Projects | Studio
PG - MLA - Studio - 2 | Spring 2021 | Intersections between history and culture
  • Student AGAWALA HARDIKKUMAR NAGINBHAI
  • Code PLA20123
  • Faculty Architecture
  • Unit L4 Studio Unit
  • Tutor/s Sandip Patil,Chandrani Chakrabarti
  • TA Aishwarya Goel

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Corridor to past. Surat is a large port city on the coast of Gujarat and situated beside the Tapi River. The History of Surat dates back hundreds of years, and there are many important nodes and corridors in the city. The corridor chosen here is a historically meaningful route through which people or goods were moved. So, the idea is to reduce impacts on environmental resources for people, and minimize impacts on the natural environment, and reflect historical and cultural context. 

Being a polycentric City with 16 cores in total. The great port of Surat in western India dominated trade between the sixteenth and eighteenth century. Surat’s City centre that brought the diversity & competition of the traditions.
Street analysis : Reading the heritage street.
Street analysis : Question of the study is Why people are enjoying shopping at Chauta Bazar? Informal roadside vendors and old shopping streets are the reason for the main shopper attraction. 90% of people that visit the Chauta Bazar and chowk areas are Shoppers and vendors. 10% of people visit the chowk area just to hang out.
Inferences and strategies : The liveliness of a street in terms of activities is already there, but users are not using it. Due to the abundance for many years, people started to ignore it too. If we wanted to revive history and culture at the same time, we can target activities that are already there. Like, festivals, marriages, and labor Naka that changes its feature at a different time.
Master plan : There will be a multi-functional open space on a street, which changes as it caters to different activities at various times. It will sustain the heritage and cultural space, it will also become a wholesome public realm on a bigger scale. Streets are adopted by the public, they are ‘cohabited spaces,’ ‘lifeworlds,’ and ‘a theatre of contiguity, change, conflict, and conviviality’. They serve not only as corridors for circulation and open spaces for recreation, but also as canvases for public expression against political regimes, social events, and religious rites.
Base plan : The node blends the four interconnected plaza which serves unique programs. The Historical plaza, along with the exhibition and awareness program, celebrates the past. The Shanivari plaza becomes a primary destination for a weekend flea market. Other than special exhibitions, the Cultural plaza acts as a food hub while the Ecological plaza creates a flex space within the public realm.
Taking a walk to the heritage street.
Seasonality of spaces : In different times and seasons, they will feel different seasons, festivals, and public gatherings. Space will change its nature every day in terms of programs breaking the monotony of this everyday journey. These plaza spaces are created in a manner that will articulate different time bounds. For example - shaniwari plaza shows a weekly change, the ecological plaza shows a seasonal change and the cultural plaza narrates a daily change and yearly change of festivals.
Materials on street : This section investigates these innovations as part of a flexible approach to street design and safety, focusing in particular on the curb side as a malleable space bridging the sidewalk and the street. It also caters to the strong Dutch team to mimic the old historical era.
Conclusion : Streets must not function as mere movement and infrastructure corridors. Depending on their role in a broader urban context, they must be reimage as lively spaces where people can see other people and be seen, where they can meet and interact. The image of the city and its attractiveness to visitors to a large extent depend on its street life.