Richa Maru | Architecture Portfolio

Richa Maru

Architecture Portfolio

M.Arch Candidate, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Education

Master of Architecture

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Concentration in Building Performance

Bachelor of Architecture

Mumbai University

Work Experience

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Illinois School of Architecture, UIUC | ARCH 172: Drawing & Modeling

Led a group of ten students to explore the principles, concepts, and theories of architectural design and spatial experience through drawing and modeling techniques.

Fabrication Tech

Fabrication Shops, ISoA, UIUC | Detail & Fabrication

Researching and fabricating projects with laser cutter, 3D printer, wood working tools, CNC, and vacuum former.

Summer Architecture Intern

d+k Architects, Chicago, IL | Hospitality & Residential

Researched and conceptually designed three design packages for adaptive reuse of old unused structures in Chicago for an exclusive membership club and hotel. Prepared construction documents for residential and commercial projects in revit.

Project Architect

Vihang Group of Companies, Thane, India | Public & Religious

Researched, developed program, prepared conceptual designs and assisted in approval for a multi-faith cemetery and crematorium in Thane, from local statutory authorities, commissioner, and community representatives.

Junior Architect

Horizon Architects, Mumbai, India | Residential & Commercial

Prepared design packages and construction documents for slum rehabilitation in Mumbai. Worked on construction documents and on-site coordination for an on-going commercial project in Mumbai.

Architecture Intern

Prashant Sutaria Architects, Mumbai, India | Residential & Commercial

Prepared construction documents and coordinated on-site for execution of a commercial building in Udaipur. Prepared multiple design packages for a residential complex in Raipur.

Aug 2021 - May 2023

(GPA: 3.85 / 4.00)

Achievements

Graduate Design Excellence Award, UIUC Honorable mention in adaptive reuse category. Kahler Slater Chicago Studio: The Art Factory at Bronzeville.

Jan

Aug 2013 - April 2018

(GPA: 8.47 / 10.00)

Project Exhibited at Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) for event “Singer Pavilion: Honoring Legacy through Adaptive Design”

1st Place in a sketch contest, UIUC Napkin Sketch Contest, Travel Worldwide category.

Member of Illinois Solar Decathlon Team, U.S. Department of Energy Build Team Member, UIUC.

Dec 2021

Sept 2021

Jan 2023 - present

Member of Gargoyle Architecture Honor Society, Illinois Chapter Invite only group.

Nominated by college in PCERF Undergraduate Architectural Thesis Competition Heritage Site Museum & Research Centre at Rakhigarhi, India.

May 2022

April 2018

Jan 2022 - present

2nd Place in Archotsav, National Convention at Ghaziabad. War Memorial Landscape Design, near India Gate, Delhi.

1st Place in Design Competition at Manipal University, Dubai Modeling a Tall Building using spaghetti sticks and thread.

Nov 2015

Nov 2014

May 2022 - Aug 2022

Led a team to document and publish a magazine for Galtaji Temple Complex in Rajasthan.

Exhibition curator for undergraduate Annual College Festival.

Student Mentor at the Lighthouse Project, India for two academic years.

Nov 2015

Jan 2016

Sept 2019

Jan 2019 - June 2021

Licenses & Certificates

Licensed Architect

Council of Architecture, India (CA/2018/102696)

USA Licensure Aspirant

Sept 2020 - June 2021

LEED Green Associate Aspirant

Skills and Abilities

Dec 2016 - March 2017

3D Modeling: Graphic Representation: Energy Analysis:

Analog:

Revit, Rhino, Grasshopper, AutoCad, Sketchup, V-ray, Lumion

Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop), Microsoft Office Suite Cove Tool, Climate Studio, Climate Consultant

Laser Cutting, 3D printing, CNC, vacuum former, wood working tools

The Art Factory

Adaptive reuse of Singer Pavilion in Bronzeville, Chicago

Kahler Slater Chicago Studio | Prof. Trina Sandschafer

Contemporary Art Museum

Extension of Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

High Performance Building Design Studio | Prof. Yun Kyu Yi

Gokul One

Office Building in Udaipur, India.

