City: Pune

Name & Location : Insitu Slum Rehabilitation Project for Urban Poor under BSUP, JNNURM Scheme

Cost of Project: (INR) Rs. 22,50,00,000

Built-up area: 22500 sq. mt
(In case of Public Building minimum built-up area should be 1000 sq. meter)

Description of Project :

Approximately 17% of the world’s slum population resides in India. With increasing rates of migration into cities, slums are constant reminders of rapid urbanization that we see as an unwanted corollary to our cities. Thus in order to achieve the vision of a “sustainable slum less city’ we must look at the urban poor as partners rather than adversaries in addressing this challenge.

We must accept and acknowledge their leadership in a spirit of collaboration. Adopting this approach of collaborative and participatory design Prasanna Desai architects accompanied by various NGO’s such as Society for the promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC), Cooperative Housing Foundation (CHF) international, and Mahila Milan and with the aid of the government of India, undertook the up gradation of 7 existing slums in Yerwada, Pune. The project was a part of the unique opportunity called Basic Servies FOR THE URABN POOR (BSUP), offered by JNNURM under which 4000 housing units would be upgraded. Each house would be given a housing subsidy of Rs. 3,00,000 per unit of which 90% would be funded by the Government of India at various levels, and 10% would be beard by the beneficiary / slum dweller himself. Out of the 30 slums identified by the Pune Municipal Corporation, the 7 slums of Yerawada were assigned to PDA for up gradation.

As mentioned earlier, the design approach was based strongly on the contribution, participation and consent of the community involved. By involving the community one could ensure, that the assets created would be maintained and nurtured in the future. An attempt was made to preserve the existing fabric of the slum, in term of its patterns that have evolved over time and by respecting the existing social networks.

PROCESS/ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Each of the various agencies that were involved in the process of up gradation had a vital role to play. The central and state governments provided 50% and 30% funding respectively, whereas the local government body ( Pune Municipal Corporation), besides providing 10% funding, also took the responsibility of identifying the NGO’s that could aid this process. The NGO’s appointed were responsible for releasing funds as per- stage wise development, sanctioning the project at individual slum level and supervising work during construction and infrastructure development. They were further responsible for appointing the architects, consultants, quality control team, project management team and surveyors.

The first phase of implementation dealt with exhaustive surveys mainly the plain table survey; socio economic survey and biometric survey that helped identify vital characteristics of the existing slum fabric. Kutcha and pucca structures were mapped, Street patterns, open spaces, community spaces were studied and local skilled laborers were identified. These included people like masons, carpenters etc whose services could be employed in this process giving them a source of income and further increasing their involvement in the project.

The architectural team verified the data that was collected, based on which, it designed feasible building typologies for the entire slum. These were then discussed with the beneficiaries and modified accordingly. This process that went back and forth between design and community input led to specific customized designs for each dwelling. Mass community meetings that were held during this stage were termed as Janata Janardhan meetings whose agenda was to describe the project to the people, and present design possibilities. They were key in incorporating the apprehensions and concerns of the beneficiaries into the design.

This process of effective communication of the design was further strengthened by the use of architectural models. Also, mock models made of bamboo and cloth at a scale of 1:1 helped the beneficiaries visualize the design better.

DESIGN DEVELOPEMENT

The site plan of the slum has been redesigned in a manner such that the user has easy accessibility to his residential unit, and keeps in minds basic requirements such as ample natural light, good ventilation, better location of amenities and better sanitation. This would achieve better living conditions not only at the individual unit level but also in the overall settlement thus resulting in the effective up gradation of the slum. Each beneficiary was entitled to an area of 270 sq.ft which was then designed into two typologies depending on the area of existing footprint of the kutcha house. It was endured that the design was contained within the footprint of the kutcha house.

