Author: Swetlana Chatterjee
Site Location: Chhapna, West Bengal
Institute: National Institue of Technology, Rourkela
Advisor: Ar. Mohd Nauman Nizamuddin

Description

“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” — Matsuo Bashō

Children who grow up where their mother’s livelihood is invisible by day and exposed by night are at high risk of abuse, exclusion, and despair. These children suffer from social exclusion, constant anxiety, depression, unmet needs, and fear of being absorbed into the industry, highlighting the urgent need for geographically and culturally appropriate rehabilitation spaces (Nanjunda & Jyothi Lakshmi, 2024). Additionally, the red-light environment is fraught with substance use, violence, crime, and precarious living conditions that are profoundly harmful to a child’s physical and emotional development (Deepa & Manjula, 2020).

The project aims to design a residential rehabilitation center for children of sex workers and minors rescued from sex work, supporting their holistic development. The children of the Sonagachi (ward 18) have been targeted. The site is 22°33’39.55″N 88°30’36.85″E.

It integrates a Class 1-12 school, vocational training, one-stop center, dispensary, residences, and rehabilitation facilities. A feasibility survey included 50 sex-worker mothers, 7 NGO workers, and 206 children from Classes 1-10. Their needs and aspirations informed the design, creating a safe environment that empowers children to reintegrate into society and reclaim their stolen childhoods and futures.

Drawings

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Author: Vaishnavi Daphal
Site Location: Andheri, Mumbai
Institute: Dr. D. Y. Patil School of Architecture
Advisor: Prof. Anish Joshi

Description

Manobodh Gurukulam is a Neurodevelopment School and Therapy Centre in
Andheri, Mumbai, designed for children with diverse learning, sensory and
communication needs. The project focuses on four user groups- children with ADHD,
Autism Spectrum Disorder, dyslexia and hearing impairment- recognizing that each
child experiences learning and their surroundings differently.
The design translates these differences into an inclusive architectural environment
through a continuous, non-linear learning loop, developed as the Synaptic Bridge.
The curved classroom spine avoids dead ends and creates a predictable circulation
system, while a protective outer layer buffers the learning spaces from external noise
and activity. Within the classroom zone, four spatial configurations respond to
movement, visual communication, structured learning, and language and focus.
Landscape becomes an extension of learning and therapy, incorporating sensory
movement circuits, outdoor classrooms, retreat spaces, water and sound therapy,
and horticulture zones. A gradual sensory gradient allows children to move between
active and calmer environments according to their needs.
The project brings architecture, landscape and learning together as one continuous
environment, offering every child opportunities to move, learn, interact and find calm.

Drawings

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Author: Aditi Mahesh Kadav
Site Location: Solapur
Institute: Vidya Pratishthan’s School of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Piyush Shah

Description

In Indian tradition, the Ganga is revered as a divine feminine—powerful like Maa Durga and serene like Maa Saraswati. Yet, today, the sacredness associated with both women and water stands in contrast to reality: women continue to face exploitation, while water remains increasingly scarce.

This thesis seeks to restore this balance through architecture. After exploring urban contexts where such an intervention could create meaningful impact, Solapur was selected—a dry, rain-shadow region where water scarcity intersects with the exploitation of women beedi workers.

The project proposes a livelihood and learning center that enables women to become financially independent through locally rooted skills such as Solapuri Chadar weaving, shenga chutney and bhakari making, alongside life and entrepreneurial skills. A kindergarten allows them to learn without worrying about their children.

Water becomes the heart of the architecture. Rainwater is harvested and stored through stepwells, while its movement shapes the campus. Local materials and alternative construction techniques are employed, with men from the surrounding community trained during construction, creating another layer of livelihood.

The project brings water, women, and architecture together—reviving the sacredness of water, strengthening the dignity of women, and transforming cultural knowledge into sustainable livelihoods.

Drawings

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Author:Rizwan Ahmed Shibargatti
Site Location: Hubballi, Karnataka
Institute:Angadi School of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Saleem S Totad

Description

India has a large population of children with disabilities, yet there is a scarcity of comprehensive institutions that cater to multiple disabilities simultaneously. Conventional architecture often privileges vision as the primary means of understanding space. Parents often hesitate to send their children away due to emotional attachment and safety concerns, limiting access to education and skill development. This project addresses these challenges by providing a safe, inclusive, and stimulating environment where children can thrive independently.

The proposed Integrated Sensory & Cognitive Development Campus in Hubballi, Karnataka, addresses a critical gap in infrastructure for children with blindness, deaf-muteness, and intellectual challenges. While India has a large population of children with disabilities, comprehensive institutions catering to multiple disabilities simultaneously remain scarce. The project seeks to move away from conventional architecture that exclusively privileges vision, creating instead an inclusive environment where different abilities can coexist, participate, and learn independently.

The project is a multi-disciplinary educational and rehabilitation institute for blind, deaf/mute, and intellectually challenged (IC) children. It includes: Adaptive classrooms for each category of disability Therapy and counseling rooms Skill development and vocational training workshops Recreational and cultural spaces Residential facilities for students from distant region

Drawings

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Author: Ansil Aslam K.U
Site Location: Wayanad
Institute: School of Planning & Architecture, Thrissur
Advisor: Prof. Geetha. A

Description

The Landslide Memorial and Museum, Wayanad is conceived as an architectural response to the 2024 Chooralmala–Mundakkai landslide, transforming a landscape of loss into a place for remembrance, education, healing, and resilience. The project preserves the landslide terrain as a geoheritage landscape while creating spaces that communicate the geological, ecological, cultural, and human dimensions of the disaster.

Guided by the concept “From Earth to Rebirth,” the visitor journey is organized into three stages: Origin, Resilience, and Rebirth. The architecture follows the natural contours of the site, minimizing excavation and allowing the built forms to integrate with the existing terrain.

The museum combines interpretation galleries, educational spaces, and community programmes with areas for contemplation and remembrance. An elevated walkway connects the museum to the preserved landslide site, culminating at a memorial platform with a participatory gabion wall where visitors contribute stones as symbols of remembrance and collective rebuilding.

Through a restrained architectural language, controlled light, framed views, and transitions between enclosed and open spaces, the project creates an experiential journey from grief towards hope, while promoting environmental awareness, disaster preparedness, and community resilience.

Drawings

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Author: Saniya Bhargava
Site Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Institute: Institute of Architecture and Planning, Nirma University
Advisor: Dr. Chandran Rekha Jetty

Description

Saaransh is a reimagination of the educational institution as an environment that responds to neurodiversity. Designed for autistic children, the project integrates education, therapy, vocational training and caregiver support within a unified campus. In a context where autism-focused education and therapy are often accommodated within small, spatially constrained establishments, Saaransh proposes a larger institutional campus that provides a safe and expansive environment where children can move, explore, play and express themselves freely.

The campus is organized around interconnected courtyards that provide secure access to nature, daylight, ventilation and outdoor activity while supporting intuitive orientation and visual supervision. Sensory rooms, shaded verandahs and transitional spaces provide opportunities for regulation and retreat.

The architectural language is intentionally approachable, using fragmented blocks, curvilinear circulation and rounded edges to reduce institutional rigidity and improve safety. Exposed CSEB masonry, white plastered entrances and natural textures establish a calm, legible material palette, while courtyards and sensory gardens become integral to the architecture. Through the interplay of space, landscape, material and sensory control, Saaransh proposes an environment where architecture actively supports learning, emotional regulation, independence and social participation.

Drawings

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