EXPLORING THE REALM OF VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT IN GURGAON (Group Housing Project) Thesis Project 2021

THESIS THESIS THESIS THESIS THESIS THESIS

EXPLORING THE REALM OF VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT IN

MOHIT YADAV

THESIS THESIS THESIS THESIS THESIS THESIS

CONTENTS CONTENTS CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

Rapidly growing cities are an outcome of the urbanization of the cities, which brings with it growing population and their needs, resulting in a constant change being introduced in the residential sectors of the cities. With this, the aim of housing is no longer limited to providing shelter but instead expands to attempting to satisfy a variety of human.. Following the primary need of dwelling follows other secondary needs which can be categorized as social needs, which consists of neighborhood, security, privacy, social

relations, community facilities, services etc.

To cater to the demands of the booming population architecture, the default approach to inhabiting vertical territory above a city is through the construction of towers. Such "common towers" are intended to multiply the "value" of a plot of ground by repeatedly stacking the most profitable types of private units vertically in a self-contained volume. These independent extrusions of land produce spaces that are disconnected from one another and the city below. Within the height of the city, the common tower typology is incapable of supporting occupancies and activities that depend on adjacency to the public realm. The chosen site lies in the city of Gurgaon where the current trend of gated residential developments still dominates.

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INTRODUCTION

The unpresidential growth of Indian cities in context to infrastructural, economic, physical, and population, in the past decades, as a result of many situations and players involved in fabricating the model of development for India by the Local government and foreign investors. This urban makeover model in India was effective yet limited to a few cities which benefited more from it as compared to others. These cities

with time became the epitome model of development for India, Gurgaon being one of them was introduced too to rapid changes in power play and infrastructure, which contributed to Gurgaon being acknowledged to be 'The Millennium City' of India from a small agro-based town.

This sudden spurt in growth and development of Gurgaon modified it into an urban magnet, thus generating a large influx of population migrating in search of better opportunities many of which were the ‘Millennials’.

The rapid increase in population was catered be many housing projects introduced by the government and private developers. Soon an urban pattern starting formulating on the urbanscape of Gurgaon with a rise in Gated developments which catered to the people of classes. These gated communities ended up generating a physical and social divide amongst the urban fabric of Gurgaon along with tainting the skyline of Gurgaon with identical towers which are a result of mass production. This thesis will attempt to discern the impact of piecemeal development on the public-pedestrian realm with the bias that is generated with the physical and social territories and further propose a prototype that will challenge this trend of gated communities, mass production and one size fits all ideology.

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The aim of this thesis would be to design a residential complex that serve as a prototype for the following: -

A.

To investigate architectural and urbanistic potential of vertical architecture beyond the default approach of the "common tower." It will attempt to explores the potential to extended vertically in order to inhabit and benefit from its own vertical real- unrealized estate.

B.

The design will also attempt to study this dominating typology of gated residential complexes I case of Gurgaon and understand the role it plays at an urban scale.

C.

To satisfy the demands of current 21st century society along with attempting to fabricate a network of systems and spaces instead to creating isolated blocks of different uses.

LITERATURE STUDY LITERATURE STUDY LITERATURE STUDY • The literature study in this case is divide in two parts, all of which would attempt to establish

the grounds for the potential solution in the context of the study area Gurgaon.

LITERATURE STUDY 1.MASS PRODUCTION VS MASS CUSTOMIZATION

DEVELOPMENTS

2. GURGAON & THE GATED

MASS PRODUCTION VS MASS CUSTOMIZATION

गरु ु ग्राम

In contemporary Indian construction practices we have not fully moved away from these ideologies, especially in the case of Gurgaon where private builders are not concerned with the architectural character of the city/neighborhood but rather the capital investment and profits they would retrieve in return of creating monotonous towers, which not even attempt to degrade the architectural essence of the building but also the lifestyle of people. Many Indian contemporary architects rebelled against these modernist philosophies, but in many ways this thesis is an attempt to challenge this mass production architecture and create a prototype housing in the realm of Gurgaon, which would be more site specific, meaningful and visually eloquent architecture.

ROLE OF GATED COMMUNITIES IN THE URBAN FABRIC OF GURGAON

The rapid development of Gurgaon was product of various players and their

and with an area of 16021 acres for residential development out of total of

varied agendas, with a common catalyst of need for capital, this led to many

32988 acres of developed land. Gurgaon is significant from the gated

decisions being implemented which were not necessarily taken, keeping in mind

development point of view because 69% of gated group housings in the

the major population of Gurgaon, but was more inclined towards serving the

state are located in Gurgaon region. During the decade 1981-1991 only

elite.

2% were group housing colonies of total licensed projects whereas during year 2011-2014 almost 52% of the licensed projects are group housing

India welcomed many new housing policies in the past couple of decades

projects’’ (Kaushik, 2016) This attests to the very fact of why the city of

‘National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy 2007’ being one of them, this

Gurgaon should be brough under the lense to study the impact that these

policy emphasized on the need for involvement of private sectors in supporting

gated communities have on the city and its population.

state to cater to the rising demands of housing. This led to rise in number of private housing all across India, and Haryana was also a part of the wave. The

Gated communities/development had been defined by various authors

result of which were various gated communities spread across the map of cities

with their own interpretation of it, with Atkinson and Flint precepting the

like concrete weed sprouting from different corners and core of city. These

same “Gated communities usually refer to residential complexes, which

newly built projects bring with them convey the western idea translated by

are closed to outsiders through different mechanisms such as walls, gates

international firms who are assigned the job to house the heterogenous crowd of

and fences and are protected against potential dangers through security

India and there requirements, and the result often follows a similar set of ideas

guards and closed circuits television (CCTV) cameras.” (Tanulku, 2013)

which resonates with the concept of walled residential communities or gated communities, which till date remains a topic of interest for many architects,

