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work samples

ps 294With Salam & Giacalone Architects2011-12

under the high lineWith Salam & Giacalone Architects2011-12

walkeshwar schoolWith Serie Architects2008–09

rc officesWith Serie Architects2008–09

verma medical trustWith Serie Architects2008–09

napean sea schoolWith Serie Architects2008–09

programA new Primary School shares its site with an existing charter school located in the Bronx.

Besides classrooms ranging from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade, the school has specialized education classrooms, a gymatorium, cafeteria, library, custodial and storage facilities and administration offices.

ps294With Salam & Giacalone Architects, 2011-12Location: New York City, USASize: 60,000 Sq. Ft.Role: Project DesignerProject Phases: Concept, SD, DD, CDSoftware Used: Rhino, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Adobe CSProject Status: 100% CD Completed

transparencyIn order to encourage the use of the assembly areas by the community, visual transparency is provided at the entrance and the exterior of the cafeteria.

Circulation up to the gymatorium is provided by an open sculptural stair, further increasing transparency between the 1st and 2nd floors.

exteriorThe brick exterior, utilizing two brick colors, forms a background against which focal components such as the library, the gymatorium and a stair, are highlighted by being clad in metal panels.

This helps the school create it’s own identity, while also respecting it’s neighborhood context.

briefTo be constructed under the High Line, this temporary outdoor exhibition pavilion would serve as an extension of the art galleries in the neighborhood.

The brief encourages the use of parametrically generated forms, and we used Grasshopper and Rhino to parametrically generate rope patterns.

lightingWhile providing an ideal sky-lit exhibits environment, glimpses of the activities within can be seen through the diaphanous rope screen.

At night, the interior lighting transforms the enclosure into a woven lantern, radiating light into it’s surroundings.

materialsThe framework is an orthogonal grid of 12 x 12 timbers to which a sub-frame of steel pipes is secured.

Walls and ceiling are rope screens tied to the steel pipes in basic sailing knots: anchor and double half hitch. Screen openings are formed by tying and pulling apart ropes.

under the high lineWith Salam & Giacalone Architects, 2011-12Location: New York City, USASize: 5,000 Sq. Ft.Role: Project DesignerProject Phases: Concept, Renders (Competition Entry)Software Used: Rhino, Grasshopper, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Adobe CSProject Status: Awarded Special Mention

siteThe site is squeezed tightly between an existing school on the front, a cliff face on the back, and residential buildings on both sides.

The site’s elevation and narrowness is a challenge for construction access.

walkeshwar schoolWith Serie Architects, 2008–09

Location: Mumbai, IndiaSize: 25,500 Sq. Ft.Role: Design SupervisorProject Phases: SD, DD, CDSoftware Used: Rhino, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Lamina, Adobe CSProject Status: Under Construction

cliffAlso, the building is not allowed to touch the cliff face at all.

As the cliff face recedes, the floor plates get larger, making it difficult to bring natural light into the heart of the building.

lightThe stair, the cliff and the slab extensions all become light reflecting devices, directing light deep into the building.

The glass facade is crucial to the building, enabling enough natural light for classrooms and science labs to enter the building.

stairThe finely designed and detailed stair becomes a strong counterpoint to the rustic cliff face, and also the focal point of the building.

The main staircase and atrium rotate with the cliff, allowing a circulation route always in contact with the cliff face at all angles.

modelsVarious study models, renderings and mockups at different scales are made to study the interaction of the staircase with the cliff.

The final model was digitally fabricated directly from the Rhino 3d file, using several different rapid prototyping techniques.

envelopeThe project aims to reinterpret the exterior envelope, while building out towards site boundaries to achieve maximum FAR.

We designed a modular skin that consists of a series of extruded storage spaces and sunshades, alternating with modular glazing.

verma medical trustWith Serie Architects, 2008–09

Location: Mumbai, IndiaSize: 50,000 Sq. Ft.Role: Project ArchitectProject Phases: DD, CD, CASoftware Used: Rhino, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Adobe CSProject Status: Built

codeMumbai’s building code allows projections upto 900mm to be considered balconies, and excluded from floor area calculations.

This lets us exclude all projections from floor area, giving the client far more usable space than building just to the site boundary.

structureThe structural system supporting the projections is hidden, creating the illusion of their floating out without any visible support.

On the inside, the projections are used as storage spaces and (sometimes) cubicles, keeping the floor plan clear and unobstructed.

rc officesWith Serie Architects, 2008–09

Location: Mumbai, IndiaSize: 98,000 Sq. Ft.Role: Design SupervisorProject Phases: SD, DDSoftware Used: Rhino, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Lamina, Adobe CSProject Status: Unbuilt

siteThe site is located in a semi-industrial suburb of Mumbai, in close proximity to Mumbai airport, on a street with heavy vehicular traffic.

viewsThe site is also adjacent to a small lake, and our impulse is to connect the lake at the rear of the building to the road in front of the building.

We also wish to provide views of the airport and the lake from the roof, since the airport’s flight paths create view corridors from the site.

atriumA typical building atrium offers common space at the lobby level only, and is internally focused. It is privately used by the building’s occupants, and is generally ringed by elevators and corridors (for circulation.)

We propose an atrium designed as a series of articulated rotating volumes, drawing views from the road to the lake.

It also has a public promenade connecting the road and the lake, and is ringed by public areas like walkways, balconies and a gym at various levels, activating the atrium and intensifying social mixing.

There is also a large public terrace on the rooftop, with panoramic views of the city, the lake and the airport.

floor plansThe position of the cores allows single or multiple tenants on each level, as well as atrium and exterior views from each floor level.

The maximum allowable floor area is reached within 3.7 storeys out of the allowable 5 storeys, thus allowing the remaining area to be used as public space.

facadeThe building facade has two layers - the inner double-glazed curtain wall provides acoustic control, and the outer metal mesh curtain provides shading and privacy.

The mesh density controls the shading and transparency provided, and varies with facade orientation and program.

surfaceThe ruled surface also acts as a light catcher, drawing light along its rotation and reflecting it into the heart of the atrium and the building.

terraceThe roof terrace not only provides views of the lake and airport, but also gives visitors views of the atrium and the promenade below.

modelThe model was 3d printed in several parts from the Rhino file. The acrylic used for the curtain wall facades was laser cut and etched.

basementTwo basement levels accomodate all parking, keeping the ground level car-free, for maximum public / pedestrian use.

napean sea schoolWith Serie Architects, 2008–09

Location: Mumbai, IndiaSize: 32,000 Sq. Ft.Role: Design SupervisorProject Phases: SD, DDSoftware Used: Rhino, V-Ray, AutoCAD, Adobe CSProject Status: On Hold

typologyContrary to the typical sprawling, low-rise school, the urban location of this school dictates a high-rise, high-density building type.

perforationThe challenge here is preventing each level from getting isolated from the rest, which can easily happen on a vertical campus.

The elevator core and floor slabs are thus perforated for visual connection and vertical circulation across two to three levels at a time.

Moving vertically through the building, students, faculty and staff can glance briefly at various activities across the vertical ‘campus’.

surfaceThe perforations and social spaces are joined by a ruled surface that runs through the building, differentiating them by form & color.

socialThe spaces adjoining slab perforations and elevator cores are used as social spaces: library, student lounge, art room & cafe.

Social spaces are also fully glazed, becoming the school’s public face.

structureThe structural facade keeps the interior column-free and flexible, especially important due to the tiny floor plate.

stairA secondary staircase, required by code, links the social spaces vertically, becoming much more than just a fire escape stair.