PLANNING ISSUES/
The area of Dharavi in the city of Mumbai has an extremely complex and in part unregulated planning. This is due to how the area has developed over time but also because of the very nature of a slum. Slum areas in India generally begin their lives as informal settlements on privately own or government owned land, over time as the slum develops and grows in size it because increasingly difficult for the land owners to regulate the area, thus the slum dwellers themselves developing their own planning strategy. The city itself is split up into a number of planning catchment areas that are governed by local governing bodies. The different areas are know as wards and the Dharavi slum falls in the G North Ward. My site is located to the west of the Dharavi slum and is divided by the Western Line train line that runs through the middle of Ward G. The site I have chosen strudels the periphery of the train line boundary. The train stations and lines in Mumbai are government owned not Private so to is the land they occupy. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) governs land that the site is situated on. This means the planning application will go through the MCGM via the Ward G North. Historically the area of the Dharavi has been occupied buy industrial buildings, from the fishing village in the early days up to the recycling industries that occupy the area today. As the land has been considered as industrial for over 100 years it will make it easier for future industrial developments on the site.
DEVELOPMENT APPRAISAL SCENARIO/
The land ownership of the site will be decided by the MCGM once the Local Office (Ward G North) has approved the proposal. Mumbai is notorious for it high levels of corruption and bribing tactics especially when it come to such processes as planning and land ownership. Although it is not official bribes often play a major roll in the success or rejection of applications.
Dharavi multiple businesses and trades also attract people and make for a very high commercial real estate value making Dharavi a ‘property hotspot’. To the global financial institutions, Dharavi is, briefly said, a gold mind! Dharavis economic structure is as unique as the place itself, it can not really be compared to other slums around the world as it does provide its inhabitants with affordable accommodation and boasts a vibrant economic life. This is due to the lack of state control and its individual established laws that are almost independent from the city that surrounds it.
The plastic processing and recycling industry current sorts 95% of Mumbai’s waste plastic, making it on the largest and most consistent industry in the slum. The slum dwellers themselves however see little of the profits generated by the industry, this is because the raw plastic that is manufactured in the slum is sold on to other countries as a raw material that is then formed into plastics products of a higher value. The recycling the recycling project providers the slum with facilities to allow them to produce a plastic product of value internationally. This products is the a plastic building brick known as a Polli brick. This product can be sold internationally but also can be used in the redevelopment of the slum itself.
The absence of state control, legislation and the high degree of informality allow enterprises in the slum to grow at a quick rate. Business ideas are rapidly put into action and this entrepreneurial spirit characterises Dharavi until today and encourages many
residents to try their luck in business. Dharavis residents are able to fall back on a large variety of occupations. In contrast to the majority of all other slum areas 80% of all people living in Dharavi also work there. Although there are many employed, some 95% of Dharavis residents working conditions are often as catastrophic and undeserving as no government would tolerate.
The building will be constructed in stages, there will be three critical parts of the building that will allow the production process of the factor to function, and these will be constructed first. These three sub buildings will be funded by the Mumbai government as there is currently a large budget set aside fort he redevelopment of Dharavi. As the factory generates money through the sale of the products it produced it will be able to grow as necessary. This strategy was taken because it is the best interest for the Mumbai government to redevelop the slum but also because of the lack of money available from the slum dwellers themselves.
PROCUREMENT & RISKS/
The construction of the recycling facility and train station will be carried out by several local contractors. These will be selected because of their adequate workforce and resources allowing them to fulfil the project requirements.
The facade system for the building is the most unique and bespoke part of the construction. The façade system will begin to be constructed much before the building itself begins to be erected. This is because some of the bi-products of producing the facade will be used in the construction of the building. For example around 50% of the steel from the Car doors (facade skin) will be cut out this waste steel will be melted down and recycled to produce, for examples, brackets that will hold up the facade.
The primary and secondary steel frame structure will be fabricated off site. Each component of the faced system along with the fabrication of each section will be produced in the Dharavi slum. This will keep transportation cost down, making it more sustainable and providing jobs for the underprivileged community the project is positioned in.
The buildings design makes it relatively simple to erect, traditional construction techniques that are currently being used in the local area by local builder will be used. The buildings primary structure will consist of steel frame, concrete and masonry allowing for a relativity low-tech construction. There will be four types of construction workers working on the project, a team for each of the three construction techniques (steel frame/concrete/masonry) and one team for the production and installation of the façade systems. Breaking up the construction process into different team allows the project management to source works for each team more competitively to get the best price. Not relying on just one construction team to erect the whole building also acts as a safe guard in case the contractor has to withdraw from the project prevention the entire project from coming to a standstill. The façade production and assembly team area local trades mean that will be specifically recruited for the project. The workers will continue working on the building throughout its life expectancy as repair and maintenance workers.
ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE/
The project structure will be formulated using the RIBA plan of work 2013. Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the plan will be of particular importance the practice. These four tasks cover, concept and developed and technical design along with the construction of the building. Stage 2, concept design will allow the practice to interact with the users that will be occupying the future building. At this stage the concept design will be formulated with the feed back from the local community and workers. Stage 3, concept design will lead on form stage 2 and will allow the design to develop further and the awareness of the construction of the future project will be realised and influential to the design. Stage 4, Technical design, each component of the structural and façade system will be refined in accordance with the their production process within the slum. Stage 5, Construction. During this stage, the building is constructed on site in accordance with the Construction Programme. Construction includes the erection of components that have been fabricated in the slum, off site.
In the completion of the project a small group of architects, contractors and a large team of skilled builders will be required, these should all be locally source from around the slum, if possible. The builders as discussed before will be in four main teams steel frame/concrete/masonry/facade. The steel frame, concrete and masonry builders will construct around 80% of the building whereas the façade production team will build and install approximately 20% and local people will construct the last 20%. The local people will be taught by a team of five specialist craftsman, two joinery, two steel workers and one construction engineer. The electrical fit out and services will be fitted by professionals post construction. To cover the architects against potential court action professional indemnity insurance will be taken out, this insurance will also maintain registration and is required by law following the ARB’s Codes of Conduct.
ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICE/
The project structure will be formulated using the RIBA plan of work 2013. Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the plan will be of particular importance the practice. These four tasks cover, concept and developed and technical design along with the construction of the building. Stage 2, concept design will allow the practice to interact with the users that will be occupying the future building. At this stage the concept design will be formulated with the feed back from the local community and workers. Stage 3, concept design will lead on form stage 2 and will allow the design to develop further and the awareness of the construction of the future project will be realised and influential to the design. Stage 4, Technical design, each component of the structural and façade system will be refined in accordance with the their production process within the slum. Stage 5, Construction. During this stage, the building is constructed on site in accordance with the Construction Programme. Construction includes the erection of components that have been fabricated in the slum, off site.
In the completion of the project a small group of architects, contractors and a large team of skilled builders will be required, these should all be locally source from around the slum, if possible. The builders as discussed before will be in four main teams steel frame/concrete/masonry/facade. The steel frame, concrete and masonry builders will construct around 80% of the building whereas the façade production team will build and install approximately 20% and local people will construct the last 20%. The local people will be taught by a team of five specialist craftsman, two joinery, two steel workers and one construction engineer. The electrical fit out and services will be fitted by professionals post construction. To cover the architects against potential court action professional indemnity insurance will be taken out, this insurance will also maintain registration and is required by law following the ARB’s Codes of Conduct.
PROFESSIONAL REFLECTION/
When I finish my part two here at Leeds Beckett I intend to have a short (3 month) break from architecture. During this time will preparing my portfolio and further development of my website for job applications. I also intend to do some free-lance work in a local practice (Manchester) along side some bar work to allow me to save some money. I am also currently in the process of applying for The Bedford Scholarship 2015 hosted by the West Yorkshire Society of Architects. The competition is for students that wish to extend their architectural knowledge outside of university studies. The Scholarship will offer the opportunity to travel during the Summer of 2015, if my entry is successful I will provide a presentation as part of an awards evening on 19 November 2015, followed by submitting a written report and attend an informal lunch on 21 January 2016.
Towards the end of the year, around November time I intend on moving to Sydney, Australia. Here I will spend 6 months working in architectural practice gaining much-needed experience. After the 6months in Sydney I then intend on moving north to the city of Melbourne. Here again i will work in practice but on a smaller scale. I would also at this stage like to develop some other skills within my interests other than architecture. After working in the studio group cinematic commons for the past two years I have developed an interest in a more filmic design approach to creating architecture. I would like to pursue this interest and further develop my skills in the field. This perhaps may lead to the designing and construction of film sets. I have also always had a strong interest in furniture design and have been developing some prototype design throughout my time at Leeds Beckett. The time working abroad will give me the opportunity to experience architecture within a different cultural setting and practice structure. As in Sydney I would like to work on smaller commercial projects in a smaller practice, this would allow me to be more hands-on within the practice and to be more involved with the design and design process. After my time in Australia I intend to move to china for a year to further broaden my experience, here I will also work in practice gaining further architectural and cultural experience and knowledge. China in particular is of great interest to me as a young architect because of the speed of project completion. Architectural projects in China generally move much quicker than here in the west, providing me with a more hands-on, unique experience.