Rethinking Urban Housing Density – Enhancing Community Integration in Hyderabad’s Housing

Author: Sivani Dirisala
Site Location: Hyderabad, Telangana
Institute: Wadiyar Centre for Architecture
Advisor: Nelson Pais

Description

In contemporary urban environments, particularly in cities like Hyderabad, the adoption of standardized construction technologies, combined with bylaws such as an uncapped FSI, has fueled a surge in high-rise developments dominated by typical 3BHK and 4BHK layouts, regardless of actual demand. While these practices streamline construction and reduce timelines, they have also led to a homogenization of housing—prioritizing profit and maximizing returns. This market-driven approach creates a monopoly over centrally located land, making housing in the city center inaccessible to the working class and other family structures.

This project positions itself as a counterpoint to existing housing models in the city’s core. Instead of vertically repeating a single layout and multiplying it across the site, it introduces varied layouts that respond to diverse family structures. The design takes a different approach where the smallest parts also dictate how the overall project turns out. The relationships between these units are explored to create shared spaces and commonalities across multiple scales, reimagining density as a network of connected communities. The proposal aims for a context-sensitive density model—one that prioritizes livability and long-term community well-being over short-term commercial gain.

Drawings

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Parivartan: Re-imagining Slum Living of Bandra

Author: Adburrab Ansari
Site Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Institute: Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Design, Integral University
Advisor: Zeba Nisar

Description

Parivartan: Re-imagining Slum Living is a people-centric redevelopment proposal for the dense informal settlements of Bandra West, Mumbai. Rooted in the philosophy of People-Centric Urbanism and guided by the framework of Regenerative Urbanism, the project envisions a future where slum redevelopment is not merely about housing provision but about enhancing quality of life, preserving community identity, and fostering socio-economic growth.

Through inclusive planning, the design integrates mixed-use vertical housing, accessible public amenities, and vibrant green spaces at both ground and podium levels, ensuring a balance between private comfort and shared community life. Cultural values and lifestyle patterns of residents are retained through flexible housing layouts and active open spaces that encourage interaction.

Sustainability is embedded through modular construction, climate-responsive design, and integrated landscape planning. By addressing housing, livelihood, and ecology together, Parivartan becomes a replicable model for equitable and resilient urban transformation—demonstrating how architecture can be a tool for social upliftment while shaping a more inclusive urban future.

Drawings

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Colony to Community: Redevelopment of Antulenagar Leprosy Colony

Author: Bhavya Shah
Site Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Institute: IDPT, Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET)
Advisor: Niraj Naik

Description

Leprosy is one of the oldest known diseases to mankind, which has forced thousands of cured individuals into isolation, giving rise to colonies like Antulenagar, Pune. The cure has been established half a decade ago, but the stigma persists, leaving these individuals and their family members excluded from the city’s social and urban fabric.

The thesis takes Antulenagar as a site of redevelopment and reintegration. The master plan envisions an accessible housing premise addressing the special needs of the residents, focusing on accessibility and adaptability.

Shared facilities, including a communal kitchen and dining, are designed to encourage interaction and support amongst the community, while barrier-free access ensures every resident is included in every space. The surroundings are proposed to be liminal spaces for the neighbourhood, serving as social buffers, reconnecting Antulenagar with its neighbours, slowly dissolving decades of stigma. Antulenagar is more than just the built form. It is an effort to promote dignity, belonging, and equality. Antulenagar aspires to stand as a replicable model for India, aiding in the redevelopment of other marginalised colonies into inclusive neighbourhoods.

