REINVIGORATING PUBLIC REALM: Masters in Interior Architecture_Project_Hasselt University 2020

premabhai hall:

REINVIGORATING PUBLIC REALM TABLE OF CONTENT

shailja patel

sketch by balkrishna doshi modified by shailja patel

masters project hasselt university 2019-2020 international masters in interior architecture

• PUBLIC REALM AND CULTURAL PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS • PUBLIC REALM AND DESIGN • PUBLIC REALM AND INDIAN CONTEXT • BHADRA PLAZA, AHMEDABAD • PREMABHAI HALL - TIMELINE • PREMABHAI HALL - SITE • PREMISE & CONCEPT • NEW PROGRAM • ANALYSIS + ZONING • SITE IMAGES • ISOMETRIC VIEWS • SECTION • PLANS • INFERENCE : FOUR QUALITIES ACCESSIBILITY MATERIALITY INCLUSIVENESS

A COLLECTIVE IDEA • C.E.C FOYER VIEW • C.E.C LIBRARY VIEW

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INTRODUCTION When the two words put together, ‘Public Realm’ can be defined as a collective entity that as a whole encompasses the interests and activities of the public. The nature of the public realm can vary from being social, political, cultural, or virtual. The most tangible and physical aspect of the public realm can be observed as a public – urban – space, that today is an integral part of a city’s fabric.

In the world of prevailing individualism, bureaucracy and dominating virtual domain, it becomes more crucial than ever to design and offer urban spaces to the public realm that balances the steering sense of formality. While public institutions collectively construct a symbolic representation for social interactions, cultural public institution is a system that specifically promotes a base for discourses that relates to culture, art, literature, entertainment and lifestyle. Such discourses often reflect the abstract side of life that are explored and manifested in various creative forms. It promotes and gives an opportunity for the community to convene and create a dialogue that can nurture, preserve, boost, promote, impact, invent and most importantly celebrate the idea of society.

Hence, the aim of a designer when dealing with spaces of public domain is to create intervention that activates and benefits the public realm economically, socially and environmentally, which can be stimulated greatly when the public realm is conceived between a cultural institution existing in an urban fabric.

The Master’s Thesis reflects a literature study consisting of theories and observation relating to public realm and urban regeneration through case studies of existing cultural institutions. The thesis culminates by taking the references into account to create a Masters Project proposal in context of the city of Ahmedabad in India. The proposal aims to find meaning of the existence of a brutalist style auditorium Premabhai Hall (built in 1972, now dysfunctional) in the densely populated historic fabric of the city.

PUBLIC REALM AND CULTURAL PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

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PUBLIC REALM

CHARACTERISTICS

ELEMENTS

The paper, “Beyond ‘Fortress’ and ‘Panoptic’ Cities—Towards a Safer Urban Public Realm (1998)’ written

by S.Tiesdell and T.Oc, identifies four generally desirable qualities of the public realm:

The following diagram shows the identification of elements of space making that constitutes public realm.

(i) universal access (open to all); (ii) neutral territory coercive forces);

The features of public realm consist of three elements that influences, governs, and impacts the events, which takes place within itself. They can be defined as follows:

(free

from

(iii) inclusive and pluralist (accepting and accomodating difference); (iv) symbolic and representative of the collective and of sociability (rather than individuality and privacy).

In the essay The Public Realm, Richard Sennett simplifies the definition by stating that a public realm is a place where strangers meet and an event of exchange takes place. Traditionally, the place is imagined as physical space; which is where the notion of public realm, again traditionally is linked to cities where it can commonly be identified as squares, major streets, theatres, cafes, lecture hall, government assemblies, or stock exchanges, where the event of socio-cultural interaction takes place between strangers. He also visualizes the interaction as an exchange of knowledge and expanding horizon of information that is unlikely to happen in an intimate private realm (Sennett, 2010).

the enclosure – the built environment giving the sense of enclosure the space itself – which imbibes the notion of common grounds and nature of openness the people – the users that inhabits and associates with the space

PUBLIC REALM AND DESIGN

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AHMEDABAD, INDIA Ahmedabad, known as the Manchester of the East during the Colonial time, is known for its patronage of rich textile industry and the mill owners. It became one of the core centres of urban development along with Chandigarh after the independence in 1947.

