Designed for Magic Bus, an NGO which seeks to educate children through outdoor "experiential" learning, the Laureus Foundation sponsored Learning Pavilion is partly a building, partly a challenge course, an interactive building used as a gathering space and play area for Mumbai`s underprivileged children. It is situated near Mumbai at the foot of the Western Ghats and is designed to accommodate a wide variety of activities such as team building workshops, group discussions, craft classes, raft building and climbing.     Architecture BRIO located the Learning Pavilion on a confluence of four important landscape elements: a seasonal stream turns around a hillock and culminates in a river while flanging an existing soccer field. These elements are emphasized by strategically placing the various activities of the Learning Pavilion on either side of the banks of the stream.    Access and circulation to the two decks on the upper floor of the pavilion is provided through the hilled topography as well as wooden climbing ladders. Tucked away below one deck inside the hill are the toilet facilities for the pavilion. The cantilevered timber deck across the stream is connected with a custom-made timber and steel ropes bridge which makes the otherwise conventional passage from one activity space to another an exciting event. It also becomes a viewing gallery, from which to instruct and cheer climbers using the Jacob`s ladder. Below the timber deck a water sport storeroom is enclosed by a series of steel mesh double doors. The lightweight structure of the pavilion consisting of dark green painted steel columns and a 29-meter-long semi-transparent roof allows it to disappear in the background. The structure uses the least amount of materials while creating maximum amount of shaded spaces. In the summer months the pavilion creates a respite from the heat while natural breeze flowing from the river cools the covered spaces. During the monsoon months the pavilion becomes a dry space to take cover from heavy rains. Encouraging children to find their own path up down and across the pavilion through various ways, it challenges them to overcome boundaries. It integrates sport and activity as an integral part of the architecture, bringing to life Magic Bus`s philosophy of social change through sport. Through play, the children learned discipline, improved self-esteem, hygiene, and understood the importance of respecting team members and opponents in a healthy competitive environment.  Sport sessions provided an opportunity to express themselves, release their pent-up energy and be a part of the larger community.

Magic Bus Campus, Karjat

Magic Bus Pavilion

The site of the Mumbai Artist Retreat on the other side of Mumbai Bay is typical in that respect. Since it is relatively difficult to get to, it still has a rural, agricultural character. More so in contrast to the rest of Mumbai, it still has somewhat of a shoreline to speak of. Here, the Mumbai Artist Retreat intends to become a place where artists can work in a spacious, natural environment. A place that is away from the heavy physical and psychological demands of the global metropole. However, with the skyline of Mumbai across the bay, it still feels connected with the city. The site is a low-lying coconut palm plantation located near a beach. Because of a decreasing ground water table, it suffers from saline groundwater in the summer months. To replenish the groundwater table with sweet water, a water harvesting pond in the middle of the site recharges the groundwater table. In addition, the pond attracts a significant number of fish and bird life. Across the length of the property, three zones define the programming of the site: the temporary residential zone, the workspace zone, and the residential zone for long-term accommodation. The program proposes a series of temporary structures to accommodate these activities. Considering the low soil bearing capacity and occasional flooding on the site, a nimble lightweight steel structure lifts the building off the ground. To further reduce the disturbance of the site during construction, the construction processes employed off-site manufacturing. Therefore, all the joints between the various steel components are designed as nut and bolt connections. The columns rest on stone boulders sourced from another construction project in the vicinity. A steel rod anchors the columns into a chiseled depression in the basalt boulders. This method of construction offers the option to reassemble the building on higher ground if desired. The Mumbai Artist Retreat is conceptualized as a community space. It is an art lab of sorts, that aims to bring together art, ecology, and society. It will bring people from diverse backgrounds together to engage in various forms of artistic expression creatively and critically. Therefore, the space will reflect the intention of &lsquo;coming together. Furthermore, it aims to inspire reflection, quietude, creativeness and belonging. A space where people can engage and immerse in nature and within themselves. The Artist workshop is a 12m x 10m &ldquo;tropical shed&rdquo; with two roofs that are each six-meter high. Two skylights chop off the pyramid-shaped roofs on the top. By shifting the roofs away from each other asymmetrically, they define the two spaces below from an experimental perspective. A storeroom with screen printing equipment creates an additional loft with a workspace on top of it. While the stilts, columns, and beams are made of galvanized steel, the roof structure is built of bamboo V-shaped beams. Indian bamboo often suffers from irregular shapes and diameters. To avoid the natural irregularity of the bamboo from becoming distractive, the layout of the rafters follows a zig-zag pattern. 

Toshniwal Bungalow, Bagdanda, Alibaug

Mumbai Artist Retreat

The firm works on a broad range of projects both in the public and private realm. The studio thrives in this wide variety and scales of its projects. Regardless of a project's scale, a common basis of the practice is its commitment to exemplary planning, design and execution. 

Architecture BRIO

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