HD4006

Faculty: Kalpit Ashar

TA: Taha Mama

Form Follows Affordability - Typological Investigations in Mass Housing

The studio intends to look into Affordable Mass Housing Schemes initiated by the Government across India currently under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) schemes. It will primarily look at ‘Urban’ component of PMAY Scheme which includes housing for Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Below Poverty Line (BPL), Homeless & Affordable Rental Housing Complex (ARHC). 

The studio will begin understanding various affordable mass housing schemes undertaken by each state historically over years. Further it will critically access the merits, potentials, failures of these various schemes and their architectural manifestations. The study will look into aspects of Delivery Mechanism, Building Typology, Emerging Urban Morphology, Impacts of Density, Efforts to make it Affordable, Response to Climate, Equity, Technological Challenges and constraints to deliver a massive number in Limited time. Further the study shall do a field visit to a selected city (to be decided) to experience the scale and impacts these projects.

Based on the field visit and investigations, the students shall make their Hypothesis towards framing the ‘Affordable Low Cost Mass Housing Design Question’. The studio shall conclude with an ‘Inventory of Affordable Mass Housing Typologies’ than could be used by the government as a manual for shaping the Urban Futures.

Studio Unit

Stage 1: Studio Brief + Stage 2: Historical Assessment of Mass Housing Schemes in India

Stage 3: Field Visit to Mumbai + Stage 4: Inventory of Typologies

Stage 5: Inventory of Technologies + Stage 6: Design Prototypes & Anatomy of Parts + Stage 7: Collective Masterplan