mean to be empowered? How have the citizens of urban areas embraced these monuments? I have attempted to discern these critical questions in my thesis.

Shastri nagar- site narratives

Viharas started emerging right after Ambedkar embraced Buddhism. These viharas were located outside the city but as Neo-Buddhism started surfacing, these vihara’s started

emerging in the city. There are three Viharas involved with the urban public. They communicate with the city with their ritual by involving them in various activities and discourses. 2

Creating Urban Niches

The masterplan strategy calls for a design of hybrid programs with an imagination of tomorrow influenced by the past projections. These projections are the activities that used to happen in the precinct which enhanced the working of the Buddhist temple. The strategies intends to intervene as niches in the existing fabric of the city in terms of various programs that activate the precinct on the masterplan level. They would stand as a visual marker that guides the user to the religious setting. The design aims to propose strategies which will enchance the relationship between the Public, Private and collective spaces and increase the communal life in the neighbourhood by intervening in the existing fabric of the city.

Strategy 3 - Establishng continuity of Activties Rejuvenating public engagement to emporwer Neo-Buddhist in the neighbourhood and increase social interaction among various communities through shared spaces of programs. Cycle Stand Permanent Seating Podium / Performance Area Spill Out/open Area Classroom Only Pedestrian Way Spill Out For Stalls Reading Spaces

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Strategy 1 - Revamping the Liminal spaces. By introducing various informal activities as a spillover from the retail shops create a spontaneously “In between space” which leads to the site. These activities form a communal space of chance encounters.

Buddhist Library

Green avenue

footpath

Strategy 2- Establishng Buddhist Pocontinuity cket LibraofryActivties Green avenues Rejuvenating public with seengagement ating spacesto emporwer Neo-Buddhist Footpatin h the neighbourhood and increase social interaction among various communities through shared spaces of programs.

seating green avenue

Two way road

Seating / Hangout green avenues

1 4

Shastri nagar - Masterplan Startegies Buddhist Pocket Library

Strategy 4-Extension to the Proposed Beautification Project of the Nag river

Cycling track

High water line

Revamp area with garden

Filter strip

Revamp area with garden Filter strip

Bio swale

Pedester-i Bio swale an path

1 13 4 2 8 1 - Meditation hall 2 - Study hall 3 - Sewing workshop 4 - Thoroughfare 5 - Community Kitchen 6 - Rental classroom 7 - Viewing deck 8 - Ceramic workshop 9 - Library 10 - Co-working space 11 - Amphitheatre 12 - OHT tower 13 - Wind tower

An entry from the mandir to the meditation and study hall opens up various possibilities of chance encounters

During auspicious occasions, the thoroughfare transforms into a viewing deck. It serves as a connecting point between various blocks.

During auspicious transforms into a connecting po

12 9

Ground floor plan of intervention building

s occasions, the thoroughfare a viewing deck. It serves as a oint between various blocks.

An attempt is made in the dissertation to celebrate and bridge the gap between the city’s many identities. Through the subversion of built form and focusing on existing movements on the site, people in the neighborhood have a chance to meet NeoBuddhists and urban public alike. The building is imagined as being composed of several blocks that are linked by transitional spaces allowing access on all four sides.

Building views looking into the Amphitheatre 4

The Maya Worshipping the god, we find convenient or realizing that the universe itself is transient This Maya plots a collusion Concentrating our mind on chanting prayers Or focusing on our breathing air This Maya plots a collusion Rejoicing in the festive blessings Or understanding human sufferings This Maya plots a collusion finding the one or finding oneness This confusion is what defines our humanness I am now free of illusion -Author

“Who am I, truly? “Am I a Maharashtrian who celebrates all of the Hindu festivals? Or am I Buddhist going to Vihara and meditating? There were so many questions, and every year something or other compelled me to think more and ask more about myself. This thesis has just translated my confusion into a concept. This dissertation has enabled me to explore my own identity in so many other ways that I could not have anticipated.

The building’s edge and main spine are curated by different layers of threshold that affect the way people experience and maintain the space. It describes the activities carried out by a person who goes to the tapri every day.

Section through Worship hall and Meditation pod

Building Narrative 1

Wall section through wind catcher

Longitudinal Sectional perspective

6 5

Under Ground floor plan of intervention building 1 - Meditation hall 2 - Study hall 3 - Living quarters 4 - Amphitheatre 5 - Dining hall 6 - Meditation pod 7 - Worship hall 8 - Library

Sectional view into the worship hall

Section through living quarters and dining hall

A typical wall section

CSEB Column d

detail

Building Narrative 2

The design dissertation is just an attempt to celebrate and bridge the gap between different identities that exists in the city. Subverting the built form and designing a space by taking focusing on the mind maps, existing movements on the site itself opens up opportunities for people in the neighborhood to have chance encounters not only with fellow Neo-Buddhists but with the urban public. The design is imagined to be consisting of several blocks put together and bonded by various transitional spaces opening up the building from all four sides.

The dissertation attempts to find a balance between Neo and traditional Buddhism in the city to break the wall between the Neo-Buddhist and the city. It tries not to rather assert an identity, but to define and understand your own identity.

Building interdependencies

02.

METRO X PROMENADE Prem Nagar, Mumbai, India 2020 Guide : Jignesh Doshi & Rahul Gore In collaboration with Karina Sanghavi Through the project, the metro is expected to be imagined as a new artefact in Mumbai’s cityscape. Several key technological ideas are incorporated into the project that influence the urban life of the dweller. Art has a formal influence on the design. Piet Mondrian’s paintings helped us to imagine the bulkiness of the metro into different volumes, which translated into a new vocabulary of metro stations.

Re-interpretation of Piet Mondrian painting

Process 1: In the underbelly, two members act as a structural system.

Process 2: In the underbelly, four members act as a structural system creating a enclosed space

Process 3: In the underbelly, four members as individual columns act as a structural system creating a enclosed space throughout.

In order for the underbelly to be a continuous space for walking, the construction of the existing metro station is questioned formally and materially. Experiments were carried out with steel and its structural properties,to minimize the impact on the environment and create an appropriate microclimate within the site.

