Building Making

Aanganwaadi, Garbage Collection, Community Toilet & Pathology Lab

at Trombay, Cheetah Camp

Building Making

Chetasvi - Patel | Semester 6 | 2022-23

This course helped us to carry out detailed development and refinement of building design through technical resolution of structural systems, material performance and experience, member assembly, threshold-enclosure details and process of construction. The focus of this studio was- first to develop an ability in systems-thinking and the ability in detailing; second to develop an ability to make construction documentation drawings that could be used for the construction of buildings ; and third, to develop ability to write specifications, generate bill of quantities and cost estimation for the project. The course trained us in crafting built form where the logics of spatiality are based on systems and details along with orientation to the practices around construction documentation and management.

Site, Site Forces & Context

In 1976, between 55,000 and 70,000 people were forcibly moved overnight to Cheeta Camp from the Janata Colony slum by 12,000 police. The surprise eviction of Janata Colony was to make space for the expansion of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

In 2001, the Indian Navy raised concerns that the slum was too close to an arms depot. At this time, it was estimated there were 10,000 shacks in Cheetah Colony. There were five schools, a graveyard, a crematorium and four toilet blocks were being built. As per the current estimate more than 1 Lakh people live in the cheeta camp. The development in this area is restricted and the navy depot which reside in the north to the Cheetah camp raised concerns regarding the building infrastructure's Floor levels and were limited to two floors and the ownership of the land is limited to the owner and the government can shift them as they did in 2001.

The site is a pathlab, public toilet block and a balwadi.

Site Analysis

The swelling and shrinking of use of space during different part of the day due to change in activities. The activities are mapped between 8 AM and 5 PM.

Understanding the Swelling and Shrinking throughout the day

Core Identification in Existing Site Conditions

Conceptual Design

The design is based on the idea of a stationary core building with a dynamic periphery that can swell and shrink to accommodate different activities. The services provided by the path lab, toilet, storage spaces in balwadi and staircases form the core of the design while the seating spaces, classrooms, parking spaces and playing area becomes the part of the periphery which is expandable and contractible.