Architectural Portfolio 2020-2023

SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT AND ARCHITECTURE

SAPNA CHOPDA

About me:

Hello, I am Sapna Chopda, a fourth year student from School of Environment and Architecture. For me, architecture is about how space gets formed building a relationship with people and its behaviour forming an experience of its own. For me architecture is also about everyday learning from everything we see and experience around us.

I am looking forward to learn, explore and encounter new perspectives and approches to develop my skills and gain new knowledge.

Contact:

Phone: +91 9764160803

Email: a20sapna@sea.edu.in sapnachopda97@gmail.com

Address: Amravati, Maharashtra

Education:

2020- Ongoing: School of Environment and Architecture (SEA), Mumbai.

2018- 2020: Brijlal Biyani Science College, Amravati, Maharashtra.

2008- 2018: Holy Cross Convent English High School, Amravati.

Languages:

English | Hindi | Marathi | Marwadi | Gujarati

Skills:

Drafting:

AutoCad

3D Modelling

Rhino6

Sketchup

Graphical Photoshop

Illustrator

Indesign

Hands on:

Hand drafting | Sketching

Model making

Basic carpentary | Masonary

Others:

MS Word | Excel

Powerpoint

Google softwares

Workshops:

2021 | Digital Anatomies and Material

Autonomies

Dushyant Asher

2021 | Reading Rhythms

Shivani Shah and Eloise Maltby

2022 | Prototyping

Sunil Jambalkar

2022 | Human ecology and Architecture

Malak singh Gill

2022 | Ways of seeing: Film workshop

Vishnu Mathur

2022 | Product design: useful and unuseful objects

Milind Mahale

2023 | Printmaking

Sanjana Shelat

2023 | Bodies,Cities,Ecologies

Rohit Mujumdar

2023 | Landscape design

Mughdha Sathe

01. Environmental Flows: The Mira Cafe

Mira cafe, Moti Daman Beach, Daman Sem 5 | Faculty- Anuj Daga

This course aims to capacitate individuals to experience the environment as a set of interconnected networks which balance each other to constantly generate rhythmic flows of resources. These networks include the negotiations between the human, non human, environmental flows that are dynamic in nature.

The Moti Daman fort area experiences two different micro-climatic zones that change the human interaction with the space. . The Moti Daman Beach has a well-defined promenade, concrete road, and lesser vegetation. The wind flowing from the sea to the fort wall and inside the fort wall changes in temperature. The surface temperature in the zones changes with the material. Experiencing this shift in ecologies in and outside the fort affects human life and habitation outside the fort. How can an intervention brings out this micro-climatic condition outside the fort and merges the experience of the zone and hence increase the human interaction in uninhabited space?

The site I was studying was the existing cafe along the Moti Daman fort. This edge also have a historic lighthouse. The main material used to construct the the cafe is G.I sheet which increases the heat gain in the cafe. The cafe uses active means of cooling which increases the electrical consumption of the cafe which also made the place inactive.

Conceptual sketches

Thinking of spatiality through models

Rethinking the existing cafe constructed in metal and G.I sheet that creates the experience of micro-climate through courtyards that also becomes the means of passive cooling. The chunk of the cafe is pixelated down into smaller chunks that form smaller gathering spaces, place where people can interact more. The varying levels forming urban stairs leading towards the lighthouse becomes an observatory or a viewing platform for the visitor.

Section AA’

Section BB’

Model showing the play of light and shadow’

02. Mass Inhabitation- Redevelopment

Thakkar Bappa Colony, Kurla. Sem 7 | Faculty- Prasad Shetty

This module looked closely at how does a community involved in common occupation come together and develop their spaces of inhabitation. Thakkar Bappa colony, located in Kurla in Mumbai hold the shoemakers community largely migrated from Rajasthan. The house here have been developed in an incremental way, on the basis of expansion of family or aspiration of increasing the number of rental households.

Because of the close proximity of buldings there is a scarcity of light and ventilation. The design process closely looked at providing better light and ventilation at athe same time catering towards the aspirations of the younger generation which emerges after having engagement with the community

The project is configured to address the changing demographic shifts in the next 10 years. The existing bulk of the built form was chopped up into smaller units and reconfigured. The staircase where made porous by changing its material which also provides filtered light and better ventilation, shared stairs were provided that also improves the overall accessibility of the cluster.

