Universal Design Innovation at SPA Bhopal Under DIC Project by MoE

Berkeley Prize Teaching Fellowship of Inclusive Design-Publication

http://www.berkeleyprize.org/downloads/files/global/MANUSCRIPT.pdf

SPA Bhopal Receives Universal Design Award

Universal Design Awards 2012 and 2013, given by then Minister, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, instituted by NCPEDP, Mphasis and Access Ability.

Integral Studio on Inclusive Design of Temporary Shelters at Kumbh Site at Ujjain

OBJECTIVES:

The integral studios are conducted at SPA-Bhopal to encourage students to interact vertically and horizontally within a programme and with other programmes offered at the school. The students make interclass multi-disciplinary teams to work on a project. Taking the opportunity and challenge of upcoming Simhasta in 2016, the two week intense integral studio would be conducted (27^th August to 4^th September) with universal design (UD) focus. The proposed studio will explore equal opportunity problems at Simhasta for diverse users, irrespective of age, ability, gender, class, caste, religion, poverty, literacy, urban/rural background. The objectives of the studio include:

·         To identify the environmental challenges for diverse users visiting historic pilgrimage.

·         To identify other major environmental challenges associated with Simhasta.

·         To provide contextual and inclusive solution for most visited areas like sacred bath, associated rituals, information and basic amenities provided during Simhasta.

·         To develop a detailed proposal for temporary prototype shelters for Simhasta yatris.

STUDIO BRIEF:

During Simhasta-2016 the city is expected to receive 50 million floating population, which is almost 10 times of the total population of the city. To accommodate this floating population temporary infrastructure will be developed by the government and private bodies; this is a regular practice and is done at every Simhasta. There is a large expanse of crop land along the holy river Kshipra, which is acquired by the government every twelve years for the development of this temporary infrastructure.  The total estimated land needed to accommodate projected population in Simhasta is about 2,000 hectares. The integral studio teams would design temporary settlement in a site of 32 hectares next to the Kshipra river (please refer the enclosed site plan). The settlement will accommodate about 20,000 people and would have roads, pathways, open spaces, common facilities and all basic services. It would be planned in reference to the rituals of the holy bath, the Ujjain city and it’s planning during Simhasta. The temporary settlement for 20,000 people would have prototype shelters that could be repeated for every 1000 people. These shelters may further consist of modular units that may be repeated for different purposes in the site. Following are the requirements for one prototype shelter of every 1000 persons in the site, the students would make detailed area program with the help of standards:

·         Road network: roads, parking (if required), pedestrian pathways etc.

·         Accommodation: 80 single family units and 70 dormitories for10 people each

·         Common facilities:  Annakshetra (Dining facility 1/1000) , Dugdhakendra ( Milk booth 1/ 1000), information booths (2 for1000), security booths (2 for1000), medical unit (1/1000), shops (1/1000), NGO offices (1/1000), Sermon hall (for pravachan/religious discourses 1/10,000), exhibition space (1/10,000)

·         Basic services: urinals, toilets, drinking water facilities, electricity for accommodation units, street lights, sanitation, solid waste disposal etc. 

·         Others:  open spaces for ventilation, kirtan and other community activities; provisions for traffic control, crowd monitoring, law, order and security

THE INTEGRAL STUDIO CORE TEAM:

Dr. Ajay Khare, Prof. Savita Raje, Dr. Rachna Khare, Prof. Sandeep Sankat, Prof. Gaurav Singh, Dr. Devarishi Chaurasia, Dr. Nataraj Kranthi, Prof. Sandeep Arora, Prof. Sushil Solanki, Mr. Amit Khare.

Berkeley Prize Teaching Fellowship 2013

SPA Bhopal receives Berkeley Prize Teaching Fellowship 2013 on ‘Universal Design for Cultural Interface at Sacred Site of Ujjain’

The studio will explore equal opportunity problems at Ujjain, with an overall aim to focus on ‘user centered approach’ to design for diverse users, irrespective of age, ability, gender, class, caste, religion, poverty, urban/rural background. It will also offer training in universal design through academic courses entrenched in designing for diversity, involving users and those servicing them. The objectives of the studios include: 1) Identify the environmental challenges for diverse users visiting historic pilgrimage site. 2) Identify universal design opportunities with focus on diversity in the Indian context. 3) To create enabling designs for most used facilities for everyone, like information area, sacred bath, sacred circumambulatory path and temporary shelter. 4) To develop innovative and contextual research tools to investigate design problems in India and employ practice-based approaches to social inclusion in guidance of universal design and heritage experts. 5) Publish educational process and outcomes for the universal design teaching community in India. 

	Design Exercise	Duration	No. of Students	Semester	Credits
Regular Studio Exercise-I	Interpretation Center at Ujjain with Universal Design (UD) Focus	12 weeks	75 students (of third year)	From July 2013 to December 2013	2+1=3 Credits
Integral Studio Exercise-I	Temporary Shelters for Diverse Visitors (yatri) during Kumbh Festival	2 weeks	225 students (of all years)
Regular Studio Exercise-II	Redevelopment of Shipra River Front (ghats) for Universal Usability	12 weeks	75 students (of third year)	From January 2014 to July 2014	2+1=3 Credits
Integral  Studio Exercise-II	UD for Sacred Circumambulatory paths (parikrama) at Kumbh	2 weeks	225 students (of all years)

Cricket Match with Arushi and Ability Unlimited

Miracles on Wheels @ SPA Bhopal