The Site & The Client

On the 6th of December 2011, Ed, Spencer and Jateen held a site meeting at Sharanam with Vijaybhai to discuss a range of issues focusing on the interior design of the office spaces and the proposal for the new entrance way. A set of very simple, diagrammatic drawings had been completed to aid the conversation in both cases, with support from 3-dimensional models to explain key design details. What was surprising however, was how the drawings began to take a back seat in the conversation against actually physically being in the different locations and using body lengths and orientations to explain the core elements.

We began with the entranceway proposal, first pinpointing the location of the structural ramp that will act to bridge the level change between road and site. A two dimensional plan gave an insight into this position, but allowing Vijaybhai to walk through the different locations personally meant the conversation had a much greater level of detail, exposing key views and desired pedestrian routes.

The meeting moved onto the options for vehicle parking on site, with three different approaches explained through the use of drawings. The main point was to show how a large 20-seater coach would be unable to enter and manoeuvre through the site without reducing the overall parking to almost zero. It was agreed that a pedestrian drop off point will be designed outside of the front gates – pending local permits being granted – with all large coaches using the north entrance to enter the site. Simple diagrams played a greater role in the conversation here, showing how the volume of a coach would cope with the tight angles and level changes. The south entrance then becomes solely for the use of small vehicles and pedestrians, with a small security cabin maintaining a level of control over entry into Sharanam.

After a brief conclusion to the entrance proposal, the meeting moved across to the office buildings to discuss the interior design. Again a physical presence in the spaces meant that the furniture fittings were able to be discussed in a much more tangible quality. A short film was shown to discuss the central themes of the Sharanam Interior design, using a fly through of a 3-dimensional model to express ideas of materiality, durability and scale. From this piece, the conversation began to flow into how each office space would work, encompassing circulation and furniture. The Sharanam project requires a great level of flexibility within its internal spaces, which must be reflected in the interior design. It was agreed that a bespoke set of furniture systems will have to be designed to enable this.

A prototype for a cupboard finish had been made for the meeting, investigating a system of timber panelling covered in a silk fabric. Exposing the silk to the light and air conditions of Sharanam provided a greater level of understanding as to how the material would react if installed in the office blocks. Through physical touch, questions were raised about the durability of the fabric, with a possible solution being the use of a protective lacquer or in selectively locating such doors in low activity areas or only for special situations.

What can be taken away from this meeting by all of us is how useful and important site meetings with the client can be. Design issues can be simply explained, whereas off site discussions rely on a huge level of detail being expressed to just set the scene. These experiences also aid us in continually tuning our language skills, using simple, precise and direct language to convey complex ideas.

Feeding Sharanam

One of the main driving forces behind our work is to keep site moving, when considering cost and time implications a busy site team is essential. Maintaining a high workload also helps to maintain site morale as teams move from one task to the next, while we all see the fruits of our labour embedding a sense of pride that uplifts standards.

Office work is then a game of shuffling, on many dimensions, working to ensure the readiness of future design elements while readying production information for work about to go on site and solving any problems that may occur with work as it unfolds. Scheduling has to be highly flexible often work does not proceed in order of an ideal sequence, unforeseeable events such as material supply delays, external contractor timetables and the weather all have an influence. We therefore aim to maximise the interchangeablility of the schedule, moving what is done when, to suit events as they happen.

Over recent weeks work to the main hall has been given priority to get the building ready for use as soon as possible, works to the periphery of the main program can then be carried out as the building is being used. However it was recently decided that the building would not only function as a day centre for village development but longer weekly programs for both village residents and NGO agents would take place.

With the idea of resident groups accommodation and dining facilities became a high priority. The kitchen originally intended for the day program had been taken to DPC level and work had begun detailing the next stages of construction.

Cyclone Thane hit Pondicherry on December 30^th, in the aftermath it became clear that much damage had occurred to the Sharanam boundary with many trees being lost, what had been a thick wall of vegetation was now an open view into the heart of the site, exposing the vault to the surrounding area. It was decided to restart kitchen works on site as soon as possible as the kitchen walls will help to screen the main building.

CSEB [compressed stabilised earth block] has to be handled and laid quite differently to a fired brick. Our first task was producing detailed layout drawings showing the exact position for individual blocks for the masons to follow. FB [full block] modules are 240×240 x90mm resulting in course patterns quite different to a typical brick wall.

