Urban installation: City tour information centre:Colombo

Project idea

The design project was to create an installation in a selected site in the city of Colombo. Theoretically project may sound simple and light but the study in to the project is aimed at a higher understanding of recognizing the urban fabric, physical and live elements of the city and reflects the essence architecturally in respect to the needs, function and life of the city. A complex web of the hierarchies, patterns, activities, nodes come together in creating the life of the city.

Project description

The design project was to create an installation in a selected site in the city of Colombo. Theoretically project may sound simple and light but the study in to the project is aimed at a higher understanding of recognizing the urban fabric, physical and live elements of the city and reflects the essence architecturally in respect to the needs, function and life of the city. A complex web of the hierarchies, patterns, activities, nodes come together in creating the life of the city.
The selected site for the project is behind the old town hall at the end of Main Street in Pettah, commonly known as Gas works junction. Old town hall, a quiet old building stands amidst the loud and noisy streets of Pettah, the adjoining market which was earlier a part of the town hall complex and the site for the selected project forms a triangle which is the Gas works junction. The project for the selected site is a Colombo city tour information/operations centre which in simple terms provides and plans tours for the locals and foreign tourists alike for sight-seeing and getting to know the city of Colombo. The function of the project acts not just as a tour guide operation where the users are taken in to few important buildings of the city. It acts as a booster for the life of the city, brings back the forgotten historical monuments to life and makes sure that the city remains full of life in present while intact with its historical roots. The contextual character in Pettah and Fort, which forms the immediate context of the site, is a good example for the palimpsest of the city. Fort and Pettah while being developed are constantly active and more chaotic consisting of oldest of grand buildings belonging to the Pre- independence era, to the shop houses and market stalls and vendors on streets. The vibrant, diverse and dynamic characters of the context provide inevitable and effortless potential to the project to act as a controlling hub of links throughout the city.
The conceptual approach to the project was mainly based on the functional observation that in a city like Colombo, where the life is hectic and movements are fast, users respond to and are stimulated by the visual attractions and rise of curiosity rather than the quest for awareness and knowledge. This initial thought guided the entire design process to provide stimuli to the human component of the city to come intact with the city. To create an effortless pull to the installation was the main target. In order to do so, visual elements like mini city tour balloons -this allows the user to explore the city in a bird eye view point and makes an attraction to non-intentional users as well, physical interlinks, shading devices in the cross streets making the space graphical and informative, 24 hour active walking tours, are introduced. These activities are aimed at connecting the layers of the city through the user exploring it.
The architectural response to this design approach derived of the respect to the context and the old town hall building which is now a fading neglected structure. The installation has to stand on its own while complementing this once grand and significant monument. The entrance to the centre was therefore created through the old town hall making sure the user enters and explores the building to enter. A grid structure is introduced as the main structural element. The plug in feature of the grid structure allows the internal volume to transform according to the activity taking place inside. The grid lines are planned aligned with the columns and grids of the old town hall and the market. Therefore the installation derives out of the existing building and is in harmony with the context. It also acts as a backdrop to the old town hall signifying the monument and reflecting the function of the project which is to provide the boost for the elements of the city not to function as an isolated object.
The internal spaces of the installation are spherical volumes made within the grid. The waiting area and the reception form the main two spaces. The orderly grid structure contrasts to the main internal space in its spherical and free form. The reception is a sphere projecting to the grid structure and the main waiting area is another spherical volume with a simple layout. It acts as the first impression of the city with activities like movies/documentaries on the city projected to the surrounding walls, bean bags and care free layouts. From the main waiting are the sub spaces formed in upper levels and lower levels. The upper level directs the user to the mini city tour balloons; the lower level spaces direct the user to the bus city tours, bicycle rides, walking tours and water transport tours via the port. Therefore the installation, staying true to its function, physically and functionally extends and links the city acting a nodal point.
The criticism to the project from the jurors was an insight to the opposite end of the design thinking process. Maybe the project could have been a subtle and quiet approach contrasting to the noisy and loud character of the context? Would it have been better to explore effortless pull of users through harmonious architectural form instead of the attention seeking structure and form? The answer and response to the above mentioned possibility is the character of the city itself. Rather the nature of the human behaviour in a fast moving congested city. In the modern life, no one has time for wandering around to know better or to see better. People are driven by the need to get from point A to B in the fastest way possible. To create an effortless pull, an attention seeking loud architectural language was needed. To function and thrive in the city, the installation was a chaos to create harmony.

Technical information

The internal spaces of the installation are spherical volumes made within the grid. The waiting area and the reception form the main two spaces. The orderly grid structure contrasts to the main internal space in its spherical and free form. The reception is a sphere projecting to the grid structure and the main waiting area is another spherical volume with a simple layout. It acts as the first impression of the city with activities like movies/documentaries on the city projected to the surrounding walls, bean bags and care free layouts. From the main waiting are the sub spaces formed in upper levels and lower levels. The upper level directs the user to the mini city tour balloons; the lower level spaces direct the user to the bus city tours, bicycle rides, walking tours and water transport tours via the port. Therefore the installation, staying true to its function, physically and functionally extends and links the city acting a nodal point.