Urja Jhaveri Public Portfolio

DESIGN PORTFOLIO

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B R A H M I By improving human well-being and their capabilities, can we inspire individual and collective action?

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SKURBUCHAN MUSE UMS

How do you conceptualise and lay foundations for a new museum in an off-the-grid agro-pastoral community?

r e S TA G E How do you design an urban revival plan for an abandoned railway yard inspired by elements of theatre?

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VINAMAYA When governing bodies join forces with powerful industrialists, how can it transform a city’s development?

OUTLANDISH Ever wanted to dream at a dinner table? Or wondered what a Marriage could taste like?

BRAHMI

| EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT | •

Project type: Individual Venture, Extension of Graduation Project

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Duration: 9 months, A.Y 2020-2021.

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Mentor: Jonak Das , Arundhatti Mitter

Brahmi is a project that aims to create opportunities in India’s plan for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), by reorienting education and helping people develop knowledge, skills, values and behaviors needed for sustainable development through educational tools like workshops, publication, speculative design toolkit, and games.

This academic project was pursued to address the issue of surprisingly low awareness about SDGs, Resource Conservation and Eurocentrism in available learning material in India for Indian youth. Classroom education fails to address the problems and ground reality crises faced by most Indians today, and consequently leaves out stories of innovation, resident initiatives, and grassroots heroes that are solving complex modern day problems through simple solutions.

This identification highlighted the need for ‘upgrading’ our education system such that it focuses more on ‘perspective transformation’ wherein individuals are able to reflect critically, and engage in meaningful activities outside the classroom that go beyond simple knowledge acquisition through active self-engagement.

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VIEW BOOK Vol.2

ISSUE PROJECT LINK

16+ hours of researched, curated learning material on SDG6 and SDG11 for remote-learning(online) and/or for form learning (offline). Each workshop session is accompanied with – facilitator guide, E-presentation slides and sample case studies or links to relevant articles – for educators’ reference.

Designed to make children understand the context and causes of India’s pressing problems with an aim to develop higher order thinking skills in children (Bloom’s taxonomy levels) using a specially curated self-defined pedagogy.

<< APPLIED PEDAGOGIES

^ RESOURCES FOR OFFLINE LEARNING

The Apathetic Indian.

SPECULATIVE DESIGN TOOLKIT. The ‘Apathetic Indian’ is a deck of 20 cards developed for secondary school children to imagine future scenarios for India’s Agenda 2030 vision using speculative design methods for transformational learning.

The project recognises the urgent need to transform the attitude of Indian citizens towards their country’s development from apathy to action while shifting focus from urban to rural/grassroots development.

Integrating this activity in classroom learning can help students create design speculations that can act as a catalyst for collectively redefining their relationship to their reality. It will open up new perspectives on wicked problems, to create spaces for discussion and debate about alternate ways of being.

SKURBUCHAN MUSEUMS | OUTREACH PROJECT | MUSEUM DESIGN | MASTERPLAN | •

Project type: Final Year Design Studio

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Sponsor: Cultural Preservation Grant of the Federal Republic of Germany in India.

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Collaborator: Achi Association

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Client: Skurbuchan Monastery (Gonpa)

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Duration: 20 weeks, 2019.

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Deliverables: Research Report, Craft documentation, Community workshops , Sustainable Tourism Proposal , Video documentation (3 short films), Object Classification/ Curation Document, Project Book.

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Gonpa Museum: Curation of existing showcase, Masterplan, Zoning and Layout, Space visualisations.

2. Khar Museum: Tools’ Research, Interpretive Plan Proposal.

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Project Facilitators: Tanishka Kachru, Jonak Das

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Team: Aijin Shaji, Kunal Lokhande, Shruti Chakke, Urja J

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Research and Illustrations: Urja Jhaveri

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Interviews for Craft Documentation: Shruti and Urja Jhaveri

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Video Compilation: Shruti Chakke

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Space Visualizations [2.5D]: Kunal Lokhande, Aijin Shaji.

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Documentation of Agricultural Tools for Khar: Aijin Shaji.

