Varun Michael Pais Pune / India
01 LOST TEXTILE SCULPTURE
+91-8411813548 varun.m.pais@gmail.com varunpais.wordpress.com
Encroach the Encroachment Year 4 | Semester 7 | 2018 Duration: 3 months
EDUCATION
2008-2014
The Doon School / Dehradun / India / 7th-12th grade Brick’s School of Architecture / Pune / India / B.Arch (1st & 2nd Year)
2014-2016
Wadiyar Centre for Architecture / Mysuru / India / B.Arch (2nd Year to present)
2016-2020 (expected)
EXPERIENCE 2PKM Architects / Intern Architect (2 months)
2015
Mangalore Smart City (Proposal Team) / Intern (1 month)
2016
Sports Secretary / Student Council / Brick School of Architecture
2015-2016
President / Student Council / Wadiyar Centre for Architecture
2017-2018
Design Team Leader / NASA Design Competition
2018
PUBLICATIONS & WRITINGS
Editor / Design Infinity / BSOA Magazine
2018 - present 2015-2016
Journalism Team/ National Association of Schools of Architecture Journalism Competition
2018
SOFTWARE SKILLS Autodesk AutoCAD Autodesk Revit Google Sketchup Rhinoceros Adobe Photoshop Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Lumion MS Office Permanent Resident of the United States of America
Year 3 | Semester 6 | 2018 Duration: 3 weeks
03 ART CAMPUS Institution Year 3 | Semester 6 | 2018 Duration: 3 months
04 TSUNAMI MUSEUM
LEADERSHIP
Editor-in-Chief / Courtyard / WCFA Newsletter
02 STUDENT HOSTEL
Public Building in Urban Context Year 3 | Semester 5 | 2017 Duration: 2 1/2 months
05 GOVERNMENT HOUSING Housing Year 2 | Semester 4 | 2017 Duration: 2 1/2 months
06 OTHER WORK 2014 - present
LOST TEXTILE SCULPTURE Year 4 | Semester 07 | 2018 | Srirangapatna
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Project Brief: Encroach the Encroachment was the theme set for the semester. The objective was to question the methods in which architecture is practiced today and look at sustainability as an important aspect while designing. Students were allowed to choose a site and program of their choice with respect to a concern that they had. The scale of the project had to be institutional and could vary from 2,500 sq m. to 10,000 sq m. The clause with respect to picking a site was that it had to be ‘radical’. There was a decision that the project could not be built on land and had to find place on land that has already been encroached by human beings in the past. What would we do to offer penance to nature? To compensate for having destroyed its land in the process of mining and making oil rigs and building tunnels, subways and dams? The land that is gone is gone. In other words, what should we do to return nature back to nature? There needs to be a paradigm shift in which we become subservient to nature and not other way round. It’s critical to think radically about the present and possible future issues of sustainability. It’s important to develop critical analytical skills and imagination – to start asking the right questions. Where do we build ? What do we build ? How do we build ? Why do we build ? And Who do we build for ? There might come a point when, due to everexpanding population, consumerism and encroachment into nature, there will be an imbalance in the world. And any further encroachment into nature might lead to a threat to life itself. But the act of building is currently seen only as a process that’s to be carried out from ground zero, on fresh parcels of land. What would happen when that is no longer a possibility? Should we now build on top of existing manmade structures to avoid encroaching further into nature? Or should we bring jungles to the city, instead? Or should we simply go back to nature, like in our ancestral days? What should we do to our abandoned quarries? The questions are many. And the cost of land has also gone up and will soon reach a point when it becomes prohibitively expensive. What would the common man do then? Where would he/ she build? It is with these thoughts and intentions to engage critically and search for radical solutions, that a new direction is being looked upon. What should we do to return nature back to nature? Identified Site Type: Bridge (unused railway bridge) User Group: Mysore Silk Weavers
Design Intent The semester brief puts us in a situation where we are to tackle a probable scenario of the near future, in short, rightly titled – Encroach the Encroachment. * “Everyone goes to the city and works, none of the younger people want to make sarees. There is no money left in this job, but there is still so much beauty”
I have always been intrigued by the way a big city attracts people from all over and how the diversity of a city is one of its strongest binders. What disappoints is how easy it is for people of a city to forget and neglect their cultures and heritage. Crafts have been an important contributor to the same, and as it is evident today, they are dying. The importance and value of these systems and processes have been overlooked and all that is thought of is the final product, not as a symbol of our cultures but as an item for profit. * “You have to come and see our new house in the village.
