Customizing the Electical layout of your home

Customizing electrical layout of your home is a basic need for any new buyer , the prime reason being that any family which will occupy the new home will have its unique needs of living & hence a furniture layout.

Customizing an electrical layout involves a 3 stage process:

1) Developing a new furniture layout according to your needs

2) Making a new electrical layout or modifying the electrical layout from the developer in case of under construction homes to suit the new furniture layout . A common example being that you may require electrical sockets for TV or Laptops in your rooms at  "Correct Location"

3) Checking that the work has happened in similar manner & all changes have been done as per your requirement on site.

In any new home , following are points to remember:

a) Electrical layout cannot be modified every now & then, especially so when these days , conduits are concealed

b) The list of all the electrical points from developer should be checked & then new points can be added or existing electrical points can be modified

c) 5 amphier socket points are suitable for almost all fittings.
     15 amphier socket points are required only for Refrigerator, Microwave oven, dishwasher  & A.C,
     but also check any additional appliances you may have which may require 15 amp

d) Always keep additional sockets in every location

e) Provision for invertor backup wiring needs to be made during modification in case of concealed wiring. Call your invertor vendor at this stage itself

f) Take professional help of an Architect for preparing the new electrical layout & customization as he/ she may help you in better way

regards
Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Why do people live in unsafe houses?

In a recent incidence in a suburb in Pune, a recently built & occupied apartment building caved in, where a young engineer lost his life . Also numerous families were rendered homeless. Questions are being now raised about the quality of construction, responsibilities of private builders, engineers, carelessness of government etc etc, putting this debate in national news.The question which comes to mind is that “Why did people occupy a building, where structural safety was in doubt ?”

 Why do people live in unsafe houses?

 This question has two dimensions, actually two types:

Type 1: People who are unaware that their homes are unsafe

Type 2:  People who are aware but still  live in unsafe homes.

Let us understand, first the issue of “Need for Housing in Indian cities”. Currently India is one of the fastest urbanizing nations in the world. As per a report by an organization called KPMG , India’s urban population has grown at a CAGR of 2.8 percent over 2001-2011, resulting in an increase in the urbanization rate from 27.8 percent to 31.2 percent.6 Out of India’s 1.21 billion population, 377 million people are urban dwellers.

If we now look at Pune city alone, as per a recent press report in a national daily newspaper, - “The city is expected to witness a 40 per cent shortfall in the supply of housing units by the end of 2018. While it would require an additional 1,91,200 housing units, the supply is likely to be around 77,500 units, said a study conducted by global real estate consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), “India's top eight cities, including Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad and Kolkata, will contribute 23 per cent or 2.65 million units to the total demand for urban housing, the study said.

The study stated that 80 per cent of the additional demand for homes in these eight cities will come from the middle income group (MIG) and lower income group (LIG).

Such a huge demand for housing will only be created by private sector, which offers housing as a product for sale in various parts of the city. People buy homes, finally based upon their affordability. Affordability is a by product of a term called ‘Market value’ of homes. Market value is directly controlled by two factors. First an marginally variable factor of cost of construction, & second a hugely variable factor of cost of land, which changes almost every kilometre in large cities based upon factors like proximity to city centre, accessibility , quality of infrastructure, governing authority, surrounding urban development etc.

 The factor of “Safety” of home comes out unfortunately, based upon the issue of Affordability. The upper middle class who work in service industry, who get access to easy loans from reputed banks, whose repayment capacities are never questioned, who has insurance & healthcare protection etc buys homes from the ‘Reputed’ developers. High in market value due to their location of land, most of them use good standards of construction, are supervised by good engineers within standard systems , thus ensuring a basic quality which at least ensures a safe structure at end of the day.