Type A: INDIVIDUAL HOUSE – In this option, the footprint of each individual house is retained and a new ground + 1 (G+1) house is designed on the existing footprint with 135 sq.ft carpet area on each level. After detailed discussion with the people, balconies and an underground water tank were included. The verandah thus created added a semi private entrance porch in front of each house

Type B: CLUSTER House / apartmENT TYPE – These were proposed wherever the existing footprint was too small and individual houses could not be accommodated. The entire area of 270 sq. ft per house is provided on a single level. For example, the footprint area of three houses of 100 sq. ft each was designed as a ground + 2 (G+2) building type with common overhead and underground water tanks and staircase for three houses. As seen in type B, it was possible to return a considerable amount of ground space to the community for its social and religious activities. the design of the slum keeps in mid hierarchy of public private spaces transitioning from the most public community spaces to the verandah of each house and finally into the private space of each dwelling.

CONCLUSION

This approach to design proved to be an extremely enriching one, intertwined with various layers of public participation and negotiations, as a result of which, no two houses are the same. It involved understanding the needs, problems and psyche of the beneficiaries that enabled a part to whole process, generating tailor made dwellings that led to unique clusters and finally and entire upgraded neighborhood. Thus rather than the conventional strategy of imposing a foreign living environment, the beneficiaries were given a chance to generate their own tailor made neighborhood that would prove to be more sustainable and long lasting for years to come.

Salient Feature of the Project

Name & Location : CCCP- OFFICE BUILD)N6, ITM , PUHAR) , PONE.
cost of Project : (INR) 11.15CQCT2ES
Built-up area: 3330
(In case of Public Building minimum built-up area should be 1000 sq. meter)

Description Of Project

The Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCP) is a new office, research and training building designed to house the latest facilities at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pashan, Pune. It neighbours with the recently built High Performance Computer Centre (HPCC) building designed by the same architectural office and complements it by forming a pedestrian plaza in between the two and extending the architectural vocabulary of the former. This three storied structure is conceived as a model Of a minimum energy use climatically comfortable building with inbuilt mechanisms integrated with architectural and functional concerns. The addition of this building to the IITM campus completes a research cluster functionally and architecturally by forming a precinct within the large campus thereby providing isolation within the campus, intimacy within the complex, and identity to its users at the same time.

Materials of Construction Details

The new building expresses itself in tandem with its older neighbour. It follows a similar grid and extends the earlier vocabulary in local grey Deccan trap creating compositions in various hues of grey and black. Form- finished concrete is the most strikingly used material combined with grey Basalt aggregate plaster and contrasted with clear float glass with aluminium louvers. 230 mm fly-ash blocks are used for double layered masonry cavity walls. The interior is bathed in white to give a soft glow of natural reflected light from the sky- windows. Deep browns and beige add to the warmth of the workspaces. The building details evolved for climatic comfort get additionally refined in this building with the sky-window combining natural lighting and ventilation techniques. Orientation of the block, the multi-layered envelope of the longer facades, the deep offset windows, and the triple-height volumes work complementary to the active radiant cooling and ventilation system integrated into the building’s structure.

Special Features

The layered envelope of the building minimising its heat gain, the spatial planning combining various volumes of interior spaces, the deep shading devices defining the long facades of the building, the natural draft created by the large openable windows, louvered cabin partitions and the roof ventilators make this an air- condition free, yet bio-climatically comfortable building. The building integrates a low energy consuming cooling and ventilation system within its structure. The building design follows the principles of solar passive architecture that ensure diffused natural light, adequate natural ventilation and comfortable temperatures inside the working spaces. But while doing this, the design does not ever compromise on its aesthetic integrity and sense. Without resorting to visual gimmickry, technological flamboyance or formal acrobatics, the building makes a simple and clean statement of restraint, clarity and a functional aesthetics. It won’t be far-fetched to say that this building articulates an appropriate contemporary expression to Pune’s and the country’s institutional architectural context.

 

 

 

TEN POINTS HIGHLIGHTING GREEN STATUS OF CCCR BUILDING

The building is designed on the principles of solar passive architecture. The principles of orientation, facade and window design, internal volumetric dispensation, buffer areas, and elements like overhangs, louvers, ventilators and skylights are engaged and synchronised to get a building with comfortable temperatues, diffused working natural light and cross ventilation in the occupied spaces. Landscaping of plaza & surrounds would minimise heat island effect and provided shading.

The building has a natural cooling system comprising of a combination of radiant cooling system and an earth tunnel cool air ventilation system.

Both systems do not use coolants or any other chemicals or gases for cooling. They thus release no ozone or other harmful gases in the atmosphere. Both are clean, non- polluting systems.

