leela keshav
architecture + design selected projects 2021
> table of contents architecture rooms for ixelles connecting collectives
4 - 11 12 - 19
centre for dialogue and collaboration 20 - 29 landscape architecture recording chiefswood
30 - 37
professional work atelier tsuyoshi tane architects
38 - 39
taktyk landscape + urbanism
40 - 41
personal work illustration
42 - 43
peripatetic
44 - 45
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leela keshav | portfolio 2021
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> rooms for ixelles “The city is like a great house, and the house in its turn a small city.” - Leon Battista Alberti
This public gallery and artist’s residence in Ixelles, Brussels, weaves into the city fabric both physically and socially. With its prominent corner site, it acts as a node that joins the busy day-to-day activity of Avenue de la Couronne and the residential Rue Wery, bringing together locals and visitors to the city. The artist’s studio on the top floor allows for rotating residencies that engage with Brussels’ already rich art scene. The first part of the studio focused on the construction of a 1:33 foam site model. With its highly representational textures, it provided a set for creating photorealistic images, as well as being a design tool for the next phase of the project. The building is conceived of as a series of semi-levels that branch off of a central staircase “promenade,” reminiscent of the nearby Victor Horta House. The interplay between gallery rooms creates an interior façade that frames views both within and outside of the gallery. The exterior façade continues the rhythm of the street while marking the corner with increased height. Protruding columns and floorplates clad in red stone continue the theme of weaving in relation to the adjacent façades. 4
project completed for an exchange term at tu delft, chair of interiors buildings cities > completed 2019-2020 > supervised by susanne pietsch > model-making, photography, autoCAD, illustrator
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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+0m
-0,69m
-1,3m
-1,35m
> ground floor plan
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leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> 1:33 site context model site model in collaboration with tipp bongers, nathalie clausen, nina van dulmen, lorenzo gaveglio, qi jing, liselotte klerk, cyriac levet, sanne luider, laurens de munck, maarten abe nijenhuis, pien nods, yasmijn quandt, and suihao zhen (photo by pien nods)
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> axonometric from avenue de la couronne 8
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> axonometric from rue wery architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> roof assembly detail
> wall assembly at floorplate
> detail section 10
Typical wall assembly: precast fibreglassreinforced concrete panels (including protruding element); steel rail; 3 layers of faomular codebord exp ridig insulation, R-22.5 ship lap edge; water + vapour barrier; sheathing; wide-flange steel column 270x290 or timber post 48 x 134; gympsum interior finish 12,7mm leela keshav | portfolio 2021
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> connecting collectives “The villa was, in terms of occupation, an open plan relatively permeable to the numerous members of the household, all of whom (…) were obliged to pass through a matrix of connecting rooms where the day-to-day business of life was carried on. It was inevitable that paths would intersect during the course of a day, and that every activity was liable to intercession unless definite measures were taken to avoid it.” - Robin Evans, from Figures, Doors, and Passages
This student residence at York University in Ontario explores the maximization of the collective through the concept of creating a matrix of connected rooms with an emphasis on the “middle room” as the room with the greatest degree of connectivity. Collectivity is emphasized not only through spacial configuration, but also through program. The ritual of dining together is celebrated in a series of dining halls on the East-West axis, stemming from the residence’s shared kitchens. Students in the residence also participate in the cultivation of food in the greenhouse that stretches along the North-South axis. The residence provides a feeling of permanence despite being a transitory home. Human-scaled spaces, the separation of indoors and outdoors by avoiding full glazing, and a warm material palette of primarily brick and wood contribute to the feeling of home. 12
featured in the school of architecture’s project review 2020 > completed 2019 > supervised by lola sheppard > rhino, illustrator, photoshop, vray
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
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> ground floor plan architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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a
b b a c
b
c
c
a b
> context plan showing connective green network
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a. metro stop b. grocery store c. parks and community gardens
> cross-sectional elevation 14
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> exterior view looking through ambulatory The project can be read as a tartan containing three distinct buildings, two courtyard sequences, and four East-West oriented ambulatories that traverse the site, stitching it together. The ambulatories are not general distributors of movement, as are corridors, but passages that link spaces and act as a wayfinding system through the buildings.
