Undergraduate Thesis: Social Superimposition by Haardikaa Goswami

SOCIAL SUPERIMPOSITIONS THE SOCIOLOGICAL REINTERPRETATION OF SPACE By Haardikaa Goswami Guided by Prof. Snehal Nagarsheth Co-guided by Prof. Rajiv Kadam

Undergraduate Thesis Faculty of Design, CEPT University

匀渀攀栀愀氀一愀最愀爀猀栀攀琀栀

刀愀樀椀瘀䬀愀搀愀洀

Declaration This work contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other Degree or Diploma in any University or other institutions and to the best of my knowledge does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I consent to this copy of thesis, when in the library of CEPT Library, being available on loan and photocopying.

Student Name & Code No: Haardikaa Goswami UI0915

Signature of student:

Date: 28 May, 2020

Dedicated to my Dad in Heaven, who taught me the value of honesty and hard work, just as he lived.

Acknowledgment Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to the Almighty, who strengthened my belief through the tough period of the pandemic COVID-19 during this research., and my family for supporting me through thick and thin all these years. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my guide, Prof. Snehal Nagarsheth and my co-guide, Prof.Rajiv Kadam, for helping me through every step of the thesis. I would like to thank Amal Shah for his time and effort with the entire batch throughout the thesis semester. I would like to express a special thanks to Kireet Patel at CEPT University and Dennis Bradley at B&A Architecture, for encouraging my vision and helping me at every step during my academic years. I would like to thank all the teachers and staff members at Faculty of Design, CEPT University to guide me and help me throughout my journey at CEPT University. I am grateful to the canteen staff, Samirbhai and Siddhi Printech for always taking care of our needs and time. I would embrace a special thanks to Suhani and Tanya, for their endless encouragement and discussions throughout this research. Lastly, I would like to thank all my friends from school and college, who believed in me and stood by me in good and in bad times.

Contents

Sociology of the Built Environment

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

Case Studies

Deliverances of the Study

Introduction.............................................................................................................. Aim, Objectives, Scope and Limitation................................................................ Research Methodology..........................................................................................

11 13 14

1.1 Composition of the Built Environment .............................. 1.2 The Primitive Need of the Built Environment ................... 1.3 Belongingness and Orientation........................................... 1.4 Through the lens of Human Behavior and Experience...................................................................................... 1.5 Identifying the Socio-Cultural Aspects............................... 1.6 The Constant and the Change in the Sociology of the Built Environment........................................... 1.7 Mechanisms of Change........................................................ 1.8 The Dynamics of Social Friction......................................... 1.9 Translating the Intangible Sociology in Space..............................................................................................

20 21 23

1.9.1 Proxemics

1.9.2 Chronemics

26 28 30 32 34 36

1.10 Inferring Relationships of the Intangible and their Translations...............................................

2.1 Introducing a Social Space.................................................. 2.2 Social Space as a Social Product....................................... 2.3 Spatial Triad............................................................................ 2.4 Implications of the Lived Space..........................................

44 46 48 50

2.4.1 The Social Space and the Sociology

2.4.2 Th Objects and the Subjects of the Social Space

2.5 Subjectivity in the Lived Space ........................................... 2.6 Reproduction of the Spatial Triad....................................... 2.7 Social Space of the Interior Design Discipline.................. 2.8 Superimpositions in the Social Interior.............................. 2.9 Impact of Superimposed Interior Spaces......................... 2.10 Inferring Relationships from the Reproduction of Social Space.............................................................................

52 54 56 59 61 64

(i) Framework for Case study..................................................... 68 (ii) Context of Ahmedabad ......................................................... 70 3.1 Conflictorium: Museum of Conflict.................................... 76 3.2 LxS Open House: Dhal ni Pol............................................... 104 3.3 Discourse................................................................................. 132 Synthesis of Theory..................................................................... 136 Outcomes...................................................................................... 138 Conclusion..................................................................................... 141 Review Feedbacks ..................................................................... Bibliography .................................................................................. Appendices ................................................................................... Glossary .........................................................................................

144 146 152 163 11

Introduction Through the concept of reinterpretation of interior spaces, the research focuses on studying the co-relation that exists between the people and the dynamism in interior spaces. Here, reinterpretation is defined as rendition of interior spaces in the light of sociological characteristics that affect and are affected by design. This study considers the changing qualities of space in the context of adaptive reuse of private spaces to public ones. It studies the tangible and intangible aspects that have affected and are affected by the sociological change. It further interrogates the changing process in which the society interacts in a social space that has been adapted to suit the new social structure in all mediums of the built environment, here considering the field of interior design. The research focuses on developing a corelation between interior design and changing sociological implications by evaluating the seamlessness between the two in an urban environment. In the realm of social space, the study demonstrates a dynamic relationship between design and social structure, which is always a superstructure as an outcome of social behavior and friction.

Aim The research investigates the changing sociological aspects in the urban environment and their corresponding relationship with the interior environments as a response.

Objectives 1. Study the relationship between the physical implications of design and the changing socio-cultural aspects. 2. Develop a holistic approach to study the sociological implications of the built environment on the field of space design. 3. Study the impact of reinterpretation on the social relationships as a result.

Scope and Limitation 1. The scope of this thesis is to only look at the sociological factors of transformation of the private interior environments in the light of adaptive reuse in the social realm. The cases considered are private spaces (houses) that have been reinterpreted to consider a public domain, in Ahmedabad in the decade of 2010-20. 2. The research was carried out during the outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19 and thus, the case study choices were limited. 3. The research is of a qualitative typology based on theoretical and empirical case study form implied through interactions, observations and tested project briefs. 4. The research limits to the major theories that have been studied in the first two chapters of the thesis. 5. Reinterpretation here stands for the change of program of the space as a response to the social context. 6. The term social space is explored in terms of the theories applied, and it may be exploited otherwise, but that is out of the scope of this thesis.

PART 1: SOCIAL A

Methodology

Human

SOCIOLOGY

Built Environment Built human- human

Nature

Social Re

space- space

SPACE

human- space

Literat

Huma Enviro Linda Literature Study Production of Space by Henri Lefebvre, 1973 Emergence of Interior: Architecture, Modernity, Domesticity Charles Rice, 2007

Spatial Relationships

the superimpositions of d

Literature Study House Form and Culture Amos Rappoport, 1969 Cultural identity and design : I.F.G. conference Charlotte Blauensteiner, 1989

Social Space

superimposition orien

ASPECTS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT

PART 2: THE ROLE OF SOCIOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS IN SPACE

PART 3: EXAMPLES OF SOCIOLOGICAL REINTERPRETATION

Case Studies

elationships

Social Friction Identifying the factors of the society that lead to the change of their relationships

The case of Ahmedabad in Postmodern Context

different perceptions

ns of behaviors and ntations

through contextual studies

Response of Spatial Relationships

Private to Public Reinterpretation

Response of the space through its physical qualities:

Adaptive Reuse of a House

1. Material: the superimposed new 2. Purpose: private to public 3. Construction: tangible adaptations made to the space

Sociological Response to the Spatial Change The experience that the adapted space provides to the changed society

1. House Museums 2. Art Galleries empirical data and interactions

an Aspects in the Built onment L. Nussbaumer, 2014

education, migration, technology

ture Study

Inferences from the Case Study The following relationships to be drawn by the change in human-human relationship 1. Space-Space Relationship 2. Human-Space Relationship

Conclusion of the Research

This chapter studies the underlying sociology of the built environment that affects the spatial outcomes. It further considers the aspects of social friction, that bring about a change in the sociological balance and thus, the appropriation of the built environment as an ideal response.

The Sociology of the Built Environment

Sociology in the Built Environment 1.1 Composition of the Built Environment 1.2 The Primitive Need of the Built Environment 1.3 Belongingness and Orientation 1.4 Through the lens of Human Behavior and Experience 1.5 Identifying the Socio-Cultural Aspects 1.6 The Constant and the Change in the Sociology of the Built Environment 1.7 Mechanisms of Change 1.8 The Dynamics of Social Friction 1.9 Translating the Intangible Sociology in Space

1.9.1 Proxemics: Use of Space as a Cultural Aspect

1.9.2 Chronemics: The Function of Time in Human Relationships

1.10 Inferring Relationships of the Intangible and their Translations

1.1 Composition of the Built Environment

Nature Public Spaces Built

Social Spaces Society

Private Spaces Human

Fig.1.1 Composition of the Built Environment: Human, Society, Built, Nature

The built environment is a compositional outcome of the nature, the built and the human. These multiple metabolisms together create an ecological system where the meaning of the built and the nature changes from time to time. This dynamic meaning in the nature and the built is the result of exchange of the tangible and the intangible that takes place within the sociological context of the built environment. Thus, there is a symbiotic, dynamic relationship that the built, the nature and the human share, which is why the meaning of the built environment is variable.

The Sociology of the Built Environment

1.2 The Primitive Need of the Built Environment Although of recent notion, the built environment that is known now has been a result of multitude of needs that have occurred since time immemorial. Even with the lack of technology and materiality, man did build a shelter to satisfy his needs for protection and belongingness. The need for shelter is thus a basic one. However, with time and evolution of values and knowledge in the society, other built forms emerged to satisfy bigger needs of association, belief systems and recognition. Hence, the existence of temples, marketplaces and other public spaces that have occurred are only due to the choice that the human made to satisfy his intangible needs. Even with limited material and technology in the past, the occurrence of the built environment is thus, a matter of choice which has shaped the intangible in a tangible response, as a result of availability and accessibility of material and knowledge(Rapoport,1969). This has given rise to identity in the built environment and thus, the cultural values. Culture determines the holistic and independent counterparts, by being constant and variable at the same time. Diversity in culture is due to the occurrence of the way of life that varies with the conditions that differ with place and time. The outcome of the lifestyle in a cultural setting is in the way the society thinks and acts upon a problem to come to a novel solution(Blauensteiner,1989). The cultural implications in the built environment occur in the relationships between the nature and the society where the latter may be symbiotic or even dominant of the former. This relationship did not always occur in the same equation, but has now been exploited by the instruments of technology and materiality, knowledge of which is dominant upon the nature. For example, the introduction of air conditioners in the built environment is an example of how human exploitation of the nature can take place, by not only the resultant effects of air conditioning on the environment,

but the fact that the air conditioning gives the freedom to overlook the natural ventilation that primitively became one of the primary governors for orientation of built. Although based as a response to the same need, the solution provided by each culture varies from time to time and place to place. This is again a result of social values that are dynamic in the built environment, like the position of individual families, womanhood, sex, privacy and social intercourse(Rapoport,1969). Hence, these factors together determine the types of spaces that are required to fulfill the needs of the society. The primitive need of the built environment however, might have been a geographical one which depended upon the natural and cultural nuances of the place, its evident deviation from its historical affluence is a result of development of technological solutions that are now global. Hence, reinterpretations in the built environment are also the result of dynamic sociological implications. Within these urban configurations, lie the interior environments, the repetition of which come together to define a given urban environment. The interior is activated through the individual relationships that one shares to the city, its publicness, business and commerce(Rice, 2007). Thus, it can be established that there is an interdependent relationship that occurs between the urban and the interior environment that is always under a social construct depending upon the relationships that are shared among the humans and the spaces they inhabit.

Fig.1.2 Relationships in the Built Environment

Components of Built Environment

Natural Space Built

Human

The Sociology of the Built Environment

Human-Human Relationship

Space-Space Relationship

Human-Space Relationship

1.3 Belongingness and Orientation Through an urban outlook, the society is a constituent of the built environment, meaning that the built environment is incomplete without the relationship that it shares with the society. The society is affected and affects the built environment. This takes leap into the understanding of self and society and the individual relationships that one shares with the built environment. These relationships are subjective but as discussed earlier, they are based upon basic human needs. As needs alter, so does the built environment and so the relationships that take place in the realm of sociological aspects of a given aspect. When comparing the relationships within the sociology that exists in the built environment, the self and the society become important individual determinants of the whole. Here, society is an entity which is separate from the self, the former forming the official and the latter forming several unofficial interactions(May, 2011). Considering these interactions in the formal and the informal zones of the built environment, one can synthesize the interlinks of many personal spaces as one social space. This leads to further interrogation of how these spaces are perceived as personal or social. This is where the role of the self and the society determines human orientation and belongingness in the built environment as to how they respond to a space. Considering the conception of the term belonging, it may be assumed that belonging refers to the culture, the communities, the histories of the localities and the ancestry we share in the built environment. However, belonging is of far more importance in the sociological aspect, deriving the implications of well-being and in being oriented with our surroundings. Belonging is a part of our identity in a given built environment(Miller, 2006). Interrogating this aspect of belonging as a direct impact on oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orientation, one may come to recognize it as a shared relationship between the human and the physical space.

Olfactory Perception Visual Perception

Social Gustory System

Orientation to the Space

Belongingness to the Space mental presence Spiritual

Personal

bodily presence

Auditory Experience Tactile Experience

Fig.1.3 Relationships of the Human to the Space

Orientation is an outcome of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodily presence in the environment. The sense of touch, vision, smell, sound and taste that help build human relationship with the outside results in bodily orientation. Hence, belonging to a place and being able to identify with it creates a greater sense of orientation with the spaces that one occupies in everyday life. Belongingness helps to identify the personal and social as separate and so does the roles that humans play in them. Personal can be seen as more evident in building a relationship with the space, than social. The society is fixed and practices its daily rituals in a more patterned way than the personal lives that alter subjectively, with the change of time and space. Also, belongingness itself is subjective when it comes to identify oneself depending upon choice of being a part of the clan or otherwise, by being unique and different from others(May, 2011). However, this subjectivity is also a driving force to emergence interior environments that create a sense of belongingness through their inhabitation(Rice,2007). Not belonging or relating, thus results in an increased social friction, which is discussed in the later part of this chapter. It can be inferred that belongingness is more of the mental relationship that one develops with the space while orientation is through the physical relationship that one shares with the space through their senses. Thus, belongingness is a result of repeated orientation of oneself in the space over time, building stronger relationships between human and space.

The Sociology of the Built Environment

Fig.1.4 Creating subjective environments in an office space that allow the user to connect and belong to the space. The reflection of self in the social space of the office gives way to developing a personal relationship of the user in the workspace.

The spectacle here is that, social change is only based on the result of distinction between self and society that sees belongingness on various scales. Hence, the orientation that one has with the surroundings, is again subjective, but through a bigger lens, it is socially generic and is what helps in designing the built environment to accommodate the people in their personal as well as social spheres, which is why the built environment is always in a phase of change. Building upon, the social and the personal shape the human behavior and experience in different spaces: private, social and public. Thus, the feeling of being in a space and belonging to it are as important for neighborhoods and cities as for home. Home cannot be alien of its surroundings, and vice versa. The next part of the chapter focuses on human behavior and experience in the sociological context of the built environment.

1.4 Through the lens of Human Behavior and Experience

Skills

While building relationship to the built environment, human behavior plays an important role to device one’s orientation to the space that they occupy. Human behavior takes into account one’s beliefs and destinations, the view of their surroundings and their religious practices in relation to their built environment(Nussbaumer, 2014). Thus, to serve these intangible relationships, an ideal built environment serves to the emotional quality of the space, to create a sense of orientation and thus belong to the space, or otherwise by performing rituals creating a sense of belonging in the space. Human behavior is direct implication on the way the society experiences the space, that again alters with time. The built environment that serves the human emotions and practices becomes a realm of aging social connections in the space(Nussbaumer, 2014). This results in the diversity that has been achieved in the built environment through time. Through the various dimensions of diversity, the relationship differs as one interrogates the “personal” rather than the “social”. That means that the role of proxemics that define the physical distance zones in a space are corelated to the diversity of space. However, here, the aspect of culture still plays a major role while defining the role of each individual in the built environment. Where, on one hand, culture is identified by the distinction between languages and traditions, the core dimensions of diversity (Fig. 1.4) relate to cultural distinctiveness(Nussbaumer, 2014) The implications of diversity is in the different ways of experience, since different cultures correspond to different experiences in the space. This shapes perception, which is dynamic as the built alters. The validation of the same occurs in gender, generation and culture, that perceive the same space differently. For e.g. The use of technology in the

The Sociology of the Built Environment

Ability Physical

Dependents

Age Depend-ables

Class

Ancestry

Race Physical Difference

Sexual Orientation

Gender Biological Sex

Lifestyle

Ethnicity Culture

Primary Secondary

Fig.1.5 Understanding the Dimensions of Diversity

built environment has a greater impact on a millennial than a traditionalist because of its relevance in their everyday life. Similarly, even while using the same space in social life, men and women would have a personal response to each space that is open to public use, where some spaces engage one gender more than the other just by its virtue. The most important aspect of bodily orientation so as to experience oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surroundings is via the five senses. While the visual perception, olfactory experience and tactility help develop a sense of the space in material ways, the spiritual dimension of the space helps to develop and process meanings and relationships in the space. It is due to this intangible quality of the space that the belief systems strengthen in a society. The implications of the spirituality in the society at any given point of time are based upon the aspects of religion, psychological needs, livelihood, social relations, structure of the society and economic resources. Ideally, these factors shape the society in its tangible form through a built environment that responds to satisfy the needs of beliefs and values. In the built environment spiritual experience is achieved through circulation strategies, pause points, aesthetics, structural beauty, sequencing of spaces, emotional connections, belongingness through connections between people and nature, worship spaces, siting with respect to the nature etc (Nussbaumer, 2014). These intangible aspects in a space only become evident through oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alignment in a given space, which can only be achieved by sensitizing physical aspects of the built environment. However, such experiences are also subjective with respect to culture, space and time. Thus, the belief systems vary in a given society at a given point of time and so does the built environment, even though the need for belief systems and their place in built environment remains constant. This subjectivity is further responsible for the translation of experience through spatial practice, the one of perception, imagination and imagery.

1.5 Identifying the Socio-Cultural Aspects With the knowledge of needs, experience and human behavior in space, the underlying factors that shape the relationships between the human and the built environment can be identified and generalized to direct the study. In the built environment, human diversity identifies the socio-cultural factors, which when altered give way to built environment respond in a different. These factors that shape the culture and compose the social behavior are as follows: 1. Religion 2. Economy of the Society 3. Livelihood 4. Social Structure 5. Ethnicity These factors relate to one another and shape the overall perception of the built environment that keeps on changing with the alteration in the sociology of the built environment. Socio-cultural factors play an important role in design since they govern how a particular society would adapt to the built environment. Thus, in each setting, the following become important determinants to govern the physical aspects of the built environment: 1. Siting and Context 2. Materials available 3. Construction methods The built environment may be a direct result of the listed factors above, however, the factors in themselves are a result of sociological implications. The transition in built environment is seen when the culture is altered or being forced to alter to suffice to a different set of needs altogether. The following mechanisms affect the change in the sociology of the built environment: 1. Education 2. Migration

The Sociology of the Built Environment

3. Consumerism 4. Technology When sociology alters, the perception of the society changes. A melt in the society gives way to various perceptions of belongingness, orientation, experience, behavior etc. Hence, the variables in sociology affect the way spaces and interactions that are perceived. Thus, the following factors have been derived to direct the basics of research: time

Siting and Context

mechanisms

Program

Construction Method

Materiality perception Fig.1.6 Factors Informing Sociological Change through Space

The above factors of the framework is a result of the analysis of the theories given by Amos Rappoport(1969) and Charles Rice(2007). These theories are reflected upon in different parts of the thesis. This framework highlights the impacts of sociological change on the built environment over time that impact oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception of being in the sociological sphere. Later, these factors will build the basic framework of analysis. This leads to the next part of the chapter that studies the change in relation to the constant of the built environment.

