Author: Manas Yatin Gawade
Site Location: Budhwar Peth, Pune
Institute:BMS College of Architecture, Design & Planning
Advisor: Dr. Lekha Hegde

Muktangan: Re-imagining Safe Spaces for Vulnerable Women – Case of Budhwar Peth, Pune is an architectural thesis that addresses the rehabilitation and empowerment of women and children affected by sex work, trafficking, and abuse. Moving beyond the idea of institutional sheltering, the project envisions a safe, healing, and empowering campus where architecture becomes an active partner in restoring dignity and enabling reintegration.
Designed to accommodate 100 women and 30 children, the program integrates residences, healthcare, legal aid, counseling, classrooms, vocational training, cultural spaces, and healing landscapes. A unique addition is an all-women’s residency, run by the community itself, which fosters economic empowerment while breaking stigma through positive social interaction.
The circulation of the master plan mirrors the women’s journey: entering from the chaotic main road, passing through zones of therapy and empowerment, and opening toward the serene riverfront that symbolizes liberation. Spaces are shaped through trauma-informed design principles, emphasizing privacy, autonomy, safety, and choice, with courtyards, gardens, and community spaces creating balance between protection and openness.
Rooted in the stigmatized study context of Budhwar Peth, the project aspires to transform exploitation into resilience. Muktangan offers an architectural model of safe, dignified, and community-driven rehabilitation where survivors become active agents of change.

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Drawings

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Author: Manas Manojkumar Malpekar
Site Location: Mumbai
Institute:Dr. Baliram Hiray College of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Samir Naik

This thesis investigates equity as an architectural framework for addressing unequal access to space, infrastructure, resources and opportunities within Gorai Koliwada. The project recognizes that these inequalities are experienced differently across the settlement, where fishermen face declining livelihood infrastructure, women have limited access to economic opportunities, children and youth experience inadequate educational environments, while elderly and economically vulnerable residents face restricted access to healthcare, sanitation, mobility and social infrastructure. The project therefore questions who architecture serves, who remains excluded and how spatial interventions can redistribute access without displacing existing communities. Rather than imposing a singular redevelopment model, the proposal works through incremental transformation of existing systems and underutilized spaces. Community infrastructure including a community center, women’s enterprise and training facilities, primary healthcare centre, school redevelopment, public sanitation, cultural streets and an upgraded fishermen’s wharf creates shared platforms for social, educational, cultural and economic participation. Equity is reinforced through accessible public spaces, livelihood infrastructure, ecological restoration and water sensitive landscapes. Tourism is integrated as a supporting economic interface without compromising community ownership or everyday functions. Architecture therefore becomes a means of redistributing spatial opportunity, strengthening community agency and enabling residents to shape the future of their settlement.

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Drawings

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Author: Swara Chavan
Site Location: Mumbai
Institute: School of Environment & Architecture, Mumbai
Advisor: Prasad Shetty

The demolition of informal settlements has long been a means of urban transformation used to acquire land, address environmental concerns, reorganise settlements, and pursue visions of a ‘slum-free’ city. Often, these actions occur without any rehabilitation facilities or alternative housing options, leaving communities to negotiate displacement and rebuild their lives. Bheemchhaya Nagar is a settlement on the fringes of Eastern Mumbai, beside Thane Creek Mangroves. This basti has faced demolitions three times over the last 25 years, according to records, and each time the Dalit majority community has been able to resist, claim, and rebuild on the same land again. But the act of demolitions quickly eradicates the built habitat, and along with trauma, the physical loss is certain, and each time the family has to start anew. Recognising and responding to the practical constraints of uncertain land, the project proposes a softer architecture of continuity that carries forward material memory, knowledge systems and agency. The home is imagined not as a fixed place, but as a Kit of Parts , capable of being assembled, disassembled, moved and rebuilt. The project therefore considers the home across conditions of permanence, anticipation and displacement, envisioning homes on the move when required, while holding space for the hope of permanence..

