Auwad Ahmad | Architectural Portfolio | Academic

Design Journey

Auwad Wajid Ahmad

In my work, I’ve tried to explore different design processes based on the kind of project that was dealt with. I believe that there isn’t a single way of solving design, and no solution is right or wrong, it’s only the efficiency of ‘problem solving’ the design can offer. In most of my projects, I’ve tried to base my design on the core concerns the site challenged. I’ve tried to identify these concerns and solved them in the best of my ability and knowledge. My work follows themes of reinvention, experimentation and conceptual metaphors. Through experimental and playful articulation of design concept, I’ve tried to create a possible scenario through iterative virtual modelling. I believe that Architecture is all about experimentation and exploration. It is a challenge in itself to be experimental, only then designs can be innovative. To make mistakes in order to better a design, and the only mistake is that from which we learn nothing. Learning is a continuous growth curve and in the end you only regret the chances you don’t take.

InFORM Architects, Bangalore

Junior Architect under Ar. Kiran Worked on 4 Large scale Projects High rise Residential Projects, Job roles -

Design development, Iterative Consultant interaction, Consultant

Space Redefined, Bangalore Junior Architect to Project Lead Handled 20+ Projects, including Holiday Homes, Commercial Interior Design, and Apartment Job roles -

Lead Designing, Working Drawings, Meetings, Vendor Meetings,

Space Redefined, Bangalore Design Intern under Ar. Ravi Worked on 9 Projects, including Residential, Commercial, Public, Job roles -

Conceptual Designing, Working Site visits,

Abhignya Grandhi Architects

Design Intern under Ar. Abhignya

Handled in-office 3D modelling Handled Design competition Handled Design competition

Freelance Projects, Jan 2022 For ABB industries - Scaled For D2E, Bangalore - Mr. Jayaram 3D Walkthroughs - Mr. Ashwin

EDUCATION

School of Architecture, Dayananda Sagar Academy B. Arch, Architectural Education

Vidhya Ashram, PU College, XIth & XIIth

St. Arnold’s Central School, VIIth grade to Xth grade

Oxford Public School, Mumbai Vth grade to VIth grade

International Indian School Ist grade to 4th grade

Auwad Ahmad

Bangalore - (Full-time employee) Sept 2022 - 9 mo

Kiran Venkatesh (Principal)

Projects includingProjects, High rise Student Hostels, University Campus

Iterative Visualisations, BIM coordination, BIM Modelling, Consultant BIM Coordination, Client Interaction.

Bangalore - (Full-time employee) Jun 2021 14 mo

Lead under Ar. Ravi Ramachandran (Principal) includingCommercial buildings, Industrial buildings, Landscape, design, Apartment buildings.

Drawings, Client Presentation, Material Selection, Client Meetings, 3D rendering, Site Management.

Bangalore (Academic Internship) Feb 2021 4 mo

Ramachandran (Principal) includingPublic, Urban Design, Interior Design

Working Drawings, Presentation Drawings, 3D Rendering,

Architects, Vishakapatnam (Internship) Mar 2020 2 weeks Abhignya Grandhi (Principal)

modelling and Detailed Drawings

competition of a Planetarium in Vishakapatnam competition of a Fashion school in Italy.

2022 - Sept 2022 9 Mo

Scaled Physical Model of Urban Redevelopment

Jayaram Residence, Mr. Venkat Residence Ashwin Suresh Residence

Academy of Technology & Management, Bangalore Education

College, Mysore

School, Mysore

Mumbai

School Riyadh, Riyadh

3D Modelling, 2D Drafting, and ScriptingAutodesk: Revit with Basic Dynamo Rhino.Inside.Revit

