Companion

Companion is a concept bag that is multipurpose for travelers as it follows the circular design philosophy. During the research, I observed that travel is of no use when kept at home. They usually are kept on the top of the cupboard until and unless we use them while traveling. It takes up space, the material gets deteriorated eventually affecting the life of the bag. I followed the circular design philosophy to design this product and tested it with some monster prototypes and 3D visualization.

Library Pod

It all started with my father, saying when there is bus stops in each village then there should be a library stop too.” This is the vision shared by our patron, an artist Rajshri Deshpande. She is also the founder of Nabhangan foundation. The design conceived as Knowledge pod. A place to learn, contemplate & play all around. Pod has potential to form communal space, where villagers with diverse age can gather, accomplish the reading habit and also a perfect setting for storytellers too. A deliberate attempt to insert the library pod within the existing rural school & our intent is to shape it as part of the school & surrounding. Pod amidst existing rain tree, pipal tree and also encircled by graffiti art works created by local artist & students. It creates the colourful and shaded foreground. This inserted library pod serves as the two parallel worlds, A one being introverted book shelf & other as vibrant scribble or black board. Book shelf positioned to create intimate seating possibilities with existing steps around and rubber wood bench as part of the pod. The large overhang serves the purpose for seating area. Black board oriented towards larger shaded open space, Creates the place under shade to serve as outdoor classroom. A backdrop for early morning gatherings & lunch time play activities. Library pod Insert accomplishes the multifaceted activities for students and villagers.

Mission Mangal Yug Board Game

Mission Mangal Yug is a futuristic space-age board game that helps kids and adults experience interplanetary missions. It educates the players about science, the difficulties of such space programs which also involves multiple success and failures, and space exploration planning. The game is intended to be the first release, with advanced versions coming later, elevating it to the level of the board game community. The game is played simultaneously on 2 boards enhancing the idea of interplanetary space travel. The game combines competitive gaming with entertaining learning. The dice-based play on earth is inspired by scientific facts. The gameplay on Mars is tactical where one must compete, visualize future moves and anticipate opponent moves, and build a complete colony, here the resources become the currency for trading and building assets. This board game is designed and made in India, using earth-friendly paper-based boards, cards, and packaging manufactured with advanced technology. The key feature of the game is handcrafted rockets, assets, and pegs made by artisans of Channa Patna using traditional turned lacquer ware techniques and are colored using natural dyes and are eco-friendly and child safe. They are made using locally available soft wood called Ale Mara and uses natural lacquer and vegetable dyes like turmeric, spinach and indigo.

Sleefe

Sleefe is a specialised Internet of Things device that enables fast, accurate, and hands-free Video Calling, video recording, scanning without requiring any significant changes in user behaviour. It slides over to any cap/visor/bump cap and converts it into smart cap. Dual cameras with an ultra-wide Field of View are integrated, along with stereo speakers, 4G+LTE connectivity, GPS, an incredibly long battery life, IP 65 protection, and four programmable touch sensors. Based on business requirements, Sleefe provides on-board computing and AI algorithms with real-time access to the main backend dashboard. The sleefe was initially developed as a product to connect with users' one-way live video feeds, but as industrial use cases for things like food delivery, pilferage detection, POV video recording, on-site scanning, document capture, etc. proliferated, there was a significant increase in demand for the product. In accordance with industry requirements, the product is made to be strong and long-lasting. The material chosen for the application is Polycarbonate due to its high strength and industry acceptance. In terms of aesthetics, the product is unique due to its form. The mounting position gives it a very stable feed without 3D first person view fatigue and makes it quite comfortable to wear. Thanks to its mounting location above the neck, it imitates the motion of a gimbal.

