Shubham Vidyarthi Design Portfolio 2024

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/the-souq

THE SOUQ

Introduction:

The Souq is an interactive mirage of perpetual celebration between humans and their machines in a speculative post human world.

As Consumption devices have traditionally been notorious invaders of their natural surroundings, The Souq yearns to be an exception to the norm. Its ginormous scale gives it ample opportunity to geoengineer remedies to the land. As it invites people from all over the world to the once forbidden lands of Arabia it rekindles debate about the potential development of a republic that resides within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Brief:

The Souq is a maximum city of post humous consumption. The project intends to use the resources of extended reality, machine learning and artificial intelligence to speculate about how technology and its architecture would shape the future of consumer retail in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia about 50 years from today.

What will the future of retail look like? Will traditional retail survive against e-commerce and online sales? How would a free-tourist industry in the absolute authoritarian state of Saudi Arabia function? With environmental sensitivity on the rise, how will capitalism evolve to meet the demands of the new generation? What does an escapist paradise in the drylands of Arabia look like?

The Souq is an elaborate investigation of these concerns and speculations.

Research and Machine Learning

The formal ideas of the project were conceptualized using Machine learning tools such as VQGAN. The most successful results were generated using biomimicry as the primary keyword and various scales of target images were used to derive relevant results.

This formally provocative imagery was then translated into physical form through iterating the 2D patterns and imagery to generate BnW displacer images. These 2D displacers were then used on myriad forms of basic geometries to generate the 3-Dimensional formal complexity that was inherent in the GAN images.

Models and VQGAN Images

Spatial Design

Extended Reality

The interaction takes place amidst the intertwined network at ground zero, directing its virtual users through the mosque and experience plazas. Art is at the center of this interaction. Art galleries bring users to specific portals where retail opportunities spawn as their proximity to them increases. Within the galleries, users interact with the digital prototypes of the physical product before deciding to purchase or move on. The interactive design is focused on creating a social environment whose primary goal is one of awareness and social integration where retail just tends to happen.

Stores as Art Galleries Site Chunk

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/the-koliwada-trilemma

WORLI KOLIWADA TRILLEMA

The modern day original inhabitants of Mumbai, the fishermen community is struggling to maintain their identity in the city. The driving force in the study and following design is to dissect the Koliwada Trilemma. The complex problems faced by the local fisherman of Mumbai, the Kolis, can be categorized into three prime trajectories. The trilemma can be looked through the physical, the cultural or social and the economic lenses for deeper understanding of the concern. The Koliwada, the house of the Kolis which was the symbol of prestige for the Kolis for the past 500 years has become an obstacle to sustain within the developing infrastructure of the city. The growing population has further impacted the already compact homes of the community. Lack of sanitation, transport, open spaces, water are mere by products of the limited land spread and ever growing population. The increasing contamination of the ocean and sea construction further crippled the fishing community due to decreasing produce. The lack of economic stability and physical infrastructure had a domino effect on the social and cultural lives of the community. The dying fishing community needs revival on these three major fronts to sustain itself in the city.

Restaurant

Fish Processing Unit

Local Market

OBJECTS

The task was to interpret aesthetics derived from a creative of our choice. ‘Creative’ being a very loose term for anyone involved in the arts (sculptors, painters, fashion designers, architects, etc.) These aesthetics were then replicated using a variety of software and techniques including but not limited to Rhino3D, Grasshopper, ZBrush, Maya, Marvelous Designer, Houdini, ML, style transfer, Octane and Cinema4D. The final works are collaborations between two students in the seminar. We interpret the techniques and aesthetics derived from our precedent, and create a new work that does not undermine or overmine either of their respective artists, nor the final work.

Ralph McQuarrie X Mike Heizer

Ralph McQuarrie X Rick Owens

Ralph McQuarrie X Tara Donovan

-PLACED ROOF

The 145-year long construction of Antonio Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia has witnessed a ‘generation of technologies’ from hammers & chisels in the pre-digital era to softwares like Catia & 3D printing today. The Dis-Placed Roof examines how the legacies of iconic architecture from the pre-digital era begin to influence its surrounding urban fabric through the process of mistranslation in the post digital era. This case is evaluated through Antonio Gaudi’s highly individualized style, & more specifically from the church of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Our roof is an inverted version of the ceiling in Sagrada Familia.

