THESIS - Centre For Performing Arts,final year arch.2005
INDIAA land of contrast and variety
India is about extremes, vastness, intensity and paradox- all are qualities that describe this ancient culture. The sharp peaks of the Himalayas, the sweltering heat of the great Indian plain, the delicious cool of Kashmir, arid deserts and monsoons in the tropical southwest- all these contrasts and many others are commonplace in India. Tiny villages where the slow pace of life remains the same as in centuries past are connected to teeming urban centers by dirt roads that seemingly stretch to the horizon. Culturally too, India is teeming with variety. There are several subcultures thriving within the composite Indian culture. This variety and diversity impart to the Indian culture. This variety and diversity impart to the Indian culture a mystical dimension and rich spirituality.
The Indian Arts:
The variety, vibrancy and spiritual intensity of the Indian culture translate to the Indian arts and make them as complex and richly colored as the land itself.
The Indian arts collectively represents the essence of the country and reflect its rich heritage and vibrancy of its culture, moreover in the light of the ongoing modernization and social change, the scene of Indian contemporary art takes on even more interesting ones. But at the same time a concern is felt for the future of the arts in India with the nature and extent of change they are faced with at the behest of social forces of the magnitude of urbanization and the resulting mass-migrations from village to the city. In this respect one observes a threat to the survival of regional and sub- regional traditional arts of India and a conflict of vocabulary on the contemporary and modern art scene.
If the arts are to continue to flourish and to be enjoyed in this country a sound infrastructure of buildings for the arts is vital. Well-designed theatres, concert halls and exhibition spaces, and buildings that are sensitively planned, enhance our experience of the arts – the design, acoustics, lighting the way that space is used within a building to represent a performance or objects inevitably affect our perception of what we see or hear.
What Is Art?
Art is the dynamic medium of expression that mankind employs as a manifestation of all the experiences and influences that it receives from its surroundings. Every civilization thus expresses its own individual characteristics through its arts. The arts collectively build a „culture‟. A brief analysis of the nature of art would be helpful in understanding how the continence of the arts results in the evolution and development of a culture.
The project
Center for the performing arts
The project envisages the creation of an environment for the arts, meant exclusively for the arts and not for any one exclusive art. It is therefore meant to encourage in a broad sense all kinds of artistic pursuits.
From an architectural point of view the building will be planned in order to create an environment befitting the nature of the activities related to the arts and their promotion. Apart from the functional spaces, therefore the creation of an ample amount of space for the interpretation of art by the sensitive art- lover and the interaction between the people interested in the arts is envisaged. The mood and the ambiance of the built space will be conductive for the reflecting over subjects and missing over art of the solitary thinker‟s mind. The architecture will be sensitive to art and yearn to be an extension of it.
From the functional point of view the building will be designed to house the facilities required for the staging and presentation of various disciplines of performing arts.
CASE STUDIES
TRIVENI KALA SANGAM, NEW DELHI
Mrs. Sundari Sridharani started Triveni Kala Sangam in 1962. it is a private institution, which was set up for teaching dance
Today;the institute offers teaching facilities for dance, music, fine arts, sculpture, photography, etc. The aim of the institution is to train students, promote professionals and to enlighten the urban population about India's cultural heritage.The comprises of two phases: the academic block, phase-I and the au
ditorium block, phase-II. Apart from an indoor auditorium and an open-air theatre, there is also an art gallery for exhibition of paintings of contemporary Indian artists. The Triveni Kala Sangam also boasts of a library, an audio- visual room and a cafeteria along with supporting administrative facilities. Residential facilities for the director and the various heads of department have also been provided for.
Design Intentions
Stein's initial design intentions for the Triveni Kala sangam are an expression of his interest in considering the broadest scope of he problem at hand, and his belief in combining aspects of traditional understanding with modern possibilities in design. The plan is based on simplicity which is further enhanced by simple circulation pattern.
According to the Architect, the engineering and design of this arts centre is based upon an unhesitating and full utilization of the twentieth century approach to architectural design. The planning is free, the structural form is determined only by considerations of function. At the same time, the character of the building was evolved with regard and respect for Indian sensibilities, and respect for regional appropriateness in adjustment to climate and materials.
