Architecture and Urban design: Work Sample

The selected works try to encompass at different scales. Various master-planning to street-scape, professional practice, investigate centered urban grain. It is a narrative process and understanding of

encompass public interaction

Various projects, ranging from street-scape, through academic and investigate the creation of humannarrative parallel to my thought of the scope of urban design.

No time to waste

Experiential Compost Park

Sustainability, Community driven and Industrial, Carbon neutral

Site location: Staten Island, New York, USA

Type of Project: In-situ Compost Recycling

Project size: 3,23,500 sq.m

Team: Florentina Anastasia, SeungHyo Chang and Palak Shah (Co-designer, Co-producer, and presenter)

Graduate Academic Project, 2023 at

The New York City-wide Compost project will start by October 2024. For the success of this project, it is vital to have enough compost facilities to intake this incoming food waste. The absence of proper facilities will result in segregated food waste being disposed of in landfills—a prevalent issue historically.

A radical shift in thinking and actions is needed to envision a world where food waste becomes the cornerstone of ‘a communitydriven revolution for an eco-conscious future’ to achieve Zero Food Waste 2050

We set the goals to:

-Redirect Food waste from reaching landfills

-Reduce emissions

-Produce In-situ Compost

-Supply compost to parks and farms

stakeholders & players

Collection

Most food scrap is collected through a curbside program. By 2024, all boroughs in NYC will have curbside bins.

Organic collections Grow NYC Food scrap

Organics (tonnes) transported/shift

Transportation

Almost 70% of the food waste gets sent to landfills in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Carolina. When deprived of oxygen, decomposed waste releases methane, a gas more potent than Carbon dioxide.

Organic transfer

Truck Terminal

Marine transfer Terminal

Facilities

The curbside composting program in Queens diverted 57% more in the first quarter itself (6000 tonnes). The SI Compost facility recycles 60,000 tonnes over 33 acres.

Compost facility NGOs & Agencies Waste to Energy Waste segregation

$340

Port

The compost cycle highlights the usage of land and circulation of compost and tourists within IMTT Land and Snug Harbor. A green industry spine along with a research institute embedded in a residential and industrial area.

KILL VAN KULL

SNUG HARBOR

IMTT LAND

Oil tanks have been

Entrance to the experiential compost park through local ferry.

A pitstop along the pedal boat route near a DIY learning center, where researchers, scientists, and locals come together.

re-purposed into greenhouses that aid public activities.

With reduced dependence on oil consumption, the facility will expand to collect food scraps from other cities and generate biogas through additional anaerobic facilities.

Mumbai’s Port Lands re-imagined

Life between buildings

Green transportation, 15-minute city module, Sustainability Development Goals (SDG’s), Mixed-use development

Partnerships for the goals

Site location: Mumbai, India

Type of Project: Design competition

Project size: 6,47,500 sq.m

Team: Hitakshi Agarwal, Jil Salia, Toshi Tusam, Dev Desai and Palak Shah (Co-designer and presenter)

Academic Project, 2019 at In collaboration with

Won the Local Projects Challenge AwardInnovation in Education, 2020

Darukhana lies on the eastern waterfront of Mumbai, a trading center in the 19th century and is now largely inaccessible. Redesigning this waterfront would unlock the potential of the land by compensating for the current lack of open spaces and creating new economic opportunities.

The aim is to connect the city with multiple modes of green public transport networks and pedestrian streets, which provide easy access to the residents and act as an urban magnet for tourists.

The project looks into this development from the lens of the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) - set up by the UN-GA for a holistic re-evaluation of the growth strategy.

Digital Publication of Proposal

A Mind-map exploring initial design ideas for master planning of Darukhana with Sustainability Development Goals

Existing Programs & usage

This studio facilitated the advocation of the needs of the competing claimants for the city land: open space, commercial, tourism, housing and water, heritage, and wildlife conservation.

Through site visits, lectures by local and international experts and meetings with civil organizations, urban parameters for the master plan of the site were conceptualized.

A mixed-use neighborhood incorporating the SDGs is designed to achieve a 15-minute city module. The program is distributed across zones: commercial and transportation hub at the entrance to the site next to the highway, residential and institutional spaces in the middle, and public spaces towards the edges. Such zoning allows for equitable use of land.

