"Living Spaces" Project documentation

LIVING SPACES
Ameeshi Goenka
PDP 201
Project facilitator: Priya

THE PROJECT
THE LEARNING
• Family set-up home

• Pleasant and Unpleasant memories

• Classroom Sessions

• Principles of spatial design

• Houses

• Friend’s room

• Dwarfism

THE APPLICATION (final submission)
• Research about the Disability

• Zoning

• The Detailed Brief

• Lighting plan

• Household Activities

• The Case Study

• Electrical plan

• Room Planning

• The Concept Note

• Floor plan

• The Site Measurement

• Furniture Layout

• The Site pictures

• Sections

• The Site Analysis

• Mood Boards

• Adjacency Matrices

• Concept Boards

• Bubble Diagrams

• Renderings

• Movement chart

• Reflected Ceiling plan

THE LEARNING
FAMILY SET-UP HOME
• Our exercise was to make groups of four or five, pick a family character, make
a character sketch for each person and design floor plans for the house
according to everyone’s needs and the budget.

• We all designed the house floor plan together but the rooms individually.
• Finally we crossed the budget and just enjoyed making the space feel good
aesthetically and feel like its our space.
• Group members: Ameeshi, Rhea, Prathna, Shaan and Shruti Anand

HOUSES
• Our assignment was to look out for different types of
residential spaces (bungalows, apartments, colonies etc).

DWARFISM
• Our assignment was to study the disability we got and make a chart and
present it to class.
• Group members: Ameeshi, Rhea, Shruti and Sharanya

PLEASANT AND UNPLEASANT MEMORIES
• Our assignment was to understand the
feelings related to a surrounding and
incorporating the same in interior space
designing.

PRINCIPLES OF SPATIAL DESIGN
• Our assignment was to understand the principles of spatial design and look
out for them in different places.

FRIEND’S ROOM
• Our assignment was to understand our friend’s personality, routine and lifestyle
and plan a room for her.
• I had to plan Rhea Ahuja’s room. After talking to her and spending time with her
I came up with the concept of Spaces Inducing Creativity and Mobility since she
loves doing her art and seeks inspiration and does not like anything too
permanent. She likes changes in her surrounding.
Zoning-

Furniture plan and Lighting plan

DISABILITY AND DETAILED BRIEF
• Our assignment was to understand a particular disability and give a brief
family character sketch with one person having that disability and exchange
that for another disability.

THE APPLICATION (the final submission)
RESEARCH ABOUT THE DISABILITY
• After we exchanged disabilities, we had to study about the new disability and plan
a house accordingly for that family.
The brief given to me-

THE CASE STUDY
• Mathru School for the Blind
• Ms. G.R. Muktha
• Ameeshi Goenka and Prathna Wadhwani
• In conversation with Ms. Muktha, Prathna and I got an insight into the day to day life of the blind
children in her residential school.
• When the school was to be built, Ms. Muktha hired an architect, specifically informing that the
school would be for the blind children. After the building was completed a few years ago, the school
was started and there were children enrolled from the locality ascwell as from all over Karnataka.
There are certain drawbacks to the existing architecture and the interiors due to which the trouble
caused is faced by the children even today.
• As a well-wisher, Ms. Muktha was hesitant to talk about her school, the children and their problems
to two strangers openly. Since ‘blindness’ is a sensitive topic it had to be dealt with utmost care,
respect, sincerity and humility. We had mentioned to her that we are design students from Srishti
and we were not there to make large-scale changes and burden her with our concepts, we were just
there to listen and help her with a few small design ideas if possible.
• Ms. Muktha shared with us her grievances related to the administration, the children's safety and
her personal life. We spoke to her about the children's day to day life and activities. They would be
woken up at 7:00 am and given sufficient time to get ready. They would then come down for
morning prayers and breakfast. They would have classes till they broke for an hour for lunch in the
dining area, where they would all be seated on the floor and served by the teachers and helpers.
Once lunch was over, they would resume classes till 3.30 pm, after which they would freshen up for
snacks and play time till 6:00 pm. They would then study till 7.30 pm, at which time dinner was
served to them. After dinner they would say their prayers and go to bed. We were told that a few
teachers who teach in that school are blind as well.

• Ms. Muktha recently had a student undergo an operation at Columbia Asia for injuries sustained
from falling off the balcony or terrace from the third level of the building. She paid 60000 INR out
of her personal account to help the student return to health, and apologised to her parents with
great sadness about the incident. After that, they increased the height of the fencing on the third
level and warned every child.
• Ms. Muktha told us that the children would collide into a pillar on the ground floor with great
frequency as it was in the centre of the room. She was upset because she could not do anything to
remove it. It is vital for the structural integrity of the building. She said that some of the children
have become used to it and don’t feel the pain at all whereas for some others it is still quite painful.
As a design student, I suggested her to install cushioning or a soft padding around the pillar so that
the children do not get hurt when they collide to it by accident. She was very pleased with our
suggestion and told us that she would try out it after their upcoming exams.
• On the administration front, Ms. Muktha shared her worries about the regular media and donors'
interferences in their everyday routine. On a personal note, she shared her misfortune about her
foot after an accident which took place just before her marriage.

