I prepared this portfolio as an application requirement to the various universities in the United States.

Architectural Program :
This was the first housing design project given to us during my period of study. The design problem comprised of planning a residential colony for individuals. The central idea was to design the housing for the three distinctively categorised Income Groups (IG), the Lower Income Group (LIG), the Medium Income Group (MIG), and the Higher Income Group (HIG).

Site :
The site is located in the city of Indore, one of the major cities in the state of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. The site is in the shape of a right angled triangle. The site abuts the 90 meters wide Bombay-Agra Highway on the South. The access to the site is taken from a smaller 21 meters wide B.L. road that meets the highway on the West. The site measures 90 meters on the either side of the right angle. The site possesses a panoramic view of mango orchards towards the South-East. The B.L. access road is situated to the North.

Climate :
The climate of the city of Indore is hot and extreme, the day temperature reaching to about 35 degrees.

The Design Approach :
Since the site was such a rigid triangle, my immediate concern was to identify the areas or zones that were unlikely to be used as the locations for the structures. Indore Municipal Corporation stipulated any part of the building structure to be a minimum of 5 meters from the nearest boundary wall and atleast at a distance of 8 meters (preferably 10 meters) from the other permanent structures. Hence the scope for vertical expansion was natural.

Next followed the design of the basic building units. Through consultations with my design professors, I decided upon the requirements to design medium density Apartment blocks for the LIG and MIG groups while providing the low density twin bungalows for the HIG. My planning started with the low height twin bungalows commanding the orchard view and thus were placed towards that border. The height of the twin bungalows was worked by me to be 7.5 m maximum (1.5 meters of Voulted ceilings) so as to enable the higher density apartments to simultaneously enjoy most of the views. The apartment blocks were stilted to enhance this theory. Further to this, the stilts also helped in arranging the two-wheeler and the occasional four-wheeler parking sought below the apartments. The requirements of providing adequate premises for community halls and society rooms were also met.

Once an overall working design was achieved, the site adjustments and such planning were taken in. Planning in accordance with the Municipal Bylaws that were roughly provided to us to enable us to confirm to a more realistic approach, I could manage to provide for three Apartment units or blocks and two pairs of twin bungalows. The ceilings of the topmost apartment floors were similarly vaulted in order to achieve uniformity of design feature. The combination of flat and vaulted roofs provided me with an uneven skyline as well as a staggering building profile. Stilt columns were designed as arcades along the access road inside the site. This road divided the site into two main zones, keeping the main building units on one side and the recreational spaces on the other.

Conclusion :
Although at the primary level, this project sowed in me the seeds of community and social planning and exposed me to the general principles of Urban Design and Planning. I was able to understand the relative advantages of juggling with the ideas of zoning these income groups and arriving at their various social implications. The interaction of each of these groups with the others in order to achieve and maintain a cohesive Urban relationship, to me, was one of the most important aspect of this design problem.
 
 

Architectural Program :
The given rectangular site of 60 meters by 40 meters abutting the main highway, S.V. road that runs along the spinal North-South direction through the city of Bombay, was proposed to be developed into a modern Departmental Showroom Complex. The site lay on the corner of main road and a subsidiary access road. The proposal was expected to accomplish and exploit this prime location to the best of the Architects efforts.

Built Form :
The general planning was simple and an inner rectangle due to the existing building regulations. This form was broken into two cuboids by me, the first to house the main showroom at the entrance and the other to house the vast reserve collection stores. The stores were served by a service access at the extreme South.

Climate :
The climate of Bombay is hot and humid.

The Design Approach :
The prime location of the site necessitated me into deriving my entry to the complex from the exposed corner. The main elevations of the building were allowed to run parallel to the street to impose a sense of forced direction and importance.

During my series of experimentations with the designs, I decided to achieve a mixture of classical and modern style by complementing ornamental features with modernistic elements of Curtain walling. To achieve this, I used false columns, placing them totally clear of the face of the curtain wall. This helped me to impart a sense of third dimension to the free standing columns even as they completely reflected off the building facade. The elevation was broken into two tiers with the help of plain horizontal bands.

The planning of the building was kept to maximum simplicity as a greater emphasis was placed on designing the elements of the elevation. The corner of the structure was chamfered to accommodate the entrance steps. The showroom was also lit internally by means of an internal Atrium. The showroom was designed in five tiers and stood out as a tall block.

