[shivmarwaha]

Aditya, I dont intend to discourage you but from an architect's point of view a factory is only a shed. Nothing very exciting with respect to zoning, spaces, massing, structures etc. As an architect and a visiting faculty myself, I feel that it may not be challenging beyond the sketch design stage. Thereafter its only floor planning, which anyways you are not equipped to handle. It is best done by engineers. So your thesis would remain limited to the form, visual delight and landscape. Which in my opinion is not challenging enough to be done at the thesis level. These are my views.

[Guite]

shivmarwaha has beaten me to it.

Aditya, factories do not need architects to design it. So doing a final year design thesis, and the experience you gained from it, may not add much to your market value after you graduate. Whether you intend to go for PG or join some firm or start on your own, your thesis project should be of value for your future endeavor.

Lets consider each one by one:-
PG:- an architectural university professor reviewing your academic history is not likely see any academic value in factory design.
Join a firm:- architecturally firms do not normally design factories. Those that do are not reputable ones.
Own practice:- you do not want to be known as a factory designer, do you?

Pick up a thesis project which will challenge your creative talent. Your have your whole professional life ahead to deal with the technical aspects.

This is not to dishearten you from your interest in automobile and other technical matters. Its a great hobby, lots of people do; this forum reflects it.

[Guite]

Aditya, in retrospect I think my previous post may have been a bit too harsh. If designing a car factory is what you heart yearns, go full hog for it. As an architectural final year design thesis it will be unique- off the beaten path. There are people who have gone way further away from the beaten track, from studying brothels for 4th year desertation to prison design for thesis. If you are confident and have the knack for spinning tales, you can talk yourself out of and around sceptical / sarcastic professors, recruiters, etc.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by shivmarwaha

Aditya, I dont intend to discourage you but from an architect's point of view a factory is only a shed.

+1 to Shiv.

I was very much interested in industrial Architecture but the faculty did not find it very amusing!

Originally Posted by Guite

shivmarwaha has beaten me to it.

Aditya, factories do not need architects to design it. So doing a final year design thesis, and the experience you gained from it, may not add much to your market value after you graduate. Whether you intend to go for PG or join some firm or start on your own, your thesis project should be of value for your future endeavor.
Pick up a thesis project which will challenge your creative talent. Your have your whole professional life ahead to deal with the technical aspects.
.

Do not agree with Guite here. Very few give a damn on what you did in thesis.

Originally Posted by Guite

If designing a car factory is what you heart yearns, go full hog for it. As an architectural final year design thesis it will be unique- off the beaten path. There are people who have gone way further away from the beaten track, .... If you are confident and have the knack for spinning tales, you can talk yourself out of and around sceptical / sarcastic professors, recruiters, etc.

Fully agree here. Warning: You may not pass with flying colors. But will love doing it.

To add to it, real life factory design in India is as bland as it can get. Its only the administrative building where the client may want to see some aesthetic appeal.

[kippu]

actually have you asked your faculty if you will be allowed to go along with this,

I also concur with shivmarwaha,i guess that is because I am also an architect, so when you say factory it is not going to be any bit challenging at all , The internal flow will all be dictated by the machineries and in the end it is just going to be a big space.and having the building in carbon fibre , it just wont make economic sense, one of the main criteria in the thesis project.

[Doc Maanava]

Hi Aditya,

Speaking technically, the three important criteria currently in your thesis are:
1. What is the title of your thesis?
2. What is the scope of your thesis?
3. What is the objective of your thesis?

When you have concrete answers, i mean concrete as in 'set in stone', then we can work on your thesis and any and all ideas can be placed under well established scientific structures.

You will also realise how beatific the questions are when you find and finalise your answers. This is the starting point of any technical/scientific writing. Thus, a good starting point would be, finding the answer to the questions. Your answers will lead the way for you. Hence, it is strongly suggested that you give it a very good go!

All the best!

