School of Planning and Architecture: Vijayawada

(An autonomous institution of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of

India)
S.No. 71/1, NH-5, Nidamanuru, Vijayawada – 521 104, Andhra Pradesh, India

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN – IV
DESIGN BRIEF
IV SEMESTER

VILLAGE CENTRE
ARAKU, Andhra Pradesh

STUDIO FACULTY D. SRINIVAS NAGARAJU KAJA R. N. S. MURTHY

YOGESH J. PAREKH SAMIKSHA

SRICHANDAN
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COURSE OUTLINE

Students to be made familiar with the rural environment through introductory lectures and field
visits.
They will study local cultural milieu, built-form characters, building materials, technology, and
the relationship between built forms to open spaces. They will learn the relationship between
the building and its natural environment.

Students also to be exposed to the principles of barrier free environment.

They will study the movement patterns and ergonomic requirements to design facilities to meet
the special needs of the people with physical disabilities.

They are also to be explore the opportunities and design implications of various types of
building materials and structural systems, especially as they determine the artistic, conceptual,
poetic, creative, spatial and experimental aspects of architecture. Special emphasis shall be on
understanding the implications of using different types of building materials i.e. brick, stone,
earth, timber, bamboo, steel, aluminium, concrete, glass etc. to leverage the special qualities of
materials to meet the needs in terms of strength, durability, texture, visual appeal, & overall
functionality.

Design exercise could be any medium sized public building having more than one floor in anon-
urban setting. Projects to introduce the concepts of shared open space, clustering, community
engagement. Emphasis will also be laid on site planning. Emphasis shall be laid on clarity of
detail and architectural expression in functional and constructional terms.

OBJECTIVE

1. To expose the students to the opportunities and challenges of designing in a rural

environment
2. To sensitize the students to space-specific contextual factors in designing
3. To sensitize students to the special needs of the differently able people suffering from
various types of physical limitations as they negotiate the built environment.
4. To enable the students apply theoretical knowledge learnt in the previous semester in
architectural design exercise.

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VILLAGE CENTRE

A Village centre is a place where people come together to celebrate festivals, hangout with
fellow village folks, a meeting place to discuss issues with Officials, a source of information
regarding the local happenings, a place to enjoy traditional delicacies, a place for self help
groups to voice themselves, a place where workshops for skill development can happen, etc.

You foresee possibilities on how a village can prosper with its own centre. It facilitates the
local’s needs of any temporary exhibitions, weekly markets or even annual displays.

Andhra Pradesh

In Andhra Pradesh, we have got villages and of them few smart villages which are present in
locations that are easily accessible. In these Towns and Villages there are already established
community centers that function as a gathering space which may or may not be government
owned.

If we see, all these centers are located in places where dense population is present. What about
the locations that’s yet to be linked effectively? Places where the people are isolated? Places
with sparse populations? Places where potential for rural tourism is there but not yet tapped
effectively?

In Andhra Pradesh, the Government administers the different sections of society in various
locations with the help of Revenue Department Organization through its various offices like –

1. Collectorate Office at District Level

2. Divisional Office at Revenue Divisional Level

3. Mandal Revenue Office at Mandal Level

4. Village Revenue Office at Village Level

Each Collectorate Office is divided into Divisions. Each Divisional Office in-turn has 10 Mandals
under it with each having its own Tahsildar Office. Each Mandal has a population between
35000 to 50000 each. The Mandals have been formed in Andhra Pradesh to bring
administration to the doorsteps of Citizens and make all the public services easily available to
them.

As per the administrative reforms the various sections in the Tahasil Office are:

 Section A: Office procedure and financial activities,

 Section B: Land Related activities,

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 Section C: Civil Supplies, Pension Schemes etc.

 Section D: Establishment, Natural Calamities,

 Section E: Issue of Caste, income, nativity etc; certificates

While much thought has been given to administration but we have no place for the localities to

 create a sense of oneness

 A place where brainstorming sessions for upliftment of the village/ settlement can take
place

 A place to promote local arts and crafts

 A place to celebrate local festivals or weekly markets to take place

 A place where the locals can have a direct interface with the Local authorities

Such a place has not been created as the State is well linked with all major urban centers. The
only regions that are being felt left out are the ones with major Tribal population. The
Government in this region with the help of Integrated Tribal Development Authority, Tribal
Welfare Department, Andhra Pradesh (ITDA) is doing nice work but we feel that a Village centre
will be of more help where it will generate a better market for the locals to sell their produce,
interact with other members solving issues, create skill sets and yes, also attract tourists.

LOCATION

Araku valley, a hill station in Eastern Ghats of India inhabited by different tribes, lures the
tourists with its breathtaking landscapes and pleasant weather. Lush green forest, musical
notes of waterfalls makes the journey livelier.

Located 115 km from Vizag, Andhra Pradesh and close to Odisha border at an altitude is 1300
m above the sea level and with a spread around 36 km. The drive on the Ghat road to Araku
valley is lined with thick forest on either-side, climbing 4500 ft and sliding down to 3000 ft of
valley which makes the trip very thrilling. More than 40 tunnels and number of bridges on the
way welcomes the tourists to the valley.

The places to visit nearby are –

 Gosthani River

 Borra Caves

 Katiki waterfalls

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 Dumbriguda Waterfalls

 Chaparai Waterfalls

 Ananthagiri

 Coffee Plantation

 Tribal Museum

 Padmapuram Gardens

 Tyda Park

Its one of the underdeveloped areas of Andhra Pradesh due to its Terrain and dense forest
leading to scattered settlements across the valley which are not accessible directly. We were
unable to find any large settlement above population of 2100.