Rhinoceros with Grasshopper AutoCAD

Sketchup

Maya

Rendering, Digital Image and Presentation: Lumion

Enscape

Vray

Adobe CC: Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, InDesign

Microsoft Office: Powerpoint, Excel, Word

Hard Skills

Model making, Sketching, Drafting

Personality Skills

Leadership, Team builder, Oration

Languages

English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarathi, Urdu

ACHIEVEMENTS

Un-Learning of Space National Competition

Honourable Mention

Architerrax International Portfolio Competition

Finalist

Docexdoce India National Competition

Finalist

Thesis Selected for COA-NIASA National Level

Top 3 in University

Unit Secretary, NASA India

President of the Student Body Union School of Architecture, DSATM, Successfully hosted along with the Student body, Virtuoso: Art Exhibition, Menstrual Awareness Camps. Social, Cultural & Sports activities

Participation in National Design Competitions (NASA India) Nari Gandhi, HUDCO 2019 & 2020, Industrial Design, ANDC 2019 & 2020 (Shortlisted in top 100)

SKILLS WORKSHOPS

Universal Design

Game Design

Rainwater Harvesting

Urban Agriculture

Structures

CONTENT

This portfolio is a vibrant compilation of my daring architectural experiments that have paved the way for my thrilling journey of exploration. Throughout my exhilarating education in the realm of architecture, I’ve yearned to unleash its possible potential and test its superpowers. I pondered whether architecture could be more than just concrete and steel. Can it be a powerful statement or a creative expression? Could it hold the key to unlocking the enigmatic depths of the human psyche?

Can architecture actually twist reality and transport you to alternate dimensions? These questions have helped me to critically analyze buildings. To push the limits in finding out the real potential of design. So here are some windows peeping into my jounrey of exploring archiecture.

Can Architecture make a statement?

Can Architecture address a social problem?

Can Architecture contribute to mental well-being?

Can Architecture contribute to physical well-being?

KARWAAN - Contemporary Performing Arts University

Sem 6 - Design Studio

SUNKEN CITY - Re-thinking decaying underground Public Spaces

Sem 9 - Design Thesis

MENTIS - Un-Learning of Space

National Competion - Honorable Mention

KRIDANGAN - Community Sports Hub

Sem 5 - Design Studio

01 KARWAAN - CONTEMPORARY PERFORMING ARTS UNIVERSITY STUDIO PROJECT | SEM 6| 2019|BANGALORE

The studio objective was to propose a performing arts campus on an existing old campus of UVCE, Bangalore. In the heart of the city, amidst all the chaos and density. The site was in the geographical centre of Bangalore, a landmark named KR Circle. This made the site context being filled with administrative buildings all around. The Vidhana Soudha, Vikas Soudha, High Court, City Civil Court, The famous Canara Bank, Town Hall, and many other ancient legislative structures.

01 KARWAAN - CONTEMPORARY PERFORMING ARTS UNIVERSITY STUDIO PROJECT | SEM 6| 2019|BANGALORE

To be different isn’t easy.

For a society like ours, with constant criticism from peers, makes it a struggle to even think of being different. This struggle is what one goes through to even be a part of Performing Arts School. The struggle of being different. A campus, which isn’t embracing the peculiarity of it’s students, is futile in welcoming them. In fact, a campus must symbolise their exceptionality.

At site was this library block, bearing the weight of a century’s wisdom which I couldn’t build upon. So I utilized it make a statement. Picture, if you will, a heartwarming spectacle - the venerable gothic structure standing proudly at the center, like a cherished memory held close. Around this cherished relic, I summoned forth the ethereal whispers of contemporary forms, gently caressing the old with the new.

In this romantic symphony of lines and curves, I could visualise an ode to acceptance - where heritage and innovation find solace in each other’s arms. And so, my architectural dream was realized - a timeless tale etched in stone, eternally whispering, “Embrace the differences, for therein lies the beauty of acceptance.”

The site itself had a UVCE Campus Building which was a hundred years old with a Library block in the centre designed in gothic style of Architecture. We were to assume that the entire campus structure was demolished except the Library Block. THE LIBRARY BLOCK COULD BE RETAINED. Also, the site was divided into two parts with a 20m wide road running in between.