[aditya.bhardwaj]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

Aditya,
See the idea might sound nicer, but the complexity are not related to the sales etc.

The issues manufacturers would not have showrooms especially in case of Car makers is because of the following reasons:

1. Think as a buyer, we would all prefer to buy in a showroom run by manufacturers (just like how we do with petrol). Which would mean other dealers will run out of business. And they will object manufacturers doing this.
2. I know you must have thought this is practical seeing Sony, Samsung showrooms in major cities. But these are actually run by different departments not by the respective manufacturing units.
3. Manufacturing is not necessarily as transparent process like Service. car makers are OK with customers snooping around during service, cos its your car they are handling.
But some potential customer snooping around manufacturing facility is a nuisance for which manufacturing managers will surely resent. Its a huge potential safety hazard for manufacturing facility. Imagine Maruti's unit produces more than a car a minute, some kind of issue by someone running around will mean lose of 5 minuts would translate to loss of 5 cars. No way they will allow that to happen.

So the actual reasons you dont see them happening in reality is because there are political implication with dealers and safety implications.

Well thanks a lot for your suggestions. My aim would be to think about the circulation as it would be a major concern. Nobody would want people snopping around everywhere in the factory. As for me, i would really like to buy my car from the factory itself but thats just me. Anyway i would surely keep your points in my mind. Thanks again.

Originally Posted by ajman28

Adding to what Zed has mentioned earlier, the VW facility is simply awesome when it comes to brand-building. You get to see the complete range of the VW group. The factory & the showrooms are not connected though. Each brand has a separate building and the factory is located across a small canal. You can opt for a guided tour of the factory. If you purchase a VW brand, then the tour comes free else there is an entry fee.

Many people book their cars from other showrooms and then take delivery at the factory outlet. It becomes more like a picnic for the family.

The official site:
http://www.autostadt.de/en/

This is a great idea, thanks a lot.

Originally Posted by srishiva

BMW also had (maybe they still) something similar in the U.S. You go to Germany, buy the car, explore Europe in your very own car and then they will ship that car to U.S. (My friend used this and I couldn't)

Didnt have an idea about this one, will surely take out some info regarding this. Thanks

Originally Posted by mac187

You have got a nice idea. Build on it.

Few things that come to my mind.
1. As suggested by Rehaan, overhead walkway is a good idea but it would put additional burden of keeping the shopfloor clean and presentable.
2. You could show sections of the manufacturing that wow's customer. Robotic welding/ painting etc and tuck away the greasy ones at the back.
3. An over the top idea would be driving away the car that has just got off the production line!

The other day, they were showing how a Veyron is manufactured, the car is built all over Europe but put together in France. That final assembly process is every petroheads wet dream. Do have a look into it.

Yes, i have seen the veyron process video. Its fantastic. And regarding your third point ( driving the finnished car from the production line itself ). What will i do about quality checks at the end . Thanks for your inputs

Originally Posted by shivmarwaha

Aditya, I dont intend to discourage you but from an architect's point of view a factory is only a shed. Nothing very exciting with respect to zoning, spaces, massing, structures etc. As an architect and a visiting faculty myself, I feel that it may not be challenging beyond the sketch design stage. Thereafter its only floor planning, which anyways you are not equipped to handle. It is best done by engineers. So your thesis would remain limited to the form, visual delight and landscape. Which in my opinion is not challenging enough to be done at the thesis level. These are my views.

I completely agree with you but dont you think a pl;ace like a factory which we all consider as a shed can be made interesting with playing around with the design and materials. I completely get your point but i really want to do something in my thesis regarding a structure related to automobiles. This is my only interest.

Originally Posted by Guite

shivmarwaha has beaten me to it.

Aditya, factories do not need architects to design it. So doing a final year design thesis, and the experience you gained from it, may not add much to your market value after you graduate. Whether you intend to go for PG or join some firm or start on your own, your thesis project should be of value for your future endeavor.

