Report on Anupama Kundoo

7/25/2019 Report on Anupama Kundoo

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BIOGRAPHYAnupama Kundoo (born 1967) is

an Indian architect who after her

scholastic studies in architecturestarted working at Auroville starting in

199! where she created several

innovations in the pro"ects she

designed adopting #sustainable building

technologies and infrastructural

s$stems#% &er architectural designs are

aesthetic and region specific or

#vernacular# that cater to the needs

of modern living blending with

traditional building designs% 'he has a doctoral degree for her dissertation on the

sub"ect of #baked mudinsitu houses of India#% As a practicing architect since 199! she

has more than 1!! pro"ects to her credit% 'he has also eperimented with design of high

rise buildings for urban environment%

Kundoo was born in *une in 1967% &er high school education was from +ar$

Immaculate ,irls- &igh 'chool% 'he studied for architecture from the 'ir .% .% /ollege of

Architecture 0niversit$ of omba$ and received her degree in architecture in 1929% 'he

was awarded the 3astu 'hilpa 4oundation 4ellowship in 1996 for her thesis on #0rban

5co/ommunit$ esign and Anal$sis for 'ustainabilit$#% 'he got her doctoral degree

from 8echnical 0niversit$ of erlin in !!2%

Kundoo established herself as

an architect in the Auroville where

she designed and built man$

economicall$ innovative buildings

with #energ$ and water efficient

infrastructure# adaptations% 'he

worked here from middle of 199! till

!!% &er approach to building

design is based on material research

that minimi:es environmental

effects% &er basic design approach is

to use #waste materials unskilled

labour and local communities#% &er

work culture is a #researchoriented practice and practiceoriented teaching%#

ANUPAMA KUNDOO : VERNACULARARCHITECTURE

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Figure 1 : www.wikipedia.com

Figure 2 : www.dezeen.com


2/17

'he epresses her design

approach clearl$ b$ stating #+$

designs are not driven b$ the worr$

that the world will end but b$ finding

wa$s to make the most with what one

has%# A full si:ed replica of her ;all

&ouse was made b$ hand and

ehibited at the 3enice iennale of

Architecture% pen

4oundation in %

Another interesting theme brought out in her architectural creation is titled

#@ibert$# which presents a reading place as a free book free librar$ where individuals

can #sit and read whatever the$ wish to#% 8his creation is built with three t$pes of trees

fied in the centre of a suare space% 8he trees- #trunks and branches# are made from

steel and the leaves made of salvaged books with the floor made of concrete% 'itting

under the shade of this tree people could indulge in conversation or read a book with

the gentle wind blowing through the leaves% 8his was ehibited at the *laca de 'alvador

'egui in arcelona during .uneB'eptember !1C%

Kundoo taught at the 8echnical 0niversit$erlin and armstadt in &esse during

!!D% 'he worked as Assistant *rofessor at *arsons 8he


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PROJECTSRESIDENCES

PAUL AND CLAUDINES RESIDENCE

AUROVILLE

8he inhabitants wanted a simple and

compact little house in Auroville to address

their simple needs a living dining and

kitchen area on the ground floor% A

bedroom with an attached bath and

dressing area on one side a little terrace

with a mini pool on the other on the first

floor%

8he living area is raised and is

surrounded b$ three alcoves with rough

granite cills% 8here is a direct contact with

the open kitchen and the living area with the entrance and dining areas between them%

;arm earth colours define the mood of the house the walls being built with cement

stabilised rammed earth from the site and a similar shade of pigment used as the I*'

floor finish%


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Figure 4 : www.anupamakundoo.com