Conclusion :
This project was instrumental in encouraging me to experiment with the various types of elevations that would suit the character of this Spinal road. I could experiment with various building forms and how each one governed the shape and nature of the elevations. This project taught me that to control one aspect of any building design one has to keep the other aspects equally simple so that the design in the final reckoning is achieved as per original conception. Though I now realise that this thinking had only been taken one way and that all my designs before were consequently, of fixed and rigid geometry.
 
 

Architectural Program :
The proposed Community Center was supposed to be a venue for a host of Multi-functional programs such as Marriage Halls (one small and one large), a medium capacity Restaurant in addition to other daily requirement of a Bank Branch, a Guest House (20 rooms with attached bathrooms and 2 dormitories). The design was expected to reflect a variety of all these functions in a singular identity. A vertical height restriction of 24 meters was fixed as per prevalent municipal regulations. Other regular features included parking for users and visitors in the basement (free of FBI or built-up area).

Site :
The site is located in Bandra, a close suburb of the city of Bombay and at a stone’s throw away from the arterial, the Eastern Express Highway. The site confirmed to a compact 60 meters by 60 meters area. The plot is surrounded on 3 sides (North, West and South) by 20 meters, 15 meters and 12 meters wide roads respectively. There are commercial establishments on the North, West and the East, with a series of residential blocks on the South. The access to the site is taken from the less congested 12 meter wide road.

The Design Approach :
The small size of the plot governed to a large extent, the basic building profile. A setback of 6 meters from all sides further drove this profile inwards. All of the setback was however, used in plot beautification through pathways, hard and soft areas (stone paving and lawns) in addition to planting trees and plants.

Considering the usage, individual necessities and the pedestrian traffic, it was obvious that the Restaurant and the Bank Branch to be located at an easy approach, i.e., on the ground floor. The plot being accessible from 3 sides, the corner was cut-in to accommodate the entrance in an Octagonal shape. The Bank Branch required the provision of a Safe Deposit Vault with its other essential features. A careful note of the services that come along with a Restaurant necessitated its location towards the access driveway placed at the rear. A site parking for a tempo (a smaller truck) was also placed there. The driveway was taken from the rear of the site and connected to a central ramp to the basement below that provided parking for about 60 vehicles. An isolated block at the opposite corner facilitates an isolated entrance to the Guest Houses and the Dormitories on the third and fourth floor.

To provide for a prominent access to the marriage halls, off the main street, an elevated Grand stairway reached the first floor. Here, the larger Marriage Hall commands a double height. The other wing has an open Dining Hall. A host of green rooms and pantry facilities on the first and the second floor serve the two halls. The Smaller Hall directly sits on top of the Dining. A 24 meters by 18 meters wide central Atrium at the first floor provides for the light and ventilation of the halls. The atrium is closed on the top by 35 nos. pyramidal skylights. One of the interesting feature of this atrium is the sudden intrusion of the twin staircase into this space from the lobby. The staircases are free standing and supported on central walls.

The floors third and fourth above, house the guest house (10 on each floor with attached toilets) and 2 dormitories (one on each). The Octagonal entrance is here returned to my characteristic right angled corner.

The planning has been kept as simple as possible to allow for a predetermined set of elevations. These depict an interesting interplay of positive and negative spaces by the setting back and forth of the external wall. The elevations have been broken down into vertical masses to enhance the vertical character of the structure.

Conclusion :
Like my previous design project of the Departmental Showroom, this project was helpful in the designing that took a majority of clues from the existing site conditions and the available Floor Space Index (FSI) a deciding factor of the available built-up area.

Although, much restrained by my earlier conceptions of visualising my structures in sharp right angled corners, this project was another self analysing exercise of the critical development of the elevations. This time, the internal built spaces were also given a thorough consideration, as they would be visualised by a spectator.
 
 

Architectural Program :
Center for Sustainable Development was designed by me as a part of the curriculum in the semester 6, Year 3, of my Architectural study. This was the first time that any topic on landscape design was offered to us. The program was to develop the spaces around these already designed structures to complete the entire design project. The contents of the Architectural program that guided its design in the previous semester included the Main Administration block, Library facilities, Museum, four distinct Departments of Forests - Horticulture, Floriculture. Each was provided with its own department office, working spaces in form of open courts as well as technological labs and Green Houses. Adequate display houses were also built to present the researches in these fields. The Support Facilities consisted of a fairly large restaurant, catering to the needs of the faculty and visitors. The center also provided for he accommodation of the students and the faculty through 2 nos. dormitories and 2 nos. single and double bed residential units each. The overall planning is spread-out, to facilitate the maximum use of the site that is topographically uneven and commanding a perfect country weather necessary for the setting of such Forest Department studies.

