Mumbai's Culture and Lifestyle

The city of Mumbai is full of diversity and cultures that combine both the old and the new. The people from Mumbai are also known as Mumbaikar. They live a life filled with activities. The people of Mumbai enjoy movies; especially Bollywood movies which is basically Hindi cinema. It is only a part of the total Indian film industry. It is said that Bollywood is like a religion.

In addition to the movie experience, Mumbaikars enjoy dining in their free time as well. A typical Mumbai platter consists of curd, vegetables, salads, rice, curries, sweets, etc. A traditional dish is the most-preferred meal since it contains many diet elements of an individual. The cuisine is what brings many people together but so does the annual festivals that are celebrated city-wide and sometimes nationally too. One of the most important festival in Mumbai is the Ganesha Chaturthi. It usually falls between August 20th and September 15th and lasts for ten days. This festival celebrates the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the half elephant and half human deity. The people of Mumbai celebrate with great enthusiasm all around the streets of the city and place an idol of Lord Ganesha in locations along the streets and in resident homes where it is worshiped for a few days. Traditions may consists of festivals and cuisine but it is also about daily routines that Mumbaikars carry out. For example, normally the residents of Mumbai tend to be barefoot throughout their home and if shoes are worn usually they are sandals.

Cricket is another recreational activity that the people from Mumbai enjoy as well. Cricket is a bat and ball team sport. Its appearance looks something like baseball. It is the most popular sport in India however it is not the nation's official national sport. Around every corner one may see children playing out on the streets enjoying a warm afternoon. 

Cricket

Cricket on the streets

Apart from activities done during the residents free time, they also perform yoga as a form of relaxation. Yoga refers to physical and mental disciplines that originated in India. It is an ancient science, which leads to a peaceful mind, blissful heart, liberated soul, and healthy body. Yoga brings many health benefits such as relieving stress, helpful in chronic backache, and gives a better control in mind. It also increases productivity for those who practice yoga. 

These points covered have dealt with everyday life or what happens out of the work environment. In a work place certain characteristics are put into play to also better the productivity of a company's workers. Airfilters or purifiers are sometimes installed in some companies to help with the thick, smog type of air that is found in Mumbai. Also mosquito nets sometimes are placed in certain areas to help workers carry out their daily tasks due to the large number of mosquitoes that aggravate the people of Mumbai. Furthermore, specific materials are implemented into furniture and design to reduce the mold that may occur due to the high humidity levels of Mumbai. 

The Herman Miller Experience

Based on the presentation given, many areas about the company's progress were very interesting and informative. One area in particular was the idea of Cradle-to-Cradle. From the presentation, the difference between the concept of reuse, reduce, recycle and cradle-to-cradle has finally been understood. Cradle-to-Cradle is the idea of a circular process, meaning that a product is made, used over and over, and when its use is finally over and can't be reused again it is given back to the Earth in compost. By doing so we're giving back to the Earth and in the end the Earth is giving back to us as well. In comparison, reduce, reuse, recycle is more of a linear process. The product is made and reused over and over, until finally when it cannot be used anymore instead of it being given back to the Earth it is thrown away in a dump. Based on the Herman Miller website (hermanmiller.com) The Cradle-to-Cradle certification has been able to "credibly measure achievement in environmentally-intelligent design." Some of Herman Miller's products have earned Cradle-to-Cradle certification. The lowest rank that has been awarded to H.M. products has been the Silver certification.
Another area that was completely new to the audience was their new product of the SAYL chair. The SAYL chair is a brand new chair that has been designed based off the principles of suspension bridges. By the use of this new back it eliminates the use of excess materials making the chair more light, affordable, and sustainable as well. Usually chairs now a days use backs which require the use of a frame that creates a hard and stiff back restricting the ability to lean back or being able to reach for something. With the SAYL product the unique Y-back enables the client to lean back for any object that may be needed at the moment.

In addition to SAYL, the "Resolve" System came out in 2000. It's based on a 120 degree connection that allows open and inviting space. With so much open open space, privacy is still represented in this system by using sliding screens instead of panels giving the client the opportunity to control their own privacy. Furthermore, the idea of a "natural" environment is implemented into this system by using the 120 degree design which is the most commonly found degree in nature, accompanied by the canopies and screens which provide a sense of a closed work area. With this organic style for an office design it allows the "Resolve" system to give its clients the opportunity to use it in a variety of different areas but still maintaining a design that is based on the size and and reach of a human being.
In the SAYL and "Resolve" System many human dimensions are a part of their design. For instance the space around a person's reach, size and movement is added into Herman Miller's office systems as well as into their furniture. Products would use materials and design to enable blood circulation throughout the body more easy keeping the client more alert and focused. Also certain designs let ankles, shoulders, knees and other joints pivot to their normal movements. These abilities are consistent throughout Herman Miller products and are available for any person's size or shape. Their range can be from people who are 4' 10" to those who are 6' and up. A seat design in their chairs that is inclined downward allow this to be possible as well as their adjustable height in seat and armrests. Herman Miller designs are able to accommodate to anyone, anywhere, and for any need.

Landor Office - Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

28 Dr E Borges Road, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

               The actual site where the Landor Office is located is specifically in Lower Parel in Mumbai, India. It’s an area where many hospitals, educational buildings, and the old mill work companies are located. Such buildings include the Gandhi Hospital, Morarjee Gokuldas Mills, the United India Mills, Sakarbai Hospital for Animals, Collaborative Architecture, Dr. Sirodhkar High School, and The College of Physicians & Surgeons. It is a very populated and cramped area indicating that there is only a limited amount of space that can be worked with. In addition if any new construction were to happen in the surrounding area, it would probably be the improvements to the closed down mill work company buildings. However, since those areas are being recycled by just being reused, no major territory changes shall affect the Landor Office vicinity.

Parel, Mumbai

           Mumbai, or formerly known as Bombay, is identified as the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is a city with approximately 14 million people, making it the second most populous city in the world, but the most populous city in India. Its neighboring urban areas include the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane. 

           Mumbai lies on the west coast of India. Many parts of the city lie just above sea level, with elevations ranging from 33 ft to 49 ft. The city also lies on a seismically active zone. The area is classified as a Seismic Zone III region, meaning that an earthquake of up to a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter-scale may be expected.            
            Mumbai has a tropical climate. It is made up of a tropical wet and dry climate, with seven months of dryness and a vast amount of rainfall in July. The cold season begins in the month of December and lasts until the month of February. It’s followed by the summer season lasting from March to June. The south-west monsoon season occurs during the month of June and lasts until the end of September. The post-monsoon season lasts from October until the month of November.

           The city of Mumbai consists of two distinct regions: Mumbai City district and Mumbai Suburban district. The city district region is also commonly referred to as the Island City or South Mumbai. It is a city that is mixed with many cultures and a blend of traditional festivals, foods, music, and theatres due to the city being a major trading center. In this region you find many suburbs such as Parel or Lower Parel which is considered the central part of Mumbai. Recently, Parel is home to many huge enterprises such as new five star hotels and well-known hospitals that are replacing the old mill work companies that used to make up most of the suburban area. Mumbai suffers from some major urbanization problems such as poverty and unemployment, poor public health and poor civic and educational standards for a large section of the population. The city offers little space for sometimes expensive housing which are far from workplaces more than half the time. This requires long commutes and overcrowded transit areas. However, residents are now pushing into the lower parts of Mumbai around the Parel area. With the new additions arriving to Parel, it has become an area where lower middle class and higher middle class can live adjacent to one another. 

Map of India (Red = Maharashtra State)

Map of Maharashtra (Red = City of Mumbai)   

Map of Mumbai & Suburbs (Red = Lower Parel)

Map of Mumbai & Districts

           

Schematic Design: Part 2

           The next step in the process was done by putting the various overlays of the elements of design on top of one another. By doing so, different combinations of a final overlay was created. Out of all the combinations, the three that are shown to the left were the final overlays that were chosen.

         

            Based on these final overlays, a three-dimensional model will be pulled out from the overall concept of these overlays.

           For the Final Overlay Combination 1, Model 1 was developed. This model brought the idea of shape and curves together. Also since lines were randomly placed on Combination 1, lines were also randomly placed in the model.

          For Overlay 2, Model 2 was introdued. The idea of the shape itself plays a role in this model. The one concept that was brought into the model was since the squares and curves are completely two-dimensional in the overlay, those shapes were now put into 3D creating cubes instead of simple squares.

          Finally, for Overlay 3 the main concept that was brought into 3D space was curves and round edges. At first this entire model was sketched to be only consist of round edges. However, since the overlay also integrated the idea of rectolinear lines by having squares randomly placed in the overlay, this concept followed through and was added to the final outcome of the three-dimensional model as shown in the pictures below. The squares placed in the model were not completely transformed into a 3D shape such as a cube. It remained a simple square since the main idea that the model wanted to portray was the cuves and rounded edges.

        The idea of color was added into Model 1 and the FINAL model of Model 2. The color in Model 1 portrays the blue and oranges that were present in the painting that has inspired this whole project, Obscure Varitey 2 by Maitreyii. The blues and oranges are complimentary color that were used in the painting. Also the idea of the same brush strokes used in the painting were implemented on the sphere part of the model. In the Final Model of Model 2, the same type of idea was used as Model 1. The only difference was that instead of complimentary colors, the analagous colors of yellow, orange, and green were used. These color were also in Maitreyii's painting.

        The final approach to the 3D models was light and shadow. By just observing Model 2 and 3 all you see is a complete white model. No color or various materials were used. Therefore, light was put into play to create shadows that can bring out new shapes and overall look to the model.

The models were created by using bristol board and white chipboard, as well as acrylic paints.

Below are some pictures of the final models as well as pictures that depicted shadow:



Model 1 (Based off Final Overlay Combination 1)



Model 2 (Based off Final Overlay Combination 2)




Model 3 (Based off Final Overlay Combination 3)





                Out of all of the models created, the model that was most appealing at first was Model 2. Thus a complete Final Model of Model 2 was created just adding the idea of color and shadow. This model is on a 6x6 base compared to the smaller models that were on a 4x4 base.



Final Model of Model 2



           However, by the end of this whole second part of the Schematic Design Process, instead of heading towards the Final Model of Model 2 concept, the final concept may take a turn in lean more towards Model 3. An idea of combining Model 3 and 2 may be developed.





OLIOBOARD



Schematic Design

The abstract painting known as Obscure Variety 2 was done by a painter known as Maitreyii. Many of her paintings are inspired by nature and its surroundings. She uses a mixture of acrylic and oil-based paints to carry out her ideas onto her paintings, which is what she does to create Rainbow Beauty. Her current artwork consists of surreal imagery combined with geometric compositional elements.

When one first sees the painting there is a sense of structure and fluidity. It also projects a sense of direction. Structure because of the straight lines that make out geometric shapes. Fluidity because of the curved lines that stretch across the painting. Sense of direction because following one curve leads you to another and so on, guiding you through the painting. The emotions of confidence and strength are portrayed through the curved shapes soaring out and above the geometric shapes that lie to the side or behind these curved shapes. Maitreyii uses these shapes to provoke a form of partnership between curved and straight figures, having them work together as one in this painting.

The Rainbow Beauty painting implies color in two ways. One can clearly see the idea of warm and cool colors transitioning from left to right, having the warm scheme on the left and cool on the right. The mixture of warm colors consists of reds, yellows and oranges; while the cool theme of color consists of the mixture between greens and blues. Furthermore, Maitreyii uses color schemes such as complimentary colors. She uses greens and reds as compliments, and blues and greens as well. One can also say that the choice of color and its placement affects the direction of where the light seems to be coming from. In the painting, the yellows and bright oranges are used in the bottom right hand corner and then the colors begin to darken as one continues towards the middle of the painting. In addition, along the top middle half of the painting you see the greens mixed in with blues, grays, and yellows but also patches of white seem to come through giving the impression that there is a light behind the painting wanting to shine through.

 Besides the idea of color, the idea of space also impacts the painting as well. The major factor that is used in the painting is overlapping. The shapes in Maitreyii’s painting are on top of and under each other giving the sense of depth in the piece of art. Without this factor the painting would just look like shapes separately placed on a piece of paper. The idea of overlapping seems to be Maitreyii’s style of painting. Many of her pieces of artwork have different shapes and lines overlapping one another, but not just in the shapes but also in the color. She blends her colors very well and overlaps them creating many layers of paints creating shadows.

Maitreyii’s Rainbow Beauty has many elements that make a design, an artwork appealing to the eye. She uses a variety of techniques to create depth, the sense of light, as well as using color schemes to bring life to the painting. 

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Elements of Design Overlays

          To begin the process, overlays were created based on some of the elements of design. If these six different traces are put on top of the painting they match perfectly with their corresponding lines and shapes. The six elements that were identified are symmetry, both asymmetrical and approximate, as well as unity through variety, horizontal and vertical lines, and finally shape. For the next step, some of these overlays will be placed on top of one another to create a final combination of overlays.