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A staircase without handrails in the

same finish takes one to the upper floor% 8he

bedroom is on a raised platform and tucked

partl$ into the bed alcove% 'torage space is

claimed below the platform% 8he bed overlooksa little opento sk$ terrace with a reall$ tin$

pool a little bigger than a bathtub primaril$ for

chilling out in the hot weather% 8he garden is

watered out of this pool dail$% Gough granite

that is used as coping slabs contributes to the

outdoor feeling%

8he bathroom and dressing area are

also ver$ simple the surfaces finished with

stucco plaster containing marble dust% 8heupper floor is characterised b$ the warmth lent

to its white walls b$ the terracotta under

surface of the insulated vault roof as well as

the earth coloured I*' floor finish%

4urniture is more or less avoided

deliberatel$ and most of the needs are met

with b$ builtin solutions% Alcoves cills

platforms and parapet heights take seating into account and one can sit comfortabl$ in

man$ places%

0ncluttered spaces have been created devoid of furniture so that in spite of

being small the space itself could be eperienced as the essential ualit$ rather than

the numerous ob"ects that one possesses and gathers in the course of living% 8his gives

the house a timeless ualit$% And gives the narrow spaces of the house the ualit$ of a


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Figure 5 : www.anupamakundoo.com



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much more generous space that is

flowing into each other in continuit$ which

is flowing freel$ between inside and

outside% 8his gives the inhabitants the

feeling of having space for their future

instead of the feeling that their space is

alread$ occupied with the things of their

past%

8he result is an elegance of beaut$

in simplicit$ revealing the underl$ing

nature of things rather than the superficial

details of their manifestation%


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Figure 7 : www.insideoutside.com


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THE WALL HOUSE

AUROMODELE, AUROVILLE

8he ke$ concept is that of the house asetending right into the landscape with no ph$sical

boundaries% Anupama conceived of the Hwall house? as

a line drawn in nature% 8he entrance is a dramatic

doubleheight soaring vaulted space% A narrow linear

block to one side of the entrance contains all the private

spaces% >n the first floor one sees the same linear

form used to house a bedroom dressing room and

terrace with a magical opentosk$ bathroom% Its narrow

dimensions are accented b$ a light air$ etension

framed in glass and metal (punched into the brick wall)that accommodates the bed%

8he design of the house ensures that the private

activities are

cocooned into

secluded secure spaces while

the public living areas are large

and open to nature% It is a

house contemporar$ in st$le

that could fit as well in a ruralor urban contet% 8he design is

the result of etensive research

and eperimentation b$

Anupama Kundoo in three main areas ecofriendl$ building materials and alternative

technologies that provide an imaginative option to current building trends energ$

efficienc$ and a climaticall$ responsive vocabular$% In addition Anupama also created

an infrastructure for the management of water waste and energ$% H>ur uest includes

making these techniues replicable in urban as well as rural areas? she sa$s%


Figure 8 : www.architectureau.com

Figure : www.dezeen.com


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HANDLING SPACE AND LIGHT

;ith the architecture of this house

Anupama has eplored alternative definitions of

space and a lifest$le that embodies

contemporar$ values within a rural setting% It is asimple house with clearl$ defined lines and

masses $et with a pla$ in volumes that makes it

hard to distinguish where the inside ends and the

outside begins% @ong steps which continue from

the inside onto the garden outside on both sides

create a further demarcation of spaces%

A dramatic soaring vaulted space

more than two store$s high marks the

entr$ point% 8his is a transition spaceetending into the landscape a living

space with no ph$sical boundaries% 8o the

right a narrow linear concrete block in

eposed brick runs from north to south%

.ust % m wide inside this block contains

all the private space in the house% >n the

ground floor are a storeroom kitchen and

dining area while at the rear is another

room with a direct eternal access%

A freestanding H:ig:ag? flight of polished

green painted concrete stairs leads to the first floor where the same linear form

embraces a stud$ a bedroom a dressing room and an eternal terrace with a magical

opentosk$ bathroom% It is almost like a corridor indeed so narrow that to

accommodate the bed and the dining space a light glass and metal framed etension is

plugged into the eternal wall to the east of the brick tube% 8he bedroom with glass

louvres on three sides completel$ opens out under the canop$ of an old tree while the

private side of the wall (to the west) opens out into a Cmwide doubleheight verandah

which is protected b$ thin steel mesh on a wooden structure% 8hus this area is full of

natural glarefree light and allows one to en"o$ the sunsets from here% 'a$s Anupama

H8he design of the house ensures that the private activities are cocooned into secluded

secure spaces while the public living areas are large and open to nature%?