Site :
The site is located mid-distance between the cities Bombay and Pune, two of major cities in the state of Maharashtra. The site is irregular in shape, linearly situated with its length about 1800 meters and average width 400 meters. One of the interesting features of this site is the V-shaped penetration by the adjacent Pauna lake. The site is located in almost virgin-like surroundings, still untouched by the on-slought of the human civilization. It was an ideal setting for a landscape project.

The Design Approach :
The first feature that caught my mind was the V-shaped penetration of the Pauna lake. To add to this feature, I decided to cut further into the land, thus creating a shallow lagoon. At the closest of the land points, I designed a suspended to connect the Support Facilities with the four Departments. All around this stretch of the lake was drawn a spacious 5 meter wide walkway. The monotony of this walkway was broken at places by projecting out covered shelters into the lake, and cantilevering them. These were the viewpoints. These were supported on steel braces and covered by pyramidal timber roofs. The theme of this design was set in the colours of red, with crimson red Manglore tile roofing over all the structures. These were complimented by the use of red circular rough-cut Agra stone over the pathways. These pathways were the life of the design as they stretched across every corner of the site, completely encompassing it. Keeping in mind the student community, informal sit-out ledge walls called Kuttas were lined along these paths of life. The entrance to the site is flanked by erecting tree logs and allowing the road to pass under them. Rose gardens are scattered intermittently to provide those additional splashes of colour.

The cafeteria is flanked by a rosewood deck over-looking the artificial lagoon. To compensate for this loss of land, a Summer house is placed on a shallow earth mount, in the middle of the lake . This is designed to provide the inhabitants, a natural place to relax and rejuvenate their strengths. The use of large boulder rocks along the edge of the lake enhanced its existence apart from its needs. Every other space is covered by plantations in commonly found shrubs and hedges. A variety of flowering and non-flowering shading trees of the Indian continent are also used- Rain tree (Samanea Saman), Badam (Terminalia Catappa), the Banyan tree (Ficus Bengalensis), Champa, Gulmohur (Delonix Regia). The walkway is lined with Coconut and other palm trees.

Conclusion :
This project helped me in the visualization of my building design in the context to its possible natural surrounding and landscape. Till now, when I was only concentrating on how the building form dominates the passive surrounding space, I could now realise the need of this passive creation and how it could add to the ambiance of the building form. It was also heartening to know how natural elements can contribute to the completeness of a design.

Further, this project also helped me to develop my drawing skills of freehand sketches and views in putting up my concept.

I have liked Landscape Architecture to an extent that I have always liked designing, whether structures or town centers or even land developments. However my first obsession has always been with designing shelters for the Users and also analysing their inter-relationships with reference to Economical, Political and Social setup. Landscape Architecture, I feel may provide the supplementary aspect that is also necessary for the success of any design in its totality.
 
 

Architectural Program :
This problem was my first exposure to Town Planning. The topic was to redesign the Nehru Nagar township at Kurla, constructed about 20 years ago, and now run over by encroachments from all sides. I was required to present a zonal land use plan, taking note of the site considerations, the available FSI, applicable municipal building regulations etc. The township was to be designed for the three distinct Income Groups of the city : LIG, MIG and HIG (described in my earlier topics). They are each represented in three distinct colours : Red, Blue and Yellow respectively. The minimum areas stipulated for each of these dwelling are 25, 50 and 80 sq. mts. respectively. A 27 meters wide S. G. Barve road transverses through the site, which could be placed at a suitable place as per the design of the planner. Other features of Transportation, Commercial areas, playgrounds, open spaces, social facilities, entertainment facilities, educational institutions and future development zones were also to be noted.

Site :
The site is irregular shaped in the Kurla suburb of the city of Bombay. The average measurements of the site are 6800 meters horizontally and 6000 meters vertically. The site has an existing 20 meters wide open Vihar pipe line corridor transversing in the North-East direction. A 20 meters wide overhead road bridge is proposed to connect the secluded Rashtriya Chemical Fertilizers zone at the far North. All around the site are other residential areas.

The Design Approach :
The area and population calculations preceded the actual design process. A total of 5731 dwelling units : 3479 for LIG, 1622 for MIG and 630 for HIG were worked out as per the existing town planning statistics. Accordingly, a rough division of area for the Income Groups were obtained.

