Recreating and Refurbishing the Long Lost Kalagram Ministry of Culture under the Indian government has seven zonal cultural centers spread across the country to preserve the heritage of India. Kalagram, a part of the north zone cultural center is an artistic cultural space which preserves the dying and ancient art forms of north India. It is located on the purlieu of Chandigarh city, and is contiguous to the city’s railway station. Situated on the Chandigarh-Kalka state highway it is the center for art and culture for the northern region of the country. Kalagram has been developed in two phases. Phase 1 established the existing built structures. While, Phase 2 constitutes of vacant land, devoid of any built structures, venue for annual Chandigarh Craft Mela. Since the government spends a huge amount on building temporary structures every year, a plan for permanent structure was to be proposed for phase 2 aiming “to create urban cultural space for propagation of art.” As part of my undergraduate thesis in the final year, I got the opportunity to work on the proposal for development of Kalagram and I named it: ‘Shilppradarshini : An Extenstion of Kalagram’. Here, is an excerpt of the same, delineating its design philosophy and concept. “Nothing exists in isolation nor can we design in isolation” Responsible architecture, sustainable design, aesthetic values and respect for the eco-system, have been my guiding principles from the beginning and this is what formed the premise for this thesis too. Site, surroundings, natural elements and patterns of movement formed the foundation of my proposal. One of the most important lessons that I learnt in the duration of my thesis was to make the best out of a place, for which, we need to almost become one with the space, respect the components and always aim for the best user experience. I started with an indepth study of the site and its features. I got my cues from the existing flora and built structures. Post a survey, the list of requirements had to be sorted, which became a tedious task, because I had to do justice to the existing remnants on the site. Finally, the idea was to keep the design user friendly and make it universal to make it easily accessible and disabled friendly. The main principle of design was to honor the existing built mass and the nature including trees. Observations from various studies led to some meaningful conclusions. It was observed that Kalagram had a huge foot fall during the annual fair which resulted in a necessary requirement of large parking space for buses and cars. Site parking became a major concern and the existing trees made it even more challenging. Buses being an integral part of public transport, were allotted a parking space on the other side of the highway, so that the other modes of transportation from different routes do not get disturbed by the buses’ movement. I did not want to not ruin the façade of my site with rows of cars parked, forcing me to decide to take cars on a lower level. A small chunk of land next to the existing buildings and trees was carved out. It was slightly sunk to assort the cars under pilotis. The roof of these pilotis created a level on the site for the complex infrastructure. Spatial composition of parking was designed in a way to make it lively, avoiding the dinginess through the introduction of light shafts along pedestrian sculptural ramps amalgamating it with landscape space.
The next concern was the accessibility of users to the site from the other side of the road. This led to the necessary creation of an underpass that would lead to the site, which now served as the entrance into the cultural space. The fact that location of the site was on a slightly lower level from the highway went in our favour and helped in the creation of this underpass in the existing structure. The floor and walls of the underpass were designed and sculptures installed to create an interesting and inviting public realm, and setting the mood for an immersive cultural experience that Kalagram offered. We had already mapped out the sunken level while creating an in-house parking. Thus, a sunken arrival court was organically established connecting people arriving from, both the underpass and the parking at the same place. The arrival court was divided into two levels: the sunken court and the ground court. This lobby became a lively space that would invite many informal activities including balloon sellers, henna application and small snack vendors. Arrival court acted as congenial welcoming space for the pedestrians and people arriving in cars. The place was highlighted by a sculptural element with LED screens highlighting the essence of Kalagram. The scale of this element acted as an inviting signature image of the site, as it could also be easily perceived through the highway thus attracting more people. From the arrival court, people enter the complex through the ‘Interpretation Plaza’. This semi-open structure was designed with trellis and climbers which not only provided natural green elements but also cleverly fashioned a play of light and shadow. This structure provided an entrance to the site and depicted the history of Kalagram and other zonal cultural centers. Towards the end of the ‘Interpretation Plaza’s’ hallway, the user as per their choice will move towards: the shop court and crafts bazaar, sculptural court and existing built mass, or the fascinating craftsman plaza. Craftsman plaza, a wood and light mesh structure covered with creepers activated the space with the water channel around it. This aesthetically appealing space was designed to increase a connection between the user and craft person to promote the various living and extinct art forms. It enabled the users