Wall section 9

Re-interpretation of Piet Mondrian painting

The Prem Nagar site intersects the Juhu Vision Plan presented by PK Das Associates in the north and Cooper Hospital and the intersection of Irla Market in the south, making it a very important transition junction. The area is too diverse in terms of its user group; for example, it is dominated by multiple colleges, the entire Juhu neighbourhood, a hospital, a major market street, and numerous well-known food outlets, resulting in a diverse user group. The neighbourhood of Gulmohar Nagar is heavily influenced by lush vegetation, to the point where the plot itself has been preserved with trees, therefore it was critical to respect and drive our design around the greens on site. Site analysis of Prem nagar

A) Formal Exploration

B) Nature on the site

Proposed

Introducing Porosity

Zoning

Proposed

Working with borrowed greenary, exisiting on site

Introducing a live wall green facade

C) Promenade Development

Proposed

Introducing a pedestrian promenade and using nature as a divider

Introducing entry & exit points

Building interdependencies/ evolution

The development of infrastructure in the city, rather the country is seen through the pigeonhole lens of economic development, not considering the socio-cultural impact a space can have on its people. Therefore, by understanding the impact the infrastructure has an urban public, several stratgies were developed to revive the underbelly.

Building organization 10

Snippet 1- North Concourse

Snippet 2 - Promenade

Ground Floor plan

Snippet 3- South Concourse

Concourse level plan

Section AA through the concourse level

Section BB through the Platfrom 11

Exploded axonometric showing various structural components

Longitduinal section

03.

BREAKING THE BOUNDARIES; Housing for all

Location : Kukatpally, Hyderabad, India | 2019 Guide : Kalpit Ashar & Abhinav In collaboration with Rajvi Anandpara Recognitions : Honarary Mentions in Star Student awards category : Residential Projects Kukatpally precinct in Hyderabad city has one of the largest housing board colonies in Asia. It is developed by the City Improvement Trust that established the Housing Board Colony. The board’s agenda was to build homes for Lower income groups. It was developed in fifteen phases. Later housing for middle income and higher income groups were also build in response to the budding neighbourhood suburbs.The project majorly plays with density where it was compared with the case studies like - Lodha towers and L.I.G. Housing .

Case study- Lodha Belleza Lodha Belleza and Lodha Marianne are built by the Lodha builders in Kukatpally phase 5. The neighborhood housing typologies are Malaysian township and old L.I.G. housing. The building is planned according to Vastu. One side of the township has a cricket ground for the higher income groups. On the other side is the old L.I.G. housing.

Case study- L.I.G. Housing These houses are G+2 Storey structures with every individual owning each house. The L.I.G. has basic infra and facilities. This typology was one of the first LIG housing typologies build by the government.

Core Programme : Housing Sub Programme : Amenities and Maidan Total Plot area : 14000 sq. m. Area of the Maidan : 5000 sq. m. Number of units : 120 unit

Ground Floor Plan The plan shows the relationship between the ground and the Building where the maidan sits in the center.

The top most storeys are 3BHK rental units .

The two floors along the street are 2BHK.

The street becomes a multifunctional space

Type : Rental Unit (G+2) Area : 120 sq. m. No. of Occupants : 4

Type : Rental Unit (G+mez) Area : 200 sq. m. No. of Occupants : 5

Type : Rental Unit (G+2) Area : 60 sq. m. No. of Occupants : 3

Type : Rental Unit (G+1) Area : 200 sq. m. No. of Occupants : 5

The maidan is the extension of the existing cricket academy

The relationship of the verandah and terraces of the building is established through the seamless connection to the street and the ground. The residents are majorly families and co-living units for students along with an existing cricket academy and maidan which shall bring together all the residents of the nieghbourhood. “The street” that emerges from the ground leads to the rental units and below are the coliving and amenity spaces. The street creates an active plane that becomes a multifunctional space : a cycling and skating path , playing area for kids ,hangout spots for adults etc. Thus the housing is articulated to build a multifolded space. To create an urban edge and maidan in the centre , the building sits on the perihery of the plot. The project is disruptive in nature because most architects fail to engage with the user groups, but our approach to the project enables us to incorporate their aspirations. Very importantly it tries to break away from the existing housing typologies, which are categorized on the basis of income groups. 15

04.

BRAJ AND THE LOST IDENTITY Location : Mathura, UP, India | 2019 Guide : Apurva Parikh The center of the Braj Mandala is Mathura, which is claimed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna. Oddly, Lord Vishnu and Krishna do not play a central role in Mathura’s history. Mathura’s importance as a commercial center stemmed from its placement on the Indo-Gangetic Plain’s northern trade route, where the Malwa and west coast routes intersected. In 1700CE, it was the sole “civilized city” between Delhi and Agra on the trading route. The abundance of art and cultural attractions in the town, however, is the reason for the commercial halt. Different groups organized workshops were they created sculptures and other objects to sell in the market. Caravans and tradesmen took advantage of this unique moment in the town, making it a leisure stop.

Vishram Ghat The artifacts produced and made in the Pavilion Forum are used by the people of Vishram ghat and Mathura. The goods are transported either by road or the ghats. A ghat edge becomes active.

Artifa

Various enclosed spaces are being created at Vishram ghat for use in worship and communal gatherings

Pavilion Forum

acts are made here and transported to Vihsram ghat. It becomes the focal point of every activity happening on the ghats.

Site plan highlighting the piglrim places

However, the new identity of Mathura, “Krishna Bhumi” evokes the Bhakti movement in Uttar Pradesh. The emotional devotional towards the particular avatar of Vishnu was heightened and grew rapidly possibly in response to the arrival of Islam India. Brajbhoomi, which is spread across 252km is a piece of land where Lord Krishna has spent his childhood. The program revolved around the overlap of the Trade route and Parikrama route.

Miniature drawing

Section through the exhibition space and central kund

Central Kund archiving activties

Flower workshop

Section through the Workshop spaces

Stepping down the kund Area of celebration

Ground floor plan

Section through the pottery workshop and ghats

Workshop courtyard

Courtyard as a spillspace

Section through the Workshop spaces and neighbouring temple

Activities on Vishram ghat

05.