Zella Immersion Water Heater

Zella immersion water heater addressed and resolved the problems related to installation challenges, safety hazards, storage difficulties, minimum heat control, and etc. - Ease of installation: The immersion water heaters (portable) need support to immerse the heating element in the bucket of water to heat it. Zella has flaps that open 90 degrees outwards to expose the heating element to water, and the flaps sit on any size of bucket’s(16-25L) rim to hold on to the middle of the bucket to provide uniform & quick heat. - Safe usage: The flaps keep the bucket safe from the heating element when installed. When the flaps are closed completely, it leaves no heating element exposed, and the smart switch will cut the power until the flaps are open completely. Clearance between the high heat resistant flaps and the heating element keeps the flap safe from melting. - Sensible Storage: Zella can be stored safely anywhere by just closing the flaps. And the flap allows wrapping the cord around to store when the heating element is hot. Zella's minimal footprint provides freedom to place anywhere in any position. - Temperature control: Zella has a temperature setting knob that allows controlling the temperature of water based on the needs. Auto cut-off shuts the electric power to the heating coil when the water reaches the desired temperature. The indicator on the top communicates the heating state.

Aankade

Aankade is a contemporary women's wear collection created by developing hand-woven fabric with Silk and Banana yarns. The surface of the fabric is hand painted and dyed with natural colors using Ajrakh craft techniques. There are seven styles with prints. 1. Concept: The concept behind the print development was to use real-life smartphone usage data from people and convert it into an interesting graphical representation. 2. Fabric Weaving Technique: The fabric is developed on handloom using Banana yarn in the weft and Silk in the warp. Plain, twill, and zig-zag twill weave were three weave variations woven. It resulted in interesting fabric fall, shine, and dye intake. 3. Fabric Printing: Handwoven banana silk fabric was processed through several stages of Ajrakh craft to create prints and dying of fabric. All the graphical representations were hand painted with natural colors and resist of Ajrakh. 4. Theme: The idea behind the theme aankade is to create awareness regarding smartphone usage. There was a sharp rise in the usage of smartphones during the covid period, and it made smartphones a necessary companion to deal with all sorts of situations. Things slowly went back to normal, but smartphone usage habits remained, and smartphone still consumes lots of time. Being mindful we can convert this overuse of phones to something useful like talking to our parents or our kids, planting a tree, or doing anything which can bring change in our lives.

Crafting Intangibles

Crafting Intangibles brings together a project resulting from an amalgamation of locally sourced materials, manual weaving on handloom, and some advanced materials and technology to create an artefact that is neither a piece of art nor a piece of technology when seen in isolation. The artefact exists in a symbiotic relationship with the people around it. The technology and cultural symbolism of the Bhujodi motifs create an audio-scape that completely transforms every being that experiences it. We have woven an aesthetically pleasing and functional fabric-digital music synthesiser. The project uses the fabric's all-natural, locally sourced 'Kala cotton' (translation: Black cotton). Chill wood is used for the frames, all hand crafted. The symbols represent the local culture of the 'Bhuj-Kutch' region of India, where the weavers community has lived for hundreds of years in sync with nature. We bring together these elements of culture and natural material. With our research into weaving, we have fused relevant electronics to create an E-textile artefact that makes a direct, tactile encounter with the audience and opens up new social spaces when exhibited. One of the main highlights of our project is that except for some electronics rest of the process is built using locally sourced natural materials and is entirely built using hands in a very scalable process. Thus, we present a very ecological approach to building functional, simple, and aesthetically beautiful E-textiles.

THE SPEECH OF ANGELS

Thomas Carlyle likened music to “the speech of angels.” We see Indian classical musicians as angels for the transcendence we experience in the expression of their art. In both practice and rendition, our master musicians have helped forge our connection with the eternal in their own quest for the sound that is God, Nada Brahma. In the true syncretic spirit of the Indian musical tradition, this joyful raag durbar unites Hindustani with Carnatic, the shehnai and nadaswaram, voice and instrument. Original illustrations have been painstakingly created in a style that echoes both Kalighat paintings and the stylized figures of Jamini Roy. Each character has a distinct personality even as they play in consonance with the others. The collection is sustainably printed using the digital process which allows us to print-to-order, generating very little waste, as compared to the hundreds of metres per design that rotary processes require. Digital printing is far more sustainable by every important parameter: raw materials, use of dyes (Azo-free, GOTS certified and meet Inditex ‘Clear to Wear’ criteria), consumables and, most importantly, consumption of water and electricity.