After initial calculations we rang the block-making yard to place an order, to find that his operation had closed down over the monsoon so new blocks would not be ready for two months. Taking stock of the blocks on site we found we had 250 FB, 1500 HB [half block] and 1200 3/4B.

With a detailed breakdown of each wall we were able to see what walls could be built using what brick modules, focusing on the main servery wall as this is to be earth plastered allowing for a less precious approach to the wall construction to be adopted. Costing implications, in terms of increased mortar and labour time for a HB wall were also accessed.

Overseeing the initial courses we were worried to see that the masons had picked up bad habits laying fly-ash bricks and had forgotten or were ignoring what they had been taught regarding CSEB and needed reminding.

CSEB are laid individually dipping each block in water before laying and then quickly leveling the block once in position. The most difficult skill when laying a wall is keeping the face of the brick clean, which comes from developing a sense of how much mortar to lay and a knowledge of how to handle a trowel. With CSEB laid with an earth rich mortar however the face of the block is easily cleaned with water afterwards, so work progressed slapping mortar everywhere with the wall being cleaned by a helper after finishing each course.  This same approach is undertaken when pointing, plastering the wall and then washing down the brick.

You can instantly read the skill of a mason by how they handle a trowel; highly skilled tooling reduces labour, time and costs while improving quality.

Work progressed unusually slowly and returning to site we discovered why, the majority of the Blocks were totally skew, the masons cursing the block maker. Fortunately the wall is to be plastered which will hide any irregularity, we did however have to devise a strategy to minimise the effect of the rhomboidal blocks through consistently placing each block with the irregularity in the same direction throughout each course.

Expanded Site Experience

The last few weeks has seen everybody starting to get a unique amount of site experience as designs and details from the office start to fall in with the site schedule and availability of labour teams. This has also provided a true insight to the use of local labour, materials and technique.

For example, the Toilet Block roof has been reinforced and cast over the last few days which involved a specialist team of local metalworkers coming to site to prepare all of the steel for the beam and slab reinforcement. They used the tools and jigs available on-site that utilise a local technique for bending metal, which to put it simply is a piece of wood with metal up-stands used to anchor the metal as it is manipulated. Below shows these jigs being used for the slab re-bars and beam stirrups, with how they have been arranged on the Toilet Block roof ready for casting.

All of the materials used in this process, including the formwork, have been sourced locally to reduce the carbon footprint of the already sustainable earth block building. Concrete has been used sparingly within the project, but when it has been used an economical approach has been adopted to tie in with the continuous themes of the project.

The Granite Heist

Sourcing building materials in India is a complex affair. Prices can vary wildly depending on your accent and there is practically no quality control, so you never know what you are going to get unless you go and hand pick what you want. It is rather difficult to budget for a building in a climate where for example the price of sand has gone up from Rs2000 to Rs20 000 per truck load in the last four years, due to dwindling supplies.

Granite fence posts are the main material that will be used for the amphitheatre entrance and landscaping at Sharanam. On Saturday we went to pick up ten tonnes of posts that Jateen had spotted down a side road after visiting the stone dealer who had given us a quote over the phone when he didn’t have a single post in stock or even know what they were.

Whilst we were checking out the stones a man emerged from one of the nearby houses claiming they belonged to him. We agreed a price of Rs37 per piece, which is less than half the going rate. However, costs quickly add up when you have to arrange a truck and 6 men for loading and transport.

When one has arranged a deal of this nature it is important to act quickly before circumstances change, the stones may mysteriously disappear or some other random party claims ownership.

We were pleasantly amused when a multicoloured carnival truck pulled up from round the corner with flowers painted on the diesel tank, Tamil demon heads dangling from the front bumper and (what we would later discover to be) break fluid dripping out from under the engine.

It took 8 men, including Mark and Spencer, exactly one hour to load 500 pieces or about ten tonnes of granite onto the truck. Palani, the site foreman, was obviously used to overseeing loading operations as an efficient system very quickly fell into place. Two people from the other party were trying to distract us by loading the truck from both ends but Palani and I quickly got on top of the counting to make sure they weren’t trying to pull a fast one.