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Drawings

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Author: Chiara Karnik
Site Location: Navi Mumbai
Institute:Pillai University, School of Architecture & Design
Advisor: Prof. Neha Sayed

Diwale Village and Beyond reimagines the waterfront of Diwale, a historic Koli fishing settlement along Panvel Creek, Belapur, Navi Mumbai. The project responds to the village’s dense organic fabric, changing fishing livelihoods, fragmented waterfront access, cultural needs, and vulnerability to monsoon flooding.
Instead of replacing the existing settlement, the proposal introduces a flexible public layer along the creek that strengthens the relationship between the village, its community, and the water. The masterplan is organised into four interconnected precincts as the Entrance Courtyard, Temple Courtyard, Maidan, and Ganesh Ghat, each supporting different social, cultural, recreational, and livelihood activities.
At the heart of the project is the idea of temporality in architecture. Modular and movable structures allow spaces to transform according to changing needs, functioning as fish markets, community spaces, festival pavilions, workshops, libraries, and emergency refuge areas.
Through livelihood, culture, waterfront, modularity, and participation, the project proposes architecture as an adaptive system rather than a fixed object. It aims to strengthen Diwale’s existing identity while creating a resilient and replicable framework for vulnerable coastal urban villages.

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Drawings

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Author: Mohammad Bilal Sheikh
Site Location: Akot APMC Market, Vidarbha
Institute: Rizvi College of Architecture
Advisor: Prof. Stuti Borwanker

Description

This thesis project proposes a transformative architectural intervention designed to mitigate the systemic agrarian crisis and farmer distress in Akot, Vidarbha. Shifting the paradigm from
temporary financial relief to long-term structural empowerment, the project envisions an integrated Agricultural Institute and Farmer Community Hub. Strategically located adjacent to the
existing APMC market, this facility serves as a vital nexus for technical education, market optimization, and community-driven resilience.
The architectural framework is engineered to address the core drivers of agricultural vulnerability, including inadequate post-harvest storage, climate volatility, and fragmented supply
chains. Central to the design are climate-resilient storage facilities, advanced training centers for precision farming, and dedicated wellness zones providing essential psychological and
social support. By centralizing agricultural resources, financial literacy programs, and transparent market linkages within a cohesive campus, the built environment serves as a catalyst for
systemic reform. Finally, the project concludes with the demonstration of how sustainable, community-based infrastructure restores professional dignity, guarantees economic stability and
provides for a self-reliant future for the farming communities of Maharashtra.

Drawings

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Author: Manali Pandya
Site Location: Navi Mumbai
Institute: The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Advisor: Ar. Vidhisha Gajjar

Description

WHEN DID TRANSPORT BECAME AN ORDEAL TO BE ENDURED INSTEAD OF A JOURNEY TO BE EXPERIENCED? India being the most populous country in the world, relies heavily on public transport for the movement of people and goods. It has always been a very important factor in shaping the nation in terms of infrastructure and development, economic growth and socio-cultural balance. Yet the transport system function as separate bodies, with limited physical, institutional as well as fare integration between roadways, railways, waterways and airways. Inadequate passenger amenities, poor accessibility, unsafe boarding and lack of maintenance make transfers inconvenient and time-consuming, contributing to congestion, pollution, and the growing dependence on private vehicles. The challenge is not just to provide more transport, but to create a connected, user-friendly system that enables seamless interchange, strengthens first- and last-mile connectivity, and act as an urban catalyst by transforming into a multifunctional node. The project addresses these challenges. It is a well-conceived integration of two key proposals by different government bodies bringing them together as a multimodal hub. This project provides a well-connected and equitable space that serves the wider community and becomes an integral part of city’s urban life.

Drawings

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Author:Samiksha Sandeep Patil
Site Location: Baner, Pune
Institute: S. B. Patil College of Architecture & Design
Advisor: Ar. Ruturaj Kulkarni, Ar. Shreyasee Shinde

Description

The Para-Sports Academy at Baner, Pune is envisioned as a national-level inclusive sports and rehabilitation campus for athletes with physical, sensory, and intellectual disabilities. Spread across a 47,000 sqm site, the project integrates high-performance sports training, rehabilitation, sports education, residential facilities, recreation, and community spaces within a universally accessible environment. The design is driven by Universal Design, treating accessibility as an integral part of the architectural experience rather than an added feature. Barrier-free circulation, tactile pathways, accessible facilities, and adaptable spaces promote independent and dignified movement for athletes and visitors. The academy adopts a campus-based planning approach, with interconnected zones for sports, rehabilitation, residential, administration, and public interaction. Indoor and outdoor sports facilities are supported by physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, sports medicine, counselling, and recreational spaces, creating a holistic environment for training, recovery, and wellbeing. Sustainable and climate-responsive strategies, along with landscaped and therapeutic open spaces, further strengthen the proposal. The project ultimately aims to shift accessibility from accommodation to empowerment, creating an environment where para-athletes can train, recover, connect, and excel with dignity and independence.

Drawings

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