Vulnerabalities observed on site Strategy

Proposed section

Proposed section

Due to the reconfigured masses, a lot of smaller courtyards and open terraces were created which allowed opportunities for social interactions which in turn also increased the transactional capacity of the space and increases interaction among the people of the settlement. Common toilets are provided for the senior citizens in the settlement.

Existing ground floor

Proposed ground floor plan

03. System Ontologies

Nehru maidan government nursery, Amravati Sem 4 | Faculty- Sabaa Giradkar

The intent of this module was to develop a systemic and material response for specific spatial engagements. The key objective of the course was to understand relationships between systems/materials and life (behaviour, experience and relationships) via the idea of space - the premise here is that form articulates space and hence the structure of form is instrumental in this articulation. We were also intented to look at a clear span of 15m structurally.

The site of intervention was the government nursury and botanical garden in Amravati in Vidharbha. This place holds a larger footfall as it is a tourist spot lying in the city center. The kind of experience induced in the structure was the idea of rest and the idea of curiosity. Idea of rest could be just sitting, standing, overviewing, reading, walking. Idea of curiosity for the locals and the school kids begins right as they enter the structure. The first volume as we enter the structure is a food court where people can eat, sit and rest. Curiosity begins once they enter the structure, as they see the library but in an unclear manner

The connecting lattice walkway promotes the movement of people towards the library, The structure is constructed closer to the botanical garden as it reduces the heat gain and keeps the place cooler, that also becomes a botanical library as an extension to the nursury to make people aware of the vegetation. As this place is closer to the station the footfall around this place is larger. Canteen or the food court becomes the means to attract visitors and their curiosities leading them to the library.

The lattice structure covered with bamboo mesh above the walkways allow the filtered light to come in making the walkway comfortable enough. The library covered with dense vegetation of the botanical garden or the nursury reduces the heat gain of the structure. Cross ventilation is possible as the structure is facing the prevailing wind direction as well as the semi open spaces.

Climatic response

04. Spatial pattern, typology and Morphology

Kumbharwada, Rajapeth, Amravati Sem 3 | Faculty- Milind Mahale, Rupali Gupte

This kumbharwada, the settlement studied is a long stretch of ground storey houses which is along the Bhuteshwar nala. A few houses in the starting belong to Kumbhars, the middle patch belong to the group of people involved in domestic help and household work and a few adivasis towards the end. The kumbhar are originally the migrants to the settlement as they first settled in the Kumbharwada that takes us back to the fort via Amba Gate. They have settled here some 45-50 years back due to various issues be it the competitive nature among the own community or family disputes.

Houses in this cluster are mostly load bearing structures. All the other houses have 1-2 rooms which is their kitchen, workspace, living and sleeping area. The only source of light to enter the house is through the main door. The house here has no other opening for light and ventilation. As they only have 1-2 rooms that performs all the function of cooking , sleeping , living and work , there is contineous overlapping of space and activity happening.

Houses in the settlement have evolved over time, the Gathe Brothers house was divided into two after their marriages, which is then rethought to provide them with all the basic requirements

Visualising space through model

Section AA”

Section BB’

The open-to-sky space which can be used for gathering along the stairs to the first floor that belongs to the elder brother storage happening under it. Living and sleep area for younger brother and his wife. Seperate sleep area for older parents which is on the south which recieves sunlight and heat suitable for grandfather. A semi open utility varanda which connects the living area, the grandparents room

The open-to-sky area have 3 different opening that opens to the elder brother, younger brother’s house and for grandparents room so that they can perform as three different units and one at the same time.

The stairs leading to the first floor to the elder brother place. A collaspe wall or a divider that divides work area and the sleep area. The Kitchen and combined storage.Open terrace which is closer to the work area so that they can keep the sculptures they make to dry. A balcony happening to maintain visual connect to the lane. The open-to-sky space and varanda both share the parapet wall the neighbours yard Window formed due to changing slab level open towards north so that it recieves reflected sunlight even when all doors and windows are closed.

05. Design, Detail and Localisation

Sem 6 | Faculty- Dipti Bhaindarkar

The school in Trombay, itself is a separate entity that plays an important role for the community. Major events related to community are organised in the school premises. The temporary opening and partition change the spatiality of the space and allow functioning of the activity. The structure completely lends itself to the activity.

