Studio VIII- Urban Insert Studio

Semester 8
IAS- Indus University Jan- May 2024

Brief:
‘Urbanity and reflections of the past’
To intervene in a particular situation comes with different degrees of complexities. These
complexities arise from an amalgamation of different imprints of time. They adapt to the change,
exhibiting values of the past, with narratives which intertwine with the fragments in a way that it is
hard to identify evidently. The layers, though are distinguishable in some cases, coexist together
negotiating their ways, respecting what remains of the past as a marker of those narratives. The
complexities are somewhat proportional to the diversity of layers that comes together to form that
situation or a part of it. While dealing with them one tries to find traces which leads to deduction (to
the extend it is possible) of their meaning and understand their significance in contemporary time.
Situations with a strong historic context (diverse conditions- from medieval to modern contexts) and
their response to urbanity come with a baggage of such layers, overlapping through time, getting
manifested through built environment. The intend of the studio is to enquire upon such condition,
understand its nature and respond through the language of built environment.
“When confronted with an urbanist program, an architect may ether assign a masterly construction,
Take what exists, fill in the gaps, deconstruct what exists by critical analysis or search for an
intermediary-an abstract system” - Bernard Tshumi- Cinegramme Folie

Through the studio process one will try to explore appropriate ways and means to insert in such
fabric of the city. Study of layers (catering to larger forces of ecology, geography to specific
typological study), understanding evolutionary patterns, supporting studies through documentation,
etc, the studio will try to look at different forces acting upon such patterns of the city. With empathy
towards fragments, the project will dwell upon the impact of the overall to parts, the
interdependency of elements and spatial connotations in the scale of urbanity. As a part of the studio
certain question in relation to the present condition, and the factors that govern growth of such
cities will be brought to light.
The studio dealt with the following processes:
1. Understanding the place and layers in the present condition that shapes it. Meaning and
interpretation through narratives, cultural practices and social conducts through of built
environment. Analysing and concluding from such studies, each student had to take an
understanding of their own which were supported by the studies, which they further
interpret in their design approach.
2. Reimagining the past by the evidences of the present and speculation from the governing
aspects from larger understanding of the system.
3. Respond towards urbanity: In this student will take larger questions towards such urban
conditions or observation of their own towards the city and try to respond to that through
their built environment. It can be a statement to the present condition emphasizing on one’s
understanding where the built form becomes an exhibit to such observations.
4. Understanding and interpreting the program as a part of the setting, dealing with concerns
of the place and catering to the participants of the present.

Throughout the process students have tried to respond to the factors in different ways, in certain
cases prioritizing one over the other. The studio will concentrate on developing ideas in to a resolved
proposal where students will explore past, architecture and the city as a co-dependent entity where
identities of each will be questioned and reflected upon.
Program:
“Learning centre”
The insert will look into a complex state of a contemporary typology of an institution positioned in a
situation, as a part of ecosystems of institutions associated with it. The idea of an institution would
be based on knowledge transfer where one would learn skills to empower and growth of local
economies of different scales. The program of a Learning centre provides such platform where one
can involve in such processes and build up one’s network for knowledge sharing. The institution will
aim towards conducting events, a means of expressing and communicating ideas, where disciplines
and perspectives become the primary driver of the exchange. The program will be adaptable to
incorporate diverse learning processes, from lectures workshops and exhibitions, and look at
collaboration between experts, students and institution. Primarily the Learning centre will have,
lecture halls, workshop spaces and rentable individual spaces which will be used by students and
academicians. Infrastructure to facilitate diverse activities to a flexible nature of the workspaces, the
institution will have an inherent character of adaptability to change as time demands.
The components of the program would be:
1. Workshop spaces and infrastructure to support them
2. Lecture halls and meeting spaces
3. Exhibition areas
4. Individual working spaces
5. Library
6. Faculty rooms and ancillary areas
7. Admiration areas
8. Services
In an overall manner tentative area would be approx. 2000 Sq. meter depending on the
interpretation of individual students.

Programmatic interpretation: The interpretation of the program would be depended on the how
individual students imagines conducts and interactions of the program with respect to the urban
situation as well as within spaces of the program. This will direct towards correlation between
fragments as well as define an overall expression to the context in which it is being built. From the
nature of events to their association with the spaces, from boundaries of different realms to the
nature of interactions, etc. the interpretation of the program will eventually lead towards indications
of architecture.

Site:
Sanskar Kendra- Tagore hall- NID- (to be detailed later)
Learning Outcomes:
1. To interpret layers of urbanity and look at situations with defined lenses by deciphering
layers and establishing co-relations between them.
2. Meaning of the historic imprints and identity of such urban fragment, exhibiting change
through time and means of responding through architecture.
3. Interpretations of program and implications of that in architectural character. Exploration of
typologies and how such an insert have its reflection in the surrounding.
4. Part to whole relation, the architectural expression becoming a means to cater to concerns
urbanity, dwelling upon cultural constructs of contemporary time.
5. The interrelationship between architectural insert and the city, intent to respond to the
space, place and its identity as a whole.

References:
1. Jencks, Charles, "Post-modernism and Discontinuity". Architectural Design, (1987).
2. Brolin, Brent C. "Architecture in Context", The Harward Architecture Review, MIT Press,
(Spring 1981).
3. Lynch, Kevin. "What time is this place?", Massachusetts institute of technology press,
Cambridge, Mass. 1972.
4. Warren, John. "Context: new building in historic settings", published by: the university of
York, 1998
5. Papageorgiou, Alexander. Continuity and Change. London: Pall Mall Press, 1971.
6. Amanda Reeser Lawrence, Ana Miljački - Terms of Appropriation_ Modern Architecture and
Global Exchange. 2017, Routledge.
7. Representing Pasts – Visioning Future, Amps-Proceedings-Series-32, December 22, ISSN
2398-9467

Faculties:
Shreya Kaul I Atreya Bhattacharyya I Priyanka S