Undergrad Architecture Portfolio

Pratik Patel Portfolio

COOKOUT CORNER

COWORKING STUDIO

ORAKEI APARTMENTS

LORNE ST REDESIGN

“CONTAIN”

COOKOUT CORNER

Found in the CBD of Rotorua, inspired by the local night markets, you can find the Cookout Corner. An opened plan food court that encourages a pedestrian-friendly environment while also maintaining a biophilic design to help create a more lively CBD.

The project will also include a proposed apartment complex to increase urban density and provide a place for residents to stay close to the retail and commercial zones to help create a more walkable city. The project also includes the redevelopment of Tutanekai Street to create a fully pedestrian walkable urban forest connecting eat street, Cookout corner and the Rotorua night markets

Site plan of Rotorua CBD with chosen building

Design Proposals

Social Connections

Hapori ora (Connected Communities)

- Rooftop communal space and ground floor food court allow for social interactions and connections for residents and other locals

Food Commons and Gardens

Whenua ora (Eco-Infrastructure)

-Rooftop gardens and green houses for on-site food production and lowering transport emissions

Biophilia

Whare ora (Regenerative Buildings)

- Green walls and trees to help mitigate urban heat island effects as well as creating greener buildings

Walkable Neighbourhoods

Ahei ora (Access and Transport)

-Open plan food court and pedestrian-focused streetscape encourages walkability and “easy to get around” nature Sponge City

Whenua ora (Eco-Infrastructure)

-Permeable surfaces allow water to pass through and lower flooding risks.

Basic greenery, limited pedestrian spaces due to shared zone, minimum permeable spaces

Urban forest development, green walls start growing. More pedestrians using the space, cooler air due to trees

Full urban forest redevelopment. Full pedestrian zone encouraging walkability. More biodiversity due to biophilia. Fully grown green walls ready for replanting and reuse. Maximum permeable surfaces. Overall cooler urban scape due to reducing the urban heat island effect.

Small scale development starting at Tutanekai St. and Hinemoa St. intersection. (Same site as the Rotorua night markets)

Expanding further north turning into a larger walkway rather than an urban space for vehicles

Fully developed urban forest walkway to create a large “green plaza” connecting the night market site and eat street found both on Tutanekai St. Fit with preforming spaces and bike lanes

Roof top garden/communal space

COWORKING STUDIO

Located in the heart of the Avondale racecourse is the commercial area where I have designed a public coworking studio space that is easily available to the local community. Basing my design on the Hapori-Ora and Whenua-Ora concepts from the Mauri ora compass, I was able to design a building that was not only fit for the community but also ecologically friendly.

The project was part of a larger master plan of redesigning the racecourse which included other areas such as high-density housing, medium-density housing, public-facing amenities, and the commercial area which is my proposed district.

Design Principles:

Huritanga exploring system change – change in our architectural and urban systems – for the wellbeing of taiao and tangata, planet and people

Whakawhanaungatanga respectful relationships including those between tangata and taiao

Mauritanga

Holistic well-being led ethic and practice: working with holistic wellbeing – social, cultural, ecological – and regenerative living systems (indigenous and others)

Mahitahitanga

collaborative approaches and working together

Site plan showing pre-exisiting racecourse with proposed site.

The arrows represent the accessibility of the site which is surrounded on all isdes by other infrastructure. With housing in the north, high density housing in the south, the parking space for the for the communal area in the east, and the community centre in the south west.

Creating three different spaces that can co-exist with one another without disrupting the spaces of each other

By creating a longer building, the space has more range to suppress the sound and spread the acoustics out. If I were to stack the building into floors, the sounds could travel between floors where as the buffer spaces have more acoustic capabilities compared to if I had floors to act as buffer space.

The three different spaces represent the three main components of the space. The workshop, the studio space, and the study space, with buffer spaces such as the atrium space in between the workshop and the study space and the computer hub which is located in between the study space and studio space

Original Floor plan/layout draft

The exterior facade will have an integrated green wall trellis system to help reduce the interior temperatures of the building while also protecting the facade from UV radiation and other natural weathering damages

Installing solar panels on the roof would provide the building with clean solar energy, taking advantage of the large surface area of the roof. I’ve positioned them facing east so that they would get he maximum amount of sunlight during the day.

The large curtain walls provide a lot of natural light to pass through as well as maintaining interior temperature. The large curtain walls also allow the occupants to be closer to nature “visually” can help reduce symptoms of depression.

The building is split into 3 main spaces, each with its own sound levels.

The Atrium and the computer hub act as buffer zone for the different spaces of sound levels. The computer hub is the buffer zone for the Studio and the Study space which have a similar level of sound, Whereas the Atrium is the larger buffer space between the Workshop and the Study space

The study space will also be fitted with Acoustic panels to help absorb the sound waves and create a silent space to work in

The slight angle of the roof helps catch rain water into a catchment system which also filters the water to reuse for the building.

Functionalities

Atrium/Lobby space

Studio Space

The brief for this project was to study an existing multi-uni social housing complex, then redesign the complex in relation to the Te Aranga principles, consultation with iwi representatives, feedback, research, and analysis.

