The region of South Garo Hills in Meghalaya, India, witnesses close to 10.87 lakh metric tons of jackfruit wastage, worth an estimated value of over USD 50 million every year, due to a lack of infrastructure. A jackfruit processing plant in the remote rural and mountainous settlement of Gulpani Nokat aims to reduce the waste by processing it into value-added products such as canned food, chips, pickles and flour. Creating employment opportunities for the farmers in the region, the building also acts as a community centre for socio-cultural events. Funded by the state government, the hybrid programme spans 5,000 sq ft and is designed by Mumbai-based architecture studio atArchitecture.

The studio, founded by Indian architects Avneesh Tiwari and Neha Rane in 2014, centres its energies on public and social interventions that have often emerged through architectural competitions and commissions by local governments and NGOs. A portfolio spanning projects of various scales and typologies, such as the urban regeneration project at the Brahmaputra Riverfront in Assam, a bamboo pavilion at the 2023 Surajkund Craft Fair (Faridabad, Haryana) to celebrate the craftsmanship of Northeast India and the Home Within House affordable housing scheme in Cambodia, for which the studio won an international competition in 2018, the architects devise bespoke solutions that are grounded in socio-economic, cultural and geographical context.

“The project programme was developed collaboratively on site with the farmers, the Anant Foundation and the Government of Meghalaya. The construction system was adapted to suit local skilled workers experienced in RCC, who form a significant part of the migratory workforce across India,” Tiwari tells STIR. The project involved two groups of farmers: those who grow the crop and the other, a cooperative of 50 farmers, who process the waste, adding value and bringing market connections to the initiative’s benefit. While the government funds capacity building and development, the non-profit organisation Anant Foundation for Innovation and Social Inclusion (AFISI) is responsible for the training of the farmers, drafting business plans and regulating supply chains. The initiative, as stated in a press release, generates over 100 employment opportunities and increases the income of over 4,000 farmers, 60 per cent of whom are women.

Tiwari continues, “The biggest challenge was to build at a minimum cost while ensuring a resilient structure. The section emerged directly from the site conditions and the plan evolved based on the logistics of goods and staff movement. The minimal form of construction and geometric order served both as a sustainable approach and an aesthetic solution.” The remote site requires two days of travel on the road from the nearest airport and witnesses heavy rainfall, frequent floods and earthquakes, lacking a proper road network. To ensure ease of access all year round, atArchitecture strengthened the entry to the site and the building with elevated reinforced cement concrete (RCC) paths, in addition to giving the contextual design a striking yellow colour to visually separate it from the vast natural landscape, making it easily recognisable from afar.

The functions are divided among the four wings of the industrial architecture, devising separate circulation paths for the movement of the staff and the goods, facilitating an uninterrupted flow of activities. The administration area and warehouse on the north wing are connected to the jackfruit factory in the east for easy transportation of goods, while the staff recreation and community spaces are housed in the smaller volumes on the south and west, which can be accessed through the floating pedestrian walkway.

To reduce heat gain in summer, the design minimised the width of the spaces to ensure a slim footprint and limited exposure to the east and west. Built on a raised RCC plinth, the superstructure is made of prefabricated steel trusses that were easy to transport and assemble. Promoting sustainability in both architecture and agriculture practices, the building is powered by solar energy and features rainwater harvesting, in addition to utilising double skin construction to facilitate thermal insulation and indirect natural light from the north to illuminate the spaces.

While the RCC base, a material familiar to the locals, and the silhouette of the roof are reminiscent of the surrounding buildings, the factory is unlike any other. Along with being cost-effective, sustainable architecture is said to be resilient to earthquakes and can potentially act as an emergency shelter for the community in times of disaster. By integrating a public space to host social, cultural and recreational events, the factory instils a sense of belonging among the farmers, allowing them to form deeper connections among themselves and the built environment. Setting an example in contextual and sustainable interventions, the project seeks to pave the way for more thoughtful interventions and infrastructural improvements in the remote region.

Bodies such as the 2017-established AFISI work towards promoting rural economies by raising local livelihoods, establishing an agriculture-based value chain. For the smooth execution and operation of the jackfruit processing plant, the AFISI serves as the essential link that brings together multiple stakeholders—the state government, the architects and the rural communities—to act in the best interest of the underprivileged communities. By adopting a participatory approach, the initiative creates value for every stakeholder, uplifting and empowering the local communities and providing a conducive business and architecture model that appears easily replicable, adaptable and actionable.

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