Both systems are not energy intensive. Their total power consumption is one third of that of a conventional air-conditioning system. Both depend only on fans and pumps for their operation. It is envisaged that these can be power by on site hybrid system of solar PU &
wind turbines. Thus making it zero demand on grid supply.

Both systems are not energy intensive. Their total power consumption is one third of that of a conventional air-conditioning system. Both depend only on fans and pumps for their operation. It is envisaged that these can be power by on site hybrid system of solar PU &
wind turbines. Thus making it zero demand on grid supply.

Both use building elements as an integral part of the system. Air is drawn through a wind tower into the RCC pipes. This tower serves as an important element of architectural composition of the plaza space between the two buildings. Inside the building, this cool air is circulated from the corridor spaces thereby creating a low height circulation space between the triple height atrium and the full height offices. The RCC floor slabs carry the PEX pipes with water cooled by the cooling tower. This discourages any installation of false ceilings in the offices.

Natural ventilation through openable windows is encouraged and actually helps the installed system. A ventilator integrated with the sky- window over the atrium creates a good draft throughout the interior volume of the office.

The long facades are three layered. The floor height louvers on the longer facades add an element of dynamism to the building with their carefully worked out rhythmic pattern. Their operation as per the users’ requirements to admit or cut-off light and wind actually gives unique facade composition all the time (Note: Louvers are still to be installed. They are currently installed only on the neighbouring building).

The size of the building block is based on the natural light and ventilation requirements. The narrow long block with an atrium along its length ensures natural light to all work spaces as well as creates a natural breeze draft throughout the building interiors. The working spaces are grouped and protected from the exterior surface thereby reducing their heat gain. This also ensures that when the building is cooled by the cooling system, it remains so over a much extended period after the system shut- down.

The building synchronises its spatial geometry, structural grid, functional space requirements, passive solar design elements and the inbuilt cooling and ventilation system into an inseparable whole without compromising on its aesthetic agenda, thereby creating satisfying experience to its user and patron. It is green in conception and not by applique.

NAME OF THE PROJECT: Ruby Hall Clinic, Cancer Centre

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT: 

Established in 1959 by Dr. K B Grant, Ruby Hall Clinic occupies a prominent place among the medical institutions in India as a multi-specialty hospital dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment and research related to various diseases. It is a 560-bed hospital facility with a staff of 150 consultants, 500 panel doctors and 1400 paramedical staff. Ruby Hall Clinic has state of the art facilities in Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Neurology, Nuclear Science Center, Diagnostic Center, Intensive Care Units, a Blood Bank and Cancer Unit. Since it’s commissioning, it has established itself as one of India’s most advanced hospitals comparable to the best in the world. Committed to healthcare, Ruby Hall Clinic offers a full spectrum of services in clinical and surgical care as well as a wide range of specialty support, in-patient and out-patient services.
The Ruby Hall Cancer Center, a state-of-the-art treatment and diagnostic facility, stands tall in a prime area of Pune. The center is a super-specialty wing of the 560-bed general hospital, dedicated solely to the treatment of Cancer.

Cancer is a particularly depressive disease. Extensive research and studies have established beyond doubt that the ambience of a healthcare facility plays a larger-than-life role in the healing process of patients. As conceived, the Cancer Center meets the functional requirements of a high-tech medical facility, while creating a healing environment that is emotionally reassuring.

So much is spoken about the ambience and architecture of hospitals today as it is directly related to the healthcare equipment’s and technology that occupy it. The ever improving urban lifestyle now demands healthcare facilities to international standards. This facility raises the bar on hospital design in India. The soothing colors and materials such as glass and steel used in the building create an ambience that differs from the antiseptic feels usually attached to a hospital.

The center, with a built-up area of 6,500 square meters, was a challenge to design within the site constraints like a footprint of merely 20m x 23m, the profile of the front margin and close proximity of foundations of the existing buildings.