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> ‘konstellation am 15. und 19.2 1982’ (helmut federle 1982)
> degrees of connectivity accross rooms in an undergraduate house
dining hall
exterior ambulatory
interior ambulatory vestibule
kitchen
unit
greenhouse
unit
central common room
unit unit
unit
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> room sequence diagram
back vestibule
unit
The undergraduate residences are divided into Houses, each following a typical domestic sequence of vestibule, living room, kitchen, dining, etc. and arranged as a series of units around a central common room, avoiding corridors. Here, students “live from the centre.” The units are the least connected (most private) rooms and the common room is the most connected. leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> hammershoi and de hooch, painters of rooms + analytical plan diagrams left: four rooms, interior from the artist’s home, vilhelm hammershøi (1914) right: the courtyard of a house in delft, pieter de hooch (1658)
> interior perspective through vestibule architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> upper year student units with shared washroom and shared study den
> graduate student units with private washrooms and shared kitchen
> first year student units with shared washroom and window seats 18
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
a
b
c
d
e
> bands of planting in greenhouse (central) and courtyards (peripheral)
a. hanging herbs | full sun b. vertical planting and beds | part sun c., d. hydroponics | artificial light e. storage | underground
> planting types within the greenhouse
> interior view through greenhouse architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> centre for dialogue and collaboration “The theory of ‘prospect and refuge’ seeks to describe why certain environments feel secure and thereby meet basic human psychological needs. Environments that meet such needs will often provide people with the capacity to observe (prospect) without being seen (refuge).” - From “Prospect and Refuge Theory: Constructing a Critical Definition for Architecture and Design” by Annemarie S. Dosen and Michael J. Ostwald
The Centre for Dialogue and Collaboration in downtown Toronto is a sanctuary for inclusive conversation. Its spacial organization stems from an interest in prospect-refuge theory, which shows that feelings of security and comfort require both areas of outlook and retreat. The meeting spaces are flexible and highly connective and form the central axis of the building, while peripheral space allows for places of refuge, to take a step away from intense discussion. Meeting rooms collect vertically around a garden courtyard and have direct access to northern peripheral passageways. A variety of glazing conditions and sliding screens allow for adaptability, giving people control to create an atmosphere suited to the specific meeting. 20
featured in the school of architecture’s project review 2021 > completed 2020 > supervised by andrew levitt > rhino, autoCAD, illustrator, photoshop
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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01
02
04
> ground floor plan
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0
1m
4m
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leela keshav | portfolio 2021
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05
11
08
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01. entry porch 02. vestibule + shoes 03. reception
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04. community kitchen 05. garden passage 06. medium meeting room
07. large breakout space 08. courtyard garden 09. bike share
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
10. additional bike parking 11. outdoor soaking bath 12. private resarcher’s residence
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a
b
01
02 07
03
04
08
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01. elder’s room 02. rest space along passage 03. medium meeting room 04. medium meeting room
> second floor plan
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05. balcony overlooking park 06. large breakout space 07. small meeting room 08. facilitator’s office
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01
09
02 06 04 10
07
> third floor plan
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01. video conferencing studio 02. admin office 03. balcony 04. small meeting room
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08
05. resting space + kitchenette 06. large meeting room 07. small mechanical room 08. small breakout space
09. small meeting room 10. storage room 11. small breakout space
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> view a: elder’s room
> view b: garden passageway architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> west elevation
> north elevation
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leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> longitudinal section
> courtyard view
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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350mm deep glulam trusses, spaced min. 3700mm o.c., max. 6300mm oc.
Stud-framed dormer to accomodate headroom in fire stair 2x12 purlins spaced 600mm o.c., insulated with sheep’s wool batts
2x12 non-bearing stud wall assembly: west facade
2x12 non-bearing stud wall assembly: south facade
CLT elevator core
233mm x 233mm (typ.) glulam columns, thinner on upper floors 350mm x 120mm (typ.) glulam beams, min. span 2100mm, max. span 8100mm
5-ply CLT floor panels (sitting over beams), max. span 5200mm
> structural axonometric 28
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
A Eavestrough painted to match timber Ventilated timber soffit
B
> assembly A
> assembly B
6.35x190mm cedar shingles spaced 10mm Air gap with 50mm horizontal and vertical strapping 25.4mm Comfortbatt semi-rigid insulation, R-4 Air and water barrier 12.7mm plywood sheathing 2x12 purlins with 300mm sheep’s wool batts insulation, R-40 12.7mm plywood sheathing Vapour barrier 30mm timber interior cladding finish
40x100mm Western red cedar screen, operable for maintance Triple-glazed sliding window, aluminum inner frame with timber cladding
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | ara temporalis | centre for dialogue and collaboration
architecture > rooms for ixelles | connecting collectives | centre for dialogue and collaboration
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> recording chiefswood Every landscape is a palimpsest. Marks are made on the landscape in layers, recorded or forgotten with the passage of time. Why do we record things? We record to remember, to learn, to pass on. We record through storytelling, through writing, through memorizing, through categorizing and archiving. We record what we see, hear, think, taste, smell, predict. But we are not the only ones to make and keep records. In the landscape, there are living records: plants, insects, mammals, reptiles, birds. These are records of constant cyclical growth and change. These records – fluvial, earthen, or cultural – grow our collective memory and enrich our perceptions of not only the landscape, but ourselves. Through envisioning Chiefswood Park, part of the Six Nations Reserve in Southern Ontario, as a record, this project allows for three areas of mark-making and record-keeping: the crops, the forest, and the wetland. 30
> completed 2018 > supervised by jane hutton > rhino, photoshop, illustrator, model-making
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
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> site plan landscape architecture > recording chiefswood
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Left: An initial study examined the process of sedimentation and mark-making through the agency of the Grand River. Found organic material was pressed into wet plaster, creating a negative once dried and removed. Clear glycerin cast the positive once poured over the twelve plates. This first investigation of accumulated material deposited by the river led to an interest in the river as a creator of records, and ways of preserving these records. Right: A dynamic model made of 150 plaster plates shows marks being made in one portion of the site. It can be rearranged to show the changing patterns of mark-making over time. > plant matter cast in glycerin model in collaboration with michelle li and rushali patel
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leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> cast plaster ‘record-keeping’ model, 45cm x 60cm
landscape architecture > recording chiefswood
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burn seed
[dormant]
burn
grow harvest
The crops are seeded and harvested yearly with the aid of the public. They are burned, marking the earth with the charred remains of what once grew. These marks are preserved as layers in the record-wall of the crops pavilion, revealing the landscape as a living palimpsest.
