top architecture design thesis 2020

MNIT ARCHITECTURE

JAIPUR, INDIA

Design thesis authored by

shubham soni

THESIS SPECIFICATIONS

Thesis Title : A CITY WITH FARMSCAPE – Merging the line between water and architecture

Project Location: Aravali hills, Dravyavati river bank, India

Project Type: Urban revitalisation

Year of completion : 2020

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“Water, an element in nature that life is constantly surrounded by, an element that has given birth to life on Earth and continues to support it. Although we made our shift to land, our bond with water still remains significant as ever.”

The Journey

It all started with an effort to explore the vernacular built form and eco-sensitive areas of Aravali hills abutting the Historic Pink city of Jaipur. During this research work, I came across the history of Dravyavati river that was a part of the urban landscape of the city and now has been converted to a nalah. The existing condition of the waterbody struck me and I drove throughout the 40 KM stretch, along the banks of this river, to explore different potential sites, and chose one, which can be developed as a prototype for local architectural interventions, with an ultimate vision of helping the nearby community to meet their water demands and save the local biodiversity of Jaipur. This proposed intervention can be applied to other potential sites.

Concern

Climate change and its effect on water is an inevitable phenomenon. However, the scarcity of this valuable resource is not just due to changing natural patterns, but the induced man-made disaster of unsustainable water use. “Water use has been growing globally, more than twice the rate of the population increase in the last century, and an increasing number of regions are reaching the limit at which water services cannot be sustainably delivered, especially in the arid region”– (UN-Water). Water scarcity is a reality in various parts of the world, especially in the developing countries of the global south. There is an adverse impact on India, especially in the north and western parts of the country due to uncontrollable urbanization and climate change. The water system in Jaipur has central instabilities with a high level of dependence on a single source at the moment. With high termination loss, increasing water pollution and degradation of the ecosystem, the resilience to such loss is low.

Question

The following research questions paved the way to understand the research and design methodology for the project.

How are we going to address the equation between the contrasting aspects of ecological crises and technological advancement for building our future?
Are there any means to induce awareness among people?
What are the approaches to revive these areas to their full potential, as a part of the existing urbanscape?
How can the proposed interventions meet the demands of the community living in these areas?

Context

Dravyavati River is a non-perennial river which originates from the western slopes of amber hill to meet the Dhundh River. But with the urban expansion, it is now trapped in the center of the city with dense population choking it from both the sides, reducing its width and obstructing its flow. It collects storm waste, unfiltered waste water sewage, solid waste from the abutting urban settlements.

Conflict

Dravyavati River – Once a thriving river, turns into a drain (Amanishah Nallah).

In 2016, the Jaipur Development Authority undertook the challenging task to rejuvenate the Dravyavati River, to improve the housing, health, sanitation, and the overall standard of living for the people of Jaipur. But the Environmentally racist design for this waterfront development insensitively proposes the construction of a concrete section throughout 40 KM, neglecting the impact on the biodiversity of the existing land and forcing an unacceptable architecture that fades the natural water route, eventually disturbing the natural water cycle of the city. This calls for rethinking the solution proposed by the government, by evoking the awareness of wetland areas in the cities and protecting the present while ensuring a safe and secure future.

Architectural Character

This thesis provides multiple connections to the surrounding neighborhoods, existing and proposed, and to harbor on all sides. The project also seeks to explore how architecture can re-establish the connection between humans and the natural landscape with minimum intervention through design.

The site becomes a museum and the building becomes the site. The approach was to have a minimal Impact of built form on the site. The idea was to provide a new architectural language by raising the built mass and conserving the existing biodiversity on ground along with added Farming landscapes. It also focuses on reviving the ancient wisdom and making water everybody’s business. A change in the approach is required at all levels, starting from household to neighborhood to city level. Because, we all know that there is no life if there is no water.

the end

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