The basis of these gated communities also lies in community-based

urban designers, planners, sociologist etc. who express there variety of views on

aspects, of people within common interests thus deriving it a new title of

the role of these gated communities on the neighbourhood, that that’s exactly the

CID (common interest development) along with many more phrases that

kind of topic of discussion that should be ignited in case of Gurgaon.

are dedicated to gated communities, with Evan Mckenzie stating them as “privately governed residential estates”, “privatopia” and “enclavism”,

“Today the city of Gurgaon is classified as region of hyper potential. The recent master plan of Gurgaon GMUC 2031 has a projected population of 42.50 lacs.

due to the governance of private rules.

DEFINITION - Many authors like Perrin Mathieu highlight the social divide that is generated

control over exclusive rights to use amenities and facilities which are limited to few. These are

due to the presence of such developments in a neighbourhood, as the elite population who

often occupied by Wealthy, celebrity status crowd whose prior need is such high security and

choose to dwell in these residences often end up barricading there social and civic

private spaces.

responsibilities too, within these gates. Closed Condomiums also fall in the same category of gated development.

Security zones – These are the most common ones, the basis od this type of development are fear of residents which is met with development of gated and walled compounds, by retrofitting

Most often they are high rise development compromising of condomiums with one, two- or

making the complex private, secure and controlling the access of general public

three-bedroom units. India is flooded with this particular type of residential development, Gurgaon in particular follows the very same pattern of residential development too, with group

The life style category, in India is designed keeping in mind the requirements od the elite of the

housing confined within walls with large set of gates allowing only restricted crowd to pass

high-end society, they often end up residing in either plot-based houses on the outskirts of the

through while having 2/3 tier security. Thus they can easily be categorized as Gated

city in some farmland or in the core of city in form of plotted to high rise housing. Eventually

Communities and Gated development from architectural and sociological perspective

the high-quality result expected in a city leads to high cost of the product, thus increasing the

respectively.

cost of land. Rest majority of housing are governed by the third type, with gates used to enclose areas to block foreign elements of street and cater to their security requirements, the gates of

TYPOLOGY - Blakely and Synder’s work helped further divide this typology into further sub

such typology of residences often are left open during the day and closed during night, with

categories in their seminal work on gated communities.

only selective entries guarded for security purposes.

Life style – This category, attempts to cater to the elite or the leisure class of the society by

CHARACTERISTIC

providing common amenities that meet their lifestyle choices. These are often modelled keeping in mind retirement/luxury/resort typology of built environment with lush green, golf course,

AMENITIES - The need for the residents to possess exclusive rights and facilities that cater to

gym and various others lifestyle enhancing facilities.

their demands in physical realm is the backbone for the flourishment of such development, which eventually leads to sense of privilege associated with it which comes from the idea of the

Prestige – This category of development aims to cater to the needs of high security demands of

residents , exclusively being the one who can benefit from the amenities .These often end up

the residents; they most often also end up catering to the desire of being able to practice

serving as a sell out amongst people with mutual lifestyle as they harbour spaces that encourage

social interaction and communication amongst the community. Some of these services come in

with using water to create waterbodies, fountains, infinity pool, jacuzzi etc. The walls and the

the form of beautiful landscapes, pools, sports complexes, free car parking lot, play area for

gates of the development along with the guard house and automatic barrier also ends up being a

kids, party hall, local shopping centre, spa, gymnasium etc. The cost that is supposed to be

prominent factor for the same, and thus end up being another factor which the citizens will be

payed for these services are often very high and based on monthly bases which is supposed to

entice to.

be deposited by the residents. The cost is also extracted from the residents in the name of providing 24 hours of security.

WHAT ARE THE REASONS THAT PEOPLE MOVE BEHIND THE GATES?

SECURITY- These gated communities often install top tier security to ensure the safety of the

AWAY FROM THE BAD – The overcrowded cities often ed up getting polluted, which

residents, designers too often end up contributing to the same sense of security, these help to

eventually created this need to settle in a place with less pollution and congestion factor,

entice the customer into assuring them a save environment to invest in. Some of the common

this demand is often catered by residences that are built on the outskirts of city away from

strategies installed for the same are, CCTV camera surveillance, boundary wall, fencing,

the crowd and commotion, this development practice often end up having the residents

guarded gates, regular security patrols, well lit walkways and public spaces, planning of road

network in hierarchy etc. with the growing crime rate residential security becomes a top priority for the citizens.

“The advertisements boast regularly of high-level electronic security systems. The guard house of the gated complex has monitors that are installed at entrances, parking areas and other public ally accessible areas to eliminate any intruder, in addition to 24- hour human guards” (al, 2011)

GATES/WALLS AND LANDSCAPE – With growing number of gated communities, corporate tries to enhance or introduce certain features that would give them an edge over other gated

cover large distances from there private vehicles which eventually becomes a major contributor to the rising pollution levels, this phenomenon is termed as “flight from blight” as an option to escape the saturated city. Till some extent the practice creating gated development withing the core of the city also does the same by pushing out the congested city.