The building is designed in a way to achieve maximum usable areas with simple circulation pattern within the building. The basement houses main treatment areas including the radiation treatment department, together with HDR, scan and treatment planning. The laser-guided radiotherapy unit is the first of its kind in India. The radiation bunker is constructed using hematite concrete. Its massive walls are internally covered with pleasing landscape wallpaper. The spacious reception lobby incorporates a drug shop and a coffee shop. The eight upper floors comprise out-patient departments, day-care centers, 5 operating theaters, CSSD and a 200-seat auditorium. Two floors each are dedicated for cancer day-care and cancer OPD. The natural light from the atrium and the panoramic views of the city and hills beyond enliven their spirits. The five state-of-the-art operating theatres are finished in soft hues of blue, green and peach. Video conferencing facilities are connected to the operating theater above. The complex is connected to the TSSD and changing room below by a sterile staircase. Clinical efficiency is visible everywhere.

Carefully crafted spatial volumes, building forms, pleasing colors and textures that soothe the senses form the base of the project. For the in-patient wards, every bed to have a view of the outside; a minimum walking distance from the nurses station to the rooms allowing a sense of visual check; flexibility for the future so that any floor could be converted from wards to rooms and vice-versa are considered.

Grey granite and silver aluminum composite panels clad the exterior to augment the look of an unconventional treatment facility. The three-storey high atrium is enclosed with glazing suspended from steel bow girders, creating a distinctive luxury environment.

Unlike most stereotype hospitals, the center exudes the ambience of efficiency, excellence of service and a high level of sterility. The planning, design and final architectural expression in the healthcare project is reflective of the gradual shift in outlook of healthcare institutions from merely

treating the sick to a concerted approach to harness healthy living.

Green Practices

“The making of anything and everything starts with a good intention of creating spaces that respond to the micro climate and facilitate circulation of natural elements through the building apart from testifying to the norms of green ratings” Sensitive planning while following elements of vernacular architecture, thoroughly using the natural resources (sun wind)  is the focus of design in this project. For this campus creating a work environment, wherein the workspaces are surrounded by the landscape elements and flushed with natural light, exerts a positive influence on the psyche of the users.

1. Eco-friendly material palette: Use of locally available sustainable material and in situ work for building & interiors (locally made brick, vacuum dewatered floors , Metal in its raw form and concrete)has been the basic material palette.
2. Water: Introduction of water body in the front building façade facilitates circulation of water-cooled air throughout the office premises in the hot summer months.
3. Breathing wall: The front façade of the building, the breathing wall as we call it, is comprised of perforated metal panels and green plantation in & out, which enables circulation of air, cutting off the harsh summer glare.
4. Courts & Light: Introduction of courtyards facilitate seepage of abundant natural light, drastically reducing dependability on artificial lights. Use of intelligent lighting system through LEDs, occupancy sensor and zero night light pollution.
5. Avoided (toxic): There has been no use of non-biodegradable &toxic materials such as POP, paint, artificial cladding and tiles in this project. 
6. Waste Management: Waste segregation at source and onsite waste treatment and generating valuable manure contributes to reducing carbon footprint.
7. STP: 100% water from STP is used for Flushing, landscape and HVAC system.
8. Water Management: 30% water is saved through waste water cycling, rain water harvesting systems, low flow fixtures, dual flushing system etc.
9. Landscape: Project land area is landscaped with lawn and ground cover which consumes less water, altogether adding to improve atmosphere and surrounding air.
10. BMS: Integrated building management system to control and monitor operations and to optimize energy, water and air utilization.
11. Site Management: Reuse of excavated soil for landscape and filling which has reduced land erosion and air pollution.
12. Environmental Awareness: All indoor and outdoor units for HVAC system are CFCs and HCFCs free which are ozone depleting substances. Halon gas free fire fighting system installed for entire campus.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A 40,000 sq ft. (Phase-1) Corporate office cum factory set-out in the city of Hanoi, Vietnam, explores the rustic and discreet material palette aligning the client requirements to the site context. Being a corporate office and factory setup within the same campus (in fact adjoining each other), spaces were planned introvert. A series of courts interwoven in the work zones breathe freshness in the ambience. A gaze across the office presents one with the pleasing view of landscape and water instead of the blind partitions and decorative interiors.