Existing Site Conditions Srirangapatna town is located at 12.41°N latitude and 76.7°E longitude. Srirangapatna is 15 Km from Mysore, though lies in the neighbouring district of Mandya. The town is enclosed by the river Kaveri to form a river island. It is easily accessible by train from Bangalore and Mysore and is also well-connected by road as it is situated along the NH-275 connecting the two larger cities. The island town of Srirangapatna is a place of historic, cultural and religious significance. It gets its name from the Ranganathaswamy temple which dominates the town and makes Srirangapatna one of the most important Vaishnavite center of pilgrimage in South India. The town has seen countless battles, some of which have shaken the foundation of its massive fort wall, that still stands as a testament to the greatness of Srirangapatna’s glorious past. Distinguished ruling dynasties like the Gangas, Hoysalas, Vijaynagar Kings, The Wodeyars of Mysore, Hyder Ali & Tippu Sultan have all left their indelible mark on the cultural legacy of this town. Innumerable monuments are a living testimony of this heritage.
It is a ‘pakka ghar’ madam. We made it with concrete”
This concern, follows in the way cities and the idea of highly developed ‘concrete jungles’ are misleading to smaller towns and rural settlements. That one odd concrete structure that you tend to find in a village where their own architecture has so much logic and history of improvement, just does not make sense. There is a preconceived notion that building in concrete (and steel) is better and thus helps one showcase their economic status. ** Just like in architecture where there is so much that we take from our history and the vernacular, art and crafts can do the same. However, when it comes to a craft, if it does not adapt to modern times, it remains history. My intervention deals with a solution as to how a craft can learn to grow and how we as a society can learn to appreciate the importance of such crafts. With respect to my project, I have identified weaving communities in and around Mysore that deal with weaving of Mysore Silk – typically ‘sarees’. The aim is to create an environment for the weavers that allows for people involved in the fashion and textile industry to interact with the weavers and learn and grow from each other. This could be something as small as learning how to use a computer or techniques of dyeing silk to even reaching the extent of doing research on new ways of doing things. The hope is that it would allow for this dying craft to revive and then grow, such that one day it grows large enough that it has to shift out, allowing for another entity that requires the support of a Centre for Revival and Growth. Something very similar to how a silk worm forms its cocoon and when the time is right, leaves it behind such that it can fly.
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Why Weaving? Traditional handicrafts in India are an integral part of the cultures of place. In the Mysore region, the craft is Mysore Silk weaving. However, with the advent of globalization and people migrating to cities, the craft is dying. The number of people who still practice the craft has dropped by almost 90%. In order to prevent the craft from dying, it has to adapt to the requirements of todays world. The idea behind the program is to create a space where weavers can interact with professionals in related fields such as fashion and textile. The interaction would allow for a ‘new way’ of practicing the craft that would encourage people to indulge in the craft rather than migrate to cities.
