Author: Nitya Kapoor Site Location: Hyderabad Institute: School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal (SPA-B) Advisor: Dr Piyush Hajela
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The Telangana Urban Centre of Excellence, proposed by the Government of Telangana, would act as an urban think tank and a research Centre to deal with urban challenges and house best practices. The intent is to set up an integrated development of mixed-use typology, in a sprawling campus of 45 acres, abutting Outer Ring Road. It would be conceived as a research Centre, to host prototype solutions for various urban issues, that celebrates and leverages the natural topography of the site. While the campus with all its facilities will be planned in 25 acres, the remaining extent of 20 acres would be kept as green space/walking track/golf/future requirements. These facilities include: Hub of Urban
Innovations, Conference and Convention Centre, U-Hub, Workstations, Research labs, Accommodation facilities, Residential facilities, Relaxation Hub, Service facilities and parking.
The proposed detailed design comprises of Workstations, Research Labs and U-Hub, integrated with the Central Green, Entrance Court, and built form for public facilities (Auditorium, Conference Block, Amphitheatre), and Service areas.
Author: Supreeth L Suresh Site Location: Mysuru, Karnataka Institute: Wadiyar Centre for Architecture Advisor: Shreyas Baindur
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The thesis is heavily influenced by movies and books which fantasize about the architecture of the future However, all of this seems hypothetical, when every thesis project, every drawing on a paper is, why can’t we allow ourselves to dwell more on imagination, than the reality of everything.
This project might seem fictional but, just like how we see in comics or fictional movies, these works have a side of reality that brings them into the realm of plausibility.
Going forward, we need to be more considerate towards the future, taking account of how we use resources, which contrary to what we think, is not infinite, just like the way the earth itself is not infinite. We should make spaces suited to accommodate unpredictability. For example ,in a small village,a person who gives more space for thematic spaces instead of static spaces allows for the house to be more than what it is — capable of holding infinite spaces — and the owner can build again and again based on the events. Building this space once, without static rigidity helps it to survive the future. The thesis ends with one of the variations of a building that has evolved overtime, where half the building is occupied by a thematic parasite. The whole point was to decode a built space, keeping unbuilding it as the starting point. The entires hell of the building is kept while the intervention happens later. The temporary becomes the new permanent and architecture is no longer a static object. It is a living organism—ever-changing, ever-adapting, and ever-evolving—regardless of the context and time. Space itself becomes timeless. The architecture of the future should be about creating spaces that are nothing yet everything at the same time.
Author: Vaibhav Dalvi Site Location: Khonoma, Nagaland Institute: V.I.T.’s Padmabhushan Dr. Vasantdada Patil College of Architecture (PVPCOA), Pune, Maharashtra Advisor: Ar. Niranjan Garde
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Why weaving the future of Khonoma?
Khonoma is known as Asia’s first green village, situated near the Indo-Myanmar border, in the Indian state of Nagaland. The rich architecture and culture of the place are still seen through the community that is still living there. Throughout the period of my internship, I visited the village and met the people around the place, many times. Generations of youth are leaving villages to earn a living or work, leaving their elders behind.
Each visit to Khonoma brought a new story, and with every story, the concern to conserve the culture, material, and architecture of the space became much stronger.
Bamboo – To conserve and create
Nagaland and especially Khonoma is blessed with a natural assets like Bamboo. It sits comfortable and cozy around the green backdrop of a rich bamboo plantation. While documenting the community, for new structures coming up, bamboo is only used for aesthetic purposes, while concrete and bricks are used for structural purposes. The knowledge of using bamboo in structures is fading away with time. Adapting to new technology, the community is neglecting bamboo’s natural response to its microclimate, while bricks and concrete create damp conditions. Present-day, flat roof constructions are creating leakage problems, which is not an ideal response to the amount of rainfall the area witnesses.
The concerns I had regarding Khonoma’s return to bamboo increased after seeing this scenario, which is the reason I proposed the insert bamboo workshops.
The aim of the insert is to encourage locals to identify the potential of bamboo and practice their weaving skills. It will stand testimony to the traditional building technology and form.
