SEX, SOCIALIZING & URBANITY.

Every city exerts it own tactical forces that shapes our attitude towards sex and socializing pattern. The response to these forces are also forcing us to shape our buildings. The visit to central downtown Taipei had revealed similar characteristics and not different from other city in endowing the city with typology of buildings shapes by its own tactics.

As one moves towards the central downtown the high rise commercial districts slowly merges into low rise building with distinct and uncharacteristic compound wall. It is a complete district of such typology and they appear to by quite residential in first glimpse but presence of auto shu

tters on ground floor makes this presumptive ambiguous. The street presence of these building are bare minimum and has single entry point as perhaps as lobby or foyer. The presence of such type makes one wonder the nature of function of these building.

As we were asked to move towards the one of the shop like entry behind the compound wall the body begin to rattle as what would be behind such ambiguous entry. As the attended unrolls the shutter with remote, there it reveals the nicely design the staircase leading to upper floor and he begins to explain the what the whole setting is about.

As one enters the upper floor the sensuous interior of private residential unit slowly appears in controlled natural light scooped from the ceiling and open to sky light shafts. This units are designed as if they are coming out of portfolio of niche interior designer or architects. The lime floor finish with pivoted wall panel to convert unit into various other possibilities. The bed is designed with similar finish with one side touching the small wadding pool which is open to sky and has toilet with part glass cover and shower area overlooking the pool. The fit and finish of entire studio unit appear to be tactile and tectonic.

There are several type of units systematically locked into each other with ambiguous entry point as a part of program. Its like a cube being imploded within its tight perimeter. This units are on rent based on type and size of the units. This type of building are as told to us , cruel urban reality of east. As lifestyle getting hectic, logistics are pushing people to disengage themselves from sex and socializing, perhaps architecture has its own way of response to the such pathological conditions. The units are on rental bases from short stay to longer stay on very high premiums. The most material conditions are used for the most basic & fundamental natural trait yet architecture and urbanity makes it most exotic and niche-able, within which material of materiality is suspended or made it less timeless.

This is the reality of architecture as it only dwells on niche-able, exotic events for it to qualify as experimental yet most basic need and responses are strangely relegated or displaced from architectural etymology.

URBAN DESIGN THESIS:2011

The master thesis seems to have been struggling to built argument ever since, however Ekta's thesis showed some greater possibilities of research and argument for future. Her work showed some close relation with how an Urban Designer operates, intervenes and conceptualize within the urban design framework. Her work may not be the best we can expect but definitely the best that KRVIA has produced. One may have areas of disagreement but can not deny the method she defines on what urban designer need to work upon. The quality of drawings have improved by her standard and perhaps comparatively with others as well. The thesis has tremendous clarity with its intent and also showed the possibilities of slow transformation of fabric on time scale. However it lacs on area of policy drafting, density building, and other crucial areas of urban design need to operates.

THESIS JURY:2011

Thesis quality over last five years have improved tremendously as nature of inquiries across the board are above average. It is perhaps becoming difficult to identify the best one. Along with the quality of inquiry, the quality of drawings have reached its best level as ever. I have never seen such quality of drawings before, either monochromatic or dual tone. This particular batch has added the new layer to our thesis standard.

Kruti's thesis had rather shortest span of exposure with guide but resultant product can not be better that that. Its trying to address the marginal issues of housing for new enterprises employee, and hence the need of space is at paramount that want of space. There is a big difference between need and want esp. in housing. The thesis attempts to address the bare-minimum housing in dignified architectural gesture. I will always remain haunted by the question that... have i realy done any justice the project ?.

Nupur's thesis is her pure passion, what any guide can do more than just witness the quality of inquiry and fantastic set of drawings over last one year. The thesis brings the larger value of historicism as being process of degradation and salvation. The projected grading of disregarded building and setting up the public domain as system of awareness rather than architectural program is intellectually advance thought. It puts all the critique of architectural as being subservient to its program at rest.

RESTLESS DARK

“Jami hein mahfil samay ki pabandhi par
nasha bahaut hein madira ki kami par
zindgi khadi hein aise mukam par,
jaha sapne bahaut hein simit dishao par,
chupe hein kahi sawal is bandh muththi mein,
phir bhi….
Gam nahi hein fariyaad nahi hein…
Is paimaan aur ta’ ajub zindagani pe..”



“ is ta’ ajub zindagani mein ahesas hua hei …
tumhara milna koi itafak nahi hein..
har pal ko rango ki barish mein bhigokar..
ek zineka vishwas diya hein...
aye na aye is dil-doz pal kahi se….
phir bhi. …
isse bahane, uske liye ziyaa rat banayi hei...”