Drawings

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Housing and Landscape Urbanisation: A Case in Kolhapur’s Extents

Author: Aditya Mahajan
Site Location: Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Institute: School of Environment and Architecture (SEA)
Advisor: Prasad Shetty

Description

Complexities of land, caste-based segregation, people’s agency, agriculture, and industries give rise to a distinct urban and house form within city extents. These forces led to questions about life and space, intervening through diverse socio-political and environmental logics. The architectural inquiry is therefore about thinking of inhabitation forms where space emerges through fragmentation, accretion, and the ideas of permanence and impermanence.
Based on a thorough analysis of the biographies of resident families, the design imagines a housing and landscape urbanisation project driven by the community. It intervenes through planning, rethinking builtforms, and inserting infrastructural landscapes. By understanding ways of homemaking, it derives a proportioning system and stratifies the terrain into habitations.
Analysing land conditions, affordances, transformations, and intensification of homes, the project suggests a strategy for planning and rebuilding, estimated over the next 15 years, to improve living conditions. The proportioning system is developed into household modules, which can be permutated, appropriated, and grown over time by arranging them in various ways. Made with steel, reinforced fiber panels, and patra, they are meticulously designed with proportional sizes, proper ventilation, play of spatial syntax and volumes, ensuring costeffectiveness. Furthermore, the site systems can be configured to create varying degrees of publicness.

Drawings

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A Model for Spatial and Urban Regeneration of Lodging for Healthcare: The Case of CMC Vellore

Author: Sakthi Jeeva S
Site Location: Vellore, Tamil Nadu
Institute: CARE School of Architecture
Advisor: Kartikeya Chhaya

Description

Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore has been a key driver of the city’s growth and transformation. As one of India’s most prominent medical tourism hubs, it now serves more than 9,000 patients daily. Unlike most hospitals, the majority of users are not locals but people arriving from distant states such as West Bengal, Bihar, as well as countries like Nigeria and Bangladesh. Many of them stay in the city for extended periods—often three to four months—until their treatment is completed.
To meet this rising demand, the neighbourhood directly opposite the hospital has undergone a remarkable yet unplanned transformation. Almost every building has been converted into a lodge, with the ground floors packed with eateries, pharmacies, and travel agencies. The Bengali community, making up nearly 95% of visitors, has also left a strong cultural imprint on food and language.
While this ecosystem is highly adaptive and vibrant, it suffers from poor spatial quality, inadequate infrastructure, and issues of hygiene and comfort. These lodges, shaped by urgent needs and quick fixes, follow a consistent but fragile ownership and functional pattern.
This thesis takes the position that equitability should not only be considered for patients and their families as users, but also for owners whose buildings embody fragmented forms of investment and livelihood. Rather than pursuing demolition and wholesale redevelopment, the project adopts Patrick Geddes’ idea of “conservative surgery”—preserving existing cultural and ownership patterns while carefully introducing architectural upgrades, programmatic changes, and spatial guidelines. By reimagining both built and unbuilt environments, the project aims to evolve fragmented lodges into a resilient, equitable, and supportive urban system around the hospital.

Drawings

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Generative Design for Traditional Communities: From Roots to Resilience

Author: Vidulla Ghodekar
Site Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Institute: Pillai College of Architecture
Advisor: Neha Sayed

Description

Chimbai is a quaint coastal village nestled in Bandra, Mumbai, home to diverse fishing communities, including Hindu, Kathiawadi and East Indian families. Once characterised by low-rise Koli houses and a close-knit fishing community, it has gradually transformed from single-storey dwellings to a mix of contemporary structures. This shift has altered the traditional fabric of the community and attracted a more diverse population.
In the recent years, the community has begun rebuilding their houses, resulting in haphazard development that lacks any character or identity. Such conditions may draw the attention of the authorities and risk rehabilitation of the community due to high land value.
The generatives design process empowers the community by letting them decide the development process. It supports them in rebuilding their homes through design guidelines that address existing issues while preserving the socio-cultural identity of the village. This process allows residents to develop their houses at their own pace, enabling Chimbai to evolve organically over time. It will also invite people from all walks of life to explore the seafront, its cuisine and culture, thereby boosting the local economy.
This approach presents a model for community-led regeneration in rapidly urbanising cities, where architecture is rooted in people, place and purpose.