F R O M T H E PA S T TO T H E FUTURE ; Urban cultural heritage & smart cities

Location : Bhubaneswar | 2019 Guide : Ginella George, E.Rombach, S.Varano, S.Perrault Since 2015, the Indian government has launched a national program to support 100 Indian cities to become “smart cities” following a model of sustainable and exemplary urban development. French and German expertise have been solicited in this context and the two countries are accompanying several Indian cities in this process. Chandigarh, a city designed by Le Corbusier, is followed by French expertise whereas Bhubaneswar, the millennial city of Orissa whose modern part was designed by German architect Otto Königsberger, benefits from German expertise. These two cities have the distinction of having both a rich cultural heritage and whose preservation and enhancement are an integral part of the Smart City development plan.

Moments during the documentaion

Heritage is a crucial issue in India. Often threatened due to a lack of viable and realistic renovation plan, it is, despite this, a real vector of wealth and a source of employment. Heritage is also an essential dimension to take into account in urban development plans. Integral part of the city, its history and its memory, heritage offers the opportunity to question, through our reading of the past, the complexity of contemporary societies as the collective choices to operate today.Thus, theproposed project focuses on how heritage is integrated into the smart city development plans of Indian cities. The aim is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of projects in this area, in order to provide Smart Cities experts and local governments with an initial assessment of the actions carried out with recommendations.

The studio Complex Densities aims to develop a sensitive to urban density situations present in contemporary cities. The workshop proposes in particular to focus on the effects of migration on the structure of urban cities faced with sharp demographic increases. The proposed program thus meets different objectives: - Encourage Franco-German cooperation on themes that represent a major challenge in India: urban development and heritage preservation. - Allow a sharing of lasting and fruitful expertise between France, Germany and India on these topics, paving the way for future collaborations in other sectors.

- Propose an initial assessment of heritage integration in smart cities development plans to the two local governments, both of whom are highly interested in these issues. - Accompany and highlight the opportunity that heritage represents in the development of smart, sustainable and agile cities. - Strengthen Franco-German cooperation in higher education. - Promote studies in France and Germany through an attractive, innovative and professional program.

+++

main road

Section of secondary road

Frequent bus stops, each coupled with a bicycle station

“Green

pocket” parks secondary roads

along Shops on ground floor, homes on upper floors

Large green area along the drain with great potential if maintained Diverse and mixed land uses accomodating to most needs

On internal roads, the trees planted in the residents’ courtyards provides ample shade

Section of two market stalls Section of an internal road Every road is boarded by at least one Rain water is collected through drain reservoirs in the streets.

Vegetation is very present and dense throughout the sector. Trees are planted along the main roads, providing shade to users

Several

water tanks residential areas.

irrigate

Bicycle lanes remain rarely used by locals

---

Misuse of cycling track for parking Obstacles on pedestrian and bicycle lanes force users to walk on the road

Disappearance of cycle track No proper discrimination of cycle track

Unbuilt areas left as barren land,but hold great potential as a community space. Market building which actS as a social space but presently seems unused by the peoples.

Commissioner of Police

Community center Seemingly obsolete and unused buildings

If not maintained, green spaces accumulate trash

Large

open drain buildings

adjourning

Market building and its parking Market being a social space,presently being dead.

Damaged and dirty drains in several streets

06.

R OYA L R E J U V I N AT I O N GODREJ FOAID Design challenge

Location : Pondicherry | 2019 Guide : Rohan Shivkumar In collaboration with Miraj Sutaria, Shrushti Shah, Hasti Parmar and Pragya Jain The city of Pondicherry speaks “ The progressive assumes that I am supposed to change. I suggest change should grow out of what has developed through time, not spring out of the blue.” The city has always had a built form, inspired by foreign styles of french and British colonies, that lends a unique identity to the town. Mughal architecture is itself an amalgamation of Islamic. Persian and Hindu architecture. It has given North India one of its most famous structures.

Site plan - Pondicherry backwaters The invention looks at how the heritage value of Mughal architecture can be revived, and how it is in the landscape of Pondicherry. The intervention is a play of three scales, being the royal, the public, and the private scale. It also aims at celebrating royal living where one experiences the natural landscape at its best. The site thus chosen is at an intersection where the views of the Backwaters of Pondicherry and the Bay of Bengal affect the site.

Material details 22

Material details

Axonometric view of the design intervention which reflects the Mughal design strategies

Aerial view of the livign quarters

Pergola system creating a shared space

Central courtyard

EIDENCE,

07.

KHARA

Professional Practice- Internship

Location : Nagpur, Maharashtra| 2020

The site is located in Nagpur, Maharashtra. It is a mixed-used structure where-in first seven floors are commercial and rest 6+terrace are residential. The challenge in designing was the concept of a Bungalow as opposed to that of an apartment. The basic elements that were kept in the mind while designing were central courtyard – privacy / in-ward looking, sustainability – natural light and wind studies and landscape – forestation.

DWG NO

ARCHITECT

MA/KH/AR/SE-04 -R0 SCALE

DATE

1 : 100 (A1)

14-11-2019

DEALT BY :

DRAWN BY :

MEGHANA

AMAY

APPROVAL STAMP

KAISER- I-HIND, 2ND FLR, 1/6 CURRIMBHOY ROAD, BALLARD ESTATE MUMBAI 400001 TEL (91-22) 22642170 FAX (91-22) 22620345

T H I S D R A W I N G I S C O P Y R I G H T E D . I T I S T HE PRO PER TY OF A R. K AM A L. S . M AL I K A ND I S NOT TO BE REPRODUCED, SUPPLIED, HANDED OVER TO A THIRD PARTY OR USED FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN FOR WHICH IT HAS BEEN INTENDED. ALL MEASUREMENTS MUST BE CHECKED AT SITE BY THE CONTRACTOR.

X:\Kamal Malik Logo150dpi.jpg

GENERAL NOTES :

1. 2. 3. 4.