Due to its remoteness the penetration of modern technology too is limited and one is able to
find houses still made in vernacular methods of Adobe walls, Wattle and Daub structures, Cob
Walls, etc. The use of locally available materials like bamboo, wood and Mud not only for
constructing houses but also in their daily lives is worth documenting. They have created local
arts and crafts like Toys, Ornaments, Bags, etc apart from things of daily use like Cooking
Vessels, Broom Sticks, etc from the resources they have.

NEED FOR THE PROJECT

These arts and craft products were being sold at the museum while for the daily use items they
have a weekly local fair which we were fortunate enough to visit. The local delicacies were not
properly promoted and many local vendors occupied space on the road establishing their
business creating traffic. The local weekly Fair too did not have a dedicated space and was held
on the main road. A proper public place is lacking in the region.

The Tahsildar’s office is in a huge campus with lot of open space which can be adapted to solve
the issue at hand and create a Village Centre in the heart of Araku. This would establish a direct
link between Authorities and public, create opportunities to pass information about Government
schemes, awareness campaigns, skill development workshops apart from creating a healthy
public space for the locals and also tourists.

SCOPE

The Students can apply their knowledge of Traditional Construction Techniques they had
documented in Araku region and come out with designs that not just meet the requirements but
also adapt to the local climatic conditions.

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SITE PLAN

DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

PART 1 – TAHSILDAR OFFICE

Quantity Section Description of space Total Area

(m2)

1 Entrance Foyer

1 Entrance Lobby

1 Waiting Area

1 Reception

1 A Tahsildar (Cabin + Ante Room + Toilet) 26

1 A Deputy Tahsildar (Cabin + Toilet) 16

1 B Mandal Surveyor 50

1 C Mandal Revenue Inspector

1 D Assistant Statistical Officer

1 B Senior Assistant

1 C Junior Assistant

1 E Chainman

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1 E Attender

1 Conference Hall (For 20 persons)

1 Grama Sabha Area (For 50 persons)

1 Storage (For Records and Furniture)

2 Toilets – Male & Female As per NBC

1 Parking for 5 Cars and 20 two-wheelers As per NBC

PART 2 – MULTICULTURAL SPACE

Quantity Area Description of space Total Area

(m2)

1 Curb Area

1 Entrance Plaza

1 Public Ground

To conduct weekly markets, Cultural activities and festivals

for nearly 45 villages in the region

1 20 Mee-Seva Office 20

1 25 Post Office 25

1 10 ATM 10

1 10 Snack Bar 10

1 10 Tourist Information Centre 10

5 20 Guest Rooms 100

2 50 Dormitories 100

2 Toilets – Male & Female As per NBC

Water Kiosk

DRAWINGS

No of sheets Sheet title Scale Sheet

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size

1 Site plan 1:200 A1

2 Floor plan 1:50 A1

2 Elevation 1:50 A1

2 Section (cut through door, window, ventilator and staircase) 1:50 A1

1 Details 1:25 A1

2 Perspective views and sketches A1

DESIGN SCHEDULE

DATE TARGET

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ANNEXURE-1

S.N ROLE DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES

O

01 Tahsildar  Provides the interface between the government and public

within his jurisdiction

 Initiates welfare measures within his jurisdiction

 Assists the higher authorities in collecting information and

conducting inquiries

 Provides feedback to the district administration that helps in

decision-making at higher levels of administration

 sends reports of the Tahsil to the District collector.

 Also has duties as Executive Magistrate, Mandal Superintendent

of Election, Census

02 Deputy  Supervises the day-to-day functions of Tahasil office

Tahsildar/Superinten
d  Deals mainly with general administration

 All Most all the files are routed through him

 Monitors all the sections office

03 Mandal Surveyor  Belongs to the Survey Settlement and Land Records Department

 Assists the Tahasildar in survey operations

04 Mandal Revenue  Assists the Tahasildar in conducting inquiries and inspections

Inspector
 Supervises over the V.R.O’s

 Inspects crop fields, writes field inspection details, collects land

revenue, non-agricultural land assessment and other dues

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 Keeps a close watch on the villages in his jurisdiction to

maintain law and order.

05 Senior Assistant  Makes records of Land Acquisition, Assignment, House sites ,

Tenency , Inams, Jamabandi, R.O.R., Water Tax, Nala, Irrigation,
Water Users Association, Small formers certificates, etc.

 Also takes care of miscellaneous issues like suicidal cases

06 Assistant Statistical  Is under the overall control of Chief Planning Officer at the
Officer District and Directorate of Economics and Statistics at the State
Level

 Maintains data related to rainfall, crops and population.

 Conducts crop estimate tests.

 Inspects crops to submit crop condition details.

 Prepares periodical reports on births and deaths

 Assists the Tahasildar in conduct of livestock census,

population census and other surveys taken up by the
government from time to time.

07 Junior Assistant  Makes records of the Civil Supplies, Elections, Food for work
scheme(With help of Attender)

 Maintains records of all cases of drought, and his regular duties,

Libarary books, furniture maintenance,

 Resource person during Natural calamities, C.M. cell Petitions,

Help line cases, Law and order, Magiesterial cases, Attrocities,
Legal heir certificates. Money lending , N.F.B.S., Call book
Register, Grievence Cell, Bonded labour, and N.S.S.

08 Chainman  Assists Mandal Surveyor in his duties

 Provides all certificates, Security and Local Delivery.

 Maintains Registration Stamps Account and relevant Registers

09 Attender  Note inward and outward movement of all Certificates

 Records movement of Public and Staff

 Assist higher officials

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