Narratives of Lost Links: Architectural Interpretations of Memory, Space and Community

Author: Vaibhav Sanghani
Site Location: Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
Institute: School of Architecture, Anant National University
Advisor: Prof. Sandeep Paul

Description

Narratives of Lost Links explores the transformation of the abandoned Union Carbide factory site in Bhopal into a public landscape of memory, healing, and community engagement. Once the epicentre of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the 70-acre site today exists as an isolated urban void-physically disconnected yet deeply embedded within the surrounding neighbourhoods. Observing how local communities have gradually appropriated its edges despite restricted access, the project seeks to return the land to the people without erasing its painful history.
The proposal preserves the existing industrial remains as witnesses to the past while introducing a museum, memorial, and a network of community follies that reconnect the site with the city. The master plan is structured around three conceptual systems: the Axis of Catastrophe, derived from the MIC plant; the Axis of Witness, extending from the existing memorial; and the Lines of Continuity, generated from the factory’s internal road network. Together, these systems organise movement, memory, and public life across the site. Inspired by Bhopal’s identity as the City of Lakes, water bodies and elevated boardwalks weave through the landscape, allowing nature to regenerate while creating spaces for reflection, learning, and collective resilience.