FNC with Vidhya Mohankumar

11th September 2020

Friday Night Conversation with Vidhya Mohankumar, opened up different ways of participating with communities to develop public programmes. Through their Siruseri watershed project, Vidhya spoke about the detailed manner in which they collected data, stories and engaged with the community to formulate a programme for the watershed conservation project. The discussion left us all inspired to find different ways to work in peri urban contexts with the intent of grassroot and bottom-up planning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6C0J8yjhps

FNC with Muzammil Hussain

17th July 2020

Friday Night Conversation with Muzammil Hussain, took us to the beautiful landscape of Kargil and Ladakh. He spoke about the work he has been doing in promoting tourism in hidden villages and places which are lesser known and require new light. Working with the intent of heritage conservation and newer ways of attracting tourists to get a taste of the place, Muzammil spoke in detail about their project in Zbalung, Ladakh. After the presentation we had a great discussion on the way they work with locals to encourage participation and value.

FNC with Priyanka Bista

22nd May 2020

In our FNC with Priyanka Bista, she presented the tremendous work she has executed along the 8000 km vertical green belt from Koshi-Tappu to Mount Kanchenjunga in Nepal. We discussed her project with the lens of a local stewardship, while also touching upon the local knowledge on biodiversity they have conserved, challenges of funding, as well as ways of activating the community.

Exhibition at World Reconstruction Conference in Geneva, Switzerland

15th May 2020

All the winning entries of the Resilient Homes Design Challenge competition were exhibited at the World Reconstruction Conference 4 at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland. The competition was hosted by World Bank, UN Habitat, Build Academy, GFDRR and Airbnb.

https://compartments4.com/component/resilient-homes-challenge

FNC with Namrata Kapoor

15th May 2020

The FNC discussion, Contagious Neighbours with Namrata Kapoor opened up ways of correlating public health and redevelopment housing norms. She elaborated on her research in three redevelopment colonies in Mumbai for their built form parameters in response to tuberculosis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmCTZO-LzNw&t=9s

Presentation at an online webinar by DesignUnited

15th May 2020

Invited to present our work and talk about our practice at an online webinar hosted by DesignUnited. Compartment S4 with Rabi Malla of Kopla World shared their story about their practice.

UNMUTE issue 1 is out

10th May 2020

We are proud to present to you the first two Issues of Unmute, an independent publication that aims at curating content around contemporary architectural discourse of its time. These Issues are currently freely available. To get your own virtual copy, write to us on unmute@compartments4.com or view on issuu.

https://issuu.com/compartments4.design/docs/01_hng_n_pages_issuu

UNMUTE issue 2 is out

10th May 2020

We are proud to present to you the first two Issues of Unmute, an independent publication that aims at curating content around contemporary architectural discourse of its time. These Issues are currently freely available. To get your own virtual copy, write to us on unmute@compartments4.com or view on issuu.

https://issuu.com/compartments4.design/docs/_2_hng_i_pages_issuu

FNC with Design Jatra

08th May 2020

Friday Night Conversation (FNC) with Vinita, Shardul and Pratik of Design Jatra spoke on the topic Rural Ruminations. It was a beautiful journey into the rural landscapes of Maharashtra, where they have been working. They took us through the different ways they have been practising with communities: developing seed banks, bamboo products and architecture sensitive to local materials and techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXPGS1Obk1g

FNC with Rushil Palavajjhala

17th April 2020

Friday Night Conversation (FNC) with Rushil Palavajjhala, co-founder of startup Bandhu, a digital platform for migrant labours spoke on the topic Data | Design | Entrepreneurship. He essentially focused on two aspects: how data feeds into the real estate design, and how his startup Bandhu, informed from data points could be a potential solution for migrant labour housing, employment and the many issues that surround it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qepQNKWIPI&t=132s

Presentation at Architecture and People Conference, Rizvi College

24th February 2020

Invited to be a part of the Architecture and People Conference at Rizvi College of architecture along with many other eminent architects. 

Invited for the Gubbi meet in GOA

22nd February 2020

Invited for the first time to be part of the Gubbi meet in Goa. It was an extremely refreshing experience. The meet introduced us to eminent practices, both young and experienced. We loved the energy and have much to reflect on our own practice before meeting them again, to share our experiences from practice in social design. We feel a renewed hope in practice to tackle multiple realities of water resilience and climate change which can shape our work more sensitively.

