Un-DIVIDED

SUHAS SN
1 K F 1 6 AT 0 3 3
9TH SEMESTER
‘People, their stories and how they come together,
is the very essence of architecture.’
PROBLEMS
Urbanisation is the process of making an area more urban, involving the movement of people from rural
villages to urban cities in search of better opportunities, a better lifestyle and secure employment.
Today due to urbanisation and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, the society has been
divided into ‘the economic north’ and ‘informal south’, the ‘rich’ and ‘poor’, the ‘formal’ and the
‘informal’.
Along with these divisions comes a negative connotation which builds a perception in our minds, that one
is more worthwhile in our society than the other.
As of census 2011 - 63% of our cities are well populated with informal settlements. The government
categorises these settlements into
1. Notified 2. Recognised 3. Identified
As of 2018, more than a whopping 100 million people in India live informally.
AIM

The aim of the project is to change the perception of

informal settlements in the present day society,
through an architectural intervention that provides the
informal with a social, cultural and communal
platform that enhances their identity, by promoting
inclusion of all.
PROJECT BRIEF
This project will look rehabilitation of these neighbourhoods as they are vital components of our cities and
will be focussing on enhancing the living quality in informal areas by providing necessary housing units
for those units that are dilapidated and need upgrading as well as to account for the future inflow of people
into the area. The residential component tries to break the barriers of low income housing and is focusing
more on providing affordable dwelling units for all members of society without any perceptive tags.
A space that is welcoming to people from all walks of life, forming safe zones in our dense cities, also
standing architecturally as a beacon of hope and identity.

HOPE SAFETY LIVING QUALITY DEVELOPMENT

WHY THIS TOPIC?
Assuming urban GDP is about 60 per cent of total GDP, the total contribution of informal
settlement dwellers to urban GDP of India is 7.53 per cent. So to improve this number they
require better facilities as the informal settlement households, who normally form the poor strata
of the urban population, do contribute to the urban economy to a significant extent
At the country level, 36 per cent of slum households do not have three basic facilities --
electricity, tap water and sanitation within the house premises
Delayed procedures for land development forces people to stay in congested areas which further
leads to creation of slums. So a proper development is vital in avoiding the growth of the slum.
SITE
In the case of such a project that is
heavily dependant on the context and
demographic that
surrounds it to shape its program and
usability, site shortlisting and selection
became a very
crucial process.

The entire region lacks any public

The slum selected, is at Chennai, Rayapuram zone. The slum is space or amenity that is used
surrounded by institutions like madras medical college, effectively by the informal.
institute of anatomy, etc to its north, the southern side is the Thus allowing this site to be a ideal
military school building and its grounds. The west side is spot for experimentation and creating a
empty lands which are reserved under DDP. The eastern side is space that can
of quarters of army officers provide ownership to all.
PROGRAM FORMULATION
Guided by the site surroundings and immediate
context the program of the project shaped itself
pretty clearly. Taking cues from what was lacking in
the neighbourhood as well as what as an absolute
necessity.
The entire area lacks any non-commercial public
space, So an anchor program was to create a public
building that is open and caters to all stratum of
society.
Looking at the informal in particular in this region,
children and adults lack any open green spaces for
recreation. Thus a significant portion of the program
provides open spaces that can be used by all.
PROGRAM
Total Site Area: 35640 sqm

Max Ground Coverage is 75% = 26730 sqm

FAR: 1.5

Total built up area = 1.5 x 35640

= 53460
PROGRAM

Chennai Corporation
Office
PROGRAM