FEAR – The rising fear amongst citizens is often one of the major criteria of people choosing to reside in gated development, with rising level of crimes recorded in city and the incapability of state to provide security to its citizen, creates sense of insecurity and

developments in the market, these features often end up catering to the open landscape which

vulnerability amongst the crowd which eventually reflets in growing demand of private

very much plays a major role to lure in buyers. Thus, the private sectors most often end up

safety measures to be employed in order to conceal the failure of sate. These gated

hiring landscape architects to design the open spaces with indulging hard and soft scape along

communities thus laws that enforce the citizens and visitors to follow a code of conduct,

thus private governance eventually end up providing higher level of security.

PROPERTY VALUE – Humans often end up associating value to all aspects of their lifestyle

GOVERNMENT VS PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT IN GURGAON

and their residence is a prominent one, when it comes to physical property value, and the very human need to improve the property value, encourages them to move towards property with higher and better provisions like electricity, water, security etc. The projects which fall under these gated developments are often high valued estates and large spatial expense. These development projects not only look over the maintainace of the physical infrastructure like

roads, services, sports complexes, pools etc. but also contribute their fair share in social places and events which help residents to connect and interact, thus this end up empowering better physical and mental health amongst the citizens, this closely linked community bases approach or the elite lifestyle makes the citizens gravitate more towards gated developments. These often result in the residents feeling dissociated from the outside world and yet fabricate a community within the gates, these social territories create a dive and conflict in the society.

The role of private developers comes in play when government fails or withdraws from the responsibility of providing amenities and facilities to the citizens, the very same is followed in the case of Gurgaon too. The reason to why this private enterprise flourish is because of the

corruption and mutual benefits the players involved gain from, The government extracts its taxes from the situation while private developers thrive with the profits they produce from the services they provide and amidst all this chaos residents who are a part of such gated communities get a piece of cake too, by having their role in practicing sense direct control over their property. The government looks forward to all the taxes they will benefit from, while having to invest bare minimum when it comes to infrastructure and services, while getting

released from the responsibilities that come with any large estate like the maintainace and internal infrastructure.

McKenzie mentions about the same in his research on “Common Interests Housing in the communities of tomorrow” states that “within the general realm the CID Community

This toxic cycle prays on the citizens as they now have to pay a large amount of sum for the

association performs the role of all three. He says that “as a non-profit corporation that depends

very basic amenities. Not only are they supposed to pay for the Government taxes, but also for

on volunteers to serve as directors and officers and that aims to create a sense of community, the community association function like a civil society institution”

all the services that are provided by the private developer, which should have been provided by

the government instead. McKenzie terms them as “privatopia” it is a state of lifestyle where a person is subjected to the lavish lifestyle, he chooses to pursue along with all the rules and

“Residents living in the gated development are least worried as they know that their wards are

regulations imposed by the private government.

playing in the gated compound where no one will be allowed to enter without verification. They are also aware that the friendly environment of their children has the similar social and economic background” (Atkinson. R & Tranter, 2011)

“The private governance defines the way residents would behave, live maintain the grass of their yard, the colour of the façade of their home, which poet to keep, time of use of public realm / spaces. And even which type of cloths to wear in public parks etc. “ (Kaushik, 2016)

IMPLICATIONS OF GATED DEVELOPMENT IN GURGAON

to an irregular shape of overall plots. In some cases, the plots acquired by the private developers are divided by arterial roads which eventually make them lie I two different sectors.

Gurgaon being a leading example for large spurt of growth and development in north India is saturated with private development. The new sectors that are formed in Gurgaon have a unique

Streets – Sectors with development dominated by gated compounds often end up projecting a

character associated to them in name of the private and public spaces. The pattern which all the

similar set of street images, with long walls/fences/gates facing the streets, which creates lack of

private developers imply in Gurgaon can be very easily traced, starting with land acquiring from

affinity for the public – pedestrian realm of the sector.

owners then getting a license to build a group housing or colony and further selling these units in terms of plots or flats, the very character associated to them of being built by private

Public spaces/ open spaces – With rise in the number of gated communities a competition is

developer creates the notion of gated residential community.

generated amongst the realm of private developers which often leads to them attempting to increase the number of amenities and services they are planning to provide in order to get an

Following are the spatial characteristics identified that can be noticed in different developments

upper hand and entice the crowd. These amenities or services includes offers like, Large green

across Gurgaon:

parks, water fountains, jogging tracks, community halls, play areas for kids, clubs, gymnasium,

shopping complexes etc.

Plot Size - The plot sizes that HUDA has authoresses are generally small areas from half an acre to 2 - 3 acres. Contrary to the demands of private developers to create gated complexes, which are fulfilled with a size of 10 acres approximately. Thus, this leads to origin of strong contrast in the sizes of plots on which group housing for government and private sectors are built. The large size of gated communities also leads to encroachment of more concentrated

area of city with impermeable barriers for the general public.

Plot Shape – The shape of plots on which governmental group housing by HUDA are built or proposed are rectangular and regular in shape. In contrary to the plot shape for private sectors which often end up being irregular in shape due to buying and merging multiple neighbouring land, to end up with a net area of around 10 acres for their development, which most often lead

Thus the need to understand the impact of these gated communities increases in cases like that of Gurgaon, when the establishment of gated communities welcome with it variety of aspects which impact the public realm in various ways, thus the analysis of impact of gated communities need to be analyzed and addressed from the perspective of a citizen, and at a city scale too since this development leave very little space for public realm to exist, along with the

adverse effect of withdrawing its users from social and civic responsibilities of the world outside the gates.

The fact that the impact of gated communities on the neighborhood is so adverse, begs the questions that what all aspects of “public realm” are the most affected by this haphazard way of development?

Pedestrian realm is a part of the Public realm which is arguably the most affected by these gated communities which end up decreasing walkability of a place along with reducing the quality of public and pedestrian realm. Thus in this thesis an attempt would be made to cater to the various aspects of gated developments which cater to the demands of the majority while trying to eliminate the conflict that accompanies this typology.