Climate, Analysis, and Implementation.
Form follows function, but here, form follows climate.
The (Morungs) – a place to stay for boy soldiers – and their traditional houses were a great example of how space syntax responded to the planning and construction of the structure. Considering the building material they used to build modular houses with the common measurement that was finalized by anthropometry.
Space was usually divided into the entrance porch that held a weaving area and fireplace, followed by a central living space that culminates into a kitchen and storage. A simple linear flow of spaces was enclosed by timber room and bamboo beams and columns.
Taking cues from their traditional building techniques and planning and designed a module that replaced timber roofing with bamboo.
Khonoma is an earthquake-prone zone, taking this into consideration, I designed the body of the house with wattle and dob construction with bamboo as reinforcement. It ensured the home’s stability and sustainability.
As the village sits on a hilltop, the irony of heavy rainfall and scarcity of water is emphasized. Using a solid stone and waterproofing the footing underneath the structure, will act as a water tank, which could be a wise solution to the problem. The water tanks will hold water throughout the entire seven-month rainy season and be useful to them for the remaining three months.
Standing on the solid stone footing structure goes ground plus one storey high. The vertical division of spaces is such that where the entire ground floor is given to workshops that have natural spillover space from the surrounding plinth. And the upper floor is dedicated to the research and learning areas, with a separate entry and narrow passages which are internally linked. Structures stand-alone since connecting pathways could be detrimental during an earthquake.
Overall planning and Placement of the design –
The village has planned pathways from every house that culminates in the farmland. To follow that rhythm every designed structure also has a staircase that opens up on the ground and leads to the farmlands without disturbing the previous planning of the community. Planning follows the contour line and hence the clusters simply sit together the way the site allows. The left side of the site holds all the living spaces and dormitories while the right side of the site holds all the workshop areas. The centrally placed school acts as a nucleus of the insert, where every child learns about their culture and community just by being present in that structure.
The insert ultimately merges with the surroundings and becomes one entity for the community, in its true sense. It captures the spirit of the place. Materials like stone, bamboo, and mud teach everyone to be humble with the design yet creative with the approach. The building techniques connect one back to the roots, from where they evolved specifically to the space and people.
The insert is something which is of the people, for the people, and by the people!
Author: Shangary S Site Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu Institute: C.A.R.E School of Architecture (CARE) Advisor: Balaji Rajasekaran
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Flooding has become one of the seasons for the last few years. During that period the livelihood, health, wealth, work, and routine of the people get affected completely. It takes time to become physically, financially and mentally normal again., My thesis is an attempt to re-imagine the public infrastructure to be more efficient during normal days and serve better to the local community during a kinetic situation like flooding. Through this, the public infrastructure helps the community by rescuing and accommodating for a period of time till the situation becomes normal. For People to continue making a living after a flood with adequate access to food, water and energy – the things that enable communities to think beyond immediate survival. My thesis also explores responding to people’s day-to-day changing activities which varies in different climatic seasons. The module/pods act as markets, eateries, shops etc., On normal days and during a flood, it rescues people. The pods can also be reconfigurable to a living unit during a flood. The land use, ground cover and density keep changing based on the people’s activity at a particular time and the play of pods responds to the duration of activity & people and based on the climatic season.
Author: Pradnya Mahajan Site Location: Pune, Maharashtra Institute: Singhad College of Architecture Advisor: Ar. Kavita Patil
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The proposal focuses on resolving the crisis in Khadi weaving industry by providing empowerment sources to the weavers to generate economical opportunities. Site is located in Jalgaon, comes under one of the extreme hot and dry climatic region of Khandesh in Maharashtra. It will be an Iconic Identity of the city with exploration of various passive strategies to deal with the climatic conditions of the place. It aims to analyze the weavers issues and providing a robust platform to Khadi weavers who weave for their livelihood in rural area. Project is envisioned as khadi weaving village with extensive facilities for promoting khadi as empowerment source for weavers and adopting these Khadi fabric crafts to preserve Rich Textile Heritage of India. the proposal comes with number of innovative strategies exploring the applications of traditional building practices and climate responsive strategies gives the thought to climate responsiveness in hot and dry region.