zero to iro iro

Decolonising our bodies and mindscapes, the collection evokes discovering and reclaiming aspects of the Self by finding and joining the puzzle pieces of our identities to find a story within. We reclaim the space of abstract art as we take inspiration from tantric art, a geometrical and spiritual art-from indigenous to Rajasthan. The pieces are playful and kindle childlike curiosity in the wearer, challenging them to decipher their true selves in uncharted territories. They are designed to instil a spirit of investigation into our bodies, hearts and psyche to find our one true home- our sanctuary- within and without.

Indu

Indu, waxing and waning; goes from a table lamp to a night lamp, the moving brass shade modulating the mood. Indu has a base carved out of reclaimed teak wood, its minimal form displaying the majestic wooden grains. A moon-like glass globe sits on this base, with a hand-bent curved brass shade. The brass shade fits into a groove in the wooden base, encircling one hemisphere of the globe, leaving the other half open. When lit, the unshaded globe throws an ambient warm light. As the brass shade is rotated along the groove, it covers the light globe. The warm light becomes softer, bouncing off the brass, illuminating with a subtle golden glow.

MIZALA Planters

The Mughal Era can be described as the era of grandeur and splendor, and it heralded the beginning of a unique Indo-Islamic style of architecture Abstracting cues from the Mughal era and blending it in the contemporary senses, we introduce a new collection of Planters to bring home the best of both worlds. MIZALA – which in Arabic means an umbrella, is inspired by art and motifs of the Mughal era. This collection of characteristic planters has a rich feel and focuses on essential design. Entire range is handcrafted by the kaarigars of the Pital Nagri (Brass city) of India- Moradabad. Design is a fusion materials like Stainless Steel, iron and Aluminum. After lot of exploration, each design is meticulously created by the local skilled artisans. Collection has a distinctive blend of various metal working techniques like, metal casting, hand forming, drawing, etching etc. Mizala Planters lend plants a place to be enjoyed in their full glory. These hanging planters maximize space for greens while being a piece of art themselves!

QQ's Jute Eyewear

The limitations of our wooden and jean eyewear drove us to explore more natural materials that could help us achieve something that will ultimately have a greater impact through greater reach, at a greater speed and in a meaningful manner. That brought us to Jute - a strong durable natural fibre, that is easily accessible (ease of harvesting) and affordable for all. Our passion for upcycling helped us create our first jute eyewear using waste jute fabric, where in due course we started sourcing it from artisans in Andhra Pradesh, to ensure we create an eyewear that ticks off global standards. The jute eyewear was born during our toughest, roughest days - and hence just like a roughened jute, gets stronger and better - we too commit ourselves to that. With the pandemic, we launched the jute eyewear in an exhibition in Milan - the fashion capital of the world, their acceptance was our first win. Specifications: Jute Eyewear Dimensions (mm): Small 49-17-140; Medium 52-17-140mm; Large 52-19-140 ; Weight (med): 27g (23g w/l) Material : Jute fabric is solidified using traditional techniques of gluing 8-11 layers of jute and compressing them for absolute strength and durability. Built with SS spacers & hinges, the temples are made of sustainably sourced acetate and shot with metal wire for stability. A layer of beauty certified skin-friendly enamel is used to make it water & scratch resistant,. The nose pad is handcrafted, designed for comfort. A desired bend is achieved by hot-cool process.