It is observed as functional compartments with layers of activities holding on to the space. Its that framework that keeps adjusting to different kinds of changing situations

Design intervention here intends to rethink the highly universalized idea of space as a container to hold multiple user groups and programmes without adapting itself to atune to the requirements of the programme. The intervention thus works a new public-private modularities defined by physical and/or visually suggestive articualtions of space configurations. To allow this multifunctionality, the space needs to modulate, as such it lends itself to perform multiple functions. Rethinking the school, in such a way that it creates new modulations using elements that lends itself to the layer of activity and suggests new ways of its affordances. There are physical modulations and suggestive modulations that recommends new ways of its affordances.

Public school, Trombay, Mumbai

Reading typology

Reading typologies

Site diagrams

Design strategies

Volumetric distribution

The school becomes universal user friendly as it is also made accessible by ramps in the multifuncational or the public part. School of two entrances where one can be used by public and the can be used by the school itself.

The interior part of school becomes more like a private zone that includes programmes that do not change their function like the principal’s office, the admin, staff- room, classrooms, library, storeroom, science lab and computer lab.

The outer part can be used as classroom and as multifunctional spaces due to its configuration derived from the read typologies. This school fulfils its purposed as a community school and space.

06. Building making- Working drawing

Public school, Trombay, Mumbai Sem 6 | Faculty- Abhijit Ekbote

During this course, the design was thought through technical resolution of structural systems, material performance and experience, member assembly, thresholdenclosure details and process of construction. This course helped me develop ability in systems-thinking and the ability in detailing, putting together different materials and their assemblies in a manner that is conceptually coherent with the overall idea of the building, second to develop an ability to make construction documentation drawings that could be used for the construction of buildings ; and third, to develop ability to write specifications, generate bill of quantities and cost estimation for the project.

J HOOK OR J BOLT

GALVANISHED IRON SHEET OF 2.1m x1m AVAILABLE IN JINDAL

TIMBER BOARDING 22mm

G.I GUTTER 18 guage 1.2mm 210mm x 180mm

CORD MEMBERS 5mm TATA STEEL HSC 80

TIMBER FRAME 90x47mm

BRASS PIVOTING HINGES 100MM Volo 4-inch 360 degree rotation pivot hinges

TIMBER LOUVER 22mm of 400x1570mm KOTA STONE 25mm

SCREEDING 20mm

BRACKET FIXED WITH BOLTS 15mm

SKIRTING 10mm

NOSING

NOSING

LINTEL 70MM

DRIP MOULD 10mm

WEB WELDED

TIMBER VERTICAL LOUVER 22mm

BRASS PIVOT HINGE 100mm

TIMBER FRAME 90x47mm

P.C.C SILL 230x100mm

15mm BOLTS

METAL BRACKET 30mm

P.C.C NOSING

POLISHED KOTAH STONE TILING 15mm

300x300mm

SCREEDING 25mm

ALUMINIUM SLIDING WINDOW FRAME

INTERIOR GRANITE STONE SILL 90x30mm

EXTERIOR GRANITE STONE SILL 175x30mm

INTERNAL PLASTER 12mm

NOSING

P.C.C PLINTH CASTED

BRICK BAT COBA FILLING

GROOVE 10mm

SKIRTING 10mm

COPING

DRIP MOULD 10mm CEMENT WITH WATERPROOFING COMPOUND 10mm

BRICK BAT COBA 80mm

WATERPROOFING 10mm

NOSING

CUB WALL180mm

CEMENT WITH WATERPROOFING COMPOUND 10mm

BRICK BAT COBA 80mm

WATERPROOFING 10mm

SCALE 1:10

ALUMINIUM SLIDING WINDOW

PCC SILL 230x100mm

EXTERNAL PLASTER 18mm

INTERNAL PLASTER 12mm

UNPOLISHED KOTAH STONE 25mm

GRANITE WINDOW FRAME 25mm

SKIRTING 10mm

PLINTH CASTED IN PCC PLINTH BEAM 230 x 400mm

BRICK BAT COBA FILLING 600mm

PCC BED BELOW SHALLOW FOUNDATION 150MM

COLUMN (ELEVATION)

RCC SHEAR WALL 230mm

D.P.C 50mm

RCC RAFT 300mm

COMPACTED EARTH

P.C.C 150mm

RANDOM RUBBLE

MURUM

07. Landscape Design

Haji Ali bay, Mumbai

Sem 7 | Specialisation course | Faculty - Mugdha Sathe

Haji Ali Bay reclamation holds the human activities at different periods throughtout the year. The current situations and connectivity of the area is such that major road for running through the north south makes it uneasy for the pedestrians to access the site .

