DRAVATA : RAILPORT FUTURE READY

Piloo Modi College of Architecture,ABIT, Cuttack, Orissa

Project idea

• A railway station is no longer just a place to book tickets and board or de-board a train. It has become one of the leading service-oriented industries in the country, offering employment to many, by becoming the center of many service-providing industries, innovations and start-ups. Stations are expanding to accommodate various facilities for passengers, to allow for the diverse socio-economic demographics of the end-users.

• Modernization of railway infrastructure not just cater to the present demands, but to accommodate the projected needs of future generations in the next 40 years – which also includes considerable increase in footfall. This requires adequate services for the increased number of passengers as well as efficient security systems and management of passenger circulation and vehicular movements.

• When we consider the frame of coherence in a macroscopic scale,it is evident that natural degradation took place periodically. The "green" has been eradicated through a sudden transformation into the "red". Pollution has degraded the air we breathe and the surrounding environment , so there is a need of more green and sustainable design .

• The design emphasizes on 5 major criterias which are as follows – Sustainability , Technology ,Infrastructure , Mobility and Security. The idea of the project is to design a Railway Station and their precinct that can help users through improved circulation and decrease of conflict areas, thereby making it effective and efficient landmark public area in the city clearly depicting and defining its name "DRAVATA"- meaning fluidity.

Project description

Site : Anand Vihar Railway station.
Location : Anand Vihar, New Delhi, India.


THE MICRO LEVEL PLANNING:
• Overall master planning of the railway station precinct, including: Urban blocks ONLY on Parcel 1 for commercial use which includes “Office” , “Hotel” , “Rail Museum” and “Mall”.
• Circulation and landscaping
• Surface parking and Multi-level public parking structure


THE MICRO LEVEL PLANNING:
The planning of the station building based on the concept of Bio-Mimic Architecture where the Station building was based upon the form and functional concept of a “LOTUS” – which is a symbol of purity, fluidity and perfect beauty and the Commercial Block follows the “VORONOY DELUNAY TRIANGULATION” concept . Then according to the design requirements and FAR it was segregated to different levels and cores according to functionality.
1. Ground floor - Arrival area (entrance , exit and ticketing , administration and service cores)
2. 1st floor - Departure area
3. 2nd floor and 3rd floor - Administration block , Recreational zones and Service cores

Technical information

• The whole station building has been designed to have a skeletal framework of prefabricated steel structure .

• Double glass wall ventilated façade has been incorporated into design of station building to contribute to the sustainability aspect by using solar energy. The heating issues that might be created due to the solar radiation influx is neutralised by using this type of panels known as photovoltaic panels.
• Use of Y-Shaped steel columns to support the space frame roof and shade.
• Vertical plantation on supporting columns of the station building to curb with the pollution levels.
• Use of Extensive green roof technology and Voronoy triangulation for façade design.

Co-authors

SEKHAR MAHARANA , SATYAJIT NAYAK , ROHIT MOHAPATRA