FOR STAIRCASE AND TOILETS FOLLOW RESPECTIVE DETAILED DRAWINGS DO NOT SCALE THE DRAWING. ONLY WRITTEN DIMENSIONS TO BE FOLLOWED ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED. THIS DRAWING SHALL BE READ IN CONJUCTION WITH RELEVANT STRUCTURAL/PLUMBING-SANITARY/ELECTRICAL/H V A C/SERVICES DRAWINGS. FOLLOW STRUCTURAL MEMBERS DIMENSION FROM RELEVANT STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS. ANY DISCREPANCY IN ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS OR BETWEEN ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS AND DRAWINGS OF OTHER CONSULTANTS MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE NOTICE OF THE ARCHITECT BEFORE SUBMISSION OF TENDER BY THE CONTRACTOR OR BEFORE EXECUTING THE WORK OR BEFORE PLACING ORDER FOR MATERIALS ETC. 7. ALL DIMENSIONS IN PLANS ARE FOR UNFINISHED SURFACES (i.e EXCLUSIVE OF PLASTER THICKNESS) 8. FOR ALL STEEL FABRICATION, ZINC AND GLAZING WORKS, THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PRODUCE DETAILED DRAWINGS FOR ARCHITECTS APPROVAL BEFORE PLACING ORDER/ EXECUTING SAME AT SITE.

GENERAL N

1. 2. 3. 4.

FOR STAIRCASE AN DO NOT SCALE TH ALL DIMENSIONS THIS DRAWING SH STRUCTURAL/PLUM FOLLOW STRUCTU DRAWINGS. ANY DISCREPANCY ARCHITECTURAL D BE BROUGHT TO T TENDER BY THE C PLACING ORDER F 7. ALL DIMENSIONS PLASTER THICKNE 8. FOR ALL STEEL FAB SHALL PRODUCE D PLACING ORDER/

D STEEL COLUMNS

18023

OLD/ EXISTING COLUMNS 150 MM THK WALL

11175

300 MM THK WALL

3748 6299

1885

2B - 12 F4a WF5a C1 CF5

6000

7723

850

7826

2B - 08 F12 FS3 WF2 C1 CF5

2770

2700

2725

2370

DATE

22-08-2019

1675

ARCHITECT

X:\Kamal Malik Logo150dpi.jpg

5600

6132

5600

4900

ARCHITECT

KAISER-I-HIND, 2ND FLOOR, 1/6 CURRIMBHOY ROAD, BALLARD ESTATE MUMBAI 400 038. TEL (91-22) 2642170/4 LINES FAX: (91-22) 2620345

DRAWING NO.

DEALT BY

1075

MA KH AR FP-01 R1 MEGHANA / KETAN

X:\Kamal Malik Logo150dpi.jpg

DRAWING NO.

VAISHNAVI

MA KH AR FP-03 R0

14-03-2020

SCALE = 1:100 ALL MEASUREMENTS MUST BE CHECKED ON SITE BY THE CONTRACTOR TITLE

TITLE

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

LOWER BASEMENT PLAN @ -6.0M

KHARA OFFICE & RESID NAGPUR

KHARA OFFICE & RESIDENCE NAGPUR

2600

7200

KAISER1/6 CUR MUMBA FAX: (91

DRAWN BY

DATE

1315

4900

DATE

1825 1375

1490

2B - 01 F12 FS3 WF2 C1 CF5

REV.NO

REVISION DESCRIPTION Revised Basement profile as per site survey/ dimensions marking sent on 21-08-2019

3922 2020

1375

REV.NO

3670

2B - 03 F7 FS3 W2 WF12 C1 CF5

1200

2B - 02 F7 FS3 W2 WF12 C1 CF5

3670

5600

2050

6229

2B - 09 F12 FS3 WF2 C1 CF5

2B - 07 F12 FS3 WF2 C1 CF5

2475

23928

1349

2600

A1 LEGEND :

19740

2700

2770

6600

626

6000

1500

230

3300

6000

770 1000

1800

750

1450

1600

1500

1875

1570

150

2725

2745

600

5302

LEGEND :

1500

1870

16870

600

1500

2B - 10 F4a WF5a C1 CF5

2480

300 3600

450

300

2B - 05 F5 WF11 C1 CF5

4845

300

7500

2B - 06 F5 WF11 C1 CF5

2170

300 5300

2B - 11 F4a WF5a C1 CF5

1407

900

4690

740

23407 3452

230 MM THK WALL

2340

SUBSTATION

RCC WALLS

5970

APPROVAL STAMP

3049

600

3900

600

5400

600

5350

700

7200

1200

3310

31914

THIS DRAWING IS COP TO BE REPRODUCED, S PURPOSE OTHER THAN

THIS DRAWING IS COPYRIGHTED. IT IS PROPERTY OF KAMAL S. MALIK AND IS NOT TO BE REPRODUCED, SUPPLIED, HANDED OVER TO A THIRD PARTY OR USED FOR PURPOSE OTHER THAN FOR WHICH IT HAS BEEN INTENDED

GENERAL NOTES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

7. 8.

FOR STAIRCASE AND TOILETS FOLLOW RESPECTIVE DETAILED DRAWINGS DO NOT SCALE THE DRAWING. ONLY WRITTEN DIMENSIONS TO BE FOLLOWED ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED. THIS DRAWING SHALL BE READ IN CONJUCTION WITH RELEVANT STRUCTURAL/PLUMBING-SANITARY/ELECTRICAL/H V A C/SERVICES DRAWINGS. FOLLOW STRUCTURAL MEMBERS DIMENSION FROM RELEVANT STRUCTURAL DRAWINGS. ANY DISCREPANCY IN ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS OR BETWEEN ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS AND DRAWINGS OF OTHER CONSULTANTS MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE NOTICE OF THE ARCHITECT BEFORE SUBMISSION OF TENDER BY THE CONTRACTOR OR BEFORE EXECUTING THE WORK OR BEFORE PLACING ORDER FOR MATERIALS ETC. ALL DIMENSIONS IN PLANS ARE FOR UNFINISHED SURFACES (i.e EXCLUSIVE OF PLASTER THICKNESS) FOR ALL STEEL FABRICATION, ZINC AND GLAZING WORKS, THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PRODUCE DETAILED DRAWINGS FOR ARCHITECTS APPROVAL BEFORE PLACING ORDER/ EXECUTING SAME AT SITE.

