Design Portfolio 2014-2023

Urban Designer | Architect

Mohak Jhawar

Master of Urbanism and Strategic Planning

Master of Human Settlements

Bachelor of Architecture

DESIGN PORTFOLIO

2 Habitable Industries, Brussels, Belgium

- community development

- retroffiting - redevelopment

- new stakeholders and institutions

- innovative and technological hub

4 Energizing Maastricht, Netherlands

- urban re-vitalization

- new models of affordable housing

- streets reintervention

- socio-economic growth

CONTENTS

3 Resilient Coastal Development, Hue, Vietnam

- regional planning

- water and forest urbanisms

- strategies for natural disasters

- tourism industries

- documentation and analysis

1, 5, 6 Masterplanning Projects, India

- urban design

- urban planning

- mixed use development

- feasibility study

PROJECT 1

Masterplanning of Institutional Campus Mumbai, India

406 acres of Master Plan establishes a long term vision for intergrated intitutional cum residential campus

Master plan includes a comprehensive academic and research core, hospital and medical campus, K-12 school, Innovation District, Hotel and Conference Center, and extensive sports and recreation facilities

tied by integrated public realm and open space, quads, courtyards, plazas, gardens, streets form the primary elements of the landscape toolkit – each designed with attributes for diversity, variation and adaptation.

Framework Concept

- Master plan organized around a series of spatial and programmtic concepts to create an enduring and adaptable framework.

These concepts include:

- a park like setting with a system of quads connected by arcades forming the primary organizing elements

- multi-centric masterplan

- mixed use housing neighborhoods

- System of quads, each with a distinct and unique character and program components

- A vibrant and pedestrian oriented system of shaded streets and walkways

- Colocation of allied companies and mixed uses to foster external partnerships and the development of an innovation oriented eco-system

Section B5

Type B3

Mixed Use Neighbourhood

Sustainable Mobility Strategies

As part of the overall mobility network, the campus integrates technologies and support facilities to encourage the use of shared electric vehicles, bikes and the internal transit shuttle. Solar arrays are encourage over parking garages and surface parking zones to generate alternative energy, reduce urban heat island impact and provide

External Trip Routes for Morning Inbound Peak

mobility designed to use internal resources

PROJECT 2

Site Densities

Variying Densities Across the North Quarter

Habitable Industries, Brussels North Quarter, Belgium

The North Quarter epitomizes many prominent challenges in the Brussels-Capital-Region:

the mismatch between infrastructural provision allowing Brussels’ metropolitan position and inherent landscape logics of its geography;

the intense waves of destruction and reconstruction that left many without a home and that provide cracks for many others to find one;

the presence of a broad array of mobile groups from commuters to students, asylum seekers, and tourists.

The main focus of the design studio consisted of articulating a concrete spatial strategy for developing a sizable urban fabric, serving the community in 2050.

Design Proposal

- formulate a concrete spatial strategy for developing a sizable urban fabric integrating the fragmented tisue that serves the community until 2070

Hermann Bollmann, Bird’s eye view map of Midtown Manhattan, New York City, 1963

Decay and Reclaim

The method represents the major changes in a city through maps of representative periods in time.

The maps focuses on the decay of buildings and infrastructure - meaning the process whereby the (functioning) city falls into disrepair and decrepitude - and their reclaim for new use.

After analyzing this methodology, it was adopted and reinterpretated to illustrate the case of the Brussels North quarter, characterized by it’s urban tissue in dispair : voids, semi-vacant and vacant buildings are the result of major changes made in the infrastructure and outdated projects.

Abandoned Indsutries visioned as catalyst of change

‘Habitable Industries’ sees the potential in retaining these industries and incorporating new ways of production and learning that the resident youth population can benefit from, exposing them to new forms of education outside the school walls.

It sees canal front, move away form heavy metal industries to an innovation technology park with future mobility systems like bike ways and sharing automobile networks. This is done by using sitting industrial footprint as a prototype and catalyst for the future development.

[ WORK] [WORK: EDUCATE] [ URBAN NETWORK]

to creating

Prototype C - Vizyon Drink

This prototype sees new use of beer tasting and manufacturing at same place to enhance community participation

Prototype B - JCDecaux

This warehouses sees manufacturing of furnitures through live interactive and participatory discussions.

