Housing the Next Million

Sahara Integrated Township, Jhansi

Planning ideas in creating a model Integrated Township were focussed on appealing to a diverse population in Tier-II cities by providing a socially, economically and environmentally aspirational standard of living. The project is designed to provide the residents simultaneous benefits of living and recreation along with economic opportunities in close proximity to their homes, and offers  the developer a framework to build in phases while remaining flexible to the changing future real estate opportunities in the region.

To amplify the benefits of agglomerating a variety of land uses with an affordable housing project within the same boundary, the scheme offers a host of commercial, institutional, recreational and infrastructure facilities intelligently zoned and phased. The format of building a high-density high-rise residential development ensures a comfortable built-to-open space ratio and ease of vehicular/pedestrian access with ample hassle-free parking. The design then does not simply become a USP but also an inspiring concept of urbanism in India which allows for compact mixed use development around meaningful green open spaces.

Presentation Credits: Pawan Bangali, Rajarshi Das, Abdul Bari,  Atanu Deb, Subhradip Roy & Chetan Lahori

Breaking the Habit

BRTS & the Cities of India

By Abdul Bari
Pedestrian & Public Transport User,
Architect Urban Designer

One wonders, what makes certain things work in one city and fail miserably in another. It may still be comprehensible to the casual mind if it were cities in different countries or continents we were talking about, but when it comes to cities in the same country it needs some pondering.

There were recent news reports on how well the Ahmadabad BRTS was doing, and on how it has gained public acceptance gradually, but steadily, among the higher classes of its people. It had some mind-boggling figures to the tune of 23% bikers, 25% auto rickshaw users and 3% car users shifting to the BRTS for their daily commute! That is quite an achievement for a new concept to get such a city-wide acceptance. Though it wasn’t a piece of cake, as we can imagine, but still having gone through the initial doubts and criticisms it is now well on its way to spread its network. And it won’t be long before it becomes a city habit.

And then we have the Delhi BRTS, with its criticisms and court appeals. Being a daily commuter on Delhi’s only BRT corridor I couldn’t help appreciating the meticulousness that is apparent in its design and execution. And even maintenance. Yet for all it’s worth the bus I take still doesn’t take the lane designed specifically for it, nor does it alight by the bus shelter that is designed for it in the middle of the corridor. There was a court order a few days back allowing mixed traffic on all lanes of the corridor, but why should that stop buses from using the lanes that have been designed for them? The BRT has apparently reported 32% increase in bus ridership, but somehow this figure has no impact on its wide-scale public acceptance or support.

The most common justification we hear on this difference between two cities getting such varied public responses within the same country, is that the Delhi BRTS is an open system while that of Ahmadabad in a closed one. This means, Delhi BRTS allows traffic from the non-BRTS road network to mingle with it at various points. My personal experience with this; I would wait for the bus to enter the BRT corridor because it would mean faster unhindered travel, and dread re-entering the conventional road network because that would mean unpredictability. The reason I use that word is; and i am sure people who have been in organized traffic in foreign countries will mostly agree, that it is the most important thing about road traffic. If one can predict how long it is going to take to negotiate it, then that is a hundred times better than not knowing when you will be relieved of that torture. And that is how road commuters are supposed to plan their travels. Non-BRT corridors in Delhi with its mixed traffic and erratic commuter behaviour are never predictable. And that precisely is what the BRT offers - predictability.

The Delhi BRT Corridor

The conventional Delhi Roads

The only complaints we hear about the BRT are by the car-owners, whose only complaint again, is they have to wait at the signal for far too long than they would like. Their general habit is to just keep moving, even if that is at a ridiculous speed because that is how they are used to commuting. They have become so habitual to chaos that order is now frustrating them. Agreed that the signal phasing of the Delhi BRTS needs to be a little more innovative but in principle a BRTS should work as well in Delhi as it is in Ahmadabad even if the Delhi volumes are much higher. It is a matter of breaking the habit of the commuters which has been so moulded over years and years of bad public transport and inequitable road planning. One cannot imagine the current road network accommodating more and more private vehicles every year. The only alternative is public transport and the BRTS is the current best practice worldwide. I don’t think there is a better explanation of this scenario than what the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has said, that the BRT is “for the common man,” but it faces hurdles from “vested interests.” What we have to acknowledge here is that our only chance of survival is together. Everyone requires a piece of road, and equitable road space planning is the only way for us to move forward.

Creating Impressions...