NOTES:

25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8

7 6 5 4 3 2 1

90 89

KEYPLAN:

79 78 77 76

66 65 64 63

REV.NO

DATE

REVISION DESCRIPTION

53 52 51

41 40

ARCHITECT

X:\Kamal Malik Logo150dpi.jpg

KAISER-I-HIND, 2ND FLOOR, 1/6 CURRIMBHOY ROAD, BALLARD ESTATE MUMBAI 400 038. TEL (91-22) 2642170/4 LINES FAX: (91-22) 2620345

DRAWING NO.

DEALT BY

MA KH DT ST-01AR1 MEGHANA

DRAWN BY DHRUV

DATE 28

07-04-2020

27 26

SCALE = 1:50 24

ALL MEASUREMENTS MUST BE CHECKED ON SITE BY THE CONTRACTOR

TITLE

16 15

STAIRCASE DETAIL ST -03 PLANS

14 13

PROJECT TITLE

KHARA OFFICE & RESIDENCE NAGPUR

APPROVAL STAMP

8MM THK METAL STRINGER

2 1

STAIRCASE SECTION CC

THIS DRAWING IS COPYRIGHTED. IT IS PROPERTY OF KAMAL S. MALIK AND IS NOT TO BE REPRODUCED, SUPPLIED, HANDED OVER TO A THIRD PARTY OR USED FOR PURPOSE OTHER THAN FOR WHICH IT HAS BEEN INTENDED

08.

BEMOREGANIC MOODBOARDS Freelancing project

Location : Bulgaria| 2020 In collaboration with Sanskruti Jaiin The task was to build multiple mood boards to grasp the client’s aesthetic sense, according to a franchise project launched in 2020. The brand sells Indian products in Bulgaria, and the predominant colours are orange and brown. The focus was on low-cost setup for neat-looking establishments. Because it’s an organic business, the mood board emphasises the rawness of the materials - jute, brick, and ceramic tiles on the wall and floor give the store a really authentic and raw vibe. Succulents are low-maintenance plants.

We tried to employ the cheapest method of branding in this mood board: chalkboard. It’s simple to keep up with, adjustments are simple to make, and things may be rearranged as needed in the future. It allows for modifications based on the store’s location and layout.

Name of the Bungalow Plot size Built-up area Occupancies Number of Bedrooms Parking space

09.

Laguvatan House 120 sqm 100 sqm 5 1 0

L A G U V ATA N H O U S E Freelancing project Location : Nagpur, Maharashtra| 2019 As a freelancing job, I had to document and analyze the problems in a bungalow typology house. With an occupancy of five, the RCC structure house was built in 2001. Enable to expand it as and with the growing family, the house is now badly ventilated and lacks storage space. The narrative of this family pivots around how the family still finds a way to sit together in the living room making the dining room non-existential.

Only one bedroom when the occuancy is 5

Very less storage space and clothes get wet because of the wash basin

No study room for kids and TV too far

Insufficient ventilation

No parking space Need proper landscaping

Modular blocks as design element The experience beyond academic enabled me to explore my passion and interest in the field of architecture. I realised architecture isn’t just about learning to build but it’s about everything and beyond everything. This part 2 of the portfolio helped me to look closely and attentively at our material world, as we discover histories beyond texts — stories of the past that we might otherwise overlook.

To be a successful architect, you must be exposed to many different aspects of life. And last but not least, philosophy. The foundation on which societies are built.

Beyond academics 01. Braj- Architecture Of The Parikrama

Kubja Krishna Mathura, UP, India

02.

Working Drawings Of Patiala

03.

Utopias Viewed Through The Lens Of Social Culture

Mumbai’s Social, Political, And 04. Does Civic Body Allow The Open Spaces

Bacchan Kumar House Patiala Punjab, India

Extraxt interpretation : W [Fourier]

To Work As It Is Supposed To? Independent critic article

05. Built Environment Of Neobuddhists

06.

Critical writing submission : HarvardX Tangible things

Allied Work

01.

BRAJ- ARCHITECTURE OF THE PA R I K R A M A Kubja Krishna

Location : Mathura, UP | 2019 In collaboration with Yashvi Gala The third-year study trip to Braj, UP, examines the relationship between the imagined and the everyday. Braj is believed to be the landscape of Krishna whose extent is defined by a parikrama or a pilgrimage. Within this landscape, three small pilgrimages were studied. There were around Mathura/Gokul which is the cultural center of the region and the birthplace and the town where Krishna grew up, Vrindavan and Govardhan. The series of locations along these pilgrimages were studied concerning their narrative, space, body, ritual, myth, and history. The batch of 2016-21 documented 75 sites along with the four pilgrimages around these towns.

Situated on a small mount with a creek that runs along the Parikrama Marg, sits in the centre of the dense city fabric of Mathura, it is claimed that Kubja Krishna Mandir was the spot where Krishna was invited by one of the Gopis. It is also stated that the spot holds one of the miracles done by him by curing gopi’s Kubja (Haunchback) . As a result, Krishna’s mandir is located where she invited him for a supper as a sign of gratitude.

Each panel is a 30 cm X 105 cm, printed and laminated on sunboard. There are around 80 to 90 such panels. The bottom of panels have a small key image of the actual structure and a leaflet that has the various stories of the everyday life that were encountered by the students or the myths of the place.

t that the city is so much k at it from the lens of it’s ve the details that the city as not just merely helped WORK ted-ness that evolves inI aN G D R A W I N G S O F PAT I A L A tuitively, delayering and Bacchan Kumar House Location : Patiala, Punjab | 2018 ancient Indian city. In collaboration with Shubhankar Bajekar

02.