The production of this roof is guided by machine learning & algorithms where VQGAN+Clips is being used to generate images. Text prompts define the characteristics that help in further mis-translating OR re-defining the identity of our Dis-Placed Roof. A picture of the ceiling from Sagrada is used as an initial image on VQGAN which is trained using keywords & target image. These keywords characterize our roof & at the same time mis-translate its identity. Several machine generated outputs are then put together to reconstruct a new mistranslated visual of the ceiling at Sagrada. This mistranslated visual is further given a third dimension using several deformers in Cinema 4D which allows us to redefine its identity. The kaleidoscopic ceiling of Sagrada from the pre-digital age is dispersed on to its immediate context in the post-digital era. This abnormal roof functions as a single entity which is constantly in flux due to its kaleidoscopic nature both in 2 & 3 dimensions. It imitates the basic structure of a city by integrating a system of solid mass, water channels, skylights & solar panels. The undulations within the surface emphasize its dynamism & flexibility establishing a relation between the fragile nature of a 2-dimensional ceiling & a 3-dimensional roof.

The Dis-Placed Roof is our interpretation of Gaudi’s creation in the post digital era.

Base Image

Displacement Maps

Augmented Reality

HOUSING

The suburban region of Mumbai has generated an increasing demand for residential buildings due to the soaring property rates of the mainland. Magathane, is one such region in suburban Mumbai that has demand for residential complexes of all strata of society. This project addresses the rising demand of housing in this area alongside proposing a slum rehabilitation complex while displacing the existing slum dwellers and also provides a sale component residential tower for middle and higher income groups.

Procedural Modelling

Procedural Building Generation

Procedural Landscape Generation

Virtual reality and Game Experience

Augmented Reality

https://www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/5-star-business-hotel

5 -STAR BUSINESS HOTEL

The world’s biggest upcoming airport at Panvel brings with it a subsequent development in the region. The influx of more travelers creates demand for hotels and other travel driven industries. The two primary built up masses of the 5-star hotel are connected by a thoroughfare which connects all functions in the masses.

EXTENDED REALITY (XR)

Exploring VR, AR & mixed realities by creating interactive walkthroughs that deliver a realistic sense of how would it feel to experience that proposed environement through the following:

. MetaHuman

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METAHUMAN

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/metahuman

What you see here is my MetaHuman (a high quality digital character) brought to life using the Unreal Engine. It is a complete framework of the original character  that gives the power to use this newly added MetaHuman in any way imaginable. It is created using a custom facial mesh (texture) using scanning, sculpting, or traditional modeling tools combining it with a body type from the existing MetaHuman options.

Scanning the facial mesh for animating the MetaHuman

AI CANYON

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/ai-canyon

The Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona, is the most famous slot canyon formation in the world with five separate, scenic slot canyon sections formed due to natural processes. The AI Canyon uses parametric design as its design method where features are shaped according to algorithmic processes, in contrast to being designed directly. In this method, parameters and rules determine the relationship between design intent and design response. Here, it uses a combination of algorithms and parameters to generate the design where every step of the process is translated into coded computer language.

The AI Canyon explores an interactive design process that uses a set of rules and inputted parameters to control a design model. The rules establish the relationship between different design elements & the forms that have been generated similar to the various forms of the Antelope Canyon that we see in the images below.

Form Generation

VIRTUAL HERBARIUM

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/virtual-herbarium

Virtual Herbaria questions the way we visualize and utilize large data sets, archives, and libraries. With today’s technologies we have access to an infinite amount of online data, and years of archives and knowledge at our fingertips. Algorithms that can sort, search through, and identify hierarchy in that data are becoming extremely valuable because they are able to tell apart correct information from construct. In the last few years, we have seen the backlash of manipulated content, and the potency of fictitious representation. We are calling representation, reality, and artifice into question. With the catastrophic repercussions of the Crypto-Market on our environment, we will address climate change in the Anthropocene through the lens of Andrea Wulf in her book ‘The invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World’ and the work of Heide Hatry in her series “Not a Rose.” We are putting our preconceived understanding of nature and technology under scrutiny.

360 SPATIAL SCAN

https://www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/360-spatial-scan

This spatial scan involves the use of a high definition specialized camera technology to capture the space in digital 3D. It gives an overall floor plan which shows the layout of the space as we see in the image above. A 3D isometric of the space is also generated that can be rotated and viewed at any angle. The same can also be viewed in Virtual Reality (VR Equipment needed). This LiDAR scanning technology also captures accurate measurements. The possibilities are endless when it comes to ways of sharing the space with people as all of this can be viewed with a single link that can be shared through a website, sent via email, or even text message.