It was the vision of the educated elite mill owner families that brought the city into light to become an architecturally cultural centre of heritage, commerce and industry in the future. Contrary to its rich architectural heritage the city faces a lack of such public realm which diffuses the divide between its various classes of people. There are public spaces along with cultural institutions in Ahmedabad which functions successfully but it still fails to unify the city at a point in a one public realm. The rapid unorganized urbanisation today is shifting away the people from the spaces belonging to public realm to the private ones.

The modernist architectural patronage stemming from the merchant families who envisioned the city as a cultural centre had commissioned some prominent architects, Indian and international, to design city’s most reputed institutions till date. A few of them became iconic buildings in the cityscape which include works of early modernist like Achyut Kanvinde followed by Anant Raje, Balkrishna Doshi, Charles Correa, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. The cultural public institution includes the city museum by Le Corbusier and other museums related to important personality, historical relics and textile, theatre halls, performing arts academy and art gallery.

PUBLIC REALM AND INDIAN CONTEXT

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PANORAMA FROM BHADRA FORT WEST AHMEDABAD

EAST AHMEDABAD

CONTEXT: PREMABHAI HALL + BHADRA PLAZA, EAST AHMEDABAD

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15th C to 18th C Bhadra Square The Bhadra Square outside the main fort was the nucleus of the city of Ahmedabad which has seen various important conflicts, events, gatherings during this time.

1930s Premabhai Hall Was used as drama hall for theatrical performances. Was also a popular symbolic space during freedom movement for independence.

1947 Independence from British Raj

1930: ORIGINAL PREMABHAI HALL BUILDING View of the hall from main Bhadra Square

2016: REDEVELOPED BHADRA SQUARE AFTER 2014 View overlooking towards the 15th C gate Teen Darwaza

.7: Original building for Premabhai Hall, ca. 1930s. Source: Rotary Club of bad.

Late 1960s Proposal to redevelop and give new architectural identity to Premabhai Hall post independence by Gujarat Vidya Sabha.

Balkrishna Doshi is commissioned for redesigning.

1972 Completion of the new Premabhai Hall as a modernist utopian structure amidst the historical fabric.

Early 1990s Shut down of the hall due to Fire Regulation issues 2011 Building threatened for demolition and proposed for new parking space instead by AMC 2014 Bhadra Square redesigned by the same architect.

1972: REPLACED PREMABHAI HALL BUILDING

The new architecture for the hall was designed by Balkrishna Doshi

2018: DYSFUNCTIONAL PREMABHAI HALL SINCE 1990s The hall as of today with busy square full of street vendors.

2019 Till date has been dysfunctional until Nov 2019 where AMC passes proposal to develop the hall as city’s new cultural centre

TIMELINE

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1. Premabhai Hall by Balkrishna Doshi, 1972 2. Bank of India by Achyut Kanvinde, 1966 3. Bhadra Plaza occupied by vendors 4. Gujarat Book Depot 5. Bhadra Fort

6. Bhadrakali Temple 7. Karanjbagh Park 8. Karanj Police Station 9. Traffic flow from Nehru Bridge 10. Underground space, possible for parking expansion

11. Shah Khoob Mosque, (1400s) 12. Teen Darwaza, (1415) 13. Connecting road towards Ellis Bridge

SITE

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CONTEXT: OLD CITY Modern buildings in India are facing high risk today. Some are under threat of demolition while some are under maintained and closed to public.

Although majority of modern buildings are still in use, there are some embedded in the urban scape of the cities that aren’t functioning. One such is the site Premabhai Hall. Designed by renowned architect B.V.Doshi, this hall lies in the centre of the city of Ahmedabad. The position of the building is so unique in itself. The east side of Ahmedabad, also known as Old City, is the site of the city’s first settlement. 600 years of historic layers can be seen in the city’s old part. Sitting close to the bank of River Sabarmati, Premabhai Hall acts as the threshold to the vernacular housing settlement sprawling in East, called Pol Houses.

Built in 1970s this hall was constructed as a replacement to the original structure of 1930. Doshi known for his modernist approach, designed the building in monolithic concrete character. Sitting as a sphinx one may say, it overlooks the historic site of Bhadra Plaza and is adjacent to Bhadra Fort. This juxtaposition of the buildings creates a unique dialog in itself. The auditorium worked only for first five years after which it was shut down due to insufficient service qualities. Since then the auditorium has not been in use and has been lying as a gigantic concrete block for over 30 years. It faced the threat of demolition few years ago by the municipality, but was preserved by the redevelopment of Bhadra Plaza in 2014.

