Who wrote "Baans Ghari"?

This article was written by Akash Ganguly and published on uni.xyz, a platform for design professionals and creative thinkers.

What is "Baans Ghari" about?

This article covers topics related to Sustainable Design, Architecture. "Baans Ghari" (Nepali) translates to "Bamboo Forest"

Baans Ghari - uni.xyz

The project is situated in the small Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim on the rooftop of the Lall Bazaar market building in the capital, Gangtok

The rooftop is an interesting space to experience because of the wide range of activities being carried out there. Temporary markets pop up on this rooftop every month. Visitors like to enjoy the scenic beauty and grab a cup of tea at the fast food kiosk. Skate Konnect, a community of young skateboarders have set up their base here. They are leading a new urban sub-culture in the Himalayan state, helping underprivileged kids find passion in sport and movement, keeping them away from drug abuse and violence.

In the changing urban landscape, it is important to incorporate elements in architecture that appeal to the youth and give them the freedom to experiment, revel and transform.

The hybrid pavilion is a fine example of the amalgamation of traditional building materials/methods and futuristic, flexible forms. It encourages the youth to break out of the shackles of stigma and freely express themselves to find their own style and calling.

The pavilion aims to mimic the form of the undulating hills as can be seen from the very rooftop. The base of the structure is cast into the ground using 'U' shaped metal hooks into a concrete pad. The rest of the structure can easliy be assembled by lashing, which is the most common prevailing method of bamboo joinery. The tiles may then be simply clamped onto the topmost members.

Bamboo and terracotta are widely used materials in Sikkimese architecture. However, parametricism is a field that is yet to be explored. The pavilion through it's form also aims to inspire the local architects to look deeper around, to notice the patterns in the rich natural resources and realise the potential of the hills and the mountains. The architecture around us greatly influences the nature of a community. Architecture that is closer to the earth also carries with a message that we need to preserve and respect the natural resources that we are blessed with.