Tag: Cultural GM

Revitalization of Cultural Heritage at Sabli, Gujarat

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Author: Aleena Sabu
Site Location: Sabli, Gujarat
Institute: Department of Architecture, National Institue of Technology, Trichy
Advisor: Dr. Tony Marcel Nisha

Description

This thesis argues that heritage conservation must extend beyond the preservation of monuments to the restoration of equitable access to cultural landscapes. By reviving Sabli’s forgotten pilgrimage network, the project reconnects fragmented relationships between people, place, ritual, ecology, and livelihood. The design transforms an abandoned sacred landscape into an inclusive public common where pilgrims, villagers, artisans, and visitors share space without compromising cultural identity. Through architecture, movement, and landscape, the proposal demonstrates how design can become an instrument of social, cultural, economic, and environmental equity—positioning architecture as an active agent of change rather than a passive act of preservation. The project is rooted in the revival of a once-existing but now invisible path, an experiential spine that reconnects past memory with present movement.


Drawings

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Sagara Shaila- Center for Indigenous Knowledge, Enterprise, Culture and Ecology

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Author: Jeeshnu K
Site Location: Mathura
Institute:Chennai Academy of Architecture & Design
Advisor: Prof. Misba. S.

True development requires rural and urban communities to progress together without losing their distinct identities. Set in Visakhapatnam, this architectural project bridges the gap between rapid urban growth and marginalized indigenous communities, creating a shared ecosystem for mutual development.

Core Strategies & Functions Situated on a calm urban hill, the Centre acts as an egalitarian meeting ground. It is organized around the complete cycle of indigenous enterprise: learning, making, exhibiting, and selling.

  • Economic & Cultural Hub: Artisans and local entrepreneurs gain direct market access through dedicated workshops and exhibition spaces, while urban residents can actively engage with traditional crafts and knowledge.
  • Public Commons: Courtyards, shaded streets, plazas, and amphitheatres encourage organic social interaction, ensuring the space functions as a social infrastructure that benefits all demographics equally.
  • Ecological Integration: The design respects the natural landscape, seamlessly incorporating biodiversity and water-sensitive systems, including rainwater harvesting.

Architectural Language The design prioritizes spatial continuity, human scale, and cultural familiarity. By utilizing locally rooted materials and creating gradual transitions of natural light, the architecture remains welcoming rather than intimidating. Its defining feature is a contemporary, boat-like roof that floats above the structure, framing views of the sea while functionally supporting ecological water collection.

Conclusion Ultimately, the Centre is not merely a building; it is a platform for connection. It proposes a development model where rural and urban systems are not competing but deeply interconnected, allowing indigenous knowledge and urban engagement to prosper together.

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Drawings

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Braj Baithak: Reimagining Civic Infrastructure for a Pilgrimage City

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Author: Vanshika Kapoor
Site Location: Mathura
Institute:School of Architecture & Planning, DIT University
Advisor: Ar. Sandeep Saxena & Dr. Ekta Singh

Description

Braj Baithak reimagines civic infrastructure for Mathura, responding to a city shaped by pilgrimage while its cultural life, spaces, and memory remain fragmented. Conceived as a living cultural repository, the project brings preservation, learning, community, performance, craft, and recreation into one civic landscape.
Located at Chhatikara along the pilgrimage corridor, the 15.71-acre site is organized as an experiential journey inspired by the 84 Kos Parikrama. The Yamuna becomes a water spine, while a lotus mandala establishes the geometry of the Interpretation Centre and cultural repository. Vanas, kunds, ghats, gardens, bird trails, artisan haat, community spaces, and outdoor gathering areas extend this narrative into the landscape.
The Interpretation Centre combines archives, research facilities, libraries, galleries, immersive experiences, and shared learning spaces, allowing culture to be encountered through different depths of engagement. A community centre, kitchen, performance spaces, and artisan spaces enable residents to sustain living traditions.
Rather than designing for a visitor profile, Braj Baithak accommodates children, elders, residents, artisans, researchers, and visitors across ages, abilities, occupations, backgrounds, and beliefs creating a civic place where memory can be preserved, practiced, and renewed.


