4.2 | GANDHIAN PHILOSOPHY OF 5 MILE RADIUS M.K. Gandhi believed art & architecture to be a pure manifestation of nature. He saw the buildings as a living body that breathes and builds a connection with the human residing or working in it. He did not consider these forms of expression as a distinct entity, but saw them as an integral part of nature itself. He also believed that the Earth’s resources are enough to fulfill the human race’s needs, but when these needs take the form of greed, humans tend to consume the natural wealth to its benefit in an injudicious way. In architecture, one can say that exploitations come into picture in terms of the materials used, & the energy consumed behind extracting them for the construction processes.
Ill.4.2.a Ecological, User Centric & Swadeshi | Author
4.2.1 | THE SWADESHI ARCHITECTURE As mentioned evidently in the previous chapters as well, the ideologies of M.K.Gandhi are inclined towards a simple living lifestyle that finds its base on self-sufficiency & self-reliance. In economic terms, it is termed as being Swadeshi. In a simplified manner, it can be put that he encouraged an architectural practice that uses a local & traditional material palette, found in the immediate context of 5 mile radius. The primary thought behind this philosophy was not just to become Swadeshi, to enhance the local economy, but also apply simple logic of environmental science. A building, built out of local materials will live longer compared to a building built out of any other invasive material, since the local materials have lived through the extreme climatic conditions of the site & its context, for millions of years. M.K.Gandhi knew that architecture is much more than the tangible aspects of a building. It also considers intangible design decisions in the project & hence, his
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