The idea was to first address the prominent concerns and issues as mentioned below. Secondly, to retain the existing library block in such a way, that it doesn’t just exist, but completes the design. And to experiment with a blend of these striking forms with the old gothic architectural style of the Library.

Emphasising the Subject

Initially the idea was to retain the Library block in such a way, that the design remains incomplete without it. And in order to do that, the block had to be centralised in the whole organisation. From landscape, to built form, to circulation. In fact, it was to be the main attraction when one entered.

The Built form was then added starting with the Academic Blocks around the library block, with an intention to create a background of contemporary forms (emphasis) for the library block (subject).

The voids in the overhead walkway allowing daylight to disperse over the landscape below creating an art that only nature can. The landscape tries to be a part of the walkway, though on a different level, making it a point of pause above, and a point of relaxation below. The amphitheatre at the rear side of the red library block takes advantage of it’s centrailised arrangement and ensures that it becomes a converging vantage point for performances.

The Master plan is in a centralised organisation in the bigger portion of the site where the focus is the Central Library. The Library is painted red to emphasise it’s focal nature over the white background of the academic blocks. The auditorium is a substructure below the circular pavillion on the smaller portion of the site. The auditorium is public and hence the divisive nature of the site keeps the degree of privacy intact. However, this is blended on some level due to the presence of the overhead pedestrian walkway, which is the main attraction of the design.

02 SUNKEN CITY - RETHINKING DECAYING UNDERGROUND PUBLIC SPACES STUDIO PROJECT | DESIGN THESIS| 2020|NEW DELHI

In the ethereal realm of architectural exploration, my thesis embarked on a captivating experiment—an ardent quest to unveil the magical bond between architecture and societal woes. A tale of hope unfurled, as I dared to wonder: Can architecture weave a tapestry of safety, casting away the shadows of crime? Can it breathe life into a once-forgotten urban oasis, breathing new dreams into its decaying streets? Enchanting my senses, a bustling subterranean PALIKA BAZAAR, in the heart of Delhi, became the enchanted canvas, beckoning me to paint its destiny with the hues of possibility. I delved into the depths of urban design theories, seeking the key to this transformative alchemy. And in this journey, I have witnessed, that responsility, in the form of thoughtful design, can mend the scars of a wounded city.

02 SUNKEN CITY - RETHINKING DECAYING UNDERGROUND PUBLIC SPACES

STUDIO PROJECT | DESIGN THESIS| 2020|NEW DELHI

Alas, the Palika complex, a bustling haven with fifteen thousand souls, weeps under the weight of countless crimes. Its heart yearns for revival, trapped in the clutches of urban decay. Many wise minds, architects, and activists alike, have whispered theories of transformation. Yet, a new enchanting challenge unfurls—to weave these theories into a tangible architectural reality.

Connaught Place, commonly referred to as CP, is one of Delhi's most iconic and historically significant sites. The circular structure of Connaught Place is surrounded by Georgian-style buildings, showcasing white colonnades and graceful arched entrances. The facades exude a sense of timeless elegance, making it a distinct architectural landmark. Paalika bazaar is one of the sector of CP and the first underground market in India with modern amenities.

EYES ON STREET

PERISCOPIC WINDOW

Territoriality is something that can only be felt by users when they belong. This can only be achieved when the user has had a long relationship with a place. Besides this, territoriality could be simulated by creating an identifiable imageability of a place where the person belong. An attempt to create this imageability was made by using the inner walls of the Periscopic window by painting them into different colours.

A controlled access is imperative in avoiding urban decay. It was achieved here by designing a public realm as the centralised space. This public realm would be used by people most of the time containing high volume of traffic and thus being a mass source of natural surveillance. The further entrances to the building would be through this public place making the existing public traffic aware of who enters and who exits the bazaar.

