Excerpt: The Container (for Kochi Muziris Biennale 2023) by Samira Rathod Design Atelier is an architectural project that focuses on sustainability, recycling materials and resources. The project is built on dual narratives – one of the debris from ruthless demolition, and another of the poetics of construction – an honest admission of materials and methods of making buildings which often remain hidden under its skin, unknown.
Project Description
[Text as submitted by architect] In spite of colossal demolition and the debris it creates, building activity continues to remain indispensable. Architectural thinking must evolve around sustainability, recycling materials and resources. The pavilion is a container of hope.
It is built on dual narratives – one of the debris from ruthless demolition, and another of the poetics of construction – an honest admission of materials and methods of making buildings which often remain hidden under its skin, unknown.
The building unfolds as a large space under a singular roof that touches the ground, inspired from the many roofs of Kochi. This temporary structure treads lightly, as it stands without any concrete footings, and may be dismantled to retrieve all of its material that may be reused or re-assembled again elsewhere.
The materials used to bring this pavilion to life include construction debris from nearby sites, waste granite from quarries, coir, fishing nets, geogrid, brick bat, cement and wire mesh. It is this material and method, the designers want to celebrate, and bring forth the pain, risk and challenges that are faced in the manifestation of an architecture, an outcome they deem beautiful.
Drawings & Construction Images
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