JAIPUR BELT: THE ARAVALLI EDGE
Fall 2020 Graduate Research Studio, Professor Iñaki Alday, Tulane University
Group project with Andrew Porten, M.ArchII
Group project with Andrew Porten, M.ArchII
This studio explored possible urban and architectural strategies to
resolve current climate, social, and demographic crises in Jaipur. The
methodology used was an extension of the Yamuna River Project and conducted in
parallel with a research studio at the University of Virginia.
source: gobindram + oodeyram, hawa mahal, british library, 1900s.
early concept: a line in the aravalli
hills surround Jaipur on its northern and eastern sides
its red rock, seasonal green coat, and historic forts
can be seen from around the city
any interaction with this symbol
should remain unobtrusive
guiding the eye instead of absorbing it
early concept: a line in the aravalli
hills surround Jaipur on its northern and eastern sides
its red rock, seasonal green coat, and historic forts
can be seen from around the city
any interaction with this symbol
should remain unobtrusive
guiding the eye instead of absorbing it
discovering a historic precedent for water catchment on the Aravalli hills... now left unused
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traces of walls catching water at highest altitude + redirecting to nahargarh fort
google earth, 2019
original catchment + drainage system
rajputana topographical survey map, 1884
After preliminary economic/historical research and discoverieson
urban ecologies, industrial sectors, and spatial patterns of urban population growth, on-site visits
to Jaipur were chosen around the edge where satellite imagery sources pointed
to large informal settlements. Realities on the ground proved to be much worse
and more complex than imagined (bien sur...), which transformed the original concept of a
water catchment pedestrian path on the edge of the Aravalli mountains into an entire
urban strategy, layered with systems positioned incrementally from the edge of
the Aravalli to the “formal” city.
primary site: informal settlements in south-east jaipur
section of current site conditions: synthesis of research + on-site obervations
on-site recording of various drain conditions, from formal road to open drainage lakes