UNMUTE topic is out

10th February 2020

The topic for the first edition of UNMUTE is ‘Housing Nitty Gritties’.  We invite observations, thought constructs, propositions etc through articles, photostories, illustrations or any other medium to convey ideas in a manner capable of attracting a larger audience, even beyond the architectural discourse. Write to us on unmute@compartments4.com by 20th February 2020.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8YCsJeH7hA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

FNC with Vishwanath Kashikar

07th February 2020

Friday Night Conversation (FNC) with Vishwanath Kashikar, an academician at CEPT University, on the topic ‘Housing Nitty Gritties’. He spoke about the ways to approach mass housing design, plan types and detailing across units. Through examples of housing details, Kashikar threw light on the correlation which can be drawn between overall block and unit by modulating the scale of articulation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYbv0YmEPTY&list=PLNaj74EDM4ytzDFziszdKam-Vcdmb1snc

Presentation at Kakani Associates

05th February 2020

Invited by Surya Kakani of Kakani Associates to present our work and talk about our journey in practice. It is always overwhelming to look back at our process and engage in a thoughtful discussion with our peers.

Inauguration of Basa: An sustainable architecture initiative towards community tourism

15th January 2020

The building plan was proposed under the Resilient Homes Design Challenge competition, as an earthquake resilient house. After this it was further developed through research and a back and forth process of refining the design with the locals and Government bodies of the region, to be finally executed as the BASA tourism center in Khirsu.

https://compartments4.com/component/basa-an-initiative-towards-community-tourism

Bamboo workshop at Venus University

29th December 2019

Conducted a 4 day bamboo workshop for the students at Venus University as a part of their annual festival. The students explored different bamboo joineries and culminated with a bamboo pavilion on the campus.

https://compartments4.com/handmadedetail/workshop-at-venus-college-of-architecture-ahmedabad

Exhibition of MSL winning entries at MCGM Engineering Hub, Worli

20th December 2019

The shortlisted entries of the MSL competition were exhibited at the MCGM Engineering Hub, Worli. We discussed our design with the Municipal Commissioner, ward officers, superintendent of police, traffic commissioner, traffic engineers, town planners, transport engineers and Bombay state transport officials. The exhibition was organized by MCGM and WRI.

https://compartments4.com/component/street-an-extended-home

FNC with Rajendra and Rupal Desai

05th December 2019

Friday Night Conversation with Rajendra and Rupal Desai, founders of National Centre for People’s Action on Disaster Preparedness under the topic ‘Gramin Awas’. They together instilled in us a zeal to work towards an informed engineering perspective in the rural sector. It reinstated our intents of working in the rural sector, as they spoke about the challenges and meaningful approaches to design and execution in rural housing.

Presented at MCGM Headquarters for MSL jury

13th November 2019

Final jury presentation of the MSL competition at the MCGM headquarters in Mumbai.
The jury panel included Sanjay Darade, Pravinkumar Padwal, Madhav Pai, Rupali Gupte, Bhagyashri Kapse, Devidas Kshrisagar, Prashant Gaikwad and Vinayak Vispute.

https://compartments4.com/component/street-an-extended-home

Rural Narratives workshop registrations

05th November 2019

Registrations for workshop, “Rural narratives, interpreting local heritage for sustainable future” are now open. The workshop is an attempt to document and represent the social and cultural heritage of Khirsu, Uttarakhand in a form of a live exhibition that will be displayed in the Khirsu Tourism Center. Workshop in collaboration with Bhargav Padhiyar of Studio IF.

Exhibition at World Bank Headquarters, Washington DC

03rd November 2019

Invited to exhibit our winning design entry for the Resilient Homes Challenge at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC. It was an exciting experience to get reviews from visitors as well as other participants. 

https://compartments4.com/component/resilient-homes-challenge

Exhibition at United Nations, NewYork

14th October 2019

The World Bank, Build Academy, the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), UN-HABITAT and UNOP hosted an exhibition of the winning projects from the Resilient Homes Design Challenge at the United Nations, New York from October 14 to November 1. 

https://compartments4.com/component/basa-an-initiative-towards-community-tourism

FNC with Sankalpa, Pratik Soni and Deval Patel

11th October 2019

Friday Night Conversation with Sankalpa (academician/ practitioner), Pratik Soni (architect working in the real estate) and Deval Patel (builder) on the topic ‘The Real- Estate Blues’. The discussion swayed between the role of an architect in the real estate market and ways of approaching the sector. A new insight on the future of design in the sector opened up through the seamless architect-builder relationship observed between Pratik and Deval.

