Nehal Patel : MArch2 SCI_Arc 2022

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE

2021-2022

Masters of Architecture 2

NEHAL PATEL

CONTACT INFORMATION

Nehal Patel +1 (818) 649 4825 arnehal.p@gmail.com

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the copyright owner Nehal Patel © 2022

2021-2022

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE

Masters of Architecture 2

NEHAL PATEL

STATEMENT

Nehal Patel is an architectural designer currently pursuing Masters of Architecture II at Southern California institute of Architecture in Los Angeles. She received her undergraduate degree from Gujarat Technological University in India.

Prior to joining SCI-Arc, her experience as a design intern and as a participator in various workshops, helped her understand the pragmatic aspects of a design, and further developed her interests in utilizing design technologies for field applications.

Currently as a graduate student, she is advancing her creative design thinking by exploring the realms of Generative design tools to design intricately detailed forms that also addresses ecological issues at large.

Her interests include urban design projects, architectural projects and digital designs.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2GAX 09| 25| 35|

GENERATIVE ASSEMBLY DS_1200 / Design Studio 1 ADIDAS SPORTS ARENA AS_3200 / Advanced Materials & Tectonics MASKED, TERRAFORM, OVERLAID VS_4200 / Visual Studies 1

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2GBX 41| 51|

TOWARDS A NEW NATURAL CONTRACT DS_1201 / Design Studio 2

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ATMOSPHERES VS_4201 / Visual Studies 2

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MULTI-LAYER BIOPHILIA THESIS / Design Studio

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BOULEVARD AS PUBLIC SPACE SEM9 / Design Studio

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B.ARCH 57| 67|

2GAX

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DESIGN STUDIO

Instructor: Soomeen Hahm 2021

MORPHOLOGIES OF FLUIDS & SOLIDS

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE Team: Micheal Webb, Hiwot Zegeye

BRIEF: This studio looks at the changing role of the classRoom within the unraveling of a devastating pandemic. We enter this class at a moment when the world grapples with questions on the role of the classroom and how much access or lack thereof each institution, city, and country has. Millions of kids are engaging in a completely different model of education, one challenged by endless constraints, including social, technological, physical, and ethical issues.

The Studio begins by designing the new classRoom and will zoom out to design a full elementary school. The The shift from the room to the school will be designed in incremental steps, using the movie titled ‘Powers of 10’ (1977) was created by Ray and Charles Eames, as a reference.

CONCEPT: As a part of a proposed extension for Diamond Ranch Elementary school in Pamona, the connections between classrooms are made to be more interactive than the traditional hallway, to provide a moment of interaction with the environment of Chino Hills. Utilizing the design language that can allow the site to branch out into the surrounding landscape and inspire students’ creativity to further enhance the ability of the child to connect with their surroundings and achieve higher in class. This project focuses on creating both comforting and interactive which can accommodate different kinds of play that are essential for a child’s development.

Central Canopy

https://youtu.be/fGf5ucg5NKQ

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The form generation for the chairs starts from geometric studies.

These abstract geometries are then populated with certain rule sets and logic. The rulesets operations are based on procedural deformation, mirror, duplication etc.

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2GAX - Morphologies of Fluids and Solids

Chairs are designed as a part of classroom furniture. The overall structure of the chair is made of metal, and the outer coating is done using velvet-like material, to impart a soft look to fluid form.

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Nehal Patel Kindergarden Library

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2GAX - Morphologies of Fluids and Solids

At the classroom scale, nooks and niches provide spaces for a child to relax and regain themselves. These spaces allow for an escape from the often-hectic environment of a kindergarten or preschool classroom.

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2GAX - Morphologies of Fluids and Solids

Intersection spaces Studies done to combine Solid and fluidic forms, to access the potential of spaces created due to the unusual intersection of these form typologies to design clusters.

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Cluster development The Idea is to occupy solid spaces as interior classrooms, and the fluidic nature of lines created perforations that opened the possibility of outdoor - interactive learning spaces.

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2GAX - Morphologies of Fluids and Solids

Cluster Elaboration Arrangement of different clusters and classroom spaces, merged with landscaped surroundings, to further elaborate program requirements.