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“Purple dots – Cooperatives group housing

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Red and Green dots – Group Housing by Private developers (source TCPO, Housing Board Haryana, Registrar Cooperative Society, Gurgaon)” (Kaushik, 2016)

CASE

LIST OF CASE STUDIES & CRITERIA OF SELECTION 1. S.P.A. HOUSING – This low rise housing designed by architect P.N. Kukki Mathur is an excellent example of a successful housing project for not only the students but also for the faculty and staff. The use of simple materials and a planning which incorporates landscape and built in a seamless environment along with maintain recreational spaces for socializing along with gifting privacy to all.

2. 8 HOUSE – This project attempt to challenge the conventional verticality which is often opted for such mixed use housing and maintains the street culture with the vertical development oriented brief. The project also is a great example for vertical mixed use, where the lower levels serves as a public realm for the commercial spaces without compromising the privacy of the residents.

3. ROBIN HOOD GARDENS – This is another project which attempts to challenge the conventional approach to movement network with verticality by introducing streets. This project also attempted to be an example of ungated housing amidst dominating gated typology.

4. MOUNTAIN DWELLING – This project by BIG attempts to find an innovative solution to conventional practice of tower podium model by created a sloped stepped mountain which eds up providing a private terrace to all the dwelling units.

5. HABITAT 67 – This project being one of the most successful housing ever have multiple factors which would influence this thesis further, starting with attempting to challenge the conventual approach of towers along with introducing the street culture with modular dwelling units comprising of flexible spaces.

S.P.A. HOUSING ARCHITECT – P.N. KUKI MATHUR

The school of planning and architecture( S.P.A.) is a college dedicated to students who pursue architecture. The college is located in Indraprastha estate and the dormitories and the staff quarters are located in maharani bagh, new friend’s colony. The housing complex of S.P.A. Serves as a residential area for the faculty members of the institute as well as for the domestic helpers of the same. The residential complex is unfortunately located at a distance of 10 km from the institute. The site is surrounded by the chaotic market of new friends colony on the western face, beautiful houses adorning the streets.

The site follows Delhi's climatic chart, thus faces extreme climatic change. The temperature ranges from 7-22 degrees Celsius in winters and 23- 45 degrees Celsius in summers. Considering the climatic

aspects of Delhi, the residential housing is built accordingly.

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Strength •

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Brick tile cladding was done on walls due to which thermal mass increases and heat gain decreases.

Staggering of flats in a block lead to an opportunity to self-shade the structure and create outdoor recreational areas for each flat.

The landscaping of the site complimented the earthy tones of the structure. Also, by creating walking paths throughout the site catering to the needs of variety of individuals living there.

Recessed windows have been provided to cut summer sun and for winters, courtyards and terraces are used.

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due to which any maintenance taken place requires a part of the shaft wall demolished.

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There is not enough reserved parking.

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The site is located in a congested area and the road connecting to the site always has heavy traffic.

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There is no provision of any shop of basic amenities like groceries, laundry, chemist etc. within the campus.

Opportunities •

More communal spaces could be provided

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Provision of outdoor gym would be a good initiative toward the health of residents.

Weakness •

Due to lack of access points in shafts , due to which any maintenance taken place requires a part of the shaft wall demolished.

Threats •

The height of parapet wall of two story building was very less I.E. 650mm

8 HOUSE

Architect: BIG –Bjarke Ingels Group Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Project Area: 61,000 sqm, 476 residences Project Year: 2010

8 House is a mixed-use residential building in the suburb of Ørestad, outside of Copenhagen, Denmark. Designed

by Bjarke Ingels of BIG, 8 House interprets far more successfully the Smithsons’ concept of ‘streets in the sky’.

The sprawling 61,000 square metre complex is comprised of 50,000 m2 of housing, and 10,000 m2 of retail and offices. There are 476 residential units, which includes 150 townhomes, apartments, and smaller units. Ingels utilized a layer-cake approach of stacked function accessible by a bike and pedestrian pathway that encircles the building, with commercial units at grade, and residential units stacked above. This stacked nature of the functions means that the offices take advantage of the ground plane integration, while residences get the air, ventilation, and views of the higher levels. “The Smithsons tried to realise this and I think they never really succeeded,” noted Ingels, during a talk at the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2016. “I think maybe because the connection to the ground was actually sort of covered over.” With 8 House, Ingels attempts to harness the spirit and connectedness of a village in a large, high-density development. It was envisioned as a three-dimensional neighborhood rather than an architectural object, extending the ground plane up into the building: “An alley of 150 rowhouses stretches through the entire block and twists all the way from street level to the top and down again. Where social life, the spontaneous encounter and neighbor interaction traditionally is restricted to the ground level, the 8 House allows it to expand all the way to the top.”22 With many smaller-scale social spaces, and the “front yard”’ that each unit boats, there is a human-speed to the project. “Not only do we optimise the conditions for the individual programmes but we also elevate the social space. You end up getting almost smallscale community life happening inside a big building.”

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The 8 House succeeds in extending ground-plane access to all units, subverting traditional vertical circulation methods. The inclusion of diverse program in the relatively large complex— including daycare, offices, and retail in addition to the residential program—ensures a diversity of use during the day, and an activation of social spaces. Ingels sees the elevated street as successful in prompting new ways of social engagement: “I think here that a seamless continuation of the public realm has made it incredibly lively.”