Next started the designing process. It was obvious that the LIG group was going to absorb the maximum area of the site, the MIG next and then the HIG last. It was also understood that that the HIG were to be provided with adequate and attractive houses in order to generate funds for the redevelopment of the entire Nehru Nagar site. Consequently they were accommodated at the best location towards the reserved development areas to the North. They were provided with large individual row-houses with a spacious backyard. The LIG areas were, due to their sheer magnified number were kept in the large areas towards the South West. The required 27 meters wide highway was placed in the center and in straight direction to save as much site area as possible. Two service roads each 13 meters wide were placed 5 meters apart (Green belt), along the either side of the highway. The remaining MIG plots were divided equally over the either sides of this highway. An efficient transport system is organised in the site by providing a suitable network of internal roads. Care is taken that each of the IG zones have equal access to Health Facilities and a Primary school. Commercial facilities, markets, Cinema Theater, Shopping Complex, College and Secondary School, and Bank Branches have been kept together on the other side of the highway (East) to provide for ease of access. In addition, daily requirement and small shops have been accommodated in the zones themselves at prominent locations.

Conclusion :
This being my first Town Planning project, I was quite enthusiastic about the whole design process, the derivation of the guiding principles from the general statistical data as well as the understanding the art to read them. This was the first time that my design had to reflect on a much broader sense, be efficient in both the economical and the psychological aspect that governed such redevelopment projects. It was most helpful to visit the site and apprehend the living conditions that were existing there, taking note of the those that were good and also bad.

This project was instrumental in sowing the first seeds of Urban Planning and Design that, I now so earnestly want to pursue.
 
 

Architectural Program :
The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), a governmental body in charge of the industrial development of the state of Maharashtra, possess an industrial belt of about 400 acres of land. This belt is proposed to be utilised in the promotion of the traditional Knit-ware and the Leather industry mainly for the purpose of export to international buyers. MIDC plans to develop an area of 40 acres out of this belt into an Image Center depicting the theme of the Industrial activity that goes on in this belt. The Image Center was to be designed into a variety of zones.

A Common Facility Center, CFC, would include the requirements of a Museum (250 sq. m.), an Exhibition Space (500 sq. m.), a large Restaurant for about 50 people, an Auditorium for 250 persons, 3 nos. of Seminar Halls (each 100 sq. m.) and about 25 display and selling shops (25 sq. m. each). The Museum and the Exhibition space provide for the display of the leather and Knit-ware goods. The small Auditorium caters to the needs of the presentations and conferences of both the exporter and the international importer. The Lecture halls are to be used for holding press releases in addition to in-house discussions and decisions.

Other infrastructural facilities include a small Hospital, Bank Branches (3 nos.), a Telephone Exchange, a Post and Telegraph office, Communication Centers, offices of the Travel Agencies, a Police Station, a Bus Terminus, a Petrol Pump. Also community facilities include Centers for imparting Social Education to the workers and their families. Lodging facilities for the exporters include Guest Houses. All these facilities were required to be only designed in zones with respect to their specific locations.

An Important aspect of the proposal included the requirements for the storage and security of the Raw Materials, Bonded and Finished goods warehouse totaling about 5000 sq. meters. Other inherent facilities were offices for 5 nos. Clearing Agents. Departments of Customs, Excise Certification, Planning Authority and Environmental Concerns were also represented. A major chunk of the land was to be used in the parking of heavy Trailers (60 nos. of each bay 15 m by 4 m). Provision for the location of a Container Yard was also to be made. Security systems for the maintenance of the goods warehouses called for Watch towers at prominent places and enclosing high walls.

Site :
The site is located in Ambernath, a distant suburb of the city of Bombay. It borders a major access Badlapur-Shil Highway on the North. A service road 20 meters wide alongside and running parallel separates the highway physically from the site. Other roads on the three sides are the 20 meters wide road on the East, a 30 meter wide road on the South and a 45 meter wide approach road on the West. An open plot immediately next to the site on the South-East is reserved for recreational purposes. The entry for the Trailers has been taken from the 30 m wide road while the pedestrian and vehicular access has been taken from the 20 m wide service road. The site is uneven with the lowermost contour touching 45 meters at the center and rising gradually to 55 and 70 meters towards the corners.