Raincloud

We envisioned a soft floating cloud breaking into fragmented cirrus clouds on either side. Stark, long brass lines cut through the clouds in a flurry of rain and flickers of light shine through the clouds. Inspired by the indomitable style of Gustav Klimt, this piece is gilded, full of irregular circular shapes and with a surprising amount of detail visible at every turn. Titled ‘ Raincloud’ , this large light installation floats in the centre of the space creating a surreal experience for the viewer.

Stardust

We all agree that nothing is more beautiful than dancing under a sky full of stars. The idea behind our project Stardust was to emulate the open skies and a starry night and bring our dreams to reality. The aim was to be able to give people the impression they were dining and dancing under a sky full of stars. It was a large-scale project – 1000 sq ft composed of 24 chandeliers and 2400 glass globes, all automated to dim and brighten as per the requirement. The inspiration was derived from a structure of icosahedron and glass clusters forming a starry constellation. Each cluster size was up to approx. 36 x 36 “with two different sizes of glass balls in the hues of amber and light yellow. The biggest challenge in the project was to have a complete automation system installed to control the light and have it as per the client’s preference. Creative visualization along with effective coordination with various technical teams is what led to the successful implementation of this project.

Animal

The animal resembles a monolith sculpture in the urban environment of contemporary institutional and public spaces, inviting the user in with curiosity and awe. It is designed to be a transient work space enabling quick virtual meeting outdoors or sitting down to write down some notes in the common areas. The furniture's form, which resembles an animal, was created through a subtractive exercise on a solid cuboid, in which volume was systematically eliminated from the outside in to make room for the form of a person seated in a working position. The animal is designed to be made with the rotational moulding process in post-industrial high-density poly-ethylene[HDPE] making it completely hollow with a wall thickness of not more than 5mm. In addition to contributing to the furniture's sculptural appeal, the "animal's" free-flowing form makes it possible to manufacture it using a rotational moulding process, that makes it simple for molten plastic to flow within the mould. To evaluate the ergonomics and form of the furniture during prototyping, the furniture was originally built in thermocol at a true scale. The seat's curvature was then lightly adjusted. The thermocol mock-up was then used as a pattern to create a fibreglass mould, which was used to create the final fibreglass prototype. Fiberglass was chosen for prototyping because it enables us to create hollow forms and mimic the results of the rotational moulding process. The wall thickness of the fibreglass prototype is 4 to 5 mm.

FOLD RANGE

Juxtaposing forms and materials, the FOLD series draws inspiration from paper geometry & visuals of aeroplanes flying in the sky. A double nod to the modernist architecture of the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. The structures are composed of solid aluminium sheets bent to iconic sculptural frames marked by clean lines and great detailing. Upcycled metal, wood and fabric FOLD together to unFOLD a sculptural yet surprisingly comfortable range of furniture for a cosy lounging experience.

MELD CHAIR

The Meld Chair is a ready-to-build flat-pack sling chair. The concept was to make a piece of furniture that interacts and adapts to the user. The material used for the chair, teakwood and leather, can last up to 10 years. The chair is manufactured in small batches through traditional methods of carpentry such as chiseling, lathe work and hand planing. No nails or screws have been used. Traditional joineries like tenon-mortise, dowel or external draw-pin joint are used to construct flat pieces that can compactly fit in a flat box. Moreover, to ameliorate the compactness, facilitate easy storage and minimise wastage, each part of the chair is of bespoke size, including tolerances. The haptic nature of leather combined with canvas creates a cocoon that wraps around a user’s sitting posture. The leather sling that cascades smoothly over the joints is made of non-toxic chrome-tanned leather. A cotton canvas is sewn to the rear end of the leather to reduce its elasticity and render in durable.

Stardust

We all agree that nothing is more beautiful than dancing under a sky full of stars. The idea behind our project Stardust was to emulate the open skies and a starry night and bring our dreams to reality. The aim was to be able to give people the impression they were dining and dancing under a sky full of stars. It was a large-scale project – 1000 sq ft composed of 24 chandeliers and 2400 glass globes, all automated to dim and brighten as per the requirement. The inspiration was derived from a structure of icosahedron and glass clusters forming a starry constellation. Each cluster size was up to approx. 36 x 36 “with two different sizes of glass balls in the hues of amber and light yellow. The biggest challenge in the project was to have a complete automation system installed to control the light and have it as per the client’s preference. Creative visualization along with effective coordination with various technical teams is what led to the successful implementation of this project.