Lets consider each one by one:-
PG:- an architectural university professor reviewing your academic history is not likely see any academic value in factory design.
Join a firm:- architecturally firms do not normally design factories. Those that do are not reputable ones.
Own practice:- you do not want to be known as a factory designer, do you?

Pick up a thesis project which will challenge your creative talent. Your have your whole professional life ahead to deal with the technical aspects.

This is not to dishearten you from your interest in automobile and other technical matters. Its a great hobby, lots of people do; this forum reflects it.

Thank you so much. yes i agree with you but i dont want to design a structure as in residential complexes and the likes. I thought designing a factory plus showroom would be different enough as it would require some creativity in the design elements. If this is not a great idea then i guess i will have to think about something else and that too fast. Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Guite

Aditya, in retrospect I think my previous post may have been a bit too harsh. If designing a car factory is what you heart yearns, go full hog for it. As an architectural final year design thesis it will be unique- off the beaten path. There are people who have gone way further away from the beaten track, from studying brothels for 4th year desertation to prison design for thesis. If you are confident and have the knack for spinning tales, you can talk yourself out of and around sceptical / sarcastic professors, recruiters, etc.

Got your point. Thanks for the heads up. I will speak to some of my profs and will see what to do and will let you guys know.

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

+1 to Shiv.

I was very much interested in industrial Architecture but the faculty did not find it very amusing!



Do not agree with Guite here. Very few give a damn on what you did in thesis.



Fully agree here. Warning: You may not pass with flying colors. But will love doing it.

To add to it, real life factory design in India is as bland as it can get. Its only the administrative building where the client may want to see some aesthetic appeal.

Thank you. I dont care if i dont pass with flying colours. I want to do something different out of which i will learn something. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Originally Posted by kippu

actually have you asked your faculty if you will be allowed to go along with this,

I also concur with shivmarwaha,i guess that is because I am also an architect, so when you say factory it is not going to be any bit challenging at all , The internal flow will all be dictated by the machineries and in the end it is just going to be a big space.and having the building in carbon fibre , it just wont make economic sense, one of the main criteria in the thesis project.

I havnt as i am still doing my internship. I will speak to them once i go back to college. My target was to fix on to the topic so that i am prepared before hand. Thanks

Originally Posted by Doc Maanava

Hi Aditya,

Speaking technically, the three important criteria currently in your thesis are:
1. What is the title of your thesis?
2. What is the scope of your thesis?
3. What is the objective of your thesis?

When you have concrete answers, i mean concrete as in 'set in stone', then we can work on your thesis and any and all ideas can be placed under well established scientific structures.

You will also realise how beatific the questions are when you find and finalise your answers. This is the starting point of any technical/scientific writing. Thus, a good starting point would be, finding the answer to the questions. Your answers will lead the way for you. Hence, it is strongly suggested that you give it a very good go!

All the best!

Thank you. I still havnt thought about the title , scope and the objective of my thesis as i am still deciding on what to do. Still i got your points. I will try my best to find a solution for these questions and then will update you. Thanks again


Guys, i dont know if i will be able to continue with this topic but i wont leave it right now. I will continue my research regarding the factory plus showroom,. If you have any other ideas regarding my thesis topic, please share it here. it will help me alot.

Regards

Aditya

[kippu]

I once made the bad idea of going against the external reviewer when he "suggested " to me that my idea of a museum in my home town was not a great idea .I refused and after the 6 month stand off between me and him , both of us won ., He by giving me the lowest marks of the college and me by finishing the thesis and having the satisfaction of sticking to my initial idea

Was it worth it in the end, well if you value marks then no , not a bit .The 6 months was a torture but I did get appreciated by my faculty and the other students , but one external reviewer can really take you for a ride

Good luck in whatever you end up doing . I know this had nothing to do with the factory but just be careful .