1.6 The Constant and the Change in the Sociology of the Built Environment So far, the study reveals that the built environment is one of the basic needs to accomplish belongingness and suffice to greater needs to enforce values and goals that the society holds. There is a direct relationship that exists between the society and the built. As soon as there is a cultural shift in the society, the built becomes meaningless(Rappoport, 1969). This is because, the need for shelter, interaction, communication, security etc are extremely important which then affects the behavior, experience, belongingness, orientation among the society. These are the few layers of the primitive human behavior that continue to remain in the social context irrespective of the changing eras of time. This constancy is so mundane even through diversity that the change then seems to take control on human perception. Thus, the change in the sociology is what is reflected upon in the built environment. This physical change that is seen in the contemporary built forms is the mere result of novelty in lifestyle, that one aspires to achieve in their life (Rapoport, 1969). The factors of change may be many. The change in the perception of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position in the built is largely a result of the change in oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way of life, which is shaped by education, technology and change of geography, that is, through migration. These factors impact the way one positions himself in the built environment and adapts to it. Impacts of education, technology and migration on sociological context are not the same. However, it is through these contested factors, that the means to fulfill oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs increase. For instance, education provides the skill set to better livelihood opportunities which are more rewarding economically, thus fulfilling the aspirations to novelty; in case of technology, the means to express oneself to another are altering. Technology affects human behavior and interaction among themselves and with the environment, it alters the

The Sociology of the Built Environment

notion of communication and makes life easier. On the contrary technology is consuming real life real life relationships. Migration on the other hand is a complete change of position physically and thus, psychologically. Oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s set notions of the space are altered and thus, the response as a consequence to the previously discussed factors of belonging, culture, experience, behavior and socio-cultural factors. Thus, these mechanisms act upon sociology and alters the subjectivity as well as the objectivity that exists in the built environment, further leading to diverse behaviors, as explained in the next part of this chapter.

Fig.1.7 An unpublished work by R. Kikuo for New Yorker (2012) depicting the impact of technology on different people. The consumption of technology impacts human behavior in the urban realm, while also shaping diverse responses to technology itself. This means, that technology on one hand, makes information accessible to all while on the other hand, it gives way to social friction by being subjectively perceptive in nature.

1.7 Mechanisms of Change The study of the sociological character in the built environment so far has resulted in the understanding that although the urban space belongs to the society, the behavioral patterns, ways of experience, socio-cultural factors and the aspects of education, technology and migration, that affect these factors determine the way one belongs in the society. The diversity is in the fact of individuality in the urban environment which results in social friction. Social friction does not necessarily cause disruption in the space rather challenges the phenomena of the given urban environment. The impact of education, technology and migration is inevitable in the built environment. The sociology is always in a state of transition via these impacts on the socio-cultural systems in the space. Hence, these impacts also shape our perspective of being in the space. The accumulation of all the factors of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existence and the impacts of external forces that drive the changing perception of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s being in the sociology of the built environment. Hence, a space that at a given point of time cannot respond to the needs of all becomes meaningless. When the space is challenged by social behavior and social friction in a way that it can no more suffice to the diversity that it holds, built environment calls for change. This change in the intangibility of the built environment is then responded by the tangible spaces that can satisfy the needs of the new and evolved society. The need of a car in every household means the need of parking spaces in public realms. Thus, many old cities are undergoing revival to provide for such modern needs. Although sociology plays a significant role in the urban space, one cannot ignore the fact that architecture and interior design of the space can be argued in the context of change. When change occurs in the sociology of the built environment, it not only affects the urban spaces but also the interior spaces.

The Sociology of the Built Environment

The intangibility of the social culture is holistic in the built environment, although the scale at which it is observed may differ. Hence, in a social space, where the change is observed, the interpretation of the built environment occurs from outside to inside.

SPATIALLY ADDRESSING SOCIAL FRICTION IN THE SOCIOLOGICAL CONTEXT The three different types of friction that are spatially observed within the overlapping sociology are: 1. Manipulated Friction (Through Spaces) Manipulated Friction is a result of solids and voids that are present in the space in a way that organizes the space into private and public zones. The voids being characterized as friction zone would be surrounded by the solids of privacy. For example, in an urban setting, the traffic lights become the void where social friction, that is, the exchange of diversity takes place. Similarly, in an interior space, the example of a mall foyer serves as a space for social fiction to take place. 2. Visual Friction (Through Objects in Spaces) Visual Friction is the view that one exchanges in their surroundings. It involves the manipulation of voids and solids in a way, that the sociological relationship is developed with the objects in the space. For example, visual friction in an urban setting could be between the walker and a newspaper stand. In an interior environment, this relationship can be understood between the sign-age and the user of the space. Here, social friction takes place due to the exchange of interaction that happens because of the solids that happen to be in the void. 3. Indirect Friction (Through Other Human Beings) Indirect Friction is when there is no direct relationship between two people in the space, but they have a common contact point. This is when information is passed to the contact point and then further from the contact point. This also informs the public character of the space. For example, two walkers meet the dairy vendor, but not each other. The dairy vendor acts as the contact point between the two walkers. In an interior spaces, contact points can be formed at reception desks, ticket counters, information desks etc.

Fig. 1.8 Mall Foyer: Manipulated Friction

Fig. 1.9 Sign-age: Visual Friction

Fig. 1.10 Information Desk: Indirect Friction

1.8 The Dynamics of Social Friction The term social friction is used to denote the process, which separates different expressive behaviors and contexts from each other. Social friction is the result of interactions that happen in everyday life in the urban environment. Social friction is an implication of diversity and shapes to sociocultural fabric. Henri Lefebvre in his theory of everyday life talks about the production and reproduction of space through the acts of the society. According to him, the urban space is never fixed or constant, but the result of interactions that take place in it. These interactions are not rigid, rather, always under the constant threat of globalization and thus, fragmentation. This leads to social friction in the social space which faces a change in the behavior, meaning of individuality and culture within the same contextual boundaries. Social friction is thus, a result of social behavior and its alterations in the built environment. Within a social space, interactions that take place vary on the situations that take place. This does not mean that these interactions are out of the ordinary, but they however challenge the everyday norms of social behavior. As, the diversity increases, and the ways of inhabiting the built environment are responded variedly, social friction becomes more and more evident. This implies that social friction is a result of individuality, since it is based on subjective responses. For example, street art is one of the acts in a city that can have different implications for different people. When the artists decide to express themselves on urban level, they may be despised and condemned for their acts, but later, street art starts seeping into the cityscape and being appreciated. It then becomes the essence of the city and even with all the differences, people start to realize the importance of street art as an identity to others. Some people think of themselves as victims of street art, when their neighborhood is targeted, others, take it for identity for their diverse culture in the city and feel belonged by the existence of the street art.

The Sociology of the Built Environment

A CASE OF STREET ART IN SHANKAR MARKET, NEW DELHI, INDIA While looking at urban landscapes such as Delhi, that are colloidal in socio-cultural, economic, geographical as well as physiological sense, space attains complex urban sociological relationships. Taking the example of Shankar Market, which has diverse groups and where the act of wall art purely meant for decoration, led to a volatile response that set trade unions against each other. On one hand, the New Central Market Traders Union who supported and encouraged the street art initiative. In opposition were the Shankar Market (New Central Market) Traders Association, who did not share the sensibilities on the designs chosen for the wall art since the beginning. The conflict led to disagreement on territorial basis, so much so, that the opposing unions ensued complaints and notices that the street art is not only induces different experiences in the space for the people frequenting the market but also for the shop owners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Public Art should not be without guidance by the authority, choosing a wall is an administrative matterâ&#x20AC;? said O.P Mishra from NDMC who had supervised the entire project, at once blacklisting individual acts of tagging, graffiti around Delhi as vandalism. Later, these conflicts led to the shopkeepers getting a renovation plan that would be approved by the majority to undergo such acts in the marketplace in future. On one hand, the street art as an act of decoration, only expressed the creativity of the young arists, on the other, it became a starting point of rivalry. This is where the social friction always existed between the groups through their political views, but it only came on the surface through an activity.

Fig.1.11 Street Art in Shankar Market, New Delhi, India

1.9 Translating the Intangible Sociology in Space By now, the study seeks to understand the role of the intangible sociology in space as a means of its conception and its existence. The relationship that this thesis is basically based upon is the one between the human and the space. Since space is a physical characteristic for human experience, behavior and culture, it becomes a necessity to study the tangibilities that are a result of the intangible human relationships in a space. The translation of the intangibilities in the space is a dynamic as the sociology. As the sociology alters as an impact of social friction, the tangible relationships in a space are also impacted. The change in sociology is a nuance of time and culture and thus, these tangible relationships can be studied in the respective areas of time and culture.

Proxemics

study of humans in a particular culture and their perception of space

Sociological Relationships

Chronemics

the understanding of time as a cultural component

Fig. 1.12 The Tangible Dimensions of Sociological Relationships in Space

The Sociology of the Built Environment

1.9.1 Proxemics: Use of Space as a Cultural Aspect In the previous parts of this chapter, the relationships of the individual and the space were understood in terms of the self and the social. This gives way to highlight the important distinctions of the spaces of the self and the social, that is, the private, the social and the public. The dynamics of these three distinct spaces can be understood under the study of proxemics in their tangible form. Although, of communicative nature of the space, proxemics define the non-verbal human relationships that the differentiate spaces and their qualities as for the self or the social.

Fig. 1.13 An image showing social distancing in Western culture as a nuance of the sociological relationships shared. It also interprets the non-verbal message of avoidance between the two people by the way the space is shared.

Since the space is an outcome of cultural nuances, proxemics can be considered of dynamic nature through cultural borders. However, the relationships that again occur within the proxemics determinants is of higher importance in a given culture. Thus, proxemics in the built environment study the relationship of humans in a particular culture and their perception of space (Halls, 1990 in Nussbaumer, 2014). Proxemics shape the layouts of our spaces as it relates to the culture. The theory is not brought about directly in the design field, but it is the underlying way of interaction in a space. The following are considered under the study of proxemics for the scope of this thesis:

1. Spaces Spaces are formed by fixed, semi-fixed and non- fixed elements, where the rigid fixed consists of walls, permanent partitions, furnishings and furniture. The semi-fixed consists of movable furniture and temporary partitions. The nonfixed elements form the interaction between the fixed and the semi-fixed. Human beings form a part of the non-fixed elements in the space, defining their relationships through their proximities in the space. The study of these proximities is under the next constituent of proxemics, that is, the distance zones. 2. Distance Zones Distance zones happen in the light of human relationships in a given space. It measures the distance desired between two people in a given space irrespective of the objects in the space. These distance zones then lead to defining spaces as intimate, private, social or public. Further, these zones can be sub-classified by the means of orientation and closeness. The personal zone with a companion (personalclose) is different than one with a friend (personal-far). Similarly, the social zone in an informal environment with friends is different from the social zone with colleagues in the office. However, even these distance zones differ in different socio-cultural nuances which forms another constituent of proxemics, differences. 3. Differences As discussed, the differences in culture, age and gender define relationships in space. A woman would prefer sitting closer to other woman than a man in a public space. Even if this woman is a close friend of both the man and the other woman, the proximity of her distance would differ in both the cases. These differences in behavioral patterns and the change in culture, gender or age ratio, does affect behavior and thus, the perception. Building upon which, what may be of fixed quality to one culture may be semi-fixed to the other.

The Sociology of the Built Environment

0-0.5m

0.5-1m

1- 4 m

4 m beyond

intimate

private

social

public

Fig.1.14 Universal Distance Zones in Built Environment

1.9.2 Chronemics: The Function of Time in Human Relationships The relation of time to the differences that take place in the proximities that humans share in a space is studies under chronemics. Time and the perspectives of time that is, the past, the present and the future are culturally connected (Adams, 2003; Halls,1989, 1990 in Erskein-Loftus, 2014). As discussed earlier in this chapter that the mechanisms of change act upon the sociology over time, influencing the culture and the role of culture in shaping the behavior and experience in space. Thus, the impact of chronemics must also mean the renewal of proxemics in space through time. Chronemics in different cultures can be viewed in the following different ways: 1. Monochronic Orientation In monochronic orientation, time is considered as a linear motion from past to the present and into the future. For such cultures, time is superimposed from one phase to the other, and is thought as medium of bringing a change, that is, the future is supposed to be better than future (ErskeinLoftus, 2014). 2. Polychronic Orientation In polychronic orientation, time is of a circular or cyclical

notion. Here, the past acts as a guide for present and more Importance is given to social relationships and traditions, than to see future as a betterment. (Erskein-Loftus, 2014). Thus, here the socio-cultural factors are superimposed over time without losing the meaning of each superimposition.

before

What is to be understood in these chronemic behaviors is the role of space that is impacted by respective superimpositions. This intangible relationship of culture and time plays an important role to determine spatial relationships. Thus, chronemics have a direct relationship with the proxemics in a given space that would revise over time in a given context, culture and society.

Siting and Context

Program

Materiality/Color

Construction Method

the historical sociological context of the space that

private space/ house

materials available in the past

the knowledge and skills available

after

mechanisms of sociological change the current context of the space as an impact of the mechanisms

adaptation of a public function

Fig.1.15 Factors Of Study Derived From Socio-Cultural Change

The Sociology of the Built Environment

overlapping the old and the new material palette

the overlapping of present knowledge and information

1.10 Inferring Relationships of the Intangible and their Translations Here, the study proposes to detail out the framework that was achieved previously (Fig. 1.5). Since the thesis studies the reinterpretation of spaces, which is an impact of time on sociology, the above framework develops a basic understanding of this reinterpretation of a space. It studies the factors as a role of time and of culture in the light of being a result of socio-cultural change. The siting and the context in the past or the present is a result of the cultural setting in India, where the traditional values remain of utmost needs. This further relates to the programming of the space which is a result of the sociological change. The program studies the needs of the society and further translates these needs in a physical space. Thus, the physical space shall be studied under the above framework, which also becomes a medium to build human and space relationships. The relevance of a space would change if the society that occupies the space has evolved or undergone a social construct over time. Thus, sociological implications on the field of interior design are a result of perception of human beings in the urban environment. When society alters through time and its cultural shifts become evident, perceptions of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position are revamped, and thus the spaces that they occupy. Thus, design is a perception driven phenomenon in the socio-cultural context. Perception can change over time with the mechanisms in the sociology of built environment and cause people to respond to a given space differently. However, the change of perception is only observed when the social friction has challenged a given space to an extent that it can no longer suffice to the needs of its inhabitants. The way a space is experienced through the sociological changes is where the experiences of everyday life occur, and give way to spatial practice, for the conception to occur. This forms the basis of the next chapter of this study.

This chapter studies the theory of Social Space as given by Henri Lefebvre through his work of “the Production of Space”. It further counts the role of “interiority” in producing a social space in the interior environments.

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

Production and Reproduction of Social Space 2.1 Introducing a Social Space 2.2 Social Space as a Social Product 2.3 Spatial Triad 2.4 Implications of the Lived Space

2.4.1 The Social Space and the Sociology

2.4.2 Th Objects and the Subjects of the Social Space

2.5 Subjectivity in the Lived Space 2.6 Reproduction of the Spatial Triad 2.7 Social Space of the Interior Design Discipline 2.8 Superimpositions in the Social Interior 2.9 Inferring Relationships from the Reproduction of Social Space

2.1 Introducing a Social Space Space had always been looked upon about from the perspective of mathematics. In mathematics, as in Cartesian theory, space has been a result of geographical limitations. Thus, to classify space as more than a result of its coordinates, the theory of “the Production of Space” by Henri Lefebvre,1991 (originally published in 1974) has been critically analyzed in this chapter. The theory talks about space as more than a mere concept of materialistic measure and considers the intangibility of relationships that it produces and gets produced by. Furthermore, one could look at space as an ever- evolving phenomenon where it is difficult to limit the number of penetrating spaces that are produced or created in the process. Since mathematics has been a definite, and mathematicians have been the proprietors of science, the science of space always found its validity in the mathematic realm, when the intangible aspects of space were a floating philosophy of an unacknowledged basis. But the relationship between mathematics and philosophical reality of space had not been definite, and thus, space entered an opposed philosophy to other doctrine philosophies, which was known as Platonism. Thus, space became a ‘mental thing’ as it was quoted by Leonardo da Vinci. This problematic translation of spaces from the mathematical realm to reality was a consequence of the knowledge gap that could not relate the two. (Lefebvre, 1974/1991). At this time, the absolute necessary was to establish a well defined relationship between science of space (the physical space), knowledge of space (the mental space) and the social space being produced as a result. The theoretical derivation that was required must consider the abstractions of the mental space and the logic of translating these abstractions in real time in physical and social spaces. Since, physical and material things occur to the most general and scientific form as an abstraction of the human knowledge, there must

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

exist a relationship between the two, no matter how unclear (Lefebvre,1974/1991). Lefebvreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposition of social space being a social product could find a relevance in the Marxist theory. The proposition acclaimed to reveal social space as indistinguishable from mental space as well as physical space. He conceals this proposition by double illusion: 1. Illusion of Transparency Lefebvre establishes the fact that whatever happens in the space lends a thought to derive upon which design acts to bring about social activity which is then deployed in the space, providing a rough coincidence between the mental space and the social space. 2. Illusion of Reality Here, the theorist develops the relationship of social space with the materialistic nature, which can be seen and felt. Without the existence of physical space, there is no meaning of social relationships that may occur. Thus, social space is an incident of physical reality. Through these two illusions, it becomes evident that the reality does not question the interdependence of objects and subjects in the space, rather it dilutes the existence of subjects in the process of its perception, whereas, the illusion of transparency perceives the space as an outcome of social activity that takes place between the objects and the subjects.

Fig. 2.1 The art installation called Paint Drop in a shopping complex in Shanghai is an example of the empty plaza space (reality) being obstructed with urban installation (object), which activates activity for people (subjects). Thus, the art installation leads to an illusion of transparency by the way the space is being regenerated through activities around the objects, enforcing interactions, experience and perceptions.

2.2 Social Space as a Social Product The proposition of double illusion can explain the further relationship of the two where one nourishes the other. It is in the rel space that the transparency of social activity occurs. In the materialistic realm of real space as suggested by the mathematics, there is a possibility of social relationships to occur. This relationship between the two brings the proposition of a social space as a social product (Lefevre,1974/1991). This suggests that the social space is a complex construction of values, relationships and meanings that produces perceptions and spatial practice (the one in the mental realm).

Illusion of Transparency (philosophical)

Illusion of Reality (mathematical) Human-Human Relationship

Space-Space Relationship

Human-Space Relationship SOCIAL PRODUCT Fig. 2.2 The Idea of Social Space as a Social Product

Further, this argument of social space being a social product leads to two implications. The first implication being that social space that exists in the physical realm can be contested, since physical space originally occurred in nature and with time and social interruptions, the thought of nature has been lost. Nature now is a mere fiction, a raw material to synthesize productive forces that forge particular spaces by the interference of social systems(Lefebvre,1974/1991).

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

SOCIAL SPACE

Thus, what counts for material space and what does not, seems loose ended. The second implication acknowledges the fact social space resists analysis due to its complexity since it becomes a place for: (i) relations of productions, that is labor and organizational hierarchy (ii) social relations of reproduction, that is between sexes and age groups in a family organization (Lefebvre,1974/1991). The relationships that occur in the urban realm in relation with the sociology leads to a multiple intersections of social space. The built environment, on the other hand is not only a physical composition of social space but other aspects of nature, buildings, art etc.

Fig. 2.3 The Saturday Evening Post Issue (June 25, 1960) depicting social life in Atlanta. The illustration by John Falter reflects upon the various relationships that are shared in the urban space. The magazine cover captures scenarios from everyday life that cultivate to the public life in the city. The magazine covers are an abstract description of what happens around the city, thus, explaining the sociological setting here.

Fig. 2.4 The New Yorker Issue (November 18, 1939) depicting a Main Street View of USA. The illustration by Beatrice Tobias covers various social relationships, the ones between the residents, the families and the ones that take place in the marketplace depicting the complexity of social life. The New Yorker covers depict present life situations around the city, as illustrated here.

*Magazine covers illustrate social life as a transparency in the real space. They are influenced by the illustratorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perception as well as the reality of spatial relationships. The observed outcome is thus, of an optimum of experienced space that portrays space through the aspects of built, nature, art, people, life etc.