The Snap Swing

The snap swing is an attempt at reinventing the idea of a swing. Traditionally, we have known swings to be used in a particular manner irrespective of its context- whether one is swinging in a park as a child or inside a house / on a porch or in the middle of a forest on a hammock. The idea is to always face in one direction with your back facing the other and swing by applying force in the opposite. This piece is an intervention within this idea of a swing. Why must one face only one direction while swinging? Can a swing become a furniture piece that enables conversations irrespective of its directions and context? The snap swing is designed with its armrests and backrests being modular in nature thus allowing the user to choose how they would want to configure it while swinging? One can snap the backrest in a manner to face any desired direction and similarly move the armrests also. It also enables various seating positions while avoiding visual barriers as required. This piece also becomes a human- interactive furniture piece where the user is empowered to consume/alter the piece as desired.

Rafiq Ni Sujani

Sujani is hand woven quilt from Bharuch, Gujarat. Its a stuffed double cloth where pockets are made by interchanging warp and weft and the cotton is stuffed inside it during weaving. Rafiq Bhai belongs to the Sujaniwalas of Bharuch. He is currently the last artisan who has the last traditional loom where two artisans sit on either sides and throw the 2 shuttle alternately to weave. The loom has 8 shafts and 2 sets of 8 pedals are there where both the artisans need coordination to weave. The cotton to stuff picked by hand has a standard amount and they are practised to do it swiftly. There were 3 families who used to practice this craft but almost everyone has moved on to a different occupation around 30 years ago due to poor sales. Rafiq bhai and his family have been struggling to keep the craft alive. Rafiq bhai , Ameen Bhai (Rafiq bhai’s brother) and Famitha (Rafiq Bhai’s wife’s sister) are the only weavers left in their family and take shifts to sit in the loom to weave. This collection "Rafiq Ni Sujani" is about making the quilts one of the kind, a free flow in weaving and co-creating with artisan’s design sensibilities. We included surface techniques to the quilts to make it one of a kind textile. The goal of this project was to keep the craft intact, encourage and give employment to artisans and to bring global attention to sujani Quilts.

ROVEATAL Flute

ROVESTAL flute is a problem solving design which making the task of blowing sound easier. In this design no need of angle adjustment of the mouth on the blowing hole. This small change in sound chamber going to give big output to the Craftsperson flute selling because this evolution is making task easier as well as comfortable. Also it can manufactured through waste bamboo because my all mock-up ideation & prototype made out of waste bamboo, which Craftsperson can also applies. Problem statement as per flute user :- Producing sound from Bansuri is not easy for the user because they have to placed the mouth in proper angle to produce a sound & a minute difference in mouth angle give a big difference in output, which makes it uncomfortable to the user. Material used :- Bamboo Soft Wood Copper Manufacturing process :- Chiseling, filing, cutting USP(user selling point) Very easy to blow the sound without thinking about the angle Vessel make the task easier and more effective than normal baswari mechanism 360° degree rotatable mouth piece About the product :- (Instrument family- flute wood wind instrument) A bansuri is an ancient side blown flute originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo, used in Hindustani classical music. It is referred to as nadi and tunava in the Rigveda and other Vedic texts of Hinduism.

