Why is it useful that Western architects work on places like Dharavi?

After the conference we had in Milan with Yehuda Safran we asked him to focus about the meaning of our work (an generally about western architects work) in places like Dharavi.

Here we post his answer as a starting point for us to direct our work throught the next experiences.

Q:

Why is it useful that Western architects work on places like Dharavi? Which side is the one taking bigger advantage of this relationship?

A:

Architecture is not unlike the idea of a just world.
Just as a just world can be divided but has to be observed universally, so is architecture.

If we can not provide for the super poor we will not be able to provide for the less poor.

Most people live in the ignorance of the interdependence of one group on another.

The relative wealth of Milano and Boston is closely related to the relative poverty in Mumbai and Lagos. If we could help set up a model of conduct in Mumbai, much else every where would effected.

There is a world wide reciprocity which if we will ignore, it will be to our peril.

Yehuda Safran

New Transit Camp Social Club. An informal design process in Dharavi, Mumbai.

On the 13th of February has been presented the first degree thesis that concludes the work we did during the last months in Dharavi with URBZ and Pukar.

-ABSTRACT-

Designing in Dharavi is perhaps one of the most exciting proposal that could be offered us.

When we left Italy, the purpose to develop a masterplan appeared as tough challenge and, at the same time, as a risk of an academic project far from the informal dynamics.
Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava, founding members of Urbz, suggested us to work at a real project with a real client and a real budget on a small plot in New Transit Camp.
The situation to be in front of a small scale project, drastically constrained and limited by the boundary conditions, has catapulted us into a completely different perspective.
The challenge to face problems which need quick and clear outputs has become an advantage that removed us from the situation, not so desired, to propose a redevelopment plan.
Taking into account the arguments studied in the Rotterdam Biennale, we assumed the need to offer simple and low cost solutions in a really short time.

Thus, designing in Dharavi has revealed a completely different experience than designing in any other part of the world (at least if for world we mean the formally-built one). Being in a part of town where none of the surrounding buildings has been designed on paper raises interesting questions about what should be the role of the architect.

The process is actually the most interesting part of our thesis, even more interesting than the project itself. Our solution appears just as one of the infinite solutions that architecture can offer. They are not necessarily right or wrong in advance, but they take place from the conditions and the environment in which they arise.

At least two important legacy remain as a result of this academic work. On one hand the documentation of a process that is diametrically opposed to the ones you can find in the formal society, which pays no attention to building regulations and that is deeply connected to the needs of clients. The second legacy is the idea of a different approach to the theme of slum upgrading, starting from a bottom approach.

December 3rd 09_Milan Polytechinc_Conference, with Stefano Boeri, Yehuda Safran

On the 3rd of December 2009 Hindustry Urban Research Group has been invited in Milan Polytechnic to speak about his last works in Mumbai.

The conference has been an open conversation about the problems of slums in the Indian megalopolis in which intervened Stefano Boeri, as curator of the master degree that hosted the conference, and Yehuda Safran, who introduced the debate starting from the work he did in Dharavi with some of the students of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University in New York.

The conference has been an useful occasion to speak about the utility of western architects work in slums and to discuss with important referents about the work we did during the last years.

Here is possible to download the presentation shown during the conference by Hindustry

Here is possible to check the work done by Yehuda Safran's students in 2009

NEW TRANSIT CAMP SOCIAL CLUB

The building will be a symbol of how Dharavi could be redeveloped in a different way: no high-rise building, no masterplans coming from above our heads, but projects that can improve the quality of life in Dharavi. To us, developing Dharavi means taking into consideration what is already there. This must be done in a way that is economically sustainable. So the basic concept of the project is: 1) Develop don’t destroy, 2) make a small architectural landmark that will act as a statement showing that an alternative model of development in possible, 3) make it work within the economic dynamic of Dharavi.



Dharavi is not a junkyard that can be bulldozed. The tabula rasa approach is not an option. As we know people live here, they work and play like everywhere in Mumbai. This is a normal neighborhood confronted with special challenges. Several parts of Dharavi don’t look different from so many other areas of Mumbai, which are not referred as slums. Any (re)development project should start by evaluating the strength and the potential of Dharavi and consider the people living there as the main users and stakeholders.

The building we designed should be a new facility for the community. In the initial phase we are considering the use of pallet racks system, which is a relatively cheap, fast, adaptable and modern way of building inside Dharavi.

The preliminary project proposes two different spaces: a large space on the ground floor for elderly residents (using the structure that has just been built) and a space for street children on the first floor. A tower provides vertical circulation. It also functions as a landmark for the area. The top of the tower is used to broadcast free internet wireless to New Transit Camp Nagar (and may be to the whole Dharavi), and diffuse Dharavi’s very own dharavi.organic wiki website. Two open spaces are planned: a patio on the backside of the plot and an open terrace on the roof.

Pallet racks system. Picture from Bangalore Jaaga Creative Common Ground

Look at the other pictures from Jaaga to understand more about the construction system.

The pallet racks system allows us to build the tower and the first floor in a flexible and adaptable way. A second floor can be easily added in the future. For the ground floor we are simply keeping the existing brick structure.

The project moves quickly and many things keep changing. These are just preliminary ideas for the buildings. We will continue working on them. We also aim at using inputs from other architects and builders coming to the URBZ office. If you are interested in helping this project in any way, please contact URBZ. What we need the most at the moment is funding. Anything would help. We can already go a long way with $20,000 to 30,000.

(text from URBZ web site)

ITALIAN MAFIA TAKING OVER DHARAVI!

Matias Echanove, Rahul Srivastava, Alberto Bottero, Maddalena Bregani, Stefano Boeri, Francesco Strocchio in URBZ office.

Suspect activity has been observed in Dharavi in the last days, particularly around New Transit Camp and the URBZ office. An unusual number of Italians have been seen walking around the neighbourhood, some of them taking pictures and even measuring a vacant plot on Mahatma Gandhi Road. Is the Italian mafia spreading its tentacles all the way to the most contested piece of real estate in the world?

It turns out that the visiting Italians comprised of many different groups, all related in one way or the other to URBZ’s activities. First came Francesco Strocchio and Alberto Bottero, two graduating architecture students from the Politecnico di Torino and as part of HINDUSTRY Urban Research Group, who were sent by Michele Bonino and double-agent Subhash Mukerjee of Studio Marc, who, it turns out had participated in the Urban Typhoon workshop in Koliwada (2008).

Francesco and Alberto have been working on the design of a Social Club for street children and elderly residents in New Transit Camp. This is a project for which URBZ and HINDUSTRY are looking for funding at the moment (just in case you know someone willing to give for a good cause!)

Moreover some days later we had the possibility to meet Stefano Boeri, who was visiting Mumbai and decided to meet Rahul and Matias to speak about the work they are doing in Dharavi.

We spoke with him as well with him concerning the work we are now carrying on and we will look forward for possible cooperation concering Dharavi.

Possibly new projects will go on also thanks to his help and and his enthusiasm!

Read more on URBZ website...

New Transit Camp Community House _ Dharavi set

Transition Camp..(Dharavi, Mahatma Gandhi Road)

Here are uploaded a preliminary design for the we are working at.
The building will be used by street children and elderly people.

link: Preliminary Presentation of NewTransitCamp Community House
New Transit Camp - Site Project

Rotterdam Biennale Exhibithion

They exhibithion will last until the 13th of December!!!
Go to Rotterdam and visit it!

//Parallel cases is a part o the IV Architecture Biennale. take the ferry boat from the Erasmus bridge to reach the RDM campus (last stop)!!!

See IV rotterdam biennale//parallel cases _shots