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PROJECT OVERVIEW BEHANCE LINK

PRIMARY RESEARCH INTERVIEWS, REPORTS, PROPOSAL. As the first team to go on-field for this long term project with Achi, it was imperative to research and document Skurbuchan’s agro-pastoral activities and crafts, to make an archive of the losing tangible and intangible heritage.

The development of the Skurbuchan Kitchen and Agro Museum was a heavily research-driven project. The outcome of this research directly helped fulfill the overall brief – to set the foundation for two museums in the village.

One of the core project challenges was to convey the idea of a ‘museum’ to villagers. To gather an understanding of the context, and also gain an insight into their expectations, we organised workshops for school children and elderly.

Tourism 1.Sustainable SUSTAINABLE TOURISM PLANIdea Proposal :

By Urja Jhaveri

This proposal was conceived on learning about the agendas of the State and knowing that the

This proposalof was drafted to future align iswith the State’s development plans around development the region in the focused around tourism.

If tourism were built to arrive in skurbuchan as in Leh, it might lead to the disappearance of the simple lifestyle that this village promoting regional economy through tourism.

To maintain the survival of this leads. remote, sustainable andif areasonable self-sufficient thethat plan As a preventive measure, tourism proposal was laid out,community, keeping in mind thesuggests village doesn’t lose itsbiannual essence, a sustainable be developed that doesn't to the controlled tours forcommunity interestedcould tourists.

Hopefully, seeing succumb outsiders tourism wave. take interest in their agrarian society and its practices, might help change how Visitors allowed only during two seasons in controlled numbers for certain number of days only. children of the village perceive their practices and subsequently take interest outsiders takethereby interest in agrarian society andand its practices, might make inHopefully, activelyseeing passing it down, intheir some way retaining preserving their children of the village look at their practices with more pride and take interest in actively passing it intangible heritage. forward, thereby in some way preserving intangible heritage.

Visitor season

Harvest Season

Crafts season

Time Period

September- October

November - December

Focus/ Attraction

Agriculture and agro-practices

Crafts and festivals

Details

• Flour making, • Harvest of second crop, • Entire process from grass to grain • Sattu making, • Roasting of Yoza, • Visits to apricot orchards around plucking time • Tsepo making • and Nala.

• Lhosar festival (Buddhist new Year), • knitting, • skerak dyeing, • Namboo weaving, • Dyeing of Namboo for their traditional attire • Thigma Papu

Attraction Points

Opportunities

Summer activities around harvest, Making and Drinking Chhang its rituals and songs . (local alcohol from Barley), spinning wool (different for females and males) 1. Apricot Tasting: Can we teach visitors or sensitise them to different apricot types and the different in quality?

2. Fruit Farming Tour: From Apples, to pears, to grapes and apricots and skur

3. Poplar and willow farm tour

1. Indoor activities like exchange of recipes between locals and visitors, each preparing their food for the other 2. Making Chhang / Chhang Tasting 3. Astrophotography

Questions to be addressed :

FURTHER QUESTIONS RAISED :

• Can the crafts be preserved if we create a demand around it?

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Is tourism the only solution to mitigate internal migration for income?

the locals only solution to mitigating thepursued or narrowing for internal migration attires for •• Is tourism Can the of the village be to the liveneed in their traditional livelihood needs?

as a model example of a traditional Ladakhi village, in order to attract

• Can the locals of the village of be photography, pursued to live in tours, their traditional more opportunities travel?attires as a model example of the traditional Ladakhi village, in order to attract more opportunities of photography,tours, travel?

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How can the products in the gift shop at the museum tackle the problem

• How the products in the gift shop atin thethe museum tackle the problem of excess production ofcan excess apricot production village? of apricots in the village?

Document: A compilation of additional information and points of interest in the village of Skurbuchan Author: Urja Jhaveri

Agriculture Apricot

Apricots are prime cash crops in the region. They form the major portion of the earnings of most Skurbuchan residents. Unfortunately, due to the infestation of Codling Moth (Carpocapsa pomenella), a domestic quarantine act was placed in the Ladakh district under the Jammu and Kashmir Plant and disease Act in 1981, according to which, the export of apples and apricot plants, including its fruits is banned.