Stardust

We all agree that nothing is more beautiful than dancing under a sky full of stars. The idea behind our project Stardust was to emulate the open skies and a starry night and bring our dreams to reality. The aim was to be able to give people the impression they were dining and dancing under a sky full of stars. It was a large-scale project – 1000 sq ft composed of 24 chandeliers and 2400 glass globes, all automated to dim and brighten as per the requirement. The inspiration was derived from a structure of icosahedron and glass clusters forming a starry constellation. Each cluster size was up to approx. 36 x 36 “with two different sizes of glass balls in the hues of amber and light yellow. The biggest challenge in the project was to have a complete automation system installed to control the light and have it as per the client’s preference. Creative visualisation along with effective coordination with various technical teams is what led to the successful implementation of this project.

Stick Figure Chair

The three-legged chair is made of rattan with a diameter of 35mm. It consists of four rattan components that are held together by fasteners as opposed to the traditional method of tying it up with rattan ropes. This enables the chair to be disassembled and shipped flat-packed. The form is inspired by a stick figure drawing of a person sitting and resting their arms on their knees. One common issue with rattan furniture is its volume since it is assembled by the craftsperson resulting in shipping problems. This chair is an experimental attempt to look at rattan as a material that can be knock-down and flat-packed. This would benefit the craftspersons and it enables more people to buy the products due to lower shipping costs.

Vzorvie

We desired to cause a revolution and to contribute to the ever-evolving design world by introducing a classic yet completely new type of veneer to innovate for the designers. Elanwood is all about the creation of this versatile material which makes use of humble wood as its base. Years of exploration has led to this incredible discovery, and we have contained it in the form of veneers to maximize its applications and make it highly resourceful. Hand craft dominates the majority of the production process and uses high quality Blatic Birch Plywood to create veneers of intricate patterns and styles that feature hand crafted immaculate joinery and can be further processed to create a wide variety of products. From furniture to food grade products and from office utility items to home decor, the possibilities are endless. The imagination seems to be the threshold at which the limitation of this material ends. With innovation and creativity at its core, our veneers are a ground-breaking discovery in this modern world of ingenuity. Our vision extends far and wide to include multiple domains and dimensions of the design world and beyond. It is meant to broaden the horizon of woodcraft designs and maybe dawn a new era to the world.

Cardboard Stool

With a motive to incorporate sustainability in our daily life choices, we made sure that all our products are not only eco-friendly but also pocket friendly. Our stools are strong, water resistant and lightweight. The seating structure is made of a multi layered corrugated cardboard with a water resistant lamination made from tapioca starch that repels liquid substances and can be easily wiped off leaving no stains behind. The product is 100% recyclable. The substructures consist two sections of 5 ply AB flute corrugated cardboard that Join without the use of any fasteners. The weight is evenly distributed and it can support up to 300 kgs. The stool comes as a flat pack in a box with guidelines on how to assemble it and the user gets to assemble their own stool. This D.I.Y project creates a feeling of self-accomplishment and drives them to make more sustainable choices. Made out of recycled paper, easy to assemble and take apart, our stools are ideal for everything and everywhere from your office space to your study space, from camping to picnic dates. Pack them up and take them on the go! The manufacturing process is very fast and with the capacity that we have right now, we can manufacture 1Lakh units/day. Leading to a better and sustainable future.

SunHarvested CoolRooms

All along the winding road of the Nilgiri Hills, my head held a whirlpool of thoughts, wondering how I could a smile on the faces of those tribal farmers I knew, so well. The most important one being my mothers. Initial months were invested, on secondary research figuring why harvested grains, fruits and vegetables, rot. Related to this need for refrigeration, nature inspired me to mimic its magic to save Mother Earth from excessive refrigeration-related effluents that deplete its ozone layer. As a science student based in Chennai, I observed that day temperatures soar to 45°C+ but magically, evenings become windy & cool due to convection currents. I replicated this process in the working model of a Draft Tube made of aluminium lined wooden tray, phase change material and arched glass cover. It was attached to a brick room and an exhaust chimney. The tray filled with phase change material absorbed the heat of the sun to create convection currents facilitating wind movement from the environment into the room. To dehumidify the enclosure desiccants were used and to facilitate evaporative cooling khus was used. This ‘SunHarvested CoolRooms’ can be used to extend shelf-life of perishable agri-produce, thus assuring food security, farmer prosperity etc. This grid-less mechanism can also be used to cool places of entertainment, health, storage like granaries.

