Academic Project | Thesis | Individual project
Role
Tools
Project Description
Architectural designer
Individual project
AutoCAD
Sketchup
Enscape
Adobe Photoshop
The project aimed at re-imagining convention centers into hotspots for collaboration and community engagement in the context of Mohali, a booming city for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) tourism.
Location
Skills
Punjab, India
Timeline
Spatial Design
Research
Experience Design
January 2021- May 2021
Mixed-Use Convention Centre
Why do we need to activate convention centers as hotspots for public interaction?
Convention centers form an integral part of the fabric and civic identity of our towns and cities. Due to their ability to accommodate large inflow capacities at a single time, they have an important role to play in facilitating community participation and cohesion.
Increases revenue generation
Promote collaboration
Platform for launching a new product/idea
Promote cross learning
Promote social collaboration
Why this Site?
Emerging IT Hub
Dearth of convention centers in the city
Well connected with neighboring cities
Thesis Proposition
The thesis aims at creating a mixed use development intended to transform a functionally driven sizeable convention center into a microcosm of public realm, that facilitates community participation and social interaction, hence turning these spaces into effective third places of the city.
Vision
Intermixing different functions to attract different user groups throughout the day and generate an active public realm.
Blurring the boundaries between the outdoors and the indoors, to create a smooth transition from the street to the building and attract more footfall.
To promote cross learning and networking through enhanced social interaction
Research and Learnings
Essentials for a successful convention center
After analyzing the existing convention centers built around the world, I narrowed down to 3 main considerations to keep in mind in order to design an efficient convention center.
Visual Connection
Flexible Internal layouts
Access/ movement
Strategies for activation of convention centers across the globe
Diversity of uses
Humanizing the scale of built mass
Stimulating the local economy/culture
Active Facades:
Interaction of built mass
with the street
Landscaped based approach
Socially Inclusive
Case Study Analysis
A mix of 3 convention centers of scale and functions similar as that of the project site were analyzed on a defined set of parameters to understand what works and what doesn't for the design of convention centers.
Evaluation Parameters
Spatial Character
Form and Concept
Zoning
Function placement w.r.t site and surroundings
Open spaces
Public Private Segregation
Movement Systems
Vehicular movement
Pedestrian movement
Volumetric expression
Volumetric response
Integration of functions vertically
Learnings
Private Public segregation
Creating central plazas as activity nodes which also direct the pedestrian flow
Merging outdoors with the indoors
Keeping public functions as low height blocks, surrounded by high rise hotel and office buildings for maximum visibility of the public functions.
Site Analysis- Design Inferences
More private functions can be placed on the site edges where the noise levels are less.
Building should be oriented in the direction of wind- The prevailing wind direction is from SW to NE direction
Only one access road flanks the site limiting the access points to the site. Retail, hotel and offices can abut this edge for easy servicing and public access.
Longer face of the building should face north to get maximum diffused light.
The site edges adjacent to the Airport road and the university, expose these to high pedestrian footfall. The other 2 edges of the site abut the boundary walls of an industrial plot and INFOSYS campus, away from high footfall. Relatively less public functions can be placed here.
A cluster of trees exist at the core of the site, the open space thus created can be used as an interactive space to maximize the interaction within the site.
The 2nd major green is formed at one of the quieter site edges and thus, can be utilized as an extended outdoor space for workshops and exhibitions.
Site Analysis- Design Inferences
After studying the site and its surrounding context, the potential user groups were identified which were then used to understand what functions can be incorporated in the design that would attract these different types of user groups.
Potential Users
College students
Local residents
Village population
Tourists
Business
traveler
Young adults/working
population
Small business outlets: local handicrafts
Retail stores and food outlets
Hospitality facilities
Convention space: seminars, lectures, product launches, conferences
Exhibition space: Trade fairs/ expos, art galleries
Training lab
Design Development
Arranging the blocks along the site edges.
Tying different functions through a stepped podium which acts as the common public space for the users.
Creating 2 axis of movement originating from the major public nodes around the site.
Creating a central spine of movement, while maintaining the N-S orientation of the building blocks
Establishing a hierarchy of open spaces by creating smaller courts which then merge into the larger central open space
Making the central spine more prominent on the site and debulking the convention block by splitting it up.
Final Design
Form Development
Built Form
Building around greens
Tilting towards north
Establishing hierarchy of greens
Central axis for movement
Porous built form
Generating shaded greens
Cascading built forms
3D Zoning
Design Concepts
Activated Public realm on the ground floor
Achieved by sprinkling public functions throughout the site.
Multiple spill out zones on upper floors
Creation of activity nodes
Breakout terraces for different activities to foster interaction between different users
Opening up the pedestrian paths into plazas which become nodes for public gathering and public activities. This helps to direct the pedestrian flow throughout the site.
Connectivity of spaces
Walkable roofs connect the ground to the upper floors, making the built form iconic and the spaces more user friendly and playful at the same time.
Site Plan
Hotel Block
View of the Hotel
Convention Block
View: Connection of convention Centre and Hotel
View of Convention Centre: Built and Open Spaces
Office and Auditorium Block
View of the Office and Retail Block
