GATEWAY COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

DESIGN BRIEF

January – April 2020

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN - VI (AR 302-B)

Periods per Week : 9 Credit Based System

Sessional Marks : 150 Credits :9
Portfolio Marks : 150
Theory Exam. Marks : Nil
Total Marks : 300

INTENT:

To inculcate the appreciation of the design process and an understanding of the design complexities and
contradictions to resolve architectural design problems for Housing of different typologies and public
buildings.

In these assignments, the students would also be given basic ideas related to certain physical parameters
like Ground Coverage, F.A.R, ECS etc. Some basic understanding about building services would also
be given to them – which they are learning simultaneously – in this semester.

CONTENT:

Design of Midrise apartments: Project Taken: Senior Citizen Housing

Issues to be addressed for the design project pertaining to apartment design: Density, mixed land use,
ground coverage, development controls. Type of occupancy, social strata, social status and prevalent
social strata urban systems, services and their integration with the project.

User requirements (derived from surveys) Issues in appropriate technology and costs. Issues of
hierarchy, identity of space, public and private scales of space. Integration of community institutions
etc. Detailing for the disabled and the elderly. Indian / local architectural responses to climate, culture,
traditional values, building elements, symbols motifs and special character.

Details from the dwelling cell to immediate shared space to communal space shall be emphasized and
worked out. Socio cultural layer of the occupants shall form a strong fabric in the ultimate weave of the
design. Projects shall aim at developing a very sensitive attitude towards micro level human habitation
and role of architecture in enhancing or curbing the quality of living. Examples of projects: Apartments
for IT employees, Govt. servants, teaching faculty, Textile weavers, etc. luxury flats in the center of the
city, group housing in the suburbs.

Senior citizen living / Retirement community

Introduction

Senior living essentially refers to homes that cater to adults aged 55+ who are looking to live
independently in a peer environment. Seniors who gravitate towards such housing options tend to have
no major health issues and are active enough to more or less take care of themselves.

Such projects usually provide a variety of facilities for recreation and socialising, including a clubhouse,
health club or gym, facility management services, squarely focused on the needs of the elderly.

Assisted living, on the other hand, pertains to homes for adults who need some or considerable
assistance to live their daily lives. These seniors are not entirely bed-ridden yet need assistance in their
day-to-day lives. Many of such seniors require nursing home care, including full-time nursing to assist
in personal hygiene, ambulation and perhaps even feeding.1

The need for Senior Living in India

The senior living sector in India is still at a very nascent stage and not many developers have tried to
explore this opportunity to its full potential. This is unfortunate since this sector has immense potential
if approached strategically. If we go by the Indian Census projections, the share of elders as a percentage
of total population in the country will have increased from around 7.5% in 2001 to almost 12.5% by
2026 and surpass 19.5% by 2050.

The fact that India’s elderly population can grow to 173 million by 2026 suggests that there lies huge
untapped potential, with very minimal current supply in the senior living segment.2

Housing as an Exercise:

Housing is an exercise of composing space and creating liveable built environment based on the
essential human needs and their interlinking to the immediate environment. It is a play of volume/space
to suite the requirements, creating an eco-friendly environment inside the building as well as out-side
the building.

Group Housing project is totally in relation to the neighbourhood, city to environment.

Introduction to the project:

Project Name: Senior Citizen’s Home

Project Site: Rohini Sector 41 (Zone M)

1
https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/homes-and-gardens/indias-senior-living-market/article25697383.ece
2
https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/homes-and-gardens/indias-senior-living-market/article25697383.ece
Proposer: DDA
The site has been proposed by DDA and is under PPP mode.
Location: The site is located in the North Western part of Delhi at Sector- 41 of Rohini Sub-City.
Site area: 5.12 Hectares (12.65 acres)
Nearby areas: Sector 22
Accessibility: The site is well accessible from 30 metre collector road which connects the site to the
outer ring road which connects it to other parts of Delhi and suburban areas.

Validity of the project:

Requirements

Tangible Requirements
Residential components
 Studio apartments : 200 units
 1 room suite : 200 units
 2 bed room flat : 50 units
 2 bedroom suite : 30 units
 Guest rooms: 20
 Attendants’ room : 20
 Dining hall: 4 numbers
 Staff quarters
Healthcare facilities
 Emergency clinic
 Dispensary
 Physiotherapy room
 High dependence care
 Recreational facilities
 TV lounge
 Club house
 Hobby rooms
 Library
 Computer lab
 Gymnasium
 Play courts
 Yoga/meditation room
 Swimming pool
 Party hall
 Spiritual complex
 Parking
 Admin
 Security lounge
 Entrance lobby
 Front office
 Visitor’s lounge
 Account/ admin room
 Toilets
  Commercial shops ( 25 % total BUA) ( This may be excluded from the major project and
can form part of the minor project of 6 weeks)

Intangible requirements

 Climatological aspects
 Safe and secure environment for residents
 Barrier free environment for the elderly
 Proper landscape connecting residents to nature
 Flexible treatment spaces for a variety of visiting physicians and specialists to work with residents
in small groups.
 Access to natural light and views.

