Illinois Institute of Technology B.Arch students, Seth Ellsworth and JaYoung Kim have shared with us their Mumbai traveling studio project, TATA Tower. Their project studies the infrastructural crisis regarding parking in developing regions such as Mumbai and how to address such issues in a way that does not stifle economic expansion, increases housing density, produces clean energy and creates high quality outdoor space for Mumbai. Additional images and a description by the architects after the break.
By the year 2030, 25% of the land area of Mumbai will be covered by parked cars. — Mumbai Traffic Police
Project Description This project addresses Mumbai’s increasing congestion and pollution. The TATA Corporation is the largest automaker in India and manufacturer of the Nano, the world’s cheapest car ($2500 US). The tower is seen as a development for TATA offices and employee residences, all of which drive alternative energy Nano cars. TATA Tower aims to be part of a much larger solution to the city’s crumbling infrastructure. Energy demands of the building and vehicles are met by photovoltaic louvers, building-integrated wind turbines, tri-generation, and an algae farm which produces biodiesel. Vertical parking allows for maximum parking density, gathering parked cars to act as a parking resource for neighboring linked towers. This also frees up space for a more pedestrian oriented ground plane, allowing for parks, recreation and increased public transportation.
Building Agenda Mumbai’s increasing density has brought the city’s infrastructure to the brink of collapse. Public transportation is either non-existant or far beyond capacity, which is contributing to the growing number of cars in the city. Our building is envisaged in the year 2030, and along with new urban transportation strategies (congestion charging, etc.) aims to:
1 // Create a new residential community for the TATA Corporation and its employees, where every family owns an alternative fuel TATA Nano car. 2 // Generate electricity and biodiesel from alternative energy sources to power both the building and vehicles. 3 // Create a vertical parking system the full height of the tower in order to maximize parking density. 4 // Intensify car parking density within the city, eliminating the typical anti-urban parking structure and freeing up space for a more pedestrian-orientated ground floor. 5 // Allow the building to become a parking resource for nearby towers, linked horizontally at height through skybridges.*Number of residential units in scheme = 930. Number of car parking spaces = 4050. 6 // Create high quality outdoor parks and spaces throughout the tower, for the benefit of the vertical community and the local community of Mumbai. 7 // Become a prototype for urban algae farming and other forms of alternative energy generation. 8 // Become a vertical parking prototype for other areas in Mumbai and other cities around the world.
Project Team: Professor Antony Wood, Seth Ellsworth, JaYoung Kim Location: C-Ward, Mumbai, India Date: Spring 2010 Materials: Concrete, Steel Sponsor: The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