Hence, products derived from apricots, like its oil and seeds, are mainly used to sell in markets, while the ripe fruit extracted during the process is usually dried along the yura or stone walls to serve as cattle fodder.

Field Research on Crafts and Skills in Skyurbuchan for Museum planning.

Apricot (Khobani) Life Cycle (Years)

0-20 years Fruiting after __ years

20 - 30 years Maximum Yield

35 years +

Terrioty of Ladakh, India.

Design Researcher: Urja Jhaveri

Yield Reduces

Thagcha Loom

Harvest time Type / Grades

Documenting the handmade Thagcha Thagcha loom, Skurbuchan, Ladakh Loom (collapsible) found in Khaltse district in the Union1 of 6

Halman (Best quality)

Khante

White Kernel (Laktsey Kardo) (Low quality)

Uses

For Drying

For pulp removal and oil

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Products

Dried Apricots

- Apricot Oil: INR 1600/ litre (from seeds) - Apricot Jam, - Apricot Juice, - Apricot Jelly

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Thag-cha is a foot loom, commonly used all over Ladakh. It consists of two parts, the outer frame and the collapsible and portable inner frame. !

Woolen cloth is woven using a foot loom that is portable and can be dismantled and reassembled within minutes. One resident of Skurbuchan, possesses the skills and knowledge to make this foot-loom. The handspun, handwoven woolen cloth is known as"Nambu/Namboo, and it is used to make traditional robes called Gonchha’s for men, women, and children. One roll of Namboo is around 50 ft in length, and white in color. The Namboo is then dyed by women, commonly red in color, before it is cut into panels and stitched into a Gonchha.

INTERVIEW OF NAMBOO WEAVER, THAGCHA LOOM MAKER

3. CRAFT DOCUMENTATION - THAGCHA LOOM

TASHI NORBU (Zanu Pa), 83 years old 1 canal can hold 14-15 Apricot Trees 8 canals = 1 acre (approx. unit)

2. RESEARCH ON GOODS FLOW & MAPPING DATA - WHY? 11-page report on crop timeline, uses, prices, farm to table process, etc. The sale of agricultural produce and agro-products is the primary source of income for SkurBuchan residents.

• Map the flow of agro-product goods, and craft goods in and out of SkurBuchan.

•Document the craftsmen, the skillset and crafts of the village, and the agricultural produce that is their main source of income.

• Identify their (farmers and craftsmen) main market, and consequent dependence/relationship between different settlements in the region.

A separate 6-page document compiling information on the Thagcha loom, its components and their He is weaving Namboo since he was 12 years old. He learnt it from his grandfather, Sonam Paljor function.

Interviewed by: Urja Jhaveri

(Yatham Pa), his mother’s father, who was a practicing weaver. In childhood, he and Tsering Wangyal, learnt the art of weaving together.

Since Tashi Norbu is the last living village resident with the knowledge of both - crafting this wooden collapsible handloom and weaving the traditional Ladakhi cloth Namboo, he was interviewed to Tashi Tundop (low caste) made the tools and equipments required to this invaluble information for archival document make the frame. purposes and to aid future exhibit development in the museums.

Earlier, he would source his thread wool from Leh Bazaar, then make Namboo and sell it.

He makes the loom for weaving Namboo and Skerak, and he also made wooden equipment used for ploughing.

SKURBUCHAN kitchen MUSEUM

KHAR agro MUSEUM

MASTERPLAN AND ZONING

INTERPRETIVE PLAN PROPOSAL

NARRATIVE NOTE : KITCHEN MUSEUM People of Ladakh made their living through Agro-pastoral practices. Their resilience and creativity can be seen through their ability to survive and thrive in the harsh climatic conditions of the region and work within limited resources.

The Museum takes the visitors through the journey of Ladakhi lifestyle and food practices which has shaped their way of living.

