Hello! :D
My name is Binal and I'm from Mumbai, India. I'm an &rchitecture MArch1 student. I completed my undergrad from BVCOA, Mumbai University. I have a work experience of 3 years predominantly in the residential sector with multiple interior design and architecture projects.

I am deeply passionate about sketching and painting. I love exploring the genre of mystery, thriller, horror and court drama. I have a profound appreciation for Studio Ghibli films and the ethereal beauty of its clouds. A self-proclaimed sunset enthusiast and an ardent book reader.

I am proficient in Autocad, Sketchup, Adobe Illustrator, Indesign, and Photoshop. In summary, my journey as an architect-in-training is marked by a blend of academic rigor, professional experience, and a deep-rooted passion for creativity and exploration.

Hello everyone!
We are collaborating with 'Class of Your Own' to deliver workshops to Level 3 Design Engineer Construct! students at Alder Grange Sixth Form who have a keen interest in the construction industry. Our brief is to support these students on their real-life project - the renovation of St Nicholas' Church, located in beautiful Sabden, Lancashire.

In the 'Action Weeks' of May we will divide ourselves into 2 teams to hold our own 1-week design competition to renovate the church and later present it to the students. It is a fantastic opportunity to be involved in a real life project, creating diverse and exciting material for your portfolios while uplifting your design skills by working with students.

First of our many brainstorming sessions!

After meeting the students of Alder Grange at MTC along with their tutor, we got together on a Teams call to speak to them to understand their vision for the program. We spoke about our plan of action to ensure it aligned with COYO's brief for shaping up the best possible interactions with the students.

Later, with the help of AI, we came up with ideas to design our poster to capture the essence of MSA Live. This was the first step to bringing our ideas on paper and seeing how the poster may shape up to be.

Our first visit to Alder Grange School!

Upon arrival at the school, the five of us were provided with visitor IDs for the day to access the campus.
Here's our fun-little take on them!

P.S. Of course we changed our photos xD

Our first visit to Alder Grange School!

On 26/02 Monday, our team visited Alder Grange to showcase the different roles involved in running projects by presenting one project from our year out in practice.

This included an insight to the variety of roles architecture can involve such as a structural consultant, MEP consultant, landscape architect, interior designer, furniture designer and so on. This helped them in realising the abundance of opportunities that the construction industry has to offer.

Here's hoping we inspired few young minds!

Our first visit to Alder Grange School!

Post the presentation, the team lead one-on-one workshops with the students exploring adjacencies for their scheme to help them progress onto concept designs in the coming weeks.

This blog post features a collection of remarkable drawings and handmade models that beautifully illustrate the students' unique visions for the church.

Poster design Iterations!

Here's a glimpse of our design process which shows how the students put together their ideas to reshape the Sabden Church.

Check out our final poster!

Our first visit to Sabden Church!

Also known as the Church of St.Nicholas, it was built in 1841. The Church gained a Grade II listing in 1968. The church also has a graveyard. It houses a rare Laycock organ and a mechanical clock that were installed in 1890. The pews in the church used to be laid out along its entire length but have since been reduced in numbers. It is seen as the focal point for the village and as the church.

1995: Renovated. 

2011: The church faced repairs for a collapsed ceiling, repairs to the steeple and dry rot in the tower. The organ also had to be stripped down and repaired.

2005: The wall to the right as you walk in started subsiding and was reinforced with straps across the ceiling.

2009: English heritage wanted the whole ceiling to come down and be replaced, ply was put over the lath. 12 courses on the steeple were replaced along with the lightning conductor.  

Now: An innovative collaboration places the DEC students at Alder Grange School at the heart of community regeneration through digital twin technologies. Multiple agencies along with Allison (Founder of COYO), Vicki (Tutor at Alder Grange), Ar. Zoe (HPA Architects) and the DEC students wish to return the church to its original glory. We hope to guide these students to conceptualize spaces inside the church as per the community's needs.

Our first visit to Sabden Church!

We were given a spectacularly detailed walk in and around the church by Mr.Colin who is the warden of the church. He has lived in Sabden all his life and knows everything about the church. He was kind enough to answer our questions.

P.S. It was truly an experience to see the old Laycock organ being played by him!

Our first visit to Sabden Church!

Nicholas Church houses a rare and unusual John Laycock organ built in 1879. This 130 year old Laycock Organ was installed at the church in 1890. It was renovated in 1995 and the original patterns were painted back on the pipes. This complicated organ is played every Sunday by an 87-year old woman for their Mass.

The Church has the only village clock tower with a working clock dating back to 1890. This masterpiece, made by J. Smith and Sons has three levers to wind it twice a week to ensure its smooth operation. It chimes every hour & at quarter to the hour.

Our first visit to Sabden Church!

It was quite fascinating (and a little scary) to find the church surrounded by a graveyard. Some of the oldest graves here date back to the 1860s.
This graveyard has earned the title for being the second best maintained graveyard.