Hybridization of programs vertical planes

8.8; 13.1: Intermediate planes provide resilience to flooding, creating a safe environment

8.3; 11.2: The jetties are integrated into the multi-modal transport system

phasing & attainMents

The project is divided into three phases, such that revenue-generating spaces like commercial buildings, High Income Group (HIG) housing, and the tourism sector are built first. They compensate and allow the creation of public amenities, education and healthcare, and Low Income Group (LIG) housing.

33% higher density of people per km2

2,00,000 jobs generated approximately

60% reduction in vehicular needs

40% reduction in CO2 footprint

3,000 tons of vegetables grown per year

The cluster zoning transitions between and closed breather spaces, engaging public. Provision of public, semi-public, commercial programs between ground public planes. A network of tram, cycle, pedestrian pathways at a higher level activates the public plane and distributes the densities. Intermediate upper levels and connect adjoining buildings through recreational programs and farms.

33% of plot vegetable needs sufficed

Rs. 1000 Million revenue annually Food

16.7 million liters of grey water recycled Water

36.4 million liters of rain water harvested

Phase 1 Phase 2

Terraced Urban farms Amenities connector bridges 400m perimeter blocks Reserved greens

Block A

between open engaging the semi-public, and ground and cycle, and activates crowd extend through

Urban farms engage the existing community on site, offering them alternate sources of income.

The ground plane is activated by diverse recreational programs such as markets, retail stores, and parks.

Public plane is activated by the transit system, engaging the public at a higher level.

Block B

A

Block B

After Property: Re-igniting HBCU’s Fire commons

Educational pedagogy, Socio-culture inclusivity, Reclaiming unused spaces

Site location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Type of Project: Educational campus

Project size: Undetermined

Team: Florentina Anastasia, SeungHyo Chang, Angel Langumas and Palak Shah (Co-designer, Co-producer, and presenter)

Graduate Academic Project, 2023 at

The landscape of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Atlanta presents a complex tapestry of culture, education, and urban development. This project delves into the intricate dynamics at play within these institutions, exploring the intersections of property, brotherhood, and education and the influence of capitalist forces.

Central to this exploration is the philosophy of W.E.B. DuBois, who warns against the excessive pursuit of wealth at the expense of culture and education. He advocates for universities to transcend their conventional roles, emphasizing their responsibility to nurture knowledge and civilization. This ideal forms the foundational ethos for HBCUs, challenging them to be more than vocational centers and instead act as guardians of culture and kinship.

Herdnon Stadium

Furbar Cottage

Gaines Hall

Walking in between Furbar Cottage and Gaines Hall

Gaines Hall

The increasing perception of education as a business venture with property speculation, such as the fires at Gaines Hall and Furbar Cottage, can be hypothesized as institutional funding strategies. This approach risks diluting the rich socio-cultural diversity intrinsic to HBCUs. Though physically in ruins, these buildings have the potential for embracing unconventional learning environments.

The concept of ‘fire commons’ proposes communal and unregulated learning spaces that serve as sanctuaries. They offer refuge from the structured confines of formal education. The fire commons foster anti-capitalist sentiments and represent the resilience and adaptability of HBCUs, providing platforms for challenging social norms and reimagining educational spaces.

Walking through Herdnon Stadium

Furbar Cottage

Restoring seeds

Community Vision

Fluid planning; community initiatives; natural wetland systems

Site location: Comuna, Cartagena, Colombia

Type of Project: Community Engagement

Project size: Undetermined

Team: Robyn Marbil, Shrey Patel, Hamza Jamjoom and Palak Shah

Graduate Academic Project, 2024 at

Cienega de la Virgen is a crucial resource that nurtures Cartagena’s ecosystem which is in the face of pollution problems, mainly the discharge of untreated sewage and at risk to flooding.

We are addressing the cienega as a high ground - low ground system articulated by temporal gradients rather than edges. This reading is how we imagine to ‘sow’ the seeds of Care, Housing, and Filtration in the neighborhood fueled by the existing initiative of Seeds of Mangrove.

Collaborating hand in hand with the people of Comuna 6, we envision a project that empowers the community to ‘sow’ the seeds of change in the neighborhood fueled by the local knowledge and existing initiatives.

