the Courbe

                    For as long as one can remember, art has been a major part of our lives. Every art form is a way to communicate, to express, to feel. And for the spectators, experiencing their piece of art is a treat for their senses. Artists find innovative ways of viewing the world around them through their own style of art. For the same reason, they require a space that not only displays their work but also acts as a source of inspiration and learning for their upcoming projects.

Being an artist is extremely tough nowadays, the struggle with the need for a good working studio, company to work and collaborate with, a place to sell the artworks, and whatnot. And so I figured that I could try out a coworking space, and see if it would be helpful to progress my work. As I was searching for some, I came upon the Courbe center, a coworking space for artists practicing different forms of arts, which caught my attention, and I figured I would try it out. As I approached the building, I would have to say that it struck me as something out of a kid's cartoon. It seemed to have a very cheerful, merry, and amusing vibe associated with it. 

The intent behind the designer's idea seemed to be to make the building look like a massive work of abstract art. The building looked different from anywhere one tried to look at it. The vertical circular plates that have been placed seem to provide the building with both structural support and aesthetics. Outside the building is an open dance platform for the dance artists to practice and perform. The site is covered by trees on all sides, so as one approaches the building for the first time, they do so filled with curiosity.

I found a panel in the buildings which gave information and design explanations that were used to create the building. The designers took inspiration from abstract art forms and created shapes that were mostly composed of circles and a few rectangles. They used more curves in their design because many people perceive curves to be creative while straight lines are restrictive. The shapes were then moved around and combined together, to form a usable space on various levels. It was further optimized in order to restrict the built-up area to the defined limits. Function follows Form' was used in the design of this building. The spaces that were required for a coworking space, were optimally placed in the usable space. The entire building has a very open floor plan, with minimal walls so as to give a sense of vastness, and no restrictions.

The main material that has been used in the building, on the various surfaces is plaster. This is very useful because plaster is very easy to clean and maintain. And this is a very important requisite for a space in which there is a lot of work involved with paints. The colors in the building are mainly cream, lavender, and white. This color combination puts the users in a very calm state and the displacement in the material gives them the energy and push required for them to work on their project and with other artists. As the building looks like an art form by itself, it inspires and promotes art to the users and the surrounding. Through all these design moves the designers seem to have created a very fine, satisfactory, and clean place for the artists to work in.

Being an artist it is very difficult to sell our artworks, to a wider community. The building hence also has an exhibition area, where multiple users can rent the panels for their exhibits. This in turn also generates revenue for the building. The design, being drawn from an abstract form is hence not a fixed piece of work, allowing it to blend in with various different contexts, allowing the expansion of this project within the site, and in other sites very effortless, by adding similar abstract shapes, to increase the built form.