Kathaalaya | IPSA, Rajkot 2020

KATHAALAYA

A place for appreciation of Folk Performing Arts

SEMESTER V DESIGN STUDIO

B.Arch IPSA, 2020

https://thewire.in/rights/mahua-commercialisation-sukracharya-rabha-theatre

Credit: Badungduppa website

Kathaalaya was conceptualised as a center to promote and generate awareness about the dying folk performance arts of Saurashtra, Gujarat. The studio intended to help students design an institution and bring an awareness of the lesser known folk performing arts of the region.

The focus of learning was in terms of four basic components:

Places for Folk Performing Arts Response to a Place of Cultural importance Architectural character of a Complex Building Designing the Place for all

The learning outcomes set forth were:

1. To read, visualize and comprehend the features of public space

2. To practice designing as an iterative process that focus on resolving different issues

· Activities and the space that contains it

· Inside-Outside and the in-between spaces

· Movement and Circulation spaces (type, frequency and time)

· Material and structural expression

· Rainwater Harvesting

· Spaces for specially abled

3. To synthesize the lessons learnt about designing a public place with appropriate representation techniques

Studio Instructor- Riddhi Shah

Designed by- Devashree Jadeja

TUTORS

STUDENTS

Anchal P. Himali G.

Neelkanth Chhaya Mentor Riddhi Shah Studio Faculty

Devashree Jadeja Teaching Asst.

Drashti B.

Deep P.

Dhara H.

Harmin B.

Hiren T.

Hrishi R.

Mansi M.

Moxa K.

Naisargi V.

Neel B.

Nidhi V.

Parth K.

Pranav S. Raj R.

Shreya M.

Yash K. Yesha A.

Muskan S. Nirav R. Riya V.

Prateeksha Tiwari

https://www.sahapedia.org/scenes-night-of-bhavai

PROJECT BRIEF

Premise:

The Ministry of Culture (India) with its mission to preserve, promote and disseminate all forms of art and culture in collaboration with the royal families of Saurashtra has initiated a project for the preservation and promotion of folk arts of Saurashtra. The princely family of Rajkot has agreed to conduct different activities related to the promotion of Folk performing traditions (vaarta, sangeet-bhajan ane geeto, naatak) of Saurashtra. They have shown an interest in setting up a center in Rajkot for the same. They wish to name this center as ‘Kathaalaya’ (Kathaa - story + aalaya - home/dwelling in Gujarati, the term ‘aalaya’ is used as a place for group congregations)

ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAM IN DETAIL

The centre will engage in the activities of promoting and bringing awareness of different folk performances. It will also generate an opportunity for all the folk performances to be recognized and grow.

1. A Place for Learning: ADHYAYAN – 330sq. Mtrs

There will be a learning center for the Folk Arts and people will be offered short term courses provided by the artists from the city or other places. Functional spaces required will be:

- Rooms (2/3 in number) where folk performances could be taught and performed in small groups of 5-20 students. The students may be of any age group – 100sq. mtrs./room =200sq. mtrs

- Interactive Platform – 100sq. mtrs.

- Common toilets (3 each for M/F) – 30sq. mts.

2. A Place for Expression: ABHIVYAKTI – 480sq. mtrs.

Folk performances from the region as well as from all over different places will be organized at this place. It is hence, a place that allows different modes of expression to be enjoyed and appreciated. Apart from this, it will act like a commonplace for neighbourhood where regular screenings of films and plays will be done. The functions include:

- An open-air theatre with a Stage – 200 people in the audience and individual/a group of 10-20 performers – 300sq. mtrs.

- Green rooms – 30sq.mtrs. each for M/F = 60sq.mtrs.

- Utility rooms for audio-visual effects and other additional things - 60sq.mtrs.

- Public amenities like toilets and drinking water- (5 each for M/F)– 60sq. mts.

3. A Place for Reflection: PRATIBIMB – 420sq.mtrs.

It is a place full of exposure to different folk performing arts across the world; in terms of exhibitions, physical & audio-visual resources, and a regularly functioning research and documentation cell. It allows one to intentionally ponder about different traditions across the world.

- Gallery space to display the art/artifacts of folk art from Saurashtra and its nearby regions + Additional gallery space to host solo/group/government-sponsored traveling exhibitions – 150sq.mtrs.

- Storage Room – 60sq.mtrs.

