Author: Habib Rehman Akhtar Khan
Site Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Institute: Lokmanya Tilak Institute of Architecture and Design
Advisor: Harish Shetty
Description
The Siddi Community Centre is envisioned as a place of dignity, belonging, and opportunity for a people often pushed to the margins. The Siddis -Africans by origin, Indians by nationality have lived in Gujarat for over four centuries. They built forts, carved Ahmedabad’s iconic Siddi Saiyyed Jali, and enriched India’s cultural fabric. Yet today, many struggle with poverty, exclusion, and invisibility, with little access to education, healthcare, or secure livelihoods.
Many remain unaware of their Scheduled Tribe rights, while issues like gambling and exploitation weaken unity. Hope lies in the younger generation, eager for education and change.
This project responds by asking: who are we designing for? The answer lies in co-creating with the community. Set on a 29,000 sqm site along the Ahmedabad riverfront, the design steps with contours and draws from idea of Correa’s incremental grid, Kéré’s ventilation strategies, and Fathy’s brick vaults. Each 12 × 20 m module, supported by RCC beams and brick piers, integrates services, harvests rainwater, and anticipates growth.
Programs emerge from lived realities – a healthcare block for women and children, a community kitchen inspired by Hirabai Lobi’s struggle, schools woven with skill centers, and courtyards for Dhamal dance, weddings, and festivals. Sunken exhibition spaces become hubs for dialogue and livelihood, while sports and women’s training centers unlock future potential.
This is not charity. It is architecture as equity, preserving heritage, empowering livelihoods, and nurturing cultural pride for generations to come.
Drawings
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