This thesis delves into the transformative potential of office buildings, which have traditionally functioned as private, employee-centric spaces. It confronts the challenge of reviving inactive urban areas by advocating for the reconfiguration of certain segments of these buildings into accessible public spaces. The research proposes an in-between typology, redefining office buildings into the community fabric while preserving essential privacy and security for business operations. By employing architectural strategies that enhance welcoming atmospheres, and helps bring in the street energy into the building. It advocates for the creation of vibrant, interactive zones where individuals can gather, socialize, and celebrate cultural and day-to-day events, facilitating access to the interesting parts of the building. This approach not only promises to elevate public engagement but also aid potential economic benefits for businesses by transforming underutilized spaces into active community hubs. / Master of Architecture / This thesis investigates how we can transform office buildings from private, employee-only areas into active parts of the city that welcome everyone. How parts of these buildings could be opened up to the public to help breathe new life into areas of the city that are otherwise quiet and underused. Redesigning of office buildings so that they not only serve their traditional business purposes but also become integrated parts of the urban community. This doesn't mean compromising the privacy and security necessary for business operations, instead, it's about finding a balance where both can coexist. The thesis suggests architectural designs that make these buildings feel open and inviting. For instance, incorporating elements that draw in the lively vibe from the street outside can make entering the building a more appealing experience. The goal is to create spaces within these office buildings where people can come together not just for work but also to socialize, participate in cultural events, or simply enjoy their day. This could mean designing certain floors or areas that are open to the public, with cafes, exhibition spaces, or areas for performances that attract both office workers and the general public. Making these changes could significantly enhance public interaction in these spaces, turning them into vibrant community hubs rather than just workplaces. This can increase foot traffic, which not only adds to the building's vibrancy but can also provide economic benefits. Shops, cafes, and cultural venues within these buildings could see higher customer volumes, and the businesses housed there may enjoy greater visibility and engagement from the community.

As we move forward in time, our cities are meant to be progressive, which should ideally prioritize its pedestrians and make spaces inclusive to all socio-economic groups. On the contrary, observation tells that some of our cities get designed with an “orthodox” approach by keeping in mind the interests of motorways with high mast blue-rich LED luminaires. Such a system does not allow pedestrian-oriented activities, such as Farmer’s markets, Food Streets, Public Plazas, etc., to thrive and leaves smaller streets where such activities happen in darkness or with unplanned, quick fix lighting.While darkness is good for the environmental benefit of light pollution, certain parts of our cities need to be lit the right way for the apt functioning of the urban realm.Based on the placemaking concept by urban activists/journalists and sociologists such as Jane Jacobs and William H Whyte there are 4 attributes to making a place great. The place diagram represents the four attributes: access and linkages, comfort and image, uses and activities, and scalability. The study utilizes the Place Diagram as a basis for the analysis and design of the lighting of the Russell Market Promenade site in Bangalore.The design proposal will focus on the various user groups of the space and the creative pattern of space use. The assessment of the lighting proposal is by the users of the space, architects, lighting designers, and pedestrians in the area.

A good urban space must fulfill the promises of complexity and variety. This thesis investigates how to define an urban plaza in terms of universal elements employed to achieve that complexity. An alternating grid, a, b, a, composed of squares of five and ten feet provides an order for all the elements on the site. Each element is generated and organized from this grid. The dominant elements are thirty-foot tall concrete columns. These columns and their subsequent structural armature define the structure of buildings and an underground parking structure. The columns form a continuum which ties together every aspect of the thesis. Visually, they are present everywhere in the plaza and define very specific views of the plaza and the surrounding city. Together with an intricate mosaic floor pattern created from overlapping ellipses, also based on the grid, the massive columns and fine-grained floor define the extremes of the plaza's scale. The development of a number of potential elements always failed when put together to form a cohesive idea of a contained plaza. A clear order was necessary to bring together different elements into a cohesive whole. This led to the definition of a plaza as a sensibly apparent and rationally knowable outdoor public building contained within a city or town. For an area which previously lacked any structural cohesion, the ordered plaza now defines a strong structural element within the city. The grid and columns define space but do not force a single usage. They define how the plaza is used as it weathers the continual change of an urban environment. The plaza does not exist as an independent element within the city. The many framed views offered by the columns create new perspectives of the surrounding city. The universal elements, the columns, reference the site specifically in their scale and proportion. Applicable in a wide range of projects, the grid of columns in this project orders a pedestrian environment connecting downtown and a baseball stadium. Three buildings which derive directly from the grid create additional small openings to the city beyond. While focusing toward the center, the buildings define a permeable edge which allows interaction. / Master of Architecture