Doll

HYPER-HUMAN WILDS

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/hyper-human-wilds

Hyper-Human Wilds functions as a primer on speculative fiction and aims to immerse you in the planetary narratives of our time, so that you might envision alternate narratives for our future. Technically, it is also an exposure to world-building workflows, with a focus on digital environment art. Today when the line between life & death is more blurred than ever this scenario here creates a space which serves as an apparatus for after life survival & a place which accommodates the state between life & death. It basically serves as a destination for souls to inhabit once they die & gives them space, time & the necessary conditions before they are reincarnated or reborn again. It also facilitates as a center or a

temporal zone for these souls to fulfill their incomplete ambitions before rebirth & often the place for connecting with their deeper self – in other words souls searching. When one dies their soul and mind get disconnected from the brain which does not allow the person to focus & hence this infrastructure here provides the conditions required for the person to function & focus in such a case. Brains resurrected after death, communications with people in comas and advances in cryogenics all suggest that life’s end is less final than we thought & hence the need for such an infrastructure becomes more necessary than ever before.

The Infrastructure

The Martyr's Bed

The Martyr's Bed is a space provided for the official rites and respect for the shaheed soldiers in the capital where the army, family, head of defense and other dignitries alike can be present. Aligned to the chatri and perpendicular to the main Rajpath axis.

Paramveer Path (the horizon of heroes)

The Paramveer path is the rememberance for all the heroes who have been awarded the highest respect from a nation. It allows the public an opportunity to know them and respect at an individual level about their sacrifice and contribution of free and safe India. It also has a possibility to expand in Lawn III in a linear trajectory eventually a horizon of heroes.

National War Memorial

The national war memorial is the landscape as proposed in lawn II. it is not only the memorial space but a public place for the commemoration of heroes.

War Memorial Hall

The Memorial Hall is a space for all congregation cerimonies and a place for defence officials, scholars and public. It intends to be all what the defence forces desire to be, a centre dedicated for them. As a public forum and other cerimonial events in the capital related to defence.

NATIONAL WAR

THE FLOATING ROOF

The dynamic movement of the datum establishes a relation between the fragile nature of public and private in a space. It questions the temporal space of a traditional mela, Ganesha pandals, cultural kiosks and the identities in each of these formats. The dense floating datum with its quality of temporal existence between the sky and land on a balloon introduces the flying datum. An art installation which allows your fears, joys, discretion and dynamic set of associations of spaces in everyday life come alive. The dominant expression of land and water are both blurred under 'the floating 'Chhat'. The 'Chhat' never touches the land or the sky, but restlessly tries to mediate in-between with the effect of the wind; creating a tension between the positive and negative urban space. It is a private and a public space, it is a space with which you can dissolveyour definition of space and be, what you want it to be...

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/floating-chhat

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

Modern and contemporary dewelling

- HOUSE BY THE COAST

- MARC COLL’S RESIDENCE

- LUIS ENRIQUE’S RESIDENCE

HOUSE BY THE COAST

Barcelona 2016 (FUSINA6)

Overlooking the beautiful coast of barcelona, this residence captured picturesque views of the sea. A sprawling private residence for four, the house by the coast uses minimilistic principles for design. Simple yet elaborate wood work throughout the residence adds a cozy environment indoor to contrast the breathtaking outdoor. Semi open sitting areas along with an outdoor bar have been provided along the coast to reap maximum benefits of the location.

MARC COLL’S RESIDENCE

Barcelona 2017 (FUSINA6)

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/marc-coll

A private residence for a family of four, Marc Coll’s residence follows the language of contemporary architecture. The structure externally appears as one homogenous mass sue to the external stone cladding. The structure overlooks a sloping green pasture of undisturbed land with the rooms of the house having viewing axis to it.

LUIS ENRIQUE’S RESIDENCE

Barcelona 2017 (FUSINA6)

www.shubhamvidyarthi.com/luis-enrique

Quite opposite to the tone of his profession as the ex-coach of FC Barcelona,Luis Enrique wished for a tranquil environment throughout this residence. The built and unbuilt were interwoven such that the entire residence echoed serenity. Luis wanted spaces that cater to his hobbies other than football, therefore the tennis court and bicycle repairing workshop within the residential building. The primary residential functions lie on the ground and first floor with the bicycle repairing workshop and garage on the basement level.

INTERIOR DESIGN

Designs curated by merging fucntionality & modern style

- OBEROI ESQUIRE

- RAHEJA CLASSIQUE

- VANITY VANS

OBEROI ESQUIRE

Mumbai 2018 (Paradigm)

A residence for four, 4210, Oberoi Esquire is a plush three bedroom apartment in the luxurious Oberoi Towers of Mumbai. The apartment uses minimalistic interior design and custom made furniture with highlight features.

RAHEJA CLASSIQUE

Mumbai 2019 (Paradigm)

1001, Raheja Classique is a four bedroom spacious apartment for five in a posh location of Mumbai. The apartment has subtle color tones with rare statement pieces making it the apt mix of simple yet impactful interiors.

VANITY VANS

Mumbai 2020 (Paradigm)

A contemporary vanity for the performing artist, this space comprises of a sleek, crisp and neutral toned design adorned with a pop of color in its minimalist furniture.