!


Figure 1! : www.anupamakundu.com



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CONSTRUCTION SYSTEMS

Anupama has scaled down the eposed

brick facades b$ using local achakal bricks of

the same 12 cm 1! cm %D cm dimensions used

in ancient times instead of the standard 5nglish si:e%

Geviving the use of these bricks she hasset them with

raked "oints in lime mortar to which 1!J cement has

been added for initial setting strength% 8he thickness of

the walls varies between ! ! and 1! cm with speciall$ designed bonds as the$ do

not follow the usual 1 proportions% 8he foundations are of cementstabili:ed rammed

earth B the earth having been procured from the same foundation pits% It comes as no

surprise that Anupama has also eperimented with different roofing s$stems% /atenar$

vaults of hollow cla$ tubes have been used for climatic insulation which also eliminates

the need for structural steel that one sees in roofs toda$% 8here are vaults in the ground

floor where achakal bricks are used as structural supports% 8he flat terraced roof overthe guest room has been built b$ using hollow burnt cla$ trape:oidal etruded modules

over partl$ precast beams as in the "ack arch B these modules were speciall$

manufactured locall$ for the purpose of finding insulated roofing solutions to flat roofs%

4or the intermediate floor Anupama used terracotta pots as fillers to increase the

effective depth of concrete while minimi:ing the volume of concrete and steel in the

slabs that did reuire to be insulated% H>ne of our aims was to demonstrate that

structural materials can also be used as finishing materials%?

CLIMATIC RESPONSE


"

Figure 13 :

www.upcommons.upc.edu


9/17

8he plan of the house

with its narrow spaces responds

to the hot and humid climate of

the region as it allows maimum

crossventilation% Aligned along

a southeast northwest ais the

house has small openings in

front and large openings at the

rear to create effective air

channels which optimi:e

ventilation% 8he doubleheight volume enhances the air stack movement and increases

the upward drafts of the ventilation% 8he hot air rising inside the covered spaces is

forced out through openings in the vault and as the roofs are also designed to be

insulating heat radiation is minimi:ed%

#LOW O# SPACE

8he interior blends with and

enhances the architecture and the

landscape% In fact the whole house is

planned in such a wa$ that there is no

segregation between the interior the

eterior the built form and the landscape%

'a$s Anupama H8he interiors are not

perceived as furnished areas with LuntrueM

decorative ob"ects but as spaces with a

distinct ualit$%? In the entrance to the dining

area stands a table rec$cled out of a single

old rosewood column% 8he natural teture and surface of the wood is left as it is and the

table can be reassembled back again to the form of the original log% Another stud$ table

is built out of a rec$cled teak beam inserted into the wall it uietl$ blends into the

architecture%


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CONTE%T AND APPROPRIATENESS

@ocated in a reforested Auroville

communit$ the house is tucked awa$ in a corner

and manages to create for itself a private open

space on one side to which it opens out% 8heHwall? is like a line drawn in nature which

separates the private and public spaces%

Anupama sums it up H8his eperimental house

continues Auroville?s legac$ as a laborator$ for

eperiments in space form engineering and

living%

HUT IN PETITE #ERME

AUROVILLE

8hese houses is the most basic

simple dwelling consisting of a thatch roof

(woven coconut leaves) supported on

untreated casuarina members that are tied

together in place with coconut ropes%

8he structure stands on rough granite

stilts that prevent the termites from reaching

the wood% 8he upper floor is made of splitsupari or pakamaram stems that are also

tied on with rope%

,ranite pillars are further used to create graded transition between the inside and

the outside to include court$ards in the living or private opentosk$ spaces in the bath

areas%8his is a house that has a low impact on the environment harmoniousl$ blending

into the nature and totall$ dependant on the sun for its electrification and water heating

demands%

HEMANT AND DIVYAS RESIDENCE

AUROVILLE


1&

Figure 16 : www.upcommons.upc.edu

Figure 17 : www.anupamakunda.com



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'ince he had first come to Auroville