Collective work action; community members volunteer for work, as building, repairing, or agricultural activities, for the well-being

Minga /’minga/

SEEDS OF MANGROVE

The high and low ground built aims to offer a foundation for Mangroves to grow and migrate over time.

SEEDS OF CARE

This seed envisions to not only cultivate nurseries but also serve as an educational hub for the community.

of all.

SEEDS OF HOUSING

The imperative of this seeds is resiliency to address the immediate need for safe shelter to mitigate risk of flooding of the houses.

SEEDS OF FILTRATION

This seed creates natural filtration systems to provide access to clean water for agricultural activities, fostering sustainable livelihoods.

Increasing Mangrove Nursery

Introducing Native Plants

Expanding Green Businesses

Vocational Nurseries

Building Resilient Housing

Incorporating Bioswales

Improving Public Spaces

Floating Green Beds

Sedimentation control

coMMunity vision

The community vision plan with multiple possibilities of seed interventions. The government will fund a plan established by the community in partnership with educational institutions for mutual benefits reaped by the green work.

seed oF Mangroves & care

It is a community-led mangrove restoration to create green resilient buffers and reintroduce cultures of canoeing and agriculture.

The interrelation between the seed of care and mangroves is showcased in this dynamic landscape.

Mangrove Plantation

Floating Mangroves

Water Flowing

Camellones

Arable Land

Canoeing

Mangrove Nursery

Camellones: Seeds of Mangroves Nursery: Seeds of Care possibility of agriculture

seed oF housing

It is about raised resilient housing built incrementally by community agreements and participation.

Filtered

Sedimentation pond

Terraces with Bioplants

Canal with

Raised housing: Seeds of Housing

Terraces: Seeds of Filtration

Mangrove Plantations floating swales

Filtration terraces formed to treat and oxygenate wastewater by using native plant species

The Flood Levels

Raised Road Main Road

Raised Housing Community Space

Raised housing: Seeds of Housing

The raised resilient housing is designed to follow the flood-plain integrating permeable streets and absorbable landscape.

seed oF Filtration

Introduces floating wetlands to filter canal water and terrace ponds for bio-filtration to reduce sedimentation and oxygenate water.

Arable land

Filtered water stream

Green Swales

Adding a soft green barrier protects the canal from effluents and waste.

Terraces are created for the water to slow down and naturally filter.

Terrace Ponds Filtration Stream

Raised road

Bioswale Water retention

Canal: Seeds of Filtration

Arable land

JUNCO

Urban breathers

Re-imagining shared spaces

Public realm, Inclusivity, Public crawl, Street edge revitalization

Site location: Mumbai, India

Type of Project: Public-private hybrid

Project size: 9,500 sq.m

Academic dissertation, 2020 at

Mentor: Shilpa Ranade

Throughout history, public spaces been a vital role in fostering a functional democracy, instilling a sense of belongingness and identity among different communities.

The thesis aims to study and evaluate the role of public spaces in the current city demographic. Parameters are selected based on an understanding of literary review. This will aid in identifying the constituents for success or the elements for failure of spaces. This analysis is an attempt to emphasize and define the character of public spaces in an urban context.

The thesis also demonstrates how upcoming spatial typologies can incorporate a public realm by intervening in a planned commercial district.

character oF the building

Cutting through all three buildings, the relationship of the crawl with the building is shown. A central food street is created on one side and a market street on the other. These sections cut through the central square, which is the prime activity hub surrounded by retail, food joints, and markets.

ARCADE

ENTRY SQUARE

OFFICE ENTRY street vendors; food stores

MARKET SQUARE

FOOD STREET

gallery; informal seating gazebos; benches, food carts shops; hawking spaces ; seating sunken courtyard; seating; footpath informal seating; hawking platforms; news stand

Exhibition Arcade

Market street Canteen Central main square

Reading spaces

Office square Office lobby

Market square Food street

Bookstore with library above Canteen Shops

An entry square is created outside the bus stop with a public library to draw people into the site. From here, a shaded alley takes you to the central courtyard.

