IaaC continues its research agenda and research trips with MAA 2009-10 research trip to India. Visiting 2 major but different cities of India-Mumbai and Chandigarh- the objective was to discover the opportunities of a territory in a context of urban growth with poverty and congestion and rural potential.

IAAC at Gateway of India, Mumbai

Mumbai: 24 million people inhabiting a linear city in which 55% of its population inhabiting slums, large areas made of rudimentary self fabricated houses and limited access to precarious services. A continuously growing city, accepting around 120 new families per week that enters the territory searching for minimum survival conditions. The ‘maximum city’, driven as much by global economics as it is driven by indigenous structure of commerce and struggle.

IAAC at Chandigarh College of Architecture

A city suffering terrible living conditions of almost half its population inhabiting only 5% of the urban territory, but at the same time developing innovating residential projects, new self-sufficient neighbourhoods, projecting new metro lines elevated over the city, and a new entrepreneurial social class that imposes new strategies to generate a vibrant economy.

Bombay is also capable of being recognized worldwide for its cultural and economic phenomena. Bollywood, an industry with incredible growth potential, based on a strong internal demand that has being able to be exported as a world-class product.

This study about a chaotic, incredible, anarchic and friendly city, continues a series of studies at IAAC about the phenomenon of contemporary megapolis, its potentials and possible future projections.

DAY 1

Key words: visiting typical housing, interaction with local people, Holly festival

The first interaction with the Indian territory came through an amazing interaction with local people. 1^st of March, the celebration of Holly Festival brought us the opportunity to enter typical residence communities of local people, observe housing typologies and inner distributions, understand relations of built and unbuilt space as well as urban behaviors and occupations.
Holi Celebration at Worli Village, Mumbai

A direct interaction with locals helped us realize the hospitality and the warmness of the people that opened their houses, offered us food and drinks and celebrated with us proud of their traditions and customs.

Holi Celebration at Lower Parel, Mumbai

Post lunch, the afternoon was spent at Chowpatty (most popular Mumbai beach), an evening visit to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (earlier known as Victoria Terminus) the largest and oldest train station, followed by a walk across D N Road through Mumbai’s colonial Fort Area and current downtown to explore how important public spaces are used throughout the city.

DAY 2

Key words: education, architectural school, forth coming elevated Mumbai metro project

The second day of IAAC research trip brought us to the BSSA College, a recently established architectural private college in Mumbai Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, an IaaC  partner for the research trip and possible future common programs. IaaC Students and faculty had the opportunity to interact with Indian young architects, visit an extended exhibition of their projects and share a presentation of the common workshop made between IaaC and BSSA during the month of February 2010 as part of the student curriculums.

IAAC students presenting their work of the Joint workshop at BSSA

BSSA hosted conferences about Mumbai city and the particular slum reality, given by the dean of the school and by a prominent professor of Humanities, Mrs. Vilma Fernandes.

Professor Trilochan M. Chhaya, Dean of BSSA College, welcomed the visitors and introduced IAAC to students, faculty and collaborators, and finally invited IAAC faculty to a meal at the school direction. Willy Muller explained to professors and students the activities carried out by IaaC.

Willy Muller presenting at the BSSA lecture series

The same day we had a meeting with the director in charged of the Metro project for the city of Mumbai, Mr. G. R. Madan, General Manager Indian Railways welcomed IaaC in his office to explain the mobility strategy until the year 2031 for Mombai. The huge and complex forth coming project of elevated metro network to be implemented in the Mumbai city it’s an effort of creating a currently inexistent East-West connection in the city, as well as reinforcing the North-South existing train connection with 3 more lines of elevated metro.

Meeting with Mr. Madan (Chief Engineer Mumbai Metro from MMRDA) on upcoming Metro project in Mumbai.

Meeting with Mr. P C Sehgal (Managing Director Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation) on Mumbai local trains.

The train representative – Mr. P C Sehgal also received Iaac students for a detailed presentation about the present organization and future strategy on the local train system.