 The whole building is divided into front and back bays. The front bay of the building adjoins the factory floor beyond, separated from it by a long brick wall. The reception area is a bold statement in itself. The brick wall as the backdrop of the wooden reception desk is distinct. The court basks in brilliant shadows casted by the vertical brick offsets in the plain unobtrusive brick walls. As one traverses through the passage, a series of courts are encountered along. The partition walls for all the cubicles and workspaces give way to transparent glass. Hence the spaces seem interwoven into each other looking into all the intermediate courts. The mass is a simple form-finished concrete envelope with long colorful perforated metal screen adorned with landscape. Grid planning while carving out the quintessential courtyards is the strength of design. 

SPECIAL FEATURES

Hanoi experiences a warm humid sub-tropical climate with enough rainfall while winters are dull and hazy. Hence the effort was to create an ambience which would do justice to the interior spaces both in summers as well as winters. Series of ‘internal courts’ as many as eight keep the office areas fresh by bringing in enough natural light even when the sky is dull. A long perforated panel’s screen (the breathing wall, as we call it) adorned with landscape in and out on the front facade cuts off the glare in the summer months. This screen also negates the use of blinds/curtains in the front façade. The panels painted in different hues stand-out in the otherwise restrained concrete façade. 

MATERIALS OF CONSTRUCTION DETAIL

Demand for understated interiors in the tropical-temperate climatic zone of Vietnam, allowed us to fully utilize the beauty of earthy materials. The strong sunlight beautifully enhances the material palette. Be it the vacuum dewatered floor, the brick wall or the raw metal, light reflects brilliantly through them. Brick is the main element of interior design in this office space. Various forms and hues of brick make for a unique element in the interior spaces. The twisted brick wall forms the reception backdrop and it drew inspiration from a visit to a local brick kiln in Hanoi. The building envelope in form finished concrete offers a subtle contrast to the fierce red of the brick. The floating MS staircase imparts the lightness to the circulating areas. Customized stretched metal ropes in place of staircase railing offer the transparency.

There has been no use of boastful materials and whole palette is locally sourced while fully exploiting the abundantly available resources and local labor. Usual interior elements such as cladding, carpentry, POP  false ceiling, painting and flooring work have no role to play in this project & are completely eliminated.

Name: BACKPACKERS’ HOSTEL, PANCHGANI, INDIA

Built-up area: 660sqm + 525sqm of Developed Terrace Area

Description of Project:

The hostel for backpackers is situated near a hill station Panchgani, the strawberry capital of India in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Design has evolved in response to the need of backpackers for safe, comfortable and hygienic place to stay at scenic location. The guess profile, limited between 18 to 40 years of age, include the ones hitch hiking on a shoestring budget, the cyclists & bikers or the young working couples . Since its opening two years ago, this place has been re-visited by many, in different seasons for experiencing the sheer joy it offers through its design setting. With valley views and cascading outdoor spaces it remains a sought-after destination among millennial with average 90 percent occupancy.

Urban dis-connect is the purpose of this typology. Recognized as a social need, the design creates an environment amidst nature for young urban travellers seeking solitude, personal time with soulmates or to make new friends. Stories portrayed by the guests on the social media about their stay at this play convey sheer joy and happiness that they have experienced!

In the conventional sense of ‘Social Responsibility’ this place has drawn upon local skills and human resources for its making and continues to do so in operational phase by sourcing locally grown organic produce, training the rural youth and women to be part of the hospitality activities of this place. Architecture of this place has also encouraged local artists to integrate their art to narrate regional stories.

Materials of Construction details:

The conscious design approach was aimed at having least impact on local ecology. The unstable site slope of 1:3 gradient was held together by a tree or two at places but largely had to be retained by narrow terraces, much like the paddy fields along hill slopes, to create usable spaces in a stepped manner by using concrete walls in a folded profile. The used Dry Storage Containers (40’x8’X9’6”) were chosen as preferred material for this construction for its advantages. The long footprints of the containers were most suitable to be placed on the narrow terraces to be used as dormitory spaces. The structural properties of the shipping container were fully exploited to obtain maximum habitable spaces with minimum ground contact by precariously balancing another set of halved containers placed above, much like the Sherpa carries loads while negotiating the narrow traversing routes on the Himalayan slopes. Additional structural components were integrated to carry down the gravity and tension rods to hold back the cantilevered masses by using self-weight of the containers.