The chosen site was once a sacred land that belonged to the Ngati Whatua Orakei tribe and was important for farming and fishing. In 1840 the government took the land for “public works”

The aim was to use the Te Aranga principles as a guide to generate an exquisitely crafted alternative version of the original design to promote indigenous values.

The Te Aranga principles include the core Maori values that aid the development of the project. The main principles I have used in this project are:

Whakapapa - Maori names Taiao - Enhancing natural envirnment Mauri Tu - Environmental health is protected Tohu - Significant sites are acknowledged

ORAKEI APARTMENTS

The Site plan on the left shows the Te Aranga principles in use:

Tohu (Mana Whenua significant sites and cultural landmarks are acknowledged) One of the applications is through visual connections. because of the placement of the site, the apartments have a clear view out towards Okahu Bay and a further view of Rangitoto Island, Maungauika, and Motukorea, as well as a clear connection to the local Orakei Marae

As well as the celebrating Whakapapa by naming the project after the iwi that occupied the land (Ngati Whatua Orakei)

Original Orakei village (1940)

Orakei domian (Present)

Orakei Domain (1959)

Site plan showcasing Te Aranga princlple of Tohu

The apartment layouts feautre a “cookie cutter” method of desgin where each floor is reminiscent of the one before.

Mauri Tu - By planting native plants such as the Ti Touka (Cabbage tree) enhance the native biodiversity of the area by attracting birds and insects to the native trees.

Tohu - Having the view of Rangitoto island ties in with the Te Aranga principle of Tohu which states that Mana Whenua’s significant sites and cultural landmarks are acknowledged. Another example of Tohu being practiced includes the site located within walking distance of the Orakei Marae (As shown on the site map)

Taiao/Mauri Tu practices the idea that the natural environment is protected, restored, and/or enhanced as well as the environmental health is protected maintained, and/or enhanced. By building on this site, we bring with it the new flora and fauna which was once not there, therefore increasing biodiversity.

Elevation showing Te Aranga principles in use

The brief for this project was to redesign the Auckland library entrance while also transforming the Lorne Street alleyway to be more inviting and a place for the community to come together.

The project needed to be different and stand out from the Auckland CBD. to create something that was not previously done before while also tying into the culture and atmosphere. The project also needed to transform the entrance to the library to engage the user and provide a better incentive to linger around for longer

LORNE ST REDESIGN

In front of the entrance of the library, I have designed a simple but effective shaded overhang that serves two purposes.

1: to create a shaded area that can be used during rain and shine.

2: The second purpose is to act as a water catchment system. The shaded area has an angle to guide the water to the edges using gutters.

The idea of the lush green walkway was inspired by the Maori god Tane (Short for Tane-mahuta, as the god of the forest while also being called Tane-te-Wananga as the bringer of knowledge)

The redesign of Lorne Street brings together the two forms, the green space represents Tane-mahuta while the library itself represents Tane-te-wanaga.

The street itself was designed to stand out in the urban grey streetscape to bring attention to an otherwise “hidden” street where the central library is located.

The redesign was created to bring people into the place to act as a “public space” An example of this would be the New York library, where the entrance is filled with people performing and busking. This ties the social aspect to the building and creates an inviting feeling.

Elevation Render Showing Redesign

Site Plan Render

“C ONTAIN”

Containers have been used in architecture for multiple scenarios in the last couple of years. due to their modularity and structural build, architects have found many different ways to upcycle and incorporate these into their designs.

This brief aimed to create a house using containers as the primary buildig material, integrating sustainable design principles and renewable energy systems without taking away the functionality of the space. The deisgn should provide adequate infrastructure including amenities and utilities that can support a family

The projects key themes are:

Urbanism

The design should prioritize efficient use of space with an emphasis on creating a vibrant space.

Sustainability

The project should be environmentally responsible, incorporating energy-efficient systems, sustainable materials, and strategies for waste reduction and recycling.

Adaptability

The design should allow for future expansion and adaptation, accommodating changing needs and functions over time.

Aesthetics

The development should be visually appealing and contribute positively to the surrounding urban fabric, considering the context and architectural harmony.

The foundation of the project is based on two different-sized containers.

- a smaller 20ft container (6m)

- a larger 40 ft container (12m)

by arranging the containers together we can start building a space that can be further built upon to create a more welcoming space by renovating the base foundation.

Throughout the design process, there was a reoccurring idea of an open courtyard through the use of a void created by the containers themselves. Saving materials by leaving the center open instead of using containers to fill in the space, the space could wrap around the center and create a center piece which could be used by the occupants.

Smaller concept which uses minimal amount of containers - 8 x 20ft

- 4 x 40 ft

The courtyard is one of the main design focuses of this project. The idea of shipping containers containing things led me to the concept of this lush outdoor courtyard being “contained” by the surrounding house which was made of shipping containers.

The central element provides a great sense of natural light as well as cool air in the summer. The large curtain windows let the natural light in as well as trapping the heat inside the house. This allows less energy to be used in both the summer and winter. The courtyard also provides some permeable surfaces which can help with flooding during heavy rainfall. The roof features angled sides which all face outwards from the courtyard. The gutters at the end of the roofs collect the rainwater which then is collected and harvested into two large water tanks which then filter the water for reuse.

Sustainable practices used