2.3 Spatial Triad The conceptual triad proposed in Lefebvreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theory understands human relationships as acts of perception, conceptualization and lived experiences. This led to a few answers that could explain social space as an outcome of the human actions, behavior, sufferings, development, expressions and finally death. Since it ultimately talks about space, social space is where the analysis of society takes place, both in individual and collective sense. Also, social space is a creation, a process that takes place as the society continues to present and represent itself. It becomes a tomb as well as a cradle for social relations to take place. It is where religious and political views are shared, where sociology and ethnology find their realm and where beliefs are developed(Lefebvre,1974/1991). The social space is a creative process where production and reproduction are the social relationships. The actualization of this theoretically generative process which can be repeatedly used to produce and reproduce relationships, can further be analyzed through understanding the penetrations of towns in states and states in a country. On the contrary, the idea of social space being a social product is the result of acts and practices that are generalized in each social sphere. Furthermore, this generalization is strengthened when the instruments of knowledge and technology are introduced, because they are based on scientific facts which are constant and tangible throughout physical realms. The spatial triad as follows understands the social space as acts of perception, conceptualization and experience: 1. Spatial Practice: Perceived Space With the relevance of social space being a paradox, Lefebvre proposes social space as a perception, which is societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s space which is always under a construct revealed through the conversion of space in real time. He further proposes this spatial practice as a cohesive one, but not a coherent

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

one. This means the social space as the one which is perceived in the mental realm and may or may not be conceived in the mathematical space. 2. Representations of Space: Conceptualized Space The spaces that have been a result of interpretations by the planners, engineers, architects, designers, all of whom can identify the perceived space and the lived space with the conceptualized space. This is the most dominant space in any social space because of its physical reality. Later, the conceptualized space takes form of the conceived space when instruments of knowledge , technology and skills are applied on the conceptualized information. 3. Representational Spaces: Lived Space The space when interfered by symbols, culture, behavior and other associations of the society become the spaces that are being lived through direct experience. Lefebvre argues that the lived space is the dominated space, that is, it is the space which seeks to be changed by imagination and thus appropriated, by the role of perception. Thus, representational space is again a coherent one of relationships that are nonverbal and symbolic. There has been some relationship between the components of the triad which explains the social space as a product, since the relation between the perceived, the conceived and the lived does remain constant. The society’s perception is always under a construct and reconstruct and thus, the conceived is always trying to suffice to the perceived space. This again leads to the lived space being contested with the perceived one, where the ‘mental space’ and the ‘experienced space’ may or may not meet. Furthermore, as a reflection upon this triad, it is evident that space cannot exist in isolation of the other. For example, if there is no perception of the space, the conceptualized space will fail to represent the desired social space that can be lived in to further extract perception from.

2.4 Implications of the Lived Space From the acts of perception, conceptualization and experiencing of social space, it can be inferred that the lived space is a social product, whereas the perceived and the conceived space are the double illusions. However, if the lived space is the result of this double illusion, the three cannot exist without each other. In the lived space, there is always the act of perception taking place. This means that the transition of the lived space to the perceived space is to validate that one mode of production leads to the next and a code is generated within this transition which itself governs a fresh space to come to existence. However, a fresh space is not a new commodity, but a superstructure in itself. The code that is generated in no way is free of its ends, rather it superimposes the two to mark the relationship between what is lived and what is further perceived. Thus, social spaces are superstructures which have been formed due to the interference of various sociological implications over time. What is lived now is not in itself an entirely newly produced space, but a result of overlapping codes that have built sociology over time. The superimpositions of behavior, religions, cultures, modes of communications and needs has governed the production of spaces. This means that there is a co-relation that exists between social space and sociology, where one could alter the other and vice-versa.

Fig. 2.5 The revitalization of Bhadra Plaza accommodated all the hawkers, shoppers and passerby by identifying the space which was being curated by the people everyday. This became the guiding point for the redesign process of the plaza to suffice to the need for a fresh space. Thus, the code for the superimposed plaza space has been governed by the users of the space, their objects and activities. The built form, people and existing nature form the social superstructure.

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

“If space is produced, if there is a productive process, then we are dealing with history.... The history of space, of its production qua ‘reality’, and of its forms and representations, is not to be confused either with the causal chain of ‘historical’ (i.e. dated) events, or with a sequence, whether teleological or not, of customs and laws, ideals and ideology, and socioeconomic structures or institutions (superstructures). But we may be sure that the forces of production (nature; labour and the organization of labour; technology and knowledge) and, naturally, the relations of production play a part...” (Lefebvre, 1974/1991)

reprodu

cti o

Spatial Practice n

The space of perception

Social Space Representational Space The space of experience/living

Represented Space The space of conceptualization

Fig. 2.6 Production Cycle of Social Space : Reproduction of Space

Thus, as Lefebvre defines the abstract space as the one which has been interfered by social existence, the one which is perceived, conceived and lived in, is the result of superimposition of multitude of abstractions upon the absolute space which comprises of the nature and its forces alone. The abstract space here, is the dominant and the dynamic one in the cultural realm. So, “the Production of Space” is essential in the cultural realm where change is inevitable.

2.4.1 The Social Space and the Sociology The superimpositions of the abstract space also mean that the socio-culture of the lived space is the result of time and can never exist in its original state. Thus, the social space is an outcome of superimposed socio-cultural factors and hence, the experiences which leads it to be a superstructure of the lived space. This means the space produced, is also the space reproduced. The production process constitutes of the (i) nature and its raw material, (ii) labor and (iii) the instruments of the labor i.e. knowledge, technology, skills etc. If the social space is a product that has been synthesized out of relationships that occur between its constituents, and as discussed in the previous chapter, the nature, the labor and the instruments of labor, all form the sociology of the built environment, then, the social space is the product of the sociological relationships in the built environment. It is where the synthesis of productions and reproductions occur. In the lived space of social behavior and thus friction, a social space is experienced and reinterpreted to suit the changing sociological needs through time. 2.4.2 The Objects and the Subjects of the Social Space The lived space is the user’s space, as the users make the social space by living in it. The everyday life of the society takes place in the “subjective spaces” and not represented (conceived). Lefebvre argues that the conceived space is a medium of commodity between the spatial practice and the lived experience and not the space for activities or life. Conceived space is calculated and quantified, while the lived space is where everyday life and activities take place. It is the space of diverse relationships, material things, networks and exchange of knowledge and information within the lived space. (Fuchs, 2019).

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

Spatial Practice

Subjects

Objects

Activities

Members of society, family, working class

Representations of Space

Representational Space

Experts, Planners, Inhabitants Architects, and users Designers, who passively Engineers experience space

Outside world, Knowledge, Social life, art, Locations, spatial signs, codes, culture, images, sets, routes and images, theory, symbols, systems networks, places ideology, plans, of non-verbal that relate the power, maps, symbols and local and the transportation and signs, images, global, desirable communications memories and undesirable systems, abstract spaces space

Perceiving, daily routines, reproduction of social relations, production

Conceiving, calculation, representation, construction

Living, everyday life and activities

Table 2.1: Lefebvreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three levels of social space, based on information from Production of Space (Fuchs, 2019)

2.5 Subjectivity in the Lived Space As discussed in the previous chapter that experience and behavior in a space is subjective. The subjectivity in the lived space is how the perceptions take shape in the social space, giving result to a doubleness that Charles Rice has quoted in his work on the emergence of interior. Given an interior space, the doubleness, that is, the representational space to the spatial practice is a result of the experiences that occur in everyday life versus the perceptions that are built about by the objects that surround the subjects in a space. This doubleness further explains the reproduction of space, as a result of relationships that occur between the objects and the subject. When a social space is inhabited, it becomes a subjectivity. In the lived space, inhabitants produce design through the arrangement of objects that surround them, to relate to the objects and create an identity. Thus, consumption of objects also plays a major role in defining the lived space. The more the consumption in a culture, the more objective is the social space. However, this does not stand true to the Indian context where traditions, local communities, local consumption patterns vary for each region. Thus, the subjectivity of social space is contested in a diverse environment with varied cultures, class and hence, identities. For the same reason, the reproduction of social space is a result of experience. Associations that the users share with the objects and their productions, that surround them in the lived environment become important to shape their perceptions, and these associations are a result of the subjective behavior that the social space allows.

Lived Space

object

associations

Fig. 2.7 Subjectivity as a Result of Reproduction of Space

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

experience

subjectivity

Perceived Space

EXAMPLE OF SUPERKILEN AS A SUPERIMPOSITION IN THE URBAN SPACE IN COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (BY TOPOTEK 1, SUPERFLEX, BIG - BJARKE INGELS GROUP) Superkilen is a half mile long stretch, that cuts through one of the most diverse neghbourhoods of Copenhagen in Denmark. Superkilen reflects a typical urban space with a park, cyclist paths, seating areas, connections to local transport, trails along with marketplaces and games areas. This modern superimposition has taken place to reflect upon the multi-cultural heritage and intends to unite everybody into the global neighborhood. 1. The need for the space was to create an interaction place for the residents that live around the neighborhood. Thus, the perceived space that led to the urban transformation arose from the need of an interactive space for a diverse neighborhood. 2. The space has been conceptualized into three zones, the red square, the green park and the black market that serve for sports activities, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s park and food market respectively. However, the project is conceived as a giant exhibition of urban best practice - a collection of global objects from the 62 home countries of the local inhabitants. 3. Through the various activities that the space provides for, the space aims to promote integration across ethnicity, religion, cultures and languages. The space is experienced as a meeting point for the diversity to nullify the social friction by common ground of activity. Thus, Superkilen acts as an urban superimposition, where the reproduction of the space has occurred in the mathematical realm. The perception of the space is driven to interaction amongst the various identities that experience the space as conceived. The space has been rationally designed by the consent of the neighbors who participated in conceiving the urban exhibition.

Fig. 2.8 Superkilen Stretch in the primitive space for perceived interactions, communications, routes and networks. The space is divided into red, black and green zones progressively.

Fig. 2.9 (Top to Bottom) (i) The red zone (ii) the black market (iii) the green park being experienced through social relationships.

2.6 Reproduction of the Spatial Triad Analyzing through the aspect of reproduction of the social space, which is based on factors of subjectivity and thus social friction the built environment that create perceptions, the spatial triad that happens through experience must begin in the representational space, which is now, the space that represents thoughts, behaviors and experiences. The spatial triad can be devised as follows in the realm of reproduction: 1. The Lived Space of Perception As discussed earlier, it is in the lived space that all the exchange of thoughts, knowledge and behavior take place and thus, it is the space that gives way to spatial practice (perceived space). 2. Reproduced Perceived Space Here, spatial practice takes place in an already existing social space which gives way for change in representation of spaces. This reproduction is a result of subjectivity, of diverse thoughts and behaviors that are a result of social friction. 3. Re-conceptualized Space The cumulation of perceived space is the one where all thoughts, behaviors and ideas find place. Perception is a reflection of need in the social space. When the needs change, the response must too. Hence, the reproduction of represented space (re-conceptualized space) is where the planners, architects and designers intervene to address the needs of the society and further superimpose upon the given superstructure of the social space in a tangible manner. Some examples of such a reproduction can be seen in the gentrification processes, adaptive reuse projects, restoration projects etc. The processes that involve redesigning of space in one way or the other to respond to the societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing needs, is where the social space is reproduced. This space is then the new superstructure for representational space (lived space).

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

2.7 Social Space of the Interior Design Discipline As discussed, the subjectivity leads to the reproduction of the space. In terms of interior design as a practice, the term interiority was used to define the sense of subjective individuality in the space since the early eighteenth century. However, the definition of interior as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the inside of a room or a buildingâ&#x20AC;?, dissolved the use of terms like interiority.

Fig. 2.10 Mood boards reflect perception of space through aesthetic, color and materiality. Mood Board can be thought of as perceptional instruments to govern conceptualized space in the design process.

Fig. 2.11 Interior Sketching is a tool of translating the perception to conceptualize space in the physical realm. It is an instrument to represent construction of space to be brought about.

Fig. 2.12 Lived Space as the one of occupancy and wellbeing.

In the physical realm, interior implies a division in the urban environment which constitutes of the inside, the outside and the threshold that sets them apart. It defines the architectural shell as a container with the inside and the outside being equally malleable through human relationships. This means, that the interior space must also form a social space where the physical built environment suffices the social fabric of the context. Applying the same concepts of perception, representation and representational spaces to the interior space, the study can be directed to achieve the meaning of social space in terms of interiors. 1. Perceived Space: The concept of Interiority The spatial practice in the practice of interior design would be the one whose qualities are thought, perceived and can be acted upon in the physical realm. The sense of being in the space and immersed, surrounded and enclosed in that space is its perception. However, the right way to define interiority is the way of engaging with the interior space, even with the absence of interior. Thus, interiority is not a guarantee of inside location(McCarthy, 2005). For a social space to be defined through the lens of interiority, it must suffice to the relationships that take place in the built environment. The perceived space is a result of sociological relationships that require interior spaces to acknowledge interiority as understood by the society. 2. Conceptualized Space: Communication of Interior Translating the sense of interiority in the physical realm leads to representing the space through providing enclosure

in the built environment. The space of representation remains of the architects, designers and engineers. The conceptualized space possesses the same qualities as defined by Lefebvre, however, it is based upon the perceptions of interiority with the aim to provide for a sense of being immersed into a volume. The conceptualization process in the interior spaces must suffice to the given culture, to avoid social friction. The conceived space is thus, the one which is based on this conceptualization. 3. Lived Space: Representational Space of Occupation and Well-Being In the practice of interior design, Lefebvreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of the terms users and inhabitants finds less relevance. This is because, the relationships that the users and inhabitants share in an interior environment are very different from the ones that happen in an urban environment. Here, the role of culture and behavior is more evident and thus, the social space is built upon the same. For the same reason, proxemics and sensory engagement must be conceptualized well before the inhabitation or use of the space. This means, that the conceived space and the lived space of the social function must overlap. Although, culture may be a sociological concept, its tensions are observed more in the enclosed interior of a social space than the open public space. In the lived space, experiences of wellbeing lead to the formation of perceptions that further lead to reproduction of interior space. The experiences of well being are subjective and thus, the social interior must suffice to the various subjectivities. Also, acknowledging the fact that well being is not based on the immediate occupancy of the physical space but also the future effects of the space on users, the conceptualization plays a major role in defining the experience of the space, however, ultimately the meaning of the conceptualized experience changes as the social relationships and thus, the lived space being space of subjects, leading to perceptive behaviors and reproduction.

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

2.8 Superimpositions in the Social Interior The role of interiority through sociological mechanisms like technology, that generates the translational code from one mode of production to the other in a social interior can be elaborated through the following example. A telephone is an example of technological design directly involved in interiority, as it connects an individual to memory, making one place feel like another in a powerful way. An example of this is an individual discussing work over the phone, while situated in a hotel; at that moment, her mind is carried away to the interior space of the office and her inner self connects with the interiority of the office (Perolini, 2017). Now, this kind of perception may not always be translated in a physical space, but however, it means that the sense of interiority is superimposed, through functions, through instances and through time. The superimposition of the lived space in the interior environment is however, culturally obtained, but the generation of code for a fresh space to come into existence is a translational process(Lefebvre, 1974/1991). The interior space is a social superstructure that has been formed due to the relationships that are shared between the society and interior environment. Thus, it means that the social space as a superstructure is the result of sociological relationships, which are dynamic in nature, whether in the built environment or specifically in the interior environment. The need for the space versus the use of the space can be contested through time. This implies that the need of space is constant, however the function may vary through time. The representation of the society changes through the changes in sociology and thus the need for a representational space. The function of an interior is a temporary need, that suffices the constant need to identify with the space. These temporary needs build upon each other in the reproduction process and thus, the social interior is a superstructure of identity that socially and culturally represents the users.

In the interior design discipline, these superimpositions can be physically seen more often than any other space design discipline. The context of renovation, adaptive reuse, restoration, as a response to a sociological order in a space, which stands meaningless over time can be considered a reproduction of social space. Superimpositions as a Subjectivity In interior spaces, subjectivities are more evident, unlike the urban realms. It is in the interior spaces that the meaning of wellbeing differs from one person to the other and so does the organizational behavior that is inferred through the space. Also, in spaces of fixed organizations, the spatial perception would differ for different users. For example, navigating a retail environment is different for different people depending upon subjectivities of behavior and experiences. However, even through subjectivities, something that remains constant is the need for space. The program of this space further defines the meaningful interpretation for the sociocultural behavior that it is surrounded by. Superimpositions that take place in an interior environment also define the space as an occupancy and for wellbeing, to deliver an identity. Organization of the objects in a space define the lived experience of the users. To define social space in an interior environment by a typology would be to define a space where social interactions take place. Now, these interactions can take place at the threshold of a residence or in a shopping mall or a temple. Thus, a social interior is undefined in terms of a single typology. For typologies where the society is the primary subject, subjectivities are defined by the behavioral pattern in a communicated space and its objects. Through a tangible outlook, the superimpositions are a derivation from the past of the social space produced, as the generative process of a social space. Thus, in a social interior, the space-space relationships and the human-space relationship can be thought to be revised over and over as an

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

Fig. 2.13 Organization of objects reflect personal adaptation and subjective behaviors in the space. The objects themselves create an identity that help to understand the behavior and cultural perception of the user, thus, shaping the experience of the users. Over time, these organizational patterns overlap and give way to new spaces.

impact of change in human-human relationship.

2.9 Impact of Superimposed Interior Spaces: The Reproduced Social Interior The social interior cannot exist without a past, that is how it is reproduced. Through memory, time and an evolved meaning of belonging to a space, the superimposed space defines associations that have once existed in the interior spaces. These associations define the sociological behavior in the built environment, which rooted the cultural implications. The translations of this primitive culture in the physical space is of utmost importance, to govern the code for a fresh social space that can be generated through and through. Spatial practice in interior environments is a result of the relationships that are perceived with the space and its objects. This tangibility becomes of utmost importance to the future of the space, since it is where humans build relationships with the interior space. Thus, constancy is the only way to change in a social space, imbibing the sense of belongingness and of experiences that once brought sensible meaning to relationships in the built environment. Through a superimposed social space in an interior environment, a sociology can be affected or affect the built environment. It is in the smallest of spaces that social behavior and social friction are more evident, when people optimize a fixed amount of space. Thus, through an existing experience, a social interior generates the sense of interiority, a consistent perception. As in the Lefebvreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theory of Production of Space, the representational space, that is the occupied space is always under constant perception, a perception of better wellbeing. Thus, interior environments are more exposed to being reproduced. Briefly establishing the reproduction of social interior, the social product here is through the society and the interior environment, where social relationships are illusions of transparency, and interior environments are illusions of

EXAMPLE OF SALA BECKETT: A CASE OF SUPERIMPOSITION OF SOCIAL SPACE IN AN INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT IN BARCELONA, SPAIN Sala Beckett is performance arts center designed by Flores and Prats in the neighborhood of Poblenou neighborhood of Barcelona, Spain. The space is communicated in an old building which was previously a social club for the people of the neighborhood, who celebrated marriage ceremonies, social gatherings, communions, parties etc in the former community space. The space of the theatre allows the community to experience a future through a sense of nostalgia, that has been retained through the memory of the club that once existed. Through the design process, the past of the space was treated with utmost respect for its history and the culture that it had witnessed. A tangible relay of the same has been attempted in the drama center through an existing palette of the social club. A large foyer connects all the levels through a series of successive openings, exposing completely the building to a promenade of interior sights, in a way that everyone entering is attracted to look up or around, see people and say hello. Therefore, the foyer plays the role of domestic environment where relationships are exchanged and built upon unexpectedly. The entire built form is treated through a dramatic activity, interpreting human relationships through the reinterpretation of space. Sale Beckett is an example of understanding the needs of the society for social activities through different eras of time. It considers the cumulative transformation of notion of social space, that can be adapted, revived or newly built.

Fig. 2.14 Retaining Memory of the Space through Elements like Flooring, Windows, Recreated Backdrops

Fig. 2.15 Visual and Physical Connections in the Foyer Space

Fig. 2.16 Foyer Space in the Theatre Serving as a Gathering Space for the Community

Fig.2.17 Superimpositions by Color, Material and Memory

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

reality and each one of them are under constant reproduction by one another. 1. Sense of Interiority in Space of Wellbeing The exchange of thoughts, behaviors, experiences takes place in an interior environment to redefine a sociology over time. 2. Redefining Interiority Here, the subjective behavior takes place, and an existing space is lived through changes in the organization of objects, ike in everyday life, people witness rearranging their workspaces, living rooms, bedrooms by changing orientation of the space. The sense of interiority is changed over and over through consumption of objects, knowledge and technology, and thus, human beings tend to respond to their subjective way of perceiving their spaces. This behavior however, is personalized at home, however generalized through a common sociology. That is when, social interiors come into play. 3. Re-communicated Space The social space in interior environments is a result of the generic sociology that aligns the perceptions of the population and their relationships enforcing a new space to be generated to suffice to the new meanings of wellbeing. Hence, in interior spaces, social space is always restored, adapted or revived through the availability of an existing space. The typology is a result of the sociological needs, that have been reformed in the urban environment.