The design execution was split in two separate activities: off-site fabrication to modify containers into habitable objects and in-situ construction of retaining walls, toilets for dormitories and to lay networks for water supply, storm water and sewage. The logistics of moving containers from Pune to Panchgani and placing them precisely on the site was orchestrated based on pre-engineered drawings with precision by the team of consultants and contractors doing such a job for the first time! The habitable spaces are provided with mechanical,electrical and plumbing services with ease of operational maintenance and well integrated with the interior spaces designed to suit the guest aspirations. Most of the year guests prefer to enjoy the natural cross ventilation full of fresh air from the valley or simply being outdoors.
The spaces in between the containers, paved with rough kotah stone, are deliberately designed as landscaped open decks although the design brief from client had them listed as ‘function spaces’ and ‘passages’. These ‘unbuilt’ spaces in fact define the ‘built’ and provide flexible areas for variety of functions, community gatherings, traversing through the ‘built’ and are an inseparable part of the design.
These outdoor living rooms complement the bed rooms in the containers!

Special Features:

Choice of materials and colours camouflage these new objects in the landscape, except one, the red reception lounge box, as the Butea Monosperma or the ‘Flame-of-The-Forest’, with a striking cantilever diving into the valley.The design ideas have evolved from simple observations from the nature. The container boxes are poised as if they are keeping an inquisitive vigil over the valley and their surroundings, not to miss any drama created by clouds with the sunlight or a flock of birds flying by or the breeze gushing through the grass. In fact, one can see a striking similarity the way a family of Meerkats huddles together while alertly keeping vigil on the action around them!
Principally, the Backpacker’s Hostel is an inventive, rational bringing together of landscape and industrial language to create a joyful environment that resonates with travellers, and an innovative response to a difficult context.

Up-cycling of used shipping containers is the highlight of this newfound modern architectural idiom, a new GREEN, which suits the culture of its own typology. It is a replicable prototype yet rooted in its context.

This Community Club with its expansive Green is the primary institution within a suburban housing development, offering residents a place to enjoy a multitude of recreational, social, sports and leisure activities.
It is located in Thane, near Mumbai, India, within a landscape of new construction, characteristic of city fringes in the developing world. The place has a hot tropical climate with severe seasonal monsoons.
The site, an old factory building with a large Banyan Tree at its entrance, was converted by the owners into residences. We designed the Club around this tree, keeping the built form towards the fringe, retaining an acre of green open space – one of the largest in Thane.

The Club houses a concierge, a café, multi-purpose halls, a cinema, a gymnasium, a crèche, neighborhood shops, a games room, an indoor basketball court and three swimming pools totaling close to 40,000 sq. ft. of public amenities.
The building connects to the surrounding precinct through multiple entries and pedestrian walkways – weaving itself into the housing fabric. It is tightly hemmed in by the surrounding taller masses, such that the overall elevation of the building can never be experienced as a whole. The design therefore consciously allows each face of the building to respond locally to its immediate frontage, creating smaller community spaces in, around and over the Club.

Functions are organized in a linear manner fronting a wide verandah, carved out of thick stucco walls. Roofs become landscaped decks and play areas. Laterally juxtaposed against the thick walls and verdant roofs is a crisp metal screened box, the Lantern. The screen made of silver anodized expanded mesh, acts like a sieve of mini-louvers, and keeps the elements off while allowing views through. It reinforces the central position of this Club within surrounding residences.
Our intent is to create a variety of spaces within and around the building for people with diverse interests to find their own place. Through memories and associations over time, we hope that the Club becomes an indelible part of the Residents’ image of their precinct and their lives.

Materials and Construction Details:
The building has a reinforced Concrete frame structure with enclosure and partition wall masonry in cement blocks.
Large portions of the building’s decks have planters, trees and swimming pools. These are prime amenities and are given special attention for waterproofing, drainage and landscape integration.

The central ‘Lantern’ made of natural silver Annodised Aluminium Mesh with Galvanised Steel framing behind. These materials are resistant to moisture and require little maintenance.

Most of the building is finished in Textured Cement Plaster.

Special Features:
This project is tightly squeezed between surrounding residential blocks and sits on a site that is 52000 sq. ft. in size.

