Portfolio Urban & Architectural Design
-Rajiv de Santana Ribeiro
Intergrating Technology in Design
Principles of Design
Rajiv Ribeiro
Architectural Designer
Urban Designer
+1 9292902877
rdr2146@columbia.edu
www.linkedin.com/in/rajiv-ribeiro
https://issuu.com/rajivribeiro4/docs/portfolio_high_res
Born
and raised in the coastal state of Goa, India, I grew up during a period when the once tranquil region, celebrated for its picturesque natural beauty and idyllic lifestyle, began grappling with significant issues of corruption and political failure. Due to rampant mining, large-scale construction, and uncontrolled tourism, I saw the fields, hills, and beaches where I used to play deteriorate in a short time. Thus, from an early age, due to the backlash to these problems from citizens, I was exposed to the need to understand a community before making decisions on its behalf.
My passion for architecture and urban design is deeply rooted in activism and a desire to hear peoples stories and give them a voice. This has led me to seek diverse experiences, from engaging with communities in Pune’s informal settlements to working with Italian architects on urban regeneration in Veneto. Through these experiences, I have honed my ability to incorporate and communicate these rich narratives in my work.
WILKINSBURG RESILIENCE NETWORK
Fall Semester 2024- Columbia GSAPP Urban Blight| Community Change
A-TECH
2023-2024|AR+A Campus Planning| Local Economy
DESIGNING WITH INFORMALITY
2019|Goa College of Architecture Informal Settlements| Incremental Growth
COMMUNIDADE
2019|Goa College of Architecture Traditional Knowledge| Climate change| New Urbanscape
TALARICHERUVU RURAL SCHOOL
2019-2022|Collective Project Sustainable Materials| Learning Spaces
OFFICE A
2019-2022|Collective Project Sustainable Materials| Form experimentation
BORCA CHAIR
2018|Edoardo Narne Architects Re-vitalizing Spaces| Furniture Design
Goa Education Campus
Talaricheruvu Rural School Goa Communidade Hyderabad Office A
Wilkinsburg Resilience Network
Borca- di Cadore Chair Pune Designing with Informality
WILKINSBURG RESILIENCE NETWORK
2024| Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania | 87 Acres Rhino, Lumion, Autocad, GIS, Photoshop, Illustrator Academic- Columbia GSAPP
Team: Rajiv Ribeiro, Maissa Eid, Yasmina Hamdan & Zhongyang Huang
Role: Narrative Building, Research, Design Framework, Axo, Renders
The Wilkinsburg Resilience Network project aims to empower the borough of Wilkinsburg to address long-standing issues such as blight, population decline, and socioeconomic disparities while preserving its identity as a tight-knit, independent community. By engaging with stakeholders such as the borough council, land bank, and young community leaders, the project proposes a sustainable, ground-up approach to urban realm revitalization to complement the work done by the land bank in acquiring titles for vacant housing. Central to the initiative is the formation of the Wilkinsburg Innovation and Resilience Collective, brings together existing community groups and universities under a common umbrella to leverage digital innovations in public space to improve the public realm.
Per Capita Income
Urban Blight
The Network proposes a new identity for Wilkinsburg’s public space, built on ethically gathering information from citizens using these spaces to foster a more resilient community.
Some of the proposals of the Network include revitalizing the historic downtown train station as a hub for community activities, establishing a food incubator and tool co-op at a pivotal grocery junction, and integrating food production areas with native plant community gardens for education and sustainability.
Building Resilience in Wilkinsburg
Resilience Through Learning
Resilience Through Sharing
Resilience Through Growing
Resilience Through Bonding
BUILDINGS
ENHANCING WILKINSBURGS IDENTITY
Organic Waste Compost
Native Plants
Native Species Informing Citizens
Wilkinsburg Creates New Stories & Connections
NationalHighway 566
A-TECH CAMPUS
2024| Goa, India | 26 Acres
AutoCAD, Photoshop, Illustrator, Rhino, Lumion Professional- AR+A
Role: Lead project architect coordinating masterplan and architecture designs as well as presentation drawings for client approval.
Spread across 26 acres along a national highway, the masterplan integrates a dynamic mix of programs such as skills training, education, recreation, and commercial activity into a cohesive and vibrant campus. Organized through a hierarchical street grid, the layout balances movement and pause, with carefully calibrated street widths and diverse planting strategies creating a shaded, comfortable environment. Dedicated cycle paths, colonnades, and a network of pedestrian bridges ensure seamless connectivity and weather protection, offering a pleasant experience throughout both sunny and rainy days.
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DESIGNING WITH INFORMALITY
2019| Yerwada, Pune | 8 Acres
Photoshop, Sketching, Indesign
Academic- 5th Year Goa College of Architecture
Slum upgradation programs have evolved tremendously over the years. Strong political will, organization at various levels, community participation, and flexible designs are essential for the success of these programs which not only provide basic services and infrastructure but also socio-economic benefits to slum dwellers. In India government schemes such as JNNURM and RAY have increased such programmes, out of which the in-situ slum upgradation programme in Yerwada is the most well-known. There is a need to find a model of upgradation in the Indian context which can be applied on a large scale and which provides maximum benefits with minimum holistic inputs.
In settlements with insecure tenure, residents often avoid permanent construction. However, when there is a sense of tenancy security, they begin upgrading their homes incrementallyusing durable materials to reinforce their presence and claim to the space.