Spatial planning thought is given to spaces and clusters that goes and accessed by central axis and spaces that are grouped by proximity reflecting path space relationship by adding functional spaces between built forms. Integrating the flexible paths that leads to floating platforms for creating Microclimatic spaces merged with nature surrounded by the spaces based on Village layout concept.
Author: Abhishek Hegde Site Location: Panvel, Maharashtra Institute: Pillai College Of Architecture, Navi Mumbai (PiCA) Advisor: Prof. Swapna Ghatge
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The primary goal of this dissertation is to comprehend river deterioration awareness.
Water is continuously changing states, traversing borders, and feeding (and killing) life. This project also conducts a poll to determine the level of knowledge among those who use rivers and inadvertently degrade them.
By recreating the Babughat, the project aims to establish a link between permanence and ephemerality, re-allocating activities and enhancing the ephemeral nature of space on the ghats of Kolkata. On the other hand, as an extension to this ephemeral nature, creating permanence with enhanced temporality.
In addition to that, the project also focusses on incorporating the element of belief that the people of Kolkata majorly have by attempting to uplift the Kumortuli’s idol making community and develop a very interesting relationship between users and their beliefs. Kolkata being the cultural capital of India, to depict and experience culture, one major principle of landscape urbanism is taken into consideration, where the cultural corridor enables every user to witness the traditionality and get themselves well versed with the vibrancy that every placemaking element has to offer.
Author: Abdullah Zubair Site Location: Delhi Institute: Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Design,Integral University Lucknow (AKTU) Advisor: Dr. Meeta Tandon
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The design aims to create an integrated society with different nature of buildings within self-sustaining society to fuolfill the basic necessities of people of economic weaker section, the design not only focuses on housing but it creates opportunity for the people of society to enhance their living standards by developing their skills and establish a good future for them and their coming generations. The design is made using refurbished shipping containers as building material and is similar to light house project (PMAY) to accept globally as housing choice to overcome poverty and urban challenges while going green and sustainable
Author: Mallangi Sai Kumar Reddy Site Location: Bangalore Institute: School of Architecture REVA University Advisor: Dr Shubhi Sonal
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Learning is the most important thing in school life. Learning depends on teaching and learning style. Every student in grades 6 through 12 is engaged in a passive learning style, which provides education but not knowledge. Different teaching methodologies are referred to as pedagogy. The main idea of the project is that children have to learn from built space by using a combination of an active learning process guided by basic visual concepts of math and science through built spaces, demonstration spaces, and a (collaborative and liberationism) teaching style. And teaching style changes the design process.
The space changes with time change. As of now, I have created some theory concepts from the built space. In the future, the present student will make expo spaces as a demonstration for upcoming students. This chain keeps on repeating.
Author: Saurabh S Tubki Site Location: Margao, Goa Institute: Goa College of Architecture Advisor: Ar Milind Ramani
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Integrated natural and mechanical systems give shape to a vision of architecture as a scaffold that regenerates ecosystems and facilitates community empowerment. In an answer to the age-old question of why our cities stagnate while their population and climate undergo rapid transformation, this project, began by challenging current urban planning models that prioritized the built over the unbuilt. Our communities are drowning- economically & soon physically too. The project distills principles of environmental, social & economic sustainability for superior quality of life in the city. It envisions environmental sustainability in 2022, social sustainability by 2035, and economic sustainability by 2050. The project proposes an urban park enveloping a high-rise system. Natural systems are integrated into a tower to create a holistic self-sustainable ecosystem- a tower of flux as a catalyst for change. The urban park offers recreational & learning facilities for the community. Biodiversity & natural water resources are carefully preserved on site, and the land is protected from haphazard horizontal urbanization. This serves as a resilient model of urban planning, fostering a symbiotic relationship between people and nature, the present and the future.