SITE & USERS Bhadra Plaza as of today is one of the most crowded places in Ahmedabad. In its redevelopment plan, majority of the vehicular circulation and means of controlling the traffic was reconfigured. It houses one of the densest commercial area filled with vendors and shop. The day vendors here use temporary setups from morning to night. The atmosphere thrives with culture and color. One can observe interesting relationship between the vendors and the site boundaries which can be explored as an intervention by integrating them into the lower level of the site.

PREMISE

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MATERIALITY & SPATIAL QUALITY Auditoriums as a space are built to keep out light, Premabhai Hall is a space where one easily perceive the dark spaces inside, heavily hinted by the use of concrete as complete structure. Since the largest space, which is the hall with stage and seating are the darkest, the idea is to explore the skin of the building to bring in natural light much as the spatial quality in existing spaces such as foyer and the balcony.

CONCEPT

the void as the building the mass as the open space

conceptual sketch of different kind of interactions in the streets of old city of ahmedabad

When the elites were involved in envisioning the city as cultural centre by investing in institutions, the worker community of the textile industry, who occupied most of the old city were amissed.

The rapid modernization in post-independence architecture, slowly strengthened towards western side and hence leaving the worker population out of the loop in the process. This gave birth to gaps on different aspects between the east and the west side. Majority of cultural places in Ahmedabad are unbeknownst created that as a result limits itself to upper economical society (the west side).

The idea here is to bridge the gap and create a centre that becomes the place of interaction, a place of opportunities, a place of resources and a place of discoveries. The dialogue lies between the outside and the inside, the mass are the people in the plaza whereas the site is the void.

Keeping the context and the site condition in mind, a Cultural Exchange Centre is proposed in Premabhai Hall which celebrates both the locals and their identity in the space which was made with modern approach. The centre caters immediate activities and also provides ground for interaction by including Social, Cultural and Commercial activities.

The centre remains unbiased to the people of the city. It is an open space with library as a supporting medium and the auditorium as a multifunctional space that can be utilized for functions for small groups to large groups.

PREMISE

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CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTRE The program is inspired from SESC Pompeia by Lina Bo Bardi in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the functions cater to the activities of the neighborhood.

Cultural Exchange Centre is imagined as a non-profit organization which is occupied in Premabhai Hall. It houses functions of social, cultural and commercial nature for the neighborhood. Over the years, the local vendors have occupied the surrounding of the dysfunctional auditorium and utilizing the walls for shade and support to sell their products. Taking into account the habit over the years, the commercial activity by C.E.C is provided as market street for the vendors on the ground floor at the core of the building. The space is opened out to allow free movement and occupation by the vendors.

By clearing the front density of the vendors, the entrance is opened out as a shaded seating area with a recessed reception to welcome people for help and support. The large pivoted doors opens out towards the plaza allowing people to enter. The main activities takes place on the upper levels of the building. The open and the entrance foyer on the first level is the main gathering space with C.E.C Cafe providing tea and snacks. The foyer is kept minimal with intervention and allows to adapted for mass gatherings or temporary events. The cafe can extend out to the open foyer overlooking the plaza.

The seating steps of the auditorium on the lower level are morphed into C-Shape levels, taking inspiration from the ancient stepwells that provided configuration for interaction. These steps converge to a mini stage, an extension from the main stage.

This extension allows for different scale of activities to occur without getting intimidated by the scale of the volume.

The library and reading spaces on the upper level takes the advantage of the disconnectedness of the volume to allow people to move away from the crowd of the lower level to immerse into books overlooking the old city. The library holds an extension of the Government Book Depot currently housed in the adjacent part of the Bhadra Fort.

NEW PROGRAM

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SPATIAL POSSIBILITIES The first response to the site was its volumetric compositions which gives it a unique character.

These volumes are majorly disconnected from each other accept the stage and the audience seating.