C APPROACH TO KHAR PLAN PROPOSAL Room segregation based on seasons; and setups within those rooms would display the objects used in the activities that are performed during that season – for example, winter season room would house objects related to spinning of the yak wool and related craft products. The end space (Part C.) – Kitchen space– is proposed as space that links the Khar Agro Museum to the Kitchen Museum in Gonpa. Linking the activities Behind the scenes to cultivate food (Khar) , that are brought into the Kitchen to prepare local food recipes (Gonpa). [ Farm to table full circle concept ]

Link between the two Museums

MISSION of the MUSEUMS

MASTERPLAN SCALE 1: 2000

RESTAGE | revival project | Urban Renewal project | •

Brief : Design Proposal for the revival of an abandoned 19th Century Railway Yard - Scalo Farini.

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Project type: Landscape Design Studio, Exchange

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Duration: 4 Months, A.Y 2018-2019.

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Deliverables: Book, A0 Banners, Scale Models

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Team: Elisabetta Tonolli, Erika Yamamoto, Sara Valassina, Urja Jhaveri, Yui Kawahara.

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PROJECT BOOK BEHANCE LINK

PROJECT ASPECTS SPACE AND FUNCTIONS : ON-SITE FOCUS

RAIL PATHS

ELEVATED PODIUMS

USER FRIENDLY FLEXIBLE STRUCTURES

FRIVOLOUS THEATRICAL ELEMENTS

MODULAR STRUCTURES

FOOD COURT Closed structure that hosts cooking spaces offering different kind of cuisines, primarily targetting office workers near Valtellina commercial area as customers.

GAMES STAGE Taking advantages from the cast rubber flooring, a play area for children.

To complement and enhance the stage, circular holes fitted with trampoline nets are incorporated for kids to jump and play.

PROJECT ZOOM-IN

0.1 ENTERTAINMENT SQUARE DAY/NIGHT INTERACTIONS

The Entertainment Square is one of the three main ‘stages’ on Scalo Farini. In comparison to other stages, this will have a permanent structure. What you see is a mere 30:30m portion of the 60 x 100m square, one of the biggest. The flooring is in integration of three neighbourhood identities; Isola, Valtellina and Lancetti.

The square is intended to act as an exhibition space, open gallery, music and dance events intitiated by the local residents and also in ‘attraction’ site for all ages. The green infiltrations are in the form of panels that are laid on the floor and the structures mounted on it do not have a specifc function other than a light installation.

The stage is three steps high; being at the top of hierarchy of spaces on the site.

PLAN AND SECTION

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SCALE 1:50

HARD_SCAPE REACTIONS

The modular structures allow people to transform the space according to their needs and with changing seasons.

0.2 COWORKING STAGE The artistic rendition of the stage in plan and section, shows one of the multiple possibilities of set ups of the coworking stages. The material of the stage floor is concrete. The material is a subtle indication of the zone in which the stage is located, thereby subconsciously hinting the user their location to the nearest neighbourhood.

The stage has a modern urban garden, created on the stage flooring using Scalo’s present softscape as inspiration; an integration of the man-made and vegetation. The green constitutes and adds the element of ‘rest’ in reSTAGE. This stage layout combines two of the proposed modular structures; wooden pallets and the semi-enclosed tall structures. Therefore there is a further play with elevations within the stage as well due to the level of the pallets (blocks). The coworking stage, like the rest of the stages across Scalo, is accessible by ramps.

TEMPORARY URBAN TACTICS SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS MODULAR STRUCTURES Steel assembles elements which create portable modular structures, allowing change of spatial arrangmenets through seasons.

INDOOR STRUCTURES Semiclosed or closed structures for eating, coworking and activities’ spaces, especially of use during winter.

BLOCKS Industrial pallets that can be arranged to create different landscapes satisying user’s temporary needs in the space.

CONCEPT At ‘Outlandish’, one can order intangible concepts off the menu, experiences with a varying degree of abstraction.

OUTLANDISH | POP UP | IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE | SCENOGRAGHY | •

Project type: Co-Creation Workshop

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Duration: 2 weeks, 2019.

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Budget: INR 15,000 ($200).

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Outcome: Live Performance, Fine-dining restaurant.

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Brief : Set up an immersive performance art experience.

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Team: Aditi Lunia, Devansh Khajanchi, Noora Yasmin, Shruti Chakke, Sunaina Desai, Urja Jhaveri.