By Abdul Bari

Architect Urban Designer

There is generally an institutional resistance to adopting new technologies. But technological advancement for attaining a higher efficiency and a better quality output has been a constant endeavour at Design Atelier Urbis. Following the incorporation of Autodesk Revit in the design studio, and the development of a customized work smart studio management system codenamed ‘CONCERT’ to monitor studio activities, there was casual experimentation of a lesser known software application by Autodesk named ‘Impression’. And the outcome is what you see below!

We found Autodesk Impression to be a much lighter and easy to use alternative to Adobe Photoshop for making attractive and legible design illustrations like master plans, landscape schemes, rendered elevations & sections, views, etc. The software was tested on variety of projects of different scales and types;  from a 10 Acre housing scheme to a 150 Acre integrated township to a schematic industrial landscape for a Power Plant; and was found to be twice as fast as Photoshop in delivering a product of the same (maybe even better) quality. A very handy application indeed during the crunch! 

Further ‘impressive’ aspects of the application are its compatibility with other drawing/graphic formats and its block library. It imports, and even identifies layers from .dwg and .psd formats, allows for .dwg links to be updated at any stage of the work, and gives high resolution outputs in JPEG, PDF, PSD, TIFF and other standard formats. The block library is populated with ready to use plans and elevations for Trees, human figures, automobiles in different presentation styles. The drag-and-drop interface for the blocks makes for very quick working. Downside - the application crashes very easily, which means you can lose a lot of work in an instant and without warning! Though there are intelligent ways of finding one’s way around it, like packing the elements in your layers and importing clean geometry into your workspace. Moreover, we hear there’s a new release which is more stable and high performance.

So, our stance is that if you’ve got the resolve and enjoy making pretty illustrations and rendered drawings, this software will go a long way in creating lasting first impressions!

Presentation Credits: Abdul Bari, Rajarshi Das & Sarvesh Jaiswal

Hospitality Interiors - Creating Unforgettable Experiences

Creating unforgettable interior environments as memorable guest experiences should be motive of a great designer of hospitality sector. And this can be achieved with original, personal & thoughtful design aesthetics. Each project should have its own signature design, differentiated by architectural elements, finishes, furnishings, accessories, lighting and art to create style, image and an inviting ambiance.

Green Architecture For India

Almost non-existent in modern Indian cities till few years back, sustainable architecture is now gaining some attention. However, it may not be wrong to state that ambiguity on what exactly constitutes sustainable architecture do exists as well.

In India, ancient reservoir of knowledge can help reduce energy consumption in buildings today. To some extent "Vaastu Shastra" do advocate and guide us on how to create green buildings. Climate-responsive architectural design is age old tradition in India and courtyards, clusters, wind towers, roof terraces and jaalis (stone lattices) were built for effective climate control. The need is to combine modern technology with traditional methods. It may also be said that for an ideal green building all one has to do is to look and get ideas from nature. As in his hugely  successful book Design with Nature, published in 1969, Ian McHarg says that: “If one accepts the simple proposition that Nature is the arena of life and that a modicum of knowledge of her process is indispensable for survival and rather more for existence, health and delight, it is amazing that how many apparently difficult problems present a ready solution.”

While designing with nature at a building level, one should recognise sun paths, breezes, shade trees and rock formations so that people can inhabit comfortably. Natural features like trees, animal tracks, habitats and natural drainage systems must also be protected. Building a collection pond for rainwater is another ancient method to reduce consumption of supplied water. Rainwater flows are retained and water runs into a pond at the lower end of the site. 

It must also be understood that the social, political, economical and cultural context of India would also have to be addressed while designing environmentally sustainable architecture so that solutions are sensitive to its particularities.

"Using conservative design methods, a potentially staggering impact on the power-water consumption of the country could result if effective ways are found to support change in products and processes across the built environment. Imagine if buildings could be designed to be used through the day without electrical lights, or to run air-conditioning needs on pre-cooled recycled water or to use all natural and paid resources conservatively and then say multiply this model to the entire city to gauge the impact," points Aashish V. Karode (B.Arch.; M.U.D. (Berkeley) Principal, Planning and Design Services, Design Atelier, New Delhi)

CII - Godrej Green Business Centre, Hyderabad is the first platinum rated green building in the world outside the USA. It is the first platinum rated green building of the world under LEED version 2.0.

