The Social Magnet

After documentation and mapping the area, the main issue observed was that of space utilization along the street. A large number of neglected areas were observed, which made the street unsafe and led to opportunities for crime.

The city informed the architecture of this project. The grand moment of the church staircase dictated the design of this project by way of becoming an event space, a tourist attractor and thus enhancing the vibrancy of the public realm.

The grand staircase in the project was strategically designed with its topmost level in the centre of the site, which has uninterrupted views of the city and a connect to both the plaza and the church. The project is called 'The Social Magnet' as it acts an excellent activity generator.

The ground floor of the proposed structure incorporates and arcaded street edge which gives a continuity of colonnades present in the surrounding context.

The deep set verandahs on the facade provide passive surveillance for the pedestrianized street. The project also uses various energy efficient techniques. Taking Jan Gehl's concept into consideration, spaces were designed for people first.

The plaza and the pedestrianized road serve a feature of connecting people and places in the urban fabric. It also provides a wide ranging cultural and commercial experience with engaging activities that cater to daily commuters and user groups of all ages.

The basement level houses about 120+ car parking spaces, a water harvesting unit that uses rainwater and regenerates waste water for landscaping and other purposes as well as generator rooms.

The ground floor plan has various entry points to the structure which makes it an easily accessible area in the public realm. It is filled with retail and F&B stores as well as a supermarket, which are all tourist attractors.

The first and second floor house various kinds of retail stores. The first floor also houses a 'City Room', which is a large triple heighted common space for people to meet, interact and hangout. The third floor is exclusively for office spaces and the fourth floor has an exhibition and multipurpose space which overflows onto the terrace plaza.

The roof plan depicts the north light roof with solar panels, as well as the skylights and the terrace space frame.

Section AA' and BB' depicts the 'City Room' with retail and office spaces looking into the space. The skylights are also seen bringing in maximum light into the space, making it mostly naturally lit. Section CC' is a one point perspective section, which shows that from every level of the proposed project, there is always a visual connect to the church.

Retractable solar panels were used on the north light roof which change their angles during different months in order to capture maximum light to maximize solar energy production. The lower part of the sheet shows the actual working of the panels and the total power output they provide.

This diagram depicts how the rainwater that has been harvested is used for services and to irrigate the edge planters of the proposed project.

On the south and west facades, wooden slatted openable screens are used which act as wind breakers, while lowering the effect of solar glare, although still allowing light to enter. These screens also act a double skin walls.

The skylight, that brings in maximum light into the 'City Room' also has planters that use the rainwater from the skylight valley, as well as seating. In order to make the 'City Room' a large uninterrupted column free space, a waffle slab was used.

This roof acts as an excellent passive solar building design benefit. While allowing diffused sunlight into the structure, it also reduces problems such as glare and overheating.

The terrace space frame acts as a sunscreen pergola in order to reduce solar heat gain on the terrace. This helps visitors use the terrace even when there is harsh sunlight.

In order to effectively shade the terrace overhead screens were used. The quatrefoil and space frame technique serve this purpose as it allows light on the terrace but in an abstract way, thus making the terrace a more celebrated part in the public realm.

This elevation shows the arcaded street edge on the ground floor, the triple heighted 'City Room' and the deep set verandahs on the upper floors and the north light roof and the terrace space frame.

This elevation shows the grand church staircase with entrances to the structure at every level and the wooden slatted screens.

The ground floor houses various kinds of retail and F&B stores, the first and second floor house different kinds of retail outlets so it is easily accessible for daily commuters. The third floor is exclusively for office spaces and the fourth floor houses an exhibition space with flows out onto the terrace plaza.

This diagram shows the exploded frame structure of the proposed project.

This exploded view shows the circulation cores and the various entry points to the structure at every level.