Upcycled Handcrafted Products made from discarded single use plastic

LDAI2023_Verto - Multidirectional Air Purification Tower

A BLUNT STORY

Our probe begins with the wider ecological and social impacts of the industry’s dependence on crude oil. The soles, where this reliance is most felt we remove all petroleum-derived plastics. Our sandals sit on our UNCRUDE® soles that are 100% free of petroleum-derived resins, petrochemicals and plasticisers. Developed in-house with renewable bio-based materials, they are also recyclable. We also utilise agricultural waste alongside plant-based oils in the process. The resulting footbed is 96% biobased and the outsole is 70% bio-based. With our uppers, we address the surmounting waste problem by using post-consumer garment and pet waste and leather offcuts from the luxury automotive industry. The sneaky bit of plastic foam that sits hidden between layers that acts as a cushion is often overlooked. We replaced this with UNWASTE™, a non-woven made entirely from post-consumer garment waste that we developed with our partners. This too is recyclable. Our Medium serves as our message too as the materials we developed inform and engage consumers to better understand their impact. We take this further into our construction too, as we expose the materials underneath and invite our consumers to question said materials. This represents a shift in the way we design as what is consumed in the process of it holds as much if not more weight than whom we design for, and in doing so puts us makers and wearers within the larger context of the natural world that we inhabit.

Community Library Project

The research based socially driven design projects presented here took as both its premise and point of departure a commitment that prioritizes ethics over aesthetics. RLDA has designed these libraries for the organization - TCLP. The Community Library Project (TCLP) are committed to the work of building the movement for publicly owned free libraries that are accessible to all. Two of the libraries presented here have been built and commissioned, the third is still a proposal. Historically, urban planners have conceived of Delhi to be a city defined by the “binary” of formal planned development and informal organic growth. This conception either included or excluded one demographic group or the other. The research through a process of observational analysis of sixteen urban thresholds in the city re-imagined the city as a space of mutually dependant multiplicities, a space of relational peripheries. The insertion of a library into a threshold, formed new communities that led to greater spatial resiliency (through their mutual interdependence) and elasticity (through the co creation of new programs). Four drivers defined the design of the libraries – a flexibility of spaces, the scripting of possibilities, a material frugality and a place making exercise. Made predominantly from re-cycled or waste material from the packaging industry, the construction details were kept simple to enable community members to partake in its construction. Students were invited to paint murals while community members were engaged in the process of conceiving the libraries in as much as they are involved in its running.

Mudita and Radhesh PVT. LTD (GOLDEN FEATHERS)

Square Chair

During our visit at the Sabarmati prison i observed that the wood workshop had the fewest inmates employed as compared to all the other workshops. This was due to the fact that the furniture they produce calls for highly skilled labour. It was noted that the manufacturing process for the existing designs is time-consuming and complex, making their easy replication difficult. Additionally, the designs lack market appeal and are cumbersome to transport due to their size. With very few inmates working in the wood workshop due to a lack of skills, the challenge was to design furniture in a way that would allow an unskilled inmate to produce furniture with minimal training, thereby generating more employment opportunities. Redesigning the furniture and simplifying the making process. Square Chair is the result of simplifying the manufacturing process. All joinery and cuts are made at 90 degrees so that it is easy to make the cuts using the existing machinery. Specially designed jigs for each component help with precise cutting and drilling in the wood, eliminating the need to learn complex woodworking skills for the unskilled inmates. The canvas components are designed to be produced in the tent workshop in the prison. This design is highly replicable, and this process can be easily replicated by prison industries throughout the country. The chair or the sofa set can be easily shipped in a small box as it can be packed flat and assembled easily by one person using an Allen key.

LDAI2023_Verto - Multidirectional Air Purification Tower