[MaxTorque]

Originally Posted by aditya.bhardwaj

Well thanks a lot for your suggestions. My aim would be to think about the circulation as it would be a major concern. Nobody would want people snopping around everywhere in the factory. As for me, i would really like to buy my car from the factory itself but thats just me. Anyway i would surely keep your points in my mind. Thanks again.

Go ahead Aditya, you are a true petrolhead. When experienced/Senior fellows don't see much scope in the project, you are sticking to your choice.

But most of the manufacturers who runs on busy schedule will not be in a position to operate such facility (eg. Maruti, Hyundai and M&M). The concept can be adoped for manufacturers like Audi India and BMW India, where their production mainly CKD operations.

Some of our friends have told us earlier that, factories are just sheds. But modern production facilities are altogether modern and well landscaped and some of them are at par with IT set up. Obviously due to nature of their operation, the internal factory set up will look a cluttered space.

[John Jacob13128]

Adithya,

A really great idea.I always wondered why the manufacturers didn't offer this experience before. But then again as pointed out, it could be a nightmare with all those potential customers running around the plant.
But the opportunity to actually witness your car being made is once is a life time experience. Maybe on a practical front you could offer a walkalator of sorts, surrounded by glass (like an underwater aquarium) parallel to the actual assembly line. This enclosed walk way could cover Paint shop and assembly alone.( as this is where the car takes form ) and lastly the customer himself can take a small drive(if possible) in a dedicated test track and get done with the formalities and drive off to the horizon with his freshly baked car !

[Guite]

Originally Posted by aditya.bhardwaj

I completely agree with you but dont you think a pl;ace like a factory which we all consider as a shed can be made interesting with playing around with the design and materials.

If you get to the crux of it there isn't really any material option in a factory other than corrugated insulated metal sheet cladding, except in the showroom area. So there is limited scope for expressing form.

Thank you so much. yes i agree with you but i dont want to design a structure as in residential complexes and the likes.

Incidentally residential complex / housing is the biggest market segment. Anyone with experience in this segment has his/her bread and butter assured. it does not have to be drab. There is a huge market for high end housing, so there are lots of live projects which can be taken up for thesis. Infact big developers have huge tracks of land that they develop as mix-use:- residential away from main road, hospitality + commercial abutting main roads, etc.

Originally Posted by MaxTorque

Some of our friends have told us earlier that, factories are just sheds. But modern production facilities are altogether modern and well landscaped and some of them are at par with IT set up.

Architecturally it is a shed in that it essentially has to be a huge matchbox structure; like I said above, it does not provide any scope for expressing architectural form. No one doubts the technology which goes into it.

[TheQuarterMile]

Awesome idea! Im also in Forth year architecture Got a year or so before I start my thesis preparation. Team-BHP is always a great inspiration for anything automobile! Had designed a petrol pump for my 2nd year project and it went quite well.
Looking forward to this thread.

All the best with your work.

[RICK004]

@ Aditya & The Quarter Mile

This will be a brilliant project to Quench your automotive thirst.
The first Idea which came up was a Pave track around the facility which will be actually a Logo of the manufacturer from the Aerial view.

The Customer zone can be a building with exterior contours reminiscent from the body styles of manufacturers founding days to those of its concept designs!!

For eg. If it's a BMW Plant the water (blue) and a vehicle skid pad can be designed to match the logo .

Best Wishes mate

[naren_kk]

I have been to BMW factory in Munich germany. There BMW have

1. BMW factory called BMW werk
2. BMW Museum
3. BMW owned huge showroom called BMW welt.

In BMW welt they displayed all the new cars which are currently on sale. It was really very fantastic.

Regards
Naren

[aditya.bhardwaj]

Originally Posted by kippu

I once made the bad idea of going against the external reviewer when he "suggested " to me that my idea of a museum in my home town was not a great idea .I refused and after the 6 month stand off between me and him , both of us won ., He by giving me the lowest marks of the college and me by finishing the thesis and having the satisfaction of sticking to my initial idea

Was it worth it in the end, well if you value marks then no , not a bit .The 6 months was a torture but I did get appreciated by my faculty and the other students , but one external reviewer can really take you for a ride

Good luck in whatever you end up doing . I know this had nothing to do with the factory but just be careful .