Bamboo Workshop at Anant University

30th July 2019

Conducted a 5 day bamboo workshop for the Urban Fellowship program students at Anant University. The students explored different bamboo joineries and culminated with a bamboo pavilion on the campus.

Presentation at SEA emerging practices

26th July 2019

In the talk, ‘Practising Practice’, we shared our learnings through varying forms of engagement with communities, government and private individuals, in an attempt to articulate ideas for an appropriate architectural practice in the contemporary times. This talk was a part of SEA Emerging Practices hosted by School of Environment and Architecture (SEA), Mumbai.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhb-ppgUgQA

Presentation at Blocher & Blocher office, Ahmedabad

13th July 2019

Invited by architect Hartmut of Blocher & Blocher, to give a talk on our work and practice at their Ahmedabad office. It was an interesting discussion which helped us to reflect back on the work we do.

Center table discussion with Uday Andhare

10th July 2019

“Try to find a sieve for all your projects, through which design filters to the essential.” An interesting discussion with architect Uday Andhare of Indigo Architects on projects, practice, visibility, an architect’s role, different kinds of clients and about his journey throughout.

FNC with Giovanni Llamas

05th July 2019

Friday Night Conversation with Giovanni Llamas (architect from Mexico) on the topic “What is home?”. The conversation started by exploring the idea of what is a house, how the idea of a house is changing with time and with changing contexts and what is a designers/architects role in this. The spatiality and contextuality of a house is more important than the nomenclature of spaces inside it.

Interview on Resilient Homes Challenge

18th May 2019

Check out our interview explaining the winning entry of the Resilient Homes Design Challenge. The competition was hosted by World Bank, UN Habitat, Build Academy, GFDRR and Airbnb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIiyFMFLFx8&t=1s

Registrations for Hand-made at Khirsu open

20th April 2019

Registrations for the hand-made workshop at Khirsu are open. It is a hands-on experience in making a homestay in a village called Khirsu, Uttarakhand. The aim is to involve participants in experimenting with local materials and techniques towards sustainable building practices and promote local handicraft produce to generate economy.

Center table discussion with Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore of OPOLIS

06th March 2019

Had a very interesting discussion regarding our practice and an insight on the different kinds of projects we do with architects Sonal Sancheti and Rahul Gore of OPOLIS.

Bamboo and thatch workshop at IIT Roorkee

01st March 2019

Conducted a 3- day bamboo and thatch workshop at IIT Roorkee. It involved construction of a bamboo module, which was designed for the Serendipity crafts pavilion. The students explored different details of Bamboo joints and application of thatch roof over the bamboo module. This pavilion will be used by students as a part of their canteen space.

Presentation at SVIT, Vasad

12th February 2019

Invited to SVIT, Vasad for an interactive session about our multi-disciplinary practice.

Center table discussion with Sankalpa

06th February 2019

“We need to reinvent the way practice has been looked at so far, finding our roles as and when we go ahead in the field.” Had an igniting discussion with professor and practitioner Sankalpa reassuring us of our directions. He is one of the founders of the Thumbimpressions Collaborative.

Panel invitation at Death of architecture, ATMA

30th January 2019

Invited to be part of the panel of ‘Stepping into the Deep end’ in the ‘Death of Architecture’ forum at Mill Owners Association Building, Ahmedabad. Had an interesting discussion about the ethics of architecture practice and the idea of an interdisciplinary practice.

Exhibition at Raw Collaborative

03rd December 2018

Invited to exhibit our work at the second edition of Raw Collaborative design exhibition at Mill Owners Association Building, Ahmedabad. Our exhibition was curated around highlighting our ideology and design principles, reflected through key features. Since we were under the Raw Discoveries section, a wide cross section of our projects in different scales and finishes were included to trace our journey into the world of design.

Raw discoveries Award

01st December 2018

Received the Raw discoveries award at the Raw Collaborative design exhibition held at Mill Owners Association Building, Ahmedabad. The award was presented by Script, Godrej awards.

Center table discussion with Kevin Mark Low and Shubra Raje

24th November 2018

Had an insightful discussion about our projects with Kevin Mark Low and Shubhra Raje. “It is important to reflect back on the projects and learn from the mistakes. There is always something to learn from what you have already built”.

Presentation for village sarpanch meet at AMA, Ahmedabad

13th October 2018

A presentation for awareness of village sarpanchs from around Gujarat, organized by AMA. We were invited to present our work in rural areas, to showcase possibilities of intervention to Sarpanchs in their villages. 

Presentation at Anant University

29th September 2018

Presented at Anant University to give insight to fellowship students on the varied directions of practice. A bunch of students then visited our studio to further their understanding on the way our practice functions.

