Walled City Infill Housing Collective

Navchokiya is characterized by labyrinthine blue alleys, shared otlas (verandahs), and communal courtyards. This project counters generic high-rise suburban sprawl by proposing an ultra-dense, low-rise infill framework that allows traditional tie-and-dye and stone-carver households to live and manufacture collaboratively.

An irregular vacant infill parcel flanked by 150-year-old lime-washed stone residences. Deep shade is cast by narrow 2.4-meter access lanes. The primary challenge was achieving 1.5 FAR without violating historic sightlines toward Mehrangarh Fort towering above.

Fractured Courtyards (Chowks). Rather than one central void, a hierarchy of five interlocking vertical light courts puncture the block, ensuring cross-ventilation through stack effect even in wind-still desert summers.

Morphological mapping of street interfaces, step-thresholds, and roofscape terraces. Iterative modular testing of 30m², 55m², and 85m² interlocking residential modules wrapped around shared semi-private courtyards.

Load-bearing composite masonry using salvage stone rubble foundation with autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) inner leaf for thermal attenuation. Prefabricated precast joists reduce wet construction on site constrained by 2-meter alleys.

A dynamic roofscape of stepped terraces where community gatherings, grain drying, and night-sky sleeping continue uninterrupted as living traditions.

High density does not demand vertical alienation. By respecting the social threshold between public street and domestic inner core, urban housing can heal historical fractures.