 The middle class & lower middle class struggles to find a house within their affordable price limits & ends up moving on to suburbs, where the price of homes is less due to low land price in comparison with those near centre of cities, but there is a fair chance that the developers operating in many areas may be unknown & non qualified people .(By the way – Is there any qualification required in India to become a developer ? ,apart from ownership of land parcels). In city suburbs there are various types of housing options available to people. Even though most of the projects are sanctioned by local authorities or the local authorities may apply procedures of safety before giving completion certificates etc, many of these may be mere formalities done for the sake of making it easy for Bank loan purposes.

 Let us understand typical procedure of house buying for most people :

1) After decision to buy is made, you understand how much is your loan eligibility

2) You start looking for projects around the city either with developers or through real estate agents,

    which are new or resale flats.

3) Apart from your biggest aspect of costing, you see the house plans, interior finishes, of course Vastushastra (???), amenities given by developers i.e security, club house , gardens etc etc .

 4) You are impressed with the 3d views & elevations of building, glass , color etc

 5) You finalize the home & approach the bank.

 
6) The bank checks if the property is sanctioned by municipal corporation, if the floor you have selected is sanctioned & at the max, in case of old property it may ask you a title search report . If getting loan from a reputed bank becomes difficult due to certain reasons, you settle down for making financial arrangements from other sources & buy a property within your budget reach..

 7) After registration, you occupy the home & start living after making your beautiful interiors...

 Isn’t it strange- Within the above process – there is no attention of quality of construction, quality of RCC work, if various structural stability certificates are taken. There is no attempt to get a third party check done by structural engineers & architects, about previous wear & tear of the apartment or get useful information from the neighbourhood about reputation of developers..The same middle class family does all sorts of research about quality, usability, about safety features etc when it buys a car which comes at 20 percent of price of the apartment.

Hence most of the unfortunate people will fall in Type 1 – category – Those who are unaware ,that they are living in a unsafe Home. They come to know only when something happens, maybe structural cracks, or part of building caves in.

Ist’ it our duty to check the quality of the building, when your entire family is going to occupy the house? In various developed countries, there is a standard government procedure to get a third party check done by expert teams of Architects & Engineers before you approach the bank for loan. Why not do it before you buy?

 The second category of people i.e. Type 2- category- are the people who are aware that their home is unsafe. Buildings get wear off due to various factors like weather, poor construction quality or sheer age of building. Except a sudden earthquake, before a structure fails, it starts giving signals hours, days or even months before. Many times these signals are taken casually. I have seen buildings occupied which have a government tag of unsafe building on it. Retro fitting of building is common system & procedure, which needs to be done immediately. People avoid it for various reasons like maintenance for the building being not collected from families, waiting of government to take action, waiting for landlord to redevelop the building etc. This is like committing suicide. Today in a local daily was an article & photo of defence owned government buildings in Pune , where families continue living.

If we fall ill, we go to a Doctor, we get admitted to hospital as we fear our life may get over. When the building is ill or in better words – ‘unsafe’, why don’t we immediately vacate our home & go to an engineer ?

Any suspected unsafe building should be got examined by a structural engineer. Similar to MRI & there are non destructive tests available these days. As per the guidance of the structural engineers, specialized contractors will help retrofit the building. In case of extreme conditions, the building may have to be destroyed & rebuilt. It is better to live in a poor’s hut instead of living in an unsafe palace.

Thus ensuring your safety & avoiding damage due to building collapse is in your hands.

 
In simple words –Life is precious. Please do not risk it by living in Unsafe buildings.

Wishing your happiness & safety !

 

Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Architect

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Child Friendly Home

The Title itself suggests that any home needs to be specially designed for children. This is very true. When we are talking about children we are referring to children between 0 to 12 years who have their own specific requirements & their own world of emotions , fantasies, fears & fun. They are immersed in their own world obviously unaware of dangers of being injured due to furniture or sharp edges or falling from a height etc etc.

 

 There was a wonderful statement made by an engineer friend who remarked, “Any home where children can play & run around Blindfolded is a Well designed Home”.