The success of the building aside, there are some drawbacks. It is important to note that the 8 House is not located in an urban setting. It is situated on the suburban outskirts of a developed area. The majority of the visitors will be residents and occupants of the building, so as successful as the inclusion of commercial and amenity spaces was, it was also necessary, as the building is a drive or bike ride away from many other buildings. 8 House is also fairly low-

density, sprawling over a large site with relatively low-rise structure and the luxury of having a large amount of open space. This is not a common condition in the core of many urban metropolises. Nonetheless, there is much to learn from this experimental typology. As with many of BIG’s projects, this project is an alchemical mixture of traditionally disparate elements.

In 8 House, it is the fusion of the suburban life with the energy of the city. Ingels has brought the life of the city to the suburbs. However, can this relationship be inverted? Can the benefits of suburban life be brought to the urban core?

ROBIN HOOD GARDENS

Architect: Alison and Peter Smithson Location: East London, England Project Area: 212 residences Project Year: 1972

Peter and Alison Smithson are often credited with the term “Streets in the Sky”. According to an Architectural Review documentary entitled Robin Hood Gardens: Requiem For A Dream, “The Smithsons had first proposed streets in the sky in 1952 in their competition entry for the Golden Lane Estate, just north of the Barbican.”17 In this context, “streets in the sky” refers to deck-access housing, which can now be defined as front-door access to residential units on a continuous balcony at each floor level, onto which the front door of each unit opens. The idea of putting wide, open exterior hallways on the exterior face of high-rise buildings came from a desire to invigorate the social fabric of the city. “The Smithsons hoped that street life could be designed back in, and the social fragmentation caused by towers could thereby be eliminated.”18 Unfortunately, Robin Hood Gardens came to epitomize that very social fragmentation. It became that which it was supposed to alleviate.

Robin Hood Gardens was one of the Smithsons’ largest built works, and was surrounded by controversy from the day it opened its doors. The term ‘streets in the sky’ is associated heavily with this project, as it was one of the first buildings in the modern era to employ deck-access to each residential unit.

Surrounded by a car park moat, the massive social housing project was cut off from the rest of the city by a wall that was intended to offer acoustic protection from a nearby road. Instead, the walls and car park segregated the complex from the surrounding urban network. Deck-access housing ringed the u-shaped buildings that surrounded a central park. This was designed so that even highrise units would have a front door and the feeling of a street despite being highrise. The hope for this social housing project was that streets in the sky would provide opportunities for neighbours to meet and socialize near their front doors. “The name gives it away.

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Like the municipal socialism that built it, Robin Hood Gardens was meant to be a bulwark against the ravages of untrammeled capitalism. But it ended up being accused of causing

antisocial behaviour.”19 Due to the separation from the rest of the city, along with poor security features, the buildings quickly fell into disrepair and vandalism, and gained social stigma.

“Security doors and key fobs were added later, and residents [say] that these dealt with much of the crime and vandalism that plagued these blocks.”20 These however turned the supposedly social community into a gated one, a far cry from the intended social mixer.

SECTION

SITE PLAN

SECTIONAL VIEW

MOUNTAIN DWELLINGS

Architect: BIG –Bjarke Ingels Group

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark Project Area: 33000

, 80 residences

Project Year: 2008 BIG’s Mountain Dwelling is an example of an inclined mat built on an artificial slope, comprised of 80 dwellings and 480 parking spaces.25 Stacking residential dwellings atop program rather than earth provides an opportunity for diverse programming at a dense urban scale. The slope in this case is comprised of vehicular parking, which allows the residents to drive to and park right outside their unit—the suburban dream in a high-density building.

The terraces that form the sloped matrix each represent a dwelling unit that has access to both light, air, and parking.

This is a landform building, one which fuses the urban and the architectural to create both city and building at an urban scale. Iñaki Ábalos described landform buildings as the fusion and dissolution of the skyscraper and the urban park: In these experiments, we witness the simultaneous and synchronized dissolution of two typologies: the skyscraper and the large urban park. And with this dissolution, we see how provisional the traditionally held opposition of these culminating modernist moments truly was in the first place. Everything, from the body to the cosmos, from breathing to publicity, says that there is another world outside these oppositions established by the modern movement.26

BIG’s Mountain Dwelling dissolves the urban park into personalized pixels of shared space, distributed between the units in a cascade of visually connected, small-scale spaces that embody a terraced neighbourhood.

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BASEMENT PLAN

PLAN

FLOOR PLAN

SECTION

UNIT PLAN A

UNIT PLAN B

HABITAT 67

Architect: Safdie Architects Location: Cité du Havre, Montreal, QC, Canada Project Area: 22157 sqm, 950 residences Project Year: 1967

Habitat 67 was an urban housing model designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie. Situated on the bank of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, it was built as a pavilion for Expo 67—the World’s Fair of 1967— and was an extension of Safdie’s Master of Architecture thesis project. Habitat is a 12-storey assemblage of 354 identical prefabricated concrete forms, stacked and arranged in combination to form unique living spaces.

Together these units create 146 residences of varying sizes and configurations, each formed from one to eight linked concrete units. There were originally more units, but some have been combined by the owners over time: “The complex originally contained 158 apartments, but several apartments have since been joined to create larger units, reducing the total number.”

The goal of the project was to combine the perceived benefits of suburban living—open lawns, privacy, fresh air, multistory living, and common “streets”— with the density and efficiency of urban apartment living.12 The use of prefabricated forms was intended to offset the cost of lower density compared to slab block towers. Much like the lawns of the suburbs, each dwelling unit has access to at least one private terrace, ranging in size from 20 – 90m2 (225 – 1000ft2).13 In this regard, the project was a great success. The project was well received at the time, and has since become a highly sought-after place of residence: At the time, it “redefined urban living” and has since become “a very successful co-op”

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However, Safdie’s goal for the project to revolutionize affordable housing largely failed.