Fig. 2.18 The occupied space (lived space) of Sala Beckett theatre that generates social relationships through new activities.

2.10 Inferring Relationships from the Reproduction of Social Space Across all Disciplines

Perceived Space

subject

of societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities

Production of Social Space

thoughts and imagination for the production of relationships, through an aspired space of Conceptualized Space

Experienced/Lived Space

objects

navigation, connections and proximities. subject

of designers, architects, planners activities

to conceptualize, conceive, represent and construct mathematical space objects

through knowledge, codes, imagery, drawings, signs and ideology

of inhabitants and users activities

to experience, perform rituals and activities objects

through social life, art, culture, and memories

Constituents Relationships

Production and Reproduction of Social Space

(technology, knowledge, migration)

subject

1. A social space can never exist without its past superimpositions. It is always a translation of experience in the lived moments which keep on leading to new superstructures, firstly in the lived moments, then the perception and then in their physical conceptualization. Thus, the social space is reproduced, which is why the social space is a social product. This leads the study to imply the concept of reinterpretation as the one where a lived space is superimposed in a house to obtain a public function. 2.The Reproduction of the Spatial Triad leads to the realization that the conceptualization of space is crucial to the lived moments and the space is a result of experiences that have occurred and will occur. These experiences are

constants in the reproduction of social space

always overlapped in the sociological context of the built environment and are seamless through boundaries, that is, they are holistic in their context. 3.The most evident sociological changes in the built environment occur in the lived space, the one of wellbeing. Its dynamic character is what drives the field of planning, architecture and design. Without the people experiencing anticipating the space in their own way, it is not possible to build perception and respond to that perception. Thus, the society does play a direct or an indirect role in conceptualizing the spaces, through knowledge and experience of their needs.

Reproduced Social Space (space for social relationships, experiences and behaviors)

Superstructure

Reproduction of Social Space

Re-conceptualized space

Superimposition: the overlap of a space that has been derived to respond to the socio-cultural change

The two cases in this chapter interrogate the social space in the interiors of public buildings of India by inquiring into the relationships between the space and the people using the space. The case studies are set in the context of Ahmedabad old city and are adapted in the primarily private spaces.

Case Studies

Case Studies i) Framework for Case Studies ii) The Context of Ahmedabad 3.1 Conflictorium: Museum of Conflict 3.2 LsX Open House: Dhal ni Pol 3.3 Discourse

i) Framework of Study The purpose of the study is to understand the response of sociological change through the reproduction of a social space. Since, here the space is reproduced, the study considers adaptive reuse of a house to a house museum in Ahmedabad, as a response to the social context. These case studies are looked at as an attempt to superimpose an interior social space in the reproduced sociological context.

Sen Inte

Context: Ahmedabad

The Lived Space of Perceptions

Sociological factors: 1. Religion 2. Demographics 3. Placement in the city Physical factors: 1. Type of Development 2. Physical Surroundings 3. Types of Streets/Roads

(Space of Occupancy and Wellbeing)

Significance Identifying the space through its elements, adaptations, constants and changes, and relevance to the past of the house.

Tangible Sp

sociological change

Private Space: House

Intangible S

Social Spa

Re-concept Space Constancy

Reproduced Perceived Space

The need for a space for the society is constant. Here, the built form is the space that is constant.

(Communicated

(Space of Interiority)

Change

Constituents Relationships

Case Studies

adaptations to the space Perception of the Interior Space that has been a result of its sociological surroundings governing a changing set of needs to be fulfilled.

Human-Human Relationships (perceived)

future space of perceptions

Human-Space Relationships (lived)

nse of eriority

Sense of Wellbeing

Culture

Associations

Space-Space Relationships (conceptualized/conceived)

pace

Identifying the sociological superimpositions through concept, culture and use of space by the people.

Identifying the superimposed space through a combination of constants and adaptations done to the space in order to respond to the publicness that is being communicated.

conceived space

Space

Representational Space

(Space of Occupancy and Wellbeing)

ace: Museum/Gallery

tualized Space)

Through the narrative of the space as transformed, the case studies aim to establish the reproduction cycle. Through the associations and cultural implications of the reproduced, here, adapted space of the house, is studied as a situation of larger reproduction of space in the built environment. The aim is to observe how the interior space fits into this holistic reproduction cycle through an attempt to create and recreate social spaces for the community. The idea of museums and galleries has been an exemplar situation for the city of Ahmedabad that has been a result of history, art and culture. The study can be implied in various other typologies, however, that is not under the scope of this thesis.

ii) The context of Ahmedabad In this thesis, the two case studies that have been discussed are situated in the Old city of Ahmedabad. The two specific areas are Mirzapur and Dhal ni Pol1. The context is studied in its sociological and physical setting, whose gradual transformation due to sociological change has resulted in the social interior that takes place. The form of any city in its present state is a result of many forces and factors. The changing factors also express the changing response of the city form. In case of the city form, the present is never fixed and always a dynamic. The pattern of development is something that has developed over the years and be take into consideration while studying the form of the city: sociologically and physically. In case of Ahmedabad, the city can be studied in two levels: a) at macro level b) at neighborhood level. a) Macro Level The city of Ahmedabad has evolved through the history of various rulers. From the Mughal rule to Marathas and the British rule, the city has gotten the character of each era that it retains. The city has remained commerce oriented due to the Mughal period that brought in the trade in the community and thus provided for a physical form through trade routes, a citadel (Bhadra), the three gates, a mosque (Jumma Mosque and Rani no Hajiro2) and ceremonial avenue. While the citadel made the Muslim community to settle and govern, the Hindus resided in the eastern part of the city. The city has gotten its organic form due to the flourishing of settlements in every part in 15th century under the Muslim rule and in 1457, the city became a walled one for security purposes. The city was run by Muslims with representatives from other religions and castes to bridge the gap between the administration and the people. The social divisions were evident since the 15th century itself in the layout of the city.

Case Studies

Since people lived and worked at the pols (traditional residential complexes), there were not many commercial areas. However, the pols were inorganic in nature. To bind to a sense of belongingness, the administration allowed the expansion of the houses with the expansion of families. The configuration of the pols provides for the privacy despite of the publicness that it has. There was no division on basis of wealth within the pol, however, the settlements defined the formation of the guilds. The grouping defined the same guild or the same caste. This city planning of the Mughals was disrupted when the Marathas came into power, but was further restored by the British annexation in 1818. The British introduced the system of municipality, railways, mills etc. There was an influx of migrants from neighboring villages with demand for housing. There was rising congestion with poor lifestyle through the next 100 years. This led to the elites moving to the then suburbs, across the Ellisbridge or to Shahibaug. To resolve the problem of congestion, connectivity and roads were improved, and pols were opened up to connect the center to the Railway station. This became the cause of resentment for the inhabitants for whom, the community had been shaken.

Citadel/ Bhadra

Three Gates

Jumma Mosque/ Rani no Hajiro

Fig. 3.1 Map of the City centre as planned by the Mughals

The failure of the British government to understand the customs, traditions, culture and values of the society, made the city unresponsive to people’s needs. However, when the British left, their legacy was adopted in the functioning of the city. Many government institutions like the Municipal Corporation, have not moved out of the walled city, although the demographics of the walled city have been shuffled. The old city of Ahmedabad does not remain a home to the elites anymore, but the middle income and the incoming migrants occupy the larger area of the walled city. This also shows why the development of the city has been uneven across the various sociological factors, and there is a discontinuity in the social fabric at the macro level.

City’s Nucleus (Muslims’ Citadel, 15th century), known as Bhadra, was primitively occupied by the Muslims. The Bhadra till date acts as the center of the city, but the demographics and functions have changed. It is now the main marketplace for the neighborhood.

Original Map

Case Studies

Fig. 3.3 Bhadra Citadel (21st century)

Growth and expansion of the city under the Muslim rule, with the Muslims concentrating the spaces around the citadel while the Hindus moved further east. These were the first pols of Ahmedabad.

Final stage of expansion under the Muslim rule by Mahmud Begada, confined in the fort wall built between 1580-1800, before the Marathas started ruling the city of Ahmedabad.

Fig. 3.4 A street in Mirzapur

Fig. 3.5 A Pol in Khadiya

Railway

Expansion under British Rule Fig. 3.2 Growth Map of Ahmedabad

b) Neighborhood level The old city of Ahmedabad comprises of about 360 pols in the walled city to east of the river. Each pol possesses a sense of identity that relates to its ethnicity because of its historic settlements that had been a result of guilds. Each pol is identified by a name and has a character that relates it to its surrounding, for example, religious institutions. At the macro level, this identification is not specific. However, in that case, occasions and rituals define the macro level of identity. Each pol is recognized by a gateway, a quadrangle where the religious institutions are situated. This forms the primary street. The secondary street is of the houses. These gateways with the identities create landmarks, that at macro level, define the structure of the city. The pols are dense and congested. With increasing traffic and modes of travel, there is a high friction in the day time, with the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customs and cultural practices coming together with the daily lifestyle of the people. The pols differ in the public spaces that they provide. Each pol has a different social structure to respond to and so do the spaces. Some spaces are public and may intersect with the macro level of city, while the others are community based. This sense of privacy is an out to in relationship, the inner parts being more private. Secondary Street

Primary Street

Main Road

Fig. 3.6 Main streets of the city connecting to the primary street of the pol

Case Studies

3.7 (i) Pol Gateways

3.7 (ii) Ornamentation of Chhabutra3

The pols in the earlier times had strictly remained of the guilds, but the sociological changes that were caused by migration, education and technology had introduced a mixed culture and lifestyle in the pol. This change was brought in by the modern and post-modern eras, where the society was driven by the need for a better lifestyle. Thus, the city where each pol represented its own character, was now seen as a melt. However, Ahmedabadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s socio-cultural fabric has a great level of diversity and differences. The access to commodities can also be contested, since the access has not been upgraded with the change in numbers of the population and their needs at macro level. The identities have changed. Superimpositions of cultures have been acted upon in the walled city, where there is high social friction. The relevance of this study is in the fact that there is social friction which is catered to by providing social spaces that acknowledge the aspects of education, technology and migration, along with the existing social fabric of Ahmedabad. These social spaces address the changing demographics, which might differ from location to location. The social spaces are also a superimposition on the past of the walled city, the site, and the built form (house), which will be studied further.

3.7 (iii) Religious Institutions

Fig. 3.7 Some Elements of Identity in Pols

3.1

Case Studies

Fig.3.1.1 Entering the Conflictorium

3.1.1 About the Conflictorium Conflictorium is a participatory museum in the communally sensitive context of Mirzapur. The context traces its history in the 2002 riots that took place in India and divided the Hindu-Muslim communities. One such community exists in Mirzapur. In the present scenario, the context of Mirzapur and around has formed a contested position between the Hindu and the Muslim community, the class and the identity and many other socio-cultural divisions. Situated in an old lodge with a prominent back-story, the Conflictorium approaches to intersect these divisions and acknowledge the state of plurality over polarity in the society, one of the major reasons that Conflictorium finds home in the sensitive community of Mirzapur. As suggested by its name, the Conflictorium approaches conflict to not resolve it, but to adapt to it, as a community. The history of the Gool Lodge where the Conflictorium is situated itself has the story of a single Parsi woman who was known to Ahmedabadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first hairstylist. Her name was Bachuben Nagarwala. She occupied the Gool Lodge and later donated it to Centre for Social Justice, where the now Conflictorium was designed by the designer Avni Sethi in 2013. Out of the many reasons of having this participatory museum, which is a practical guide to working with community members and visitors, is to connect the many differences to be addressed as diversity in the community. The Conflictorium works together with the help of community to bring out a dynamic change in the sociology of the divided Ahmedabad. Its relevance of being in the middle of the old and the new, the Hindu and the Muslim, the rich and the poor is connected to its approach in bringing conflict to plurality in the diverse society. It addresses social friction with the help of devices of museology, acknowledging the change in socio-cultural systems.

Case Studies

Fig.3.1.2 Bachuben Nagarwala

BEFORE

AFTER

Fig. 3.1.3.The Gool Lodge restored in 2012-13 under Avni Sethiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supervision to house Conflictorium.

Conflictorium is committed to its local context and issues and thus proposes to be an alternate for social engagement amidst communities that find it hard to co-exist. By forming a public space, the Conflictorium becomes the meeting point for polarity in the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s socio-political realm and aiming to develop a social space of plural behaviors, cultures and turn differences into diversity.

Physical Precinct of Conflictorium The Conflictorium lies in the walled city of Ahmedabad and is situated to the east of the Sabarmati River. Its location justifies exactly to its vision which states the centerperiphery as a starting point of resolution of all conflict. It nears two main gates of the historically fortified city. These are the Delhi Darwaja4 and the Dariyapur Gate. Surrounded by the neighborhood, the school, the main road, the worship places, the old and the new city, the Conflictorium possesses a diverse context sociologically, which again justifies its programmatic meaning. Since, the walled city is an organic development, the physical characteristics of the built form are dense. The growth of major textile industries in the past integrated dense neighborhoods around them that still exist, like Mirzapur. The fortified city is of the concentric form as a result of its historic evolution where the central areas radiating from the center to the edge along with the dead end streets in the residential areas. The residential streets become private spaces for closed communities while the center remains more public. This pattern of personal spaces and the public ones, allows a sense of security, by restricting visibility and access. The Conflictorium, lies on the intersection of these two, which gives rise to the nature of â&#x20AC;&#x153;conflictâ&#x20AC;?. The overall placement of the Mirzapur Road is however arguably in the center, of the old and the new city, of developed and the developing.

Case Studies

The Sabarmati River lies to the west of the Conflictorium, which means that the neighborhoods developed around the water body, to satisfy needs and rituals of the context it is situated in.

The Conflictorium is situated on the edge of Mirzapur Road and lies near the Delhi Chakla5, which consists of the two important gates of the historically gated city; the Delhi Darwaja and the Dariyapur Gate

The Conflictorium is situated in a dense neighborhood inside the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gool Lodgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; . The Conflictorium becomes the central point for the city and being located in an old dense neighborhood, it brings the new and the old to a meeting point.

The old city of Ahmedabad forms the eastern part of the walled city which was founded by Ahmad Shah in 15th century. The old city consists of the fort, the traditional timber and lime constructed pol houses, historical monuments. The roads and streets are narrow, densely packed with habitation and marketplaces. Conflictorium lies in the context of some major heritage attractions like the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque. Also, the Conflictorium connects the new and the old city through its physical location, by lying in between, as its vision.

Fig. 3.1.4 The Tangible Dimensions of Sociological Relationships in Context of the Conflictorium

Social Precinct of Conflictorium The most evident in the area are the various worship places of the Hindus, the Muslims, the Christians, the Jains etc. It is in a contrast to what existed in the former Muslim community when the area started to develop. This separation also remained much after the British Rule, voluntarily with respect to the Hindu-Muslim relationship that the city shared in its past. However, the context around the Conflictorium in present day shows a high contrast of demographics which invites all the religions equally, but with all the social tension. On the other hand, there are schools and colleges in the neighborhood, which means that the area has a lot of young population along with the old that inhabit the surrounding pols. The area is well connected with public transport lying at the intersection of the new and the old city. There are small businesses, shops and vendors around the neighborhood, defining the livelihood of the people living around. A slum can also be found in the area. The families living in the area have an ancestry and have not moved out of their primitive homes, or have migrated to the city in search of work and better lifestyle. By interacting with them, it was very evident that they have a sense of belonging to the place. Now, that the city is declared as heritage, it gives them pride to belong to it. Conflictorium finds home in the Gool Lodge amidst all the conflicting factors of the neighborhood, lying at the intersection of these conflicts, of religion, age, wealth, livelihood that ranges from shopkeeping to manual scavenging, etc. The vibrant Mirzapur Road accessed from the Delhi Chakla or the Lal Darwaja is a home to Hindu worshipers at Jiya Mata ki Dargah, the slum with the history of manual scavenging and illicit alcohol brewing, the District Court of Gujarat, a domed church, a Nehruvian technical college, prayers at the Shaikh Zahid Masjid and much more. Mirzapur is indeed a communally sensitive area where this interactive museum finds its place, with a sensitive programmatic approach.

Case Studies

The context also represents the conflict of religion by being overlapped by the Hindu and Muslim worship places at large. It also shows the dissolution of separation that existed in the city in the past.

The two main roads are: the Kasturba Gandhi Road and the Mirzapur Road serve two diverse functions. The former is more commercial and the latter provides for more social engagements like worship, education etc.

The Conflictoriumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sociological context consists of schools, bus stops, worship places and neighborhood, which mens that the space represents demographics of the old, the young, the working class and the students.

Hindu/Jain Worship Places Muslim Worship Places

The arterial roads serve as connections between neighborhoods, where the social interactions take place. The arterial roads (pol) turn into dead ends (sheri) where neighborhoods are composed. This shows the degree of privacy which decreases as we go towards to outside.

Fig. 3.1.5 The Intangible Dimensions of Sociological Relationships in Context of the Conflictorium

Vision of the Museum: The museum addresses the social division based on identity, by being the shades of grey where identity is believed to be black or white. The museum reflects the position of inbetween for all such conflicts to celebrate the differences which are layered in the name of diversity and bring about friction in the society. The Conflictorium works for the cause of peace by introducing the society to their inner conflicts and bridging their gaps. The museum responds to the social friction by the act of change through innovative approaches of art, culture, history and social interaction combined. Spatial Programming The Conflictorium is divided into several small rooms that address various conflicts, the ones that belong to the house, to the society and to the past. The whole purpose of the space is to nurture plurality. These innate feelings are housed in each space through the integration of contemporary present and the nostalgic past. The spaces in the conflictorium are exhibited to depict and realize various conflicts. They introduce the audience to the history of the space, the history of Gujarat, the conflict in the social fabric, the realization of self, etc. The ground floor has a permanent exhibition space while the upper floor has rental space for exhibition, the interactive areas like a small cafe, the meeting rooms form seminars, workshops etc. The Conflictorium also has a residency.

Case Studies

Fig.3.1.6 Spatial Programming

Adaptation of Space 1. Spatial Organization The space has been articulated in the same layout as of the house. The ground floor of the space is permanent gallery space and the upper floor has more flexible spaces. The doorways have been retained in the space and cause a cyclic movement pattern. 2. Sense of Orientation and Direction The passageway at the entrance connects the indoor and the outdoor setting up a linear orientation in the space. The space has been articulated into linearity through visual connections that pertain. The passage has breaking points through the exhibition spaces connecting to the it, which again orient the user to the space in a cyclic movement pattern. The space does not have well defined way finding elements and thus, sometimes the users deviate from the curated movement pattern. 3. Curated Objects Some peculiar objects in the space that become a form of communication in the participatory approach of the museology were observed for their role in the space. These objects form are important to analyze the interactive behavior that the users share with the space. They are listed as follows:

Object

Gallery Space

Mirror Constitution Glass Jars Sorry Tree Exhibits Feelings Map

Power of the New Moral Compass Memory Lab Balcony All Galleries Entrance Passage

Case Studies

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Office Space

(i)

5.Empathy Alley

4.Gallery of Disputes

6.Moral Compass

(ii) axis of orientation

2.Power of the New

PRODUCED PRODUCED BYBY ANAN AUTODESK AUTODESK STUDENT STUDENT VERSION VERSION

Fig. 3.1.7(i) Mirror

3.Conflict Timeline

7.Memory Lab

enter Ground Floor

Fig. 3.1.7(ii) Constitution

Residency

Conversation Quadrangle

(iii)

Blue Corridor

10. Sorry Tree

Theatre of Conscience

Fig. 3.1.7(iii) Glass Jars

Temporary Installation Space

Reconciliation Workshop

8.Perspectives

9.Cafe

First Floor Exhibition (Social) Interpersonal

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Fig. 3.1.7(iv) Feelings Map

Personal

Office Use/Inaccessed Breakaway Point

Fig.3.1.8 Diagrammatic Layout of Conflictorium

Fig. 3.1.7(v) Sorry Tree Fig.3.1.7 Curated Objects

4. Space Making Elements (Doors, windows, walls, partitions, floor, ceiling etc.) The space making elements have been retained in the space with minimum modifications. Some doors have been removed to provide a seamless movement between the gallery spaces. The upper floor doors have been retained to suffice to the flexible needs of the space.

Fig. 3.1.9 (i) Staircase

Fig. 3.1.9 (ii) Entrance Passageway

Fig. 3.1.9 (iii) Memory Lab

Fig. 3.1.9 (iv) Temporary Gallery Space

Fig. 3.1.9 Spaces implied in the Gool Lodgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spatial Configuration. The spaces seem to have adapted an available space to suffice to the function. There is a minimum modification of the spaces

The kota stone flooring has been retained in the space. This connects the spaces together that are broken by the openings. The ceiling has also been retained in its original state except for providing as a surface for track lighting in the exhibition spaces. In the entrance passageway, the ceiling becomes a display element, altering the volume of the space.

Case Studies

5. Material and Finishes The house has been restored its original form, however, there is an intersection in the aesthetics and the materials. The space has been treated with different finishes in the vertical surfaces. The upper floor has more neutral finishes in form of greys, browns and whites. Some gallery spaces have a chipped wall finish that communicates the characteristics of the society.

6. Ambiance The space has responded to the conflicted emotions through an intersection of the finishes, retained and new elements, and lighting. The galleries do not receive much natural light in the space. Warmly lit dark gallery spaces sensitize the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conflicting emotions in the space. The designer has responded to the space by retaining a past ambiance and overlapping the concept of a participatory museology.

Fig. 3.1.10(i) Power of the New

Fig. 3.1.10(ii) Temporary Gallery Spaces on First Floor

Fig. 3.1.10(iii) Theatre of Conciliation on First Floor

Fig. 3.1.10 Creating an Ambiance through the Lighting of the Space. The Artificial Lighting in Dark Spaces is Mainly Focused on the Exhibits

Observing the Space as a Narrative The space was also observed as a narrative of exhibits in the permanent gallery spaces that addressed conflicts through different mediums. These objects are necessary to generate a discourse on meaningful conflict, align the user to the spiritual dimensions of space through, pause points, connections, context of the space etc.

Fig. 3.1.11(i) Conflict Timeline: Some old objects in the space, like boxes, cabinets, drawers etc have been used as elements for display, storage of exhibits, retaining the past of the space through objects that were found in the house of Bachuben.

Fig. 3.1.11(ii) Gallery of Disputes: The exhibits are clustered through narrow passages in the space, serving a single person experience at a time. The exhibits are in mixed media, through horse heads, clippings of articles etc.

Fig. 3.1.11 Narrative Inquiry in Permanent Gallery Spaces through Objects and Exhibits

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Fig. 3.1.11(iii) Moral Compass: The space allows the user to interact with the pre-1973 Indian Constitution allowing the users to touch, feel and read about their rights.

Fig. 3.1.11(iv) Memory Lab: The Space allows the user to address inner conflict by archiving it in the glass jars in the memory lab.

3.1.2 Analysis of the Space In this part of the study, the programmatic approach has been studied through the articulated space. The analysis aims to derive the tangible and intangible spatial superimpositions of the re-conceptualized space in the Gool Lodge and further analyze the human- space relationships. Orientations in the space The spatial organization the space might have remained the same as its past use, however, the reinterpreted space has responded to the following factors of orientation in the space: 1.Sense of Entry The entrance is hidden in the physical context outside, however, there is a sudden contrast as soon as one enters the space. The entrance orients the user linearly in the space, through a long open passageway which connects to various gallery spaces. This passage is itself an interactive space, through the flexible activities that it offers. There is a sense of home to the space through its narrow dimensions, outsideinside connections, space making elements, etc. The ceiling has been obstructed with a fabric installation, modulating the volumetric expression of the space. 2. Visual and Physical Connections The available space of the Gool Lodge, is modified by subtraction of elements in the space. This allows the space to be tied across by visual and physical connections. The spaces are physically connected to each other and allow cyclic movement. However, the retained doors and windows, also allow the space to transform into smaller spaces. This allows the space to be adapted as a flexible space. Therefore, the space responds to the publicness that it aims to create.

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3. Sense of Threshold The thresholds in the space are however retained as a past evidence of the space. Even though some doors may have been removed, the openings have not been modified. These thresholds divide the different galleries but the overall impact of the modification of the threshold weaves the space together under the same function. Thresholds are necessary to segregate the differently themed gallery spaces while also incorporating seamless connections. The flooring across the space is kota stone, which again nullifies the powerful impact of the thresholds.

Fig. 3.1.12(i) Sense of Entry

Fig 3.1.12 Orientations

Fig. 3.1.12(ii) Linearity in the Passage

Fig. 3.1.12(iii) Thresholds

4. Sense of Light It is only through the entrance there is sufficient natural light that is flooded in the passage on the ground floor. On the upper floor natural light can be brought in all the spaces through the various openings. The ground floor gallery spaces are dark and are artificially lit. This reflects upon the quality of a residential space that reflects upon the privacy by allowing light in a linear fashion. The more public the space (of a residence), the more the daylight. The Conflictorium has adapted to the dark spaces of the Conflictorium, by the use of artificial ambient and focus lighting.

Tangible Space The space has been adapted to a new function. The private space that existed in Gool Lodge has not been physically modified much, rather, it can said to be restored in its original form to serve as a space that can serve to the “need” for a space. However, tangibilities still take place in the organizations in the space, orientations that were studied previously, materiality, finishes, aesthetics etc. Here the space is studied through a programmatic superimposition that is, of the museology. 1. Superimposed Material and Finishes The space has superimpositions which are reflected mainly in the color and the finishes of the space. The materiality of the space has been retained, however, the space has adapted to a fresh color palette that has been a deliberate attempt to address conflict. The spaces reflect upon the broken continuity of different spaces through a shift in the finishes in each space. These finishes compose of an aesthetic of a third space of plurality through an in-between approach to aesthetics.

3.1.13(i) Perspectives Space on the First Floor

3.1.13(ii) The Old Materiality renewed with New Finishes

3.1.13(iii) Spaces with a Difference: The Blue Corridor acting as a Fresh Superimposition in a Connecting Space

Fig. 3.1.13 The Spaces on the First Floor reflecting a “Third Space” as an Aesthetic

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The idea of deviating from using a single finish helps to separate the spaces from each other, disconnecting one conflict from another. What keeps these spaces together is the tangibility of retained elements of the Gool Lodge. Flooring, openings, structure, everything that has been retained, ties the separated galleries together. “If two entities have to occupy the same space, must one of them blend into or become subservient to the other? Is there a ‘third space’ which is beyond polarity, but opens up the possibility of something entirely new? Can aesthetics be such a space?” (Avni Sethi, Conflictorium) Through her attempt of creating a third space, each of the spaces are treated as separate entities, where each following space is a contrast of a previous one. These overlapping entities are provided by the decisions of finishes.

3.1.13(iv) Third Side Cafe on the First Floor which is programmed to serve Conflicted Food

3.1.13(v) Conversation Quadrangle on First Floor separated from the galleries through the Blue Corridor, serves as Gathering Space

Fig. 3.1.14 Old objects from being organized as display elements in the Conflict Timeline Space. Objects from the Past create a Sense of Association to the Contextâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s History.

2. Organizations in the Space The lived space or the space of wellbeing and occupancy is based upon the tangible organizations of the objects as discussed in Fig 3.1that the users of the space associate with. Through the lens of the organization that takes place in the space, the space has been superimposed with the elements of exhibition that take place in the space. These occur in the form of display elements and objects that occur as interactive elements in the space. These organizations lead to another superimposition of curated transition in the space which challenges the primitive proxemics of the and superimposes new spatial configurations in the space, implying the changed behavioral patterns between the spaces and the humans.

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3. Navigation

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Ground Floor

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION start point

3.1.15 (i) Observed navigation pattern for acquainted visitors

start point

3.1.15 (ii) Observed navigation pattern newcomers

start point

3.1.15 (i) Observed navigation pattern for newcomers

The acquainted visitors tend to follow the curated path, however for new comers the entry points are either through the conflict time-line or the memory jars. It is due to the perception of space as a linear one, or the first opening across the passage.

First Floor

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION 3.1.15 (iv) Observed navigation pattern to Sorry Tree

On the upper floor there is only one permanent function, which is the sorry tree and it is the third side cafe which governs this movement. Although the cafe is non- functional, the space however, gives a sense of life through furniture elements and light, governing the movement pattern.

Fig.3.1.15 Observed Navigation through the Permanent Spaces PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Intangible Space Through its peculiar theme of addressing conflict, the intangible superimposition of the space is analyzed through its identity as a space. In the field of interior deign, the identity of the space is communicated through its occupancy and the quality of wellbeing, that is in the representational space. How space serves the people who occupy it, makes the space come through the life and the experiences that it carries. The Conflictorium as a space has been attempted to attain a third space characteristics. These aesthetics are a result of tangible superimpositions in the space that definite the indefinite experience of the museum. Conflictorium as an identity, can be studied through the following superimpositions: 1. Concept of the Conflictorium Through its concept of a third space that is in between the past and the present, the rich and the poor, the private and the public, the concept of the space is to intersect personal and social conflicts and make space for plurality. 2. Cultural Superimpositions The context of the Conflictorium is assessed to be resistant of diversity. People on either side of the building would not interact with the people on the other side. There is a pertaining social tension in the space. Conflictorium proposes to intersect this cultural conflict by proposing diversity in a space of differences through the mediums of art and history. 3. Museology in the Private Space The devices of knowledge in the Conflictorium are based upon various cultures, art forms, histories, all coming together to address conflict. However, the interiority of a home, as a private space, and space of personal association and belonging is superimposed with a sense of publicness and its differences, changing its identity.

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Engagement of the People Through the various material and immaterial qualities of the space, it can be analyzed that the through its programmatic approach, Conflictorium aims to impact the surrounding social space, the one of Mirzapur and Ahmedabad. The space reveals itself in layers of time by intersecting Bachubenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house with a museum. The museum proposes the following activities for the users: 1. Activities Around the Objects The objects in the gallery spaces of the Conflictorium, happen to be interactive for the users. They narrate experiences in the space for the users, and reflect upon conflict. For example, the sorry tree and the glass jars in memory lab allow the users to address their inner conflicts and guilty, acting as pause points in the space. 2. Activities Around Human Interaction Most often, the spaces on the upper floor are used for informal and formal interactions in form of cultural performances, debates, seminars, conversations, where people can participate. The conversation quadrangle is popularly occupied on most evenings to bring people together in the name of plurality.

3.1.16 (i) Feelings Map in Entrance Passage as Object

3.1.16 (ii) Glass Jars in Memory Lab as Objects of Interaction with the Space by Archiving Usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conflicts

3.1.16(iii) Conversation Quadrangle serving as a space for Interactive Activities among People

Fig.3.1.16 Public Engagement in the Space through Social Interaction and Object-Subject Interaction

3.1.3 Inferring Relationships Through a comparative between the space that existed and the one reproduced in the Gool Lodge, the human-human, human-space and space-space relationships can be derived. These relationships are based upon the analysis of space, that included the study of context, program that informed the spatial behavior of the Conflictorium, materiality and construction method, and the superimpositions of these upon each other. Although, Conflictorium may not be a spectacle as a space, however, through its narrative, and programmatic interpretation, the space impacts and is impacted by a peculiar sociology in the built environment, that has been implied by the following factors: 1. Associations in the Conflictorium: Sense of Belongingness The space demonstrates characteristics of the two spaces, the lived space of perception and the conceived space of Conflictorium. The spatial configuration of the lived space remains constant, however, through the narrative of the space that has been re-conceptualized, the experiences are revised in the space. These associations that are pertained and built in the Gool Lodge, are through the superimpositions that take place. 2. The Deviated Cultural implications: Evaluating Proxemics The spatial organization of the Gool Lodge generates a code for the new superstructure of the Conflictorium that is witnessed. The space as that of tangible emptiness demonstrates superimpositions of navigational patterns, internal pathways and visual and physical connections. The nature of the Conflictorium setting enforces a sociological change, through the culture that it proposes inside. Thus, in an attempt to reproduce the Gool Lodge as a space for social configurations, the following factors of the space have been addressed:

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(i) Spatial Relationships: The spaces in the Conflictorium in their physical form are of non-fixed nature, with the ground floor spaces being fixed through the objects. The spaces allow perceptive behavior for the users who are actually experiencing a reinterpreted house. The little rigidity that has been curated in the space through objects, allow the cyclic motion in the space, which would otherwise be non-fixed, as a house. Though, there is no data of the Gool Lodge as being Bachubenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, the undisputed spatial configuration along with her story being narrated in the curated space of the built form allows imagination of her life. Thus, even though the conceived space has been revised in the lodge, the built form remains a constant. (ii) Distance Zones: The distance zones in the space are challenged as a public use. The narrow passages, doorways and staircases serve for an association with the past of the space, however, do not suffice to the physical need of the space. However, this challenged behavior comes across as a physical form given to social friction that exists in the context of the space. (iii) Differences to Diversity: The spatial behavior of the space superimposes a cultural shift in the built environment, where people collide and so do their thoughts and perceptions, creating a sense of plurality in a socially separated society. Conflictorium proposes to bring change in the differences by creating a space that is open to all groups of the society equally, one that can be related to by everybody through its material and immaterial superimpositions, one which is a superstructure of cultural change. 3. Communicated Space versus the Occupied Space The re-conceptualized space is communicated to all the people equally. Through its adaptations, one can relate well to the concept of the space. The physical space has been conceived in a way that does not act alien to the surrounding sociology. Thus, the museum in the space has only been addressed with little modifications, retaining most of the past through material, construction and configuration of the built. This means, that the narrative of the museology is

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itself a superimposition. The occupied space consists of various experiences that are overlapped into the space through different tangible and intangible design decisions. These include the activities that revolve around objects and around human interaction that the participatory museum offers. Thus, the communicated space (space-space relationship) has imposed the integration of disparities of the social context (human-space relataionship) of Mirzapur. 4. Interiority of the House versus the Wellbeing of the Museum The perceived space of the Gool Lodge was used for illegal activities, while through the vision of Bachuben Nagarwala and Avni Sethi, the space became more for the wellbeing of the society, although through varied perceptions. However, through both these perceptions the museum has been able to attempt to address a justified society of plurality that is a long process. The reproduction of interior space is the eventual reproduction of the social space in the urban environment.

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Concluding, The above observations can be resolved into the perceived, the conceived and the lived space of Conflictorium. The sociological need could be identified as the one that addresses differences in the sociological tension of Mirzapur. The neighborhoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perceived space was the need for common ground among the various ethnicities, cultures and identities where positive and negative interactions take place. In urban realm, this perception was addressed through the division of networks, symbols, routes, differences, neighborhoods etc. Thus, the act of avoidance was the perceived relationship in the neighborhood. However, the interior space of the abandoned Gool Lodge, was continuously impacted by these tensions as a reaction to the differences that existed. Thus, the illegal activities. To address differences, the Conflictorium approach proposes a museum, conceived via art, history and behavioral sciences. Thus, the typology that defines the need of a common ground is that of an exhibition space. However, the Conflictorium does not only address the local, rather the greater diversity of the city and becomes an integration point. Thus, the lived space of the Conflictorium is where thoughts, feelings and conflicts are shared, uniting the differences in the various identities. What happens here is that the private space that is reproduced to a public function in physical dimensions has borrowed the sociological relationships from the past and translated them to a better future. The retention and the relinquishment together establish the perception, the conception and the experienced space. The new social friction that is observed in the interior space becomes a governing factor for the reproduction the urban perception the space, which is presently governed by division upon differences rather than diversity. The museum proposes to restore the sociological balance through a spatial impact on the relationships that exist.

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3.2

Local.x.Society Dhal ni Pol

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Fig.3.2.1 LxS Open House, Khijada Sheri, Dhal ni Pol

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3.2.1 What is the LxS Initiative? Through an alternative approach to restore the sociological and ecological balance in the urban realm, LxS works in the fields of architecture, urbanism, design and arts, and heritage preservation. It aims to create an organic ecosystem in the built environment by providing a global platform that brings the resources and the professionals together. Vision of the organization: LxS aims to bridge the gap between the local aspects and the social elements. It caters to a holistic approach which considers the local context with a sociological and a historical significance in a larger whole of the society and its sustainability. Here, Local represents micro, subspace, locality, specific communities, rural areas, minorities, vernacular settlements, traditional techniques, heritage culture. Society signifies macro, universe, global smart cities, connectivity and knowledge disclosure, new technologies & future sustainable solutions. LxS in Dhal ni Pol The city of Ahmedabad was declared as first UNESCO World Heritage City in 2017, because of its architecture and historical importance. Dhal ni Pol is one of the 360 pols in the walled city of Ahmedabad and the precinctâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inhabitation dates back to 8th century as a home to the Bhil community. Later this hillock became the part of the walled city of Ahmedabad. The heritage listed pol is known for its intricate wooden carvings in its built forms, its colonial facades and religious motifs, all indigenous to this region. The spatial organization in Dhal ni Pol is a clear response to the local climate at the residential level, as well as a cluster. The heritage preservation in Dhal ni Pol is important for its history, communities and built environment that is locally responsive in its physical and sociological form.

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The government along with different co-operatives and organizations is working to revitalize the living heritage of Dhal ni Pol by reviving its built environment. The pol lacks basic services like proper sanitation facilities, parking lots, solid-waste management etc. The pol does not provide for modern needs and thus, the quality of life suffers. To address these issues, it is important to empower the community through acknowledging the universal needs of 21st century, empowering its culture and revitalizing its values. LxS is also a part of the Dhal ni Pol heritage preservation. It aims to bring about a contemporary approach to the conventional methods of preservation by recognizing the needs and desires of the local community and translating the intangible heritage in the tangible space through different design approaches across the world. The idea behind the initiative in Dhal ni Pol is to use social architecture as a tool to change the place, by involving the communities, the main users of the space. It is to make the pol adaptive to modern needs so that the locals choose to live in the walled city. In the precinct, LxS included the installation of dustbins and waste management program, street art through wall paintings, addition of vertical gardens, new design and devices for street vendors, rehabilitation of architectural elements as otlas6, chowkd7i, kota stone pavements and facades of damaged havelis8. The team has also worked on reviving an old haveli by introducing a social function into the haveli. To confine to the field of interior design, the haveli (LxS Open House) will be studied as a superimposed social space in the vicinity of Dhal ni Pol.

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Fig. 3.2.2(i)The ruins in the urban space were reinterpreted to a temporary exhibition space during the Dhal ni pol Festival. The character of the old social space is superimposed through the reproduction of space by a programmatic intervention.

Fig.3.2.2 Urban Revitalization in Dhal ni Pol

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Fig. 3.2.2(ii) As a part of urban revitalization, LxS team reinvented the public square/plaza in the pol for social activities to take place. The space is used to conduct social gatherings through celebrations, yoga classes etc. Children and women use the space for daily activities.

Fig. 3.2

2.2(iii) vertical gardens in the pol

Fig. 3.2.2(iv)Various walls have been painted in the pol, to reconnect the past and the present culture through the mediums of urban art.

