MUD HOUSE CONSTRUCTION WITH URVEE PUBLIC TRUST

Me along with my colleagues, in June 2021, volunteered to help in the construction of a mudhouse for the caretakers of a farmhouse at NDA Road, Pune owned by Mrs. Arti Kirloskar. This project was taken up by Ar. Amruta Naidu and Mr. Prasad Thete of the Urvee Public Trust and was guided by Ar. Satyendra Bhagat. The technique adopted was wattle and cob. We tied paddy straw treated with lime and then coated in clay to the bamboo framework. This act as the reinforcement for the mud layer coming over it and reduced the total amount of soil required. After drying up the ties look like ‘Bombil’ fish kept for drying, hence it was termed as the bombil technique. Cob balls were put over the reinforcements to create a 9inch thick wall. It developed cracks after drying which were filled periodically and then a lime plaster was applied to give a finish. The windows and doors were made by the students at Hunnarshala Foundation.

Resort Site Model For Hues Architects

Me and my colleagues worked with Hues Architects, Pune to make a site model for their ongoing resort project at Bhor in August, 2022. We used corrugated sheets as the suitable material for the contours and oasis blocks and pins to show the vegetation. The contours were cut in ring sections instead of the conventional method of cutting in slabs. This method resulted in saving more than 70% of the material. The void was filled with paper balls and studs as support.

Deployable Structures Workshop At Nasa

This workshop that was conducted at the Zonal NASA Convention of Zone-3 in September, 2019. We created smaller deployable structures in groups to understand the working of the systems after which we created a deployable dome structure. It could be folded down to as small as an umbrealla rack and open up to a diameter of 3 meters. The members were made of pvc and the joints were blocks of laser cut mdf.

Bamcrete Funicular Shell Structure Workshop

The workshop was conducted by Ar. Vaibhavi Agrawal and Ar. Shital Chaudhari and their team from Ray Studio in January, 2023. We started explorations on scale models using thin sections of bamboo. Then each initial task of construction was divided in teams - Excavation, Marking, Framing, Joining. Then we tied every joint and jute bags coated with concrete over the structure with wire ties. Later gaps were individually filled with concrete. Curing was done for a week after the construction. The pavillion is built in the campus of MMCOA, Pune.

MASTERCLASS AND TRIBUTE TO AR. B.V. DOSHI

This workshop was conducted by Ar. Rahul Kadam and his team from NGK Studio in memory of Ar. B.V. Doshi in February, 2023. Students were divided into groups and each group studied an assigned project of Ar. B.V. Doshi and prepared an alalysis considering the design philosophy advocated by him through sketches, diagrams and notes which were later shared among everyone through a presentation. The projects studied were Aranya, Institute of Indology, Sangath and ATMA House.

Model Making