Drawings

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Aasara: Threads of Shelter — Weaving Waste into Urban Renewal

Author: S. Aishwarrya Shre
Site Location: Deonar, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Institute: Acharya’s NRV School of Architecture
Advisor: Gracy H David

Description

Aasara is a human-centric design proposal that rethinks slum redevelopment beyond the conventional high-rise resettlements. Rooted in empathy and lived experience, the project draws from the social, cultural, and economic rhythms of informal communities—where the idea of home extends beyond shelter to livelihood, identity, and belonging.
Set within the dense fabric of Mumbai’s informal settlements, Aasara adopts a bottom-up, participatory approach that places people at the heart of the process. It addresses two pressing urban challenges—housing insecurity and solid waste—by upcycling materials like plastic-sand composites and construction debris into resilient, low-cost building components.
The design proposes modular housing clusters built around shaded courtyards to foster community interaction, safety, and microeconomics. Passive climate strategies and shared infrastructure promote comfort and inclusivity. Every detail—material, form, and spatial relationship—emerges from local context and need.
Aasara is not merely a housing solution but a call for systemic change—where architecture becomes a tool of empowerment. It envisions cities where waste is reimagined as opportunity, and the most marginalized are uplifted through dignified, climate-responsive design. Aasara stands as an assertion that true sustainability begins with compassion and context.

Drawings

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AABHAS – A Sense of Home: A Sustainable Model for Migrant Construction Workers

Author: Pranjal Prakash Tak
Site Location: Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra
Institute: Rachana Sansad’s Academy of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Ashley Fialho

Description

They raise our skylines, yet sleep under tarps. Their homes are temporary, their futures uncertain. With no access to stable housing, education, or safe spaces, migrant construction workers and their families remain on the margins-building the nation while being denied a place within it.

This thesis is a response to that silence-a call to rebuild what’s been forgotten. It proposes modular, mobile housing units that are scalable, stackable, and site-adaptable. But it’s more than shelter, it’s an ecosystem that includes classrooms, medical rooms, and women-centric spaces, designed to empower and uplift.

A replicable solution that moves with the workers, grows with them, and offers not just homes, but hope.

This project envisions a future, where the hands that build our cities are finally given a foundation of their own.

Rooted in empathy and inspired by the diverse cultural and religious lives of migrant workers from Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, Odisha and beyond, the prototype re-imagines shelter as a shared ecosystem of identity, safety, and celebration. Co-creation with workers informed both private spaces, which respect family structures and rituals, and common areas like courtyards and street edges, which act as cultural bridges-hosting shared meals, celebrations, and conversations

By centering the needs of those most often ignored-women, children, the displaced-this is not just a model for housing, but a manifesto for justice. This is not just about building better homes. It’s about building a more adaptable and humane society.

Drawings

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In The Search of Light: A Case of Subhash Nagar, Andheri, Mumbai

Author: Akash Kamble
Site Location: Andheri, Mumbai
Institute: IES’s College of Architecture
Advisor: Manasi Chokshi

Description

This approach begins with a simple belief: architecture must serve those who have long been left out of the design conversation. In cities like Mumbai, where nearly half the population lives in informal settlements, these places are often reduced to symbols of neglect or urban disorder. Yet what is often overlooked is the social fabric, resilience, and cultural identity that hold these communities together.
The proposal reimagines redevelopment as an inclusive and respectful process that values people and the strength of their relationships. At its heart is the idea of equity, where every resident receives equal consideration in terms of housing, infrastructure, and shared spaces. Rather than fragmenting the settlement or isolating families, the design seeks to nurture connection within the community and with the wider city.
The process is guided by the ideas of listening, educating, and empowering. By engaging with residents, documenting their lives, and learning from their stories, the design responds to their needs and aspirations while also setting up long-term strategies for self-sustainability.

Drawings

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Re-imagining Social Housing through everyday infrastructures

Author: Neha Dalvi
Site Location: Mhada Transit Colony, Mumbai
Institute: School of Environment and Architecture
Advisor: Prasad Khanolkar, Milind Mahale

description

In contemporary times, the highest level of sustainable and technological advancement in residential building types is often recognised through the infrastructural amenities the building can offer; most popularly in terms of water harvesting, electricity and compost gardening for waste management. 

