Jaali Jaali Jaali everywhere

My favorite fenestration. Was always fascinated by the light and shadow it creates. The filtered light that creates the very romanticizing effect within the spaces. 

 

 

   

 

   

Why should i use a pencil ?

I should use a pencil to the last bit of it........................ reason is quoted below in the form of a comic strip.....

The script was framed in a way that eventhough it would make you laugh it also makes u think for a second atleast. Stories gets registered in ones memory more than anything else. I'm sure all of us will still know the story of the rabbit and the tortoise race..

This is a supplimentary addition to the above comic strip to support the necessary data. I opted it as a conversation between the devil and the raw materials as its easier to relate the evilness of the day. 

I hope all of you have a good laugh. ;)

Green green green

My first thought - we are not Landscape architects to go around identifying plants and their botanical names... the main reason of me not even applying for the PG course in Landscape Architecture was because of this fear.... my fear towards biology... towards botany... towards byhearting any technical terms.. but once when I started learning it made a lot of sense as in which ecology plays a major role... it is not just the sun wind and rain but the site conditions are important... the trees in the plans where used as key features or as elements in design without even knowing which tree is it???... what profile does it have ???... is it just spread out or is it high???... how deep and spread out are its roots???... never gave them such thoughts... an even deeper thought process came when we were able to identify so many short shrubs and smaller plants which are always neglected... the ground cover was always categorized as GRASS and nothing more... I've to still admit that I dont know the botanical names of even half of the plants that i identified for the assignment... but I've realized how these plants play a major role in shaping the ecology of the place. 

The area I had identified for the collection of samples was the Amdavad ni Gufa compound, Vikram Sarabhai Science Research Centre and the entry way to the CEPT campus... We were able to identify more than 45 species of plants from just that small patch of land.... I cant imagine how many will be there in the whole campus...in the whole of Ahmedabad.... in the whole of Gujarat.... if this is the condition here what will it be in a totally green place like Kerala ???? it was even interesting to see the amount of birds especially parrots who rest on these trees... let us imagine a case if those big trees where not in place... The place will be burning hot... no shade.... the soil will be dry unlike now when it is soft (mainly due to rain)... no chirping sounds of the birds... no fallen leaves (helpful for the sweepers)... but not NATURAL... and that too if the whole area is paved or tarred the artificial factor is enhanced... the best thing i liked when i came for my interview to CEPT was that i could sit anywhere be it near the canteen or near the Admin block without being burned... there were cool breezes, shade and a pleasant climate, though i later on heard that it is only during this season it is like this.... that pleasant climate made me feel may be i belong here and now i'm here... living a gypsy life within the campus... and this gypsy life has been possible only because of the shade provided by the trees...

Just FYI i've attached the table of plants with their botanical names and characteristic features below...

The area I observed was the connection link between the Gufa and the CEPT campus where in which it is just a shaded movement sector. Most of the trees fall with the trunk and roots within the SID area has its foliage falling over to the road giving it proper shade. In due course of time there are high tendencies that the trees might topple over into the road. and foreseeing it  must be the reason why they have planted new Neem trees in the vicinity. This would retain the spirit of the space through a longer period of time...

From the pan to the pot

During SAMVAD Dialogue- An International Conference conducted by SID Research Cell I came across an interesting discussion by Tapan Chakravarthy. It was titled "FROM THE PAN TO THE POT : CHANGES WITHIN THE HUMAN "DWELLING"".

The speaker said in a humorous note how the lifestlyes have changed among human beings where in which earlier one used to go home to eat and go out for your nature calls and now going out to eat and coming home to bath... he also portrayed the change of importance of kitchen to that of a bathroom or a toilet....

I realized how true it was.... How i hate using public toilets due to the notion of it being unhygienic and use only only the toilet at my home... And the food habits have also changed. I used to crib at home. "Daily home food. I want food from outside" and now being here i'm forced to have food from outside - be it from the CEPT canteen or the tiffin service or the small and big restaurants around. Though now I think "I want home food" and hence I started COOKING.... So am I going back from the Pot to the Pan ????


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A Ray of Hope

If life goes normal like it is going now it is never going to survive... Unless something drastic happens, something fictitious happens it is impossible for the replenishing... The things that were imagined as fictitious and over the head 10 years back are the present now and i don't believe that life is going to be on the same pace... what can u say as realism ??? did we ever think that a very small device hanging on your neck and your fingertips could act like an ultimate source of information ?? but it is possible today... so it is the imagination of various creative minds that has brought us here and that will take us ahead... my prediction on the future is given below.