Author: Shubham Vinayak Kambli Site Location: Majuli Island,Assam Institute: Pillai HOC College of Architecture, Rasayani (PiCA HOC) Advisor: Prof. Jayant Sahasrabudhe
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The project responds to the current climatic conditions faced by the people of Salmora Gaon, Majuli Island resulting in loss of occupation, there rich culture and shelter. Due to mismanagement many villagers especially the female population faces sanitation problems, many try to temporary shift towards the highland area were they are unable to serve their families. A step towards addressing these problems is providing the right platform and injecting the right program.
Thus a proposed architectural intervention away from the flood zone will act as a social agency not only provides a temporary shelter for the villagers to survive in flood but also a mean for the upliftment of the community by evolving the local construction techniques of Salmora gaon. The program born out of research needs of the community renders the proposal relevant, while acknowledging the need for it to be sustainable in every sense of the word. Meanwhile when there is no flood situation the centre will act as a bridge to connect the local people and the visitors to spread their culture which is slowly decreasing, to spread knowledge about their culture.
Author: Anaushka Goyal Site Location: Mumbai Institute: Sir J.J. College of Architecture Advisor: Parul Kumtha
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Nav-Utran Mandi is a new form of experiential market that focuses on habitualising cloth barter among various economic groups through removing the Shame Aspect from the mind of the user. Here, each user is a buyer and seller. The design involves grades of markets with common cloth Sorting and Collection Centre along with Public Spaces used as attractors to attract people. The design aims to –
Awaken– Make people aware about Post Consumer Textile Waste and create circularity in cloth use through normalizing cloth exchange, reuse and upcycling of cloth.
Change Mindsets– Remove negative judgement and bias against Preloved clothing and make it accessible and available to all economic classes.
Create new habits– Weave clothing circularity in the lives of people up to a level of normalcy.
Recycling first sheds clothing into a lump of threads. They are messy, intermingled and impossible to segregate. However, in this most basic form they indicate the fabric of fabric in our lives. The form is a simple interpretation of these threads. It symbolizes a series of intertwined threads erupting and subsiding in the fabric of the city.
Author: Yadnesh Jeevan Pitale Site Location: Manori, Mumbai Institute: Smt. K. L. Tiwari college of Architecture Advisor: Prof Manoj Parelkar
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Co-operation is an act of an individual that makes him/her part of a group or community. This act of co-operation varies with the context and activities. This scale of Cooperation can also vary. Koli community is one of such Community who cooperates among each other developing complex network of Solidarity. This network further results into unique culture and tradition. Going ahead with this community identity many Koliwadas set up cooperatives in their own villages to facilitate fishing. The community which having inherent cooperation culture is an ideal ease to run such co-operatives society to help each member of community. But interestingly in Versova Koliwada where such cooperatives significantly work, co-operation among its members and that community is seem to be reducing. The spatial configuration that flourishes communal relationship is seem to be diminishing with ‘progress’ of co-operative society. Hence, the inference collected study of Versova Koliwada was critically analyzed and applied to the Manori Koliwada where co-operation among Kolis still exist and flourishing through traditional pattern in fishing, in order with case of Versova should not be repeated.
Author: Ruchira Rathod Site Location: Mumbai Institute: Rachna Sansad’s Academy of Architecture (AOA) Advisor: Swati Chokshi
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Cities have become our new homes for the majority of us. Previously, due to migrations, there was a concept of ‘hometown.’ This loss of ‘hometown’ has lost fewer of us who live in the city a much-needed respite. A getaway that allows us to unwind and break free from our daily routines. Nowadays, taking a “break” is associated with using social media rather than participating in group activities. When it comes to defining the term “break,” biases in components like gender, age, and space were seen. Definitions are strongly impacted by the respondent’s age group. The purpose of this study is to determine the definition of a break for various age groups living in the city. And how can a location give a refuge that caters to the concept of a ’retreat’? Finding a place within the city limits where users may recharge themselves. The chosen site is located in Mumbai, at Mulund Octroi Naka which has a strong contextual demand. The concept was derived from site prompts, with safety being the primary concern that needed to be addressed. Porosity was implemented through a scattering of built masses, greens, hubs, and organic waterbodies. the elements of porosity were introduced as a module of built function.