Demand for the building’s units has made them more expensive than originally envisioned.15 Additionally, the apartments in the building have become highly sought-after dwellings—a luxury commodity that runs counter to the vision Safdie had for the propagation of the affordable Habitat housing model. It “ultimately failed to revolutionize affordable housing or launch a wave of prefabricated, modular development as Safdie had envisioned.”16

Habitat was an amazing opportunity for a young Moshe Safdie, and helped to propel his career forward. The combination of modular forms to create unique spatial relationships created the unique and visually engaging assemblage known today as Habitat. Several design decisions represent positive sociogenetic architecture: Interconnected spaces above grade, decentralized access to units, the focus on community and private terraces, and the idealization of prefabrication and efficiency to reduce cost and provide housing for more people. This form of low-rise, high-density building carries many promising strategies, but the development as it was constructed is not dense enough to be applied in the urban core. These ideas must be filtered and reapplied to be relevant to today’s urban housing needs.

गरु ु ग्राम

SITE ANALYSIS

LOCATION

Gurgaon district is situated on South eastern part of Haryana state has an area of 1200 sq.km. In the North, it is bordered by the Union Territory of Delhi, in the east by Faridabad, in the North west by Jhajjar and Rewari districts of Haryana and in the west by the Alwar district of Rajasthan state and south by the Mewat district of Haryana state ( plate 1). The study area is largely occupied by alluvial plains,

traversed by elongated ridges of Delhi quartzites . The area is well connected by roads and railways. National Highway No. 8 connecting Dehi with Jaipur passes through the district. Major state highways are – No. 13, No 28, No 26 and No. 15A connecting Gurgaon – Alwar, Palwal – Sohna, Gurgaon – Rewari – Narnaul – Singhana road and Jhajjar – Farrukhnagar – Gurgaon respectively. Almost all the villages are connected by metalled roads. Northern Railway Broad gauge main line Delhi – Gurgaon – Rewari and branch line Garhi – Harsaru – Farrukhanagar meter gauge branch line was constructed as far back as in 1883 for the salt traffic of that area.

GURUGRAM LAND USE

LAND USE PLAN

BUILDING USE PLAN

CONTEXT BUILT CHARACTER URBAN VILLAGE EWS AND LIG INCOME GROUP. G+1/3

HIGH-MID RISE DEVELOPMENT HIG AND MIG INCOME GROUP. G+10/15

PLOTTED HOUSING HIG AND MIG INCOME GROUP. G+1/3

G+10

G+10

G+10

G+9

G+9

1

6

2

7

3

8

12

4

9

13

5

10

14

11

G+10 G+9 G+9

G+10

G+10

CLIMATE

Average temperatures and precipitation

Maximum temperatures

Cloudy, sunny, and precipitation days

Precipitation amounts

Wind speed

Wind rose

GENERAL INFORMATION

iii. Population (As per 2011Census) - 15,14,085

i. Geographical Area (sq. km.) - 1254

•

ii. Administrative Divisions (As on31-3-2009)

2. GEOMORPHOLOGY

•

Number of Blocks - 04

•

Major Physiographic Units - Alluvial plain, residual hills and linear ridges

•

Number of Villages - 286

•

Major Drainage (river) – Sahibi/ Najafgarh drain

•

4. MAJOR SOIL TYPES - Loamy sand

iv. Average Annual Rainfall (mm) - 596

•

CHOICE OF INCOME GROUP- MIG

•

PROPERTY RATE- Comparatives - Oct-Dec 2020

a) Basement = 35 square meters.

•

Highest Locality Price: Rs 10,367 per Sq-ft

b) Stilts = 30 square meters.

•

Average Locality Price: Rs 8,519 per Sq-ft

c) Open = 25 square meters.

•

Lowest Locality Price: Rs 6,672 per Sq-ft

•

The area for parking per car unit (Equivalent Car Space) shall be as under;

•

Maximum permissible ground coverage 35%

•

Floor Area Ratio - 175%

•

Setbacks- Front - 9m, Rest – 6m

•

Permissible Basement – Up to four levels

•

Maximum Permissible height - Unrestricted

•

Parking – 1.5 equivalent Car Space (ECS) for each dwelling unit will have to be provided instead of present one equivalent car parking space (ECS) for each dwelling unit. Also, minimum 75% of total car parking is to be provided in the form of covered parking.

(i) Living/ bedrooms;

•

(ii) One Pantry;

•

(iii) One Bathroom and water closet (W.C) integrated

•

Open Space - At least 15% of the total site area shall be developed as organized open space i.e. totlots and play ground.

•

Convenient Shopping - 0.5% of the total site area shall be reserved to cater for essential convenient shopping with the following conditions:

About 66% of the plot area in which basement shall be allowed. Out of this about

GROUP HOUSING (HUDA GUIDELINES) •

•

15% zoned area may be reserved for generator set for the captive power generation and electrical substation. (a)

•

EWS – 15% of the total number of dwelling units having a minimum area of 20 square meters shall be earmarked for E.W.S category.

Minimum 5% of the total car parking area shall be made available to the EWS category flats.

•

Each dwelling unit shall have following minimum provisions, for granting permission to

•

construct or use/ occupy:

•

Economic Weaker Section (EWS)

The ground coverage of 100% with FAR of 100 will be permissible. However, this will be a part of the permissible ground coverage and FAR of the Group Housing Colony.

SOURCES (a)

HUDA policies and Instructionshttps://www.hsvphry.org.in/Urban%20Branch%2 0I%20Residential%20and%20Commercial/Huda% 20Policies%20and%20Instructions.pdf

(b)

The Haryana Building Codeshttps://tcpharyana.gov.in/Notifications_Judgeme nts/The_Haryana_Building_Code_2017.pdf

(c)

NBC guidelineshttp://mohua.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/Ch ap-4.pdf

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The site has a rich context.

-

The current metro station (Huda City

-

Centre) is 8 km away from site.

-

will

The site falls in close proximity to proposed metro station at Subhash

isolated from rest of the dwelling thus

-

The site has direct access to public The site lacks commercial stores -

Lack of public spaces can also be cured by mixed used development as

it will harbour the public realm -

Lack of identity in the neighborhood.

-

Lack

within by challenging the dominating

A Bus stop and police station also fall

gated typology of housing. of

public

places

in

the

neighborhood.

-

The site has parks in close proximity for the residents.

-

which make the area unaccusable

Context is saturated with gated

developments.

-

The southern adjacent plot to our site is barren and has unmaintained greens and a water body.

sector 46)

Site has a proposed school withing

in close proximity to the site.

isolated with lack of streetlights

The issue of lack of commercial

mixed use development.

-

Current state of the site is barren and

during dark.

close proximity.

-

neighborhood

stores can be aided by provision of

nearby. (The closest one being in -

the

The roads adjoining the site are

has less visitors on the road.

parks.

help

-

immensely.

-

Chowk.

-

Provision of mixed use development

CONCEPT

This section builds on explorations and iterations in the preceding chapters, pushing the thesis forward by outlining the strategies of Design which will influence the theis.

Employing the strategies below aims to promote positive ‘sociogenesis’— changing the relationship of urban high-density architecture with the urban fabric, and intensifying human contact and the growth of relationships between residents, neighbours, and pedestrians alike. These concepts will be tested through the vessel of architectural exploration in further sections.

EXPOSED CIRCULATION

Circulation within a residential building must be opened up to the street, through both physical access and visual connection. Corridors insulated within the

building sever the resident from perceived and actual connection with the city, and with neighbours.

This tackles the vertical stratification of stacked floor plates directly. Employing this strategy acknowledges that circulation is determinant, but takes advantage of this in an effort to revitalize the social quality of urban spaces.

Instead of enclosing the circulation we can create open circulation which will also serve as social spaces.

LIBERATE THE GROUND PLANE

The urban ground plane must be prioritized for the pedestrian. Cross-block infiltration into shared spaces and networks of green space will revitalize

the ground plane and enliven interior block conditions. The urban core demands pedestrianfocused

design

on

interior

block

conditions

including shops, trees, seating, and other elements that interest people and provoke curiosity at a human speed.

The ground floor serves as a great opportunity for public realm, thus creating more extroverted spaced there would help to accomplish the goal of establishing a public realm.

Residential units and circulative paths must be

FOCUS ON SOCIAL SPACES

organized around shared parks and transitional common spaces. Consistent visual connectivity to

the shared spaces ensures a feeling of safety and security without the need for dehumanizing or dystopic security measures. Cross-commons views allow residents to see neighbours when they want to be seen—while on their private terraces— without feeling the same exposure while inside their unit.

Extroverted spaced which will be shared by many should be preferred over introverted spaces which will be available to a few.

FLEXIBLE UNIT MODULE

Instead of relying on a repetitive stacked floor plate, the dwelling unit must be the foundational element of the aggregate building. A grid system that enables manipulation of a repetitive unit module will allow for unlimited iterations and variations in the size, shape, and configuration of a living space, all while adhering to an overarching logic that guides the tectonics of the architecture.

Creating dwelling units with flexible spaces would be preferred to achive complex modular forms.

MARKET PROPERTY PRICE ANALYSIS

•

PLOT AREA – 10,640 M2

•

Total Population - 828 (Given as per HUDA Master Plan)

•

GROUND COVERAGE – 3,724 M2

•

Average DU size - 4.5 (Given as per HUDA Master Plan)

•

F.A.R. – 1.75

•

Total Number of Dwelling numbers - 184 (100%)

•

BUILT AREA – 18,620 M2

•

EWS Units - 28 (15%)

•

GREEN AREA – 1,596 M2

•

Lower MIG Units - 10 ( 5%)

•

PARKING UNITS – 276

•

Middle MIG - 10 (5%)

•

HEIGHT – 24M

•

Upper MIG - 88 (50%)

•

NET POPULATION ASSIGNED TO PLOT - 828

•

HIG-I – 38 (20%)

•

PERSON PER DWELLING UNIT – 4.5

•

HIG-II / Super HIG - 10 (5%)

•

DWELLING UNITS - 184

•

CHOICE OF INCOME GROUP- MIG, HIG & EWS

•

EWS DWELLING UNITS – 27

•

MIG & HIG DWELLING UNITS – 157

•

POPULATION TYPE – BACHELOR, COUPLE, SMALL FAMILY

TOWER

The site is surrounded by high rise residential “common towers’ with 3 roads connecting the site from 3 sides.

While developing the form, the following concerns were kept in mind1. Lighting and heat gain 2. Ventilation 3. Circulation 4. Multiple open spaces and larger balconies and terraces.

The first attempt towards designing the towers lead to a monolithic pixelated structure shaped like mountains sprouting from a common ring shaped base with 4 towers as the 4 mountain peaks. This pixelated form provides opportunities for multiple terraces and provides self shading, but lacked adequate ventilation and sunlight especially to the base of the form.