The pockets of space formed in the site and the surrounding context are large enough to allow activities to occur as public domain. The focus is to create different degrees of public spaces from the ground floor being the densest to the top being silent zone.

exploring volumes

relationship with adjacent buildings

ANALYSIS + ZONING

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INTERIOR IMAGES

SCALE 1:200 0

2

5

GROUND FLOOR / PLAZA LEVEL

10 M

PARKING

MARKET C.E.C RECEPTION & ENTRANCE

BOI ENTRANCE

C.E.C ENTRANCE FORT SIDE ENTRANCE

DEMOLITION PLAN

C.E.C ENTRANCE & THE MARKET

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SCALE 1:200 0

2

5

FOYER & AUDITORIUM LEVEL

10 M

STORE

THE C.E.C CAFE GATHERING SPACE

OPEN FOYER

DEMOLITION PLAN

THE C.E.C CAFE

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SCALE 1:200 0

2

5

FOYER & AUDITORIUM LEVEL

10 M

ENTRANCE LOBBY THE C.E.C STEPS

MINI STAGE

MAIN STAGE

DEMOLITION PLAN

THE C.E.C STEPS

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SCALE 1:200 0

2

5

UPPER LEVEL

10 M

READING SPACES BOOKSHOP LIBRARY

LIFT FROM FOYER

THE C.E.C LIBRARY

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SCALE 1:200 0

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10 M

LOW DENSITY MEDIUM DENSITY HIGH DENSITY

MARKET STREET AT THE CORE OF THE BUILDING

EXISTING BALCONY CAN BE OCCUPIED FOR LARGE SCALE EVENTS

PARKING

CAFE AND FOYER

THE INTERVENTION ADDRESSES THE DENSITY OF PEOPLE PER SPACE FROM GROUND FLOOR BEING THE MOST PUBLIC SPACE TO LIBRARY ON UPPER LEVEL PRESENTING THE SILENT SIDE OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

C.E.C ENTRANCE & RECEPTION NEW CONCISED MULTIPURPOSE HALL FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES

LIBRARY, BOOKSHOP, READING SPACE

SECTION THROUGH STAGE

SCALE 1:300 2

5

10 M

PLAZA

OPEN FOYER

C.E.C ENTRANCE RECEPTION

LIFT LOBBY

SHOP

FOYER

ENTRANCE

UP

PASSAGE FORT SIDE

LIFT LOBBY

UP

SHOP

SHOP

ENTRANCE

CAFE

LADIES TOILET

LADIES TOILET

GENTS TOILET

MARKET GENTS TOILET

GENTS TOILET

MINI STAGE

ENTRANCE LOBBY

AC SHAFT

AC SHAFT

AC SHAFT

GEAR ROOM

PREP ZONE

A.H.U. ROOM A C PLANT ROOM

UP

ENTRANCE LOBBY

LADIES TOILET

UP

0

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AC SHAFT

MAIN STAGE

PREP ZONE

TWO WHEELER PARKING PASSAGE BEHIND STAGE

PARKING

PLAN AT PLAZA LEVEL

PLAN AT FOYER LEVEL

PLANS

SCALE 1:300 2

5

10 M

READING SPACE LIBRARY

LIFT LOBBY

LIFT LOBBY

LIFT LOBBY

BOOK SHOP

LIFT LOBBY

UP

UP

UP

UP

FOYER BELOW

STORE ENTRANCE LOBBY

ENTRANCE LOBBY

LADIES TOILET

LADIES TOILET

LADIES TOILET

GENTS TOILET

MINI STAGE

GENTS TOILET

UP

GENTS TOILET

UP

0

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AC SHAFT

AC SHAFT

UP

AC SHAFT

AC SHAFT UP

PREP ZONE

MAIN STAGE

PREP ZONE

PREP ZONE

PASSAGE BEHIND STAGE

PASSAGE BEHIND STAGE

PLAN AT AUDITORIUM LEVEL

PREP ZONE

PLAN AT UPPER LEVEL

PLANS

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The four desirable qualities of the public realm: (i) universal access (open to all); (ii) neutral territory (free from coercive forces); (iii) inclusive and pluralist (accepting and accomodating difference); (iv) symbolic and representative of the collective and of sociability (rather than individuality and privacy).

PLAZA EXTENDING INSIDE THE BUILDING FOR THE VENDORS

UNIVERSAL ACCESS THROUGH ORGANIZATION CORE OF THE BUILDING WITH OPEN ACCESS FOR THE CITY TO PASS BY

Programmatically C.E.C is open for all the citizens, however spatially the building has always stood aloof with a starkness radiating from its mass. Ineherently the building has a strong inward characteristic, by being an auditorium, the form focuses on the stage, the performer.