Infrastructures are portrayed as the most sustainable and efficient infrastructural systems due to their capacity for space optimization and efficient service management, resulting in time saving. Thus, efficiency and sustainability today have become the chief advertising attributes that promise a better living, thus becoming aspiration generators among people from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

However, we fail to realize that these methods for achieving efficiency in residential building infrastructure are predominantly driven by the developers’ logic. This logic tends to perceive these systems as mere efficiency devices, often concealing them in smaller nooks and corners, which require separate maintenance and only caters to a particular class of people who have the economy to maintain it. 

When the same infrastructural systems are installed in low-income housing societies, they not only break the existing socialities amongst the inhabitants but also tend to fail due to the lack of funds for maintenance.  The thesis proposes a cooperative housing society for low-income housing that integrates both technology and sociality to create an inclusive and democratic space for living. A simple tweak that repositions these infrastructures is able to question the everyday practices of contemporary society through the lens of class, difference and caste.

drawings

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L’habitat Biophilique Balancing Nature & Urbanism in High Density Housing

Author: Pavithran Gunashekar
Site Location: Auroville
Institute: Saveetha College of Architecture and Design
Advisor: Priyanka Rachael Mathews

drawings

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Resposive Housing through Generative Design

Author: Tarakesh. C
Site Location: Sholinganallur, Chennai
Institute: MEASI Academy of Architecture
Advisor: Saniya Aafreen

description

As urban environments grow increasingly complex, the need for adaptable living spaces becomes crucial. The project, Responsive Housing Through Generative Design, addresses this challenge by creating dynamic housing that evolves with the changing needs of its occupants and the environment. To achieve this level of responsiveness, advanced computational tools like Grasshopper, Ladybug, and Evolutionary Solvers were adopted which allowed us to explore multiple design iterations, optimizing for environmental performance, space efficiency, and user satisfaction. The project is situated in Sholinganallur, Chennai, a thriving IT hub. The site selection is strategic, targeting first-time buyers and single dwellers who prioritize proximity to work and education. To address climate concerns without sacrificing valuable real estate, the project strategically manages the built/unbuilt ratio. This balance allows for open spaces that support biodiversity and enhance daylighting and thermal comfort, while also optimizing the use of land for development. The design offers 25 unique housing options, each with a carefully balanced mix of open and closed spaces. Residents can choose from a variety of layouts that prioritize privacy, outdoor space, and views, all while ensuring optimal environmental performance. The result is a living environment that adapts to the needs of its occupants and the site, creating a sustainable and responsive urban habitat.

drawings

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Architecture for Hills : A Context Responsive Housing Settlement

Author: Lakshmi Sai
Site Location: Naggar, Himachal Pradesh
Institute: Aurora Design Institute, Habsiguda
Advisor: Prof. Aparna Devisetti

description

The “Architecture on hills” always seems to be beautiful from the very prehistoric times, these hills have sustained themselves, enticing and soothing to the eyes of the people.

“Shelter” has been one of humankind’s necessities since immemorial time besides food and clothing. While nothing has changed significantly in man’s food and clothing habits, he has been constantly improving upon his dwelling to make it more homely, protective, and comfortable to suit his ever-changing lifestyle under various environmental conditions.

In that quest, not only have the basic materials of construction and their usage techniques changed radically but the planning and design parameters, functional imperatives and everything else have undergone an almost complete transformation. A price has been paid to accommodate more and more people and to suit the expanding economy.Houses have been washed away and buried under the massive landslides. Earthquakes have taken their toll since these houses are not built quake-proof unlike the traditional ones.

The more fundamental question is:

“Whether the displacement of communities from their ancestral homes is the best-case scenario and how can we provide effective sustainable disaster resilient housing solutions…?”

-The Himalayan town of Joshi Math, Uttarakhand, India has been experiencing land subsidence The town’s problems have worsened since October 2021, when large areas of land began to sink and buildings started to crack. Over 700 houses and several roads have developed cracks, and as many as 200 families have been evacuated

The people who live there are much more governed by the seasons than elsewhere, Those building methods are tested through trial and error by society and are tailored to the climatic, aesthetic, functional and sociological needs of that society and the built environment emerges from the “Indian traditional knowledge systems”.