&emant had lived for several $ears in a

ver$ simple thatch hut on granite pillars

simpl$ tied together with coconut rope "ust

like man$ others do in their earl$ $ears in

Auroville% &owever after those initial $ears

the$ looked forward to living in a house that

offered more permanance and comfort%

>utdoor areas freel$ penetrate the indoors

and there are two court$ards enclosed

within the ground floor b$ arranging simple

rough granite pillars in a series one as an

etension to the bathroom to provide it with

a patch of earth and sk$ and the other

ad"oining the living room incorporating a

small water tank that can be use in

summers to dip in before the water is taken

to sustain the garden% 8he "oists were cut out of reall$ old (around D! $ears old)

casuarina trees and are far stronger than people epect at that age% /asuarina as it is

mostl$ known for its use as scaffolding and for temporar$ building works is usuall$

harvested at three to seven $ears%

8he transition spaces between the house and the garden are naturall$

landscaped in an unnoticeable wa$ mainl$ consisting of the same repetitive elements

brick paving granite benches and pillar screens boulders and pebbles%


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HOUSING PROJECTS

VOLONTARIAT HOME #OR HOMELESS CHILDREN

PONDICHERRY

8hese homes are planned to

accommodate 1D children and D foster

parents% 8his pro"ect was built using a rare

technolog$ pioneered b$ Ga$ +eeker of

,olden ridge *otter$ which consists of

baking a mud house insitu after constructing

it% A fired house or a fireestablished mud

house is in principle a mud house built with

mud bricks and mud mortar that is cookedafter building as a whole to achieve the

strength of brick%

8he interior space of the structure is

stuffed with further mud bricks or other

ceramic products such as tiles and fired as

if it were a kiln% 8$picall$ kiln walls absorb

about C!J of the heat generated% In this

technolog$ the house is the kiln and the

Hheat loss? is directed towards firing thehouse and stabili:ing it from water damage%

8he fuel cost is largel$

accountable to the products inside%

8he strength of brick in principle would be achieved for the piece of mud% 4urther the

cement in the mortar mi would become

unnecessar$% 8his technolog$ involves almost

onl$ labour with ver$ little spent of

Hpurchased? materials% 8hus the mone$ spent

remains in the local econom$ and it enrichesit% 8he house becomes a producer of

sustainable building materials instead of

being a consumer%


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Figure 2! : www.anupamakunda.com



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8he house takes B C da$s to burn% /atenar$ shaped domes are used to get the

best structural stabilit$ before firing when it

functions as an earth building during firing

which is an unstable stage of vitrification process and after firing as a brick load bearing

structure% 8he domes are various si:es according to the cluster program which includes

one foster parent per C children% A social pro"ect with cost as a ma"or aspect that

informed design the pro"ect uses man$ unconventional materials as well as absorbs

urban waste% ic$cles wheel frames were used as formwork for windows and later as

window grills% ,lass bottles were used as structural units for masonr$ in toilet areas%

,lass chai cups were used to finish the openings at the top of the dome% 8his highl$

eperimental pro"ect is an eample of radical thinking that is being eplored to approach

the problem of affordabilit$ of housing for all and more over integrall$ sustainable in all

its aspects%

SANGAMAM COST E##ICIENT HABITAT

AUROVILLE

'angamam is situated at the outskirts

of Auroville in an area affected b$

environmental and social problems

including water scarcit$ saline water

intrusion soil erosion and declining soil

fertilit$ unemplo$ment and inadeuate

housing educational and medical facilities%

'oil from the site has been

laborator$tested and found to

be suitable for the construction

of load bearing walls% 8he ageold rammed earth building techniue is introduced in a

more sophisticated form with cement stabilisation to achieve better standard of finish

more strength and waterresistance and enabling a uicker modular method of building%