Staircases are placed along the street to save space and subtly claim public land, supporting vertical home extensions. These are often paired with ‘otlas’ custom, multipurpose platforms at the dwelling’s edge that blur domestic and public space.
Retaining the existing urban fabric preserved the intricate social, spatial, and cultural networks of the settlement, an essential part of each resident’s identity and sense of home. In Netaji Nagar, the urban fabric acts as a palimpsest; instead of erasing complexity, the in-situ upgrading process added a new layer to it.
Tenure
Complexity
Extended Domesticity
The settlement exhibits two distinctly contrasting patterns of growth, defined by their construction systems. One follows a formal and regulated approach, while the other is informal and unregulated. These differences are evident in the spatial organization of the settlement.
COMMUNIDADE
2019| Panjim, Goa| 5 Acres
Sketchup, Enscape, Autocad, GIS
Academic- 5th Year Goa College of Architecture
Habitation of Goa was close to impossible when the first settlers moved here, and most of Goas lowlands were primarily marshy. To make the land habitable, people found a unique system for sustainable living, and converted almost 18,500 ha of land. This land still exists today and is known as khazans. In most cases these Khazans are administered by cooperatives known as gaunkaris, and later also as comunidades. Local knowledge of the tidal clock and principles of salinity regulation played a key role in the maintenance of the khazan infrastructure. This network of bunds, sluice gates, agricultural land, and mangroves were built with the natural contours of the land and served as a protection against both coastal and stormwater flooding. In a way it served as an early example of a nature-based solution for storm protection. 04
This project proposes a new landscape vision for Goa, one that is rooted in traditional knowledge but responsive to today’s ecological and social needs. It offers a two-part framework: first, a new approach to building on communidade land that balances agriculture, urban life, and ecosystem health; second, the transformation of bunds (embankments) and waterways into public spaces that reconnect communities with their landscapes and shift how Goans perceive and engage with their environment. The project proposes a new landscape for Goa. One that re-thinks the way we build, as well as the way we think about our public spaces.
A. Public Pathways
B. Building Blocks
C. Agri-Terraces
D. Hydroponic Screens
COMMUNIDADE CENTER
NEW WATERFRONT
BUILDING RESILIENT LANDSCAPES
VILLAGE
With climate change affecting agricultural production in Goa due to the unpredictable nature of the monsoons, the need for providing controlled environments that can sustainably maximize production is the need of the hour. The triangular grid enables the administration of communidades to allocate/ lease land to farmers or researchers according to their needs. The triangles provide contained units where water and soil content can be controlled.
Communidade Center
Research Center
Library & Archive Museum
TALARICHERUVU RURAL SCHOOL
2019-2022| Andhra Pradesh| 1430 sq.m. AutoCAD, Rhino, Indesign Professional- Collective Project
Role: Assited the lead architect with detailing & design studies
Located in Rural Andhra Pradesh, our proposal reenvisions an existing “L” shaped school building for the children of cement plant workers into a vibrant, empowering and positive place for learning. A lightweight bamboo canopy merges the new program pavilions with the existing structure blurring the lines between inside and outside and providing students with shade from the intense sun. Colour plays an essential role in activating the existing facade, and the addition of jalis allows for ample natural ventilation in all of the classrooms. The introduction of strategically placed “tree islands” provide moments of shade in an otherwise barren landscape.
OFFICE A 2019-2022|
Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad| 1910 sq.m. Rhino, Lumion, Autocad, Grasshopper Professional- Collective Project
Role: Lead architect for the project. Managed client presentations, visualization, material sourcing, working drawings, budgeting, and site & vendor coordination
Although the project is titled “Actors Office,” the building represents much more than a workspace. Designed to embody the persona of its client, a renowned Tollywood actor, this structure is tailored to accommodate a diverse range of activities—professional, creative, and recreational—it serves not only as an office but also as a dynamic hub for collaboration and leisure for the actor and their staff.
The complex program led to a design characterized by an interplay of spatial hierarchies and relationships. At its core, the structure features a largespan waffle slab supported by composite columns, lending strength to the upper levels. These upper floors, which house the actor’s main office and recreational spaces, are enveloped in cement blocks punctuated by jalis and thoughtfully positioned openings. This interplay of solid and perforated surfaces allows light and ventilation to flow seamlessly while maintaining privacy, adding an architectural rhythm that resonates with the client’s creative essence.
& Spaces
Covering 6 floors, the structure contains a wide range of spaces such as a dance floor, offices, lounges, a home theater, a living quarters, an infinity pool, and a balcony for the actor the greet his fans. The spaces are connected via a series of staircases and balconies that weave through the building and create diverse spatial relationships across various levels. The need for privacy and security for the actor added a layer of complexity to the spatial layout.
Circulation
BORCA CHAIR
2018|Borca di Cadore, Italy| 0.2 sq.m. Woodwork, Sketching Professional- Edoardo Narne Architect
Villaggio Eni, a modernist holiday village in the Dolomiti Mountains, was designed in the 1950s–60s by Edoardo Gellner with contributions from Carlo Scarpa. Once a model of social planning, parts of the site like the Colonia’s theatre have fallen into disuse.
As part of a workshop with Dolomiti Contemporanee and the University of Padova, we aimed to revitalize the theatre through modular, adaptable furniture. My design explored a chair formed from a single continuous line twisting through space to create a functional, sculptural piece that could respond to the evolving needs of the space.