Recognitions : 2nd Postion for “Evolution of Demestic ARchitecture: Patiala” in CoA Documentation of Heritage Awards National Jury with 2016-2021 batch

Documenting Patiala, brought to light the fundamental fact that the city is so much more than what we perceived it to be. Traditional construction methods encouraged us in observing the details that the city has to offer when viewed through the prism of its past. Reading Patiala via the lens of architecture has not only helped us recognize the function of multilayered interconnectedness that arises in a city, but it has also allowed us to experience a city through its spaces-intuitively, deconstructing and delaying it as we traverse the old Indian city.

It is said that the house courtiers of the king who air and an old radio. The ained glass doors and a courtyard has a metal jali ng below. Water trickles a space for the fountain ns to drink water. Wall section

Section BB’

Transverse section

Study Tour

Patiala & Mathura Patiala , Punjab

The third year study trip to Braj , Uttar Prad the imagined and the everyday. Braj is be whose extent is deﬁned by a parikrama or smaller pilgrimages were studied. These we cultural centre of the region and the birthpla , Vrindavan - the town where he spent hi mountain towards the west. The series of l studied with respect to their narrative , sp We Documented 75 sites along the four pilg was interesting in a way that how architectu each other , in an attempt to understand the the parikrama and

Mathura , Uttar Prad (in colloboration wit

The third year study trip the imagined and the e whose extent is deﬁned smaller pilgrimages wer cultural centre of the reg , Vrindavan - the town mountain towards the w studied with respect to We Documented 75 site was interesting in a way each other , in an attemp the parikrama

Documenting Patiala, brought to light the fundamental fact that the city is so much more than what we actually perceived it to be. Having a look at it from the lens of it’s history, traditional construction methods it aided us observe the details that the city had to offer. Reading Patiala from the lens of architecture has not just merely helped us to acknowledge the role of multi-layered inter — connected-ness that evolves in a city but also experience a city through its spaces - intuitively, delayering and deconstructing it as one explores the ancient Indian city.

Bacchan Kumar House (In collaboration with Shubhankar Bajekar)

The eighty years old Art Deco house is home to antiques. It is said that the house might have traditionally belonged to the family or noble courtiers of the king who lived in the fort. It has antiques like the Le Corbusier chair and an old radio. The fenestrations on the first floor comprise of colourful stained glass doors and a ceiling which consists of jack arches. The top of the inner courtyard has a metal jali skylight that casts beautiful shadows on the kota flooring below. Water trickles down the skylight and seeps out slowly. The courtyard is a space for the fountain that used to be a space for the pigeons to drink water. Section AA’

The eighty years old Art deco house is home to antiques. It is said that the house might have traditionally belonged to the family of noble courtiers of the king. It has antiques like the Le Corbusier chair and an old radio. The fenestrations on the first floor comprise colorful stained glass doors and a ceiling that consists of jack arches. The top of the inner courtyard has a metal jali skylight that casts beautiful shadows on the Kota flooring below. Water trickles down the skylight and seeps out slowly. The courtyard is a space for the fountain that used to be a space for the pigeons to drink water.

Section AA’

Ground floor plan

03.

UTOPIAS VIEWED THROUGH T H E L E N S O F S O C I A L C U LT U R E Extraxt interpretation : W [Fourier] ( Page 622 )

~~Fourier, ...in his last years, ... wanted to found a phalanstery that would be inhabited exclusively by children aged three to fourteen, of which he aimed to assemble 12,000; but his appeal went unheeded and the project was never realized. In his writings he left a detailed plan, which specifically describes how the children must be raised so as to further the idea of association. From the moment a child begins to walk, an attempt must be made to identify its tastes and passions, and, by this means, to discover its vocation. Children who show a liking for life in the street, who make a racket and refuse to learn neatness and cleanliness, are placed by Fourier in small bands which have charge of the more unpleasant tasks of the association. On the other side there are children in whom the taste for elegance and luxury is inborn; these again Fourier arranges in a group, so that by their presence on the scene the phalanx will not be lacking in luxury.... The children are to become ... great artists of song. Every phalanx, Fourier says, will have 700 to 300 actors, musicians, and dancers, and the poorest canton in the Alps or the Pyrenees will have an opera company at least as good as the Grand Opera of Paris, if not much better. In order to foster the general sense for harmony, Fourier would have the children already singing duets and trios in the nursery.&quot; Sigmund Englander, Geschichte der franzosischen Arbeiter-Associationen (Hamburg, 1864), vol. 1, pp. 242-243. [W2,I]

Keywords : Utopia, development, Paris, Industrial revolution

Charles Fourier, a French philosopher, was one of the founders of Utopian socialism. He proposed a system called Fourierism which was the system of people for the organization of society into self-sufficient co-operatives. This theory was for an association where a temporary group of people organized for a joint purpose. Fourier started beholding this term unidirectionally. His approach towards modernism and industrialization, for that matter, was romanticized. He re-constructed the society based on communal associations of producers known as Phalanges. Phalanges were the cooperative agricultural communities bearing responsibility for the social welfare of the individual. He never adapted his theory of association to an industrial setting and that was the main setback in his theory. Given that Europe experienced an industrial revolution between 1740 to 1820, the social structure of Paris changed significantly as a result of this transformation. He played an important role in imagining the new phase of Paris. He was afflicted by the monotony and the “ugliness” of the cities all over Europe and hence he proposed a model “new type of city”. The 18th century was the time when High fashion and new restaurants started emerging. However, His design was suited for an agrarian horticultural society which was prevalent in Paris but it wasn’t the only society that exists in Paris. He wanted long arcades of the city center to be used for the residences of Phalanstery. Unfortunately, his ideas were never realized. Fourier was a very harmonious and utopian socialist, he proposed another model wherein these phalansteries could be used as development centers for children. He seemed to be trying very hard to bring the concept of phalanstery back to reality with the idea of association. He was afflicted by the monotony and the “ugliness” of the cities all over Europe and hence he proposed a model “new type of city”.