THE DETAILED BRIEF
THE CLIENT (DETAILED CHARACTER SKETCH)
Vishal
• Is 37years old. He’s tall, on the healthier side and has fair skin.
• Owns a pharmaceutical business. He withdraws 3 lakhs per month. It’s a full time job. He is very
serious about his work and is firm with his employees.
• He is quiet and does not interfere in anybody else’s work. He keeps to himself.

• He wishes to provide the best facilities for his family. His family is his world. He loves his son more
than anyone or anything in the world.
• Reading calms him down so he ends up reading every night before going to bed. He follows
cricket daily and watches the news every morning.
• He spends time with Rahul every day after dinner. They talk about cricket and maybe practice
playing ball. He can talk to talk Rahul about anything, whatever he’s feeling and Rahul will just
listen and say he’s always there for him. They had their own little games that they played.
• Vishal loves his wife very much. She’s the most wonderful thing that ever happened to him. He is
usually worried about her health since she is always doing something and may forget her meals
now and then. They still have date nights and movie nights after Rahul is asleep.

• When he was young he played cricket for the state for 3 years and was the runners up for the Ranji
trophy. He was born to a middle class family. He was an above average student in academics and a
sports captain of his school. He did his CBSE till 12 th standard and then B.Com. honours in St.
Xavier's College in Mumbai. He met Lata in Mumbai. He did a job soon after college for 4 years and
then set up his own pharmaceutical company. He married her at the age of 24.

Lata
• Is 37 years old. She’s about 5'6” and is very health conscious.
• She is an architect by profession and earns about 1 lakh per month. She works at office when her
son is in school and from home when he’s not. She enjoys her job as it relaxes her a lot. She is
very friendly with her colleagues and clients.
• Lata is socially very active and has her friends over at least once in two weeks.
• Lata loves her family and would sacrifice anything for their happiness. She works to keep herself
in touch with her field as that is what she likes the most.
• She loves reading as well. She likes everything organised and clean around her. She’s a good
baker.
• She helps Rahul with his homework and reads to him before he goes to bed. They play together
at home and she also teaches him how to draw. She drops him off to school every day and picks
him up usually at 2:00 pm. They chit-chat a lot about the other boys at school, teachers, maybe
cricket and characters from books. They loves to converse using quotes.
• Lata loves her husband a lot. She wouldn’t have been so successful in her career without his
constant support and love. She learned to bake in the first place because Vishal has a sweet
tooth. Their date nights are the happiest moments for her. She feels really safe knowing he’s
there. He would call her 4 times from work every single day at the fixed times and they would talk
for not more than 5 minutes but that’s all they need to sum up everything.

• Lata was from an upper middle class family. She was brilliant at academics and loved to sketch. In
her school she had won several drawing competitions and stood in the top 3 positions of her
class every year. Even she did CBSE till class 12 and moved to Mumbai for architecture. She met
Vishal there through some common friends. She got engaged to him during her final year of
education as Vishal had already finished his graduation much before. She started working with a
company on a project basis contract. That way she had time for her family and decent money too.

Rahul

• Is 12 years old now and he is partially blind as well as completely colour blind. He has been dealing
with it since he was born. There is a course of treatment for the partial blindness part but he is still
too young for the operation.
• He is in the 5 th grade. He goes to a convent school in Bangalore. He has a full time caretaker
provided by the school for his safety there.

• He is good in academics and plays cricket with his handler and friends once in a while. He likes
doodling a lot. All his books are full of doodles. He uses colours but is able to view them only in
grey-scale. He likes reading and being read to a lot. He’s a quick learner and his ears are very sharp.
He enjoys listening to good orchestra music playing softly in the background at home.
• Spending time with his parents is the favourite part of his day. He loves talking to them about
everything and plays with them.
• His friends from school come over to spend time with him once a week or so with their mothers
and Lata entertains her guest with a tea party.
Family

• Vishal and Lata moved to Bangalore after their marriage. Vishal was transferred to Bangalore and
Lata joined a firm here. They are both very hard working people. In a few months they realised
that Lata was pregnant so she had to work from home and there was a full time maid. They were
living in a place provided by Vishal’s company. After a year, when they had Rahul, their life totally
changed. With the support of their families, Vishal started his own business and moved into a flat,
owned by his in-laws on rent. After staying there for a few years and working really hard, he saved
up enough to buy a small flat of his own. They all like a cozy and peaceful environment. They don’t
like heavy furniture since they shift a lot. They have always had a library or a book shelves around
and lots of windows for natural light. Every Sunday is family day wherein they go out to a picnic
place or some park. They have a part time maid who does the household work in an hour and stays
another 3 hours looking after and playing with Rahul. The maid also prepares lunch and dinner for
the family. The families of Lata and Vishal visit them once a year every year.

