How can we look to technologies of the past to confront present-day problems?
Indoor air pollution is widespread in a city like Delhi, and the problem is often made worse when households use biomass for cooking and lack proper ventilation. BreatheEasy leverages technology from days long past, like wind catchers and solar chimneys, to make lightweight, retrofit interventions that provide immediate and affordable relief from indoor air pollution. 🌬️
Currently having completed the research phase of their project, this #RedesignEverythingChallenge winning team is now in their prototyping stage. Hear more about @afd.city ’s research and process at the #WDCD2024 live event on 5 July—find them on the mainstage and at the Circular Showcase breakout session for a chat and a closer look at the solutions they’re developing.
Find tickets at the link in our bio 🎟️
📢 We are honoured to announce that our project “BreatheEasy” has been selected as one of the winners in the #redesigneverythingchallenge by @whatdesigncando
"BreatheEasy," reimagines architecture’s role in building resilience against pollution and climate change. It adapts traditional ventilation techniques to tackle indoor air pollution in Delhi’s homes, particularly in low-income communities like Madanpur Khadar. The retrofit intervention offers an affordable solution to improve air quality and protect the health of residents, especially women and children. Currently in its prototyping stage, BreatheEasy is a continuous effort to mitigate exposure to indoor air pollution through architecture and design.
This recognition marks a significant milestone for us, underscoring the power of design in creating sustainable and healthy living spaces. We are deeply grateful for the unwavering dedication of our team and the incredible support from our community.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey with us, and a special shoutout to @godrejdesignlab , @AsarSocialImpactAdvisors , and @khojstudios . Congratulations to the other winners—we’re excited to see the synergy of our impactful designs and make lasting positive outcomes together!
@alankrita24@zahaan99@kavyawr@aniruddhsharan@manyu.singhal@depanshu.gola
We are expanding our team and looking for new colleagues! As AfD grows, we are building a solid team that contributes to where AfD goes in the next five years.
Projects at AfD are created at the intersection of research, design, communication, and social impact. If you align with AfD’s work and are great at what you do, we’d like to hear from you.
Apply via the form linked in our bio.
Last date to apply: 24 May
“That’s the beauty of research and then design. When you’re responding to what you’re actually seeing in the field, then you’re not responding to presumptions or assumptions… We are constantly prompted to learn as well as unlearn our ways,” says Abhimanyu Singhal and Deepanshu Gola from Architecture for Dialogue (AfD).
From a college friendship to a unique architectural practice, Abhimanyu and Deepanshu’s journey of building Architecture for Dialogue (AfD) has been filled with exploration. Working on understanding how air pollution affects our spaces, AfD will be spending the next few months of their Godrej Design Lab Fellowship working on innovative design interventions that respond to communities and their needs on a micro and macro level.
@afd.city@manyu.singhal@depanshu.gola@ahilya.fort#GodrejDesignLab#GodrejDesignLabFellowship#Fellowship2024#ImpactThroughDesign
Meet Godrej Design Lab Fellows from the 2024 batch, Abhimanyu Singhal and Depanshu Gola of Architecture for Dialogue (AfD).
A forward-thinking architectural collective committed to shaping habitat futures through research, design, and communication, AfD actively explores strategies to build resilience against air pollution through spaces.
“Air pollution poses a critical challenge in Indian cities, raising questions of mitigation and adaptation to the crisis. Vulnerable communities, often with fewer resources, bear a disproportionate pollution burden, worsened by biomass usage and waste-burning practices.
We plan to further our work through the Godrej Design Fellowship and prototype spatial interventions in an active household within our identified target community. This initiative is part of a broader vision wherein we aspire to develop novel housing typologies that empower individuals to shield themselves from the adverse impacts of air pollution,” said Singhal and Gola.
Stay tuned for more on the Godrej Design Lab Fellowship!
#GodrejDesignLab#GodrejDesignLabFellowship2024#DesignForPeople#DesignThinking#DesignInspiration#GoodDesign
Just like the physical world, virtual terraces offer access to indoor spaces. Members move through staircases to move across floors dedicated to NFT-art galleries, co-working spaces, libraries, and conference spaces.
Web3 Country Club is a space designed for the @figment.live community to live, work and play together. Hosted on @gather_town
Find out more about the project. Link in bio.
#web3#virtualcitues#metaverse#rooftopurbanism#voxelart#virtualspaces#futuredesign#mapmaking
Figment’s Web3 Country Club went through a serendipitous journey of experiments. Kickstarting with a sketch, we used MagicaVoxel to build the map and assets as custom voxel geometry. The tool allowed us to build a complex geometry in a short timeframe and experiment with lighting.
#Magicavoxel by Ephtracy is a free lightweight GPU-based voxel art editor and renderer with some simple yet powerful tools to make intricate models.
Link in bio for more.
#VirtualCountryClub#WEB3Community#IndianDesign#Metaverse#RooftopSpaces#VoxelArt#Clubhouse#InteractiveMap#FutureDesign
Drawing inspiration from the Rooftops and Havelis of Shahjahanabad, Figment’s Web3 Country Club is designed as a vibrant cityscape of interconnected rooftops. Terraces connect to create a streetscape that offers unique ways of exploring Indian urbanity and lifestyle.
The design flips common notions of a clubhouse — from a restricted indoor space reserved for few, to an open terrain of outdoor spaces presenting endless possibilities of congregating, interaction, and activation.
Find out more about the project. Link in bio.
#web3#virtualcitues#metaverse#rooftopurbanism#voxelart#virtualspaces#futuredesign#mapmaking
recreated the city of Shahjahanabad as a virtual city!
@figment.live is a boutique hospitality group known for fostering creative communities in Singapore. The company commissioned AfD to build a virtual club for members around the globe to live, work and play together. The space is designed to host 1000+ people over conferences, NFT art exhibitions, concerts, and spaces for co-working and socialization.
Hosted on @gather_town
Find out more about the project. Link in bio.
#web3#virtualcities#metaverse#rooftopurbanism#voxelart#virtualspaces#futuredesign#mapmaking
Artistic installations create an entry point for audiences to diverge from present-day realities and immerse in alternate futures.
‘My house is ill!’ is an immersive installation that invited visitors to a home adapting to persistent air pollution in Delhi. The installation raises essential questions at the intersection of architecture, ecology, and behaviour to study air pollution within homes and present patterns that are otherwise unseen.
Did you visit the project while it was active? Explore a virtual walkthrough in the link in bio.
#airpollution#futureofhome#alternatereality#speculativearchitecture#immersiveinstallation#demonstration#delhiair#architecture#ecology
What if we could see air?
AfD set up a test lab in Khirkee, Delhi to conduct thought experiments around air. The work helped us understand how pollution resides in indoor and outdoor spaces; and how this information could be recorded and shared effectively. The test lab translated takeaways to produce a public installation at @khojstudios located within Khirkee titled ‘My house is ill!’ in 2022.
Read more about the project. Link in bio.
People are reclaiming their streets!
As the work at the Gol Chakkar progresses, people in Rajendra Nagar have already started to reclaim the roundabout at full strength!
Tables and benches add to comfort and native plant species like Pilkhan, Moulsari, and Hibiscus have been introduced to revive the street as a shared public space.
Next step — paintwork and communication panels!
Learn more about the project. Link in bio.
@mcd_delhi@bloombergdotorg@transportfordelhi
📸: @naveenaa_munuswamy