Why the Site? tipu’s armory railway station
Indian Railways recently spent over 150 million USD to build a new high speed connect between Bangalore and Mysore. The two cities are also well connected by road and a large number of people travel frequently for work on a daily basis.
node 3
The site is 15 km from the centre of Mysore and takes about 20 minutes to reach. It is easily accessible and is scenic. Tipu Sultan’s armory (a heritage building) that was shifted to allow for the railway line to be laid out is also at the site, however, it has been neglected ever since. This project could also help in restoring importance that the building and its heritage deserve.
node 2
node 1
Proposal at Master Plan Level Apart from the Weaving centre, there would be an addition of two more nodes. The purpose of this is to attract travellers from road and rail, and help in spreading awareness about the initiation. Node 1: Pit-stop for those travelling by road. It would include small eateries, toilets and other requirements for the public. It would also have an information centre and retail outlet, to demonstrate what happens ahead. Node 2: Facilities and Amenities for the Weaving Centre, including general stores, a clinic, and basic neccessities for the main centre. site model at 1:200 scale
Node 3: Centre for Revival and Growth
STUDENT ACOMMODATION Year 3 | Semester 06 | 2018 |
WCFA, Mysuru
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Project Brief: (Duration - 3 weeks)
To design a hostel block for students of Architecture studying at our own college (Wadiyar Centre for Architecture) Requirements: Number of Students: 125 students (70 girls and 55 boys) Individual Rooms: 50 Shared (3 poeple) Rooms: 25
Thought Process: Coming to college everyday, the same campus, same people, same studio space - after a point, especially when the semester tends to get intense - everything seems dry and all the excitement tends to drain, and everything seems mundane. But post studio, is it possible to rejuvenate in the comfort of an on campus residential block? Is it possible for one to have a new and interesting experience everytime the walk through the same space, or can the space itself change everytime? The aspirations of this design was to allow for interaction to happen at various levels for the students/residents. To make every journey back to their room exciting. In some way reinstigate the importance of interaction (not just within the scope of academics). This is a space where the students are allowed to dive deep within themseleves and express their most creative selves. The buildings structure is the outside of the building, the aesthetics is what the students make of it - from hanging clothes or even design sheets to experimenting with materials to create what they feel the space needs. After all, Architecture is a collaborative field and one can learn so much frim their peers.
Inspiration drawn from two features in college - the steel columns and the forest behind the site. The inital idea was to create a ‘floating forest’ - a forest of columns with a floating canopy of modular units.
The second part of the process was to attempt to add a certain amount of randomness to the arrangement, based on certain parameters. After a variety of methods to achieve this - two arrangments were chosen for further process. View of corridor spaces on the first floor.
COURT - 1 LIBRARY
site section
The two selected arrangements were then overlapped and the reintroduction of the ‘L-shaped’ module allowed for interesting diagrams to be generated, from which the varying the heights of each module would allow for variation in the spaces that could be created.
The biggest breakthrough was when we looked at the possibility of splitting the module itself into levels. It allowed for more variety and possibilities that would eventually enhance the quality of spaces created within the block.
SECTION S1
SITE
site plan
CORRIDOR
ADMIN BLOCK
UNIT TYPES
Second Floor Plan
ART CAMPUS
Year 3 | Semester 06 | 2018 |
Bidar
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Project Brief:
To design an Art Institute for undergraduate and post-graduate students of various fields of art from fine arts and sculpture to graphics and animation. Site Conditions: Climate: Hot and Dry Location: Bidar, Karnataka, India Site Type: Sloping (1:10) Site Area: 2 acres (87,000 sq. ft.) Built Requirements: Total Built Area: 6,500 m2 (70,000 sq. ft.) Undergraduate and Masters Studios for all Departments. Administration/Exhibtion Spaces/Common Areas
Inspiration drawn from stepped wells in hot and dry regions of India: Stepped wells were about a purposeful journey with pauses that offered plenty of opportunities for the women folk of a given village to interact and work together
b
b
Top Level Plan a
Section aa
West Elevation
Section bb
TSUNAMI MUSEUM
Year 3 | Semester 05 | 2017 | Pondicherry
04
Project Brief:
To design a museum as a new public building in Pondicherry, as well as a tribute to the effects of the Tsunami in 2004 Requirements: Programmatic requirements included exhibition spaces, an auditorium, administration and amphitheatre. There was also a need for a research and study centre that dealt with further understanding and tracking of tsunamis.