 

Children need lots of “Space” to explore, to have fun. A very mundane response shown by parents while creating spaces for children is making a children’s room with a ‘typical’ colourful wardrobes, ‘Stars’ on ceiling & also very very typical “Bunk” Bed. I know of a small child of 5 years who accidently fell from one of such Bunk beds while playing & injured herself so badly that she needed to be hospitalised.

 

If we have children in our house, the parameters of design of our home can be summed up in 3- S.

 

1)  S pace

 

2)  S afety

 

3)  S ensetivity

 

 

1) Space:

When  a 6-8 month old baby learns to crawl, it requires lot of clean unobstructed space all around the house. The baby will not confine itself to the so called ‘Children’s room’. It will crawl behind its parents in all the rooms. Rooms should be free from clutter of extra furniture. As the baby grows up, it will start demanding & determining its own space. So wiser will be that in certain rooms, do not make furniture beforehand. For example, many parents with children upto 5 years prefer to sleep on matteress laid on floor, so to prevent children from falling from beds. Matresses can also be rolled up & space can be created for babies to play or for keeping their rocking chairs, play tents, or prams etc. Instead of large bulky beds, you can use folding beds.

Thus the key aspects is “Never Pre design a space” if you have growing children.

 

2) Safety:

Children are curious & are completely unaware of the dangers of getting hurt while playing. First & foremost , remove all unnecessary furniture in the house, so that children do not get hurt by getting hit from it. In small houses, it is difficult to avoid furniture. But still we can design furniture without sharp corners. In our house, my wife , a graphic designer, has skill fully detailed a  piece of furniture (chk image) with rounded edges which we have found to be safe with our children.

 

 

As far as possible , avoid Bunk beds. Have low height beds & furniture , which even if children fall from will get them less injured. Never have electrical switches , at heights where  children can reach. If you have , please install child safe switches which are available in the market. Do not have mirrors or large glass partitions in the house. Children do not recognise its presence & get hit by walking towards it. Have surfaces & furnishes which are non toxic, safe & can be wiped cleaned . Any dust accumulating surface will invite virus & infections. If you have attached terraces, it will be wiser to have extra railings till almost 5 feet height, which can prevent children from falling down. Grills are a must for low height windows.

 

 

3) Sensitivity:

 

We should be sensitive to the needs of “Our Child”, rather than copying from what is general or what some other parent has done in his home. Every child is special, with its own set of requirements. Children from different age groups require ‘different’ ergonomics & react to spaces in different manner. Look closely at how play schools are wisely designed these days. Books & Toys are kept in reach of children. It gives a little ‘chap’ a ‘big confidence’ when he or she opens his / her own little cupboard & takes her own things out & also keep them once the play is over. Against this , I know of a case, where a smart young boy of over  10 years of age came & told his parents that he was now “Grown up” & please remove the silly “Kindergarten furniture” & finishes from his room. Of course the parents had to oblige & installed a good study table, a workshop desk , white boards etc. Thus being sensitive is also to being logical about our own children & their special world.

 

Out door spaces for children:

Now let us also think about the outdoor spaces for children. Ideally outdoor spaces should be such that, when a small 4-5 year old kid is playing, the parents can keep an eye on them. This used to happen in older houses, where buildings were not more that 3-4 stories high & a annoyed mother would call her mischievous kid from the balcony. In most of the housing societies built today with multi-storeyed apartments, the developers give a “Children play area”, a small piece of land along open space with swings & slides. Very rarely children can reach this area without crossing a vehicular street. Hence mostly, in the evenings, parents escort their little ones to this children play area & stand there, till their child plays. This stops the child from exploring own their own. The generation of parents today who grew up playing, complain that their children play videogames rather than actual games, but never bother to ask or find out, where the hell their child will play football or cricket in the housing societies of today, where one cannot find a ‘Maidan’.

 

The question remains un answered or in the minds of all that “Do we analyse the needs for our growing children before making spaces for them in our homes or outside ?”

