R E S U M ENANDITHA THIAGARAJAN

611, S WELLS ST, 1203CHICAGO, IL 60607

1111, E UNIVERSITY DRIVE, 121TEMPE, AZ 85281

773-610-7626nthiaga1@asu.edu

EDUCATION

Arizona State UniversityM.Arch – Fall 2011 to present

National Institute of Technology, TrichyB.Arch, 2006 – 2011

Rosary Matriculation Higher Secondary School, India1992 – 2006

SKILL SETS

Adobe design suite CS 5.5(Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Aftereffects)Rhino v5 + GrasshopperAutocad 2010 and aboveRevit Architecture 2011 (Certification course with Autodesk )Sketchup 7 and above + Vray 3DS Max10 + Vray O¢ce 2010

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Design Excellence (Collaborative Project), Fall 2012, ASU

Pidlite Young Designer’s Award for Maximum Space Utilization, April 2011

Awarded the national Citation for the design of an Installation/ Public Space at the Annual NASA (National Association of Students of Architecture) Design Competition, India, 2009 / 2010

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES

RSP Architects, Tempe, AZ – May 2012 – July 2012

Responsibilities included Client Meetings, Conceptual renders for RFQ submittals, Field reports, OAC meetings, Construction drawings, Layout design. Projects included Institutional buildings, Renovations, Laboratory and Hospitality.

KUKKE ARCHITECTS, INDIA – June 2009 – December 2009

Responsibilities included Conceptual sketches and plans, Construction drawings, Site reports, Client Meetings, City approval drawings, Estimation and Bill Checking. Projects included single family and multifamily residences and Performance centers.

CONSOLIDATED CONSORTIUM, INDIA – May 2008 – June 2008

Worked with lead architect on a retrofit project, involving the conversion of an abandoned residence into a heritage hotel. Responsibilities included process renders, plans and walkthrough.

“CREATIVITY - The Big Bang itself, Energies collide, take form and evolve into matter. It’s a process which suffocates the brain with thoughts, ideas explode, the ‘I got it smiles’ appear and what remains is pure euphoria” *

The process of design has always struck me as a sudden and unintended outburst of ideas. I believe that we as human beings are inherently knowledgeable about our surroundings; we probably just don’t understand them. For me, a simple sketch is what makes me understand. It’s astonishing what a simple stroke of the pencil can conjure up in the mind’s eye. One stroke leads to another and I start seeing a series of random patterns. These are the little bridges - connecting each idea to the other – and at the same time evaluating/comparing, discarding /manipulating; finally weaving them into a complex yet elementally simple pattern- to form a coherent whole.

Following these “outbursts”, is constraining them. Be it graphic standards or codes - cross referencing them with various examples and creating a framework. I have in course of time learnt to look at these as a guide rather than a constraint – a Scaffold if I may call it that. Having grown up in Chennai, a metro in Southern India, an exposure to ancient buildings has been a source of constant inspiration to try to understand what makes an experience. And I have come to realize that any person's perception of design comes from the depth of experiences that have gone before. I see buildings as veritable time capsules, bridging the divide between cultures, people and the environment for they cannot be viewed as disparate entities, but as forces that have the ability to influence the built environment.

To me the modulation of light and its effect on the built form has always fascinated me. You realize that it’s not so much the light that stands out but rather the shade around it which steps back - and that’s where patterns are formed - a pattern - a contrast and a rhythm - and once you get these right - I think architecture is capable of being "ephemeral" in quality – in the sense that each passing minute is an experience in itself! This as a philosophy has fascinated me and the starting "tool" for any design - begins with light. “Light” and its expression would be my tool of choice.

“Architecture”, it is said, “is an experiential art” and having said that, it cannot be viewed in isolation anymore. We are at a point where architecture needs to transcend mere utility and a stated aesthetic; it needs to be given a certain

symbolism which has the potential to touch the very core of any living being. In the long run, I look forward to a meaningful career in designing spaces which are liveable, lively, thought provoking and community engaging. And working in an environment which facilitates just these very issues I consider important will be a major step in my professional development.

Besides my interests in Design, I am an avid painter and dancer. I find myself drawing from these experiences often and a key step to integrating multiple disciplines into the design process is the process of “diagramming”. I try to tell the process and story of each of my designs as a simple diagram and that to me is key to understanding my own design better. I hope to continue this practice through my career and develop it furthur.

Nanditha Thiagarajan

INSPIRATIONS / DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

The design brief called for the renovation and expansion of a popular Performing Atrs Center in Fort Worth, Dallas. The center is located in close proximity to Louis Kahn’s Kimbell museum and Tadao Ando’s MOMA. The intention of the design was not not to draw attention away from existing masterpieces but to rather add value to an existing aesthetic quality.

This was a collaborative project involving three students. My role included conceptual design, detailed design of the theater, diagramming, plans and conceptual renders.

FWCAC , FORT WORTH

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The existing theater is retained as a beacon and reminder to Fort Worth’s immense development in the Arts.

‘Bays’ of program inspired by Kimbell and Ando’s MOMA lead to a highly “utilitarian” division of zones that seperate the served and servant spaces. This also leads to a strong character for the facility that is at once both deliberate and leaves a lasting impression

All program easily accessible on a single level save for the administration and classroom making it more of a public realm as compared to a highly programmed “building”. Theaters seperated from main road by a BOH, open lobby spaces and galleries that lead to public spaces

Two parallel axes divide the performance spaces from the display spaces. The main circulation space acts as the transition between two intense program spaces. While the passage through the gallery takes you through the “bays” in a perpendicular axis, the passage through the lobby takes you on an axis parallel to the “bays”.

Each service “bay” that seperates the program spaces holds the support spaces such as circulation, mechanical, electrical, HVAC and plumbing equipment.

The spaces are programmed in such a way that each program is abutted by a “bay” of service. Each program is also adjacent to an open gathering space that accentuates the solidity around it. This takes the form of open courts and a water body

In line with the concept of a “mature” building, there was a conscious endeavour to accentuate just the walls and make the program appear “light” and “weightless”

The walls are the structural system that holds the building together. They are load bearing cast in place concrete walls that are 13” thick with solid insulation. Trusses span between these walls holding up the floors

PLAN - LVL 1SCALE - 1/16 “

PLAN - LVL 2SCALE - 1/16 “

PLAN - LVL 3SCALE - 1/16 “

section Asection A

section B

section c

detail

SITE PLANSCALE - 1/16 “

section A

section B

section c

section A

section B

section c

SECTION A

SECTION B

gallery court lobby performance BOH

court multipurpose lobby performance BOH

BACK OF HOUSE

CONCEPTUALSECTIONS

The walls being a major part of the design, the spaces between them become anti - space. Hence it was important to study the openings and the very basic characteristics of each wall - be it the material or the openings, and the way light plays a role in defining these walls which in the end enclose active program spaces.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION