Discovering Indian culture through architecture

Backstory

Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first prime minister), India saw the formation of various new academies and retrofitting of heritage buildings with cultural institutions. This was done to bring arts and traditional crafts into the urban limelight. After his death, the vision was carried forward by the forthcoming governments in the 1970s.

A new draft stating the need for cultural revival and sustaining India’s intangible and tangible heritage was drawn. The intent was to give a platform for practitioners of this traditional art form and educate others about these in an accessible urban forum.

This is how the vision of ‘India House’ or ‘Bharat Bhavan’ was born, envisioned to be built in each of the 21 states (in 1970).  It was imagined to be a cultural centre that spoke this vision through a series of galleries and exhibition/performance spaces.

It currently houses some of the best and most lasting creations that were created within the towns, villages and forests of India. India has embraced similar public venues and cultural institutions after this building, however, this was the only ‘India House' built. The original plan of having one in each state did not reach realization.

If we could ever implement this vision where every state could have a Bharat Bhavan in the context of today, how would it be?

Brief

If we perceive a similar vision made possible today, what story would you tell about the place through architecture? How will this new cultural venue bridge the ideas of the place - country and the world? How will your design speak of the newer interpretations and aspirations of its people, its culture, its daily life and its embodiment into a particular centre like this?

This is how the vision of ‘India House’ or ‘Bharat Bhavan’ was born, envisioned to be built in each of the 21 states (in 1970). It was imagined to be a cultural centre that spoke this vision through a series of galleries and exhibition/performance spaces. 

This competition looked at an idea of how Bharat Bhavan 2020 will look like in the context of today. The participants were free to choose their own states from the republic of India and build these design ideas to an architecture outcome based on the original vision of Charles Correa and the Indian Govt.

The jury for the competition consisted of esteemed designers, professionals and academicians from around the world. The Lead Jurors for the competitions were as follows: 

Ishan Grover Design Director, Karan Grover & Associates, India

Pranab Kishore Das Proprietor, P.K. DAS & ASSOCIATES, India

Jesús Arcos Partner & COO, Aldayjover architecture and Landscape, Spain

Eduardo García Architect, Amas4Arquitectura_Urbanismo, Spain

Winning Project: Bharat Bhavan - Sanvaad - "A Dialogue"

By: Pradeep Nadar, Jeevan Pawaskar & Ankit Patil

Description: Bharat Bhavan in the state of Kashmir is an attempt to revive hope and to connect the people of the place to the citizens of the country and a step towards setting an alternative lens for the world which is beyond fear and tears. 

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Winning Project: PODS IN THE FOREST

By: Pratyush

Description: The project of Bharat Bhavan of the 21st century, is envisaged to NOT be a standalone and isolated building in a parcel of land. Rather it is imagined as an architecture of distributed buildings that are hovering over and connecting existing cultural facilities of a Garden, a Museum and Fine Arts College in the city of Vadodara in India

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Runner - Up: Bharat Bhavan 2020 - Kanchi Koodu

By: Jegan Muralidharan & Saru Kumar

Description: ART + ARCHITECTURE + PEOPLE Kancheepuram being a diverse city with various immense cultural practices and traditional professions which is evolved with the strongest correlation with architecture throughout history. It consists of four major temples, each acts as a cultural hub by itself and collect

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Runner - Up: Beneath, Beyond, and Unbound

By: Chandana Rao

Description: This project set in Fort Kochi, Kerala aims to create a third space in the city of Kochi, by means of this project. A third space according to sociologist Ray Oldenberg, is a local hub, a community space, which is home away from home, it is a place that people get together for no other reason except the joy of being there.

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People’s Choice: PLUG-IN

By: Shridhar Rao, Amit & Rana Sarkar

Description: The BHARAT BHAVAN finds its identity within its CONNECTS to the multi-layering of the Hybrid Programs acting as a PLUG-IN within the existing ecology.

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People’s Choice: KalaSetu

By: Palash Trivedi & Ravi Thacker

Description: A place where art persists for itself, dissolved in the dynamic public space of a foot-over bridge, it provides multiple opportunities to the public to engage with arts and artists and provokes thought to inspire the artist within. Thus, it is an attempt of proliferating arts by bridging the gap between arts, culture, and life.

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Editor’s Choice: Na.M.A.S.T.E. Bhavan

By: Karan Daisaria

Description: Welcome to the center of Mind and Aqua Healing for new-age India, the Na.M.A.S.T.E. Bhavan. As India splurges through the brunts of mass urbanization, the 2 essentials striving for revival are the water habitats of India and the mental health of it's citizens. Varanasi welcomes the (Na)tional (M)ind & (A)qua (S)anitizing (T)angible (E)nvironment.

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Editor’s Choice: Manzil-e-Hindustan

By: SMG Design Studio

Description: As a meeting point of people, cultures, trade, geographies, and climatic zones Hyderabad is a unique city. Bharat Bhavan by the lake - Axial planning with Rocks of Deccan in focus, courtyards, traditional Bazaar Street, curved roof, terraced gardens, temple square entrance courts create an interesting built environment of a vibrant cultural venue for people

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Institutional Excellence Award: Bharat Bhavan 2020

By: Vishnu Prakash

Description: The New age Bharat Bhavan aims to act as a communal and cultural hub in the modern world where art and values are often overlooked. The idea is to provide a common platform for exhibition, exchange, and experience of values and knowledge.

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Discover the design brief here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/bharat-bhavan-2020
Discover the full results here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/bharat-bhavan-2020/entries

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