SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

District Center

Thesis Synopsis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the 10th
Semester of Bachelor of Architecture (B. ARCH.)

(RONAK DABAS -18B0079) Feb 2023

Plot No. 1, Rajiv Gandhi Education City, Sonipat, Haryana-131029

- Abstract

The District Centers are designed to serve as the culmination of the community's multiple nodal
activities, giving the city a center for mixed-use activity that includes commercial, retail, and
communal activities. It is a location that provides the neighbourhood with all of the necessities of
daily life. In order to reduce congestion in the city's core and to enable mixed zoning for the sub-
districts, they also cause the dispersion of the city center into a variety of smaller business areas.
District centers are made up of a range of building types, including corporate offices, mixed-use
office buildings, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, retail entertainment, community amenities, and
public services.

They function as public spaces and gathering spots for the neighbourhood. They contribute
significantly to a city's economy and sustain its trade. They bring about a wide range of jobs
concentrated in one location and draw a sizable population for a variety of reasons, including
business, shopping, entertainment, and socialising. Therefore, the district centers can be considered a
very crucial component of a developing city, giving it all the facilities, it needs in one location and
preserving the neighbourhood.

The planners place a high priority on a district's proper development because these areas serve as hubs
for business, retail, and leisure. To establish a useful public area that the entire community can use,
proper consideration must be given to concerns like parking, pedestrian circulation, and traffic
segregation. Therefore, the district centers can be considered a very crucial component of a
developing city, giving it all the facilities, it needs in one location and preserving the neighbourhood.

 
- Introduction and Definition of the Project

In order to relieve some of the pressure on traffic and parking in the central area, district centers with
amenities for retail shopping, business and professions, offices, and entertainment were required due
to the city's rapid growth and the inability of the existing commercial areas to meet the rising
demands. Delhi's commercial areas, particularly District Centers, are not developing in accordance
with the Delhi Master Plan. MPD-1962 envisioned two sub-CBDs and fifteen district centers;
however, only seven district centers were ever built until 2007. These included Janakpuri, Laxmi
Nagar, Shivaji Place (Raja Garden), Jhandewalan, Rajendra Place, Bhikaji Cama Place, and Nehru
Place.

In addition to those that were previously built at the time, MPD-2001 suggested building 2 sub-CBDs
and 22 district centers. Only three of the estimated 22 district centers—Netaji Subhash Place
(Wazirpur), Manglam Place (Rohini), and Saket—had been built by 2007. The two sub-CBDs were
suggested by MPD-2021, along with 11 other district centers. Additionally, it suggested developing
district centers as a portion of commercial facility corridors in urban extensions.

District centers are referred to as "the hubs that are designed to act as the epicenter of the multi-nodal
of the community's activities and should be conceived as large shopping centers, while providing the
neighbourhood with a reasonable wide range of other services and amenities and also hubs of socio-
cultural activity in which the community can come together." This definition is taken from the Delhi
Master Plan 2021. "Commerce and related activities should be the focus in these centers,"

District centers are designed to serve a population of 5 lakh, according to a business hierarchy. In
various locations, including Kolkata, it is also referred to as the Sub-City Center. After the city center,
a district center is the next level up in the commercial hierarchy. In British English, the phrase "city
center" is most frequently used. It is an urban region that is the center of a city or town's commercial,
business, and cultural districts. The geographic, commercial, cultural, historical, and political core of
a city is located in its district centers.
- Problem Statement

Cities serve as the platform for social, physical, cultural, and economic coexistence as well as
conflict. It is an urban area with characteristics that come from the complexity of interacting social
relations. As a result of population growth and changing urbanisation patterns, many of India's old
cities—which were designed based on the country's pre-existing culture and physical structure—have
been divided and redesigned into complex patterns.

Urban areas that are crowded are key indicators of a city's progress. They are unorganised and
overcrowded. They seem to be exhausted in terms of resources and spaces to build or intervene.
Finding a solution to this problem is the need of the hour. To propose a solution to the identified
problem has been the thesis research's primary focus. Also, to create a space which can form the node
for holding and experiencing commercial, cultural and social activities. The occupied land needs to be
restored to the people after being developed, improved, and made usable.

- Aim of the Project

The idea of the project is to create a center for commercial and cultural activities that bring people
together through commerce, gathering spaces, social activities, and working spaces. Designing a
district center that develops as a public space is the project's goal.

- Objectives of the Project

 To create a "one-stop destination" that functions as a hub for retail, office, and cultural activities
and serves as a landmark for the city.
 To create a space that combines cultural and commercial activities on a much smaller scale. To
explore the symbiotic character of COMMERCE and CULTURE.
 To make an engaging and vibrant environment for all users at all times via mixed-use zoning.
 To evolve a contemporary model of conventional Indian market.
 To examine the relationships between the spaces and the difficulties caused by imbalances caused
by design.
- Scope of the project

The thesis project consists of office space, commercial space, retail space, an auditorium, restaurants,
and performance space. The functional components of this center are derived from the definition of a
district center and urban guidelines prescribes by the DDA, and also from the specific potential and
requirements of the site. The district center as a center of commercial activity needs to be fully
equipped to handle the aspirations of the city. The research will also be looking into Sustainable
Design ideas, with basic requirements of acoustics, structures and lighting for workspaces for
designing of spaces like office, auditorium, retail space, etc.

