DILLI-Yeh Shehar Nahi Mehfil Hai
Mixed use complex with commercial, community and entertainment (Commercial and Civic) Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi KEY WORDS : historicism and cultural practices, people, place, perceived and lived experiences ‘Ik roz apni rooh se poocha, ki dilli kya hai, to yun jawab main keh gaye, yeh duniya mano jism hai aur dilli uski jaan’ (I asked my soul, what is Delhi? It replied: The world is the body, Delhi its soul) – Mirza Ghalib, 19 century Urdu poet. The fortified city of Shajahanabad (Old Delhi) with its imposing gateways and bastions, streets and by lanes teeming with people is home to a vibrant community. The people, culture, nightlife and food are not relics from the past but bustling with life, a city within a city (microcosm). Traditionally Chandni Chowk has always been a market place supporting formal and informal economies. The other components of the urban fabric included residential fabric (old havelis), community social/ cultural spaces and temporal events that enlivened the public space. Post 1990s, with increased commercialization and unregulated growth of buildings to support this phenomenon, caused drastic reduction in residential population. This led to parts of the fabric becoming either defunct/ decayed/ derelict. With the introduction of the metro facility in Delhi in 2002, the fabric was further altered/ demolished thus disrupting traditional networks but it also presented an opportunity to reimagine the new public realm for Old Delhi and reclaim defunct, derelict, underutilized spaces. The design examined character/ criteria for space-making in the old city (typologies of built and open), cultural landscapes (perceived and lived spaces) and conceive a new architectural type into the dense historical fabric by integrating the traditional occupations their arts and crafts with new amenities for the local communities. This project attempts to induce change by redefining what should be the nature/character of the new public place (hybrid) in the historic context of old Delhi and creating a new identity by designing a landmark. RIGHT - FROM TOP a) view tower from the pedestrian path b) view of external courts and stepped terraces
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A project by EKANSH GOEL ekansh1901@gmail.com