There is always a story to tell!

SITE MODEL

SITE MODEL -showing existing elements on the site along with its natural vegetation and topography.

CONCEPTUAL MODELS

CONCEPTUAL MODEL – showing the play of light through light wells.

DESIGN IDEOLOGIES.

Like any other tribe, the Toda’s also paint important messages in the form of murals, on the surfaces that would last forever according to them (the walls of the conical and dairy temple).The cosmic circle represents the Toda’s as a community.

·        The circle represents equality in the society with no social hierarchy.

·        The flower represents their strong harmony with nature.

·        It envelopes 4 elements that constitute the community – life, sustenance, light and environment.

THE TODA HUT AND SETTLEMENT ANALYSIS

THE TODA EMBROIDERY MOTIFS

AREA PROGRAMME

UNDERSTANDING THE SITE - Site analysis!

Delineated site plan 

SITE CONTEXT AND SURROUNDINGS

The site is located in the outskirts of Ooty (Muthanadu), Udagamandalam district, Nilgiri plateau, Tamil Nadu. The area of the site is approximately 17 acres.

                      The site is approached by NH67 which then passes through the main town of Ooty. Contextually, the site is a small hillock that is surrounded by the thick Nilgiri vegetation which gives the entire environment a private enclosure (essential for a private community who strongly worship nature). The site also acts as an urban get-away, specific zones of the site have beautiful valley views – making the area perfect for a tranquil experience filled with bold cultural and privacy. The major amenities for this area are available in Thalaikundha – which is 1 km away from the site area. The site attains all its attention because of Ooty, the hub for tourism.

TOPOGRAPHY

Site gradation 

The shaded regions show the slope gradient within the site, which further determines the buildable and the non-buildable spaces within the site.

A region with slope gradient less than 1:3 is not eligible for construction.

The site is a typical hillock with the highest point at the centre.

The natural terrain of the site permits visual staggering of spaces.

Site section

CLIMATIC ANALYSIS

Temperature analysis

The diagram shows the temperature distribution within the site. Due to the hilly nature of the site, the highest region – the centre – is the warmest zone and the periphery of the site becomes coolest due to the vegetation that envelopes the site.

The regional climate of this zone is the SUB-TROPICAL HIGHLAND CLIMATE. It is referred to as highland climate because of its location on the Nilgiri hills. The weather in this region is mostly cooler and wetter. Receives both south-west and north-east monsoon.

·        Winter temperature – 20^oC (maximum) and 0^oC (minimum)

·        Summer temperature – 25^oC (maximum) and 10^oC (minimum)

The suns radiations, in this region doesn’t have much intensity due to the over-all cold weather. High speed velocity is a common problem, hence design elements are made accordingly to control the entry of wind into a space.

VEGETATION

Trees found in and around the site:

·        SAL

·        PINE

·        EUCALYPTUS

·        TEAK

The site does not have much vegetation within but it is enveloped with dense vegetation around it.

The air funnelling effect creates a temperature drop at the periphery of the site. Not much shaded region on the site due to the absence of vegetation.

EVOLUTION OF SITE

Cultural landmarks like the buffalo pen, Dairy temple and Conical temple are the only elements of the site that have remained constant over time. Pathways and road networks have disappeared. The forest area has been cleared to make space for agriculture as civilization developed.

VIEWS TO AND FROM THE SITE

Due to its high altitude, the site caters to a large window of views around the site. The central region of the site is the highest point and can offer an overall view of the entire complex if exaggerated. Views of the valley, the Thalaikundha town and the forest area around is essential in all directions.

WHY MUTHANADU? - The site justification.

https://www.google.earth/tamilnadu 

SITE SELECTION CRITERIA 

                           The proposed project is based on the development of the Toda community who are inhabitants of the Nilgiri Mountains. Their place of origin is a small settlement called Muthanadu, on the outskirts of Ooty (5km from the town). Since the community is being designed for the Toda’s, the site selected is also a place that they have always called theirs. Muthanadu houses two of the main temples that are considered as an integral part of the Toda community form generations.

                         The site is approached by NH67 which then passes through the main town of Ooty. Contextually, the site is a small hillock that is surrounded by the thick Nilgiri vegetation which gives the entire environment a private enclosure (essential for a private community who strongly worship nature). The site also acts as an urban get-away, specific zones of the site have beautiful valley views – making the area perfect for a tranquil experience filled with bold cultural and privacy. 

Delineated Site

Muthanadu hill

FRANK GEHRY - "THE MASTER OF DE-CONSTRUCTIVISM"

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Frank_Gehry

 Frank Gehry, a Canadian -American Architect graduated from University of Southern California's School of Architecture in 1954. He lives in Santa Monica, California, and continues to practice out of Los Angeles. 

Frank Gehry is widely regarded as one of the most influential and revered figures in modern architecture. He is known for ‘statement’ buildings that challenge preconceived ideas about aesthetics and form in a way that is as controversial as it is celebrated. Perhaps his most famous building is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, a Deconstructivist masterpiece and one of the defining buildings of the 20th century.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

            Although Frank Gehry does not personally associate with the movement, critics primarily consider his design philosophy to be de-constructivism, an approach characterized by fragmentation and distortions of traditional structure, informed by his belief that all artists should be true to themselves. Ghery's work is recognizable through his use of asymmetry,exaggerated proportions and unconventional materials. His designs have influence throughout architecture, interior design, art and fashion.

            Philosophically, de-constructivism comes as a critical response to modernism, in which the form of a building is expected to follow strictly from its function. Modernist buildings, epitomized by rectangular steel and glass skyscrapers that defined major cities during the 20th century, prize the elimination of unnecessary details and adherence to rigid geometric norms. Modernist architecture reflects contemporary philosophies regarding social harmony and machine-like organization. De-constructivism is thus called as it attempts to destabilize modernist thinking by breaking up design into highly stylized, individual parts.  

            Gehry's most iconic works, features an exterior of titanium, glass and limestone that is both rectangular and traditional and also dramatically curved and folded. The frame houses both regular and irregular gallery shapes within. The blend of classic and distorted figures in Gehry's work fragments buildings into elements visually at odds with one another and with their respective environments. Gehry intends this elaborate approach to design to greatly imprint his buildings in local culture.

MOST FAMOUS WORKS

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain.

https://www.guggenheim.org

The Dancing House, Czech Republic, Prague.

http://inspirationseek/dancing-house

Experience Music Project, Seattle.

http://www.experience-music-project