- Area of Research

The main challenge is figuring out how to give a public space a lively personality. to recognize the
goals of modern metropolises' transit-oriented development. This fabric is created by combining built
and open elements in addition to the functioning parts fitting perfectly inside a boundary. The goal is
to investigate those architectural features or concepts that have contributed to Delhi's thriving public
life. to research transition spaces and comprehend their function in contrast to circulation areas in an
institution. Understanding and exploring the architectural expression of the facade in accordance with
the Urban Fabric of the surrounding of the District Center. The relationship of the building to the site,
street, and neighbouring buildings. In addition, the study will explore how cultural and business
initiatives use place-making to generate and improve a sense of place.
- Validity of the Project
Site Data and Context
The location is in the twin district centre in Rohini, which is Zone H of the Delhi Master Plan 2041.
Asia's largest Sub-City, Rohini, is second only to South West Delhi's Dwarka Sub-City in terms of
population. It was the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) first Sub-City Project, launched in the
1980s, with the goal of creating a mixed society for people from different socioeconomic
backgrounds.
The location is located between the two main traffic routes, Rohtak Road and the G.T. Road with a
railway line to Karnal, along the Outer Ring Road. Paschim Vihar, Shalimar Bagh, Mangolpuri,
Pitampura, and Narela are nearby communities.

Twin District Center

With the Twin District Center in Rohini has become a center for commerce and leisure. Twin district
centers, each covering 32 hectares, were planned by the Delhi Development Authority in an effort to
develop Rohini into a fully connected township. The district center is well connected via public
transport. Two metro station the Rohini West and Rithala Metro Stations lies next to DC I. Twin
District Center is divided by a central green space named as Swarn Jayanti Park. The park is around
100 hectares that is made up of gardens, amusement parks, and recreational places. The Crown Plaza
Hotel, City Center Mall, Unity One Mall, Ambiance Mall, and D-Mall are just a few of the numerous
commercial and multiplex buildings that have sprouted up in DC-1. A big park that provides a green
buffer between the District Center and the project's other structures helps to raise its visual appeal.
The Metro Walk Mall and Adventure Island, which span 64 acres of land, are also located between the
District Centers next to the Swarn Jayanti Park. The project includes Adventure Island, a top-notch
amusement park; Metro Walk, a shopping mall; a water park. At Rohini West Metro Station, the
DMRC built a multi-level parking garage with space for 550 cars, and Unity One Mall, which
features shops, a multiplex, and eateries, also has multi-level parking.
Site Location
Location: Plot-1, Sector-10, District Center-I, Rohini, Delhi
Area: 5.5 acres

The site is located in the "TWIN DISTRICT CENTER" in Rohini, Delhi. The Twin District Center
has two parts, namely DC-1 and DC-2, separated by Swarm Jayanti Park, which stretches 1 km along
both sides. The location offers a chance to explore the necessary context from an architectural
standpoint, as it is a significant emerging commercial district in the area. The district center will not
just promote social interaction and business, but it will also create jobs and boost the local economy.
The site is surrounded by roads from all side, and there is a large amount of residential area in the
district center's surrounding and nearby areas. 
-
-

Prototype identification

 Saket District Center, Delhi

Saket District Center is located in Delhi's Zone F and was proposed in the Delhi Master Plan
2001.The complex is well connected with public transport, with a number of bus stops and auto
stands at the district center. The site area is 21.85 hectares. A major component of this district
center is retail of the shopping mall typology. The district center also contains offices, as well as
a number of four- and five-star hotels, service apartments, and a cultural center. The presence of
one of the most prominent mall complexes in Delhi makes this district center a vastly popular
place in Delhi.
 Jasola District Center, Delhi
Jasola District center falls in Zone F of Delhi and was proposed by the Master Plan of Delhi
2001. Jasola is located in south Delhi, near Sarita Vihar, and comes under Zone F of the National
Capital. The area of the district center is 19.44 hectares. Since the complex is a non-hierarchical
commercial Center, the primary use of the land is for commercial activities. While some parts
are still under construction, the towers are primarily used for office buildings. Around 50% of
these buildings have retail and restaurants on the ground floor and offices on the upper floors,
while the others are only office buildings. These buildings are G+7 structures. In total, there is
approximately 2 million square feet of commercial space in the complex.

 Nehru Place District Center, Delhi

Nehru Place District Center is located in Delhi's Zone F and was proposed by the Delhi Master
Plan in 1962. Nehru Place is a large commercial, financial, and business center in Delhi. It is a
prominent commercial area in south Delhi and houses the headquarters of several Indian firms. It
was the biggest of all the 15 district centers proposed in the 1962 master plan for Delhi. Planned
by the Delhi Development Authority, the 38-hectare site was built atop the Aravalli Mountain
range. By the 1980s, it had been renamed Nehru Place, after Jawaharlal Nehru, and functioned
more as a regional ‘commercial, financial, and business center. Today, it is one of Asia’s largest
IT hubs.