To take a hint from the nature of the building and its spotaneous use by the people on its periphery, the building is spatially opened out to let the people seep in. It is a response to the daily users of the building who are now given access within its core and continue with their routine.

The side facade of the ground floor with a recessed wall is hollowed out throughout to create a passage passing through the building. This passage creates a semi open under structure of the building to let the vendors occupy and take advantage of its shade.

Hereby shifting the density of the vendors from the front facade to the core, lets the original entrance to the building to reactivate as the entrance to C.E.C. The wide opening with large metal pivoted doors can be opened up enough to create an alcove of seating area in front of the reception.

C.E.C ENTRANCE ON THE MAIN FRONT ROAD ALLOWING PEDESTRIANS TO FREELY WALK INSIDE THE CENTRE AS WELL AS THE MARKET CORE.

The large wide opening on the three sides of the building creates a perforated free atmosphere for people to walk in through or pass by.

The accessibility to the building and its function is thereby enhanced and emphasized with the help of these subtracting process.

ACCESSIBILITY

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The four desirable qualities of the public realm:

BUILD

TEXTURE

(i) universal access (open to all); (ii) neutral territory (free from coercive forces); (iii) inclusive and pluralist (accepting and accomodating difference); (iv) symbolic and representative of the collective and of sociability (rather than individuality and privacy).

NEUTRALITY THROUGH MATERIALS With the aim of equal opportunities for all in a Centre, the idea of neutral territory becomes imperative to explore. While programmatically the space is open for all kinds of users, spatially the neutral territory is reflected with the choice of material for the intervention. The materials under consideration are conceived in two types: (i) build, that constitutes the structural elements and (ii) texture for soft furnishing and adding a dimension of sensorial experience. The materials under: (i) Build: Indian Patent Stone Flooring and colored polished concrete flooring, reclaimed / recycled and polished wood, perforated metal sheet and sections (ii) Texture: Jute, Cotton, Wicker, plants such a bougainvillea for more coverage and its longevity Ahmedabad climatically being a hot and dry region, materials such as jute, wicker combined with the greens is aimed to soften the mass of the concrete walls. The overall material palate consists of materials that are inexpensive that can be found in any kind of economic household. The native crafts of Ahmedabad region include both wicker and wood furniture, which can be seen in early 70s modern buildings. The palate is put together with aim of creating a non-intimidating atmosphere which negates any arising experience of bias for a user in the space. The texture of the exposed concrete remains in its existing state, apart from the changes required for the flooring. The idea of the materiality also aims for a longer life and thereby reducing the pertaining maintenance for the building of such scale. The neutral territory is emphasized by the robustness of the concrete which has been withstanding through years.

MATERIALITY

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The four desirable qualities of the public realm: (i) universal access (open to all); (ii) neutral territory (free from coercive forces); (iii) inclusive and pluralist (accepting and accomodating difference); (iv) symbolic and representative of the collective and of sociability (rather than individuality and privacy).

INCLUSIVENESS AND THE IDEA OF COLLECTIVE THROUGH ELEMENTS The form of the elements in the intervention as explained in the diagram intepretes and promotes group activities. It allows to generate discussions as well as create opportunity for interaction to happen.

The auditorium steps morphed into stepped C shape levels both allows a two way dialouge as well as group participation. The concrete benches in the foer are designed to house interactions that are inwards and ones that as outwards opening towards the rest of the space.

The alcoves on the ground floor forming the shops and corners for people to occupy symbolically reflects the adaptive use of the space by the people on its periphery.

COLLECTIVE INFERENCE The overall approach to the project has been usercentric by perception and anticipation of their behaviour towards the space. For long the building has been standing still like a rock amidst the dynamic crowd, it is but natural to infuse the energy outside into the building, to let is become part of the realm and not as an object.

Public realm in Indian context has always reflected the community spirit but it lacks complete freedom.

This freedom is given to the public realm by minimal intervention and maximal interaction to involve them inside the building not to be intimidated but rather to be housed and cherised just like its exterior.

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THE C.E.C CAFE / FOYER

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THE C.E.C LIBRARY & BOOKSHOP

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Year 2020.

While the world was on pause, we were still in motion, virtually.

It wouldn’t have been a complete study if not for Shaurya Patel, Caitanya Patel, Shivam Choudhary, Vishnu Asrith and Vruti Shah. Thank you for helping me collect information on Premabhai Hall by sharing your experience, ideas, images and data.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS