Commercial Nodule Prototypes in Semi-urban Scenarios

Human settlements undergo vast changes in time. As population rises, settlements sprawl to accommodate more people, thus transforming the existing villages or towns into larger ones. These semi-urban settlements idolize conventional cities and try to have large scale constructures that don’t always harmonize with the local population. These soon tend to pose as pieces of architecture that are irrelevant to the working of budding cities and towns. The functioning of different fields like agricultural, commercial, residential, transit and trade in semi-urban scenarios are impacted accordingly. A typology identified in this study is the development of commercial sector and its current-time necessity in a rapid-developing town like Baramati. The industrial development and rise in population have affected the working of offices and businesses; leading to the emergence of ingrained commercial setups within residential areas. These setups mostly consist of home-bound businesses, small scale shops and services. However, considering inflation and high rents, there has been an increase in such setups, causing a number of issues like nuisance, parking problems, and carrying of infections, on account of the pandemic. The idea emerges as a provision of a better alternative, rather than a conventional commercial complex. The core objective revolves around pointing these small-scale ingrained businesses within the residential sector and extracting them out into a hybrid co-working hub with provisions for living, working, congregating and play, suitable for the local culture of the town. The nature of these hubs can be more corporate or more domestic depending on their location. A micro-relevant system needs to be established to cater to local people, rather than a conventional generalized population. This nodule may be repeated in various residential sectors; thus, establishing an identity for the respective area and making it self-sufficient. This study poses as an example for the predominant semi-urban realm of India, and help restoring convenience to its micro-functioning.