Face-to-face Tete-a-Tete Ar. Yatin Pandya is an author, activist, academician, researcher as well as the practising architect, with his firm FOOTPRINTS E.A.R.T.H. (Environment Architecture Research Technology Housing). Graduate of CEPT university, Ahmedabad he has availed Master of Architecture degree from McGill University, Montreal. Yatin has been involved with city planning, urban design, mass housing, architecture, interior design, product design as well as conservation projects. In conversation with Ar. Yatin Pandya n a face-to-face conversation with child, it also enabled me to utilize GLITZ for the Tete-a-Tete Talk creativity as a tool to address the series, Ar. Yatin Pandya sheds light scarcity o f reso u rces I upon his holistic approaches in prevailed; I would make toys from architecture. Excerpts are here… waste, so you can say frugality was also one of the virtues embedded Thank you for having this interview early on. One of the instances which with us. As it is believed that our would inspire me to be an architect took place when I was just 11 years childhood experiences stick with us for old. Our house was being built, and years and continue to influence us, let's the design was start by telling us a bit about your engineer, but he practiced as an background and how has it shaped your architect. This philosophy as an architect. intrigued me and inspired me at the Life is a series of instances, same time. observations and facts which has a I began studying architecture as an profound impact on the way we undergraduate, and then I had the think. Growing up in a joint family opportunity to further my education had led to me to realize the abroad. I ended importance of collective consensus Montreal, Canada. where 'I' alone don't matter, these undergraduate study, values of sharing and caring exchange program led me to the prepared me for the future. As a T June 2022 wh ich Kritika Juneja Ar. Kritika Juneja an Architecture created by an Journalist with GLITZ architecture & interiors magazine and Founder entire episode Arch Valor, has an aim to bridge the gap between creator and the creations, thus uplifting art, architecture and critics and Tete-a- Tete with architects is yet another step to develop a cross-cultural up doing it in dialogue and bring the local During my architects, artists across the globe a student and their philosophies to light. Swiss Institute, it was my first experience traveling outside India and it led me to see and experience life from a different perspective b e ca u s e t h e way o f l i fe i n Switzerland as also the culture was unlike what I had experienced back in India. The best part of being overseas was also the fact that it reaffirmed the values I had grown up with. It allowed me to see them in an objective context. When I was able to see the meaning of the values, I inherited from the Indian traditions I was keen to know more about our roots and context. create a holistic beneficial package in some ways. For example, in a hot and humid climate, if you dress sparingly, you allow for natural ventilation, and my naive interpretation is that warmer the climate, the spicy the food, so that you have evaporative through perspiration, or you have an accessory, like here in Gujarat, a swing, so that when you swing, what the fan does with the electric power is what you do with the muscle Looking at your each project made power. This is evaporative cooling, me feel like home. Maybe that's what perspiration provides real sustainability is, feeling comfort. So what I'm trying to say is comfortable the way you are. What is that it's not a your interpretation of sustainability and phenomenon, and a phenomenon how do you try to bring it into your for local circumstantial adjustment. projects. Almost every project you undertake In my view, sustainability starts has a unique name, rooted in tradition. or is a way of life. So how you conduct your daily routine, what What drives your choice of projects? Is it kind of clothes you choose, what because of your love for traditional kind of food you eat all add up to architecture? and mutually Each place has its own approach, but all within a broader context of being c o n t e x t u a l l y a p p r o p r i a t e , environmentally friendly, and socio culturally driven. While we never turned down a project, our legacy of tradition and sustainability has cooling brought us to where we are now. What makes it seem to come across is that we have chosen to use some of these lessons and understanding from our traditional wisdom and translate it where and to the extent why, through that its valid and applicable to our your body p ro j e c t . T h e E nv i ro n m e n t a l you with Sanitation Institute, for example, has a very modernistic aesthetic, with formula. It's a exposed brick architecture. It's a vaulted form, but every decision was based on traditional practices of keeping it resource-efficient. So rather than mourning our losses of or lack of resources, we celebrated it very judiciously, in fact, integrated in our space making. T June 2022
Could you walk us through the various stages of your design processes – concept, design, construction and completion of ludiya? What are the most important aspects that you consider while planning, which you feel lacks in modern architecture of today?
I think design begins with the interpretation of the project, and understanding the context. That way, there are never any preconceived ideas or concerns. Those five filters reflect what we do, so any project or brief that comes our way is run through these lenses, so that we can come up with real approach or direction, more than two words. What does it mean to kind of society or a context in a broader sense, so in that sense, we interpret that program, and then we analyze the site from different perspectives. And then come up with some kind of sequence and story. So that's where we say that architecture is a narrative. It's not just coordinating, but attempting to envision a sort of experiential journey. Ludiya elevation and sections Ludiya Planning
Manav Sadhna, as its name suggests, is a project reflecting ultimate peace that every human is striving for. Can you shed some light on its design concept?
