Agra Urban redevelopment

Shri. Akhilesh Yadav Hon’ble Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh

vision Agra is the pride of the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the citythat puts Uttar Pradesh on the world map and attracts one and all from near and far to come and witness the wondrous world wonder – the Taj Mahal.

What a few people know is that there is so much more heritage in Agra other than the Taj. The vision for the city of Agra is to first uplift the city to international standards as it has the highest number of foreign and domestic visitors in the country. For this, the city needs a cohesive Identity, up gradation of facilities, modernization of amenities and creation of new magnets that help explain and experience the city of the Taj. We need to identify and exemplify the unique DNA of the city, its culture, treasures, companies and people through proper infrastructure and development.

In order to make Agra, ideal for its citizens, we need to identify opportunities that take us beyond the taj by making the Taj experience, a once-in- a-lifetime one and giving additional narratives for other world-class monuments that it houses.

beyond the taj

tourism overview

enhancing visitor experience

by upgrading & modernizing the existing and adding new dimensions to the experience.

increased stay in the city

in order to prolong the stay of a visitor by providing more information and visiting centers to ensure a hassel-free experience.

new modern interventions

by finding, documenting and effectively exhibiting the neglected heritage and creating new landmarks to celebrate them.

development and employment

creating awareness and a sense of belonging to the city by providing employment opportunities

interventions TAJ GUNJ REHABILITATION 1. MUGHAL MUSEUM 2. TAJ ORIENTATION CENTRE 3. AGRA PAVILION 4. PALIWAL PARK 5. PANTOON BRIDGE

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TAJ NATURE WALK MEHTAB BAGH ITIMAD-UD-DAULA CHINNI-KA-ROUZA AGRA FORT AGRA BRANDING MASTER PLAN 6. NEW AGRA ACCESS 7. AGRA RING ROAD 8. AGRA-LUCKNOW EXPRESSWAY

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city identity In order to give an identity to the city of Agra, to make its citizens feel a sense of belonging and for tourirsts to understand its positioning as an international desitnation, the city branding excercise for Agra was done.

The logo was a simple ‘A’ but with layers of city elements and traditions reflected in it.

Simple by nature, strong in its appearance, the visual language for the brand, Agra commands unity in diversity.

“giving a new identity to the city of Agra�

concept

stationery

promotions

merchandize

hoardings

mobile app

it all starts with an A. the first letter of the alphabet. the sign of the winner, the best in class.

A letter that tightens together two poles and can work like a ‘bridge’.

A symmetrical letter, like a lot is symmetrical in Agra. the first and last letter of the word Agra.

A start and an end of the story of AgrA.

taj masterplan The Taj master plan is planned for an area within 2.5 km radius from the world monument. The master plan is both strategic and accretive in tying together the intents of ongoing projects like the Taj Ganj Urban Redevelopment, the Taj Orientation Centre, the Mughal Museum and the Agra Food Court & Pavilion. Further, it also identifies the potential for future projects in the form of the Taj Nature Walk, a pontoon bridge across Yamuna, the rehabilitation of Meena Bazaar and West Gate Parking and so on.

The objective of the master plan is to attempt a comprehensive development which not only benefits the tourists visiting the Taj Mahal, but also presents to them the myriad facets of the city obscured by Taj’s overwhelming presence, consequently helping the local economy and people.

taj ganj Among the ongoing projects, the Taj Ganj Urban Redevelopment addresses the upgradation of infrastructure, streetscape and experience for tourists and local users along the three approaches to and from Taj Mahal’s east, west and south gates. The fifteen slums in the south-east of the marble mausoleum complex are set to benefit from community centers and other amenities that are being built as part of the project.

The Taj Orientation Centre is an important landmark in providing for an appropriate experience for the visitors to Taj Mahal. Ticketing, information, cloakrooms, toilets, restaurants, shops, retail, museum, auditoria, parking and shuttle service to and from the monument have all been re-imagined within an architecture of pavilion and gardens.

The Mughal Museum is a long due institution dedicated to the architecture of one of the most illustrious empires in Indian history. It comprises of temporary and permanent exhibition spaces and a resource centre that will be the life source of this interface of knowledge and experience.

The Agra Food Court & Pavilion attempts to bring together the local, the traditional, the modern and the contemporary in an architecture of courtyards, terraces and pavilions built out of steel, stone and glass. It’s a place for exclusively experience of cuisine.

The intent and objectives of the master plan are summed up in the new logo for Agra, which is part of the city branding exercise that archohm initiated. The ‘A,’ with an inverse silhouette of the crown within, symbolizes a new beginning beyond the Taj.

urban development The Taj Gunj Urban redevelopment project attempts to sew together disparate urban edges that are commercial, institutional, forest-like greens, bazaars, old city fabrics and slums and presents newer perspectives of the city that emerge from the multiple layers that have been created over time. The dream of course is to make the life of residents comfortable and further the economic growth through its tourism.

Agra’s Taj Ganj exhibits urban decay yet holds immeasurable vibrancy. A highly dense fabric, crumbling infrastructure and acute lack of open spaces are juxtaposed with the richness of cultural life, socioeconomic ingenuity and a built environment expressing almost amusing resourcefulness. Comprised largely of erstwhile markets appropriated into residential quarters, a few heritage monuments and Havelis, and slums, Taj Ganj enjoys a direct relationship with the environment: the river Yamuna, the Taj Mahal, the expansive Shahjahan Park and a large forest-block.

The urban redevelopment proposes a coherent but non-uniform urban design along the entire stretch, giving priority to non-motorised mobility through a radical change in the visual texture of the place. Several amenities such as landscaped seating areas, shelters for parking/ boarding tangas, cycle rickshaws and battery operated carts and public conveniences have been proposed along with community centres and parks.

