This proposal was my undergraduate thesis submitted at the School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University, India, for the completion of Bachelor of Architecture degree.
Cities EVOLVE. A place that had a specific moral yesterday can mean something else today and a different one tomorrow. No context stays static.
Having said that, are we acting conscious of those transformations? Has the progress our communities have made created sensible reflections in our cityscapes? Do our city-building strategies embed visions for the future, or are they just remedies for the present?
I pondered all these questions while viewing the city of Madurai through the lens of urban design and architecture. Madurai, as a city with multiple hues, has rich historical and socio-cultural significance. The city, which emerged as a planned settlement along the southern bank of R. Vaigai, has now expanded almost equally on either side. Literature, art, commerce, religion, and tourism all hold relevance to the city. But the unorganised urbanism of today implants pieces that, in no way, can become part of the whole and strengthen the urban fabric.
Urban Connect as a project explores a water-centric development paradigm for Madurai by positioning the Vandiyur Tank as the 'new growth magnet' and setting a 'new vision for urbanisation'.
Urban pattern and growth of Madurai over time, leading to the clear bifurcation of the North and South, Old and New
The Meenakshi Amman Temple, as the central focal point of the old city, generates and ties up the activities around
Analysis of existing urban edge conditions around the Vandiyur Tank
Graphical interpretations on how this site would connect and bring out the essence of the city of Madurai.
Conceptual Masterplan for Vandiyur Tank Front Area
Conceptual view of the proposed tank-view public deck
In a larger urban network, the role of architecture in isolation might seem smaller. But the impact generated by a building conceived with a larger vision will be much bigger. If the city’s vision was clear, or at least if there ever was a vision, the tank would have earned a face lift decades ago. This project was a humble exploration of setting such an urban vision through an architectural intervention.
Check out the blog '7 Steps for Urban Connect' that I wrote for Hashtag Urbanism to learn more about my process of creating this water-centric spatial narrative for Madurai.
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Interested to see more of my early year experiments in architecture? Browse through my undergraduate portfolio below.
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