Addressing hill development issues does not have a specific path on which one can stick. Understanding the type of problem that persists is necessary. We should pave the path to sustainable development and habitats in mountainous areas in a holistic, all-encompassing manner by focusing on a single habitat or settlement.

drawings

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“Alot and Afloat” Towering Condos for Indian Navy

Author: Antony Weslee Babu. W
Site Location: Karwar, Karnataka
Institute: McGANS Ooty School of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Prinith Kumar

description

In the rapidly evolving landscape of urban development,the design and construction of residential spaces play a crucial role in meeting the unique needs of specialized communities.The proposed architectural thesis, titled “ALOFT AND AFLOAT”, aims to explore and conceptualize a residential tower specifically tailored to accommodate the housing requirements of the Indian Navy.

Designing a residential township for the Indian Navy is a complex yet rewarding challenge that involves creating a secure, comfortable, and sustainable living environment. By carefully considering the unique
needs of naval personnel and their families, and incorporating modern urbanplanning and architectural principles, it is possible to develop a township that not only supports military operations but also enhances the quality of life for its residents. This approach ensures a harmonious balance between operational readiness and community well-being, reflecting the esteemed values of the Indian Navy.

The aim in designing a residential tower for the Indian Navy is to create a safe, functional, and sustainable living environment that meets the unique needs of naval personnel and their families. This includes providing modern and comfortable housing, incorporating security measures, fostering a sense of community, and ensuring compliance with local regulations

drawings

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Desert Mirage: Reimagining Desert Settlement & Tradition

Author: Srushti Dilipkumar Trivedi
Site Location: Rajasthan
Institute: D.C. Patel School of Architecture
Advisor: Prof. Monal Mistry

description

Migration has led to the rapid expansion of cities, causing overcrowding, infrastructure strain, and declining quality of life, while rural areas are being abandoned due to a lack of basic facilities. This project aims to design a sustainable desert settlement that addresses these challenges by integrating climate-adaptive solutions with urban development strategies, tailored to meet the needs of rural communities. The goal is to create a thriving environment in harsh desert conditions by providing the necessary resources and infrastructure to support a healthy, fulfilling life, thereby reducing migration and revitalizing rural areas.

drawings

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Āśrayaṁ Rebuilding a self-resilient settlement affected by coastal erosion

Author: Vaishnavi Desai
Site Location: Uppada, Andhra Pradesh
Institute: IES’s College of Architecture
Advisor: Prof. Vinit Mirkar

description

India’s coastal regions, home to millions, are increasingly threatened by climate change,
including sea-level rise, erosion, and natural disasters. This situation endangers the
livelihoods and homes of coastal communities, often forcing voluntary migration or
government-mandated relocations, resulting in “climate refugees.”

A critical task is identifying at-risk settlements, as existing policies primarily address suddenonset disasters but neglect slow-onset crises like coastal erosion. Current responses, which
focus on temporary relocations and coastal protection, fail to offer sustainable solutions.

This project specifically examines the coastal fishing village of Uppada in Andhra Pradesh,
which is severely affected by erosion. It addresses the needs of climate refugees displaced by
coastal erosion, highlighting the shortcomings of previous government-mandated
rehabilitation colonies, which often result in a loss of identity and belonging due to
standardized designs that overlook the unique needs, traditions, and lifestyles of coastal
communities.

The proposed approach emphasizes retaining Uppada’s organic settlement patterns and
using local materials to foster familiarity and a strong sense of place, helping residents
maintain their cultural ties despite displacement. A participatory, community-driven process
will equip residents with construction skills, empowering them to actively rebuild their
homes while supporting their livelihoods. A modular, incremental design strategy will allow
for flexibility to accommodate the evolving needs of families and their occupations,
prioritizing durable, permanent structures (pakka houses) that ensure stability and security,
and ensuring that rehabilitation efforts result in lasting solutions rather than temporary
shelters.

drawings

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Re-Instate – Rehabilitation in Mined Coastal Areas

