By Savitha Hira
Oftenin the excitement of appreciating the finished product, one convenientlyforgets the hub of activity and ruminating ideas that have gone into creatingit. We bring you the process of designwith this hotel project at Bodhgaya, where we take you through Ar. ShimulJhaveri Kadri’sstep-wise conceptual presentation, as she relates the design behind the design…
In2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodhgaya, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 2010, architectShimul Jhaveri Kadri, known for the intrinsic connect with her clients and the deliverableswas asked to design a hospitality project for the visiting pilgrims here.
Eversince I’ve known Shimul over the last 16 years, thewoman behind the architect surfaces each time she is faced with a challenge,taking a strategic course that ascertains project-pertinent resolutions andinfuses it holistically with its individualistic essence.
Herrecent foray into “religious tourism”, as she calls it, with hospitalityprojects at Tirupati, Rishikesh and Bodhgaya have brought to life yet anotherside of the designer as she delves deeply into the contextual elements andliterally evolves her design from the cultural cauldron of a place ensconced inits idiosyncratic teachings and influences.
With a deep understanding of the pragmatics and the sentiments involved in this sector of religious tourism, Shimul, in her customary style, first concretized her thoughts with a recce of the geographic location, the ethos of the people and the place, and the interface between both, dominant and subtle architectural nuances that embody Bodhgaya.
At Bodhgaya, Buddhism prevails... in the architectural vocabulary of the East-Asian influences, where the religious sect was predominantly practiced.
Using these architectural references as take-off points in her design, the Mumbai-based architect has categorically created her structure - with allegorical references to the windows, roofs, kund, courts and courtyards etc.
Spreadacross 70,000 sq. ft., the site proposes to house a U-shaped ground plus two-storeystructure that has a mélange of inside and outside spaces.
Local materials and local building techniques abound in this ethereally influenced serene pilgrim resort
Creatingfrom the inherent characteristics of the local architecture and giving back tothe people in an attempt at bonding them with the pilgrimage site, the proposedhotel project strives to give definition to the design exercise in its holisticensemble.
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