Design Project

The location of my observations and site intervention is Khar West Station.

In this type studio I observed a few changed practices in different localities of my neighborhood such as the feeding of pigeons in the “kabutar khana” and emergence of the “1-rupee medical shop” .Based on the observations, I introduced a number of programs which can function and co-exist in one space: Feeding of People and Feeding of Animals(Food Exchange Program) along with the pre existing program of a newspaper stand(vachnalay).The location I chose to build my structure and the area of intervention is the vachnalay itself. It is situated at the center of the entrance of a public shelter on its left and a slum on its right. Merging the syntax of the vachnalay and feeding place as well as keeping in mind the common and major activities of the same, I established a honeycomb structure on a human scale.

While making each element of the structure I used the logic of anthropometrics and broke a simple hexagon in various ways at two different scales, the smaller one at a feeder scale and the bigger one at a reader scale. My structure emphasizes on it being an interface at various levels: donor and receiver, slum/public shelter and the road.

The stairs on either side allows a person to climb up to the higher level to donate or receive food. To store the food temporarily I have created a network of small hexagons that act as storages and a thin wall between the donor and the receiver. A small flight of stairs is attached from the back of the space to the top of an enclosed sewage where people can go and feed birds and animals. A ramp is also attached to the structure at the back that helps old and handicapped people to get easy access within the structure. The structure is open from the front so as to be accessible at any time and to anyone. A cupboard is fixed at the center of the two seating spaces where objects kept inside can be kept secured during the night.

The post covid scenario of the structure: Due to covid the need for food has increased but post covid it might decrease so some of the storage spaces can then be used to grow small plants. Also the number of people using the spaces will increase post covid which will create informal seating spaces. At night it can provide a safe shelter for the homeless to sleep as compared to open areas and for street animals as well.