What is this Studio about?

In the formative years while young architects are developing their sensibilities towards aesthetics, form, and proportions, through this course they are introduced to the big picture. The big picture is getting familiar with the socio-economic and the physical context of the city. For this, the best spaces are where the young encounter the city like parks, markets, malls, and transport hubs.

We feel parks are one such space where due to their existence the wellbeing of the community and the city is perceived. Their need is extremely relevant in the current scenario of population density, global warming, climate change, and elevated pollution levels. 

Hence, co-creating a Park with Chitra Vishwanath exposes one to a holistic approach of equitable design. Multiple issues will be explored including but not limited to sustainability, landscape and longevity in design and most importantly how to address the diverse socio-cultural and functional needs of various users ranging across age group. This 2-month online studio will help develop a common understanding of the needs of the future. 

Sensible and sensitive designs are important and we need to start young. Let’s begin with something simple. Parks, gardens, open spaces!  

Under the guidance of

Chitra Vishwanath

Mentor

Chitra Vishwanath is an architect based in Bengaluru who with her team works on ecological designs. She has been running her own architectural firm since 1991. She is now the Principal Architect and Managing Director of Biome Environmental Solutions Private Limited, which is a team of 30. She has been involved in more than 500 projects encompassing construction of buildings of all sizes and water harvesting and sanitation structures with specific relevance to the ecology of the sites. With earth as a basic material input in construction she has designed and built many structures. She has been an integral part of the NGO Kilikili (www.kilikili.org). Kilikili , which translates to laughter, has been working in the field of imparting knowledge and need for inclusive public play spaces.

Who should take this course

City designs exclude a large demography-that of the children and youth in its public spaces. The youngsters who would form the bulk of this course use public spaces extensively for communication and recreation. Most of the time they have to adjust to the spaces already designed which leads to frustration, vandalism or not getting enough developmental stimulation. This course will encourage peer to peer interactions and through the experience and guidance of the mentor an attempt to co-create a park will be done which looks sensitively to various issues of living in a city and the need of a park.

  • School student interested in design

  • Architecture student in early years of learning

  • Elderly who have forgotten their youth.

Course Features

  • Free-will

    Documenting spaces of interaction and communication as encountered by the participant and spelling out why the participant chooses that particular space.

  • Design by Committee

    Through interaction understanding the local needs of a community and nature of Public Space

  • Holistic Solutions

    Understand principles of designing holistically by understanding Land, energy, water management, and social responsibility

  • Inclusive designs

    Appreciation of Inclusive Design across parameters of age, gender and physical ability

  • Making a wish list.

    Design your own brief

  • Natural Environment

    Learning of landscape and longevity in design

Schedule

Date Day Time
25 Jan Saturday 2.30 pm
30 Jan Thursday 6.30 pm
7 Feb Friday 6.30 pm
14 Feb Friday 6.30 pm
19 Feb Wednesday 6.30 pm
28 Feb Friday 6.30 pm
6 March Friday 6.30 pm
13 March Friday 6.30 pm
20 March Friday 6.30 pm


Week 1: Understanding the need: for this to happen first create a mind map. Don't go out looking for a site. Sit down spend three hours and create a mind map. Mind mapping is capturing your thoughts and bringing about clarity and connectedness of various ideas and lists. It allows us, tutors to understand your thoughts. Reading your thoughts will help us work with you in creating the project.

Choosing site-- Based on the mind map prioritize the site. List as to why the site was chosen. 

Personae--  For me, the student is the person. The student through observation and interaction imagines the needs of the present and future.


 Week 2: Finalise site. Make a mind map of the program.
Understanding site and ecological and social flows through models. Use google  maps to extract contours.

 Week 3: Prepare design program  and Study ergonomics- anthropometrics and user psychology ( eg: Parks and desire line)

Week 4: Understanding different functions and how to plan them on the site

 Week 5,6&7: design discussion

 Week 8: pre-final discussion and information on how to collect user
 review on the design

Following week presentation