The bazaar falls on an axis created by Lutyens and hence it was built underground to preserve that very same axis. However, the existing bazaar doesn’t embrace this. The proposed design has observation decks as seen in the image which allows pedestrians crossing over the bridge to pause and experience the geometrical alignment of the axis and visually see on one end, the Parliament House, and on the other, Jama Masjid. The suspending members of the bridge also make a profile to literally FRAME THE VIEW.

The above image is of the shopping alley of the bazaar in it's current state. It has no visual access to what's happening in other alleys nor what's happening outside. With no scope for natural ventilation either, makes it claustrophobic and dingy.

The proposed design is more of an open kind, with shopping alleys looking into each other and having visual access to the outside. Terraces at different levels of Paalika share soft glances, lending a soothing, breathable ambiance to the space. The proposed design opens up crevices into a fully enclosed bazaar making it safe and comfortable atmosphere.

Section here shows the improvement in the design on the market. The exisiting building is submerged into the ground completely giving no room for any ventilation and porosity. The new design has a central open to sky public plaza with various acitivties making it busy and full of life.

The brief was to design an unconventional room of 25m2 which would be a plugged in space to any house. This space wouldn't be utilised for any conventional purposes such as sleeping, dining, cooking, etc. The brief demanded to come up with an innovative function that would be a retreat or an escape during lockdowns

Humans are drawn to treehouses like echoes of a primal connection. These elevated havens ignite our childhood fantasies, invoking a sense of adventure and wonder. Perched amidst nature's embrace, treehouses evoke a nostalgic yearning for simpler times. Their leafy canopies offer respite from mundane realities, providing a sanctuary where imaginations run wild. In these elevated realms, we find solace in nature's gentle caress, fostering a deep bond with the world beyond our walls. Treehouses symbolize a longing for freedom and escape, reminding us of a time when life was unburdened by complexities, and the world was an enchanting playground waiting to be explored.

04 KRIDANGAN

COMMUNITY SPORTS HUB STUDIO PROJECT| SEM 5| 2018|BANGALORE

The objective of the studio was to design a sports hub for the community of Basavangudi. The aim was to design our first public space meant for all age groups catering to atleast 7 sports. The site chosen was in Bangalore between two major roads for maximum connectivity.

Portal Frame

Multipurpose Stadium

Indoor Arena

Court games

Overhead OAT

Admin

Gym and Locker

04 KRIDANGANCOMMUNITY SPORTS HUB STUDIO PROJECT| SEM 5| 2018|BANGALORE

In India, 3 out of 4 men are overweight. There maybe a number of factors causing this, but one of the key factor is advancement in human lifestyle. The modern human lifestyle has influenced the humans in such a way that living has become extra comfortable, and that has made it extremely difficult for us to step out of our comfort zone, and live a lifetstyle that’s much healthier. This discouragement, in this scenario, can be termed as “laziness”. People tend to be lazy especially when it comes to sports and keeping fit. Another contributing factor in less participation in sports in the country is the underconfident nature of people. According to studies, sports when played in groups tend to boost confidence of individual players than when played individually.

The brief was to design a sports centre, for public, age group from 12 to 50. The design was to cater for the sports played locally in the context and the program was hence developed considering the lack of amenities for a sport which is played commonly in the surroundings.

The idea was to create visual connectivity between the outside and the inside. A sense of transparency in exhibiting the activity happening inside the structure, appealing to the ones outside to be a part of it. This transparent nature of the design makes it even more so attractive in the absence of daylight. And to encourage participation the schedules have to be flexible for the busy life of urban populace. The absence of daylight makes up for a splendid view.

The difference in contour just being 1.5 m across, longitudinally, made the site almost flat causing no much level different in the landscape. Consequently, the ground plane level was kept in between the levels of two Roads along the site. If the front road level was cosidered as zero, the rear road level would be -1.5m, and the ground plane of the design was -0.75m. The vehicular road running through the site, however had a slope of 10 degrees at front and rear entrances. This road had hardscape designed, being part of the landscape and also would act as fire truck access road in case of emergencies.