Design Atelier's PADC project at Panipat

Design Atelier's new PADC project featuring a parasol roof, inclined glass curtain wall, skylit glass courtyard and tensile skylights has recieved lots of applause. Indianoil inaugurated the new PADC (Plastics Development Centre) Laboratory building at the Panipat refinery few months back. Here we share few pictures of this project with you all:

1943 Constructed structure - Renovating in 2012

By Minakshi Jaiswal

Renovating this building which was originally constructed in 1943 was a real challenge, as it did not have a framing skeleton and stood on brick column and 13” load bearing walls. We completed it without breaking its external wall. The complete house is based on the original taste of its Oriental looks, dark wood and a lot of white. It is imbued with a lot of natural light and air. It was planned in a manner to provide very comfortable and large spaces to every user in it. The areas where natural light did not reach is provided with skylight as an interesting feature. Watch this space for the completion photos!

Creative New Housing Solutions for Owner - Collaborators

By Abdul Bari
Architect/ Urban Designer

All Singing ... All Dancing Urban Living in Future!
As land values rise to stupendous levels, an owner, exercises  options to unlock his land value by putting up part of his FAR in a  collaborative redevelopment project while retaining his address, ownership and lifestyle in future. 

But then get into the minds of the builder-owner duo and you get a dizzying set of problems to solve. A vertical division of the permissible FAR, Division of front facade in ratio of the ownership and a mix of apartment types suited to different family structures, future ownership changes and the market for rental income in the locality. Designers would be proud of the all singing all dancing model that meets all the above criteria. Watch this space for a choice of alternative styles for asymmetrical contemporary or symmetrical neo classical façade options.

A  CONTEMPORARY VERSION!
This was the response to the Owner’s call of having distinct identities for the one-third/two-third FAR divisions.  This very intelligently catered to the building regulation of having no projections beyond 2’ from the building line unless its a 3’ balcony. Planter boxes, steEl fins/frames and wardrobe masses were used to create a capsule composition.

Quick and Dirty Presentation Technique for Architects in a Hurry

Its always interesting to see how designers communicate their ideas and work. And in the case of young architects, most often than not, it is the main obstacle in the communication of their design intent. 

We almost naturally came up with this technique which worked quite well for the short time it was accomplished in! Below is the pictorial explanation of this technique: 

A Hand Sketch + A Google Sketch + A Power Point = A Quick Design Presentation

Reviving the Senses: Small Garden & In-house Greenery

By Minakshi Jaiswal
Interior Designer & Sub-Editor

Garden and greenery are the only places where we find ourselves close to us. Simple concept of ‘likes minds attracts’, our senses attract to nature and get relaxation close to it. Such green spaces inside our living space relax our souls and brains. Making greenery, a part of living room with the connected balcony or a small garden at the entrance foyer can revive the senses. Now let’s focus on how to do the planning and design a garden as per the respective type of spaces available in our houses.

STEP 1

Plan your garden & incorporate your requirements: Draft the existing garden/green space on a piece of paper and then draft the new plan which would include the changes. Now you can easily visualize the area’s you need to work on.

STEP 2

Material Consideration is something chosen on the basis of climatic conditions and maintenance. Like a combination of water body with some aquatic plant is not good for the northern part of country.

STEP 3

Fashionable Plants/Planting Style & Artifacts: These are the articles of your green space which start putting life into it. Thinking Colors is a best way as it makes you select plants with beautiful hues of petals and leafs. An Ultimate low maintenance garden - It should not be complicated enough to manage in our daily basis life.

STEP 4

Paint / Mosaic –for dull walls:  If you have unsettled walls in your garden then paint them in some odd color to green or mosaic art can also be opted. This way, it will add a feature to the space without any dismantling or construction.

STEP 5

Extended Flooring (like Decking, laminated wood or Tiles). It varies if the space is a balcony and if it’s a foyer. To merge the living area and green space you can extend the same flooring from living spaces to open spaces. It will add a feel of area enlargement as well as mixing of the nature and man-made.

STEP 6

Enhancing the space with Elements like Colorful Plants is a revitalizing process. Bonsai is a kind of miniature gardening. The millennia-old art form, still going strongly today!   In Japanese, bonsai can be literally translated as 'tray planting' but since originating in Asia, so many centuries ago - it has developed into a whole new form. To begin with, the tree and the pot form a single harmonious unit where the shape, texture and colour of one, compliments the other. Then the tree must be shaped. It is not enough just to plant a tree in a pot and allow nature to take its course - the result would look nothing like a tree and would look very short-lived.

STEP 7

Romantic Settings should be a part of lawn or balcony so that the environment which is created can be lived with too. A space to spend some beautiful time with your family and your settings must be as per that.

STEP 8

Restful Sound like falling water or tinkles of wind chimes with the least flow of air. Soothing scents & Soft Lights Warmth are the life of lawns. Its beauty in dark is intensified by the effect of these lights.

Finally using the set of all these components you will come up with a shell in your den where you can revive your senses in every respect to the closeness to nature and yourself.