Design05 mins. read
Gandhi and Architecture of the Flame
by Navkirat SodhiOct 29, 2020
A series of residential towers, IT and commercial offices, a hotel and a convention centre that together compose the ITC Campus is set to spring up in Rajarhat, Kolkata, India, with construction underway. Headquartered in Delhi, architecture studio Morphogenesis inculcated the cultural pride and philosophical inclination of the citizens to create an identity for the 17-acre campus that is rooted in its rich culture.
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The mixed land use building features residential towers, commercial offices, a hotel and convention centre Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis -
Master plan of the ITC Campus, Rajarhat Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis -
Initial conceptual sketches by Morphogenesis Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis
Rajarhat, a suburb of the “cultural capital of India”, Kolkata, is being developed to handle the high-density pressures of the city and the ITC Campus is one such initiative of the expansion. With its mixed land use brief, the massing of the buildings was planned along a central spine that runs through the campus, stacking forms to reduce material usage.
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Bengali script adorns the faces of buildings Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis -
The campus is tied together by the artisanal culture of the region Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis
The vibrant artistic and artisanal culture of Bengal intimately brings the mixed-use buildings together by reflecting the region’s literary heritage, music, fine arts, drama and cinema directly on the surfaces of structures. The urban stone frontages on the east and the west of the buildings present themselves as vertical canvasses decorated with intricately carved murals of the Bengal School tradition of art and craft. The intricate Bengali script and Tagore’s writings on the façades inspire the crafted stone face of the lower scale convention centre in proximity.
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The stone façades are covered in carved murals Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis -
Crafts communities of the Bengal tradition were involved throughout the project Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis
Placemaking principles have been employed in the urban space, which will host and rejoice the Bengali socio-cultural ethos of discourse, deliberation and celebration. Evoking images of the traditional pandals (temporary pavilions) that dot the city during festivals, the public spaces have similarly been scattered along the central spine to serve as open-air museums with sculptures and art installations giving it a sense of character.
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Public spaces evoke images of traditional pandals Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis -
Placemaking principles have been employed in the urban space Image: Courtesy of Morphogenesis
Morphogenesis has involved the crafts communities and emerging artists in the Bengal tradition throughout the design process, from the conception of the project to the construction of the final form. The project successfully recaptures the legendary craft of Bengal into the public realm.
Project Details
Name: ITC Campus
Typology: Mixed-use Development
Location: Rajarhat, Kolkata
Completion date: Under construction
Client: ITC Limited
Built-up area: 30,00,000 sq.ft.
Site area: 17 acres
Climate: Warm-Humid
(Text by Ankitha Gattupalli, intern at stirworld.com)
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