Fig. 3.2.2(v) Outdoor exhibition

“In Europe – historical sites are restored and people live there and these parts become the heart of the city. But this doesn’t happen here. Unlike this, the old city of Ahmedabad is quite neglected and only romanticized by outsiders. Locals don’t want to come and live here.” “What we’re trying to do is involve the locals in making this change because they are the main users of this place. Thus, when we began the restoration project, the idea was to start making these spaces better and involving community members here was important” -Manuel M. de las Heras (Co-founder, LxS)

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Physical Precinct of Dhal ni Pol Dhal ni Pol is an inhabitation on a hillock, which explains its uneven terrain. The streets are narrow and closely packed. Most of the row houses are three- storey high, with a climate friendly spatial organization. These row houses are long and narrow. The primary streets break into various chowks9 (quadrangles) where the secondary streets meet. Out of the many facilities that the pol lacked, and that are now being acted upon, parking is still being an issue. The pol is unresponsive to the needs of parking, although steps are being taken to cater to it. The pol relies on its own wells for water access. These wells have recently been restored to serve for day to day needs of the pol. Since Dhal ni pol is undergoing rehabilitation of its heritage, the precinct is slowly getting revived by taking various steps. These include improved sanitation facilities, street lighting, improved habitation, repairing the terrain etc. The physical precinct development also includes the renovation of heritage houses of the pol. The polâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique characteristics are its bird feeders, that become the guiding points across the Pol. Many of the secondary streets are paved and have a defined access as the primary street that opens up in the Swami Vivekanand main road. The basic characteristics of public to private remain alike in the pol. The pol is well connected to the new city and the old city through public transportation, road system. It forms a center position between the two. The Municipal Corporation lies in the vicinity of the pol. The pol highlights a continuous development through revival of its public spaces, houses, precinct and land form.

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To the west of the pol lies the Sabarmati river and the developed city. The pol lies in the center of the walled city, the second phase of expansion of the city.

The pol is well connected through local transport. The Railway station lies in the vicinity of the pol. This means that Dhal ni pol is easily accessible.

The LxS Haveli is situated in a dense neighborhood in Dhal ni Pol. Dhal ni Pol is very well connected to the walled city and the new city through the Swami Vivekanand Road.

The LxS Haveli lies in the center of the pol, making it easily accessible by the neighbors and for visitors, it becomes an exploration opportunity to discover the pol in its entirety.

Fig.3.2.3 Physical Precinct of the Pol

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Social Precinct of Dhal ni Pol Dhal ni Pol comprises of middle income Gujarati households with a family size of about four to six members. The menfolk are the working members of the family while the women are homemakers. The community is closely knit through customs and traditions. There is sovereignty in the area, although the pol has a dominant Hindu and Jain population. The community has its roots in the indigenous wood carvers, which is also evident through the houses that it inhabits. In the existing precinct, there are various vocational institutes, schools and colleges, suggesting that education is important to the population. There are dance and art classes that take place at neighborhood level. This suggested that the community is driven by art and culture. The community also celebrates heritage week once a year, where many socio- cultural activities take place on a bigger platform. To revitalize the living heritage of the pol, the co-ops are working together to enrich the culture in the pol. One of the examples is through the heritage week. LxS initiated an urban regeneration of the pol where the pol has been revived with wall art, rehabilitation of public spaces with community participation and introduction of vertical gardens. The ruins in the public space also became the part of the urban fabric, and are now used to hold open exhibitions, community events etc. This adds to the socio-cultural activities in the pol and thus, enforcing a sociological shift in the living patterns of the community. The lifestyle of the people of Dhal ni pol is undergoing a change through an upgrade of their spaces, while retaining the traditional values, thus attaining a cumulative identity.

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LxS Open House is surrounded by many home stays, hotels, holiday homes, hostels suggesting a tourist destination. These are located in the old pol houses. The famous French Haveli lies in the same street as the LxS Open House.

LxS Open House

There is also a dance school in Dhal ni Pol. This suggests the interests and hobbies of people in the area. The precinct is developing further under heritage preservation, while responding to the needs and desires of the people.

Although the pol has a vicinity that suggests a Muslim community that might have existed in the past, the inside of the pol has a lot of temples, which cater to the surrounding Hindu and Jain households. The LxS Open House lies opposite to Ranchodji Temple in Khijada Sheri (street).

The pol is very well connected to the marketplaces in and around the neighborhood. There is a social influx in the vicinity due to the same reason. Hindu/Jain Worship Places Muslim Worship Places

LxS Open House Dhal ni Pol

The polâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gateway is has many mosques in its surroundings. One of the famous one being Rani Sipri ki Masjid.

There are a number of schools, colleges, vocational centers in the vicinity, signifying the demographics of the area, consisting of students.

Fig.3.2.4 Social Precinct of the Pol

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Programmatic Approach of the LxS Open House LxS Open House is originally a three storey haveli in Dhal ni pol. Its spaces consisted of living spaces, sleeping spaces, kitchen, bathrooms etc. These house typically consisted of an open to sky double height space in the ground floor that brings in natural light and affects ventilation. There is also a multi-purpose terrace that is essential to every household in the pol. LxS renovated the haveli to adapt to multiple social activities. The haveli proposes to be flexible in its function. It is a rental space to conduct exhibitions, workshops, co-working etc. LxS Open House was inaugurated in March, 2020 with the space being used as an exhibition space. Intent of the LxS team The LxS team recognized that the neighborhood needs are shuffling. People want dedicated spaces to conduct various community activities. This was one reason, that people were moving out of the walled city, to the other side of the river. The teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision is to fulfill these modern needs through architectural interventions in the pols itself, such that a desired lifestyle of the community is taken care of. The approach is to exploit the vernacular structure through a contemporary interpretation of space. One such space the LxS Open House, which is interpreted as a social space of flexible function. Most of the architectural elements of the space are restored in their original state with little or modifications. This is to preserve the vernacular character of the space, while superimposing a social dimension to the primitive private space.

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Gallery 1

Ground Floor

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

3.2.5 (i) Threshold

3.2.5(ii) Retaining Vernacular Elements

3.2.5 (iii) Transparency

Gallery 2 DN

First Floor

Second Floor Public Use Space Restricted Space Fig.3.2.5 Diagrammatic Layout of Adaptations in LxS Open House (Some spaces of the LxS Open House are reserved by the owner and some for office use. Therefore, only the public use space was observed closely).

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

Gallery 3

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Adaptation of Space The originally a three-storey haveli has been converted to a public space that allows a number of functions through its malleability. The space is proposed to be what people want it to be, at different points of time. The following spatial design decisions were observed during the visit.

Fig.3.2.6(i) Restoration of Facade

Fig.3.2.6(ii) Renovation of the Ground Floor

Fig.3.2.6 Renovation Photos of the Space for a Social Function

Fig.3.2.6 (iii) Ground Floor Restored

1. Spatial Organization The spatial organization of these houses are climate friendly, an thus, has not been modified to allow ample light and ventilation through the space. The open house spaces have been overlapped in the primitive rooms that existed in the space. 2. Sense of Direction The ground floor of the space allows a visual connection to the rest of the haveli. The entrance gives a sense of a continuous long space that has been reproduced by the modifications done in the space making elements. The entrance sets the direction for the user to follow. Being a small space, the haveli sets a way finding pattern for itself.

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3. Space Making Elements The spaces have been modified in terms of its space making elements that have been restored, renewed and recycled in the space. The haveli retains all its space making elements, such as openings, staircases, floor, ceiling, vernacular characteristics etc. However, all the elements have been tweaked to allow a sense of continuity and transparency through the space. The flooring has been retained in some spaces, and revised in some others, as a renovation opportunity. The walls, niches and ceiling have been refinished. A fresh color palette redefines the spatial character of the space. The vernacular elements are highlighted as a contrast to the new space. 4. Materiality and Finishes Most f the materials pertain. The wood and brick construction of the house is lived through in the present space. The facade has been restored and so does the south facade that faces the primary street through wall art. A new color palette has been implied in the space that is a contrast to the old one.

5. Aesthetics and Ambience The essence of the pol house is retained through spatial elements. The designers have overlapped a bright color palette in the existing space, and subtracted a few elements that make the space transparent and crisp. There is an essence of the past in the new space that has been derived in the emptiness of the haveli. To suffice to the multiple functions that the space proposes, there is an ambient and focused artificial lighting in the space.

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Fig. 3.2.7(i) The peculiarity of the pol house entry has been retained creating a sense of belongingness for the community. The ornamentation reflects the indigenous woodworking community that existed in the area. There is a sense of linearity to the space, guiding the axis of orientation in the space.

Fig. 3.2.7 LxS Open House being used as an Exhibition Space

The spaces in the LxS Open House are of a non-fixed nature, with non-fixed relationships that the users might share. However, it can be understood that the architectural spaces are fixed with semi-fixed furniture elements and the non-fixed human interactions. These human interactions define the culture, the diversity and the differences that may exist in the varying context of community and Ahmedabad. Function of the space would define the relationships that the space proposes, which will differ for different audiences.

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Fig. 3.2.7(ii) Elements have been altered to sensitize the space with transparency. Visual and physical connections have been adapted to that of a social space.

Fig. 3.2.7( highlights capitals an the space breaking t

(iii) The space preserves its vernacular construction and s the past of the house through elements like column nd staircases. This reflects upon the heritage. Thresholds in e are seen through flooring alterations, colors and openings, the continuity.

Fig. 3.2.7(iv) The space has adapted the use of a gallery/exhibition space, which provides an access to the people of Dhal ni pol to explore the society of Ahmedabad in its wholeness. The space allows flexibility of organization, movement patterns that are curated through the exhibits and interaction between the locals and the society.

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3.2.2 Analysis of the Space From a private space to a space for society, the LxS Open House has been adapted in terms of a public/social space, for the community of Dhal ni Pol and society of Ahmedabad. The adapted space sets an example for the needs of the people in the area. On interacting with people in the space, it was evident that the only reason people are migrating from the walled city was that their modern needs are not being met. Through an attempt of this adaptation to a pol house, LxS proposes a holitic rehabilitation of living heritage in Dhal ni pol. Orientations in the Space The way of being in the space and perceiving it, has been transformed through multiple design decisions: 1. Sense of Entry The elements of the pol house have been kept intact in the space, like the otla, the main door, the restored facade etc. There is a sense of linearity through the space as soon as one enters, even through the maintained thresholds. This linearity gives a sense of openness to the space and deviates from a sense of privacy that existed through elements of space-making. 2. Visual and Physical Connections The elements of space making have been tweaked to adapt to the publicness of the space, through complete removal of some doors and windows. The soffits of the staircases have been removed, that allow horizontal and vertical transparency. Slab cut-outs that existed, allow light, air and vertical visual connections in the space. These allow spaces to be perceived as singular. There are many buffer zones that exist in the open to sky courtyard spaces that allow to divert occupancy in a single gallery space. 3. Thresholds The threshold have been retained for the space to define

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segregation when it is being used for co-working purposes or small space requirements. Thressholds have been retained through alternative flooring, door frames, and openings. 4. Sense of Light The space is well lit across the floors through natural light via partial open to sky slabs, and front facade openings that light the office spaces. Most of the spaces are softly lit through the filtered daylight, while artificial ambient and focused lighting have been used in the space to adapt to the new functions of the space.

Fig. 3.2.8 (i) Visual Connections through Slab cut-outs

Fig. 3.2.8 (ii) Elements of Entry Retained (otla, openings, volume, structural elements etc.)

Fig. 3.2.8 (iii) Thresholds through Doorways and Flooring

Fig. 3.2.8 (iv) Sense of Light through partial Open to Sky Volumes

Fig 3.2.8 Analyzing Orientations in the LxS Open House

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Tangible Space Although the space has been adapted for a flexible function, the scope of the thesis looks at spaces being used through the spectrum of museums, galleries and exhibition spaces in a house. The LxS Open House was witnessed as a gallery space during an exhibition 1. Through Superimposed Materials and Finishes Some new materials were superimposed in the renewal process of the space, for example, tiled flooring in some spaces and wall finishes. The south facade of the building has been renewed through wall art, as in rest of the pol.

Fig. 3.2.9 (i) Terrace through New Color Palette

Fig. 3.2.9 (ii) Blue Courtyard Space as Revived Space through the use of Color (Second Floor)

Fig. 3.2.9 (iii) New Flooring against old Space-Making Elements (Gallery 2: First Floor)

Fig 3.2.9 Analyzing Aesthetics of the Space through Material Superimpositions

2. Through Organizations in the Space Due to its flexibility, the space allows organizations depending upon the kind of activities. Since the space is tight, the organization of the tall display elements were sparsely arranged in the space. Some old furniture from the house has been renewed and reused in the open house. The gallery spaces themselves become a method of way finding through their transition from one floor to the other. This organization of the space allows a definite navigation pattern through the spaces that are open to public use.

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PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK

3. Navigation Patterns The cumulative of objects, light and organizations in space can allow a free flowing movement through the space. The space is not defined by passages. Like the house, it remains free of any defined pathways, governing the spaces through malleable organizations.

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

1 2

Ground Floor

4 PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

First Floor

Second Floor

Fig 3.2.10 Navigation Order in the Space

4. Retaining Vernacular The spatial behavior being peculiar to the space is retained and creates a sense of the past in the space, through spatial organization and construction methods. This also holds up for the past construction methods which were sustainable, sufficed to the traditional values, and governed uniformity across the culture. The space is a lesson for the future and learning for the present, by the retention of its unique PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

PRODUCED BY AN AUTODESK STUDENT VERSION

physical heritage.

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Intangible Space Although the space has been adapted for a flexible function, the scope of the thesis looks at spaces being used through the spectrum of museums, galleries and exhibition spaces in a house. The LxS Open House was witnessed as a gallery space during an exhibition 1. Concept of the Space The space proposes to be a malleable one for the society. It aims to provide a number of possibilities for its use by the people. Through a broken continuity, it aims to become a linear single space, or multiple small spaces as in the pol house. The space is derived from the structure of the pol house, responding to the structural beauty of the pol, therefore, holding onto the spiritual experience in the context of the pol, while encouraging a perceptive behavior inside the open house.

Fig. 3.2.11(i) Broken yet Continuous Paths binding the Space

Fig. 3.2.11(ii) Culture Retained in form of Vernacular Elements

Fig 3.2.11 Concept of the Space

2. Cultural Implications of the Space The space has materialized the meaning of culture through its retained character seen in the vernacular house form. Through the adapted space, a homogeneous society is reflected through implications of a modern lifestyle. The

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meaning of a public/social space has been revised in a small space, reflecting a changed behavioral pattern among the users. 3. Spiritual Dimensions of the Space The space impacts the user through various strategies, which differ from function to function. The partial open to sky slabs become a pause point for most of the users, as an interactive element. The navigation pattern serves as a cyclic movement specially fro gallery like spaces, defining the fixed experience of the space. Some other spiritual dimensions of the space include its siting, structural beauty etc.

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3.2.3 Inferring Relationships The space is looked upon through the perspective of a malleable space that can suffice to multiple needs of a public interior space for the people of Dhal ni pol. Through the space, a prospective sociology is explored in the communicated interior space. The reproduced space in the haveli is for a non-fixed function, allowing a perceptional behavior to percolate through the space. This perceptional behavior produces allows the space to be produced over and over again. Through this, the following relationships can be understood: 1. Associations in the LxS Open House: Sense of Belongingness The space is a direct superimposition upon its past physical dimensions. The vernacular character blends the built form with the rest of the context and allows it to be perceived along with its past qualities. The peculiar characteristics of the pol house allows people of the pol to identify with the space, creating a sense of belongingness. The space does not stand alien in the changing sociology. Also, the attempt to reproduce an interior space as a bi-product of the urban environment under rehabilitation creates a holistic view of being in the social space. It allows a fresh perspective for a pol haveli, that is beyond a private representational form. Rather than being a fragmented spatial entity, the retention of the space allows maintains the identity of the pol. 2. Deviated Cultural Implications The spatial relationships of the haveli differ as the functions differ. However, to stick to the scope of this thesis, the space is studied in an exhibition scenario, as it was witnessed. All the spaces are non-fixed, as its display elements and the human use. The way finding in the space is governed by the segregation of spaces over floors. The users tend to follow the same path through the space, that is, through the ground floor to the top. This perception of the space is also through a cultural implication through time.

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The idea of small spaces to govern a public function is fairly an experimentation in this case, but however, does not challenge the functionality. This is due to the non-fixed nature of the space, with buffer zones to avoid crowding. However, the distance zones are revised for a social space in the pol house, but the it largely depends upon the function that is being given to the space. The spaces allow diversity by bringing the locals and the larger community of Ahmedabad together. Spaces like these aim to create a homogeneous society across the city, even with the lack of resources. 3. Communicated Space versus the Occupied Space The space that is communicated is for a flexible function. It replaces the notion of a private space and allows the users to perceive it for different socio-cultural activities. The space is a superimposition of perceptions that are produced over and over again through the conception of space. Thus, the exhibition space is one such conceived space, that holds its associations with the non-fixed objects in form of furniture, exhibits and art. The occupied space is a message of revised sociology of the pol that is through the preservation of the living heritage. The occupied space itself acts as a lived space of perception, for another programmatic intervention. This encourages an experimentation in the space by the people for its relevance, suggesting a subjective approach for the users of the space. The communicated space however, delivers a sense of publicness through its form, and thus proposes the function to be a public one. 4. Interiority in the Lived Space of Wellbeing The space proposes a sociology in the urban environment of the pol and acts as a space of perception for the same. The spaces of wellbeing and interiority act as superimpositions of one another through the malleability of the space. The segregated spaces in a continuous fashion allow different programmatic interventions to be proposed.

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Before its re-conceptualization, the haveli served as an exhibition space for a photography competition. Thus, the lived space was much before perceived to be of a social function where people could gather. An experimentation of this in the house, also proposed fresh dimensions for a social space to occur. This malleability, is a direct superimposition of the urban rehabilitation of the pol, being reflected inside the pol haveli.

Fig. 3.2.12 (i) Haveli Space being used for Temporary Exhibition: Ground Floor

Fig. 3.2.12 (ii) Haveli Space being used for Temporary Exhibition: First Floor

Fig. 3.2.12 (iii) Fabric Installation in Haveli

Fig. 3.2.12 Haveli Space being used for a Temporary Exhibition before its Re-conceptualization

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Concluding, Understanding the reproduction of the precinct of Dhal ni Pol, the need of the local people is to preserve the living heritage of the pol and also reflect the new global outlook. Thus, the perceived space of the pol is where people can interact, participate in various activities, include arts and culture in their routines etc. This has been reflected in the revitalized urban areas in the pol, where open spaces provide for daily modern activities. In the perceived space of the haveli, the need for modern representational spaces that remark growth and the identity of the people of the pol as that of new Ahmedabad has been reflected. The conception of this perceived need has been through a flexible space that can be used by the people for any activity that they want. The flexible space is again a post modern concept that establishes the new relationships that the people of Dhal ni Pol reflect. However, the Open House is not only a space for the local community but also used by the larger society of Ahmedabad, thus, denoting the lived space as that of interaction, exchange of culture and knowledge. Hence, through the perceived to the lived experience, the Open House aims to build upon old and new relationships integrating the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversified culture through art, architecture and cultural interactions. What happens here is, that the private commodity of the pol house is being extended to the public space on a macro level. The space physically and through program extends to the urban and also impacted by the urban. There is a constant reproduction of physical space that is either a consequence of urban activity or leads to urban activity. There is a continuous alteration in the social friction through the activities that the space proposes, which governs the space to accommodate varied behaviors.

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3.3 Discourse

The conflictorium forms the bigger umbrella for the reproduction of the social space in the urban realm. It acts as a catalyst to reform the sociological order of Mirzapur which is a conflicted realm. The aim is to address conflict as a part of diversity in the society of the city and of the world.

Mirzapur

reproduction

Conflictorium

reproduction

Gool Lodge

Reproduced space of the Gool Lodge stimulates its vicinity, through its programmatic approach to design. The spaces bring in the experience of conflict through the tangible objects of the museum. The space reflects upon an ideal diverse context through its museology. Thus, Conflictorium proposes to reproduce the social space around.

Constancies 1. Material (Retained) 2. Spatial Organization 3. Facades 4. Space Making Elements (Walls, Doors, Windows, Staircases etc.) 5. Identity of the Built Form

Reproduction of Interior Environments

Change

1. Material (New) 2. Aesthetics 3. Transitions 4. Visual Connections 5. Orientation in the Built Form

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Dhal ni Pol

reproduction

Dhal ni Pol is the bigger social space in which the LxS Open House as a secondary product of the urban revitalization. The pol is the primary reproduction of space that has occurred to facilitate the community with the basic necessities that are addressed in the modern habitats.

LxS Open House

Pol Haveli

Here, the interior space is reproduced through the reproduction of the pol and thus, the open house. LxS Open House acts as the parent to the haveli, which could have been any pol house in the vicinity. Thus, the reproduction catalyst is the LxSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; programmatic approach as a result of urban regeneration.