The Town: Pondicherry has a rich and diverse cultural heritage. It draws features from the influence of Tamil and French as well as the Aurobindo Ashram. Auroville is the newest addition to Pondicherry, making it a vibrant and active tourist destination in South India
The Site:
Situated at the center of the Promenade Street - one of the most active roads in the town - the site for the museum is surrounded by a variety of heritage buildings. The fact that the Promenade becomes purely pedestrian in the evenings emphasises the importance of publicness in which the site sits.
Radical Agenda:
Architecture for a public building like the proposed museum should serve the social condition of the people rather than just the visual senses. The aim, apart from designing the museum is to create a place for the people of Pondicherry. As this area is used extensively by the people of the town, it would have to relate to them and their culture before it relates to the architecture of past influence, as Pondicherry has such experienced.
GOVERNMENT HOUSING
Year 2 | Semester 04 | 2017 | Mysore
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Project Brief:
To design a housing project for an identified user group having some commonality (either work or interests) Number of units: 30-32 units [60m2x8 units 80m2x16 units 100m2x8 units] Maximum Height: 15 meters Setback Requirements: 5 meters (all sides) Floor Area Ratio: 1.75 Maximum Ground Coverage: 60%
Identified User Group: Government Housing, for employees work with various organizations such as transport, postal, public services in Mysore
New Approach to Government Housing For a country to be able to respond to its problems, learn from its mistakes and develop & modernise in a manner that basic ammenities are provided to all, those who are a part of the government itself should be in a position to understand what is required. In an attempt to understand the vast extense of housing as a subject and an issue, I have proposed that the governments employees must be provided with proper living conditions with respect to living space and public space.
CONCEPT
ARRIVING AT GRIDS
Each space allows for different experiences. One of the most important aspects of housing that needs to be addressed is the social needs of the users.
After continuous work on resolving the massing of the housing as well as the individual units, certain things started becoming clear; the service ducts and the structure had to work on a logic, liveable spaces had to be accommodated within the remaining framework and would have to work withing certain standards.
Common spaces and interaction spaces are a necessity in housing. At times being forced to move in a certain manner through a building allows for planned encounters, something that would promote conversation amongst residents of the housing project. Such is vital to enhance the feeling of a vibrant communal living space.
Service and strucutre falls into a rigid grid system. Regardless of the rigidness of the grid, there was still enough freedom to play with the massing and achieve the common terraces and voids that were desired.
Taking advantage of terraces, allowing them to serve as common spaces to 2-3 units and also integrating the vertical circulation into the same spaces allowed for a creation of a variety of intended interaction spaces.
Service Cores
DEVELOPMENT IDEA 1: Single Block Create an internal park such that every unit gets a view of a park. Highlight elements - staircases and corridors - to try and make it more interesting? Attempt at stagerring and breaking the mundaneness of the singular and solid ‘block’.
IDEA 2: Internal Street Internal Street to enhance the idea of a social (while maintaining individual privacy).
Design and Structural Grid
Exploration of double height spaces and common terraces. Introducing units with entries on alternate floors to create a variety in circulation.
Further Development south elevation
west elevation
south elevation
east elevation
Internal street exists but voids connect the front and back as well. Merging of Idea 1 and Idea 2 lead to the creation of interesting voids and terraces. Finally, the combination of terraces and staggered staircases allows for a variety in spaces that could allow for social interaction.
section bb
section ee
View of central street from floor above
ground floor plan
View of central street from floor above
first floor plan
View of balcony on external facade (north side)
fourth floor plan
View of central street from landing
Alternate Design Idea
Year 4 | Semester 7 | 2018 | Srirangapatna, India
Adaptive Reuse (2 week project) Year 4 | Semester 7 | 2018 | Mangalore, India
Rural Community Center
Year 2 | Semester 3 | 2016 | Mirle, India
Rural Panchayat (Govt.) Office Year 1 | Semester 2 | 2014 | Bhor,India
Resort (with water sports training center)
Year 2 | Semester 4 | 2016 | Shrivardhan,India