- Library - showcasing collections of books, magazines, audiovisual references related to folk art. This library will also act as a neighborhood reading place. It will look towards the archival and documentation of these folk arts. It will have stacks and reading spaces -150sq.mtrs.

- Research and Documentation cell – The researchers will conduct and promote activities to the Conserve region’s Living Traditions. It will have a workspace for 2-3 researchers and a common meeting area – 60sq.mtrs.

5. Stay for the artists: for those who are from other places + Researchers (3 rooms, pantry, meeting area, toilets) – 120sq. mtrs.

6. A Place for the Organization ‘Kathaalaya’ – 120sq.mtrs.

Director Room – 1+3 visitors

Administration + Account Section - 3

Inquiry space - 1

Formal meeting room – 15

Pantry

Refreshing Rooms – 2 (1 each for Male and Female)

7. Parking – 10 four-wheelers and 50 two-wheelers

It is assumed that vehicular access is restricted from the entrance to the Darbargadh from the Old City. All the people who are coming with their vehicles will have to park their vehicles at the East edge parallel to the river Aji. The parallel road is almost 9 meters below the site height.

4. A Place for Discussion: VICHAAR-VIMARSH

The site has the only open space in a dense neighbourhood. This place allows a human-nature and human-human interaction. Certain places with the opportunity that help people to pause-think-refresh in a natural situation are desired.

This place will be accessible throughout the day by people of different age-groups and will be the most interactive place of the institute. It is assumed that there will be around 10-100 people occupying this place at a single time.

Total Built-up area - 1470sq.mtrs.

The circulation must not exceed 15% of the total built-up area. The permissible limit of built on the ground - 60% of the total built-up

PROJECT SITE AND CONTEXT

The site for this institute is in a peri-urban area of Rajkot, along Kalawad road and in very close proximity to the village of Haripar, which is on the South-western fringe of the city. The institute also lies along the periphery of a folk temple called Naklank Dham, belonging to deity Ramapir. The village of Haripar has a total population of 760. People here are engaged in agriculture or go to nearby industries as labourers. Frequent performances by the folk group called Rama-Mandal take place narrating the folk-tales of their deities. Kathaalaya here will serve as a platform for the neighbourhood as well as for people from Rajkot to know and then preserve the intangible cultural heritage. This institution will also help revive the folk-traditions of Saurashtra through different programs.

OVERVIEW OF THE SEMESTER

Unit Design

Complex Design

First impressions of Kathaalaya in 2D

Design discussions

First impressions of Kathaalaya in 3D

Design discussions

Understanding folk performing arts

Integration of part to whole in design

Understanding approaches: Learning from friends

Analysing approaches and its response

Introduction of Site

Identifying responses to site

Material and Construction Techniques

Spatial organisation and Volumetric Exploration/Water management systems

Building study as a mode to understand material and its expression/Reflection notes

Resolving and discussing architectural characteristics

Building language through materials and construct

Design for specially able-d

Diwali-Break

Diwali-Break

Design discussion and inputs

Final Submission & Jury

Students are to make three kinds of meeting places to grasp the understanding of public places:

I A place where two groups of opponents will discuss an important matter.

II A place where friends will spend time and talk to each other as they wish.

III A place where strangers will sit, waiting for something (say for example waiting for another friend to arrive, or waiting for being called for attending to something etc.).

They are given 4 types of architectural elements with which to make the place. Any number of any element can be used. There are two sites. One is flat, with horizon visible on all sides. The other has a 1:4 slope, higher towards the north, and sloping down southwards. They have to design all three kinds of places for both sites. There will be a total of about 30 persons in each alternative.

Fig 01

Fig

Fig 03

Fig 04

Fig 1. Mansi M.

Fig 2. Raj R.

Fig 3. Himali G.

Fig 4. Anchal P.

Fig 5. Neel B.

Fig 6. Moxa K.

Fig 7. Nirav R.

Fig 8. Pranav S.

Fig 9. Dhara H.

Fig 05

Fig 06

Fig 07

Fig 08

Fig 09

Fig

Fig

Fig 13

Fig 14

Fig

Fig 16

Fig 17

Fig

Fig 19

Fig 20

Fig 10. Naisargi V.

Fig 11. Yesha A.

Fig 12. Yash K.

Fig 13. Himali G.

Fig 14. Mansi M.

Fig 15. Yash K.