An arcade is created along the main road perpendicular to the market square and cultural square and eventually connects to the central square. Workshop spaces have been given along with the office lobby to ensure usage by the general public. At the back of the site is the main office building with an accessible lobby, restaurants, and a multipurpose hall.

entrysQuare

Evergreen Project

Cloister in the forest

Sustainability, Cloister, Re-development, circular construction

Site location: Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India

Type of Project: Hostel project (On-going)

Project size: 16,500 sq.m

Team: Quaid Doongerwala, Shilpa Ranade, Indrajeet Pawar, Shahzad Mohammed, Rahul Kustagi, Krishikha Poojary and Palak Shah (Production of design drawings from competition to tender stage. Led the green sustainability and universal accessibility initiative)

Professional Practice, 2022 at

Won the Design competition, 2021

The proposal intends is to continue and strengthen the legacy of IIT Bombay as a leading institute in socially responsible innovation in two particular aspects – Invaluable natural habitat and unique social life.

The IIT Bombay campus is situated at one end of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the continuity of the flora along its lake side makes it a critical part of the larger ecosystem.

In line with this, a large, cloistered courtyard is suggested between the cluster of three hostels. The two boys hostels (Hostels 7 and 8) and the girls hostel (Hostel 21) have a distinct form with shared amenities.

IITB Legacy

Invaluable Natural Habitat

Main road

Spaces of interaction for social, cultural and innovative exchange Proposed Redevelopment

Campus map

Gymnasium

Basalt stone

The cluster of three hostels is designed while retaining the dense tree coverage of the site. Common amenities such as the dining, study, recreational areas, and cafe are distributed at the two lower levels. The hostel blocks rise above the podium along the site’s periphery.

From the sustainability lens, the design preserves the ecological continuity of the forest by cutting minimum trees and avoiding construction around their roots.

The circular construction aims to reduce waste by reclaiming as much of the demolished building material as possible.

It incorporates passive design strategies: solar energy, rainwater harvesting, thermal cooling through the facade and improved cross ventilation using break-out spaces.

Marble and Kota stone

Wind flow through the corridors & breakout spaces Wind circulation in the center

Side Elevation (facing the terrace) Front Elevation (facing the cloister)

Entrance foyer

Walkway connecting to Hostel 21 (Girl’s)

Dinner with repurposed facade

Entrance lobby (Boy’s hostel)

Hostel 7 (Boy’s) Breakout spaces

Hostel 8 (Boy’s)

Entrance foyer (Hostel 8)

5

Cloister

Walkway Study room (Hostel 21)

Hostel 21 (Girl’s)

Study room

Breakout spaces

Private terrace

Music and Dance room Cloister

Boundaryless Armory

Community Engagement

Pedestrianization; soft mobility; lighting; street furniture

Site location: Kingsbridge Armory, Bronx, New York, USA

Type of Project: Community Engagement

Team: Perry Dhulesia, Gokul Nair, Karrthik Raman and Palak Shah

Graduate Academic Project, 2023 at

Do fences outside the Kingsbridge Armory, a public institution regulate access and usage?

‘Boundaryless Armory’ aims to provide recreational, cultural, and social opportunities that enhance the neighborhood’s vibrancy and connectivity. We propose a shift from traditional, restrictive boundaries towards an open, inclusive space that transcends the physical confines of the Kingsbridge Armory. By dismantling perceived physical and symbolic barriers, the surrounding streets can genuinely belong to the community.

At our pop-up event, we deliberately pushed the boundaries of conventional public usage beyond the footpath to invite the community to explore new possibilities. Employing innovative tools such as futuristic visualizations, activity usage, time mapping, and an interactive physical model, we prompted individuals to envision and embrace the potential of the surrounding area.

“We need to protect the vendors, they are the backbone of the community.”

Boundary

the street backbone

“We need benches and spaces for community driven activities to take place.”

“We love basketball! These spaces behind the armory would be a great location to have courts and other activities.”

Historic Center City Square

Street Re-organization

Pedestrianization; soft mobility; lighting; street furniture

Site location: Vilsofen, Germany

Type of Project: Design competition

Project Size: 8 km stretch

Team: Juan Tur, Xosé Carro, Irene Almazán, Elena Noguera and Palak Shah

(Documented the infrastructure pattern to redesign mobility, prepared base cartology plans, diagrams, modelization, and detailing of modular furniture)

Professional Practice, 2019 at

The organization of mobility in the area of the town square aims to create co-existence between different users of transport, namely, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. The aim is to design a street where a car would be considered alien.