Architecture Internship | Prashant Sutaria Architects

Slum Rehabilitation

Low & Middle Income Group Housing in Bhandup, India.

Junior Architect | Horizon Architects

The Club

Incubator for Influencers & Industry Leaders

Architecture Internship | d+k Architects

Experimental Envelopes

High Energy Performance Building Energy Design.

Building Energy Research | Prof. Scott Murray

Heritage Site Museum

Heritage Interpretation & Research Centre

Design Dissertation Studio | Prof. Amrut Deshpande

Pundag

Residential Housing Complex in Raipur, India.

Architecture Internship | Prashant Sutaria Architects

Multi-faith Cemetery

Proposed Crematorium & Cemetery at Bhayanderpada, India.

Freelance Project Architect | Vihang Group of Companies

Interests

The Art Factory

Adaptive Reuse of Singer Pavilion in Bronzeville, Chicago.

Fall Semester 2022 | Kahler Slater Chicago Studio

Type: Group Project | Prof. Trina Sandscahfer and Team. Honorable

Project Brief

Once an abandoned and dark psychiatric building, the Singer Pavilion is primed to be the heart of the Bronzeville Lakefront. It is now radically transformed to be an open and powerful space for artists. A scattered artist community has been given a new place for making; to share resources and learn alongside likeminded creatives, in the adapted structure of the Singer Pavilion. The program reflects the idea of ascension or developing and empowering the nascent artists of Bronzeville. Through strategic removal of roofs and floors new spaces emerged for artistic exploration, community collaboration and engagement. The team found that by encasing the building in a high performance glass façade, artists and the original Gropius architecture become a visible part of the community, while also improving the existing buildings functionality. Inviting nature and people in, the expanded skin on the south façade integrates with the master plan and activates the street edge. Being a part of living building challenge, the project engages in placemaking and focuses on energy, water, and materials. Together these create a healthy and happy place which is also equitable. The adaptively reused structure promotes creativity and collaboration in the artist community, thus empowering them to make a living out of their passion.

Singer Pavilion, part of former Michael Reese Hospital Complex designed by Walter Gropius, is now abandoned and in a cramped condition.

The building engages in placemaking and focuses on energy, water, and materials. Together these create a healthy and happy place which is also equitable for the artist community of Bronzeville.

Program Evolution

The program was evovled to develop and activate the ground site which has a north-south corridor connecting the master plan. It was based on Ascension of the visitors to a culmination point of their journey to the top floor. It had a tailored double skin to more closely relate to existing geometric language and site context.

The Double Skin

Fresh air inlet

Single pane glazing skin

Open grate for air movement

Existing brick clad facade

Spider web joint

Finished flooring

Ceiling

Air cavity

Double glazing operable window

Hot air exhaist

North light catcher

Solar Panels

By encasing the building in a double skin glass facade, artists and the original Gropius building becomes a visible part of the community, while also improving the exisiting building’s functionality.

The In-Between

Expanded cavity spaces become new opportunities for social gathering and sculptural installations.

Activating Ground Space

The program created promotes the North-South green corridor connection, originally proposed in the master plan. It creates indoor and outdoor spatial experiences that elevate artist display and production.

Ascension journey overlooking the activity of the marketplace on ground floor

Preview of “Whats to come”

Contemporary Art Museum

Extension of Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.

Fall Semester 2021 | High Performance Building Design Studio

Type: Group Project | Prof. Yun Kyu Yi

Project Brief

Designing an extension to the existing Museum of Contemporary Arts in Chicago. The aim was to alleviate the users from harsh, undesired effects of the climate and excessive daylighitng, as well as exhaustion that comes with browsing a museum. The proposal alleviates the pressure on the site due to the looming surrounding structures by creating safe space within a blanket of shade.

Creating a Safe Space

Blanket emerging from the ground to merge with the structure creating refuge spaces.

Microclimate Control

Panelization of blanket that controls the daylight entering the space to create opaque, translucen, and transparent panels.