The Design Approach :
Where most of my colleagues were persuaded by their design guides to locate their CFC’s on the highest available flat land (55 m contour towards the Western corner) to facilitate ease of access and other services, I had already decided to design my CFC at the place of greatest level difference i.e. over the contours 45 through 55, a vertical gap of 10 meters. My intention was to tap the uneven topography of the site to my maximum advantage (gaining a stepped built-form). Furthermore the valley formation would tempt the visitor to explore the vast interiors of the site.

The planning was kept symmetrical, about an axis at 45 degrees to the vertical half of the site. At one end the entrance foyer is in two tiers, slowly rising in level and culminating into a spherical shaped Museum. The earth is excavated around this to highlight its peculiar shape. The entrance foyer resolves into two constituent and mutually perpendicular directions to the Exhibition Complex on the East and the Auditorium on the South. Alongside this complex lie a small shopping mall created by the placement of the shops in a defined rhythm over the rising ground. Care has been taken that no level is higher than 1.2 meters than the previous lower level to maintain eye contact of the shopping enthusiast. The restaurant here, caters to the needs of this mall.

To the far south of the CFC lies the Auditorium. Connected to this are the three Seminar Halls in ascending levels, each staggered to accommodate an open courtyard. The entrance foyer befronts the lowermost area in the site, now converted into a oval shaped pond formation with a promenade around.

The Trailer parking, the Container Yard and the Warehouses are placed to the extreme and isolated West of the site to provide for its own independent movement and function. Additionally, this also helps in the maintenance of the security systems. In between this zone and the CFC are located other infrastructural facilities mentioned in the program previously. The health care facilities and the Guest houses lie to the East of the CFC.

Conclusion :
This project was my first exposure to a technical as well as a design oriented topic. Starting from here, I began to distance myself from my previous design approaches which to a large extent were predetermined and now, stagnant. Here, I could notice the topographical features of the site in detail that could influence the designing process. The site visit was the most helpful in this regard, noticing the overall site conditions, the climate, viewing parameters and other general environmental points

Also here, I had experimented with a more spreadout and an unclustered design. My intention was to take the visitor to every possible corner of the site. The other interesting aspect is the cumulative effect brought out by individual zones of the design in presenting a singular identity. It was most satisfying to derive a relation co-existing between the various design zones such that none of them dominates the rest, but at the same time them, strive to achieve a state of uniform harmony. To me, this design was an important part of my course work in the ultimate realization of my inclination to Urban Planning and Urban Design.
 
 

Overview :
We were required to take up the previous semester 8 MIDC problem for the preparation of the Working Drawings. Basically, the construction method is a mixture of both, RCC Framed and Load-Bearing construction. We were asked to provide the working drawing of the CFC block only. The prime feature of this session was the critical study of the Auditorium construction in detail, and to understand the practical construction methods that should be employed to achieve the conceptualised design. The main building unit is Brick (230 mm x 115 mm x 75 mm, depth).

The Seminar Halls have straight walls with independently supported flat RCC roofs. These are staggered as per site conditions, by using RCC retaining walls (with proper water proofing) to keep the earth in place. The auditorium is in totally RCC framed structure with a central balcony (over a fulcrum beam). Boxing in brick (115 mm thk.) has been used in the elevational design. The entrance portico roof is in a RCC pyramid shape with my characteristic Manglore tile roofing on the top. Chamfered RCC eaves have also been used.

The spherical Museum Complex, is entirely made to support on 8 large RCC columns and a network of ring beams, both above and below ground. In addition, Skin type RCC structures have been used to enhance the spherical profile. At the apex is provided a skylight. The earth around the this structure is excavated to 5 meters width and kept in place by retaining walls.

The shops are in simple load bearing construction with pyramidal RCC roof slabs. A series of free standing detached brick piers with stepped brick foundation line along the open to sky passages. There are also RCC piers for lofted passageways with their triangular walk-through profiles.
 
 

Foreword :
I was required to undertake a Dissertation as part fulfillment for the degree of Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Bombay. The other remaining fulfillment being the professional training period of 90 days, included in the semester 10.

I am the son of a renowned exponent of North Indian Classical Vocal Music. Consequently, it is with his music that I have out-grown my childhood. It was also natural that I select my dissertation on the topic of music. Besides, he would me the most appropriate person to help me understand the various reported and as well as unreported aspects of music, that could influence my design, making it stand out from the other attempts that were made prior to mine. He would also be instrumental in my attempts to gather elaborate national as well as international details on World Music, through his personal contacts he developed on his extensive tourage of the country and the world.