I dont really care about marks. I know i will pass but i want to do a project in which i am interested in. So i guess, if everything goes well, i will try to stick to my plan. Thanks a lot mate

Originally Posted by MaxTorque

Go ahead Aditya, you are a true petrolhead. When experienced/Senior fellows don't see much scope in the project, you are sticking to your choice.

But most of the manufacturers who runs on busy schedule will not be in a position to operate such facility (eg. Maruti, Hyundai and M&M). The concept can be adoped for manufacturers like Audi India and BMW India, where their production mainly CKD operations.

Some of our friends have told us earlier that, factories are just sheds. But modern production facilities are altogether modern and well landscaped and some of them are at par with IT set up. Obviously due to nature of their operation, the internal factory set up will look a cluttered space.

Bang on, thanks for understanding my point. This is what i wanted to explain. A factory can be made much more interesting in terms of space and design.

Originally Posted by John Jacob13128

Adithya,

A really great idea.I always wondered why the manufacturers didn't offer this experience before. But then again as pointed out, it could be a nightmare with all those potential customers running around the plant.
But the opportunity to actually witness your car being made is once is a life time experience. Maybe on a practical front you could offer a walkalator of sorts, surrounded by glass (like an underwater aquarium) parallel to the actual assembly line. This enclosed walk way could cover Paint shop and assembly alone.( as this is where the car takes form ) and lastly the customer himself can take a small drive(if possible) in a dedicated test track and get done with the formalities and drive off to the horizon with his freshly baked car !

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. Will surely keep these in mind.

Originally Posted by Guite

If you get to the crux of it there isn't really any material option in a factory other than corrugated insulated metal sheet cladding, except in the showroom area. So there is limited scope for expressing form.

Incidentally residential complex / housing is the biggest market segment. Anyone with experience in this segment has his/her bread and butter assured. it does not have to be drab. There is a huge market for high end housing, so there are lots of live projects which can be taken up for thesis. Infact big developers have huge tracks of land that they develop as mix-use:- residential away from main road, hospitality + commercial abutting main roads, etc.


Architecturally it is a shed in that it essentially has to be a huge matchbox structure; like I said above, it does not provide any scope for expressing architectural form. No one doubts the technology which goes into it.

Well i could have easily chosen a residential project but i somehow want to stick to automobiles . If it doesnt work out then last option would be choosing some other project . I hope it doesnt happen that way !!

Originally Posted by TheQuarterMile

Awesome idea! Im also in Forth year architecture Got a year or so before I start my thesis preparation. Team-BHP is always a great inspiration for anything automobile! Had designed a petrol pump for my 2nd year project and it went quite well.
Looking forward to this thread.

All the best with your work.

Thank you so much

Originally Posted by RICK004

@ Aditya & The Quarter Mile

This will be a brilliant project to Quench your automotive thirst.
The first Idea which came up was a Pave track around the facility which will be actually a Logo of the manufacturer from the Aerial view.

The Customer zone can be a building with exterior contours reminiscent from the body styles of manufacturers founding days to those of its concept designs!!

For eg. If it's a BMW Plant the water (blue) and a vehicle skid pad can be designed to match the logo .

Best Wishes mate

Wow, those are some great ideas. Thanks a lot mate

Originally Posted by naren_kk

I have been to BMW factory in Munich germany. There BMW have

1. BMW factory called BMW werk
2. BMW Museum
3. BMW owned huge showroom called BMW welt.

In BMW welt they displayed all the new cars which are currently on sale. It was really very fantastic.

Regards
Naren

You have been lucky to visit such a fantastic place my friend. Thanks