7 crafts
1 parasol
Studio:
Architecture Design
5th Semester, 2020
Studio Mentors:
Dev Bildikar
Adnan Nakhoda
Nilay Patalia
Pankaj Shivarama
Project Description:
A manufacturing unit designed to host small scale production of 7 crafts- Perfumery, Toy Making, Tapestry Weaving, Block Printing, Film-making and a Nursery.
Factories and spaces for production have historically looked inhumane and uninspiring. Fritz Lang's film The Metropolis captures one such Piranesian model of the industrial space for production.
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The Parasol is an attempt at celebrating the act of crafting over manufacturing. It is a set of workspaces for seven crafts and retail housed under a folding roof reminiscent of the traditional factory arch.
Factories and The Metropolis by Fritz Lang
The 7 Crafts are abstracted into its essential elements and motifs
Context of the Parasol consists of stacks of concrete blocks and a new metro and a mall
Initial Sketches of the Parasol
The interior condition of the parasol is determined by the cuts on its skin. The different abstractions of the 7 crafts are represented on the folds of the parasol and render a play of light and shadow without interfering with the functionality of the space due to its volume.
The open floor plan of the parasol enables the crafts to share materials and resources. It enables common meeting grounds for the workers and facilitates collaboration.
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The overarching idea behind the parasol is to create an inclusive work environment where the individual is not tied to a profession or skill and can perform multiple functions with ease. Keeping with the theme of inclusivity, the parasol houses all-gender washrooms as well as ramps and lifts that make the space accessible to all workers.
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The parasol uses lines as variables and creates perforations on its skin
Site Plan of the Parasol in relation to the Metro
Detailed Plan of the Parasol (Ground Floor)
Schematic Interior Condition of the Parasol
The parasol looks drastically different from its surroundings. With the lack of any solid boundary between the neighbourhood and the parasol, the skin of the structure becomes a host to public activities.
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The Bus Stop on the North Facade becomes a beacon of light and activities after the offices and the mall have closed for the night. The structure reduces in scale to meet the human that breaks down its surfaces into lines. The Bus Stop works in conjunction with the Doddakalasandra Metro Station and increases accessibility to the Parasol and the neighbourhood.
The Bus Stop also hosts a cafe and a retail unit to ensure eyes on the street and safety.
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Parasol and the Public
Lighting Plan -The Patterns are also reflected on the floor of the Parasol- increases directionality and adds individuality and character to the workstations
The parasol uses the metro as a screen and a datum. Its folds are in direct contrast to the sombre concrete geometry of the Metro Line.
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The roads surrounding the site enable the viewer to place the Parasol in relation to the site thus making elevations an important tool for community engagement.
The white of the main structure of the Parasol is highlighted by the bus stop with its blue, yellow and red lines that light up the neighbourhood.
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In the section, the internal structure of the parasol is visible and one can see the V-columns and the girders that hold the parasol up without taking away the light-ness of the structure.
"This project was pursued in a semester which was online. Amidst the sterile glow of the computer and the imagery of Fritz Lang's metropolis, I felt a need to go back to the rough imperfections of hand-drawing. The Parasol is a project that celebrates the back and forth between machine and the hand much like the process of this project"
-N.D.
fig (2)
The underlying structure of the parasol is a network of internal girders and truss systems on top of which high-pressure laminate panels are fixed.
Fig (1) shows the details of the girder system while fig (2) shows the network of trusses used in the volume.
fig (1)
Progress and relationship of Hand and Machine
Detail of the V columns that hold the Parasol up. The steel sections rest on a concrete pedestal.