It is expected that the excessive existing traffic will be reduced by reversing the entrance and exit of the car park Bürg, so that the traffic directly leads to the church square without having to cross the town square.

Vilsbrücke

V

A series of granite paving stones create a geometric mosaic on the floor, depicting the functionality of the streets.

All the spaces are activated to merge into a single, continuous platform surface, ensuring accessibility throughout and eliminating barriers to shop entrances. stadplatz street at daytiMe

Town square

Demolition of building for creation of square

Bicycle stands

Pedestrian access with benches

Cafe TerrazzosOutdoor seating

Parking on shaded side

Bicycle lane

City tower

Bus stop

Sidewalk Car and bicycle traffic

Sidewalk furniture Bicycle traffic

Sidewalk

Sidewalk with terrazzo Car and bicycle traffic Bicycle traffic

Flexible city Furniture

A flexible design that can be adapted to the various uses and to the useful life of the space, a family of street furniture elements has been designed. They can be grouped in different configurations to create their own recreation areas in their surroundings.

Configuration 1: Bench + Planter Pots

Configuration 2: Bench + Seat + Tree Planter + Litter Bin

Configuration 3: Bench + Seat Element + Tree Planter+ Litter Bin + Lighting

The lighting design in the town square aims to create a lively and collective atmosphere and highlight the beautiful architecture of the city tower and church. stadplatz street at night

Varies

Dharavi narratives

Can design come as we build?

redevelopment; handstorm workshop; participatory planning; user-generated; material exploration

Site location: Mumbai, India

Type of Project: Redevelopment; Handstorm workshop

Team: Samidha Patil, Himani Naidu, Anushka Samant and Palak Shah

(Site supervision, co-designer, production of real-time working drawings, Communication with activists, local contractors, and inhabitants)

Professional Practice, 2019 at

In collaboration with

Interventions in the homegrown neighborhood of Dharavi are an attempt at devising solutions to some of the basic yet integral structural handicaps the residents face. Ethnographic studies and community participation are the crux of redevelopment in the abandoned and overlooked region of the city.

The collaboration with NYU Abu Dhabi students on the Hand-storm Workshop focused on innovating viable and cost-effective solutions at a household and institutional level. Prototyping and subsequent execution of these design solutions with local artisans was undertaken.

Redevelopment of Chawls

The locals collectively undertook the redevelopment. A user-generated urbanism that benefits the community.

Ethnographic study

Smoke Kilns

Prototyping chimneys to subdue the effects of the smoke from kilns that is affecting the health of the residents.

Solar panel

Incorporating sustainable practices within the neighborhood for long-term economic benefits.

Cool roof

Creating a sandwich roof made out of locally recycled materials to reduce solar heat gains.

Utilizing the extension of houses onto the street for economic and social activities.

Using recycled cloth and plastic to shade large open spaces.

Street edge re-imagined

Courtyard shading

chawl redevelopMent sMoke

Vitthal Bhaskar Chawl redevelopment was a collective neighborhood decision. The new structure has additional renting spaces for income generation to fund the construction.

Numerous kilns run amounts of toxic smoke, residents. A chimney the effects of the smoke.

Conceptual design for the smoke-free kiln

Roof with skylight for staircase and corridor

Shops running while ongoing construction

Smoke testing using filters and exhaust fan

Residential units for sale

Commercial floor with residential units at back

Existing shops and residential units

oke kilns

run all day long, emitting large smoke, affecting the health of chimney was prototyped to subdue smoke.

Exhaust fan

MS L-section

HEPA filter

MS L-section

Sheet metal enclosure

Sheet metal plates

cool rooF project

The creation of a sandwich roof that would reduce the heat absorbed into the space was prototyped out of recycled materials available in local factories in the neighborhood.

Existing brick kilns

The prototyped chimney in action

Framework to support the roof

Sandwich roof

Sandwich roof prototype with an air gap for hot air to escape

Testing the temperatures on a scaled prototype

Cement sheet

Tarpaulin blue sheet

Styrofoam

Aluminum foil

Transparent plastic sheet