 

 

Hrishikesh Ashtekar

My observations regarding ‘Emergent Customization by People’ in an ‘uptown’ housing project.

A very prominent developer built a fantastic project , premium apartments located in east of Pune near Airport.  Designed by well known Architectural firm from Bangalore, the project showcased superbly modern elevations flanked by equally wonderful landscape in posters and hoardings all around the city. The construction quality was equally good and while construction was on I had taken around eighty students of Architecture to study the quality, also how well a project can be detailed out. This was around two years back when the project was yet unoccupied.

I  recently happed to visit the same project on a typical enquiry ‘to change a few things’ from a family residing in this very project. When I walked in to the campus, I could observe some very interesting things

.

a) The wonderfully designed modern elevation was all looking ‘ Hoch Poch’. People had covered terraces with tin sheets. 

b) Many people had put on grills to windows in want of security .The developers in a vain attempt to protect the look had not provided grills to windows.

c) There were external ducts in form of a false faced to hide toilets & dry balconies which were encroached upon in want of more internal space by people.

d) In some places , where rain water seemed to enter the windows, external tin roofed chajja / window protection were added done by fabricators.

e) In the apartment which I visited , I was talking to the owners how well worked out the layout was by the original Architect, they had complains all over saying how their furniture wont fit.  This family believed in Vastushastra  and the developer has not allowed them even the internal changes in electrical points and fittings leading to shabby external casing capping electric lines moving on the walls done as per their internal furniture layout.

f) The original door frames given by the developers for terrace doors could not accommodate a grill safety door which at times forms a ‘psychological safety’ device.

e) Even at some places the designed landscape seemed to change.

The question arouse in my mind, When the developer sold flats to people on the face value of magnificent elevations  shown in 3d graphics, hadn’t the same people realized to asked him, what is the use of a great elevations when it is going to change within two years of occupation.

Are good looks more important that the actual person inside ? Same is with a building. People tend to distort the building envelope and internal spaces to suit their own unique logics. These patterns are so varied that not one house becomes similar to another.

You  will think ‘ This happens only in India!’.  But world over people have rejected  and changed designed housing environments. Many of them are examples in Europe , especially built during the phase and advent of Modern architecture designed by renowned Master Architects. In  culturally diverse Asian countries like India, during the post Independence period, pre designed and pre built mass housing projects were thrust upon which were derived from western modernism principles. Strangely our ancestors built organic cities with their own houses and communities by themselves.

As with human communities, change is a way of life in ‘Residential environments’. A ‘post occupational survey’ done for housing project can give you valuable answers of what people want.  We are living in times of an ‘Emergent Architecture’ or better ‘Emergent Customization’ done by the people for the people.  It may be worthwhile embracing a ‘Democratic’ way to Design.  

There can be new design patterns which can interpret the change people demand in more designed manner to encompass beauty within the changing framework.

Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Selecting ‘Appropriate’ Sanitary ware & Faucets (Taps)

The most critical part of personalizing your own home are sanitary fittings & faucets in Toilets & Kitchens. It is very important to realize what is really ‘Appropriate’ for you & your family . In the market which is flooded with products both International & Local brands, it is critical to understand the fundamental criteria for choice.

The important criteria while choosing can be:

1) Space available

2) Aesthetic appeal

3) Use of fitting

4) Budget

5) Performance

6) Existing plumbing network

1) Space available: How large or small is your Toilet or Space available for the fitting ?, Will the fitting create problems of door closure or come in way while you are moving in the space ? Will it look proportionate within the small toilet space or appear huge ?

2) Aesthetic appeal: Gone are the days when, you asked your local plumber to get the fittings & install them. Ideally spaces for toilets & wash basins should be designed with color schemes or design themes which suit your liking. Within the design idea, everything right from the tiling to sanitary ware to faucets everything must be handpicked & chosen. Generally for branded fittings & faucets, specific design ranges are available. So you can get all different types of taps for a single toilet within the similar looking design range.

