habitações do forte

SEM3 C1 : TYPE, SPATIAL PATTERNS AND MATERIAL PHENOMENOLOGIES

The studio intended to focus on the question of 'TYPE' that comes for a very strong historical and cultural background. To interrogate this question students studied historical settlements and documented them with a very nuanced processes of analyzing the morphology, everyday of the people there. further students recognized spatial patterns and material phenomenologies.

these processes lead them to and argument and question on which their design intervention will be built upon.

SITE

Location - Fort area, U.T. of Daman

U.T of Daman is located in the western part of India touching the Arabian Sea 160 kms north of Mumbai. Daman has witnessed long rule of Portuguese from mid 1500s to 1962 . When established their rule here they built a fort which was a safe haven for the administration work to happen and for the people working at the very heart of the Portuguese empire . The fort has one of the oldest municipality in Asia and there are many such administrative buildings. Bom Jesus church built in 1580s is one of the oldest church in this part of the country. It’s one of the finest examples of Portuguese architecture in the country. The settlement studied is right next to the church . Previously the houses were made as quarters for the officers and workers of the empire and later on transferred the ownership to them . The workers were mostly locals or generation of them that had converted to Christianity and therefore offered privileges to work for the Portuguese . When the Portuguese left in the 1960s they left behind the heritage and also a privilege for the locals to acquire a Portuguese passport and be a citizen of Portugal . Many of the locals since then have taken this benefit and moved to the UK . There are total 7 houses in the settlement of which only 2 are still used , the owners of the rest have migrated to the UK .

MORPHOLOGY: The roads in the fort make a grid of plots. The plot on the left is the premises of the Bom Jesus chruch , opposite to that is the settlement surrounded by various administrative offices. The fort has a variety of trees like coconut, palm , banyan , neem, banana and many others.

HOUSE TYPE :

section

plan

Aunty Monica’s home has grown incrementally over the years as per the need of the family. The house follows a linear arrangements of spaces. The first part is the oldest about 95 years old, right now being used as a living and bedroom. Next is the kitchen and washroom which was added 45 years ago. After that is the bedroom and second washroom added 15 years ago as the kids grew up. The old house is a load bearing structure made up of bricks and has a pitched roof with clay tiles. The newer build structure are RCC.

Currently only the old part of the house is being used by monica aunty as her kids have migrated to the UK and her husband has passed away.

ANALYSIS - SPATIAL PATTERNS PHENOMENOLOGICAL READINGS

COMMON ROOF

The houses in the settlement share a common pitched roof that ties them together.

The facade of these houses are archaeologically protected. No renovations or building over is allowed. The blue house in the right corner has received a stay order for violating this law.

FURNITURE AS A SCREEN

This piece of furniture acts as screen and divides the the living and sleeping space. In a way furniture is challenging the permanence of a room. The way the furniture is modulated it changes the function of the space.

DRAMATICS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW DUE TO SKYLIGHT

As there is no space for light to enter from either side of the house. Skylight is the only way for light to come in . one such skylight is placed above the bedroom door . which sheds some light in the corridor. Still the light is very less so it sort of gives you a feeling of dampness visually and through smell. Almost spooky.

THE LIFE AND THE LIFELESS

As Monica aunties’ sons have migrated to the UK and her husband has passed away. She is only been able to use the old house and the kitchen space. Rest of the spaces remain unused.

SCOPING: HOW DO WE BRING LIFE BACK TO THE FORT ?

Right now it feels like the life inside the fort follows a rigid schedule around the administrative offices and church.

Abandoned houses of the migrated locals have added to this feeling.

To bring back elixir of life and its inhabitations , I think the way to do it would be opening up houses for travelers .

Spending leisure time living in a colonial home. And to experience atmosphere and damaneese food.

DESIGN

The design process started with opening up the long plot through a series of courtyards and semi-open spaces. Through the study of the type and spatial patterns at the site, a common roof as an element emerged that would be tiled somewhere, partially open somewhere and stops to make way for the courtyards and begins again for the living spaces.

The linearity of spaces is maintained. But the linearity comes with series of different experiences of intimacy and being one with the outside.

Organization in terms of utility is such that the old house now becomes a library and a lounge followed by semi open kitchen , a courtyard and 2 story living space then again a courtyard followed by living space on the ground floor for Monica aunty and 2nd story for guests.

The balcony in the first cottage gives a view of the street and the Bom Jesus chruch on the east.

The second 2nd courtyard opens up visually with the surrounding plots and as you climb up the stairs the foliage of the trees change and it feels as if one is climbing into the greens.

Through the process of this course I have learnt to talk to new people and understand their cultural and social background and how does it influence their relationship with the built form around them. The intend was to design spaces that would reactive the fort with the type and material relevant to the context of the settlements.

few of the shortcomings in the process were that if someone is to be moved from a place they have lived for decades is a huge thing and there could have been a more nuanced study of that aspect. also the form and placement of the roof could have been more playfully thought of. The scale of the site was the big challenge to overcome and I think I got caught up in that.

Faculty: Rupali Gupte, Milind Mahale, Samir Raut and Anand Sonecha

Mentor: Milind Mahale