THE CONCEPT NOTE
• Rahul suffers from partial blindness, and complete colour blindness. His family tends to shift
often, usually around once in 5 to 7 years. Based on these two factors, the concepts applied for
design purposes will be safety and mobility. Rahul's safety is of prime importance, as the
environment inside the house will be unfamiliar to him. Given the frequent shifting of house by the
family, i.e. once every 5 to 7 years, it would be practical to design for that duration, and to
facilitate ease of moving out. Rahul is currently 12 years of age. From this, it may be assumed that
he will be moved to a larger space around the time of his 10 th standard, or before commencement
of college. With these in mind, it may be inferred that investment in heavy, ornate or luxurious
furnishings is inadvisable.

• To facilitate ease of movement around the environment for Rahul, the flooring may be textured,
with each room having a different texture. To create a pleasant atmosphere, the interiors may be
painted using bright colours. In addition, a greater area of the walls may be taken up by window
panels so as to provide for more natural light, which creates the sensation of an open
environment.
• All pieces of furniture will either have cushioning or rounded edges in order to prevent injury.
Rahul's room will be close to the kitchen to facilitate the monitoring of his safety. As both Rahul
and his parents frequently have their respective guests visiting them, their rooms are kept
separate, thus maintaining privacy with their respective companies. The living room will be kept
spacious, bright and well lit, with windows lining one of the walls. Ample seating arrangements
will be provided, along with the provision for a TV table. The windows will also help maintain a
cool breeze throughout the living room. The above provisions will allow for a very comfortable
setting, for what will be the most active area in the house.

• A common toilet will be provided, close to Rahul's room, for his ease of access, along with the
use of the guests. The bathrooms will be fitted with railings, anti-skid rubber mats in the shower
spaces, and anti-slip tiling outside the shower space.
• Synthetic wood finish floorings for some of the rooms, and vitrified tiles for the living room are
the possible choices for the floorings.

• As per the family's request, an open kitchen will be designed, in order to better maintain watch
on Rahul around the house; A feature that has been present in all of their previous houses.
• All doors in the house shall be fitted with smooth door stoppers which will not allow the doors
to be slammed shut either accidentally, or by design, for Rahul's safety.
• Reading is an earnest hobby of all members of the family. For this reason, a carpeted library with
comfortable armchairs shall be designed for their daily use.

THE SITE ANALYSIS
• The site is located on the 2 nd floor of a four storey building in Yelahanka New Town,
Bangalore.
• The site area is 1362 sq. ft. The slab height is 10 ft.
• No construction exists to the north side of the building. As a result, there is a significant
amount of natural light from that side. Windows have been provided to aid the
circulation of air within the room, as well as to allow entry of the natural light .
• To the east lies a construction at some distance from the site. In order to maintain the
privacy of the client, most of the windows on that side will be blocked and redesigned as
per the house plan.
• Neither smoke detectors nor sprinklers will be installed inside the site. Also, no provision
for a verandah will be made. This is to ensure Rahul's safety.
• Currently, there has been no flooring work, i.e. the floor is cemented, and the walls are
unpainted.

• The site has four columns. Two are present on the west wall, and two off the north wall.
The columns shall be effectively incorporated into the spatial design of the house .
• A few buildings are present in the vicinity of the site. An office building is present to the
east of the site, and there are a small number of residential settlements on the west side
at some distance away. There is a road to the south of the building, and a small number
of shops and eateries are present to the south and east of the building. There is little to
no traffic within a 1km radius of the site.

ASSUMPTIONS
• Provision for a fire alarm is made immediately outside the site entrance. There is an
elevator facility diagonally opposite.
• The site entrance is on the south wall. Hence, access to the rest of the building will
also lie on the south. An exterior corridor connects the site, leading into the house.
• There is construction work in progress on the west side of the building, at some
distance from the site. There is cross ventilation from the west as work on the
interiors has not commenced.

FINAL FURNITURE LAYOUT AND LEGEND

LIGHTING CEILING PLAN AND LEGEND

REFLECTION
• Before I started this project, I had already done a retail interior designing internship at
FRDC.
• I had an idea of how the plans were drawn and some common measurements.
• But after doing this project I have learnt a lot more. There’s a huge difference in residential
and retail space planning.
• Knowing the materials a little more, understanding spatial design and actually doing the
different plans helped me a lot.
• Small things like a good basin counter or 2ft of walking space or better usage of the
windows provided and every little thing that I learned was very interesting and will not be
forgotten.
• It was nice how at every step we were given little inputs and then sometime to work on it in
the form of exercises and also how we were guided throughout. I had my doubts, many
doubts, which I made sure I always cleared because I can’t start working when I am
confused or a little unsure about things.
• Rendering is my weakness right now and I will work on it, both freehand rendering and
using a software.

• I realised that I need to work on my presentation skills as well. I will do that too.
• This course has taught me a lot on time management also. I did the exercises pretty fast
but lost momentum when it came to Acad drawings and picked it back up with the reflected
ceiling plan and the concept board.

• Overall, I enjoyed this course so much that I asked my mother if I could still do architecture.

"Living Spaces" Project documentation

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked (9)

More from Ameeshi Goenka (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

"Living Spaces" Project documentation