CHURCHES: BRUSSELS & COLOGNE

The Brussels Church (S.Gudule) and Cologne Church are two finest example of Gothic Architecture, but moving in line with ecclesiastical architecture of early 1200 to 1475 AD. It shows the influences from french church architecture but depicting early tendencies of Romanesque characteristics. The architecture of both the churches are governed by similar plan and similar volume of nave and aisles. Both of them evolved over a period of time hence It represent the tall & flamboyant features of Gothic architecture along with ornate and pleated features of arches and plan form of Romanesque Architecture. 

The other examples of hybrid  church architecture of Gothic and Romanesque are Stephan's Church, Vienna, Notre-Dam de Pamele, Antwerp Cathedral. (Refer to Blog: Chuch in Lund, Sweden: 07/05/2016)

COLOGNE CHURCH

BRUSSELS CHURCH

DECODING EVERYDAY

The KRVIA masters thesis presented by Shalaka on "Representing Third place " brings about the argument of representation of every day. The thesis argued that the Cartesian system of mapping and representing manages to engrave the rational and logical framework of functioning of cities. In such endeavor of representation, it often misses out the everyday component of the urban experience. The everyday of urban experiences constitute many overlapping of ideas and imagination, with complimenting or contradictory meanings embedded in aesthetic, intellectual, social, political and economic necessities. 

The understanding of everyday begins with the ephemeral presence of experiences that have sense of simultaneity, multiplicity, which in turn gives character to the place and city. The thesis attempts to decode the "Lived" dimension of everyday through its investigation in spatial and temporal grains and builds the symbiotic relation among such diverse components. 

The urban components moved from various tangible scales and dimensions to intangible realm of sensorial aspects. The third place derives its impetus from third space (Edward Soja) where it argues on notion of space through spatiality and spontaneity. The method is speculative, open for interpretation, vibrant & full of surprises and spontaneity. The demonstration of the thesis raises lots of question: how much it yields the geographical configuration of place, how do we quantify constitutionality of perception and behavior and what is the role of place making in the entire process or how do local history contributes in understanding of everyday.

Perhaps this may be the beginning of the conceptualization note of irregular or undisciplined aspects of Indian cities. The developed framework may have limitation in representation of intense everyday as it always requires to re-configure as per the site conditions, yet navigating the argument through the first layer of components of everyday narratives brings theoretical conception of fundamental argument on representation.

KRVIA MASTERS STUDIO: HOUSING AND WATER SYSTEM IN KOLKATA

The KRVIA Master's studio continued its academic exploration into various kind of housing systems and its typological formation in different geographical landscape. The Daman explored the housing through the settlement pattern of indigenous community and its development into an Industrial town. The Jodhpur housing studio explored the idea of topography, network of history & heritage,  and existing water bodies. The Kolkata studio takes the theme forward into the realm of water systems that typically defines the pattern formation of the city. 

The studio intended to explore the four key areas, namely: Urbanization and Wetland Systems, History and Evolution Pattern, Environmental Systems and Occupational necessities & Housing Typologies and Transformation. The various conditions were explored to encompass the intended study areas: The Historic Core, The Canal Settlements, The Pukurs (Water Bodies), The Wetlands and Periphery.  The studio documented the existing conditions based on topography, community, land and governance through the lens of history, water systems & watershede, migration and occupational demand, ownership and informality. The studio further developed the GIS method for documentation and transect method for representation the complex reality and existing networks.

The design interventions were derived from the complex relationship of all the parameter that has pushed the haphazard development within historic areas, informal development along the canal, unresponsive development of new housing systems to its immediate water edge and degradation of environmental system through industrial wastage. 

The Kolkata housing studio helped in raising the methodical question and issues that enables the urban design and conservation strategies. The aim of the studios has always been about exploring methods and bring forth the idea of what are the core issues in urban transformation.

 HISTORIC CORE

 CANAL

 PUKUR'S

 WETLANDS

PERIPHERIES