3) Use of the fitting: How do you intend to use a Sanitary ware or a faucet ? If we take an example of Wash basin, we will require a sturdy counter sunk basin ,where you intend to just wash your hands in the toilet or intend to perform mundane activities like shaving. Where as, more appropriate will be  a counter top relic or glass / crystal or any other material where the wash basin is located near dining area as it becomes a show piece in itself. The same logic will go when the tap or the faucet as to where it needs to be fitted.

4) Budget : How much will a particular fitting cost ? We need to finalize our budget for the project in regards to the fittings.  A wash basin of  a similar size will be available of a local brand of as less as Rs 1000/- while the same size branded or of an exclusive material like acrylic will cost you as large as Rs 25000/-. Faucets of similar size if purchased locally will cost anything between Rs 100 to Rs 400 /-, the same size if purchased from  a standard brand will cost you above Rs 1000/-.

5) Performance: Finally, how does a fitting perform. We really need to test the product for its robustness & ease of operation. Generally branded sanitary ware is seen to perform better in comparison with the local brands available. Also some facilities like few months warranty & life time service are available from the manufacturers on just a phone call to call center, of course when we maintain the bills & warranty documents which should be demanded from the developer at time of possession. But many a times even high end sensor based faucets are difficult to maintain & lead to frequent repairs.

6) Existing plumbing network : The plumbing network needs to be technically understood & analyzed. Open or concealed ? Continuous water or intermittent supply ? Size of inlet available ? Requirement of Hot or Cold water ?  Material for plumbing –GI or U pvc or Copper ? Many fittings will require a change in the type of plumbing, especially during renovation projects.

“Generally all leading brands of sanitary ware in India – Jaguar / Cera / Grohe / Hindware / Parryware etc & many others have detailed web sites available. (just search on any search engine) These sites give features of all the fittings in detail. It is very important to check the product personally with an authorized dealer or distributor before giving the final order. In case if you are purchasing a flat from developer please ask for the product number from them & check for yourself.

Ar. Hrishikesh Ashtekar

Basic Types of Sanitary ware & fittings table:

No	Space	Fitting	Description
1	Water closet W.C	Indian W.C – Orissa pan	Regular floor flush pan which fits in the 18” sunk in floor or on raised platform in the toilet. Available in white & other light ceramic colors
		European WC –Floor mounted pan	W.C pan which fits on the toilet floor. This requires a flush tank in the rear which is available in ceramic / PVC / Wall concealed type. This requires 8” sunk in the slab. Available in two types-‘S’ trap with plumbing through floor & ‘P’ trap with plumbing through wall.
		European WC –Wall hung pan	W.C pan hung from the rear wall on metal brackets. This has plumbing pipe through the wall. Generally a ‘ledge’ wall is built foe extra support & concealing the flush tank within the wall. A variant with ceramic flush tank also is available.
2.	Toilet	Shower cubicle	A designer & specialized item which many manufacturers give customized. This is nothing but a dedicated area for bathing within the toilet usually a tile level lower than the toilet floor level. Shower cubicle comes equipped with various faucets & shower accessories. It is divided from rest of the toilet by either a PVC shower curtain or a toughened glass sliding partition. Shower cubicle has now replaced the legendary’ Bath tub due to awareness of water conservation.
		Wash basin  types available  1) Counter sunk  2) Counter top  3) Stand alone –with or without pedestal	Variants available in ceramics, glass & acrylics, though mostly used is ceramic because it is more robust. Counter sunk basin has a ceramic basin sunk within a granite counter. Counter top wash basin has a ceramic bowl which rests above the granite counter. More economical is the stand alone which gets fitted on wall with metal brackets. Stand alone basin comes with or without pedestal.
3	Toilet Faucets	Bib cock / Bib tap	Bib taps have a tee-shaped or capstan handle and a horizontal inlet. This get fitted as water outlet units perpendicular to the wall surface. There are available in SS & Brass materials with various finishes, (expensive ones in chrome/silver plated). In case, when Bib taps are used alongside of W.C pans, they come with an underneath attachment of health faucet nozzle.
		Pillar tap	Pillar taps have a vertical inlet, can be made of metal or plastic with capstan or elbow-action handles or shrouded head. Made to fit holes in sinks, basins and baths. Commonly used for wash basins. These also come with single nozzle & dual control handles for hot & cold water flow.
		Mixers	Mixers are pillar units in which hot and cold water meet and come out through a central spout. Bath mixers can have a shower attachment to divert mixed water up to a sprinkler. These generally come with two handle units on either side of the central spout but now they are also available as diverter fitting above the spout through which hot & cold water flow can be directed by turning the handle either ways. If you require a hand shower arrangement the central spout had a threaded connection on the rear on which the hand shower pipe is connected.
		Shower sprinkler Arm Hand shower arrangement	This is a unit connected to the mixer unit by either a concealed or a surface Stainless steel pipe. Shower fittings come with an adjustable neck. A hand shower fitting is also available connected to mixer by either SS or PVC flexible pipe.
4	Kitchen	Sinks	Sunk in the Kitchen counter this is available mostly in Stainless steel & more recently in Artificial stone. Sink comes in one or two bowl format. Many times a variant with single bowl with a SS utensils dry area attached is used in case of long counters
		Kitchen taps	Available both in Bib type or a Pillar type with a long neck spout to prevent water from splashing. The kitchen tap in India usually comes with the cold water side or top control handle. Also a double handle mixer tap is available in case required. In case a separate connection to water filter or an aqua guard is required a separator with valve control needs to be fitted between the water inlet & spout. A tap with a flexible neck is also available in the market which is quite commonly used in western countries.

