What is the role of a Master plan?

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City Master plan | Urban and Town Planning

In a metropolitan city, Master Plans lay down the space requirements for the coming years; sometimes decades. The plans suggest future width of roads that are already existing. They also suggest new roads. For the additional population that is expected to arrive in coming years, the plans provide for new residential areas along with amenities and services. The plans also reserve sites for future schools, colleges, hospitals and Bus Depots, shopping centres in areas which may be totally uninhabited today.

A master plan is a long term perspective plan. Mid-term plans such as the Mega City Project and the Green belt project are formulated within the framework of such Master Plans. All the Green belt Project zones are made special reservations in the Draft Master Plan.

If an existing road which is only 12km wide today, is proposed in the Master Plan as 30 metre wide, it does not mean that all the structures existing in its way will be overnight bulldozed. It only means that all future construction must be allowed after leaving the 30 metres width. The actual road widening may be a specific project by the concerned local body.

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Design considerations for a Science Museum

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How to design a Science Museum?

The design of a museum depends on the kind of exhibits. Galleries for the exhibits must be designed suitably. In a science museum the basic exhibition galleries that you can target are:

  • History of science in India
  • Human Biology
  • Prehistoric Life
  • Fun Science
  • Space Science
  • Emerging Technologies

The aim of designing a science museum should be to:

  • Teach children science in an interesting and practical way
  • Divide the exhibits in proper sections so that people can view the desired sections with ease.
  • Presenting and displaying information in a way that helps people understand what the exhibits are all about.
  • Design the museum in such a way that it becomes a learning/discussion centre for people in the city who are interested in science
  • You can also conduct special lectures/presentations on a periodical basis

 The spaces in a science museum can be divided as:

  • Exhibition Galleries & Exhibit storage areas
  • Administration Areas
  • Non Museum Spaces
  • Supporting services
East Hall Science Museum
East Hall Science Museum

Admin areas in the Museum

The purpose of creating a museum is to give the visitors a feel of the world of science.  Therefore the journey of a visitor through the museum should be continuous and undisturbed by spaces that distract a person from the exhibits. Thus, the administration area should be removed from the exhibition gallery areas and should be located in a secluded space away from the crowd. The people working in the offices should be able to access their work area directly without facing the necessity of going through the museum galleries.

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How to design a 2BHK Courtyard House?

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How to design a Courtyard House?

Courtyard houses are large houses with a central open space in between surrounded by the main part of the building. Most of the rooms in the house open in the central courtyard. The central open space serves as a place where the family gathers for chatting and spending time together. Generally, the exterior walls of the rooms that open to the courtyard do not have windows. Their lighting and ventilation happens through the courtyard. In the sixteenth century, noblemen in England stopped building castles and preferred courtyard houses.

Granada Alhambra is an historical structure with a central courtyard.
Granada Alhambra is an historical structure with a central courtyard.

Things you will require for the design of a courtyard house:

Step One:

Listing requirements

  • 1 Master Bedroom
  • 1 Attached toilet
  • 1 common toilet
  • 1 kitchen
  • 1 Hall
  • 1 Dining

Step two

Spend some time visualizing and sketching your ideas of a courtyard house.

Step three

Begin designing with a bubble diagram. It ensures efficient connectivity between different spaces of the courtyard.

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How to paint a Playhouse? | Design Guide

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Playhouse Design

Playhouses are loved by both girls and boys. They imagine the playhouse as their very own castle where they could invite their friends to play and eat. Selection of colour is very important and has to be done carefully. Lighter shades should be preferred so that it looks lively and bright. If in case there is no electricity in the playhouse, darker shades would end up making the interiors of the playhouse dark even during the daytime. Selection of colours for the playhouse will also depend on the age and gender of your child. If it is a girl child, then you could go for colours in red, pink, purple and yellow whereas if it is a boy then you could prefer using combinations and shades of blue, black and white.

Bright colours make the playhouse vibrant and attractive.
Bright colours make the playhouse vibrant and attractive.

Things you will need:

  • Exterior caulk
  • Electric Sanders or sandpaper
  • Paint brushes
  • Primer
  • All exterior paint

Step 1

Exterior Caulking

Use the exterior caulking tubes to seal the cracks around the doors and windows of the playhouse so that the rain water does not seep into the playhouse.

Step 2

Electric Sanders or Sandpaper

After having sealed the cracks, use the sanders or a medium-grit sandpaper to smooth-en the exterior and interior surface of the playhouse. Also, rub around the edges so that they are smooth to touch.

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