Culture To Space

Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Gurgaon

Project idea

“Dull, inert cities, it is true. do contain the seeds of their own destruction and little else, lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seed of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves,”- Jane Jacobs

The design takes a contextualize programmatic approach and hence, the idea of place-making gets intensely reinforced
The project aims to translate a strong sense of community and a substantial cultural identity; to articulate diverse yet coherent socio-cultural experiences of generous space. Connecting the metro concourse to the programme enables user dynamicity, a design that focuses on integrating the building into the surrounding urban fabric, making it more permeable to the bustle of everyday life.

Project description

Mixing functions is Sustainable & Resilient and brings economic and social success to a city. Vibrant cities require a diverse mix of users, bringing different types of activity to spaces at all times throughout the day. The most effective way to achieve this is by mixing different functions within the same building—the mixed-use building.
Like a modern version, the new Central Market will be a city in microcosm. It will unite high-end retail and luxury goods shops with individual courtyards and alleys, together with food markets and craft-based trades specific to the region. Avoiding the generic feel of the universal shopping mall, the scheme will fuse the local vernacular with global aspirations. A place that plays with the essences of dualities like Inside-Outside, dark- light; strengthening the concept of Placemaking.

It’s not just a typical introverted Shopping mall building. The external terraces on the building’s stepped roof make this connection reciprocal: the building is a real part of the city, while the city is an integral part of the users’ experience of the building. The design restructures each side of the mall, opening up the building to the street and adding a vast public roof garden. The project strives to reconnect the shopping center with the facilities in its immediate context. A rearrangement of terraces has provided a direct connection with the metro concourse, and the restructured main east entrance provides access to visitors arriving from the metro ground floor and Three-wheeler station.

The Form is peeled open from various locations and thus becomes a place for the public to inhabit. It becomes part of the city. In line with ideas of transparency and permeability evident in the scheme, a design that allows everyday life to permeate the complex, by extending the street both through the building and over it, via a network of stairs, ramps, balconies, and escalators. By connecting the building with its surroundings, making the upper levels attractive again, and adding attractions to the roof, often turning them into vertical neighborhoods and an integral part of the city. The projects conceived civic spaces as urban condensers that catalyze a public realm of activity to enrich creativity and community; allowing space itself to enhance our understanding and well-being.

Technical information

Site Location: Sector 54, Gurugram, Haryana, India
Site Area: 8,000 sqm.
Programmes: Commercial; Mall typology
Keywords: Democratic Spaces, Resilient Places, Dynamic, Urban Catalyst, Placemaking