Mujumdar Shalaka Suhas

AR2041

A Residence in Jagabhai Sheth ni Pol

The Old City of Ahmedabad boasts of a rich cultural and architectural heritage. These buildings come with a peculiar community-based lifestyle. In the changing times, the necessity to adapt to the modern lifestyle is more than ever. The design incorporates the extroverted nature of traditional old city homes with pockets for the individuals to find themselves. It has been customized to cater to a family of five comprising the grandfather Hariram Bhai, the parents Radha and Sanjay and the children Mira and Shyam. The key is to treat privacy and socialization as a choice rather than a compulsion. The house provides connections volumetrically between all the semi-private and public spaces. It creates multiple living spaces to accommodate different people, moods and times of the day. This creates opportunities for the rest of the family to interact privately with one another while the Hariram Bhai, a social entity is interacting with guests. Mira and Shyam’s room is split into a mezzanine level allowing the 16-year-old to have a space of her own while communicating with her brother. Radha’s love for gardening has been reflected in multiple small pockets of green throughout the house. 

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Report Content

The first week consisted of us going around the Old city, Observing the buildings, people, their lifestyle and interacting with them.

Once we got acquianted with the Old city, we started decoding it in a more technical sense. The Pols were divided into components such as doors, windows, streets, structures, courtyards etc. In pairs, we each took up the “Structures” component and started decoding it by observing countless buildings, both broken and intact. Hypothesis were made using logic and observation and then tested by finding that detail in a broken building. Our findings were represented using sketches, diagrams, images and text and then compiled into a booklet, a few pages from which are shown here.

Site Mapping

Design Process started with Site Analysis and bubble diagrams to understand the opportunities offered by the site and the spaces required.

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Second Floor Plan

Sections

Diagrams

Exploded Iso