There are many proposed flyover interchanges along the road which during the rush hours creates traffic congestion along the intersection. Introducting the coastal road will increase private vehicular movement along the coastal edge and hence incresasing the traffic and pollution.

Based on the user group the site was zoned Haji Ali cultural plaza, open spaces for the commercial fabric, parking space and the pedestrian that creates a threshold between the open spaces and the busy road Haji Ali plazas are open spaces that are designed to accommodate the larger crowds that come daily and occasionally to avoid congestion.

Section from Toilet to Haji Ali older causeway

Section from Haji Ali juice center towards the sea

08. Measuring life - Settlement studies

Reading typologies in Pangna, Himachal Pradesh | Batch A20

Behind the government school in Pangna is the residential cluster that we studied. The spatial configuration of this particular type is such that the central open space- ‘Chowki’ is the courtyard. A semi open space -‘praud’ wraps around the chauki. The praud acts as a buffer space between the closed rooms- ‘obra’ and the open chowki. Their house dates back to 150 yr. It is a G+1 structure. It is made of wood, slate and mud plaster. Slate is used for the roof and also to build the walls. Slate is an indigenous material. The wood that is used for construction is called ‘Deodar wood’. It is a great building material and is widely used in this region. It is highly durable and rot resistant, which makes it ideal for construction

09. Product Design

Sem 5 | Specialisation course | Faculty - Milind Mahale Pairwork

As a crystal or lets say diamond, a solid form is made of a repetitive elements of carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. In the same way any solid form is made up of a set of repetitive, each forms. So we started using a cube as the main form and slicing it down further into smaller forms

Instead of slicing down cubes from faces we started slicing it down diagonally to obtain different forms of tetrahedrons and equal pyramids.

As legos offer you different forms and sizes of a element in the same way we offer you the sliced down tetrahedrons and pyramids with the ability to attract and help in form exploration. As architectural design process the intial stage is that of form exploration stage, so the forms allow form exploration in architecture.

Cubes sliced futher into equal pyramids in different ways

1.Cube into three pyramids

2. Cube into five square pyramids

3. Cube into five triangular pyramids

Possibilities of form formation was done using digital medium which is more because they have a edge of 6cms in common which allow face to face snapping. Set of materials where explored throughout the process of making the product

4. Cube into six square pyramids

5. Cube into six triangular pyramids

1.Cartilage sheet

2.File card

3.Ivory sheet

4.Copper sheet

5.Aluminum sheet

6.Laminated paper

7.Plastic sheet

8.1mm acrylic sheet

9.Photo mount board

10.Pine wood

Technique used to snap the pyramids together

Magnets and metal pieces

Basic technique to snap all the forms together is with magnets. This was done by following the coding method on each face which allows maximum possibilities of abstract formation.

But due to same poles coming together at the vertices there was a strong repulsion among these magnets and because opposite poles came together and magnetism being stronger than adhesive force the attract together

To allow the attraction with the other faces and avoiding the strong repulsion among them we used metal pieces as the third end

Magnet mechanism in the tetrahedrons and pyramids

Solids made of using two magnets and a metal head (washers) made in black

Position of the magnets on the faces Solids made of using one magnet and two metal head (washers) made in grey

Position of the magnets on the faces

Final product

10. Explorations

01. Sem 5 | Allied design | Human ecology and architecture

The handson experience of constructing an arch was really an informative and new. We worked as team of 20 along with our mentor through mud, lime and occasional rains.We learnt making a wooden framework followed by masonary work for the arch. We also learnt construction of a cob wall.

02. Sem 3 | Allied design | Material Experiments

In the course, trying different kitchen material experiments in making composite material, I made a bio-degradable pot of Dana-meethi (fenugreek) and gondh (dragon gum).

03. Sem 6 | Electives | Printmaking

Printmaking is based on the technique of transferring image from a matrix onto another surface. We can create multiple prints after carving on lino sheet using ink.

04. Model making

As an architectural design process, model making helps me explore more ideas, conceptualise and visualise spaces.

05. Sem 4 | Electives | Prototyping

Using styrofoam, we prototyped already existing kitchen objects

06. Practice of making and collecting of postcards from the places I go and things I remember

Pushkar ghats

Sketch from the walls of the old house

The rental place

The sunrise