Presentation at NID, Gandhinagar

25th September 2018

Baatein, a student initiative at NID invited us to present our work and have an informal discussion with students. 

Registrations for Handmade at Khadki open

14th September 2018

Registrations for the workshop at Khadki are now open. It involves a construction of an exhibition and play area for a boarding school. It is a hands-on experience in building with the local materials and techniques, mainly bamboo and wattle and daub. Through the course of the workshop participants will also be encouraged to design small details on site. Register at handmade@compartments4.com.

Presentation at IPSA college, Rajkot

21st August 2018

Invitation by Prof. Parth Shah to present our work for the professional practice course at IPSA, Rajkot. Being a young practice, the lecture also gave us food for thought into our practice.

On-Campus Workshop: Uka Tarsadia University, Surat - Hands on Architecture Workshop to explore Bamboo as a construction material

10th August 2018

The architecture workshop was conducted for the zonal NASA events organised in Surat. Through the three-day hands-on workshop students were given a chance to learn how to work with bamboo as a construction material. They learned structural properties of bamboo and various types of joineries by working with the tools themselves. One module of a larger structural system was executed through the workshop.

Center table discussion with Prof. Neelkanth Chayya

25th July 2018

A fun and energetic discussion with Chhaya sir, extended from our studios at CEPT to the Compartment S4 studio. Making us aware of the larger ecosystem which gets affected through architectural discussions- “The tetrapack panel can become a business model for the intermediate collector. He can collect tetra packs, manufacture panels and sell them. So he has two faces, one of a collector and the other of a seller!”

Center table discussion with Palinda Kannangara

04th July 2018

An insightful discussion at our studio, with Palinda and Varna, on our work and their findings- “Making a Wardha tile roof, is a very sensitive move in the context of Badalpara. But ruminating further on how to make an architectural expression, is where your innovation plays a role”.

Architecture of Food, design workshop at IIT Roorkee

09th May 2018

A two-day student workshop was conducted at IIT Roorkee to understand various food interventions in their campus and their city to eventually design a canteen for themselves. 

Presentation organized by Doshi We Know foundation

20th April 2018

Doshi We Know foundation organized an informal event, where they invited us and four other practices to present their works. The discussion was insightful and enriching, with Prof. Doshi and her daughter Radhika, opening up newer ways of looking at our practices. They dwelled upon the possible directions architectural practice can take.

Registrations for Handmade at Ghuggu Kham open

31st March 2018

While the work at Ghuggukham has already begun, registrations for the workshop are now open. It is going to be a hands-on experience in building a primary school extension with the local materials and techniques. Through the workshop, participants will get a sense of the village and its life.  Register at handmade@compartments4.com.

Registrations for Handmade at Badalpara open

11th January 2017

Registrations for the hand-made workshop are now open. Hand-made is an opportunity to engage with the people and building practices of Badalpara, for a hands on experience in making an extension of their Anganwadi. Register at handmade@compartments4.com.

Inauguration of Gather-Together: Restaurant Interior Design for Shankar's Ice Cream Library

09th January 2017

CompartmentS4 drew inspiration from the ritualistic experience of the people of Ahmedabad to go out for an ice cream post dinner. It is synonymous to bars when one talks about nightlife in Ahmedabad. Families, friends and relatives "gather - together" to engage in the pleasure of eating ice cream. The concept of the project was to foster the idea of "eating like a family" by the way the furniture has been treated. The restaurant interior design consisted of a long curvy table with loose stools not only makes different people sit beside each other and interact, but also solves issues of flexibility in seating as well as quick rotation of the customers.

Inauguration of Optimum Residence: House Layouts for the Caretaker's residence

01st January 1970

This project was executed in collaboration with Rotary Club of Ahmedabad and it required development of a public school campus. The caretaker’s residence was the first such built intervention, to be followed by a stage wise development. The house layout for the residence was designed with tight restrictions of budget as well as space. Explorations of compact space drove the design.

Village Haat: Sfurna Design Institute - 10 days hands on learning architecture workshop for exploring bamboo as a material for construction

01st January 1970

The architecture workshop was taken as a 10-day hands-on learning exercise with the students of Sfurna design school, Bharuch. They were first asked to test making different kinds of 1:1 details and bamboo joineries, guided by bamboo craftsmen and instructors. After which they started working on the structure. Through the explorations student learnt the properties and challenges of working with bamboo as a construction material.

https://compartments4.com/component/gramin-hatt