Fig 16. Hiren T.

Fig 17. Riya V.

Fig 18. Moxa K.

Fig 19. Raj R.

Fig 20. Pranav

Introducing collage exercise .

Given are Plan A and Plan B (Jahaz mahal and Fateh pur sikhri )

Students are to make a integrated plan of the whole complex for the following programs of a hospital, hub for amazon shipping and represent in cutouts or layouts.

Fig 22

Fig

Fig 24

Fig 25

Fig 26

Fig 27

Fig 28

Fig 21. Hiren T.

Fig 22 Anchal P.

Fig23. Naisargi V.

Fig 24. Himali G.

Fig 25. Riya V.

Fig 26. Neel B.

Fig 27. Himali G.

Fig 28. Drashti B.

Designing a complete unit for the following activities: Each place has two parts to it, different in the way they work and the general atmosphere. Design to suit each appropriately, but the total should show unity. Think as if this is the only thing to be built in stage one. So all facilities –water, toilets, pantry, storage etc. should be provided.

The design should give a pleasant and comfortable space, of a scale that is neither too big or too small. The given areas are for hinting at rough size, but you can vary them if you feel the need. Give thought to how plants, trees, windows, height of roof or ceiling – all these affect the quality of the spaces.

A place for telling stories

An adjacent place for learning performance art. 20 people and 2 instructors in each case. (50 sq. Metres each).

Fig 29

Fig

Fig 31

Fig

Fig 33

Fig 34

Fig 35

Fig 36

Fig 37

Fig 29. Anchal P.

Fig 30. Hiren T.

Fig 31. Yesha A.

Fig 32. Yash K.

Fig 33. Parth K.

Fig 34. Deep P.

Fig 35. Pranav S.

Fig 36. Parth K.

Fig 37. Anchal P.

Making model using 4 elements mentioned below:

1) Planar (chapat)

2) Linear

3) Solid (Ghan)

4) To join

Based on the previous discussions students are to make 1:50 representations of their idea in 3dimension.

Fig 38

Fig 39

Fig 40

Fig 41

Fig 42

Fig 43

Fig 44

Fig 45

Fig 46

Fig 38. Himali G.

Fig 39. Raj R.

Fig 40. Neel B.

Fig 41. Mansi M.

Fig 42. Yash K.

Fig 43. Riya

V.

Fig 44. Shreya M.

Fig 45. Yesha A.

Fig 46. Hiren T.

PRESENTATION BY PROF. CHHAYA

UNDERSTANDING FOLK PERFORMING ARTS

MATAJI NO NAVRANGO MANDAVO LIVE PROGRAM || MATAJI DAKLA

Study of Folk Performances and its spaces during the course of semester

Staging Change: Theatre in India. Marg: A Magazine of the Arts. March 2019 Indigenous Knowledge Systems Volume XIV. Context: Built, living and Natural, 2018 Intangible Cultural Heritage in India – INTACH Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol 2 No 1 2016

YouTube videos shared while discussing key aspects in online class

The below list is not in any specific sequence. However, these videos were shared at during the studio sessions as a tool to make online teaching interactive and interesting. The spatial understanding required to design folk performance and learning spaces was the focus.

Classical Dance Vs Folk Dace Differences and Facts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKJVr50Mwgw

The architectural wonder of impermanent cities Rahul Mehrotra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc6hkHGHQQc&t=36s

Ochintu Koi Mane Dhruv Geet|Dhruv Bhatt Stage performance by Shabnam Virmani https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t19ZmwHAM-I

Shabnam Virmani and Vipul Rekhi singing in Solidarity with JNU Students on Indefinite Hunger Strike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCcrfhLQNT8&t=128s

Kaachi Chhe Kaaya Thaari https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mq_EIEaIZA

‘Kichhu Din Mone Mone’ by Parvathy Baul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNh2kjmSzPw

Ramamandal Toraniyadham | Part 10 Naklank Nejadhari Ramamandal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONADcuo0cA4&t=612s

Ramamandal pithad PART :-6 ( Village Lilapar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rTBt-e4_1M&t=13s

Matajina Dakla - Hamir Gadhvi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7ZY2Itkw1Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRVaZbKeyRY

Kakkarissi Natakam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVFwMCu0wzE

Beautiful Holiday Folklorico Dancers Showcase Mexico at Epcot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjw0AhiC0x0