According to my father, World Music, taken literally, is the music of the world. This music recognises no boundaries, no specific cultural identity, no nationality, no racial discrimination. This music is generated by bringing all the existing music of the world, into a confluence. Presently, World Music consists of these major identified music systems.

    1. Western Music : music of the Europe and America.

    2. Music of the Middle East : Arabic, Persian origin.

    3. Indian Music : music of the Indian sub-continent.

    4. Chinese and Japanese Music.

    5. Music of the South-East : Javanese, Indonesian etc.

My proposal of CWMS is based upon the general notion that the Indian musician, under the dominating influence of his music, has for long confined himself to his music. It has been internationally accepted that Indian music is the one of most ancient and scientifically developed music system of the world, comparable to the music system of China. The Indian music is so vast that, it has not been even totally identified. However this, in no way tries to mean that the other music systems of the world are any less important. I want to provide the Indian music listener with a variety of music of the world and then allow him or her a chance to know, hear and understand the different music systems prevalent in the world. He should then be free to pursue the music he likes.

According to the basic understanding of an institution devoted to world music, it should possess and advocate a minimum of four distinct music systems. These could be of any of the ones listed above. Few but prominent examples of institutions promotional for the cause of world music are, the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Conservatory of Music, Holland and at the Wesleyan University, Connecticut, USA.

CWMS, located at Kharghar node, a newly planned out satellite town of the city of Bombay, is at less than 2 hours drive from the heart of this city. Kharghar node is also easily approachable from the other major city of the state of Maharashtra, Pune which is like Bombay, more musically inclined. For the success of such an institution, it is imperative that it be located, not far from the commercial, business and arts capital of India and yet so far that it enjoys the harmony and the tranquillity necessary for its function.

Architectural Program :
The program for CWMS is arrived at, more by my own personal research and also by the study of known institutions that in some way provide for these facilities. The program is divided into 2 main categories, the Main Institution and the Support Facilities.

The Main Institution houses the main four departments of world music, each with certain nos. of class rooms (12 nos.), Rehearsal rooms (3 nos.), a Multi-purpose Hall, an Audition room, musical instruments store, a Conference room, VIP room ands service core. In addition, a small staff and the office of the Director of Faculty have also been provided. Other common facilities include the World Music Concert Hall (for about 300 people), Seminar Halls (3 nos.), Workshop rooms (2 nos.), Symphony rooms (2 nos.) and a Conference cum Press Publicity room. The General Administration consists of the CWMS Executive Chairman, Assistant Chairman, Director of Administration, Director of Programs, Program Development Officer, Publicity Officer-In-Charge, Public Relations Officer, Chief Engineer of Services and additionally a Conference room and a small Canteen. The main institution also contains an extensive Music Library including, Archives (2 nos.), Open and Closed Stack Libraries, Audio Listening room, Cells for Visual room (9 nos.), Cassette Archives, Book Binding and Disinfection rooms, as also coping and staff rooms. The Auxiliary functions have also been incorporated into this institution. They include, Exhibition Gallery, Shops (17 nos.) for selling of cassettes and CDs etc., with its own canteen. The Research facilities in Computer Music include Computer Labs, Tape storage, Electronic Data Processing room (EDP), Electrical Maintenance rooms and stores. Other facilities are Sound Recording Studios for Individuals and Chorus as well as Artist rooms. There are also facilities for research in musical instruments including, Musical Instruments Storage (2 nos.), Tool rooms (2 nos.), Workshops, Maintenance rooms, Display rooms with their own Faculty-In-Charge, Common and Locker rooms.

The Support Facilities cover an extensive perview including, 2 Auditoriums, one small (of capacity 300 persons), other large (of capacity 1800 people), an Exhibition Pavilion (4000 sq.m.), an Amphitheater (of capacity 1300 persons), Museum Complex, and Department for Introductory Courses in music for children and students. Each of the auditoriums and the amphitheater is fully equipped with recording facilities. The Exhibition Pavilion consists of a large display area for holding world music conventions and seminars, and store. The Museum complex is self-sufficient with its own curator, display area, reserve collection store, workshops, multi purpose and utility rooms. The department of Introductory courses for children and students has its own director, common orientation rooms (4 nos.), Counselor rooms (4 nos.), Practice rooms (12 nos.), Projection rooms (4 nos.), Class rooms (5 nos.), Instruments storage (2 nos.), Office, as well as a Reference Library, Periodicals, Archives and a canteen.

