Mixed-use Development: Parametricism and Autopoiesis
Location
Peelamedu, Coimbatore, India.
Year
2021
Category
Academic
Typology
Mixed use , Offices , Residential , Cultural , Commercial
The Site
The site is located on Avinashi Road in Peelamedu, one of Coimbatore's busiest and most significant areas. It is easily accessible from all major bus terminals and the airport. Educational institutions, hotels, hospitals, and shopping areas surround the site.
The selected site is owned by Radhakrishna Mills Pvt Ltd and has been unused for over a decade. Currently, there are proposals for a mixed-use development on this land.
Given its location in a mixed-use neighborhood, the site is ideal for such a development. The ongoing proposals for a mixed-use project on the site further validate the necessity of this initiative.
Autopoiesis
The concept of autopoiesis reflects the premise that the discipline of architecture can theorize as a distinct system of communications. Autopoiesis means self-production. The concept was first introduced within biology to describe the essential characteristic of life as a circular organization that reproduces all its most specific necessary components out of its life process.
Parametricism
Parametricism emerges by creatively exploiting parametric design systems to articulate increasingly complex social processes and institutions. The program/style consists of methodological rules: some dictate what paths of research to avoid (negative heuristics), and others dictate what paths to pursue (positive heuristics).
Direct Network Diagram
To generate a force-directed input drawing, we use the spaces and their connectivity relationships as input, and spaces with higher-priority relationships drive the output.
Indirect Network Diagram
This network demonstrates indirect or relatively less important connectivity. When factored into the above network, it may lead to chaos because it's not possible to satisfy all the relationship conditions unless we create multiple entities of the same space.
Base Grid
The first step of the design development involves establishing the base grid of 8mx8m. The grid size is based on the shortest dimension of the apartment unit. The orientation of the grid is based on its angle to the local wind direction.
Paths & Access
After establishing the base grid, you must determine the access and paths for pedestrian and vehicular movement. This process will split the unified grid into multiple blocks based on the requirements and design parameters.
Voxel
With the grids and the paths established, the 2-D grid is converted into a 3-dimensional grid (voxel). The extrusion height is determined by the height restrictions and the individual floor height requirements, which define the number of floors in the building.
Rotation
Once the voxel is established, each 3-D cell is linked to its corresponding floor plates, and the center of rotation is established. This step is crucial for the processes that follow.
Optimization
With the center of rotation established, the orientation of the individual floor plates (from level 2 onwards) can be optimized. The range of rotation is restricted by the limits of rotation of the wind parameter.
Iteration
The final stage of development involves creating a loop that rotates each floor within its limits, minimizing the building's net heat gain. This loop determines the bounds and rotation of each floor plate, which is used for the planning stage.
Programme
Residential
(40% | 64,392m2)
Studio (7.5%) | 60m2 | 34
2 BHK (30%) | 130m2 | 63
3 BHK (30%) | 165m2 | 50
4 BHK (7.5%) | 200m2 | 10
EWS (25%) | 40m2 | 173
Commercial & Office
(40% | 64,392m2)
Commercial (20% | 32,196m2 ) - Cafeterias, Restaurants, Bars, Retail
Office (20% | 32,196m2 )
Miscellaneous
(15% | 24,147m2)
Library
Auditorium
Cinema (multiplex)
Amphitheater
Day-care
Bus-stop
Amenities & Services
(5% | 8,049m2)
Indoor sports area
Outdoor sports area
Kid’s play area
Sewage treatment plant
Drinking water treatment plant