Author: Yashashree Pimple
Site Location: Near Aathawada Bazar, Teli Ali Ratnagiri
Institute: Aayojan School of Architecture and Design
Advisor: Ar. Divya Makhijani

Description

In the heart of Konkan, the rhythms of rituals, marketplaces, and seasonal festivals still echo through the streets—but the Tambat coppersmiths, once central to this living heritage, face quiet decline. Their tools are outdated, their knowledge undocumented, and their presence fading from the city’s evolving fabric. Rooted in the coastal town of Ratnagiri, Kasaykaar is a cultural center designed to revive the declining legacy of local coppersmiths—artisans whose knowledge, once central to the region’s economy and rituals, is now on the verge of disappearance due to lack of documentation, generational discontinuity, and limited adaptation to modern techniques. Despite high demand, most craftsmen struggle to meet market needs owing to outdated tools, absence of design innovation, and diminishing local recognition.
The center acts as a bridge—where tradition, technology, and equity converge. Equipped with shared workshops, material labs, and collaborative studios, it empowers artisans while engaging youth in reviving the craft through modern design tools and knowledge exchange.
It also celebrates the cultural richness of the Konkan region by creating a platform for endangered practices like Konkani Ranmus, supported by local activists striving to keep these traditions alive.
Strategically located between a temple and an active marketplace, the center integrates with its surroundings—offering shaded verandahs, transitional courtyards, and public thresholds that invite spontaneous engagement.
More than a building, Kasaykaar becomes an evolving identity—an inclusive space where artisans, locals, and visitors shape culture collectively, ensuring that heritage is not preserved in silence, but practiced through living participation.

Drawings

Click here to go back to the storehouse.