ART & CULTURAL CENTER FOR GEM RELATED SUPER NATURAL BELIEVES, RATHNAPURA, SRI LANKA

Project idea

1.To reestablish the lost art of gem related supernatural customs
and social values evolve with it.

2.To create a build product ( for Sri Lankan gem industry) with
the concept of gem related supernatural believes

Project description

Comparative to the other indigenous Sri Lankan industries, Rathnapura district has an explicit place for gem industry in Sri Lanka. It has bought vast reputation for our country over the years, nonetheless the course to find them is not a laidback assembly. It takes a massive effort to treasure them, above all, the outcome is very uncertain. This has created a certain set of customs and believes around gem industry by the time. Their belief on underground treasures are haunted by demons, guardian spirits and to gods had become customs and these customs carried part of the heritage and culture evolved on folk social backgrounds. With the time, these principal supernatural customs evolve in the gem industry has been eliminating from those social backgrounds and the social qualities, culture as well as the identity they carried, has been vanishing over the past years. But the issue is at a time these past customs are dying the other end of these gem related supernatural believes are becoming popular over the past few decades. Foreigners as well as locals show massive interest on these believes in the present day. Gemstones takes an immense part of it.
The need is to preserve the customs, the positive culture carried by the past central supernatural system and to reestablish the social qualities such integration which has left the present social context.

The gem related supernatural customs can be use as an essence to amplify the general interest on gemstones, as a raw product in this system. These traditional customs and rituals will add another value to the built product. But in the process, the social interest will grow toward these traditional customs and as a result they will be preserved for many years. Moreover, the past lost social assets will refabricate the social setting by the time.

Technical information

Designed with different construction techniques according to the floor level. Walls are build with perforated concrete panels which provides the natural ventilation with in the building. Connected open spaces at different floor levels allows the natural air flow through out the building. The material of concrete used as a gesture to impersonate the dark concept of supernatural believes in a more welcoming tone.