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Informal/ Formal classrooms Fluidic lines become part of interiors, by transitioning from structural elements to wall and floor features, to partitions and furniture.

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2GAX - Morphologies of Fluids and Solids

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Nehal Patel Birds-eye View

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2GAX - Morphologies of Fluids and Solids

The solid spheres are lifted from the ground by fluidic form, to provide continuous shaded spaces below to encourage outdoor learning activities and to increase physical exercise.

Central Courtyard

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2GAX - Morphologies of Fluids and Solids Video stills

From furniture to the classroom to cluster to the site plan to context, presenting the idea of zoom in-out inspired by ‘Powers of 10” (1977) created by Ray and Charles Eames.

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2GAX

02

ADIDAS SPORTS ARENA

ADVANCED MATERIALS & TECTONICS

Instructor: Dwayne Oyler, Randy Jefferson 2021

FACADE STUDY AND TRANSFORMATION Team: Hiwot Zegeye, Gao Sun, Liu Zhengda BRIEF: Tectonics in architecture can be understood as “the science or art of construction, both concerning use and artistic design.” Working through in-depth Precedent analysis and speculative design transformations, students will document the technical, environmental, and cultural dimensions of a building Facade, formulating hypotheses about the interrelationship between Envelope systems, and their related Structures.

Every Façade represents a subset of Systems that are developed in response to the Architecture of the building and the need to create a barrier or enclosure. These subsets exist in response to the Architectural concept of the Façade where it is necessary to create barriers that deal with water, air, temperature, and acoustics; create Tertiary support for the Architectural materials of the Façade and connect the Façade to the Structural Skeleton of the building.

The process includes, documenting the existing building structure to understand the tectonics of the building assembly, and then proposing the alternate idea of facade design, and detail out ways to attach it to the primary structure.

This study includes two building precedents: 1. Study Precedent: Adidas Sports Arena 2. Transformative Precedent: Solar Carve

By Behnisch Architekten

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2GAX - Adidas Sports Arena

Finish floor level

Hollow concrete slab Tie beam Finish floor level

Corrogated metal sheet Tie beam False ceiling Boundary beam Cladding Shading element

Slant Column

Building chunk

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The precedent study, documentation of building chunk to identify primary structural members, secondary structural members, connections, and facade elements.

Zoomed-in detailed chunk section, to identify finer elements of structure and facade. Materials and accurate sizes of structural members are also documented.

Chunk Detail

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2GAX - Adidas Sports Arena

Aluminium Mullion profile Aluminium and Glass Curtain wall Steel Braket and Maintainance bridge

Steel Substructure 3”x 5” rectangular section

Perpendicular plates anchored to concrete slab

Slant Steel member Aluminium 3”x 3” Box Section Frame

Aluminium frame 3”x 3”

Slant Plate Slab

Folded Aluminium Sunshade Bracket

Layers of Facade

Steel Substructure: 27” long, 3”x 5” rectangular section attached to slab via Steel brackets. Brackets also support aluminum maintenance bridges.

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Folded Aluminium sunshade

Curtain wall Aluminium Mullion Profile

Bracket connection

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12” Steel joist 18” Rectangular section 12” Steel Beam 36” Steel Beam 30” Rectangular section

FACADE TRANSFORMATION INSPIRED BY SOLAR CARVE DESIGNEED BY STUDIO GANG

60” Rectangular section

2GAX - Adidas Sports Arena

Metal Floor Decking 24” Steel Beam

60” Circular column member

ANCHOR BOLTS FOR FACADE STRUCTURE Finish Floor

Anchor Bolts Connection Plate

10” x 8” Connection Steel Frame

FACADE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

4” Vertical member 4” Horizontal member 2” Diagonal member

Chunk - Transformed Facade

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10” x 8” Connection

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2GAX - Adidas Sports Arena

EMDP black gasket Black strctural silicone Aluminum painted profile Stainless steel fixing Black waterproofing silicone

Detail of carved units

Detail of double glazed units 32

Steel Structure Halit bolt Stainless Steel Sheet Double Glazed Units

Carved Units: The carves are composed of five plane tridimensional curtain wall units. Each unit has a base of 8’x8’ for a typical height of 16’ with four triangular planes surrounding a rhombodal central plane. This system enables the signature “solar carving” at the North-west and South-East corners of the building elevations, creating an extremely original and iconic aesthetic effect.