4ive per cent of cement is added in the sieved earth to make the mass waterresistant

thereb$ significantl$ adding to the wet compressive strength of the material%

Goofs are constructed using terracotta filler slabs bricks as "ack arches and

conical hollow vault elements designed specificall$ to achieve an affordable solution

with low environmental impact that is beneficial to generate local emplo$ment% 8he low

cost housing scheme is provided with ecofriendl$ building infrastructure for rain water

harvesting%


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Figure 22 : www.architects"india.org

Figure 23 : www.inside"outside.com

Figure 24 : www.insideoutside.com


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PUBLIC BUILDINGS

SRI AUROBINDO WORLD

CENTRE #OR HUMAN UNITY

AUROVILLE

5fficient structural design can lead with

substantial savings in steel and cement the two most

commonl$ used high energ$ materials% A circular open pavilion of 16 meters diameter is

supported b$ some additional service rooms% After several iterations the concept chosen

for eecution was the one that used 7D cubic meters of G// instead of 1D cubic

meters amounting to substantial savings% 8he structural s$stem has a ma"or influence

on the architectural form and space%

Inspired b$ the work of *ier @uigi


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glass covered opening in the center in the roof allows da$light to enter at the centre of

the space emphasi:ing the vertical central unif$ing force% 8he sunra$s strike the lines of

inlaid stainless steel that make the pattern on the stone floor%

8he circle is chosen to contain

the shape of the hall to emphasi:eunit$% 'itting around a circle ever$one

is focused on the center where the

point of unit$ lies% 8he amphitheater

steps ripple outwards and tend to

change its shape from circle towards a

suare% 8he last step is a suare with

rounded corners to impl$ that the

ripples ma$ etend even be$ond the

ph$sical centre of unit$%

IMPORTANT #EATURES

N 8he structural members being important

elements of the design contribute to the

overall aesthetics of the building% 8he

structure is an interesting combination of bold

curves of the roof and floor which are linked

b$ sharp and angular columns with

Haerod$namic? beams% 8he circular roof slabbeing a strong element of the building has a

ver$ d$namic look emphasi:ed b$ its lighting

pattern of lights like an illuminated disc at

night% 8he meeting hall epands on three

sides onto open to sk$ amphitheaters% 8hese are linked to the main structure b$

concrete bridges on the peripheral water channel% 8hese outside spaces allow the

meeting activities to spill over onto the surrounding landscape with earth berms on all

the sides acting as transition spaces%

N ;ater bod$ water bodies around the hall maintaining the uiet and calm atmosphere

of the building% 8he waterspouts of the roof slab deliver the natural water to the water

bod$ on four sides%

TECHNOLOGY


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Figure 28 : www.design#oom.com


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'loping and eposed concrete columns reduce the span of the roof slab B

forming an individual member of the structure%

'hape of the radial beams supporting

the slab is based on design efficienc$ thus

using ver$ "udiciousl$ onl$ the minimumuantit$ of concrete% 8he shape also adds to

the aesthetical ualit$ b$ softening harsh

edges%

0se of 4errocement mould as Hlost

shuttering? for the beams giving an even

finish and reducing the cost of shuttering%

/orner of slabs are reinforced using

diagonal steel bars for stiffening thus shifting the point of support inside for reducing thespan without increasing the effective depth and corresponding volume of concrete%

Inverted circular beams at inner and outer rings of the disc further stress the

lightness of the structure as seen from below and give the impression that each of the

radial beams are stand alone connected onl$ b$ the slab% 8he effect is even more

d$namic%


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

WEBSITES

httpOOwww%indianarchitects%comOenOanupama

kundooOsourceindePupdatedPnew httpOOwww%slideshare%netOssleleCD6Oaurovillearchitecture

httpOOwww%italcementigroup%comO

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