Human-Human

Sociological Relationships

Human-Space

Space-Space

The spaces have been perceived through a past lens of differences and diversity while not translated as an interactive space but conceived to be of various purposes like galleries, although, the conceived space is generated from the existent physical dimensions.

The achieved space in both the cases promotes the integration of the immediate neighborhood as well as the city. The spaces address the diverse and ethnic backgrounds of the users and become a node of interaction. The spaces bring about the change in sociology and extend to the public space, from the interior to the urban social space. While the Conflictorium sets up a sociological module, the LxS Open House is derived from the changing sociology of the city.

In both the cases, it has been observed that the spaces propose a changed relationship between the people. The needs of a lifestyle have been put forward by the concept of a social space. For Mirzapur, Conflictorium proposes a cultural shift from a conflicted society to a diverse one, whereas in Dhal ni Pol, LxS addresses a society which itself desires a changed lifestyle, and is already adapting to one. In the former, the social relationships are being imposed by the space, while in the latter, these relationships are being adopted into the space.

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What is observed here is a polar scenario where in one case, an interior space is bringing about a sociological change while in the other, the need of an interior space to express a changing sociology comes into play. What is causing this varied behavior in both the cases is the fact that there is no measure of the alteration in sociological behavior, except the fact of time. The immediate context matters the most when it comes to understanding the adaptation of the interior space. The space is in constant contact with its neighborhood than the city. At a macro scale, the sociological change is on the surface and easier to observe, however, this change may or may not have seeped into the local neighborhoods. It is the exact reason why globalization patterns are observed through urban lifestyle, ignoring the facets of rural parts of the countries. However, these rural parts form the rich sociology. Wherever the relationship between society and space begins from, it is only through human relationships that the cycle of reproduction remains. If spaces are not experienced, there is no possibility of perception of space and thus, no physical implication of needs. To initiate discussions upon what is actually getting reproduced in the space is a result of complex relationships that the space is enforcing. However, it is easily understandable through the commonalities between the two cases: 1. The value of pertaining the essence of the existing space where the communicated interior to guide the idea of memory, social value of the space, and the association of the space to the context and its people. 2. The urban character of the interior space. The two spaces are trying to reflect upon their own urban character. Although the urban character has not been identified through a comparative between the context and the interior spaces, it can definitely be one of the methodologies for future scope

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of research as a further study on the holistic behavior of a social space through tangible space making. 3. Another factor of the research is the reflection of time through the interpretation of spaces in two different eras. One, when the space was defined as a house, and the other when the house is discussed as a public space. The physical standards are defied in the process of social reinterpretation of space. This means, that for each society, the standards of design can be challenged according to their sociological context through the superimposed time. Also, the measure of time can differ from one built environment to another. Through the case studies, the physical meaning of identity, belongingness, behavior and friction could be understood in the adaptation of an existing space. The spaces are governed through the characteristics of a social space that are built by the space-space and the human-human relationships. The social product exists in the form of what the space allows in terms of interaction, association and engagement through its tangible and intangible spatial values.

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Through an attempt to understand the change in sociology through space and vice versa, this chapter concludes the thesis. This cumulative conclusion is a result of the understandings of the theories as knitted with the cases studied.

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Deliverances of the Study •

Synthesis of the Theory

•

Outcomes

•

Conclusion

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Synthesis of the Theory Through the study a complex relationship between sociology, social friction and social space can be synthesized. Broadly, the sociological factors in the built environment, like the human behavior, cultural associations, diversity and identity bring about the social friction. Social friction is thus, an experience of contrasting sociological factors coming together to anticipate the tensions that exist in the built environment. However, these tensions of the built environment define the social space that was understood through double illusion. Thus, social friction is where the illusion of transparency is observed in the built environment. It may or may not be translated in space, however, it always occurs in the social relationships that are witnessed. In Chapter 1, an understanding of mechanisms of social change were reflected upon as cultivators of social friction, and thus, being responsible for how people identify themselves with the built environment. Hence, education, technology and migration are tools of perception of identity of self and the society. This leads to what is repeatedly being addressed to the need and the altered need for space. Thus, the reproduction of space takes place in the realm of social friction that is being continuously altered and affecting the spatial practice, that is the space as we perceive. This means that the experienced space is being altered through

Fig. 4.1 For example, the introduction of GPS systems, has revised the way one navigates in the urban realm. Here, the perception is shaped through technological impact on the society. This perception generates a code through the usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; idea of space and further translates into the conception of generative and regenerative processes of the built environment.

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the multitude of subjectivities that are taking place due to the impact of social mechanisms of change. Thus, for the reproduction of social space, the starting point is the altered perception which is a result of social friction. The multiple subjectivities lead to the need for a common ground, that suffices the perceived relationships. This explains the reproduction triad in Chapter 2. However, the perceived spaces are not a direct translation in the built environment. The reinterpretation of this perception is fulfilled through the conceptualized purpose of the space, i.e. the program. For example, in the case study of LxS Open House, the need of the society was to preserve and upgrade to a newer lifestyle, which has been put forward in the conceptualized flexible space. This lets the people experiment, exchange and establish the desired lifestyle through local and foreign influences. Thus, reproduction of social space is also not directly translated in the experience of the society. The Conflictorium addresses conflict through art, history and behavioral sciences, to provide for a space where people understand diversity and differences. However, in the experienced space, the resolution of personal conflicts leads to the integration of the society. These complex relationships in the built environment are deviated at each step, however, not opposed to a desired sociology. This means, that social friction may not be directly translated as an experience, but addressed in the sociological reinterpretation of space.

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Outcomes The study has been helpful to establish the complex relationships that occur in the built environment. These relationships do not remain a subject to any one field of spatial design. Society and space are always affected by each other and are interdependent. To the field of design, this interdependence is necessary to understand to be able to reflect upon the impact of the space on the society and vice versa. Tangible and Intangible Associations A social space is a superimposed notion upon the existing. The sense of past that exists in the tangible characteristics like the construct, the material and the alignment that one shares with the space bound to create a sense of belongingness, while the superimposed characteristics, like the adaptation of privacy for a public use, tend to redefine the sociological implications in a given social space. The past is not always monumental but characteristic to memory, notion, and perception of space in its present form. In the context of adaptive reuse, shells are retained to drive perception in a direction of preservation, adaptation, and cultural implications with superimposed set of needs.

Fig. 4.2 Public Foyer for Bristol Old Vic Theatre represents the adapted space with the old brick structure imbibing the memory of space, while being intervened with modern materiality.

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The Cultural Interdependence Interior spaces can be viewed through a cultural superimposition, where the urban culture that is understood through reciprocation of spaces and through layers of time are either adapted or challenged to anticipate a desired sociology. For each urban setting, the socio-cultural implications are revised differently in different spans of time, sometimes as an impact of the outside on the inside, and other times it is the other way round. What is being understood here is that, culture is a holistic reflection. Interior spaces are not alien of their surroundings and vice-versa. Although, the process is indefinite in terms of time. Social Friction as an Enabler of Reproduction of Social Space When behaviors are challenged in each built environment, there is social friction. However, in a space, this friction is seen as an interaction within the space, which can be voluntary and involuntary. However, social friction is the mechanism of social dynamism which shapes the perceptive behavior leading to production, rather reproduction of space, in mental and mathematical realms. Social Space As A Reflection Of Identity The superimpositions of social space are directly or indirectly pointed towards reflecting a social identity that has been result of the experiences of the users. Social identity is always under a constant reconstruct through the activities of everyday life. The role of users and their evolving identity is reflected in the lived space of experiences, that is as occupied, and revised as the meaning of wellbeing. Thus, revised behavior patterns in an existing interior environment can be observed through altered organizations and thus, the altered human-space relationship. The generalization of the perceptive behavior is what leads to multiplicity of superimpositions, and thus, new standards for design typologies.

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Social Space as a Non-Physical Dimension Social space offers people to experience space through its values, symbols, interactions, memories, images etc. It is not contained but represented as an identity which is holistic from inside to the outside and vice versa. This means, that existence of an outside space in no way demolishes the space inside (interior), rather becomes correspondent to the sociological behavior, whether or not its physical nature changes.

Fig. 4.3 An everyday scenario depicting the relationships shared by the neighbors as the major factor in adapting to a given narrow space. Such social relationships govern that the spaces are reflected upon by people and not necessarily the mathematical dimensions. These proximities are the perceived space that the users carve out for themselves in the social space.

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Concluding, The research contributes to understanding the impact of lived space on sociology and vice-versa. Through the study, it can be established, that the physical reproduction of space and social friction are interdependent. Space is a sociological phenomena that is continually impacted by the external forces. Thus, a social space cannot be rationalized in the absence of society or the mathematical space, where both are catalytic in nature. Through an attempt to study these relationships, the study establishes the field of interior design as the one of social wellbeing and identity, that drives or is driven by holistic approach of sociological shift in built environment serving to thought, perception and behavior of the people. Through this, the discipline can be thought of a dynamic that can bring about the change in the meaning of wellbeing and occupancy for the society, by responding to the sociological context. Furthermore, to detail out the social reinterpretation of space is to understand the process of superimposition as the design process, the following guidelines can be drawn out of the research: 1. The lived space as the “Problem” To arrive at novel design decisions, it becomes very important to recognize the problem that the lived space is unresponsive to. 2. The perceived space as the “Brief” It is in the perceived space that imaginations, ideation and the mapping takes place and later discussed. Thus, the perceived space can be thought of as the rough idea that the user and the designer share. This becomes the parallel to the need for the space. 3. The conceptualized space as the “Solution” The space of architects, planners and designers, that critically addresses the problem, here, the social friction, in the mathematical realm. Thus, it is here, the social space is reinterpreted in the physical realm, later translated in physical dimensions.

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Thus, reinterpretation of spaces is an outcome of social dynamism. As quoted by Lefebvre in Production of Space (1974/1991), â&#x20AC;&#x153;there is a politics of space, because space is politicalâ&#x20AC;?, and true in the study of interior environments through this thesis. Here, it can be concluded, that space truly occurs in the lived space of experiences and is thus reproduced through the behavior of users, first as a perception and later as a concept. Thus, social space is the space of the society, and a result of multiple subjectivities, that are further translated into tangibilities. The role of architects, designers and planners is to identify the present state of wellbeing and address it in the best possible way, through past into the future. The research gives an gives an insight to look at space beyond its real existence. To the field of design, beyond the sensitivity of junctions, details and configuration, lies the field of humanity, the ultimate users of the space. It becomes necessary to understand the lived space through the perspective of place, which is not definite through a coordinate system, rather, an outcome of human relationships. Thus, it is in the cumulative of the mental and the mathematical space that information is exchanged, established, and later applied. To the field of space design, the social space plays as an important role where the humanizing dimensions of space redefine the design typology. As for designers, social space becomes one of the major phenomena by dynamically acting upon the transforming needs for space of wellbeing, of perception and of multiplying behaviors over time. The topic social superimpositions has been useful to understand space beyond the represented where humans are a reference to scale and occupancy. It proposes space as a balance between conceptual and lived experience, because ultimately, the role of the conceptual space is adapted by the user, in an unfixed pattern over time, impacted by what innovation brings to the wellbeing.

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Review Feedbacks Review 1: Proposal of the Research (January 28, 2020) 1. Why considering Studio Lotus projects? Can practice be a methodology to go about the thesis ? Reconsidered the proposal and improvised it to look at project briefs of the spaces for validation of their sociological response. 2. Why museums as a typology? Why residential typology is not the scope? The adaptations in redesigning an existing residence are very subjective from household to household. The methodology to understand the socio-cultural aspects of a residence would deviate from the one that was adopted. The orientation of sociology in both the spaces is very different. I did consider taking up private spaces as a case during my research, however, I would have to revise my theoretical relationships. What I actually wanted to study was the urban to interior and vice versa translations in a public space, where interactions are very different than a private space. 3. What guidelines that this thesis gives? Space as a holistic approach in terms of its social character. 4. Limiting the scope to either typology or to any other medium to develop meaningful relationships. House Museums of Ahmedabad were considered. It was because, these museums had adapted from a private space to a public one, which means the socio-cultural understanding of the space has been under a reconstruct. 5. Considering stakeholder as an approach to the research. I tried to consider the immediate context and the larger society. My research is still a process, in the sense, that because of the COVID-19 lock down, I was not able to map current activities in the space, in the context and in the larger city. 6. Perception of programs and spaces that were originally in existence becomes an important part of the thesis as well. Whatever data could be made available through interviews, newspaper articles, etc was referred to for background of case studies. 7. Interconnections between the three major categories i.e. social construct, reinterpretation and spatial aspects need to be formulated in a better way. Improved upon Methodology

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8. Argument that meets how reinterpretation has brought about a change in the spaces that have been redesigned.

9. How do you identify the lifestyle groups that have to be responded to? The contextual study helps to understand more about who is being responded to immediately and who is a casual visitor. 10. When does reinterpretation become a need? Through the study, it could be discovered that the need for reinterpretation is when the experienced space could not be further optimized to satisfy social needs. Review 2: Theories Considered (February 6, 2020) 1. Discussed the theories that were considered to guide the research and brainstormed with the reviewers on case study options and understanding the theories in Indian context. 2. Discussed public buildings as an example of more hierarchal and significant of culture than other typologies. This reasoning came from the process of researching. Review 3: General Review (April 17, 2020) Discussed conclusion writing methods.

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References Books Blauensteiner, C. (1990). Kulturelle Identitat und Design: IF6 Tagung 1989 = Cultural identity and design: IFG Conference 1989. Berlin: Ernst & Sohn. Heimsath, D. (1977). Behavioral Architecture. London: McGraw Hill Publication. Karim, F. (2018). The Routledge Companion to Architecture and Social Engagement. New York: Routledge. Kendig, L., & Keast, B. C. (2011). A Guide to Planning for Community Character. Washington, DC: Island Press. Lefebvre, H. (1991). The Production of Space. (D. Nicholson-Smith, Trans.). Malden: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. (Original work published 1974) Nussbaumer, L. L. (2014). Human factors in the built environment. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Rapoport, A. (1969). House Form and Culture. Engelwood Ciff, NY: Prentice Hall. Rice, C. (2007). Emergence of the Interior : Architecture, Modernity, Domesticity. London&New York: Routledge. Smith, D. P., Lommerse, M. V., & Metcalfe, P. (2016). Perspectives on Social Sustainability and Interior Architecture: Life from the Inside. Singapore: Springer. Taylor, M., & Preston, J. (2011). Intimus Interior Design Theory Reader. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Journal Articles Danko, S. (2006). Humanizing Design through Narrative Inquiry. Journal of Interior Design, 31(2), 10–28. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1668.2005.tb00408.x Danko, S. (2010). On Designing Change. Journal of Interior Design, 36(1), v-ix. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-1668.2010.01044.x Elden, S. (2007). There is a Politics of Space because Space is Political. Radical Philosophy Review, 10(2), 101–116. doi: 10.5840/radphilrev20071022 Fuchs, C. (2018). Henri Lefebvre’s Theory of the Production of Space and the Critical Theory of Communication. Communication Theory, 29(2), 129–150. doi: 10.1093/ct/qty025

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Gans, H. J. (2002). The Sociology of Space: A Use-Centered View. City and Community, 1(4), 329–339. doi: 10.1111/1540-6040.00027 Hicks, T. L., & Radtke, R. I. (2015). Reshaping the Boundaries of Community Engagement in Design Education: Global and Local Explorations. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 19(2), 157–174. Jørgensen, A. (2010). The Sense of Belonging in New Urban Zones of Transition. Current Sociology, 58(1), 3–23. doi: 10.1177/0011392109348542 Mccarthy, C. (2005). Toward a Definition of Interiority. Space and Culture, 8(2), 112-125. doi:10.1177/1206331205275020 May, V. (2011). Self, Belonging and Social Change. Sociology, 45(3), 363–378. doi: 10.1177/0038038511399624 Miller, L. (2003). Belonging to country — a philosophical anthropology. Journal of Australian Studies, 27(76), 215–223. doi: 10.1080/14443050309387839 Moffatt, S., & Kohler, N. (2008). Conceptualizing the built environment as a social–ecological system. Building Research & Information, 36(3), 248–268. doi: 10.1080/09613210801928131 Perolini, P. S. (2011). Interior Spaces and the Layers of Meaning. Design Principles and Practices: An International Journal—Annual Review, 5(6), 163–174. doi: 10.18848/1833-1874/ cgp/v05i06/38247 Perolini, P. (2014). Interior Environments: The Space of Interiority. Zoontechnica: The Journal of Redirective Design, (03). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/68837 Poldma, T. (2010). Transforming Interior Spaces: Enriching Subjective Experiences Through Design Research. Journal of Research Practice, 6(2), 1–12. Retrieved from http://jrp.icaap. org/index.php/jrp/article/view/198/199 Poot, T., Acker, M. V., & Vos, E. D. (2015). The Public Interior: Idea Journal, 44–55. doi: 10.37113/ ideaj.vi0.52 Silva, L., & Santos, P. M. (2012). Ethnographies of heritage and power. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 18(5), 437–443. doi: 10.1080/13527258.2011.633541 Stewart, L. (1995). Bodies, Visions, and Spatial Politics: A Review Essay on Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 13(5), 609–618. doi: 10.1068/d130609

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Unpublished Theses Kachwalla, N. (2010). Enhancing Social Dynamism In Interior Architecture Through The Use Of Social Friction, Victoria University of Wellington (Unpublished Master’s Thesis), New Zealand. Retrieved from http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10063/1432/thesis. pdf?sequence=2 Sejpal, S. (1987). Theory and City Form: The Case of Ahmedabad (Unpublished Master’s Thesis), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Retrieved from https://dspace. mit.edu/handle/1721.1/78964 Shah, K. (2016). Reuse : redesign - understanding the role of context and processes involved in the design and execution of building reuse and redesign (Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis), CEPT University, Ahmedabad Reports Markusen, A., & Gadwa, A. (2010). Creative Placemaking. Washington, DC: National Endowment for Arts . Retrieved from https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/CreativePlacemakingPaper.pdf Web Pages ADMEC Institute. (2019, January 4). Top 10 Interior Designing Great Examples of All the Time. Retrieved from https://www.admecindia.co.in/blog/top-10-interior-designing-greatexamples-all-time At The Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2020, from https://www.conflictorium.org/at-themuseum/ Bhura, S. (2017, May 5). Mona Lisa on his mind. Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://www. livemint.com/Leisure/amgmN8i5HFXYeEUA6txwiM/Mona-Lisa-on-his-mind.html Bhuyan, A. (2017, February 24). When a home becomes a museum: the Lalbhai museum is Ahmedabad’s new address for art. Retrieved March 2, 2020, from https://www. architecturaldigest.in/content/home-becomes-museum-lalbhai-museum-ahmedabadsnew-address-art/ Chowdhury, S. (2017, June 22). A shrine to conflict and alternative art and culture: Mirzapur’s Conflictorium. Retrieved April 14, 2020, from https://yourstory.com/2017/06/mirzapursconflictorium Collecting History beyond Artefacts: Reflections on the Conflictorium – Avni Sethi. (2019, November 11). Retrieved April 14, 2020, from http://www.historyforpeace.pw/news/ collecting-history-beyond-artefacts-reflections-on-the-conflictorium-avni-sethi/