Attendance to evening reception hosted by the Balwant Sheth School of Architecture at the Sun n Sand Hotel.

DAY 3

Key words: film city industry, new construction development

A film shooting in progress at Film City

Bollywood or else Film City, the Hindi-language film industry was our next stop during the trip. An effort to understand the scale of the industry, its repercussions in migration and in the country’s identity were some of the main objectives of the visit at the Film City installations. A meeting with the Manager of the Film City gave us the necessary information and statistics in order to realize that, although Bollywood is the largest film producer in India, and one of the largest centers of film production in the world, the installations are limited in a small hill side and the number of people occupied is only 17, since the majority of the film producers are just renting the space and not any other services. Mr. Omveer S. Saini, Public Relation Officer, welcomes to explain the territory dedicated to this industry.

IAAC at Film City

The area surrounding Film City around the Vihar lake, constitute a new part of the Mumbai city introducing new construction developments that were identified as an important emerging area with the potential to become a strong attractor for future developments .

Another group of students visited the port and downtown area to identify processes and strategies for interventions in their studio project for phase 3.

Afterwards, IAAC students had a meeting with Mr. Dilip G. Patel Chairman, Mumbai BEST buses to understand the  system and organisation of bus transport.

IAAC IS DOING A RESEARCH TRIP TO INDIA FROM February 28th to March 8th from Barcelona to Mumbai to Chandigarh following the tradition of IAAC’S Research Trips which brought us to Brazil, Taiwan, Eslovenia, and Tunisia. This years trip IAAC will be working in Mumbai exploring current conditions and dynamics of the territory. Some highlights of the trip will be day 1 students will take part in the  HOLI (festival of colours)! Day 2 they will attend a Lecture Series and Discussion at BSSA (partner for the research trip) followed by a Workshop discussion, lectures on city, humanities & hospitality, a Mumbai City Tour, Slum Tour which will delve into exploring recycling materials and  Slum fabric!

On day 4 IAAC will arrive in Chandigarh and students will research Sector 22, Housing, Lake, Sector 17 to analyse housing types and the sector plan, lake and sector 17 facades. On day 5 they will visit the Capitol Complex by le Corbusier and embark upon a city tour. On day 6 there will be a very important visit to the port and on day 7 a visit to the Film City and surounding Suburbs.To conclude the trip there will be a round table discussion to share insights on student research.

Michael Jakob is Professor in Landscape & Art at hepia (Geneva) and Lecturer in Theory and History of Landscape at EPFL and at ISE (Geneva University). He studied at the universities of Tübingen (Germany), Paris, Stanford and Geneva. He has been a guest professor at the Universities of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), St. Gallen (Switzerland), Turin (Italy), Rome (Italy), Grenoble (France), Urbino (Italy), Stanford (USA), Princeton (USA). He has worked with the Centre d’Art Contemporain (Geneva), the Magasin, Centre d’Art Contemporain (Grenoble), the Museum of Grenoble, and the Fotomuseum Winterthur (as the curator of the photographic art show ‘Girola’). He is founder and head of COMPAR(A)ISON, an International Journal of Comparative Literature, and the chief editor of «di monte in monte», a series of books on mountain culture (Edizioni Tarara’, Verbania). He produced several documentary films for TV and has a longstanding experience as a radio journalist. Among his recent publications: Letteratura e paesaggio, Olschki, Firenze 2006 ; Paysage et temps, Infolio, Gollion 2007 ; Le Paysage, Infolio, Gollion 2008 ; Il giardino allo specchio. Percorsi tra pittura, cinema e fotografia, Bollati Boringhieri,  Torino 2009 ; Il paesaggio, Il Mulino, Bologna 2009 ; Paesaggio e tempo,  Meltemi,Roma 2009 ; Le jardin et les arts, Infolio, Gollion 2009.

Ideas were exchanged about the new trends and tendencies for the tourist business, Invited jury gave comments to all projects based up on their experiences in the industry. Now students will develop further their hotel capsules for the finals which will be held the next week.