Connecting Indoor to Outdoor

Creating a physical and visual connection between the existing MCA and the Lake Shore Park.

Reducing Travel Distance and Time

Creating experiential pathways connecting different surrounding areas through the <CA extension museum.

Movements to Optimize Building Performance

To generate shortest travel distance

To generate and improve the performance of the blanket structure, “If-else statement” was used in Grasshopper.

Working of “Pedsim Simulation”

Blanket without Panels

Blanket with Panelization

Step1: Generating Pathways

Step2: Developing Functional Spaces

Step3: Develping Circulation based on Pedsim results

A combination of building mass integrated with the blanket structure with panelization was created as an extension to the exisiting Museum of Contemporary Arts.

A combination of opaque, translucent, and transparent panels bringing in various levels of light into the msueum space.

Blanket Merging with the ground

The blanket emerges from the top of exisitng MCA and merges into the landscape of Lake Shore Park creating interesting volumes and safe space for the visitors.

Inner courtyard visually connecting the MCA to Lake Shore Park.

Project Brief

It is a mixed-use office building in Udaipur which has retail shops and medical clinic on ground floor and leasable office spaces on upper floors, along with restaurants, and recreation space on terrace level. The building was under construction in 2017 and required releasing good for construction drawings and on-site construction checking.

Work Responsibilities:

Joining the project in Design Documentation phase, I prepared good for construction architecture packages that consisted of floor plans, elevations, and sections. After coordinating with other consultants, the drawings were released for construction on site. I modified and produced the final 3D model according to the design changes made.

Good for construction working drawing: Ground Floor Plan released for on site production.

Good for construction working drawing: Front Elevation for facade reference

Good for construction working drawing: Basement Sections

Sale Drawing: Medicenter, Medical Clinic

Slum Rehabilitation

Low and Middle Income Group Housing in Bhandup, India.

Sept 2020 - June2021 | Junior Architect for Horizon Architects

Project Brief

Ruchi Realty Group aims to redevelop the slums in Bhandup and provide a residential building for people living in slums which will promote sustainable living. The development code in Mumbai gives the developer FSI to develop a sale component to generate revenue and thus the project has a middle-income group housing component.

Increase in Saleable Area:

FSI consumed in slum redeveloped building is proportional to FSI to be provided in sale component.

Total FSI consumed was increased by 36,500 sq.ft. from the previous layout and thus sales increased by $8,760,000.

Work Responsibilities:

Worked along with client and other consultants to produce design options to increase the FSI consumed in redeveloped component leading to an increase in sale component TDR. Led a team of interns to produce techincal set of drawings for approval.

Master plan of slum redevelopment and sale componenet.

Planning and Design for 1BHK apartments.

Planning and Design for 2BHK apartments.

Workout Space Design.

Reseidential Lobby Design.

Children Play Area Design.

Recreation Space Design.

The Club

Incubator for Influencers & Industry Leaders.

Summer 2022 | Architecture Internship d+k architects, Chicago.

Project Brief

The Club is an incubator for influencers and industry leaders who want to create change on a global scale. Three exclusive potential structures, that could be adaptively reused were selected from the city of Chicago. Three design packages were designed to pitch the idea of an exclusive club to the potential clients and investors.

Kinzie Street Bridge

Also known as Chicago & Northwestern railway bridge. abandoned since 2001

Union Station Power House

Power House in the Art Moderne and Art Deco style abandoned since 2011 Chicago Water Cribs

Two Chicago water cribs scheduled for demolition.

Work Responsibilities:

To research about target audience, potential sites, and develop a program for an exclusive club. Prepare drawings on revit and create three design packages to pitch the idea to potential clients and investors.

Section showing uses of different levels of Kinzie Street Bridge as a Club for Influencers and Industry Leaders.

Public use space: Restaurant and Bar Private space: Private dining experience

Ascend: Kinzie Street Bridge

Chicago Water Cribs

Experimental Envelopes

High Energy Performance Building Envelope Design.