plant
grow
[dormant]
tap
In the forest, sugar maples are planted in rows, allowing them to be read as new layers of planting. The forest provides a setting for birdwatching, as well as creative activities such as writing.
plant
thaw
freeze
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flood
recede
The wetland is a sponge for the seasonal floods, planted in layers over time. Inlets carved into the earth provide a habitat for turtles. The pavilion’s concrete wall records the floods, as canoes drift in and out of the boat house. leela keshav | portfolio 2021
year 1
year 2
> crops: notation describing marks made over time through burning and growing patterns
new tree
existing tree
year 1
year 2
year 3
> forest: notation describing pattern of new tree growth that contrasts with the pattern of existing trees
year 1
year 2
year 3
year 4
> wetland: notation describing flood levels over time in relation to plant growth and record-gathering landscape architecture > recording chiefswood
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> wetland pavilion sections
> exterior view of wetland pavilion and flood wall 36
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> forest pavilion sections
> exterior view of forest pavilion and tree-planting landscape architecture > recording chiefswood
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> atelier tsuyoshi tane architects At Atelier Tusyoshi Tane Architects in Paris, I collaborated with a team of six architects and interns on a competition project for a large department store. I carried out historical and image-based research, as well as creating concept diagrams and collages that informed the evolution of the design. I played a key role in the construction of a 1:200 site model made of painted clay and foam. I also was responsible for completing a model of the “Light is Time” art installation, made of 40,000 gold beads, that was shown at the Archaeology of the Future exhibtion in Tokyo in October 2018. 38
> internship from september-december 2018 > model-making, rhino, autoCAD, illustrator, indesign, photoshop
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> parisian ‘ilot’ model (left) and light is time model for the archaeology of the future exhibtion
> concept collage for a competition entry for a parisian department store professional work > atelier tsuyoshi tane architects | taktyk landscape + urbanism
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> taktyk landscape + urbanism At taktyk, an office of twelve landscape architects in Paris, I was involved in a variety of projects ranging from the design of a small courtyard garden in central Paris to a large-scale urbanism proposal in Metz. As part of a small team, I was responsible for producing drawings and diagrams in autoCAD and the Adobe Creative Suite, as well as making iterative physical models. I worked both collaboratively and independently, going on my own for site visits within the city. I communicated in both English and French and sat in on client and group meetings. 40
> internship from may-august 2019 > model-making, autoCAD, illustrator, indesign, photoshop
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> landscape proposal for a competition in cergy, france, in collaboration with snøhetta professional work > atelier tsuyoshi tane architects | taktyk landscape + urbanism
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> “the seven circles of manoomin,” a circular graphic novel about anishinaabe resistance to the line 3 pipeline
> illustration I enjoy exploring watercolour and ink illustration. The following illustrations were completed during spring and summer 2020 (right) and summer 2021 (above). 42
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
> “she saw omens, but survived thursday”
> “coronamaison”: an imaginary room personal work > illustration | peripatetic
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> peripatetic publication The ancient Greek work peripatētikós, or peripatetic, translates as “given to walk about.” Cycling between four- and eight-month study and work terms, Waterloo Architecture’s undergraduate program embodies the idea of learning through moving from one location to another. Peripatetic is a 283-page publication, and an independent project spanning 7 months, that shares conversations, photographs, sketches, and reflections of student experiences both within and outside the workplace while on co-op. The range of experiences—from exploring a city on foot to adapting to a different office culture to creative interests students carry with them—deepens our relationships with what we study in school to push the boundaries of architecture and design. Divided into three sections with stories across four continents, Part One: From Place to Place, shares travel stories and observations of different geographical and cultural landscapes. Part Two: Between Here and There focuses on the creative interests, often inspired by their locations, that students bring with them while on co-op. Part Three: The Road Less Traveled, takes a step beyond traditional architecture practices to explore alternative workplaces and entrepreneurial co-ops. Through interviews and articles, this magazine provides first-hand accounts of how students navigate various working and living cultures and gives examples of different pathways in the co-op program. 44
View the full publication here: https://issuu.com/peripatetic/ docs/peripatetic_fall_2020 > independent project in collaboration with Michelle Li > conducting interviews, gathering material, designing layouts in Indesign
leela keshav | portfolio 2021
personal work > illustration | peripatetic
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thank you