Development control:

Total site area - 5.12 hectares (51200 sqm)

Maximum permissible ground coverage - 33%
Maximum permissible FAR- 200
Permissible height- Not restricted
ECS- 2
Suggested case study:
i) The golden estate- Faridabad
ii) Godhuli, senior citizen’s home, Dwarka , Delhi
iii) Antara Senior Living, Dehradun
iv) Ashiana Utsav- Bhiwadi
v) Dignity lifestyle, Narel

Assignment Schedule

Week1 (9 A.M. TO 1 P.M.)

Introduction of the design Assignment I; Discussions/clarifications/interactive session on
(i) The design brief, and
(ii) Discussion on the design process and various other norms. Students are required to share their
individual views based on the discussions plus information shared with them and library/internet
study.
Students will try to generate their own individual ideas which can be termed as pre-conceptualization
stage. At the end of the session, they are required to submit their ideas about the design topic with the
help of sketches and notes.
(To be done individually)
Week 1 (2 P.M. TO 6 P.M.)
Faculty to discuss with the students the envisaged activity, user profile and socio cultural factors
affecting on the given design problem.
At the end of the session the students shall submit their ideas on the activities and user profile pertaining
to the project given in writing.
Week 2
Literature and standard presentation by students ( to be elaborated in the class)
*Case study to be done over the weekend
Week 3 (9 A.M. TO 1 P.M.)
Presentation on PPT on case study during the class hour. (To be done in groups)

Week 3 (2 P.M. TO 6 P.M.)

Introduction of site and understanding the criticality of site visit and analysis
Lecture by faculty on site analysis.
Site Visit to be done over the weekend
Things to be noted during a Site Visit:
 Location
 Size of the plot and initial zoning ideas (observation-based)
 Neighbourhood context
 Climatic data (This information can be obtained through the local weather service. Conditions
such as rainfall, snowfall, humidity, and temperature over months must be considered and
analysed. The sun-path and vertical sun angles throughout an entire year are important to note)
 Natural features (trees existing, natural run-off system, existing water bodies, natural
topography etc.)
 Man-made features (miscellaneous structures, historical structures needs to be documented and
experts may be consulted if necessary)
 Existing infrastructure (water supply, sewerage drainage, electrical supply provisions, STPs,
multi-level car parks etc)
 Existing constraints (like HT line passing through the site or a road criss-crosses the site)
 Sensory elements (The information is obtained from sketching and photographs (sometimes
aerial photographs. Direct observation of other sensory elements of noise, odour, smoke, and
pollutant areas must also be documented.)
Week 4 (9 A.M. TO 1 P.M.)
Site analysis work to be completed in the first session and presentation of the same in the second session
(To be done individually)
Week 4 (2 P.M. TO 6 P.M.)
The Requirements and area programme (through classroom discussions and interactive sessions) -
finalising the area statement both numerical and graphical.
Students should critically appraise the given brief based on the case study analysis, suggest changes if
any and justify their proposal.
Faculty will demonstrate how to frame architectural programming and Area chart
Week 5 (9 A.M. TO 1 P.M.)
Starting of concept design and sketch and understanding the project volumetrically
At the end of the session, they are required to submit their ideas about the Design Topic with the help
of sketches and notes.
Week 5 (2 P.M. TO 6 P.M.)
Discussion on concept design by students individually with the faculty
Submission of photocopy of concept drawing by the end of the class after getting it approved by the
faculty.
Week 6
Preliminary design Submission along with block model by the end of the day.
Design development during class hour.
Week 7
Session 1 & 2
Discussions and crit on the Preliminary design Submission I
Week 8
Session 1 & 2
Design development during class hour.
Week 9
Session 1 & 2
Preliminary design Submission II along with revised model at 9.00 A.M.
Submittal:
1. Rendered site plan showing roof plan in 1: 250 scale along with site sections in the same scale
and in the same sheet
2. Rendered entry level plan of each building along with site ( 1:250)
3. All upper floor plans
4. Sections through individual building blocks
5. 3d views ( optional)
6. Block model showing building forms
Week 10
Design Development

Week 11
Time sketch (The problem will be introduced later)

Week 12
Preliminary design Submission II along with revised model at 9.00 A.M.
Week 13

Design Development
Week 14

Final portfolio submission

Design Studio Coordinators:

Ar. Radhika Nagpal - Professor
Ar. Tanushree Das – Associate Professor