City Ensemble
City Awareness Centre for Bangalore
Role - Research, Graphics and Design
Year - 2016
section a-a'
the intent
To provide a one-point contact for all the various tourism players related to the city - Ministry of Tourism, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Karnataka state hospitality industry, and city enthusiasts who are keen to retain the city's fabric.
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Palace Grounds, a large open space adjacent to the Bangalore Palace with selected to be the site of construction, due to two main reasons - it's high connectivity to the rest of the city, being close to the City Railway Station, and it's proximity to the Bangalore Palace, a frequently visited tourist hotspot in the city.
the context
Built in 1887, the Bangalore Palace stands in the heart of the City amidst 475 acres of land owned by the Royal Family. The land around the palace is rented out regularly for various events in the city.
In its early years, the palace was surrounded by beautiful gardens and a polo ground. However, this has vanished in recent years, and the grounds are no longer a verdant green. Mired in a legal dispute, the land is now largely barren due to neglect and commercial exploitation by various claimants.
Bangalore Palace, circa 1890
Bangalore Palace, circa 1930
Bangalore Palace, circa 2010
Palace Grounds, extent, with indication of the site
Transportation maps with blue indicating bus stops, and yellow for the closest railway station
the idea
The idea was to create a smart - sustainable campus that was to reflect the two main features associated with the name Bangalore itself - The Silicon City, and The Garden City.
The campus was designed to create something that is often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of city life - human connections.
These connections were to be made in two ways - through interactive spaces that encourage social connections, and a site layout that allowed for visual connections.
the intervention
the big picture
As an addition to the centre that was to be designed, I proposed a 5 - kilometre 'City Walk', starting from the Awareness Center, where all the information was provided to the tourists, to all the close-by attractions in the city.
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This 'City Walk' would 9 important architectural and tourist spots in the city, ranging from heritage structures like the Bangalore Palace to museums like the National Gallery of Modern Art, and finally end at the city's landmark 'lung', Cubbon Park - thereby showcasing different perspectives of the city.
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This way, the Center would be a point for all visitors of the city to congregate, and therefore be an efficient way to promote the various information centers within the Center itself. This would thereby increase the footfall to the centre as well.
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As indicated in the image, 1.Bangalore Palace, 2.National Gallery of Modern Art, 3.Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, 4.Military War Memorial Park, 5.Raj Bhavan, 6.Vidhan Soudha, 7.High Court, 8.State Central Library, 9.Cubbon Park
View from entrance
City Walk Route
the design process
The total area was split up into different buildings to allow wind tunnelling and adequate daylighting. The spaces were divided into two floors to prevent the building from 'imposing. on the environment, and rather blend into the surroundings. Each block was designed to consume as little energy as possible for daylighting and temperature regulation by using simple climatological techniques like sun shading, courtyards and N-S building orientation.
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the product
The campus was to host two kinds of people - students who reside and study on the campus, and visitors who visit the campus to gain knowledge about Bangalore and cultural events.
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The circulation is split as such, with the overhead bridge for students, connecting the educational facility areas, and the ground circulation for the visitors.
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The educational facility would require a dormitory, resource centre, cafeteria, library and faculty block, all connected by the bridge, passing through the public spaces with no disturbance, yet visual connection.
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The public edge would host a tourist centre, souvenir shop, an open plaza, auditorium and art gallery, beneath the bridge level.
overhead bridge near tree columns
overhead bridge near tree columns
tree columns in the public plaza
educational block
entry level plan
first floor plan
the details
The material palette consisted primarily of exposed stabilised mud blocks and concrete structural elements, with Indian Patent Stone (IPS) flooring - an Indian style of cement flooring that is well known for its durability, economical prices, and temperature cooling properties.
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The open areas were covered by tree-like columns, which would double as a shading element in the summer months, and a water filtering system to recharge the groundwater system during the monsoon.
These columns would collect rainwater due to their umbrella shape, and contain the various layers of soil required to filter the rainwater before allowing it to trickle into the ground soil.
typical wall section
tree-column section depicting water filter system
section b-b'