This studio is about designing mainstream housing that caters to the three main stakeholders in housing- the user, the developer, and the State. The user is focused on value for money, the developer is primarily concerned with business risk, and the State is concerned with health and safety of people, society and the environment. This often leads to conflicting concerns amongst the stakeholders. This studio is about skillfully negotiating these conflicting demands to produce a design that adds value to all stakeholders.
The studio will be conducted in two parts- the first part of eleven weeks where students will study and understand each stakeholder and their concerns, learn strategies to negotiate conflicting concerns, and practice to take decisive design decisions. In the second part of five weeks, students will be expected to demonstrate the learnings on a project based in Ahmedabad.
Studio Unit
Book readings and in-depth studio discussions laid the foundation for a theoretical and historical understanding of various dimensions of housing
Students engaged in a multi-layered exploration of housing by conducting user interviews to map preferences and needs, analyzing Development Control Regulations (DCR) to understand how bye-laws shape design outcomes, and reimagining unit layouts and site plans of existing projects as exercises in both individual and collective spatial design
To prepare for the time-bound design problems, students researched different areas of Ahmedabad and their specific need, explored landscape strategies, façade treatments, and the design of components such as security cabins and service cores. This groundwork enabled them to accelerate their design process with greater clarity and responsiveness
Intensive one-day design challenges, requiring students to develop complete housing projects within a limited timeframe, were interspersed throughout the first 11 weeks of the studio. In-depth self and peer reflections on these exercises enabled students to refine their approaches and improve subsequent iterations
The final five-week project stood as a testament to the preceding eleven weeks of preparation. In this phase, students were challenged to articulate a clear design intent while navigating the often conflicting priorities of the state, the developer, and the end user
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