Taking notes from the first attempt, the second attempt was to create a linear tower block of the built up area.

Here instead of expanding on the site the expansion took place vertically, thus using less ground coverage area which would allow for other amenities to be planted on the ground plane.

The tower here is introduced with folded façade which will eventually help to self shade the building and reduce he net solar gain of the building.

The final form adapts the inspiration from the first form and thus proceeds to be pixilation, which not only enhances the self shading but provides opportunity for multiple terraces. The tower from last stage was divided in two here, this would not only enhance the lighting but would reduce the net load on the core.

DRAWINGS

SOLAR ANALYSIS

The analysis conducted below are divided in two parts-

1. Solar Analysis- this would help to calculate the net amount of time a surface would be exposed

to sunlight and the heat gain due to which, this helped us decide the positioning of fenestrations and balconies to reduce net heat gain along with the density of creepers on the wall to reduce the direct sunlight on surfaces.

2. Shadow Analysis- this analysis helped to design the landscape for the ground plane on the basis of the shadow imparted on the ground.

LANDSCAPE

The landscape design for this project was primarily divided in two categories, ground

plane

and

vertical.

GROUND

PLANE

LANDSCAPING The role of the landscape on ground plane is to serve the public realm in form of various hard and soft scapes. The zoning of the landscape

Central Courtyard The thematic sections in the central courtyard area would include special plant groups such as Palms, Cycads and other tropical elements of high conservation value (e.g. Medicinal Ginger) Special attention will be given to the illumination of laid green areas with energy-efficient lighting arrangements to create dramatic effects particularly in the central courtyard and terrace garden

Cassia fistula

Psidium guajava

Acacia auriculiformis

Madhuca longifolia var. latifolia

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis

Ficus virens

Terrace Garden The terrace of the twin towers will be designed to provide relief and to refresh. This is a vegetated surface on a roof, playing a part in slowing down rainwater runoff, helping to keep the building cool, ameliorating the ‘urban heat island effect, and contributing to the filtration of pollutants from the atmosphere. Green Wall is used to describe a vegetated vertical surface, particularly on the solid walls. This will provide an opportunity for wildlife in locations where conventional landscaping is impractical; providing visual amenity for the public. In addition to these; green walls can also help with rainfall attenuation, dust filtration, and reducing the urban heat island effect.

Most of the plants are Indian origin and can withstand to the adverse climatic conditions. Different trees have to be planted in the four different directions of the Sitei.e. North, East, South and West. Maximum care has been taken to select the tree species according to their suitable directions. On the terrace garden as well as in the internal courtyard species of Champa have been taken to give a beautiful look with its broad green leaves, white & creamy flowers.

The Ground Plane Materials

The Vertical Landscaping (CABLE TRELLIS SYSTEM) The vertical vine landscaping will be supported and facilitated through a cable trellis system that will have a special anchoring system on the façade itself to allow for any shape or pattern. The vine species chosen for the vertical landscaping will be specifically tailored to the altitude and orientation upon which they sit on the building.

STRUCTURE

Tubular systems: The tubular system is to arrange the structural elements in such a way that the system can resist the imposed loads on the structure efficiently especially the lateral loads. This system comprises of various elements i.e. slabs, beams, girders, columns. The walls and cores are engaged to resist the lateral loads, in the tubular system the horizontal loads are resisted by column and spandrel beams at the perimeter level of the tubes.

Framed Tube Structures: Frames comprises of closely spaced columns, 2 to 4 m between centers, with deep girders joining them. The ideology is to develop a tube like structure which acts like a continuous perforated chimney or stack. The lateral resistance of this structure is provided by stiff moment resisting frames which form a tube throughout the periphery of the building.

Columns: Steel Joist and Concrete Composite Beams: ISMB 450Floor Slabs: EPS Concrete Deck Flooring

Structural Core: Concrete

02

SERVICES

02

WATER CONSUMPTION CALCULATION Total Occupants - Total Built-Up Area / Avg. Occupant Load =18620 / 15 =1241 pax Total Consumption Daily = 1241 x 45 =55,845 liter

=55.845 kl For overhead water tank, NBC recommends capacity of 50%of daily peak demand.

Size of Module = 1x4m Optimum Area of Module after Tilting = 3.6 sq.m.

Area of Solar Panel Installation = 24000 sq.m.

Area Lost in Circulation - 30% - 7200 sq.m.

No. of Modules = Area / Size of Module = 16800 / 3.6 = 4667 Capacity of Each Module (in ideal conditions) = 0.5 kWh Total Energy Generation Possible = 0.5 x 4667= 233.5 kWh

RAINWATER HARVESTING CALCULATION Volume = 0.5 x 55,845 = 27,922 cu. m.

Total Area for Rainwater Harvesting = 2440 sq. m.

SOLAR CALCULATIONS Annual Rainfall = 750 mm Latitude of the Site = 28.4 Coefficient of Surface Runoff = 0.85 Tilt Angle = 0.76 x Latitude + 3.1 Volume of Rainwater Harvested Annually = Area x Coefficient x Rainfall = 24.68 = 2440 x 0.85 x 0.75 Size of Solar Panel = 1x2m = 1555 cu.m.

CONCLUSION

This design is but one formal exploration into the realm of vertical development in Gurgaon. The limits placed on the design by imposing a specific site and location were severe, but ultimately resulted in the complexity and quality of the Group Housing. This housing would

serve as the prototype which would help transform the façade of the neighborhood along with accommodating the residents in the twin towers which attempt to cater the demands of the diverse groups of residents, along with establishing a sense of harmony.

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