How associations can be formed through children. How this mere “development” was an attempt to teach the workers the lifestyle of a Parisian in some sense. Art, music, dance, creativity, and all of those sorts. He envisioned Paris as a very playful and joyous dome. He believed that this model would bridge the gap between bourgeois and workers. I suppose it is smart in a way because if two conflicting societies exist on one ground, one of them always has to cave. He looked at two extremes and went with one extreme rather than balancing those extremes. All socialist ideals advocated for a utopian society were based on equality, sharing strong moral values, and balance. Yet, utopian socialism and Marxism believe in the use of different means to achieve a common goal. Utopian socialism specific, I believe, was dominated by strong moral values, hope for a better harmonious future, faith, and happiness. They believed in societies and secularism together. Another cultural critic, a western Marxism, Walter Benjamin was fascinated with arcades that created a Parisian street life. The street life that Fourier imagined to be in phalanstery. He rather saw the arcade as a city within Paris which is what Fourier is always doing. Benjamin saw an arcade as a place to sell because of the effects of industrialization. He saw it as an architectural marvel made of Iron and glass as a primary building material and also creating a space for flaneurs, who were considered as acute observers of industrializing Paris. It stood as an assertion of capitalism and rising industrialization at that time. Fourier’s idea of Phalanstery was similar to the idea of Arcade. He saw these Phalansteries as a modern space for the society that creates human comfort. With the same architectural elements, he imagined these courtyards as a series of arcades which became a pause for conversation areas in the associations. If I have to say, Arcade was a commercial utopia whereas Phalanstery was a sociocultural utopia. Both of them are utopia, an ambitious imagination of a city to create space mainly for flaneurs, to narrow the gap between the bourgeois and the flaneurs, to aid to the detrimental industrialization in the 18th century. Who’s vision came true? 29

04.

DOES MUMBAI’S SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CIVIC BODY A L LO W T H E O P E N S PAC E S TO W O R K A S I T I S S U P P O S E D TO ?

Map of Mumbai Open spaces

Independent critic article : Vaishnavi Gondane | 2018

“The importance of architecture as a trigger to physical, physiological and psychological wellbeing is nowadays becoming a topic of significant concern.” Says Dr. Srgio Altomont, an architect and assistant professor at Nottingham University. The open space can change a city – making it a more vibrant and connected place to live. Citizens need to respite from the urban lifestyle of congestion to a place where they can relax, rejuvenate and depart from the chaos. Open spaces have now become a necessity and not a luxury. The ratio of open space per thousand residents in globally-aspiration Mumbai is 0.03 acres as against the ideal ratio of open spaces in 4 acres per 1000 person. What does it mean for a city’s occupants when there are not any open green spaces? As the city expands, its open spaces are shrinking. The democratic space that ensures accountability and enables dispute is also shrinking. Over the years, open spaces became ‘leftovers’ or residual spaces after construction potential has been exploited. As a result, designs that redefine the concept of open

space must go beyond gardens and recreational grounds to include our cities’ large and diverse natural assets, such as rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, exhausted quarries, mangroves, wetlands, beaches, and seafronts. Plans to build non-barricaded, non-exclusive, nonelitist venues that are open to all citizens and do not charge admission. Plans that ensure open spaces are not only available but also geographically and culturally integral to neighborhoods and participatory community life, allowing residents to feel connected to their surroundings while also benefiting from the city’s geographic advantages. Plans that redefine land use and development, placing people and community life at the center of planning — not merely real estate and construction potential because community and people are what form the society and the city. In places like Dongri, Kalbadevi, Bhuleshwar the lack of public open spaces is very prominent. The shops and houses are touching one another without any buffer or to say breathing spaces. There are very few gardens and places for younger youth to play. The reason for the lack of open spaces is probably the never-ending migration of people from all over India to Mumbai.

People are now being forced to relocate to Thane and other locations and commute to Mumbai for work daily because Thane has more open places than Mumbai. There’s a need to prepare development plans with open spaces expansion being the basis of planning for Mumbai because of worsening conditions of urban life. Deteriorating quality of life, growth of the informal sector, degradation and deprivation of open spaces, destruction of the environment, and the abuse of the ecological assets including water bodies have rendered our cities into a regrettable state.”There will be no compromise in the open spaces in Mumbai’’ says the CM Devendra Fadnavis. Though let’s assume that this problem of shrinking of open spaces doesn’t exist but about the people? What about the community spaces? What about a shared sense of civic belonging? According to research on open spaces, 664 acres, or 30 Oval Maidans, of the 3,780 acres of public open space accessible in the city is designated for gymkhanas or exclusive clubs for the affluent. A total of 17.5% of the city’s open spaces are out of bounds for ordinary Mumbaikars and are exclusively accessed by selected people. The Observation research foundation report(ORF) was released by the CM which focuses on the availability of open spaces, accessibility, civic body’s budget, and a slew of measures for improvement of open spaces in the city. The report defines open areas as promenades, gyms, and clubs, parks and gardens, playgrounds, recreational grounds, beaches and swimming pools. The report says that there is a need to form an apex multistakeholder committee, with citizens as its members, that will actively participate in the development of spaces. To include citizens’ suggestions in the report, the research team carried out a residents’ survey. Of the 713 respondents, 670 wanted a ban on the use of open spaces for religious or political functions, while 383 said they needed a makeover. Each open area is designed with the sole purpose of bringing the communities together, but this is never possible because of the entry fees which are not affordable for a certain class and community. Setting a fee for accessing a public space fundamentally counter the principle of public-ness and has segregated the space based on class. According to urban planners and

designers, not letting the “undesirables” enter the open area will keep the park clean and maintained, but is that true? Most of the open spaces are now used for demonstrating political drama, civic campaigns, and religious “processions”. These events happen almost every day, the point of having open spaces is to have breathing spaces and not the former. The research of Shilpa Ranade and her teams shows that parks, maidans, and seafronts are the spaces where many people felt uncomfortable in using these spaces. Mostly because of its bad maintenance and policed stringently. According to urban planners and designers, these open spaces are not designed for the “undesirables” which include the poor, barely acknowledged lower caste, the typecast Muslims, the “immoral” couples, The “outsider “ bhaiyas, the ignored elderly, and the invisible differently-abled. Women from the lower caste go to these parks on the weekends and whereas men hang out near and around the park therefore on these days the presence of workingclass people marks the space as highly undesirable for the residents especially women. Even when there are open places, they are usually created for the “desirables.” We call it Unity in Diversity, but this is a highly diverse city, so I’m going to ask it again. DO THE OPEN SPACES WORK AS THEY SHOULD IN MUMBAI’S SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CIVIC BODY?

References: “Rectifying Failure: Imagining the New City and the Power to Create It.” Building Green: Environmental Architects and the Struggle for Sustainability in Mumbai, by Anne Rademacher, 1st ed., University of California Press, Oakland, California, 2018, pp. 65–90. JSTOR, www. jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt2204r4v.8. Accessed 29 July 2021. “Open spaces in Indian cities must be viewed as essential community resources, not a luxury” Radhika Oberoi October 28, 2017 https://www.firstpost.com/living/open-spaces-in-indian-cities-mustbe-viewed-as-essential-community-resources-not-a-luxury-4179841. html “Open Mumbai: Re-Envisioning Open Spaces” The Nature of Cities https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/openmumbai-re-envisioning-city-and-its-open-spaces/171156/

05.

B U I LT E N V I R O N M E N T NEOBUDDHISTS

Critical writing submission : HarvardX Tangible things Publishing excerpt from Bridging Identities- Spatial Identities of Neo-Buddhists

Deekshabhoomi stands as a symbol for the revival of Buddhism in India. It was a place where Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956, as a way to abandon Hinduism and all the caste struggles. Hence it stands as a memorial as well as a place of transformation of thoughts and actions. It gave birth to many other Neo- Buddhist places in Nagpur and the country. Neo-Buddhism is a religious as well as a socio-political movement among Dalits in India which was started by B. R. Ambedkar. It radically re-interpreted Buddhism and created a new school of Buddhism called Navayana. The movement has sought to be a socially and politically engaged form of Buddhism. The entire complex gives various platforms to study and Buddhist and Ambedkarite Philosophies and express themselves as Neo-Buddhist. People from all over the world gather here every year on key festive days like Dussehra, Dr. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, death anniversary, and Buddha Purnima to witness the celebration of mass conversion that occurred several decades ago. During these celebratory days, around 300-400 pandals are set up. They not only give the resources, but they also sell Buddhist art and books. There’s a religious conversion going on here. The venue is frequently used for political debates.

The monument’s history dates back to 1956 when Dr. Ambedkar utilized this area to embrace Buddhism. To establish this faith in India, a temple with a tiny monastery was established. This new religion, on the other hand, was like a break for the Dalits. Dalits were regarded as outcasts and were not permitted to visit the city center, parks, or temples. They were given work and jobs filled with filth and dirt. They were deprived of education, basic amenities, and even a sense of community. Ambedkar found Buddhism spiritually satisfying as it preached love and compassion for all. Moreover, it was in affirmation with principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity that guided him throughout his life. About half a million Ambedkarites followed in his footsteps and changed their religion (Paridhi Sehgal 2020). I attempted to evaluate the intangible qualities of the monuments in Nagpur to understand how Neo-Buddhism differs from traditional Buddhism. After speaking with various Neo-Buddhists, it became apparent that these traditional Buddhist rites have been reinterpreted by Neo-Buddhists in a way that reflects their identity and empowers them in society. One of the main reasons why the Vihara of Deekahsbhoomi was constructed to look like Sanchi stupa is because of this. Deekshabhoomi is

centrally positioned in a residential neighborhood, and the stupa’s shape has become an assertion throughout the Indian subcontinent during festive days. Roads are being blocked so that people from all over the world can observe the conversion ceremony every year.

When one verbalizes about built spaces that are inclusive, as well as for the Neo-Buddhists, there’s a nature of the program that’s quite obvious. A memorial, or a learning space that ultimately aims to empower and uplift the Neo-Buddhist community. It’s not the obviousness of the option that is concerning, it is the engagement of the community. It is the interaction and constant negotiation of the community with the city and the urban public. What difference has it made to the Neo-Buddhists? Buddhists have followed a pattern to be an “exclusive” community that wants to declare and announce their place in Indian society. But is the exclusiveness of the monument empowering the Neo-Buddhists? What kind

of “empowerment” has it obtained? How well these monuments have been realized by the urban public? Does it put forth the doctrines and revelation of the religion “Buddhism” and Neo-Buddhists? The city, which is the scale of the urban public, is where Buddhism interacts with different communities through certain activities. The vihara, which is the scale of a community, takes various forms and shapes throughout the year to cater to the community. And lastly, the home, which is the living space of an individual. Through this final project, I’m attempting to grasp the physical essence of a built environment by examining the various stakeholders involved, as well as the construction materials and techniques. I attempted to break down space’s use based on its history and administration to critically assess the structure.

Map of Deekshabhoomi

06.

ALLIED WORK

Abstract Interpretation of text Murakarim

The architecture of the precinct was mapped through various explorations. The goal was to capture the site’s intangibility, as well as the narratives and geographies.

Architecture Mapping Illustrations Costumes are a physical act, a transformation, a masquerade. They can be used to conceal, disclose, enhance, mask, or modify the human body. The sensation of the line “ our viewpoint takes the form of a midair camera that can move around the room” from Haruki Murakami’s work. Installation scale 1:1 Material : Gray board

Mind Map of Indora

Dummy model

Nagpur map

Modular blocks as design element

An abstract interpretation of the artwork was expressed through the use of sketches and models using platonic modules. It attempted to create a space utilising the painting’s structural principles. It depicts the atrocities that can occur when restricted modules are used. In collaboration with Divya Rajput

Interview Various interviews were taken to understand the joy and atrocities in the field of architecture. SRDA gave an insight into what it is to a woman in the field of architecture. Having a conversation with her gave me a different point of view to look at architecture. To embrace the multidisciplinary aspect of architecture. “The minute I am caught in one series of projects, it’s extremely myopic. Growth is change.” says Samira Rathod.

“

Be the jack all trades and master of many.

Snippet from the interview Final model Material File card