Author: Utkarsha Mali
Site Location: Panmana, Kerala
Institute: Rachna Sansad’s Academy of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Yagnik Bathija

description

The coast of Kerala between Chavara and Alappad has long has decade long stories of peoples’ struggle for survival against mining companies. The stretch of land in Kerala called Panmana is the part where extensive beach sand mining happens. because of coastal sand mining the land has been prone to erosion and hence consequences can be seen in the form of frequent tidal attacks and displacements. there are lots of issues with rehabilitation as well as it relocates fishermen away from coast hence their livelihood gets affected. the thesis focuses on rehabilitation of people that are getting displaced in mined areas. The site chosen is Ponmana, a ward in Panmana village which is the southern part of Alappad village where mining has been stopped and the land has been abandoned. utilising that land again in order to negotiate between nature and human needs is the core design intent.

drawings

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Architectural Response to Resilient Landscape

Author: Ritik Jain
Site Location: Chennai
Institute: IES College of Architecture
Advisor: Prof. Prachi Nandkarni

description

The design proposal for the Foreshore Estate, Chennai residential neighbourhood showcases a sophisticated and thoughtful urban development approach. Rooted in the site’s natural topography, the concept elegantly integrates surface runoff considerations, exemplifying a strong grasp of sustainable design principles within the contextual framework. At its core, the design revolves around four pivotal landscape principles: delay, store, protect, and recharge. This strategic focus on water management and flood resilience underscores a commitment to both environmental and practical concerns. The innovative clustering strategy, based around sunken courtyards and communal spaces, not only cultivates a profound sense of community but also ingeniously transforms into water storage facilities during flood occurrences. Shared landscape spaces take precedence over private gardens, fostering an inclusive and vibrant communal atmosphere. The arrangement of landscape clusters interwoven with diverse amenities like urban farms, sports facilities, and age-tailored
play areas mirrors a comprehensive approach catering to a wide range of resident needs.
Remarkably, the housing typology explores low-rise, high-density living, manifesting as five-level residences with a mix of private gardens, patios, and terraces. This architectural diversity enriches the visual landscape while providing residents with multifaceted outdoor spaces for leisure and social interaction.
The integration of landscape and architectural strategies attests to a meticulous design ethos, as evidenced by the intricate consideration of site setbacks and spatial relationships. In summation, the proposal exudes a professional demeanour, seamlessly aligning with contemporary urban design paradigms. Through its holistic melding of site-specific attributes, sustainability imperatives, and community oriented features, it lays a robust foundation for an all-encompassing, dynamic, and resilient residential enclave.

drawings

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Cyclone Resilient Housing for Fishermen Tribal Community in Somolo Island, Odisha

Author: Urja Jiten Joshi
Site Location: Odisha
Institute: DC Patel School of Architecture
Advisor: Pratik Jayprakash Patel

description

Somolo island situated on the shore of Chilika Lake, Ganjam, Odisha is one of such places that
has been facing the adverse effects of cyclone since ages. The island is there since a longer period of time, where initially the fishermen from the neighboring villages started settling near the shore of the lake to access the lake and sea through the routes of the lake connecting the sea for fishing. In the fishermen settlement, where most of the houses are kutcha houses made up of vernacular building materials, are getting damaged due to cyclones.

drawings

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The Hanging Streets (Student Housing in Ahmedabad)

Author: Krutik Parekh
Site Location: Ahmedabad
Institute: ITM – School of Architecture, Art and Design
Advisor: Prof. Babar Yahya

description

Education plays a very important role in our country. From past few years, the education sector is growing rapidly. Because of that many cities are becoming Educational Hubs of India.
In Gujarat, Ahmedabad is becoming one of the best education centres which increases the demand of quality accommodation for migrating students.
To fulfil the demand [Ahmedabad Education Society], which is an academic trust in Ahmedabad, has planned to build housing for 9000 students on the 1,95,000 sqm. Land, in which 20,000 sqm. area was chosen for the design of phase one development.
This thesis aims to design the flexible housing system which has the potential of expansion as per the site conditions with the essence of old Ahmedabad streets that helps to build strong student communities. Also delivers simple design steps that make the building rooted at the place and responsive towards the climate of Ahmedabad with the structural experimentation.

drawings

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