Our design retains 25000 sq. ft. of the land as a green open space and provides another 12000 sq. ft. of landscape amenity terraces – which totals to 37000 sq. ft. of greenery – close to 70% of the plot size.

These recreational landscape spaces are truly special for residents

The central ‘Lantern’ made of natural silver Annodised Aluminium Mesh with Galvanised Steel framing behind. These materials are resistant to moisture and require little maintenance.

Most of the building is finished in Textured Cement Plaster.

A report published by NITI Aayog, (Government of India) mentioned that India was undergoing the worst water crisis in its history; that nearly 600 million people were facing high to extreme water stress. It projected the country’s water demand to be twice the available supply by 2030, implying severe scarcity for hundreds of millions of people.

The site for the women empowerment shelter is situated in such water scarcity zone that struggles for every drop of water. Consciously, the entire design approach was all about saving, stocking up and increasing the water table level.

Situated in the small village of Loni in the Bijapur district of Karnataka, the site is bordered by vacant land on three sides and a main road to the east. The topography slopes inward by approximately 2.0 meters from the roadside. The site is quite constrained relative to the design program, with the building oriented along a north-south axis.

Design Program:


India has long been plagued with issues related to gender inequality. Women, especially in rural areas, are often deprived of basic rights and opportunities to thrive. Empowering women in these areas can provide essential benefits to both their families and communities.

An idea shaped to build a place to accommodate destitute and women in need under a shelter which will help them to grow and nurture with pride and respect. Accomplishing this thought in a remote village called Loni BK, located towards north of Bijapur, which is geographically a dry and arid zone.

The Empowerment shelter is planned environment friendly, multi-use facility that will become a support mechanism for the education of women and the support and advancement of the community in the region. It is envisioned as a part community gathering space, part education centre as well as a shelter for the deprived where women can train and learn new skills, and use services to find employment or start their own businesses.

The design brief demanded to hold 150 destitute women and girls with the allied staff which comprised of 35 more occupants.

Process:


The grid of 200 X 1500 X 200 mm was developed as a space module which can be multiplied and expanded according the space necessity.The internal road is strategically placed on the north side so that it is shaded throughout the day with the structure acting as a screen. The space diagram was framed with public activities on the north, accommodation& the welfare activity included the production unit, learning centres, etc is placed centrally. The service core sits on the south. Wind shafts are strategically located to bring in light and help exhaust hot air, keeping the interiors cooler.

The natural sloping topography allowed us to construct an underground water tank instead of filling the entire plinth. The stored rain water will take care of the drinking purpose. Being acknowledged with the water scarcity, the building harvests rainwater from the roof’s spine through water channels designed on the facade that leads water into underground water tank through the de-silting chambers.

The black water goes into the biogas plant which then connects to the underground tanks of 20,000 litres. This water is used for plantation and community farming purpose.

Water from kitchen and utility areas make its way into the Grease and Oil trap tank and further filters through the root zone beds and rests in the recharge pits & bore wells to reuse.

To encourage the notion of recycle and reuse the available resources, various self sustainable techniques such as Bio gas plant for generating the gas for cooking is constructed. Compost pits for organic manure are implemented on site which is used for the community farm land created. These chores are remarkably taken care by the women staying there.

Respecting the natural topography and context, the overall site development is carefully addressed in terms of levels. An open stepped seating is developed in the existing contour as a cultural and social gathering space. The landscape is kept subtle and true to its native. Mostly the site is planted with local trees such as Neem, Mango, Tamarind and other flowering trees which are self sustaining in the dry climate.

We have adopted participation method of construction that would promote sustainable development and produce social, economic, and cultural infrastructures. The walls are composite masonry made with the local basalt stone which helps in heat reduction and maintain a comfortable environment inside. The construction techniques and materials are local and based on traditional techniques to minimize the need for external construction expertise and excessive transportation costs. The program defined was based on the activity and to create a pleasing environment so that the women from different origins can cope up with the trauma in the past and start a new journey.

The entire building and the campus is designed to celebrate water and its conscious usage through recycling to the fullest. It is a foundational step to ensure a self sustaining approach that cares the need of the day.