Before we start considering the future of the world it is very essential to know what makes the future; it is the present; and what shaped the present; obviously the past. 20 years ago being a common man we thought Television was the biggest invention for our homes. The big idiot box as a few intellectuals call it was the source of entertainment for most of us around. We never thought that the idiot box could show colour pictures, would reduce in size, and could show 3D pictures. These were just way above our imagination.  Now we have plasma TV’s, LCD’s, LED’s and what next would be just a question mark. The technology is expanding in a much faster pace that it is very difficult to foresee what is kept in store for future. So let’s analyze what made us reach here and where are we heading to?

At the present scenario fuel is the most important part of most of our lives. To type this on the computer I consumed electricity which came from thermal power. Likely all the major activities in a human’s life require fuel be it for household activities, transportation and so on. There was a period when man depended on wood as a fuel which was later replaced by coal and now oil which is also depleting at a very large extent. Now what next, is the question troubling us? How long will we be able to survive on this earth?

The earth is a balanced system. Everything on the surface of the earth is depended on each other. The various lifecycles are greatly disturbed by the so called beasts - humans in which we belong to. There was a period when humans lived in harmony with his surroundings what we term now as nature, when actually we are part of it rather than keeping it apart. Now the earth is highly over-populated that the destruction caused by us is affecting very seriously on earth. The demand is high but supply is less for every substance. The reason for that is the very high consumption irrespective of the limited availability. The population scenario in India 50 years ago is nowhere near what it is now. The population was much less then, even after having a very high birth rate. The cause for this is the equally high death rate due to ageing. In other words the growth of population was gradual as the birth and death cycle went hand in hand. But due to the advancement in medical sciences, humans have a longer lifespan than what is actually meant to be. Even-though the birth rates have reduced through the years, it is not actually affecting the population growth. To tell what would be the condition in 2031 or 2061 or 2111 or 2211 is very difficult as the birth rates are still reducing, death rates are reaching a constant level and hence the growth rate will remain high. Earth has its own immune system by which it is trying to reduce its burden. This would be clearly visible by the natural calamities like earthquakes, cyclones, landslides, tsunamis by which earth is trying by itself to eradicate the harmful human beings from its skin. The peak oil phenomenon is also leading to various clashes between the world nations. The chances of a third world war cannot be ignored as the arguments are getting stronger day by day. No one is ready to compromise as to sustain or survive is the ultimate motive of any living being and so is human’s. So down the future lane you could expect more natural and artificial calamities which result in massive human toll. This would in fact result in balancing the human growth. The growth would increase for a maximum of 20 years which will reduce drastically in a short period and then remain standstill balancing the human life with its surroundings.

The highly developed technology will also add on to this. The discoveries and inventions in the fields of science will help in finding alternative sources of energy and methods by which a rebirth of the earth could be made possible. Regenerating the mineral content of soil and making it able to grow crops and vegetation would definitely be a major step taken to grow the earth. The use of roof tops and balconies as future farming lands, change of lifestyles will all result in a brand new, fresh world where you know the problems, ill effects, dangers and hence a life with caution is what is expected. Evolution is a never changing factor for all the beings on earth.

In 2031 the world would be a really confused place to live at. There will be collisions and destructions happening worldwide naturally and artificially. The technology sector of the world will still be exploring the possibilities and chances of rejuvenating the earth. A heavy death toll could be expected in the period from 2031 – 2061. This would result in leaving behind a group of humans which would turn out to be its saviors by protecting, conserving the available resources, and causing lesser harm. These human beings would be the ones who could survive the issues the world will be facing; the ones who can resist the harmful radiation or climate change; the ones who are part of nature, for e.g. Tribes.  By 2111 the growth rate of humans would have reached a stand still which would later on remain constant by equal death rate and birth rate. By 2211 it would again increase as the cycle needs to repeat. Life is a cycle of events repeating.

When we consider the energy resources as such by 2031 most of the current energy sources would be exhausted and this could be a major reason for the massive human toll due to war or drought or famine. By 2061 alternate energy resources would be identified and utilized to sustain and not exhaust. By 2111 these alternate solutions will also face extinction and pave way for the next set of energy systems. This loop will proceed till sun the ultimate energy provider will emit so much energy so that all the water on the earth will evaporate, the carbon dioxide will disappear from the atmosphere and all this will result in the end of the green life on the earth.

I would like to quote a statement one of my professors made “Earthquakes and calamities are actually a boon for architects like us, as we are getting more projects to build”. If we could interpret in another way the death of someone will result in the life of someone else. Here it is not the social well being that is being questioned but the mere existence is challenged.

2 REdesign

What do you feel seeing the following images ? Do you think its a good design from a sustainable Architecture student ? My Prof commented its such a gaudy elevation... It has to be true because I'vn given a thought about the elevation, the position of the openings, the size of the openings, the materials. As such nothing other than functional organization was my major concern when I did my undergraduate studies and now I'm made to redesign and make The Lounge sustainable. Lets see...