The architectural wonder of impermanent cities Rahul Mehrotra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc6hkHGHQQc

The Griot tradition of West Africa | Sibo Bangoura TEDxSydney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdrPmZwsXiM

‘Thaara Rang Mahal Mein’ sings Prahlad Singh Tipanya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cApx92qpFks

Bhuchar Mori Talvar Ras Guinness Book Of World Record Talvar Ras At Sahid Van, Dhroll, Jamnagar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn5dA0ci-4A

THE HUNGRY CATERPILLAR STORY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hxHnFNRsMc&t=39s

Gajapati Kulapati & undhiyu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMokBT7mTGA

Understanding performance spaces through videos, articles and other secondary data sources. Then representing their understanding through sketches and plan sections of spaces they inhabit. Understanding the process from preparation to final performances.

Fig 49

Fig 50

Fig 47

Fig 48

Fig 51

Fig 52

Fig 47. Anchal P.

Fig 48. Neel B.

Fig 49. Himali G.

Fig 50. Mansi M.

Fig 51. Riya

Fig 52. Hiren

To understand the relationship between unit to whole total of four functions are introduced to students as a part of kathalaaya program and students have to design an institute for it to act as a whole through models.

Fig 53

Fig

Fig 55

Fig

Fig 57

Fig 58

Fig 53. Hiren T.

Fig 54. Riya V.

Fig 55. Raj R.

Fig 56. Mansi M.

Fig 57. Neel B.

Fig 58. Pranav S.

Fig 59. Shreya M.

Fig 60. Neel B.

Fig 61. Yesha

Fig 59

Fig 60

Fig 61

Fig 62

Fig

Fig 64

Fig

By placing their design in an existing complex of Darbargadh, students tried to comprehend the scale of an institute.

Fig 67

Fig 68

Fig 69

Fig 70

Fig 62. Anchal P.

Fig 63. Raj R.

Fig 64. Riya V.

Fig 65. Mansi M.

Fig 66. Naisargi

Fig 67. Himali G.

Fig 68. Pranav S.

Fig 69. Parth

Fig 70. Shreya M.

PRESENTATION BY PROF. CHHAYA

IDENTIFYING RESPONSES TO SITE

Students are to diagrammatically represent the concerns or issues identified on site and generate a detailed programme (probable number of people in each space, area and nature of spaces)

These learnings are to be ideated in drawings. They have to, design the institute as a single entity. All the spaces mentioned in the program must be designed such that each space responds to another; it allows the proposed activity to be performed well and also gives an opportunity for the visitors to use them in different ways. Design the inside-outside and the in-betweens, and the spaces for regular and occassional visitors (how would they use space and which ones they would use).

Fig 71

Fig

Fig 73

Fig

Fig 75

Fig 76

Fig 77

Fig 78

Fig 79

Fig 71. Parth K.

Fig 72. Naisargi V.

Fig 73. Neel B.

Fig 74. Himali G. Fig75. Mansi M.

Fig 76. Yesha A.

Fig 77. Nirav R.

Fig 78. Pranav S.

Fig 79. Anchal

LEARNING FROM PEERS- LOOKING AT VOLUME AND ACTIVITY

ORGANISATION AND VOLUMETRIC EXPLORATION

A detailed iteration of design to be reviewed in following compartments:

1) Spatial organization and volumetric exploration with context set-up

2) Area requirements and activities

Fig 81

Fig 82

.Fig 68. Hiren T.

Fig 69. Yesha

Fig 70. Shreya

Fig 83

Fig 84

Fig 69. Neel B.

Fig 70. Shreya M.

DISCUSSIONS ON DESIGNING FOR SPECIALLY-ABLED: A LECTURE BY AR. ANAND SONECHA ON SCHOOL FOR BLIND

DISCUSSIONS ON CASE STUDIES

BUILDING STUDY

Students are expected to draw proportionate plans of buildings chosen as base study and should be indicative of the material and it’s construct. They are to look at one building of their choice in detail and understand it on the basis of following parameters:

1. Region and climate

2. Primary elements (planar(square,circle, rectangular etc. and volumetric (cube, cylinder, cone etc)))

3. Organization of spaces (linear,radial,cluster etc.) and ordering principles (symmetry, rhythm, harmony etc.)

4. Movement through space ( circulation and open spaces)

5. Structure and light in those spaces (light walls/ cavity walls/ massive masonry)

BUILDINGS STUDIED DURING THE SEMESTER ARE:

Newman Hall, Ahmedabad

Gandhi Labour Institute, Ahmedabad

Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, Ahmedabad

Natrani Theatre, Ahmedabad

Visual arts centre, Ahmedabad

Kala Kendra, Auroville

Kala Academy, Goa

Indian Institute of Management, Banglore

Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal

Hunnarshala, Bhuj

Khamir, Bhuj

International Management Institutie, Kolkata

Nehru Pavilion, New Delhi

National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy, New Delhi

National Institute of Immunology, Delhi

Sanskriti Kendra, Delhi

Garden of Five Senses, Delhi

Kochi-Muziris Pavilion, New Delhi

The school at Rudrapur, Bangladesh

Meti school, Bangladesh

Fig 85

Fig 86

Fig 85. Riya

Fig 87

Fig 88

Fig 87. Yesha A.

Fig 88. Pranav

Fig

Excerpts from post-jury conversations

External Jury Panel

Day 1-04/12/2020: Uday Andhare

Day 2-05/12/2020: Mausmi Andhare

The structure of the program and the initial exercises were just incredible; because the manner in which the notion of an institute being amalgamating but also having individual characteristics within it, as components that can be understood as each entity as a stand-alone entity and which is often the case that it amalgamates and I think it opens up a dialogue between the four components of the institution their diverse characters (at some point these characters overlap and mingle into each other and you almost don’t see a division between them, but at the same time – the architectural potential always remains open-ended and at that level the conception of the whole program of Studio V was too exciting and fully loaded for the students to move in certain directions; so I thought that that was the fun part of the studio…

…and also the manner in which the studio exercises happened in absence of person to person contact; through digital mediums and certain orientations that the students would absorb; like watching films and videos and looking at plays and other material which they would normally not look into … I think that has pushed that understanding into a very different dimension which came in through some of the sketches and interpretations of how they were trying to imagine spaces and translate them into possible diagrams to then consolidate into some sort of built expression. So I thought that exercise was really VALUABLE TO the process…

…and in the end out of the 11 we saw today, I thought 6-4 really excelled the way in which they took the exercise forward; such that when the hand-holding stopped, they were able to glide on their own and then other 6 could understand the individual characteristics of the four elements that were given at the outset but they were not able to visualize the centrality of the institution.

I really enjoyed it Uday Andhare

The process of the studio was really interesting; to involve students and hand holding and going from the sequence of understanding scale, space making, formalities, ways of putting things together, was quite enriching. However, when there as a shift from the initial studies to their own work; I found that there was a schism that it didn’t work. In some of the works the learning translated but in others it got lost. There was a strict adherence to rationality and lack of process drawings that gives a clue of the shift from initial learning to the final design.

…I loved the site and the context and all the knitting that it should have for a nice level 5 studio. It would have been fun to do it myself!

Studio opened up different discussions. The exercises became the starting point for a lot of explorations – each one explored it in their manner (they need to do these explorations by themselves!). Third year is very important in the ‘sociology of the school’; the translation of the learning of History and Construction learnt in first and second year to designing institutions.

The studio (program and process) and students’ work provoked important aspects worthy of contemplation. Interestingly, the conversation started with the observations by the reviewers on students work, led to opening up interesting provocations and ended with the sharing of learning experiences of the faculties and reviewers. Listening to the recordings of these conversations made it rewarding for me as it added various dimensions and meanings to the aspects stated.

Riddhi Shah

Mausmi Andhare

Neelkanth Chhaya

Post-Jury Conversations

Initial design process is important. The discourse brought forth clearly there could be different beginnings.

• The Importance and meaning of Exercises to enable designing

• Shortcomings of the current education system and our methods to complement them in architectural education

• Inculcation of an attitude to questioning and commitment to achieve the answers through the design.

• There is a link of different courses to design studio and its learning helps in taking positions for the design; for eg. History of Architecture and Construction to Studio Or Humanities (Society and various art forms) to Studio

• Relationship of Teacher and student/ teacher and learner

• Sociology of the School and its impact on the Output of Studio (the discussion happened on what is important and must be sustained while teaching studios, and what must not be compromised!)

• Changes in modes and mediums of communication and its impact of learning in current time.

read, see, listen, and go to places!