A zonal layout of the residential and guest house accommodation for the Artists, Performers and the officers is also proposed. Further dormitories, for the student population and residencies for the lecturers, professors, ground staff and the caretaker are also grouped here.

Site :
The proposed site for the Center for World Music Studies lies in the sector 5 of the Kharghar Node, right at the foot of the mountains. The site is at the extreme edge of the sector. It is accessed directly from the Bombay-Pune highway by means of a 35 meter wide road. An additional 35 meter road runs along the length of the site. The site is bounded on the South-East by a Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) receiving station of area about 16 hectares. On the South-West is the 100 meter wide MSEB corridor. The site is bounded on all other directions by the mountain range, characteristic of the Node.

The total area of the proposed institutional site is about 16 hectares, out of which about 8.5 hectares have been utilised by CWMS. The periphery of the site is irregular. The average length of the site in the South-East to the North-East direction is 410 meters and that in the North-East to the South-West, is 295 meters. A storm water drain of about 10 meters width runs all along the boundary of the site to collect the rainwater flooding down the mountain.

The site is totally contoured beginning from the foot hills to the approach road of the site with a vertical descent of 12 meters within the site.

The Design Approach :
The earliest designing began by first understanding the topography of the site, noting down its physical features (valleys and cliffs). A comparative study of the surface rain water drain-off was made (my site is at the foot of a mountain). For these purposes, I prepared a study model of the site, observing the various possible water drain-off paths, water retention areas etc. The existing site remains barren.

I noted two prominent features. Firstly a large chunk of land, under a nominal slope, lay towards the North-East and a cliff formation on the West. These were separated by an equally extensive low lying flat land.

In the preliminary design stage, I decided to keep the Main Institution on this chunk of land. It was necessary that the common facilities had an easy access from each of the wings. Hence this remained in the center of a circular plan about which all the other institutional wings rotated (the four independent music system blocks, the entrance complex, the libraries and the research and development complex). To bring in the environment, I decided to stagger the floors on the upper levels, thus creating terraces. It is a widely accepted fact that, terraces and open spaces are necessary for encouraging creativity and a relaxing atmosphere, specially for the student population. This also helped in breathing ample light and ventilation into the main institution. Care was also taken to allow the circular form of the institution to flow with the nominal unevenness of the ground. Lofted curved portals were used to enjoy maximum uninterrupted space and also to define the curvature by exposing them as fins on the external and internal periphery.

Water is an essential factor for music. Water falling freely down the mountains is in itself, a source of music. I decided to use a dam that caught all the water that drained towards the site and collected it in the low lying area. Adequate services for the change of this water were also looked into. This dam serves an important connectivity to the two distinct parts of the CWMS. It is designed along a free axis that starts with the center of the spherical World Music Concert Hall at one end and ends at the center of another spherical, Museum Complex. Almost at the middle of the dam, is located the Entrance Plaza with a low height shell roof protecting the access driveway. Two smaller stairways on the opposite ends provide an independent access to the two parts.

Special care has been taken to provide equal opportunities to the handicap and the disabled to access the CWMS facilities by installing lifts at main cores and junctions and also providing suitable ramps all over.

The sphericaly shaped Museum is additionally capped on the top by a flat domical shell, with fins shooting radially down to the ground. Some of these penetrate into the water. The rest of the support facilities including the massive exhibition pavilion, department of introductory courses are allowed to fan out around the Museum in the true musical flow. Where the fan nears the curvature of the main institution, the amphitheater is planned. This serves a free flowing curve to the entire site profile.

On the far South East of the site are located the two auditoriums, aligned radially with the center of the institution block. These have separate access roads to enhance their independent functions.

The residential zoning is restricted to the extreme North East.

Conclusion :
This dissertation was another of my personal experimentation with axial planning. Much like the ancient cities, that I learned in history, CWMS displays an intricate definite flow pattern in the planning. It is also in confirmation with the musical phenomenon that follows no fixed rhythm and adopting my characteristic Organic free flowing form.

This dissertation was my most sincere and intense attempt at presenting a totally form oriented but functional design. I was also required to prepare a write up on the topic, elaborating upon the concept of the music in general and the World Music in particular.
 
 

Overview :
Wockhardt, the German Pharmaceutical giant had proposed to construct its commercial premises on a plot in the newly designed Bandra-Kurla Complex Town Plan. Initially this region was essentially a stretch of marshy and unproductive land. This was now taken over for development by the Government which instituted the Bombay Municipal Regulatory and Development Authority or the BMRDA the apex body concerned with the systematic development of this region. This region served a major boom to the construction industry that was suffering a lengthy inactive phase due to the lack of development land in proper Bombay.

