Srijan: An Integrated Textile Art Center, Undergraduate Thesis Project

srijan:an integrated textile art centre, rajasthan

Undergraduate Thesis 2019

Individual Academic Project

Jan - July 2019, Final Semester

Top 10 Projects of the year

Guide: Prof. Sujay Sengupta

Location: Bagru, Rajasthan

Area: 11.8 acres

Role: Conceptual Framework Plan, Campus Planning and Design, Conceptual Drawings and Renderings, Programmatic Design

Srijan means to create, and in the contemporary world, it implies experimenting with age old traditions and re-interpreting them in coherence with the upcoming trends, to initiate the ethical re-birth of dying artforms to define a new design trend.

Such is the case of hand crafted textiles, which suffer from the lurking danger of being forgotten at the hands of cheaper machine made alternatives.

Hence, a textile art centre to promote the traditional artform among the upcoming generation, along with providing the old folk with a professional platform to collaborate with modern artists and designers to evolve a new vocabulary for traditional concepts.

The project aims to help rural artisans to align their traditional skills with the contemporary design trends, to use their precious artform as a potential source of employment and drive the paradigm shift back to the village.

BAGRU

BAGRU

The village Bagru is located on the Jaipur - Ajmer Highway, through the NH-8 and lies at a distance of 32km from the Jaipur city.

The village of Bagru is located on the Jaipur - Ajmer Highway and lies at a distance of 32km from the Jaipur city. The site had been earmarked for the National Employment Bureau’s Redevelopment proposal but had never been built.

The proposal is based for the ar tisans of the Mohalla, in the village Bagru, which boasts of the generational involvement of the traditional community comprising of Chhipas (Printers), Rangrez (Dyers) Dhobis (Washermen) and used to be a hub for printing and hand crafted textiles ever since the era.

The proposal is based for the ar tisans of the Chhipa Mohalla, which boasts of the Multi generational involvement of the traditional community comprising of Chhipas (Printers), Rangrez (Dyers) and Dhobis (Washermen) and used to be a hub for Fabric printing and hand crafted textiles ever since the Mughal era

But due to the lack of appreciation and suppor t, stands neglected as most of the commercial activity restricted to the backyards of the residential qua

But due to the lack of appreciation and suppor t, the ar t stands neglected as most of the commercial activity is restricted to the backyards of the residential quar ters. And most of the younger generation have moved to neighboring cities for better jobs and appor tunities, raising the threat of abandonment for the craft.

The site is located on the peripher y of the settlement, along the upcoming RIICO Industrial Area surrounded by the villages Paldi Parsa and Chirota, there is no built context as such, the only being a public school and a restaurant.

The site is located on the periphery of the settlement, along the upcoming RIICO Industrial Area and surrounded by the villages Paldi Parsa and Chirota, but there is no built context as such, the only being a public school and a restaurant.

Photograph, Village complex, Bagru

This block is the main design centre for the complex closed chain production of , from weaving to sewing with collaborating artisans across different fields of thought.

Illustration, towards the entrance of the Production Block

This unit comprises of three facing blocks housing the key functions of weaving, printing and sewing arranged in linear blocks connected through a rhythmic collonade.

The Blocks are arranged closely to resonate with the character of the “typical mohalla”, so as to generate a sense of belonging and

familiarity

Each floor is complete with their own designated spaces for work as well as design discussions and ample storage. The upper floors are meant for experimental design and training, while the lower floor is meant for “collaborative” production

ACADEMICS BLOCK

This space is meant to be a shared space among students to understand the technical skills of the craft and learn about the business skills of modern trends to keep pace with the changing global trends.

The block is sunken to explore the passive cooling strategies due to thermal mass, making it a flexible, open space.

The Academics block has been linked to the activity area visitors to act as an interactive space for the students and guests especially during annual symposiums.

sewing studio

research lab lecture rooms faculty area + principal’s office

computer lab

strategies area for guests

The seemingly linear block opens into an inner courtyard reached through an organic transition space to bring in an element of human chaos among the rigidity, which reflects the basic intent behind the space.

The Academics block is directly accessed by the students through an entrance from the parking, and has a separate route for visitors through the main entrance pavillion, so as to filter privacy

cross section throught the classrooms

An Illustration representing the transitional character of the central courtyard in the Academics Block