Journey Through The Lost Glory – A Trail Along Kolar Gold Fields – KGF | Architecture Thesis

Site Context

KGF features an underground network of tunnels connecting shafts that are 500 metres away from one another. These tunnels contain a network of rail lines that were used to transport wagons packed with excavated materials, and they connect one shaft to the next every 30 metres. While some of the shafts have recently been destroyed, others are still in operation. In addition to the cyanide-containing rock deposits in the town on the 6000 acres of mine land, there is also a gigantic mud-based cyanide mountain in front of the former factory that is about 6 metres tall and extends outward.

The project proposes a Mining Research Institute and an Interpretation centre. The project is situated between the Gifford shaft, the second-deepest shaft in the world up to 10,000 metres, and the Tenant shaft, which are 500 metres apart. The architecture thesis takes the stance that the abandoned mining zone should be converted into architectural spaces in an effort to give it new life through design intervention.

Design Process

With the goal to understand light and shadow, solid and void, scale and volume, the experience of space in subterranean environments, and the environment in the mining zone, this architecture thesis analyses the experience of space in Chthonic spaces and questions the possibility of spatializing the abandoned mining zone in KGF.

The proposed program is a Mining Research Institute and a Museum – KGF Interpretation centre, where visitors will be guided through a series of steps (the experiential component) before descending into the subterranean and taking a tour through the tunnels to one of two shafts. The institution will be located close to the Gifford Shaft, just in front of the NIRM, and every space will be connected from above to below.

Between the two shafts, a sequence of architectural spaces will be built, using the axis as a reference point and building spaces around it. This has the effect of generating a rhythm of spaces in the subterranean environment for the user’s experience. The institution will be on the western side, with the museum and experiential components in centre.

Final Outcome

In order to connect the two shafts’ stories, the project proposed to cut a gash into the ground and to have openings resembling shafts at certain intervals that have a relationship with the sky. This is achieved by using the axis that separates them and makes an effort that can interpret KGF’s identity. Additionally, it establishes the rhythm of the architectural spaces along the path.

The light wells in the subterranean museum’s component will give visitors a sense of light and shadow, and they will be able to reach out to other shafts through perforated openings in the light wells. The lower level of the museum will give visitors a more authentic mine experience. The intention was to preserve the existing tunnel. The proposal also integrates the interpretation of the cyanide mound by enclosing the site with a network of Earth berms to create an enclosure in the landscape. The intention of the architecture thesis was to use the same language and build a fence around the site since KGF has cyanide mountains or rock deposits all over the town.

The spaces are designed in a linear way, much like a strip development, by using the axis between the shafts. The institution will be supported by shear walls and float on the berm. In order to obtain light, it will also utilise the same language as other light wells in the vicinity and have porous fenestrations inside. The inside walls of the institution’s studios will feature detachable panels that can be opened into the light wells. The Light wells of the experiential component will appear as linear towers and offer a stunning horizon view from the user’s perspective point on the route. The shafts’ structure acts as a marker for the project’s architectural intervention; they remain stationary and direct visitors there.

This architecture thesis is the conceptual interpretation of the identity of KGF; the design attempts to construct chthonic-type spaces underground; it investigates the concepts of light and shadow, solid and void; and attempts to recover the lost identity of KGF through the project. Many design components and ideas are derived from the context and are implemented in accordance with the site to honour the subterranean landscape. Major design interventions to offer the user an understanding of underground architecture include the notion of going into the ground and the relationship with the sky.

[This Academic Project has been published with text submitted by the student]