The Fallacy of ‘Interior Decoration’

On the onset, let me be very clear that I do not have anything against Interior decorators.

 The word ‘Interior decoration’ as it is used today personifies ‘Fashion statements’ derived from secondary or tertiary sources. The ‘visually attractiveness’ factor while making up home spaces , especially usage of materials has become so magnified that finally rooms & houses become a museum of various materials used in their grandeur  form . It is same as using clothing used by models in fashion shows on day to day basis. Or another example is , do we use special clothes worn only during marriage ceremonies on everyday basis ? When we do use our own logic while selecting clothes comfortable to us in our daily lives, why do we shut our minds off when it comes to making our own homes?

People & families who occupy stereotype houses built for them come from different geographical settings, ethnic backgrounds, cultural beliefs, educational status, travel experiences, & lifestyles involving different daily activities.  Hence every house will have to reflect the personality of the ‘Family’ instead of the ‘ego’ of the designer or that of the material manufacturer who want to create a ‘photogenic’ visual image which goes into their portfolio.

 The house where people live is a dynamic space, where they grow in age & beliefs. Thus the house that ‘Is’ different than the house that ‘Was’. Hence the house will be different when it ‘Will be’. The adaptability factor of house & its spaces should be such that the homes should grow along with the people in its appearance & feel.  The finishes, spaces & furniture should reflect the comfort factor of the family including their current & future needs. How do we really derive this wisdom or connect with the common sense especially in today’s marketing world where everyone is trying to sell you something?

One way is to carry out a detail ‘User Needs Analysis’ study of our own family members in their present situation or in future. This analysis should be for various aspects like functional use, visual appearance & sensory perception , current & future needs, cultural requirements etc etc.  The house which you have purchased seldom would be enabled with specific requirements of your family. The environment of the living spaces in our house has a positive or negative impact on the minds of the family members.  Hence it is important to have the proportions, light, colors & materials rightly placed so to have a positive impact on your minds. The design outcome through such an analysis will be certainly different & close to your heart & a skill full designer may be easily able to help you realize these specific aspects in reality.

Spaces have to be lived in , felt, enjoyed  & experienced. They cannot be captured in photographs & put into flashy magazines.

Hrishikesh Ashtekar.