to see how the traditional crafts are made and thus feel a connection with those crafts. The node after the craftsman plaza led the axis to the landscape element stair ramp, which culminated in the exhibition court, and also to the stage where performance arts were periodically staged, such as traditional dance, juggling, and magic shows. Exhibition court was designed to amalgamate both built and open space for exhibition around a landscaped court, giving the artist a freedom for displaying their art. This symmetrical space could be merged to form a single space while it could also be divided to hold individual exhibitions. The space below the exhibition court was used for staff parking. Ancillary areas were placed on one side of the space to create a barrier between parking and the performance area situated on the ground floor. The designing was done in a way to avoid back-house functions spoiling the language of the site, while they could be accessed through the back road. Green steps with plants were designed on the court
serving as a barrier between the stage on the level below and the exhibition court on the higher level. Further, exhibition court was connected to the campus food court with a bridge as both the structures were placed at a higher level to attract the users towards them. This element of walkability also acted as a face and gateway of the back of the site connecting staff parking to the site. Food court was situated at the end of the site with a psyche that users would experience sense of the space while walking to reach the food court. Although, small food stalls were scattered throughout the site considering the vast area of land. Food court depicted the solid and void relationship of seating arrangements. The food court, placed on a higher level connected with a combination of articulated sculptural ramps and staircases inspired with an idea of horizontal landscape feature. Massing of built structures was in accordance with their hierarchy and use. The vaulted shops rooflines invited the user and massive pavilions with gabled roofline depicted grandeur. These two structures merged seamlessly into the fabric of a brick structure. Aisle around shops and pavilion courts were merged into the landscaped areas. The complex had areas with dense trees, which were allotted to the informal shops of the fair. This space was designed in a way that temporary shops of marquee tents could be installed during the fair while the space could serve multiple functions the rest of the year. This organic space was landscaped with lamps, sculptures, and pathways to create a sense of upvan (lush garden). Further, a space was reserved for playing area with few permanently installed swings while others could be installed during the fair. Spatial composition of this space merged both softscape and hardscape to provide a holistic experience. The two elements on the upper floor-exhibition court and the food court maintained the cultural integrity of the site while maintaining the house-back functions, such as staff parking, service area, storage area and the existing tubewell on the lowest level. The complex was designed to scatter the cultural spaces aiming to keep the entire site engaging and activated with various regional activities. The small landscaped steps along the food court’s sculptural ramp acted as open air theater and multiple partially sunken lobbies were carved out of the site for the same. On the other side of the site with the existing built fabric, a sculptural court and a sunken museum of every day art was introduced connecting the existing and proposed built space. Composition of this structure traces a serene environment as a curvilinear water body, which was designed as per the slope of the site to collect rainwater, surrounds it. The sunken museum was connected to a bridge ramp that led to the ground edged with hedges. Museum had a horizontal band of fenestrations at the upper side for uniform lighting. The roof of the museum acted as a sculptural court with pedestals of different heights to showcase art. This court could be accessed through another ramp, was also covered with light mesh structure and creepers. This ramp further led to another addition in the complex, art studio in the art court. A small landscaped art court, with the gesture to provide exposure, tools and many other relevant experiences to craftsman with humble means, thus promoting their art,
surrounded Art studio. The availability of toilets, drinking water and other facilities were carefully marked and designed throughout the site to provide easy access for the basic amenities. The design was prepared keeping in mind the human scale and convenience of movement for the users as well as the staff members of the place. Morphology of a cultural space categorically and most importantly needed to focus on the experiences that it will create for the craftsmen, users and the artists who were involved in maintaining its beautiful existence and lively ambience. A cultural vista is aimed for inspiring people and giving them a sense of connection to the heritage of the country. The revival of interest in the existing but lost culture and diminishing grasp on the traditions of India was an issue that had to be dealt with. The site was carefully designed keeping this revival of culture in mind. As other cultural centers of India, Kalagram will also keep the spirits of cultural integrity alive and will attract the users of all ages to visit it while creating memorable experiences. I am proud to share that this thesis was very well received by my colleagues and professors. I secure 5th position in the college at the final thesis by the jury and an external examiner was impressed by its “holistic design�.