Garima Sthal
The question, ‘how can architecture create dignity for all?’ Raised by John Cary resonated deeply with me. I firmly believe that thoughtful design has the power to create dignified lives, which is not for only a privileged few but everyone.
With my family’s roots in the industrial area in an urban city in India, Meerut, I saw there a need and opportunity to take interior design into the public realm. I chose to explore the possibility of design to create dignity and self-worth. Design that pushes for more inclusivity and fosters a sense of belongingness and a more meaningful everyday life. With this Labour Welfare Facility in the very heart of the Industrial area- I set out to do just that.
I used the site to create two large interior topographies that are multifunctional and, at the same time, a social platform. These topographies derive from multiple studies of the use of space for activities as simple as sitting and more complex functions like interaction and entertainment. Their shapes and forms are familiar but also offering a newer and more complex experience. The critical functions and spaces then attach themselves around this topography.
From cultural sensitivity to designing spaces for safe and healthy interaction, facilitating mental stimulation, and empowering women, this facility touches on multiple aspects and issues. These issues are addressed in subtle design ideas that come together in the form of an interior landscape.
Familiar yet new forms to enable flexibility and allow the users to interpret the space on their own, thus encouraging them to make the space theirs.
Spaces should allow visitors to find their routes through the interior, making them more active and improving their quality of life. The multiple entrances and possibilities of many different paths achieve crowd control. It also creates pause points in the interiors avoiding unnecessary overlaps.
BRAND IDENTITY