After loading Jateen went to settle the payment, which is always a long and hairy affair which never goes quite according to plan and the boys got a lift on the back of the truck to spend the rest of the day on site. However, a drive that should have taken about 10 minutes ended up taking three hours due to the brakes failing.

Setting off from the stone yard going was quite slow, pulling over to the side of the road every half a mile or so. Eventually one of the workers traveling on top of the truck with Mark and Spencer explained in broken sign language that the brakes weren’t working. After another mile they pulled over again and were handed some palm root which the men explained how to peel and eat, before eventually arriving at a truck stop. Everyone got out and sat under a tarpaulin drinking chai while two men frantically worked under the truck. One man asked Mark for some money, which he gave them, although we still are not sure what it was for and then they were underway again.

When the truck eventually turned up on site the boys were treated to a typical Tamil workers lunch; A condensed breeze brick of rice neatly wrapped in a giant banana leaf accompanied by an array of tantalising sauces, following which they had a midday nap in the site office while the stones were unloaded.

Unfortunately the stones were unloaded directly on top of where the amphitheatre circles are to be excavated, so some poor soul is going to have to move ten tones of stone 20 metres before digging can commence.

All in all, it was a successful and highly entertaining day.

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If at First You Don’t Succeed, Try and Try Again!

The store stairs presented itself as a simple, space saving design to be placed at the south side of the store construction to aid access to the future roof garden areas. Through the short design process, the composition of the steps seemed straightforward enough, but what would prove a challenge would be to working on a steep gradient.

The area was prepared with a 10 mm thick cement plaster edge skirting, 50 mm wide. The first task was to run through the design, using chalk and tube levels to mark on the outline of the construction on the sides of the building. Explaining the concept of a space saving staircase proved a difficult task but through the chalk outline and quick drawings on the ground, an agreement was made as to how best to execute the design. A decision was made to built up a temporary formwork using bricks and wet sand, from which the steps can be built within.

As the mason worked, the composition of the step changed from the original design, due to the level of difficulty to cut the fly ash bricks into the correct angles. A small triangle of PCC was placed into the formwork, allowing for a level surface for three coarses of bricks. This process was slow and seemed to become increasingly problematic as the mason moved further up the gradient.

Work stopped as a discussion was undertaken as to how best to proceed. A decision was made to built a timber formwork which could be simply placed into position and in filled with PCC and bricks. An accurate box was produced with the internal surfaces matching the required 230 mm x 310 mm x 400 mm sizing of a single step.

The third step was built using this timber box. The formwork was positioned into place and supported with bricks around its external face. Again the composition changed as the mason filled the box completely with cement to increase the overall pace of construction, leaving only two bricks to the uppermost point of the step to create a level for the granite tread to be positioned on top of. As the final touches were made to the third step, the formwork became loose and slid down the gradient, disturbing the second step. By the end of the day, only one step stood finished and questions as to how to best to support the structure remained at the forefront of discussion.

The biggest lesson from this process on site has been to never become dishearten as problems arise on site. The ability to think on your feet during the construction process is an important attribute for any architect. 

 

Designing Before Drawing

The first two months of working within Aurospace has been an exponential curve of learning, which has made the group realise that ‘design’ only compensates for a small portion of practice. The materials, SoW (Schedule of Works), site processes, valuations and other fabrication issues become the primary generators of what ‘design’ is when it is taken from paper into a live project.

The approach of Aurospace assists in the development of a whole design through the consideration of material use, construction and cost from the outset of an idea. For example, with the toilet block at Sharanam there was an idea of using bamboo for a canopy and screen to provide shelter and privacy for the building. Before too much consideration suppliers were sourced, prices were discussed and different test samples were made on-site. This allowed us to consider if bamboo was a viable option, would it fit in the valuation of the building and how the material could be used.

On-site testing of bamboo in a horizontal plane for the canopy, including cutting technique, and in a vertical plane for the screen, considering different available sizes.

This was all done after one sketch by the architect and before any formal drawing.

Makin the Foundations of Sharanam

Last week we were fortunate enough to meet Neil and Pamela Makin who have not been to India for several years, but are cornerstones of the Sharanam project. As the chairman of The Cadbury Foundation Mr Makin has been instrumental towards the development of the Sharanam project because he believes it is a worthwhile scheme and model for developing India.

