dhruva lakshminarayanan

So picture this: There are more tigers in US suburbia than in the wild worldwide. Let that sink in.

This obsession with owning an exotic pet to allude to elevated status or to tame the untamable is indelibly rooted to our psyche. Even on TikTok or Instagram, our feeds are often populated with influencers who prance or swim around with their wild pets for pleasure, likes and followers. However, behind this charade lies a clandestine world of pricing, packaging, illegal border crossing, brutal auctioning and much more.

Abducted from the wild days into their life, these bottle-raised animals are blissfully unaware of other realities. If released back into the wild, they stand absolutely no chance, endangering their own lives and the lives of fellow humans. Sending them to rescue centres/ shelters is also a risk, as such places often double up as illegal breeding operations, further enabling the exotic pet fetish.

So, given the inherent reality of backyard exoticism In US suburbia, and the capitalism that ensues, how can a future where animals live less like status symbols and more for themselves be facilitated?

In addition to the exotic pet fetish, the US today also faces an onslaught of abandoned, isolated suburban ghost towns, generally consisting of larger-than-life houses, with tons of backyard space, that the government has no idea what to do with. Therefore, retrofitting these isolated suburbs according to animal needs, could allow for more comfort and autonomy. Pet owners on the other hand could be encouraged through tax incentives, to move here to finally live peacefully with their pets without the constant fear of being caught. Such animal neighbourhoods would also encourage the growth of varied connected services around them, such as slaughterhouses, veterinary services, pet waste disposal, pet cemeteries etc, thereby encouraging more employment.

One in ten US homes “own” an exotic pet. While it's all fun and games for us, in doing so the animals are being stripped off of their true selves, leaving them helpless and vulnerable. Let us therefore cast off our anthropocentric lens for once, to try and provide these animals with the life of dignity they truly deserve.

This semester was based on the logics applied on plantations and how they are practiced to this day on particular sites. Two adjacently placed projects: Morningside Gardens co-operative housing and General Grant NYCHA housing were analyzed within this framework, revealing major inequities and double agents. Through the semester, we endeavoured to visualize a future where both projects would together reflect collective ownership, such that one became less public and the other less private. Further, we asked how structural similarities between both could contribute to a post plantation future. Our first observation on site was that the discrepancies start becoming apparent at the ground level, subverting which could generate collective value. We approached this by designing a new system through networks that support each other,, like community kitchens, farms, retail spaces and eateries that weave into public as well as domestic spaces, facilitated through architectural and placemaking devices. Ultimately, we envision this system being adopted in public housing projects across New York City, enabling communities to be better integrated within their larger neighborhoods.

Date | Spring 2019 (Thesis Project)

Professor | Michael Hughes

Location | Meena Bazaar, Dubai

Typology | Recreational

When we run a quick google search for the word ‘Dubai’, we are faced with a million results of a bustling metropolis replete with glittering skyscrapers and a dense network of highways. We have been doctored to imagine this Disney land-like, singular representation of the city, when the reality is as diverse as the google images suggest sameness. Cut to Meena Bazaar, one of the oldest, most dense parts of Dubai, and we find ourselves in the lap of reality. Rather than being orchestrated, here roads have emerged organically, multi use buildings function horizontally rather than vertically, and we see an onslaught of various characteristic activities not found anywhere else in the city. However if this area lacks something, it is a moment of respite from the density. People here have found peculiar areas to engage in interaction/reflection, but that is them adapting their needs to the space rather than the space ergonomically fulfilling their needs. Therefore, my aim through this project is to create park like meditative spaces within the confines and constraints that this wonderful site poses; Small projects that weave into the already rich and multilayered tapestry.