Detail of glass wall connection 33

2GAX

03

MASKED, TERRAFORM, OVERLAID

VISUAL STUDIES

SUPPRESSED, HERBOLOGY, ORBUCULUM Team: Hiwot Zegeye

Instructor: William Virgil, Kumaran Parthiban, Rachael McCall 2021

BRIEF: Masked investigates sequences of techniques and visual effects, working on visual production as a platform for contemporary cultural manifestos and design as activism.

Terraforming explores a small but essential part of worldbuilding - environment design and actively transgressing its principles to create fantastic immersive landscapes. he overlaid will focus on post-production and compositing: imbuing, concealing, and revealing new layers and visual narrative in the work. This project will work with layering and dynamics in form, multiple opacities within materials, as well as focus on masking, sequences, and adjacencies in post-production software. The three projects work in sequence, beginning with modeling, moving to worldbuilding / environmental design, and culminating with a project focused on compositing and post-production.

SUPPRESSED: We wear masks to hide our true selves, to not get judged, to get accepted in society, and to fit into norms of acceptable behaviors. Our mask displays the intense impact of being suffocated by hiding one’s most inner passions and overtime when it wears off due to different experiences, the person is now being more expressive of themselves, which is shown by the right side of the mask with little horns coming out of the skull, revealing their true personalities and sides at different degrees and intensity.

Suppressed

https://vimeo.com/654291672

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2GAX - Terraform - Herbology

HERBOLOGY The study of magical and mundane plants and fungi makes it the wizarding equivalent of botany.

Herbology was a core class and subject thought at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, in which students learned to care for and utilize magical plants and their properties.

Harry’s Patronus

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Castle Reimagined

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2GAX - Overlaid - Orbuculum

ORBUCULUM: By changing the transparency, the world inside revealed various details, but not enough to get clarity, maintaining suspense, just like a fortune telling crystal ball.

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A modern day Crystal ball, used in photography, to enhance the view. We experiemnted with the colours of glass ball, transperancy, and ligthing.

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2GBX

04

DESIGN STUDIO

Instructor: Damjan Jovanovic 2022 (Ongoing)

TOWARDS A NEW NATURAL CONTRACT

BIO-TECH BUILDING Individual

BRIEF: As the life science industry thrives during the current public health crisis, Los Angeles aims to be a bio-tech hub, third only to Boston and San Diego. The studio will consider the interests of multiple stakeholders that make up this unique and evolving building type.

Students will design a building for an organization that gathers groups of interdisciplinary constituents to perform research around particular technologies, policies, and ideas. As a consequence, the building may not necessarily be gauged by its efficiency of program or self-similarity of users but will represent a diversity of intercorrelated stakeholders.

CONCEPT: This project explores the possibility of utilizing the building envelope as a photo-bioreactor to grow microalgae. This new natural contract between humans and algae can help mitigate various crises like malnutrition, pollution, nutritious food for other biological species, and an overall healthier environment. The algae live on the building envelope in the complex tubular system which is exposed to sunlight, where it grows and due to photosynthesis, its effectiveness in reducing levels of carbon dioxide from the air.

Building Shell

https://vimeo.com/684795731

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2GBX - Towards a new Natural Contract

Style GAN training was done to digitally generate images that can become “Agents” in “Environment” to realize possibilities of different stakeholders, and special qualities of program spaces, like Lab and Parliament.

Parliament set up is curated by an unbiased AI that also puts forward the interests of other living organisms while negotiating about applications of research findings.

Laboratory interior

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Parliament space

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The parliament is placed underground and labs and offices are elevated from the ground, to create natural and artificially landscaped environments to generate a highly immersive experience.