We had the opportunity to introduce ourselves along with the reasons why we chose to travel to Pondicherry following graduation to volunteer on the Sharanam project, whilst also discussing the individual projects and tasks we are undertaking across the site. It was an interesting encounter representing how business, charity and arts can overlap to produce a meaningful venture.

Traditional Tamil Architecture

After a couple of weeks settling into Pondicherry life we undertook a quick tour of Tamil Nadu, to see more of the way of life in the area and to develop and understanding for contemporary India and its Heritage.

The 1500km trip provided an overview of traditional Tamil architecture, whilst also revealing the manner and conditions in which people live within and around these long established spaces.

The trip revealed the shift modernity is bringing to Indian society where beautiful Chettinad mansions are neglected and abandoned, their wealthy merchant family owners now largely living abroad. It is only in privately owned spaces that life does not permeate into every crevice. Everything has a functional value for somebody, be it a bare concrete shell or a tenth century Temple. In a place where so many have so little, it is perhaps not surprising that the material value of things takes precedence over any appreciation for beauty.

In reflection there is a lot to be admired about traditional Tamil architecture, the skill and craftsmanship of construction, the respect for materials and the richly layered cultural programing of space.

However, the question needs to be asked why such strong and elegant spaces are today being surrounded by unfinished reinforced concrete blocks? Where is the skill, craftsmanship and consideration for material, technique and respect for context in contemporary buildings?

It is our intention as researchers and designers to address these issues in the creation of  modern buildings, critically questioning established building traditions, taking inspiration from the successful elements.

Tour Itinerary

Day 1

Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
[12thC]

Danish Colony with Danesborg Fort, Tranquebar
[17thC]

Neemarana Hotel, Tranquebar
[19thC]

Krishna Temple, On the Road from Tranquebar to Darasuram
[21stC]

Airatesvara Temple, Darasuram
[12thC]

Brihadishwara Temple, Tanjore
[10thC]

Day 2

Palace of Bronze & Stone Sculptures, Tanjore
[10thC]

Tamil Mansions, Chettinad
[19thC]

Day 3

Ramanathaswamy (Shiva) Temple
Rameswaram
[12 – 17th Century]

Meenakshi (Shiva’s Consort) Temple
Madurai
[1st – 17th Century]

Day 4

Meenakshi Temple
Madurai
[17th Century]

Srirangam Temple, Srirangam Island, Trichy
[10-17thC]

Engineering Colleges [Unfinished], Everywhere

Schedule of Works [SoW]

Yesterday we had a discussion on Project Management looking at the Schedule of Work and Valuations. Both are related documents and provide a comprehensive overview of construction progress and project finances. In order to become a proper architect, both documents become a way of thinking often more important and instinctive than design drawings and specification lists. If you think about it, it is possible to undertake a project with a very comprehensive Schedule of Work and no drawings.

Normally, the architect prepares the SoW – item by item – and issues this at the tender stage for prospective contractors to fill in their proposed costs. As you can imagine, the amount of detail has to be worded cleverly to avoid extras and misunderstandings whilst keeping the cost down.

Once construction starts, the SoW becomes the basis of the Valuation; at the end of every month the project architect assesses progress on site -again item by item (% completion) – to allow the total value of work done that month to be calculated. The architect then issues a Valuation Certificate to the Contractor permitting them to bill the client for the agreed and valued amount.

At Sharanam, we are the architects-contractor-QS-PM etc and so we have created our own SoWs and Valuations to allow us to assess site progress, control and record finances and value work from multiple perspectives. The full project SoW lists each outstanding component of work, the assigned budget, % design completion and % site completion.

Sharanam valuations are done at the end of each week. Again this is based on the SoW but broken down into labour, material and other expenses so we know exactly how much each item and its various sequences cost and how long it took.

Who Needs a Laser Level?

Megan on site at Sharanam taking spot levels for the design of the entrance amphitheater and approach avenue.

Work is largely limited to hand tools and low tech techniques. Water always finds its level, it is more accurate than any spirit level, laser or theodolite. Points are triangulated from the building, a clear hose full of water is then used to level from the finished floor level [Datum] to each spot, the height from water level to ground is then measured.