As the name tells, Manav Sadhna is an NGO and the goal is to empower local squatter residents to educate themselves. They wanted to build a Multi Activity Center where in the morning it would be a school, and in the afternoon it was a training center for young ladies to gain employment and empower themselves. Since these were slums or squatter settlements, they had limited resources; they did not have much money, they did not have a lot of resources to build a home. So we used some of the recycled materials, but in a new way. Recycling Waste Materials Having a chance to demonstrate some of our lessons learned over three years of independent research on solid waste management and the dynamics of waste in urban areas w a s j u s t a c o i n c i d e n c e . I n Ahmedabad city, for example, we found that in 2005, 2600 tons of waste were produced, and this number has now grown to over 4000 tons daily, but what happens to that waste, hundreds of trucks pick it up from different parts of the city and dump it in a single dump fill site, which has become a seven-story mound of waste. So we studied each of this material, what happens to paper that it is picked up from a house, then it has been sorted and then it goes to each phase, what how much individually, people earn, how many cycles it goes through, for paper, wood, or carton for boxes, metal, glass, or plastic. So we did all these kinds of analysis to understand what really happens to this waste. This is how it was evaluated, through even empirical studies, that we had certification about its structural strength, compression strength, low levels of organic matter, inner material, etc. T June 2022 when you have these concerns of Being human and innate with humanity and environment, I think emotions, what role do emotions play in anything that you create, you filter it your design process? through those lenses, and you get an This isn't something you're acting answer, which first out, it's not something you're trying because those are to do to be a saint or a preacher .It's which have been true to you not ingrained in you, I believe. The kind having to adapt, of upbringing you could not afford to you've been raised. waste, for example, and therefore your value that even if you're doing Can you elucidate your project things for Ambani, there is no room Ujasiyu. What motivated you to for waste is something I bring up undertake it. again. Ultimately, I think the Ujasiyu in Gujrati means light and foundation for any development has ventilation. When you see urban to rest on two fundamental tenets or s e t t l e m e n t s , principles: optimal optimization and constrained, they conservation. One is human to constrained. So they build their own human, that it remains in harmony homes with deep long houses, and and the harmonious balance, and three sides as a common wall shared other is human to environment. So, T June 2022 with the neighbor. So, there's only one front side possibility of a window, that also being a narrow house, there is hardly much of a window. As a result, even in May afternoon, they have to run the electric bulb to illuminate the last rooms, because they are always pitched up with corrugated sheets. Even a fan won't suffice to relieve the heat, so they used excessive amounts of electric power, and not necessarily even using it, we feel afraid, or it is very gloomy. So we tried address fixing the ventilation through roof because there was no window available. So we created this dormer kind of a window onto the sloping roof which otherwise they have. So it was on the existing condition simply an in situ adaptation and sort of replacement of that sheet with a dormer sheet which we did with a fiberglass translucent thing which the Mahila Housing Trust from originally save as tree developed as a cottage industry.
With this small design intervention, we were able to influence the lives of people in very different ways, such as the average monthly electricity bill was reduced to 200 Rupees and satisfies you with less stress on eyes, they were the concerns able to work and study for longer hours. but that's how Would you like to share the best piece of advice you ever got which also acted as a path breaker for either your career or your life?
Instead of advice, it came as a bit of learning the hard way. There were several instances in which you were t h e y ' r e s p a c e rejected, opposed, or sidelined for have resource wrong reasons. And that gives me a sense of challenge, literally, in fact, not just challenge, but retribution as well. For example, one of my classes, was more of a search on those kinds, the teachers, I got a very different that what are those principles that breed denied expect a lower than we can imbibe today, that we do not what I'd expected, you know, and I have to emulate the elements, the went to challenge that, and the materials, or the technique, but on professor is just simply to defend the experiential level, how do we itself, he says that it's a seminar create these spaces. course, and you will not work on. I came up with Normally I'm shy in parties; I like to approaches to design, and one of be in the corner. I'm not saying that I them was the theme of sequential didn't take part in lectures and unfolding, where it engages you like questions. In fact, I did that the most, a treasure hunt, and you go, and but it was a small error which they then once you reach the destination, didn't want to admit. So I made it a the next clue, Indian architecture point to be loudest, and that has been that whole layering of changed me. As you face some of spaces, having these challenges, do not argue with thresholds, and them, but rather say to yourself, experience it. "Yes, I am, so I will analyze it. This is the right way. The concept of space was a search for a kind of Your two most famous books aesthetic perception "Concepts of Space in Traditional Indian a b o u t t h e a g e l e s s Architecture" and 'Elements of Space architecture you find in y e s t e r y e a r s . Making" examine the diversity of spaces e l e m e n t s o f in India. Can you give us a brief overview making were, again, an of the books and what challenges you investigation that faced while writing them. these are basically, if you When we began our research, we did examine the postmortem not have any support. So we and assembly of continued to do it on the back components, and burner. So it was more of a personal element has a specific quest to try and understand the non- task. I thought it's a good standards that are relevant to India. idea to understand the The buildings of yesterday continue p r i m a r y r o l e to inspire people, and most of the e l e m e n t s p l ay, tourism in India is to look at the windows have been the ruins, which are not even available to eye of the wind, same visit. Yet we get excited about it. It's way sunscreen, what iron obsolete, yet we feel passionate is, air passage. about it. Even by virtue of being functionally obsolete, even by virtue Being an author of of transcending that time and kind of many books and research context, they still become places of papers, I would like to know interest. You can even today, y o u r t h o u g h t s experientially engage with them, documenting and writing even without historic background architecture. Why do you and without guided stories, purely as feel communicating about a space in which you can enjoy a r c h i t e c t u r e yourself and feel its impact. There important and where do you feel we are lacking as a nation. This kind of training or mentality can be hard to cultivate. Firstly, as I mentioned, the architecture of yester year or the architecture of different regions outside the a few of these vernacular has been so diverse. Secondly, the architecture of those times had those three performance parameters of timeless aesthetics, social relevance, and environmental sustainability. To understand them, we must acknowledge that they exist, provide us with some kind of a number of document, and then we must you have to analyze and interpret. T h e s p a c e all the each t h e s e l i ke o n i s s o T June 2022