Plan

2GBX - Towards a new Natural Contract

5. Circulation core 1. Dry Lab 2. Conference Room 6. Wet Lab 7. Open Offices 3. Open Offices 4. Lab Support offices

CIRCULATION CORE

PROGRAM DISTRIBUTION

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2GBX - Towards a new Natural Contract

1. Admin Block 2. Open Offices 3. Flexible Lab 4. Dry Lab 5. Wet Lab 6. Attrium Space/ Informal meeting Area 7. Parliament

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Nehal Patel Bio-Tech Laboratory

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Parliament is placed underground, creating a sense of privacy in terms of access. The roof of parliament is semi-landscaped to give a sense of nature inside the building.

2GBX - Towards a new Natural Contract

The lab researches various types of micro-algae, their growth conditions, and their behavior. All this data about bio-agents collected by AI systems calculates and suggests ways to efficiently use these algae in different sectors.

Parliament Space

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2GBX

05

VISUAL STUDIES

ATMOSPHERES

Instructor: Damjan Jovanovic 2022 (Ongoing)

WORLD-BUILDING Partner: Piyush Panchal

BRIEF: The focus of the seminar is the exploration and application of new representational technologies and novel ways of drawing and modeling.

In the future, new beings will emerge from existing artificial intelligence systems. They will think 10,000 times faster than we do and they will regard us as we now regard plants. But this will notbe the cruel, violent machine takeover of the planet imagined by science fiction. These hyperintelligent beings will be as dependent on the health of the planet as we are. A new age of human-nonhuman interdependence and cooperation will arise, and we will be partners in this project.

CONCEPT: Humans artificially birthed and nurtured as a species that has abilities of an AI and humane emotional qualities all connected to single consciousness. These entities were created to balance ecological world and human existence. Their work was mainly to focus on reversing effects of climate change, for this they were fed with all kinds of ecological data of the earth. They collect real-time data of living organisms, and calculate needs for regeneration to maintain ecological balance.

The Video will show AI seeds floating in Air, analyzing and figuring out the need for restoration on land and sea plant species. After positioning themselves in the area for restoration, they help plants in every possible to grow.

Master Agent

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2GBX - Atmospheres

Tiny, intricate AI Agents, collecting live data from bio-organisms and their ecosystems, maintenance quality environment.

Data collection

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Seed pods

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Atmospheres

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SEM10

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UNDERGRAD THESIS

MULTI-LAYER BIOPHILIA

Instructor: Mansi Shah 2021

MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT Individual

AIM: This thesis demonstrates the application of biophilia in the urban environment by designing and deriving strategies for mixed-use development in CBD- West Zone of Ahmedabad City.

BACKGROUND: It is believed that humans have a congenital inclination towards nature and natural processes, this phenomenon is termed “biophilia”. Human health and well-being are linked to the natural world. Man is part of a very large ecosystem that sustains itself by the interdependency of different living species. Harnessing each other’s strength and abilities is a way of life, where all exist harmoniously and in chaos.

Bigger cities are built at the cost of extinction of biodiversity, and these are just “concrete jungles.” Human ecosystems largely fail to meet the requirement of pure air to breathe and water to drink. Human-nature connections have to grow strong in man-made environments not only for health but also to save disappearing biodiversity.

This thesis explores the inclusion of biodiversity into the built environment to link urban man with nature and proposes the new typology of the multi-functional building that is based on biophilic concepts.

The towers

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Thesis - Multi - Layer Biophilia

01 - 37% Live and Work units no. of floors - 14 (10th - 23rd) no. of units - 168 Total built up - 10,608 sqm Built up - 37%

02 - 09% Co-working + Recreational spaces no. of floors - 2 (8th - 9th) 8th - Co-working + Indoor game 9th - Gym + Terrace garden Total built up - 2,700 sqm Built up - 9%

03 - 42% Corporate offices no. of floors - 5 (2nd - 6th) no. of units - 60 corporate officies Total built up - 13,550 sqm Built up - 42%

04 - 12% Commercial shops + cafes no. of floors - 2 (G + 1st) no. of units - 24 Retail units Total built up - 3,520 sqm Built up - 12%

Program distribution The majority of surface area of the site is covered in plants and shrubs. This helps in mitigating the urban heat island effect prevailing in commercial core of the city.