Fall Semester 2022 | Building Energy Research

Type: Individual | Prof. Scott Murray

30

30

Project Brief

Three sites with different climatic conditions were selected to perform analysis, Champaign (cold), Rio de Janeiro (very hot), and Reykjavik (very cold). The project was divided into three phases and best performing model in each phase was selected to be developed further. 30% WWR for model in Champaign, Illinois was found to be the highest performing and was developed in all three phases and the EUI was reduced from 37.03 to 2.08.

Phase 1: Window Wall Ratio

Three prototypes of 15%, 30% and 60% were tested for all three site locations.

Phase 2: Optimized Shading

Best performing locations were selected for each window wall ratio and shading devices were added to them to see the results.

Phase 3: Materiality

One best performing location was selected and developed further by modifying material properties and integrating PV panels.

EUI for Phase 1: Window Wall Ratio

EUI for Phase 2: Optimized Shading

EUI for Phase 3: Materiality

% Window Wall Ratio without shading devices

% Window Wall Ratio with shading devices

Heritage Site Museum

Heritage Interpretation & Research Centre, Rakhigarhi, India.

Indus Valley Civilization live excavation site

Spring Semester 2018 | Design Dissertation Studio

Type: Individual | Prof. Amrut Deshpande

Nomination in PCERF Undergraduate Architectural Thesis Competition

Project Brief

Designing a site museum for Indus Valley Civilization heritage site, to create awareness and enlighten people about past civilization and creating spaces for archaelogical experience.The program also includes a Research and Training Institute along with accommodation units for archaeologists who travel from far away to work on this site for months.

Site Museum for Visitors

Creating Awareness

experiential pathway & viewing deck

Reducing Museum Fatigue

outdoor exhibition area, workshop room & light sound show room

Energy Conserving & Cost Effective

PV panels, north light catchers & light shelves

Research & Training Institute

Sustainability

flexible floor plan & solar towers

Impacting the Psychology

light & ventialtion

Positive Learning Environment courtyards & terraces

Accommodation Units

Ecology Friendly

heirarchy of courtyards

Low Carbon Footprint

wind towers & vertical sahding devices

Light shelves bringing daylight in gallery spaces

The visitors are given both physical and visual live experience by a replica of live site on ground and a viewing deck on roof

A combination of north light catcher and solar panels on sawtooth roof making the space energy efficient.

Pundag

Residential Complex in Raipur, India.

Spring Semester 2017 | Architecture Intern for Prashant Sutaria Architects

Project Brief

It is a residential complex on a contoured site that has a site constraint of 14m high contour and aviation rules are applicable for the top most point of the building. The construction was divided into various phases and was grouped according to the contour points.

Work Responsibilities:

I joined the project in Conceptual Design Development phase where I was involved in producing site plan & section along with building floor plan options with area calculations to maximize the floor space and efficiently use the contoured site space.

Individual residential floor plan for 3B3B & 4B3B units.

FAR, saleable and proposd unit distribution statement.

Multi-Faith Cemetery

Proposed Crematorium & Cemetery at Bhayanderpada, Thane, India.

Jan 2019 - June 2021 | Freelance Project Architect for Vihang Group of Companies

Project Brief

Due to the expansion of the city and an increase in population, government proposed a multi-faith cemetery for population of Thane. The objective is to create spaces that communicate with the user and console them, making their bereavement less agonizing rather than creating blind spots in the urban fabric.

Communities Involved:

Eight communities have their spaces in the site; Hindu, Jain, Lingayath, Jewish, Muslim, Daudi Bohra, Christians, and Animals.

Work Responsibilities:

Appointed as a Project Architect, I represented Vihang Group of Companies to get approvals for the project from local statutory authority, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and community representatives. By researching on funeral procession of different communities, developing program and conceptual designs, the project was presented to the community and got an approval for its Phase 1 development.

Interests

Sketching, Rendering, Model Making, & Wood Working.

“Art should be something that liberates your soul.”

- Keith Haring