Food Experiences designed by Urja Jhaveri | Production of Restaurant: Aditi Lunia, Noora Yasmin, Devansh Khajanchi, Shruti Chakke | Graphic Design: Stuti Sukhani, Khushboo Mehrotra Live Performance - Chef (on duty) : Sunaina Desai | Front Desk Receptionist: Aditi Lunia and Devansh Khajanchi | Table Servers: Urja Jhaveri and Shivam | Assisting Support Staff: Khushboo Mehrotra and Lavnik | Piano Performance by Krishnaraj Soni | Documentation

by Nainisha Dedhia

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VIEW PROJECT HERE BEHANCE PROJECT LINK

MARRIAGE ‘The proof of the pudding is in its eating’, proverb.

Our take on marriage. Lofty and dreamy from the outside, but as soon as one enters it, ideals dissolve and disappear, and all that is left is too little.

Candy Floss afloat a Cranberry Soda mocktail in dry ice.

Patience Aristotle said, ‘Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.’

CENSORSHIP

One has to play the dish, in order to eat it; a Jenga game consisting a combination of inedible blocks + edible biscuits. A dish designed to test the patience of those who ask for it.

‘Censors tend to do what psychotics do: they confuse reality with illusion.’

Chai Biscuit served with a dose of censorship (newspaper). Servers serving the dish, wore a tape on their mouth, to exaggerate and highlight the popular types of censorship existing today.

Reverie A man dreams all night, only to forget it all in the morning. At Outlandish, we give you a chance to take a nap while being awake, and dream.

The dish is served with a poem, giving hints on how to experience the dish. On deciphering the poem, the experience starts. Abruptly, as decided by the server, customers were ‘woken up’ by surprise, with a prompt pop of the balloon behind their back and being offered a toothbrush with Mayonnaise paste.

Milk served with food color; a tool dipped in dishwash soap to play with and create patterns, followed by a surprise.

< Feedback form (served with bill) ^ Poster Invite for bookings.

Director of National Institute of Design, Mr. Praveen Nahar visits Outlandish.

^ Bill

Set after Production; Restaurant furbished with exclusive Nakashima furniture and a grand piano.

BLENDER RENDER Visual style of Vinamaya Space

VINAMAYA | CONCEPTUALISATION | MUSEUM DESIGN | •

Project type: Individual Design Project III, Museum Design

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Brief: Develop a pitch for a museum of your choice.

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Duration: 8 weeks, 2019.

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Project Facilitator: Tanishka Kachru

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Outcome:

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Vision and Mission, Theme, Subject

2. Visitor Journey, Exhibits Concept 3. Interpretive Layout Plan 4. Space Visualisations

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VIEW PRESENTATION PITCH BEHANCE LINK

Location Old Ahmedabad Stock Exchange Building Manek Chowk, Ahmedabad, India.

Vision ‘Vinamaya’ stands for the entrepreneurial learnings and business practices that have been acquired over time and have dominated the Indian markets for centuries.

Content Mapping

Hierarchy Business Studies Enthusiasts

Non-Business audience

Discussion Space. Networking. Information.

Not Interested. But get them to appreciate the

‘Wow’ for hidden revelations

meta- workings of businesses.

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Two-way frames : Icons behind Icons Exhibit 2

Mounted Maps : Ahmedabad’s development around its markets 3

Busts of Ahmedabad’s ‘Mahajans’ 4

Plotting Visitor Journey Ground

Ahmedabad<>Inhabitants: Look at mirror, see Ahmedabad exhibit 5

First Floor

Checkpoint : Virtual Meets Reality 6

Top Floor

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PEAKS OF INTEREST

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EXHIBITS

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Fillers// Childhood, Education QR coded Pictures SME’s introduction : Tabloid Quiz + exhibit Finale : Businesses. Pervasive in all? Pervasive within itself? Theme.

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Temporary Exhibit : Changing display Area Power of the Invisible : Underlying politics and religious games involved with businesses exhibit

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Diamond/Jewellery display: Exhibition Space + Audio support Bullion Display: Tabloid + Exhibit

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Spice/Market goods

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Video + Hologram Break Space

3.0 m

15.0 m

NeoClassical Windows

3.3 m

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2 A Door

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10.0 m

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