Author: Raghav Krishnappa Ramesh Site Location: Bangalore Institute: School of Planning and Architecture (SPA Delhi), New Delhi Advisor: Prof Tanuja BK, Prof Vikas Kanojia
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The design seeks an inquiry into the idea of production of space and nature while exploring the theory of “Uneven development” in the city of Bangalore. In theory, rapid urbanisation and road networking alter the dynamics of the ecosystem, and the negative impacts are felt by the urban poor and the larger ecological gestalt. This mode of development does little to help a large number of blue-collar/informal labourers who depend on local means of production. What began as an antithesis to the idea of “uneven development” transitioned into understanding the value of a “geographical void”. Can these voids be revitalized to serve as a more significant catalyst to stitch the broken urban fabric of the city? To revitalize the depleting lakes of the city, the first step lies in addressing the issue at the source: the stormwater drains. A major part of the design seeks to revitalize the adjoining stormwater drain by proposing a number of recycling workshops and organic urban farms. The Center for knowledge and Excellence is designed as an Integrated Public Amenity, one which provides equal learning opportunities for varied user groups. The Public library component of the design is placed in correlation with the neighbouring school premises to increase the targeted footfall. Other community-based functions like seminar halls and Open source classrooms are placed toward the community park to encourage users from the neighbourhood to use the centre. The design makes use of contemporary and local materials like exposed concrete, brick cladding and chappadi stone. Given the modest climate of Bangalore, the centre makes use of open courtyards to create smaller microclimates which helps cool the building naturally. Overall, the design seeks to create a solution which can give back to the city as much as it claims as its birthright. The thesis aims at uncovering an alternative approach to the theory of the production of space and nature while reinventing the conventional idea of an Urban Hub.
Author: Kurada Sharmila Dharani Site Location: Mumbai Institute: Department of Planning and Architecture NIT Rourkela Advisor: Dr. Basudatta Sarkar
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The most concerning problem in the fastest growing cities around the world is the increase in population with no adequate infrastructure. All the fastest-growing cities are the synonyms of pollution, exploitation of natural resources, etc these days. So, the challenge here is to fit the urban population within the limits of the cities and to develop their neighbourhood as a whole to give them a sustainable life where there is no exploitation of natural resources and pollution, rise in temperature, climatic change, but paves their and the world’s way ahead in terms of green practices. The design – Mixed-Use Sustainable Tower at Mumbai, achieved LEED Platinum rating following the sustainable credits as required under the diverse categories. The project also provides free energy for the resident’s lifetime through the usage of renewable energy techniques and systems. The project sets an example of sustainability and its ability to transform the neighbourhood and the environment as a whole.
Author: Kishan Kumar Jayantilal Prajapati Site Location: 500 m West side away from Mumbai city in Arabian Sea Institute: D.C. Patel School of Architecture Advisor: Harsh Sharma
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The Major intention of this project is not just to create a resilient habitat for environmental change but also which cherishes climate change. This is an attempt to make a symbiotic relationship between humanity and Aquatic Reservoirs understanding Global Environmental Issues and the Complexion of Future Habitats.
Humanity has learned to live with elements of nature but mankind has lacked the development of inhabited spaces on water. So far we are avoiding water rather than embracing the challenges of water with its properties and characteristics. Hence a solution to a Human Habitat can be able to float and adapt to water properties.
The current habitat is a result of years of evolution and the habitat of the future would also be years of evolution, Possible Parameters triggering evolution could be Robust Transportation, Digital Communication and Artificial Intelligence, less dependency upon physical infrastructure, and more productive and green belts ensuring local food ecology and high nutrition system providing a healthy lifestyle to an individual. This habitat follows Equitable Approach and culmination of technology, environmental sensitivity, and human emotional traits, Improving standards for wealthier being along with a simple, healthier, and productive environment, An Individual gets sufficient opportunities in an Ideal environment.
Author: Jainami Shah Site Location: Dahanu, Maharashtra Institute: Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies Advisor: Jude Dsouza
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The thesis intends to understand the distinctive identity formed by Indigenous communities by their interconnected relationships with land and ecology.
