Culture and Community Himachal Pradesh Aditya Dua - Printable Version

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Culture and Community Himachal Pradesh Aditya Dua - ADITYA DUA - 08-18-2023

Culture and Community 
Himachal Pradesh 
Aditya Dua

Jury Comments
• There is a good understanding of the site in terms of the terrain, slope, and topography, however, the picturesque site of Shimla is not used to its full advantage in site planning and orienting of the activities of the art and craft centre. 

• However, the use of local materials and construction techniques are studied and captured well in the design. 

Himachal Pradesh has a very strong cultural background, a rich heritage and a striking landscape to create architecture. With a strong context of vernacular architecture, the kalkashimla railway line, temples, preforming art and many other culturally significant milestones in the past there was a strong requirement to bring together the rich history in one architectural expression. Shimla being the capital city of Himachal Pradesh with around 1.7 lakh people and llakh tourists per year, hence, it serves as a base for communal gatherings and interaction. 

Recent construction activities in the region are made of RCC, which is seismically unsafe, as the city falls under earthquake prone zone. Hence minimal footprint and building-land interaction were prime concerns to make the structure safe by using prefabricated steel section as the system to compose the structure using a pin jointed joinery, rendering the structure anti seismic property. 

The design of the project is such that it enabled smaller footprint by using smaller blocks of 3x3 sqm. The larger span structures are on the flatter end of the site. The separate blocks are connected by a system of covered transitional  spaces along with trees in the courtyard. The building volumes adapt to the slope of the site with changing datum levels of the plinth. The site offers panoramic views in the east and west  direct ions, which helps to sort of punctuate the building with apertures. Local stone is used as the infill, lending it an expression as it was built in the past sitting as a backdrop against  life taking place inside the building. The vertical wooden louvres in the facade help control the amount of natu ral light in the spaces. This series of vertical elements balance the lower portion  of the facade which is heavy and horizontal. The  journey of a user inside the building is  directed along the railway track cutting through the site.  While the building sits around the same track, the sound of the toy train makes people line up along the colonnaded edge of the building to gain a sight of the passing locomotive.  

Taken from : ARCHIVING ARCHITECTURAL THESIS 2020 - "Awards for Excellence in Architectural Thesis" the annual program conducted by the Council of Architecture through its academic unit Council of Architecture Training and Research Centre (COA TRC) completed its eleventh cycle in 2016.

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