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Communicaid Group Limited. (n.d.). Cross-Cultural Concept of Time: Chronemics. Retrieved February 25, 2020, from https://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/blog/ chronemics-concept-of-time/ Conflictorium Ahmedabad. (n.d.). Retrieved March 15, 2020, from https://www.cityshor.com/ ahmedabad/conflictorium-ahmedabad/ Introduction. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2020, from http://myweb.fsu.edu/jjm09f/1 Final Project Materials/lefebvreintro.html Parikh, N. (2019, November 19). Right fit: Community-centric project to restore heritage: Ahmedabad News - Times of India. Retrieved April 5, 2020, from https://timesofindia. indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/right-fit-community-centric-project-to-restore-heritage/ articleshow/72116896.cms Project, T. P. P. (2017, May 5). A Unique Museum in Ahmedabad Is Helping Conflict Victims by Highlighting Their Stories. Retrieved April 15, 2020, from https://www.thebetterindia. com/98930/conflictorium-ahmedabad-unique-museum/ Shah, R. (2016, April 5). Old City of Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad Heritage Places, Walk. Retrieved 2020, from https://creativeyatra.com/culture/ahmedabad-old-city-living-layers-within-layer/ Villa, V. (2019, July 7). Sala Beckett / Flores & Prats. Retrieved April 26, 2020, from https:// www.archdaily.com/799128/sala-beckett-flores-and-prats Weinert, J., MA, H., Kritik, & Rezension. (n.d.). Making sense of Lefebvre’s  “The Production of Space” in 2015. A review and personal account. Retrieved March 10, 2020, from https://blog. ethnologie.uni-halle.de/2015/08/ the-production-of-space/ What is Social Impact Design? (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https:// currystonefoundation.org/what-is-social-impact-design/ Miscellaneous Wall Art And The Politics Of Space: A Case Study Of Delhi. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cdedse. org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/10WALL-ART-AND-THE-POLITICS-OF-SPACE-A-CASESTUDY-OF-DELHI1.pdf Videos Discovering lives of Dhal Ni Pol, Ahmedabad Old city, India. (2018). Retrieved from https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAd4fl6a4Y The Revitalization of Dhal ni Pol. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=dy2QiWHr3SI&t=240s

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Talk/ Speech/Address Sethi, A. (2018, March). ‘Re-Imagining Journeys: Futures of Collections in Archives and Museums’ at “Archives and Museums—Old Routes/New Journeys”: A Conference on Critical and Creative Approaches to Making Collections Public. ‘Re-Imagining Journeys: Futures of Collections in Archives and Museums’ at “Archives and Museums—Old Routes/New Journeys”: A Conference on Critical and Creative Approaches to Making Collections Public. New Delhi. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZHzoEpggxs Sethi, A. (2018, February). Is Celebration of Differences Possible TEDx. Retrieved from https:// www.ted.com/talks/avni_sethi_is_the_celebration_of_differences_possible

List of Figures Cover: By the Author The figures not mentioned in the list of figures are by the author. Chapter 1: Sociology of the Built Environment Fig. 1.4 Retrieved from https://www.steelcase.com/resources/furniture-images?search=skif f%2Boutdoor%2Bbar%2Btable&page=82 Fig. 1.7 Retrieved from https://www.rkikuojohnson.com/ Fig. 1.8 Retrieved from http://awineanddine.com.au/dubai-skylines-safari-and-souk/ Fig. 1.9 Retrieved from https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Hotel-Lobby-CommercialDisplay-43-inch_60780963905.html Fig. 1.10 Retrieved from https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g294013-d7272164Reviews-Yas_Mall-Abu_Dhabi_Emirate_of_Abu_Dhabi.html Fig. 1.11 Retrieved from https://www.fabhotels.com/blog/wholesale-cloth-markets-in-delhi/ Chapter 2: The Production and the Reproduction of Space Fig. 2.1 Retrieved from https://www.archilovers.com/projects/239731/paint-drop.html Fig. 2.3 Retrieved from https://in.pinterest.com/retroreveries/1960s-saturday-evening-postmagazine-covers/ Fig. 2.4 Retrieved from https://www.newyorkpuzzlecompany.com/products/main-street Fig. 2.5 Retrieved from https://worldarchitecture.org/articles/cevzg/exclusive_balkrishna_ doshi_unveils_the_details_of_the_revitalisation_of_bhadra_fort.html Fig. 2.8 Retrieved from https://architizer.com/projects/superkilen/ Fig. 2.9 (i), Fig 2.9 (ii) Fig. 2.9 (iii) https://architizer.com/projects/superkilen/ Fig. 2.10 Retrieved from http://www.thepropdispensary.com/ Fig. 2.11 Retrieved from https://in.pinterest.com/rzoyoung/sketch/ Fig. 2.12 Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.ru/pin/750764200355848629/?autologin=true Fig. 2.13 https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/t-magazine/fashion/angela-missoni-handcollection.html Fig.2.14 Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/799128/sala-beckett-flores-andprats/58237abce58eceb84b00007a-sala-beckett-flores-and-prats-photo?next_project=no

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Fig.2.15 Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/799128/sala-beckett-flores-andprats/58237ae5e58eceb84b00007c-sala-beckett-flores-and-prats-photo?next_project=no Fig.2.16 Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/799128/sala-beckett-flores-andprats/58237adae58eceb84b00007b-sala-beckett-flores-and-prats-photo?next_project=no Fig. 2.17 Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/799128/sala-beckett-flores-andprats/58237b39e58eceb84b000080-sala-beckett-flores-and-prats-photo?next_project=no Fig. 2.18 Retrieved from http://www.fabulamundi.eu/en/gallery-bogdan-georgescu-atbarcelona-sala-beckett/ Chapter 3: Case Studies Fig. 3.1 Adapted from https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/78964 Fig. 3.2, Fig 3.6 Adapted from https://ahmedabadmapping.wordpress.com/2015/08/28/ toshi-singh-2/ Fig. 3.3 Retrieved from https://archnet.org/sites/18325 Fig. 3.4 https://www.flickr.com/photos/9231956@N04/1586283231/ Fig. 3.5 @Notbeenthere1. (2019, January). [Twitter Post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/ notbeenthere1/status/1090826011795750914 Fig. 3.1.1, 3.1.12 (i) Retrieved from https://www.conflictorium.org/ Fig. 3.1.2 Retrieved from https://www.picuki.com/media/2261788350566148103 Fig. 3.1.3 Retrieved from https://scroll.in/magazine/831479/when-the-gujarati-word-for-fundescribed-rioting-looting-and-murder Fig.3.1.4, 3.1.5 Adapted from https://mapstyle.withgoogle.com/ Fig. 3.1.9 (i) Retrieved from https://varnikadesigns.wordpress.com/2017/12/17/ conflictorium-where-you-learn-to-deal-with-conflicts/ Fig. 3.1.9 (ii), 3.1.9 (iii), 3.1.11 (i), 3.1.11 (iv), 3.1.12 (iii) Retrieved from https:// currystonefoundation.org/practice/conflictorium/ Fig. 3.1.9 (iv), 3.1.13 (iv) https://ahmedabadtourism.in/conflictorium-ahmedabad Fig. 3.1.10 (i), Fig. 3.1.10 (ii), Fig. 3.1.10 (iii), Fig. 3.1.11 (iii), Fig. 3.1.12 (ii), Fig. 3.1.13 (i), Fig. 3.1.13 (ii), Fig. 3.1.13 (iii), Fig. 3.1.13 (v) Fig. 3.1.14, Fig. 3.1.16 (i), Fig .3.1.16 (ii), Fig. 3.1.16 (iii) Retrieved from https://www.picuki.com/tag/conflictorium Fig. 3.1.11 (ii) Retrieved from https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/aconfluence-of-conflicts-117090900690_1.html Fig. 3.2.1, Fig. 3.2.2 (i), Fig. 3.2.2 (ii), Fig. 3.2.2 (iii), Fig. 3.2.2 (iv), Fig. 3.2.2 (v), Fig. 3.2.6 (i), Fig. 3.2.6 (ii), Fig. 3.2.6 (iii) Fig. 3.2.7 (i), Fig.3.2.7 (iii), Fig. 3.2.7 (iv), Fig. 3.2.8 (ii), Fig. 3.2.8 (iv), Fig. 3.2.9 (i), Fig. 3.2.11 (i), Fig. 3.2.11 (ii), Fig. 3.2.11 (iii). Local.x.Society (@local.x.society). (n.d.). [Instagram posts] Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/local.x.society/ Fig. 3.2.3, Fig. 3.2.4 Adapted from https://mapstyle.withgoogle.com/ Chapter 4: Deliverances Fig. 4.1 Retrieved from https://www.paktales.com/navigation-gps-app-for-android/ Fig. 4.2 Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/910720/bristol-old-vic-haworth-tompkins /5c57ba18284dd16e5300002f-bristol-old-vic-haworth-tompkins-photo Fig.4.3 Retrieved from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f1/83/4b/ f1834b71a4cf6e1b5a65d7bfdd3b386e.jpg

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Appendices Questionnaire for the Staff Member/ Designers/ Team of the Case Studies 1. What is idea of Conflictorium/LxS initiative? 2. Placing the Conflictorium/LxS Open House in this context, how does it justify the needs of the society? 3. Why a house? 4. What kind of challenges are anticipated? 5. Do you feel that the museum/art gallery is the best public function in a pol context? 6. What is the impact of the space on the people of Ahmedabad and people of the pol? 7. Is Conflictorium/LxS driven by a particular sociological change? 8. While revisiting the space, what were aspects of social friction? What were the cultural identities that were taken care of to respond to this friction? 9. What major spatial changes were made to the house to address the idea of the gallery without which the project is incomplete? 10. What about the intimacy of the house has changed that it can accommodate a public function? 11. What types of people visit? 12. Do you think any house can accommodate the program? Are you planning to repeat such interventions?

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Case Studies Conflictorium: Spatial Programming The Conflictorium is divided into several small rooms that address various conflicts, the ones that belong to the house, to the society and to the past. The whole purpose of the space is to nurture plurality. These innate feelings are housed in each space through the integration of contemporary present and the nostalgic past. The spaces are programmed as follows: 1. The Power of the New “If two entities have to occupy the same space, must one of them blend into or become subservient to the other? Is there a ‘third space’ which is beyond polarity, but opens up the possibility of something entirely new? Can aesthetics be such a space?” (Curation Team, Conflictorium) This space introduces the audience to the history of the building and locates them in the continuum. The space is a narrow alley that ends into a mirror and a chair where the audio experience takes one into the nostalgic past. Here the superimposition of time takes place. 2. Conflict Timeline “Histories are mostly records of conflicts, reflecting the ruler’s perspectives. They do not reflect the experiences of the people. Keeping this in mind, let us reclaim history to include your voice, my voice, everyone’s voice.” (Curation Team, Conflictorium) The entrance from the alley way to the gallery spaces. This space showcases the violent and oppressive past of Gujarat since its inception in 1960. 3. Gallery of Disputes “While conflict is unpleasant, turning our faces away does not remove them. The first step of healing a wound is to accept and acknowledge it.” (Curation Team, Conflictorium) The curation of this space exhibits an interlink of various conflicts and their causes in the social fabric of Gujarat. The curation combines the work of various artists and exhibits in a fashion of storytelling. The visitor is directed through the mediums of light and shadow, props, animation etc. 4. Empathy Alley “When humans start behaving in exemplary ways, there remains no difference between us and gods. Throughout time, people just like you and me have renounced baseness and shown us what we all are capable of – even though the shadows of their differences continue to shape our destiny even today.” (Curation Team, Conflictorium) The “Empathy Alley” comprises of silhouettes of political figures such as M.K. Gandhi, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Indulal Yagnik. Each figure has a speech in the original voice and the speeches express the ideological thinking of each leader during the time of post-independent India. 5. Moral Compass “While tradition continues to guide us, modernity calls for a restatement of our shared ideals, values and commitments to each other, in ways that are responsive to our present moral dilemmas and challenges.” (Curation Team, Conflictorium) In this space the visitor is allowed to engage with the a pre-1977 version of the Indian constitution to understand their constitutional rights. Many citizens of India are unaware about their rights and this space addresses the conflict of being devoid from their rights. This space also exhibits the law of “banning manual scavenging”. 6.Memory Lab “Even in an ideal society, conflict would persist – pain, hurt, retribution would flare up. Instead of sowing seeds of silence inside our souls, can we find more creative and constructive ways to express and channel such memories?” (Curation Team, Conflictorium) The memory lab helps the audience to interact with their conflict and it preserves the conflict of the user in the space full of glass jars.

153

Case Study Summary: Conflictorium

Social Space: the Reproduced

Context

Lived Space: Bachubenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s House

In 1942, when Bachuben lived in Mirzapur, the area was dominated by Muslim population and the city was under British Rule. Ahmedabad was divided into pols. People were moving out of the walled city and new ethnicities were emerging with incoming migration. There was a cultural tension between the British and the Indians.

Human Space

The Gool Lodg floor and her H The following from designer

Objects: Salo

Subjects: Bac

Activities: Liv

Perceived Space : The afterlife of the house Space Space

Re-conceptualized Space: Museum of Conflict Space Space

The differences had increased between the Hindu-Muslim communities. Mirzapur started seeing many religious intersections through temples, mosques, church etc. The first technical college of Ahmedabad came into existence in the vicinity. Demographics had shuffled due to migrated population, daily commuters and technology.

1. Bachuben p provides socia Centre for Soc

In 2012, the Mirzapur vicinity had an evident social friction. The city had a past in Hindu-Muslim riots and Gool Lodge fell in the center of the religions, class and ethnicity.

The Museum o existence in Ap Avni Sethi had addressed con Thus, what wa for exhibition a

2. The society abandoned sta house was co revival.

Objects: Layo the S

Subjects: Des

Activities: Co

154

Program

Materiality/ Color

ge served as Bachuben’s House on first Hairstyling studio on the ground floor. objects and subjects can be identified r’s published interviews.

Construction The lodge is a brick, wood and lime construction.

on accessories, furniture, boxes, pictures, memories

chuben, Clients

ving and Working

perceived the space to be a space that al justice as she donated the building to cial Justice after her death.

y used the house for illegal activities in its ate. The lived space in the afterlife of the ontested with Bachuben’s intention for its

of Conflict: Conflictorium cam into pril 2013. The conceptualized space by d a vision of a participatory museum that nflicts through art, culture and history. as conceptualized primarily was a space and interaction.

outs, Superimpositions, Exhibits, Objects to Curate in Space

The Building was restored in its original state.

The materiality has been kept intact with superimpositions of color and textural variations.

signer (Avni Sethi), Society

onceptualizing the theme of the museum in the house

155

Social Space: the Reproduced

Context

Conflictorium enforce the us that are flexib functions vary

Conceived Space: The spaces of the Conflictorium Human

Objects: Exh tem

Space

Subjects: So

Activities: Cu int

Lived Space: The Response of the society

Human

Inhabitants are continuously moving out of the walled city. Since the city has been declared as the heritage city, there also a continuous footfall of tourists. This implies that there are conflicting sociological factors through superimpositions of culture, class, religion, types of inhabitation, development etc.

Since the mus way the space of the society. navigation pat with the conce

Space

Objects: Exh glas

Human

Subjects: So

Human

Activities: Ex wo ho

Superimpositions

156

Program

Materiality/ Color

Construction

m comprises of permanent spaces that ser perception and temporary spaces ble to be used for a social function. These y from exhibitions to interactions.

hibits (audio-visual) /Curated Objects (permanent and mporary), spaces and their curated navigation etc

ociety; artists, performers and intellectuals

urating exhibits, participation, human-space teraction, human-human interaction

seum is of a participatory approach, the e is lived about varies for different sections . These differences can be seen in the ttern, perception of spaces and relativity eived space

The color of the surfaces/ partitons keeps on changing in the temporary spaces as the exhibitions require.

hibits and their engagement with users (example: ss jars), alternate navigation patterns, workshops etc

ociety

xperiencing conflict through exhibition, participating in orkshops and seminars, experiencing history of the ouse

157

Case Study Summary: LxS

Social Space: the Reproduced Lived Space: Pol House

Human Space

Context Dhal ni Pol is a dense neighborhood which is known to be occupied since 14th century. The pol is known for its wood carving community, religious motifs and colonial facades, which are evident in the polâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s context. The vicinity reflects a mixed culture, through religious symbols, institutes and marketplaces.

The pol house by a family fo was divided in sleeping, eatin

Objects: Eve idols

Subjects: Th

Activities: Li

Perceived Space : The urban regeneration of the pol Space Space

Re-conceptualized Space: LxS Open House Space Space

Since, the life in and around the pol started changing and the people from the walled city started migrating to the new city, the urban reviatlization of the living heritage became of utmost importance. During this revitalization project, wall art, vertical gardens, sanitation facilities, access to clean water, roads and street lighting became an important intervention. For private spaces, the traditional vernacular colors were used for revitalization.

1. The abando was used as a competition b perception of

In 2020, LxS Team had already been working on the urban revitalization of Dhal ni pol and the haveli was taken into consideration for providing a space that the people of Dhal ni Pol and Ahmedabad could use for social activities, that would bring the larger society to the locals and explore the diversity and differences in the sociology, and the way one was adapting to the other, through superimpositions in art, culture and knowledge, through the use of skill and technology.

The conceptu recognized as as an exhibitio superimpositi a vernacular o means throug etc.

2. The LxS tea neighborhood like co-workin

Objects: Lay rest

Subjects: Lx

Activities: C

158

Program

Materiality/ Color

e or haveli was used as a private space or living and everyday life. The house nto spaces that were used for cooking, ng and interacting.

Construction The pol house was a wood construction primarily, with stone flooring.

eryday objects, furniture, religious objects like deity

he family of 4-6 (unknown)

iving and Working

oned haveli in this changing context an exhibition space for a photography by the LxS team, which became the new the space.

amperceived the space to provide the d an enclosed space for all social activities ng, exhibition, workshops etc.

ualized space in the old Haveli came to be s the LxS Open House which inaugurated on space. The space displayed a ion of contemporary design language over one. The contemporary character here gh the use of color, neat lines, neutrality

youts, Superimpositions, Recycled living objects, tored facade of the haveli, art, etc

The materials and colors are chosen to reflect a contrast between the old and the new in the space

The front facade was restored with vernacular elements, the street facing facade was painted with wall art, depicting the character of Ahmedabad, the interior space was renovated by improving visual connections, providing linearity to the space, replacing worn out elements like flooring.

xS Team, Owner, Dhal ni Pol Community

Conceptualizing a multipurpose social space in a pol haveli

159

Social Space: the Reproduced

Context

The space wa of display sys displayed. The of pols and w

Conceived Space: Exhibition Space (as visited) Human

Objects: Exh cura

Space

Subjects: So stu

Activities: C in

Lived Space: The Response of the society

Human Space

The lived spac it plays a majo space for use. social space in inatangibility t can always be same space

Objects: obje

Human

Subjects: So

Human

Activities: ex ac he

Superimpositions

160

Program

Materiality/ Color

Construction

as conceived through the organization stems, the curated path, and the exhibits e exhibition focused on the regeneration was a work of students of CEPT University.

hibits /Curated Objects (models), spaces and their ated navigation etc

ociety (People of the pol and the city), teachers and udents of CEPT University

Curating exhibits, participation, human-space nteraction, human-human interaction

ce here is of utmost importance because or role in forming the next perceived . Because of the flexibility of the main n the open house, there is always a new that occurs through the space. The space e viewed through different lenses in the

The space is superimposed with the materiality of the objects that are used to form the living social space.

ects like furniture, everyday objects, art, exhibits etc.

ociety

xperiencing the non-fixed space through alternate ctivities which allow superimposition of art, culture and eritage in tangible form.

161

Understanding Social Dynamism

Manipulated Friction

Visual Friction

Indirect Friction

through navigations, visual and physical connections, structural beauty of the space, pause points etc.

through objects in the space and elements of space making like staircases, openings etc.

through interaction among humans in the space. The chain of personal interaction leads indirect friction

activities

objects

subjects

intangible associations to the space

tangible associations to the space

people using the space that is society

Spiritual Orientation to the Space

Physical Orientation to the Space

Orientation in respect to other human beings: proxemics

MATERIAL AND CONSTRUCTION

PROGRAM

(space-space)

(space-human)

(human-human)

SOCIOLOGICAL CONTEXT (migration, technology, skills)

optimization in the lived space : social friction perceptive behavior that happens in the social space

social friction leads to new relationships, thus need for new space SOCIAL DYNAMISM

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Glossary of Traditional Gujarati Terms 1. Pol: street 2. Hajiro: marketplace 3. Chhabutra: bird feeders 4. Darwaja: gateway 5. Chakla: gathering space at the crossroad 6. Otla: porch 7. Chowkdi: wash area in the kitchen 8. Haveli: mansion 9. Chowk: crossroads

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“We are confronted not by one social space but by many- indeed, by an unlimited multiplicity... No space disappears in the course of growth and development: the worldwide, does not abolish the local...they attain ‘real’ existence by virtue of networks and pathways, by virtue of bunches or clusters of relationships.” -Henri Lefebvre

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Case Studies