Designed by the office where I worked, M/S Pheroze Kudianavala Consultants Architects Engineers Pvt. Ltd. and my department in particular, Pheroze Kudianavala Consulting Architects, PKCA, about two years ago, the general planning consisted of two basements and nine levels including the terrace. The service core (toilets, shafts, Air Handling Rooms) and the entrance lobby (lifts and the staircase) were placed at the short ends of a long rectangular office space. This plan was mirrored about a central imaginary axis passing through the covered driveway below.

My Scope of work :
I was assigned to handle Wockhardt and MTNL simultaneously. This project was already underway. The building design was already approved by the clients and the regulatory authorities. In fact, the two basements and the ground floor slab had already been casted. The stage was now set to begin the super-structure work and issue the next set of drawings to the contractor in accordance with the design. My contribution to the project remained in the working out of the internal details of the service cores, entrance lobbies and core, proportions of the curtain wall systems, box window (storage below and above), driveways, ramps, substation, providing for additional basement space. I also prepared a computer generated 3D-model of the same.

Conclusion :
An important aspect of this assignment was the opportunity to study the process of the execution. Till now, in college I had only used my imagination in my design skills, but here lay a new challenge, that to use my imagination to the exact execution of the design. In addition, I could study the BMRDA regulations (these were relevant to the Bandra-Kurla Complex only and different to those governed by the BMC in the rest of Bombay) stipulating the general conditions for the design of the buildings in the Bandra-Kurla Complex.

Another aspect was the essence of Team Effort. My office has different regular departments of services, electrical, plumbing, air-conditioning, etc. It was an enlightening experience to work closely with each of them and understanding in what capacity each contributes to the success of the design, or alternatively, how the success of the design is dependent upon the unhindered functions of these departments.
 
 

Overview :
M. T. N. L. or Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited, a government owned corporation, had proposed to construct their commercial telephone exchange in the heart and prime location at Peddar road, in the city of Bombay. PKCA had designed this complex almost a year ago. I  was asked to take off from the work that was previously done.

The basic allotment of the spaces in this Indian skyscraper consisted of floors ground to ninth (built-up area approximately 1000 sq. m. each) being used in the commercial needs. The tenth floor is used as a refuge-cum-service floor, to divert the plumbing and drainage lines that came down from the top (there is a provision for overhead tanks on the terrace and partly underground suction tanks on the ground floor). The above four floors were used for residential and a Guest house (on 14 ’th floor) purposes of accommodating the working staff and officers.

My Scope of work :
When I was assigned this project, the designing had already produced a workable and approved (by the regulatory municipal board) scheme and there was very little that one could add. Only, according to me the elevations needed a more coherent approach. I suggested to my boss, Mr. Kudianavala that I could further work on them and come up with more meaningful scheme, to which he whole heartedly agreed to.

The initial working plan (typical floors) had service balconies projecting off the building face that were used as horizontal bands that defined the earlier elevations. However, I found them to be inconsistent with the general planning with the bands being simply stretched out in the horizontal direction and absolutely having no bearing what-so-ever with the planning. The upper residential floors had balconies that projected out, in line with the outermost building facade.

I started out with a concept aimed at segregating the typical commercial floors from the residential ones above. These two magnified masses (stretching across multiple floors) were separated by the intermediate refuge floor that served a dark, hollow band. According to existing municipal building regulations the refuge floor was required to be free of any building work and lined with a low parapet or preferably a removable parapet railing. The vertical continuity was however maintained by stretching the firm’s characteristic, " bookends ", an important feature of the Architectural design, till the topmost floor. The clients further wanted us to install Curtain Wall systems on the main entrance facade. I had proposed to put these between the bookends and sticking to the service balcony parapet. I also supported my scheme with a self prepared 3D-computer generated model of the same.

Conclusion :
To me, this project was another practical exposure to Architecture. I could have a close study of the municipal regulations in relation to the design elements. I could study the calculation of the FSI or Floor Space Index (a ratio of the site area to the total built-up area) in depth and also study the process of municipal submission of the proposal. More importantly, this project was helpful in my understanding the concessions granted by the municipal regulations in the calculation of the FSI. This project brought to the fore my designing skills in the office which were very much appreciated.