Less than a hundred metres from the East Gate of the Taj, tourists are oriented towards Taj Ganj

‘to rejuvenate and reorient the old city to the world wonder’

program

signage lighting kutta park parking lots landscaping streetscaping visitor center street furniture road extensions experience design community centres way-side amenities pedestrian walkways toilet & security shelter barricading and dividers infrastructure upgradation

access routes to the taj

amenities & security shelter

kutta park

landscape

lighting & street furniture

way-finding and signage

storytelling

taj orientation center Taj Orientation center is a place for reception, congregation and orientation of tourists entering Agra to see the Taj Mahal. This complex is conceived as a platform of respite and pause to the visitors.

Designed as a magnanimous pavilion, the design programme consists of a museum complex, an open air theater, auditoriums, craft shops, multilevel parking, a restaurant and food courts. Taking inspiration from the Taj the whole building is designed to be predominantly in white concrete structure and marble while the landscaped areas will be in Agra red sandstone. This familiarises the tourist to architectural heritage of Agra. A central court is suggestive of the Taj Mahal’s charbagh which flows onto the terrace transforming it into a public space with shading trees and ample sitting spaces. The tubular structural columns are uniquely designed to accommodate the trees.

The center will re-energize and prepare the tourists for a memorable Taj experience.

‘tells you how to experience the Taj Mahal’

design details

program ticketing information cloakrooms toilets restaurants retail & craft shops museum auditorium multi-level parking shuttle service gardens open-air theatre

mughal museum Absence of historical artifacts is accepted as a starting point, and a vibrant public space is set as the ultimate goal.

The museum presents the political and cultural milestones of the Mughal era through its art and architecture. It attempts to address two contemporary conditions: 1.The lack of a common site of access to social/ economical/ political/ cultural resources and products of the Mughal era.

2.The need to experience museums as animated nodes of cultural participation and knowledge production.

The building and its program components are categorized into four recognizable areas: The Museum of Permanent Exhibits: located at the basement level and categorized into themes such as nature, institutions, timeline etc. the experience design builds several narratives presenting the Mughal era to the visitors.

The Interface: located on the ground floor and comprising of the galleries for temporary exhibitions, the auditorium and the shop, an exchange is established with the city and the world whereby the museum is perceive as a dynamic and animated place with changing content.

The Terrace: accessible directly through generous external staircases, the terrace accommodates a cafe, a banquet, a deck with a view of the Taj and large treeshaded areas for contemplation and congregation.

The Resource Centre: an independent building in the rear, connected to the museum building with colonnades and a sunken courtyard, houses the administration, research offices, a library, seminar spaces and a workshop across three levels.

The center will nurture independent researchers, master-class students and interns and host programs that will help gather, process and propagate information on Mughal culture, art and architecture.

The seminar, exhibition and auditorium spaces will also be made available to the city for other cultural and academic events so that the institution becomes an intrinsic part of and a face to the city of Agra.The orientation and dimensions of the site and necessary building setbacks give rise to the disciplined architectural grid of the plan. Generous volumes, vast expanses of glass & marble fenestration and robust columns and walls of exposed stone & RCC strive for an ambitious spatiality, form and tactility for the museum.

‘dedicated to the architecture of one of the most illustrious empires in Indian history.’

plan

program cafĂŠs library storage courtyard workshops auditorium museum shop lecture rooms temporary exhibition permanent exhibition

visualizations

audio-visual interactive media

timelines

agra pavilion Agra is the most visited destination by the domestic and International tourists every day. Three world heritage monuments Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri are located in Agra district. Millions of tourists visit Taj Mahal every year. After the completion of Yamuna Express Way the maximum no. of tourist’s vehicles come to Agra from Delhi through this way. In future Agra Inner Ring Road is proposed to connect Yamuna Expressway to Gwalior Road. Agra Inner Ring Road shall have cuts at Fatehabad Road and Shamshabad Road.

The Yamuna Kinara road and Inner Ring road would be the two main accesses to Taj Mahal in future. Since the number of tourists coming to Agra is increasing day by day but there are no restaurants or food courts for the Tourists, hence the proposed Agra Pavilion comes as a solution to the situation.

The proposed Agra Pavilion situated at mall road (PAC ground). The land with an Area of 7120 sqm has been transferred by District Administration Agra to ADA for construction of Agra Pavilion.

‘it’s a place exclusively for the experience of the local cuisine.’

program

food stalls pavilion food court kitchens restaurants

new agra masterplan spread over a two kilometre wide and ten kilometre long stretch covering an area of a whooping five thousand acres, the radial plan ensures that indeed all roads lead to the taj! the epicentre is envisaged as an iconic bridge with the riverfront development flanking it followed by a central business district. this economic and symbolic core is abutted by the zone of housing on either side. as one moves outwards, an industrial zone on one side and an educational zone along with a recreational zone complete the picture. the movement network and four ‘urban breathers’ as takeoffs from the ‘char bagh’, help create healthy connections and buffers respectively. noting that the space between the taj and this stretch is a zone of chaos, it is being proposed that it be given a new identity. the potential location for a new city of agra responds to the taj and is a zone that becomes a catalyst for new growth; one that is influenced and is influential!

‘‘a new zone that becomes a catalyst for growth.”

concept

“the zone is a destination; all roads align to the dome�

riverfront & bridges

self sustaining attributes

residential

central business district, commercial and retail institutional

wayside amenities

landscape parks

taj nature walk

paliwal park

other magnet monuments