The open-air theatre
NATIONAL CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS , MUMBAI Ar. Joseph Allen Stein
Acoustics: Dr. Cyril Harris
NCPA is a premier, national level center devoted to the promotion and vitalization of the arts and culture in Mumbai. Perched at the tip of the reclaimed land at nariman point it‟s site is flanked by the Arabian Sea on two sides.
Location: marine drive (end) Nariman point (South Mumbai)
Situated at the tip of nariman point a business & commercial agglomeration.
Foyer, booking areas and VIP lounge
The foyer is on the same axis as the entrance at 45 degree to the street. But the ingenuity of this orientation of the foyer is the fact that it opens out to the view of the sea on the other end as well. Thus a second entrance is provided with the same dynamic character, overlooking the sea, which serves as the vehicular entrance. The striking feature of its foyer is its openness, continuity and exquisite treatment of material. The rich magenta of carpet, the murals in tantrik art and the black „samaies‟ and the kotah stone flooring (polished) and malad (yellow) stone cladding on the walls impart an electric mix of elements to the space. The original exposed concrete surfaces, which were intended to coated with white paint, contribute to librating effect of the foyer space.
Special acoustic considerations:
Ceiling:the ceiling of the auditorium is a false ceiling suspended from the main RCC roof and is made up of pyramidal forms of high density compressed plaster, alternatively convex and concave radiating from the central column on the stage to the outer wall. The system consists of a three sided elongated tetrahedral form with each form having a shape different from the other.these forms were handmade and lifted to position. The multiple reflecting surfaces thus created helps in distributing the sound evenly and are highly effective. The treatment is employed similarly on the side walls of the auditorium.
Structure and building material:
2 terminal points of the foyer are built on independent pile foundations separate from the pile foundations carrying the heart of the auditorium .RC.C. column & beam construction.& stone masonry techniques have been adopted. The main material used is malad stone (yellowish brown, warm, glowing stone) mixed with a ,lot of concrete.
EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE BLOCK:
This consists of two theatres- the experimental theatre and the Godrej Dance Academy and the other facilities include the sunken outdoor court “Chauraha”, the Piramal Art Gallery for photography exhibitions and the audio visual room. The structure was designed by the firm Patel and Batilboi.
GODREJ DANCE ACADEMY:
This theatre was designed specially for Dance performances. It is slightly sunk below the ground level and is entered from the chauraha court. Its foyer is a linear rectangular space overlooking the land court Chauraha. The foyer is about 4m wide and is quite spacious.
The seating capacity is 200. The seating is sloped and divided in to 2 segments with 3 aisles and arranged in an area of about 8m x 12m size.
There are wooden strips as acoustic paneling on the side near the walls and the false ceiling has been broken in to a series of convex panels to diffuse the sound control room is
provided at the rear of the theatre.
It is open to sunken courtyard with a central lawn and has been beautifully landscaped. It has red shahabad stone paving on all sides and stepped seating on its northern and eastern sides, also paved with the red shahabad stone.
Locational attributes to the site :
The site of NCPA is at practically the southernmost tip of Mumbai.although it is well connected by a road network to the city, it is physically quite remotely placed. It is located in the entirely commercial area of Nariman point and the only indigenous population of south Mumbai can be said to be residents of Cuff Parade. Marine Drive or Colaba or other high profile areas of south Mumbai. So the potential section of the society being served by the centre gets quite restricted. It caters more to the already prosperous and emancipated section of the society living in south Mumbai and falls short of propagation and extension of the arts to the masses which is its prime objective.
DESIGN EVOLUTION
ACCESS : The site is located in the pune university on Aundh – Kirkee main road on the north( commonly known as Spicer college road ) which is the only access to the site.
ZONING : All the functions like the auditorium, the experimental theatre are placed right in the front side facing the road as they are going to involve huge crowd coming in at
the same time and hence stopped at the front side itself and the more relaxed functions like the academic block, meditation are placed on the rear side of the site which is calm and quiet. After locating the main functions thus, a large central circulation zone is derived.
ORIENTATION : the orientation of the individual functions is such that the more public areas are in the front facing the road and they do not interfere with the peaceful
working of the more relaxed functions at the back side.
