From Barcelona to BDD Chawl

Walking into the lobby of a Juhu hotel a clutch of young students could be mistaken for an advertisement for the United Nations UN or for the United Colours of Benetton Nine architecture students from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia Barcelona IAAC are in the city to study how urban renewal projects are taking place here Kiara D Seda T Chenghuai Z Caglar G Mayra L Rahul P Sherine Z Mohit C and Ilkim E come from Turkey Lebanon India Italy Sri Lanka and China Two boys from India Rahul from Belgaum and Mohit from Sangli add a desi dash to these fine nine Master Coordinator IAAC Marco Ingrassia is part of the teamStudents speak about their impressions of Maximum City PicSayed Sameer AbediTheir focus is one of the most ambitious proposed redevelopment projects in the city the Bombay Development Directorate BDD Chawl These students have been visiting the BDD Chawl in Worli especially to see not just the physical structure and how people inhabit these spaces but study about how they are planning redevelopment what changes redevelopment brings to BDD Chawl residents not just physical but mentally tooThis proposed revamp will be Mumbairsquos biggest redevelopment projectTheir Academic Director IAAC Areti Markopoulou of Greek origin talks about ldquosustainable designrdquo but says in response to a question that it does not simply mean going green but we ldquowere also looking at BDD Chawl Worli where we can generate common spaces as creative hubs and to facilitate social interaction Todayrsquos living spaces need place for water recycling places where people can grow their own food with good design this is possible in an urban setting toordquoThe students said that they are going beyond brick n mortar of the current structures or redevelopment to look at ldquothe social aspect of how people live It was so interesting to see how houses within the chawl had been extended for those few extra precious feet of spacerdquo they explained The nine said that in their envisioned redevelopment simply everything should not be demolished ldquosome common spaces must remain It was fascinating to see how they maintain the templerdquo With regular visits to the chawl the group learnt that ldquosome parts may be structurally unsaferdquo There is also some concern about hygiene within ldquowe see poor amenities in patches Yet being with the residents for a period of time we have learnt about their dreams from the proposed redevelopment and certain apprehensions they have especially during the proposed redevelopment periodrdquo It is not surprising to see that in a city where space is always at a premium bigger houses are on top of the wish list ldquobut we know that urban design means having space to incorporate small business small terraces for urban agriculture lsquovertical farmingrsquo as it is called and cultural spaces within the redevelopment model itselfrdquoThe students go back end of this week to Spain and to their books They will use BDD Chawl as a case study in their course ldquoWe will make models seen through 3D of our vision for the chawl where there will be an effort to incorporate what we have seen and of course heard from people hererdquo It is evident that these are not mere design students but weavers and makers of dreams who will strive to incorporate contemporary trends design and aspirations of residents into a feasible structure or plan for their reinterpretation of these chawls developed by the British in the 1920s In an earlier report this paper had visited the Worli housing enclave where it was evident that youngsters were happy thinking about a nifty new address without the word lsquochawlrsquo in it separate toilets and elevators would give them the status they did not have till now Yet there was some trepidation over how much space they will be allotted besides outgoing costs once redevelopment is over Over the years almost all rooms in the chawl have been extended Currently residents pay approximately R20 per month to the Public Works DepartmentMeanwhile for these visitors the chawl was their focus but they were looking at the entire city through a professional lens When asked to step out of the hotel they were staying in for a photograph for this paper the architecture students looked at the buildings surrounding their Juhu hotel rather than the beach which is the typical touristy thing to doWhen asked about what in the city caught their eye they stated ldquoMumbai is fascinating what strikes one is modern towers next to slumsrdquo Just as one was tempted to say now that is typical tourist observation came the tweak in this old tale ldquowhat takes one aback is that there is no transition height It is extreme from tall towers to ground level or onestorey structuresrdquoThey pack their bags with memories this weekend In their presentation they are going to go beyond cement to visualise a new housing project keeping in mind that old structures may be demolished but in the new avataar a part of their soul must be retained