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Multi - Layer Biophilia

The tiny forest is set up as an edible forest or “urban food forestry”. This forest uses Miyawaki technique of urban forestration, where in 2-3 years it becomes selfsustaining. Bioswales are designed along the road, and shade giving trees are planted to ensure shade in the street and let biodiversity thrive.

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Terraces of the two towers are landscaped with edible variety of plants and shrubs.

These would be a community edible terrace farm, maintained and harvested by the residents and for the residents of the towers.

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Nehal Patel Terrace garden details

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Multi - Layer Biophilia

The residential balconies are staggered to get double height, for the growth of dwarf trees, and other vegetation. The intensity of vegetation can be increased or decreased according to user’s preference.

Bioswales drainage detail

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Multi - Layer Biophilia

A green facade is created by growing climbing plants up and across the facade of a building, either from plants grown in garden beds at its base, or by container planting installed at different levels across the building.

Urban Level Strategy - Plaza

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SEM9

07

DESIGN STUDIO

BOULEVARD AS PUBLIC SPACE

Instructor: Hardik Pandya, Rajdeep Routh 2020

PEDESTRIANISATION & URBAN ELEMENTS Team: Dhanraj Rupawala

AIM: this project aims for the rejuvenation of deteriorating cityscape along roadside as an urban element, by integration of vending activities as well as safe for pedestrain commuters, development to be done on scape under High Tension Wire on S.G. Highway.

BACKGROUND: The Sarkhej - Gandhinagar Highway, connects the city of Ahmedaabd with Gandhinagar, the capital of the state of Gujarat, India. This highway corridor is a dynamic commercial road that houses not only commercial complex but as well as, recreation, theatres, corporate parks adn elite clubs of Agmedabad like Karnavati and Rajpath. This corridor is mix-used development and hence very varied categories of users can be seen enjoying in this modern cultured urban space. At night the S.G. Highway is very ambient for social gathering or chillout spot for youth of Ahmedabad.

During New Year’s Eve or Navaratri nights, the highway is a party road.

The green zoned land parcel below the High-Tension Wire (HTW) on S.G. Highway is a 5KM stretch. Cluttered spaces anad divided activities lack a proper infrastrcture that a city’s outdoor social space should have. Also, the local venders or street hawkers are encroaching vacant land and causes green spaces to diappear. Hence, all these results in decaying environemntal conditions.

Plaza at Junction

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1. Cluttered land parcel.

2. unsafe infrastructure for pedestrain commuters.

3. Encroachments on vacent lands by vendors, hawkers, slums, illegal parking.

4. Public utilities in worst conditions.

5. Unhygenic conditions in road-side cafes and shops. Unsafe positioning.

6. Water logging and decreased green space.

IDENTIFYING USER GROUPS

DEVISING THE STRATEGY The strategy for land use distribution of entire stretch is formulated as per a standard node model.

At the node the first function is a buffer space, that allowes pedestrains to have a break from vehicular traffic. A bus stop or a drop off is created along with plaza, to ensure safe access to public transport.

Utility distibution is done adjacent to TOD, and plaza.

Commercial activities, such as vending and street side cafes are arranged after the utilities.

Boulevard as Public Space

IDENTIFYING ISSUES ON SITE

Distribution of supporting functions are done based on immediate contextual needs and usage.

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

MAPPING USAGE OF SPACES

REDISTRIBUTION OF ACTIVITIES

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Boulevard as Public Space

SITE STUDY (PART PLAN)

STRTERGY FOR PLANNING (PART PLAN)

Pedestrain access and safety

DESIGN OUTCOME (PART PLAN)

Open park Gym

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Children’s play area

Food Truck

Parking

Utility Stores

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MULTI-UTILITY ZONE Plantation Recreation/ Pause

Boulevard as Public Space

URBAN ELEMENTS

Utility & Public Toilets Commercial spaces

STREET ELEMENTS Footpath

Police Station

Cycle track Bus Stop Carriage way lane Parking

Way to underground pedestrain crossing

SAFETY ELEMENTS Pedestrain crossing

Public Toilet

Traffic Calming measures

Rickshaw stand

Bollards Street Lights Taxi stand

Street furniture Ralings Central median Signage Markings

Bus stand

Public Toilet

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