Due to rapid urbanization, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) keeps extending its limits to the rurban peripheries. These forces have led to Industrial towns and supporting infrastructure for the metropolis being located on the outskirts of the cities leading to the depletion of the ecologies affecting the indigenous community. The tribal folklore is mainly oral and thus not valued and expressed in planning processes.
As of now the future identity of a landscape is purely hegemonic (ruling or dominant in a political context) and exploited for its resources. Participatory planning with the indigenous ideology can show a new model for a sustainable way of living – building – conserving. The dissertation attempts to address how to design and implement decision-making processes that enhance Indigenous lifeways (instead of gentrifying) and different aspects that would be instrumental in planning, governing, and developing the area.
It criticizes the nature of current development and tries to reimagine rural infrastructure and thus proposes smaller interventions that solves the lack of infrastructure while still preserving the ecology and the traditional way of life by improving the quality of common social spaces for political resistance. Here the thesis looks at the smallest form of governance the Gram Sabha (Pesa act) and how it can be activated. The site chosen for intervention was such that awareness would be activated within their daily routines.
The interventions spanned a series of scales- XS/S/M/L. From micro programmes such as rice mills, seating spaces and small infrastructures, to communal amenities for various activities and gatherings, village level administrative programmes and festival spaces. The proposal is structured around the imagination of Architecture as a catalyst managing Indigenous Knowledge through programmes of dissemination, and expression, awareness building, vocational training and workshops
Author: Devayani M Site Location: Sundarbans Institute: R V College of Architecture Advisor: Anup Naik, Mehul Patel, Nagaraj Vastarey, U Seema Maiya
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This project investigates the need to design a climate resilient and responsive form for the coastal communities in the Sundarbans with the aim of adapting to the devastating effects of climate change.
The site is located in Gosaba Island in Sundarbans which falls under the moderate to high risk zone. This island is constantly threatened by coastal erosion, environmental degradation and salt water inundation due to flooding thereby causing loss of livelihood.
The master-plan is developed to be implemented in a phased manner over the next 30 years. The plan envisages responding to the identified natural conditions of the site and developing the design that proposes to selectively allow water flow through the site to create wetlands, and a natural mangrove buffer zone to mitigate the effects of floods and storm surges. The aim of the project is to create a prototype built form that is inspired by the local livelihood practices, skills and local typologies of construction. The design focuses on creating modular flood and storm resilient structures using bamboo as the primary building material. The buildings are raised on stilts and strategically located around the landscape and connected by elevated walkways to protect from the floods and harsh winds. The structure has modular components that can be easily customised to needs of the user.
The project is a response to the impending disaster that the people of Sundarbans have to face. Through symbiotically fusing the built environment within a natural ecology, the architecture is designed to positively sustain the landscape and its people.
Author: Brendon Joseph Dlima Site Location: Mumbai Institute: L.S. Raheja School of Architecture Advisor: Ar. Mridula Pillai
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Mumbai undergoes a crisis from June to September annually. The city’s fast paced development has been at the cost of it’s vital blue-green infrastructure, causing its vast population to suffer a submergence during the monsoon months, due to increased rainfall and a rise in sea level, both attributed to Climate Change. The dissertation investigates whether an architect can make Mumbai resilient to floods and whether Mumbai can become a flood resilient city by learning to use the rainwater it receives.
The Oshiwara River Province was taken as a site to re-design for flood resilience. A masterplan of the Oshiwara River Province was designed to reduce and manage runoff. The most vulnerable building typologies along the river which were informal settlements and cow sheds were re-designed thereby providing more room to the river. The building typologies which were not as vulnerable were retrofitted for resilience.
Mumbai can thus become resilient to floods by learning how to use the rainwater it receives and by giving the blue green infrastructure the importance it deserves. Through this approach we will be able to eventually achieve ‘Flood Resilience in Mumbai’
Author: Samwad Shinde Site Location: Surat, Gujarat Institute: School of Planning and Architecture, Vijayawada Advisor: Dr. Lilly Rose A.
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The project looked at designing a built form which would provide spaces that acted as an integration of commercial, cultural and social activities. Surat City Centre reflects the historical significance of Surat along with a commercial hub merged with multiple public spaces.