Prototype A - Fers Aiers Bruxelles

This industry sees new functions and connect with public realm by making the inside more porous

Adopting the methodology of urban acupuncture , the project aims to revive industrial sites by accommodating new ways of working, learning and living, focusing on their ability to coexist

Dead Facades vs Open Facades create a juxtapose of coexisting

of cities, these have the urbanist logic of there is an important not well known, but important role in the design of Agenda a set of topics that different actors in a certain example political, social,

case, since it has it presents diverse impose one on another, actors with greater define the issues to be different powers in example, each of Stakeholders and each differently. The first, Vlaanderen, involved in asylum Brussels and all of chose, Pad Max Vergote), an in-between revitalize the area around Vergote bassin.

Extensa, a real estate creating urban

Stakeholders into four examples in a similar Society, Civil Society and has been explained important factors of their North. We placed these graphical logo’s to create a three examples. The were concluded in a This ‘Agenda-Meter’ influence for each example stakeholder groups. It shows us weaknesses of each example. more ‘complete’ or groups.

final question; “Does Agenda’ is evenly stakeholder groups or and does it require engagement from the

The stakeholder analysis and management studies the private and the public bodies to be integrated within the planning and design mechanisms. Categorically they could be identified as:

1) Top-Down Agencies: This included the governmental and semi-governmental organisations with the likes of state, local municipalities, industrial and commerce ministries, police body etc.

1) Bottom-UP Agencies: NGOs, civil societies, local commerce, private transportation companies etc are equally important in this framework for a sustainable urban growth.

PROJECT 3

Water and Forest Urbanisms, Hue City, Vietnam

This project worked on the theme on ‘Water and Forest Urbanism’ in the context of rapid urban development in Hue city of Vietnam. The water crosses fast through higher forested water heads to spread slowly and move through the lower plains.

The aim of the project was to analytically study the development of Hue with in themes of ecology, economy, infrastructures and liveability.

The Thua Thien province can be seen as a lasagne or bar-code of landscapes. Within the breadth of just 70km had mountains, foothills, fields, the lagoon and the seaside, all with their corresponding functions and productivities. Each landscape has its particular type of projects.

Mountains Plains

A - Forest as Business B - Forest as Infrastructure C - Extractive Economies

a. The current system is based on zoning types of trees, here different types of green. Following productive forest, protective forest and special forest. This method doesn’t see the forest as one entity, as one natural infrastructure. The zoning is leading to mono-cultive forest types, resulting in a low variation of ecologies.

b. The forest is no longer zoned. It is seen as an asset and not as a economic factor. The government is connecting forests, by creating corridors. In this way the patches of forest are seamlessly connected.

c. The Vietnamese economy is based on the one hand on primary economies such as fishing, agriculture and mining. But also largely characterized by construction and other alternative economies, such as tomb building, handicrafts etc.

Plains Coast

Mountain Valley

1) Rural Agri-Forestry Economy

2) Small Individual Houses

3) Fragmented clusters of housing

Foothills

1) Extrative Economy

2) Reserviors for Dams

3) Sand mining

4) Bamboo Forestry Plains

1) Economic Hub

2) Historic City Center

3) Community Housing

4) Rice and Fish Farming Sand Dune

1) Exposed to Flooding

2) Fish Farming

Soft Mobility + Agro-Aquaculture

Agriculture + Agroforestry

Social infrastructure + Densification + Eco Tourism

Primary Dune Reinforcement

Sea Defense + Eco Tourism

This side of the primary dune has a more tolerant landscape and takes up all the upcoming urban development in integration with forest landscape.

The strategy starts with densifying on the existing settlements along the rice paddy fields. The new typology proposed at the rear and within open patches will gradually change to be the predominant type. To encourage a circular economy, the bamboo used for construction will be sourced from the proposed productive forests.

The second layer of moderated densification is proposed on both flanks of the trough, which is linked to the existing forest and dune slack system

Blue - Green Linkages Settlements

This development follows the blue green connection logics, where the existing forests in the dune are connected to the water structures in a sustainable way encouraging the ecosystem to grow with possible human invasion.

+ Recreative Forests

Recreation + Ecology + Dune Building

Integration of productive forest with related touristic recreational activities managed locally by the villagers giving them a secondary income source, apart from relying heavy on fishing. As a principle, the crest of the primary dune is also free from any development, so a dense indigenous protective forest acts as a wind break in the highest point.

Productive

PROJECT 4

Energizing Mariaberg Neighbourhood, Maastricht, Netherlands

This project worked on the theme on ‘Urban Fabric and Housing’ in the city of Maastricht in Netherlands. The site environment dated back to the long industrial era (19th and 20th century) in which mixed urban environments gave way to largely mono-functional environments.

It investigated the transformation potential of urban fabric in light of the necessary transition towards urban multiplicity keeping housing as key with other programs.

The overall aim was to develop new housing and collective aggregation models with increased density, innovative typologies which address contemporary demographics and housing needs and respond to the consequences of climate change.

A new typical arrangement of connections between in and out, making the spaces more coherent and intertwined.

The internal roads are converted to only pedestrians and workshops area. This will enhance the experience of the community and lay grounds for more communications.

The new mixed-use typology, within the same footprint speaks of the spaces fairly used during all the times of a day. The shared spaces will promote economy more circular and inward looking.

A linear green carpet was proposed as an spine to connect the public spaces with semi private and semi public spaces within neighbourhood. This would open the opportunity for progressive community participation and activates the spaces in and out. The three different social housing would intertwine, providing a new centrality to the space.

The common green connects three different degrees of spaces in terms of their accessibility:

1) Individual Garden serving as a semi private area between semi public spine outside and private space inside

2) Community space serving as a semi public functional zone for the residents of an enclosed buildings which becomes an area for secondary interaction

3) Public realm within different neighbourhoods, communities and social housing groups. This will assist in economic drive and building mixed culture

Typology Shift

- Individual Row Houses

- Private Garden/Backyard

Lifestyle Change

- Individual Apartment

- Shared Garden

- Limited Community Space

- Less Communal Feeling

- Active Common Spaces

- Better Sense of Community Sequence of Spaces

The new contemporary model of a building, houses mix of economic (on the ground floor) and residential components (on the upper floor) promoting circular flow of population and the sharing of spaces creating a mixed culture between people. This will promote the idea of concise dense urban fabric reducing the overall congestion, traffic and pressure on the urban sprawl.

Backyards developed as kids playing area Linear Park encouraging communal gatherings

Workshops promoting skill development

Forest as an alternative to the road

PROJECT 5

Integrated Township, Tata New Haven Boisar, Mumbai, 2016 - 2018

A walk-able network of neighbourhoods was conceptualized, maintaining the local indigenous culture by promoting courtyard planning. This flexible planning and designing, encouraged future growth, facilitates, phased development and responds to changed market demands over time.

The scope involved planning and designing of conceptual layouts and master-plans, to the architectural construction drawings. This included developing the street pattern, parking layout, landscape design, architectural layouts, municipal drawings, the facade layouts etc.

The new township is a part of the new industrial corridor created between Mumbai and Delhi. The pre study involved extensive site study and demographic, economic, social study of the area. This assisted in reaching to specifics of housing, commerce, open space requirements etc.

The potential of the site was explored to achieve maximum natural surface and sustaining itself with the built housing, commercial and recreation blocks. The rectangular nature of the plot allowed equal distribution of built and open spaces on corners. The basic aim of all the conceptual options was to have maximum walkable paths in connections with the green spaces and reduce dependency on the motorised vehicle.

The concept divided the plot in two halves, creating a central green axis or spine of this development, running across along the whole site. This also marks the distinction of phase wise development of the plot.

Every neighbourhood or a cluster is connected to this green spine. The courtyards in every cluster creates a niche or a semi private area, particular to that specific cluster, yet an open public realm. The green axis is intersected with numerous gardens and parks.

PROJECT 6 Godrej City, Panvel, Mumbai, 2017

The township project was designed as a self sustaining and self sufficient urban development with institutional, residential, commercial, recreational, hospitality components. This development is a part of the ‘Naina’ development. Naina is a satellite town to Navi Mumbai, envisioned as the next economic hub of the state of Maharastra.

The township project was designed as a self sustaining and self sufficient urban development with institutional, residential, commercial, recreational, hospitality components. The urban centre acts as an anchor and social point to all other parts of the town. The plots divided were all at walking distance to the urban centre. The schools and hotels are placed near to the centre where as the residential plots surrounds the periphery of the development.