On closely observing the buildings that constitute the Dubai Design District, it was revealed that it lacked a historical and cultural connection to its context. Therefore this project aims to bring about that connection with the use of the typology of terracing, that has been widely used as an urban planning strategy in and around the Middle Eastern region for centuries. This terracing concept, achieved through the use of extensive cantilevers, facilitates the achievement of a microclimate for the site with the use of intense shade and shadows. The large cantilevers have been designed and achieved with the use of Cobiax voided concrete slabs, which are reinforced concrete slabs in which voids reduce the amount of concrete, and therefore the weight. Moreover, the terracing allows for the integration of vegetation and landscape into the higher levels of the project, making it a living being in and of itself. The harsh effects of the sun are further mitigated on the facades with a gradiating system of louvers that are denser in regions of more sun and sparsely placed in parts of the facade that allow less heat and light.

Phycos is a Research Center in the ocean, the idea of which was conceived due to decreasing land area as a result of the accelerated rate of climate change and sea level rise. This project is a sustainable settlement to conduct research that would help combat water level rise by rehabilitating water life, enhancing technologies, and, more importantly, deriving newer and more efficient ways to use water for human benefit. With an overall ‘Research-Produce-Enrich’ model, the project makes an attempt to reach out to the community and increase awareness of the research being done in the labs through the help of workshops and interactive sessions for the public. The overall design of the project was informed by aquatic micro organisms and the way their cell bodies are structured, with a nucleus at the center and major organelles spreading out from it.

This course, being comprehensive studio, focused mainly on the development of a building design project which integrated several building technologies with other non-technical design issues. The program of the building was a music school, which encompassed both rehearsal and performance spaces, along with specific lesson rooms for different instruments. The concept of the project, which emerged after studying various instruments and their properties, is the translation of instrument strings into lines attached from various anchor points and are stretched to create overlapping spaces creating planar and sectional variation. Moreover, tension cables were used to create shading devices in the exterior to create micro climates within the site. It was a challenging as well as an exciting project due to the increased level of detail that was required to be achieved through the course of one semester in all aspects of the design.

This project aimed primarily at the integration of the built area with the landscape, materiality and structure of the building, thus being a novel spectacle in a suburban locality comprising primarily of low rise residential apartments and fast food joints. The project was required to conform to an infill condition with a height of 15 meters. It was also a requirement to design half the site through outdoor landscape, so as to encourage outdoor reading and gathering experiences. On researching various kinds of libraries, I realized that a library of Arabic arts and culture would be most suitable to Sharjah, which is the Islamic capital of the United Arab Emirates. In conjunction with this, I felt that some core concepts of Arabic and Islamic architecture, such as multiple courtyards, skewed axes, an inwardly oriented organization and screening systems, would facilitate the connection to the library’s Arabic typology, in addition to the use of indigenous materials such as limestone and locally sourced wood

Rather than a conventional approach to building design, this project aims to arrive at architectural forms driven by a detailed analysis of varied structural techniques. This was achieved through an iterative process of form finding through physical as well as digital modelling, including but not limited to, 3d scanning, 3D printing and casting. My project used the structural system of a hobermans circle to arrive at a retractable roof condition that could be altered in six different ways, according to the requirement of the exhibit. This inner skeleton was shrouded by the use of a flexible folded plate system that contorts along with the structure in a choreographed manner, providing intense shade and shadow within the project.

The aim of this course was to develop a skill of illustration and rendering techniques that would enable faster expression of ideas with more precise results. Being a non studio project, without any specified brief or context, this project gave me the ability to test varied atmospheric qualities and rendering styles as well as more complex modelling techniques. In order to give the work a particular direction, I chose to focus on dystopian cities and their interactions with foreign elements which have been seamlessly integrated into their fabric. Over the course of the semester long program, I experimented with a variety of modelling software, such as Grasshopper, Rhinoceros 3D, Maya, Houdini, Zbrush and Keyshot, and used photoshop mainly for post production and creating varied atmospheric qualities.

This course explores advanced concepts, tools and methods used in digital fabrication practices and investigates the relationship between technology and design through the

development of advanced skills related to digital fabrication techniques in architecture. The class focussed mainly on working with the KUKA robotic arm and applying it to solve a variety of design challenges. The first project was a ‘light painting’, whereby a vector graphic was fed into the robotic arm with an attached LED bulb with the use of grasshopper 3D, the movement of which was photographed using long exposure camera lens. The robot was then used to create physical lines on paper resulting in distinctive drawings. The final project of the semester was a 3D application of the robot, sheet forming of PET squares to create a pattern of panels.

The aim of this class was to Introduce traditional techniques and production processes using clay. One of the most essential take aways from this class was the concept and application of centering and form making using the potters wheel, which took quite a few weeks to get the hang of. In addition to the potter’s wheel, a

variety of conventional hand-building methods including pinching, slabs, coils, and hybrids were introducted allowing us to explore diverse elements of design. A key emphasis of the course was to switch constantly between drawing and making, so that each piece of ceramic was thoroughly thought about and designed, amended, drawn and improved every step of the way. Another aspect that was stressed on during the course was the reliance on tools in the manipulation of material.

The objective of this assignment was to build a structurally behavioural constuct that utilizes rigid components connected with pin joints, with cable members that undergo tension forces. The Constructs were meant to support themselves over a span of 1.2 meters and also to be tested to a point of destruction with a load of 75 kilograms. In this regard, my teammates and I thought it would be interesting to work with bamboo as the rigid element and coir as the tensioning element, using knots as pin joints to secure the rigid elements in place. Long, dry lengths of bamboo were soaked in water and then bent by flaming the nodes in order to soften them. this was followed by the application of square knots and diagonal lashing to secture the curved bamboo and arching them to leave them in tension

Painting is a blind man’s profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.

-Pablo Picasso

Right from a young age, art has always been an avenue I have used to understand myself better. It is a medium that makes me get in touch with my inner self and find solutions to challenges I face in my daily life through calmness and serenity. It also helps me break away from reality and let my creativity take control of the tool at hand, something that is at times curtailed in architecture while responding to constraints, boundaries, clients and deliverables. While most of my art is rooted in my heritage, I also feel a sense of freedom and indulgence in abstract art forms.

Soon after graduating from architecture school, I was approached by a close acquaintance to design a piece of jewelry. While I accepted the offer, I was quite apprehensive, as I had no prior experience, and also never really saw myself designing jewelry. However, as I went through the process of sketching and developing the design and slowly watched it come to fruition, I realised that it really was not that different from designing a building and watching it progress iteratively, albeit at a much faster pace. From then on, i quickly developed a keen interest in the magical world of jewelry, taking small breaks from the architectural realm now and then to pursue this passion. In my work, I focus on sourcing large, misshapen, rugged and natural stones, that are often discarded and find a way to integrate them with polished metals to form chic pieces with a resounding nod to natural rusticity.

Located in Siruseri, the IT corridor of Chennai, this spacious 8th floor apartment of a gated complex presented the opportunity to combine the requirements of a multi-talented homemaker, her tech savvy husband and their 2 engineer kids with diverse interests, all of whom needed distinct spaces. Looking closely at Mrs. Lalitha’s captivating paintings, I realised that they could act as the central force that drives the apartments design, and used the same to inspire the themes of every room.

“Dhruva’s fantastic attention to detail was shown through his constant probing, and we found ourselves answering questions that brought up new ideas to reflect on. His patience and creativity encourages you to think beyond what you’re used to seeing. Conversations with him were rational and logical, reflecting professionalism by his willingness to listen to our inputs and bring about changes. We commend Dhruva’s work as he transforms a house into a home!”

-Lalitha and Sundar

My first actual project made me realize the scope of designers in the world today. It also made me understand the large magnitude and variety of options available in terms of materials, furniture and fixtures. Located in a quiet locality at the heart of Chennai city, this penthouse apartment called for a design strategy that was comfortable and elegant. My clients, both working professionals, wanted a design that was distinctive and yet easy to maintain. Being avid travellers, they wanted their home to be a museum of their own adventures rather than just being an arbitrary collection of standard products. Moreover, there was also a keen fascination for ancient Indian culture and heritage, owing to their large collection of heirloom idols and art, thereby requiring the design of the interiors to blend with them seamlessly.

“Your design has skillfully combined functionality with elegance to create a beautiful space that is distinctive of Chennai, yet esoterically reflects our own identity and style. Just love it!”

-Shardambika and Raj