RATINALITY AND EMOTION

“ Raste sulaz gaye teri her khoj par,

to kyo jukta hein to raftar mein her mod per,

kiski talsh hein juje her mukam per,

ya is bahane juk raha hein to apne jasbato ke hukum par”…

“NATURE”

“juk gya hein asman bhi parbato ke uchai ki dekh kar,

aftab bhi jhook gaya hein is samndar ke asimit naseem per,

vaadiyo mein bhi ruka hua hein sangeet ke anek sur,

phir kyo.. umra-e-daraj mein mag ke liye sift char din,

kahi bit na jaye do din arzoo mein or

do intezar mein.”

VISIT TO SAURASHTRA

(TRAIL OF MEMORY)

“YEH WAQT KI DIWARO SE BIKHRI YADEIN KUTCH PAHECHANI SI LAGTI HEIN”

“ YEH TUTI HUIE IMAARATO KE SAYEIN MEIN CHUPE AFSANE BHI PAHECHANISE LAGTE HEIN”

“WAQT UMRA KA LIYAZ NAHI KARTA”

”WAQT SE UTHI HER IMAARATO KA GIRNA BHI WAQT KA EK RUP HEIN”

IMAARATO KA RUP BHALE HI BADALA HO, PER WAQT SE UTHNE WALI HER IMAARATO KI BUNIYADE BHI PAHECHANI SI LAGTI HEIN

DREAM SEQUENCE I

”KAHI KOSHIS KI APNE AAP SE MILNE KI”

KAHA BHULA HU APNE AAP SE, IS RUH MEIN GUZZAR RAHI HEIN ZINDAGI”

”PAHECHAN RAKHI LOGO KI, IS AHESAS MEIN KI MILEGI MUJSE MERI ZINDAGI”

”KHOJA MEINE BUDALTE HUE WAQT KE LIBASE MEIN AUR SAMANDAR KI GAHARAI MEIN,

SIRF EK PAL KA”

”JANE KAB MILJAYE INHE PHURSAD MUJSE MILNEKI”

DREAM SEQUENCE II

“KAHA UD CHALA RE TU IS SAFAR ME”

KYA PATA HEIN TUMHE IS KA....

SAAS LE RAHA HEIN KOI..

TUMHARE HER TABBASSUM PER”

”KABHI MUKAME ZINDGI MILE TUJE APNI RAH MEIN TO,

BHEJNA EK PAIGAM MERE MAZAAR PE”

Dream Sequence III

"Aapni yaado ma kyare radi levanu mann thye chhe, Lambi musfari

ane musfiro ochha,

chhata safar kapi ane Mrityu in adab jalvi,

anu amne gurva thai chhe

YILAN NATIONAL MUSEUM: TAIWAN

Every culture strives for its identity by mean of architectural manifestation. Their formal language often depicts the nature of porosity that any culture ready to absorb by new means in conversation with global imperatives. It is difficult to comment on aspiration of any such endeavor but its very approach that designer solemnly aspired to bring about value system that align itself to its own can be questionable.

The National museum at Yilan is an exciting building from stand point of general perception and similar architectural concern. Firstly by its context and secondly by its language. The building contextually sits close to coastal region visibly connected to island which once had strategic significance in WW II. The island has tapering natural form which has some psychological significance locals.

The architect has almost imbibe the natural form the the island. The formal language of museum is reminiscent of high modernism of 1960's esthetically reminder of early work of I.M Pei and Philip Johnson. The form is precisely chiseled out with precision of almost close to aircraft technology. Every detail of building is destined to follow the matrix that has be set by the system. Its some kind of involute trap that high modernist were engulfed. Every metal panel and granite slabs fits accuretely as it can be in it's position with no margin of error.

As one enters the main atrium space, its very appearance that why and how all high modernist fell into trap of being subservient to geometry as language. However the contrast of naturally litted attrium space dominates the museum but entire diplay areas strangely litted by artificial lights. It brings about the argument that how architecture can problematised its own existance. The most naturally aspired form resort on most artificial condition to exist, withing which formal language and materiality is suspended.

Is architecture destined to last or is it an temporary experiment on our value system...? my concern are always mediated among realities that what are the architectural metaphors & aspirations are for....? what are the value system that we strive for....? What multi-disciplinary destined for...? can't architecture exist itself without any external props...? can't space itself be its own metaphors of architecture.....? However urgent the needs of architects to express oneself....or use external support system of multi-disciplinarian nature......the streets are definitely not the laboratory for the experiments.