Drawings

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Unfolding Access Through Foldable Habitats for Agariyas of Kutch

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Author: Kumud Balwant Shahi
Site Location: Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
Institute: Lokmanya Tilak Institute of Architecture & Design Studies
Advisor: Ar. Niladwuti Chattopadhyay

Description

The Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) in Gujarat is home to the Agariya community, traditional salt farmers who migrate to the vast saline desert for nearly eight months each year (October-May) to harvest salt. During the monsoon (June-September), the Rann floods, forcing them to return to their native villages with their families and belongings.

Life in the Rann is defined by extreme climatic conditions and a severe lack of basic infrastructure. Temporary shelters provide minimal protection against intense heat, strong winds, and unseasonal rainfall. Women face significant challenges due to inadequate sanitation, while children’s education is frequently disrupted by seasonal migration. Although the government’s Rann Shala initiative, mobile classrooms operating from buses has improved educational access, its limited coverage leaves many children underserved. Water scarcity further intensifies these hardships, with potable water supplied by tankers only once every 30 days.

This proposal envisions a network of climate-responsive, deployable architectural interventions and permanent structure that address the community’s essential needs through adaptable housing, education, sanitation, healthcare, and shared community spaces. Designed to respond to the dynamic desert landscape, the project aims to enhance the resilience, dignity, and quality of life of the Agariya community while respecting their seasonal migration and traditional salt-farming practices.

Programmatic Objectives is to create a prototype for 26 Agariya families which includes:

Water Systems – Rainwater harvesting tanks.

Family Dwellings – Modular living units adaptable to different family sizes.

Community Space – A shaded gathering zone for social and cultural activities.

School Module – Beyond a classroom, a shared space that enables children’s education, women’s empowerment .

Clinic – Small first-aid and maternal health facility.

Dry Community Toilet –     Gender-segregated, eco-friendly toilets with waste composting.


Drawings

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The Architecture of Belonging

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Author: Rishu Nilesh Pandit
Site Location: Cheeta Camp, Trombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Institute: L.S. Raheja School of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Mridula Pillai

Description

Architecture of Belonging is set in Cheeta Camp, Mumbai, a settlement shaped by
repeated displacement and the continuous effort of rebuilding home, memory and
community. Belonging here is created through familiar routes, shared routines, informal
systems of care and everyday spaces where people meet, work, learn and recognise one
another.
The thesis strengthens these existing relationships by reworking civic amenities that are
present but fragmented and often disconnected from lived needs. A network of small,
people-centred interventions decentralises care, learning, sanitation, safety and public life
across the settlement. The Urban Health Care complex becomes a civic care common;
the school and its extension form a community learning anchor; the public toilet becomes
dignity infrastructure; and smaller neighbourhood nodes support rest, livelihood and
interaction.
Rather than proposing a singular landmark, the project works with what already exists,
transforming ordinary amenities into spaces of solace. Together, these precise civic repairs
create a connected landscape of privacy, comfort, participation, trust and belonging for
women, children, elderly residents, patients, students, vendors and everyday users


Drawings

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Egalitectonism Re-Imagining Democratic Instituions in the 21st Century. Re-Designing the Capitol Complex of Naya Raipur, Chattisgarh, India

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Author: Dev Thakker
Site Location: Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh
Institute: Kamala Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies
Advisor: Prof. Manoj Parmar

Description

Frustrated by architecture’s loss of its ability to act as a vessel for social reform, this thesis builds on the social ambitions of Brutalism while questioning its monumentality and hierarchical structures to develop Egalitectonism.
Egalitectonism proposes that architecture can actively produce conditions of equity rather than merely represent them. It translates the idea of social equality into spatial principles of access, movement, visibility, proximity, dignity, and shared commons. It therefore shifts architecture from an object of authority to a framework for shared participation.
The Capitol Complex, Naya Raipur, India, becomes the testing ground for this position, where the separation between democratic institutions and citizens exposes a contradiction between democratic ideals and their spatial expression. In response, the project reimagines the Institution as a Park, transforming governance from guarded territory into shared civic landscape.
The central idea the thesis proposes, “Institution as a Park”, positions institutions not as isolated objects, but as smaller interventions within accessible, lived public environments softening the edge between the institution and the individual with increased public equity. A capital should not merely represent the state; it should spatially represent the equality of its citizens.


Drawings

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From Soil to Soul Mapping Pathramangalam’s Pottery Heritage Through a Community Learning Space

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Author:Abisheak V. S
Site Location: Pathramangalam, Kerala
Institute: Avani Institute of Design
Advisor:Ar. Athira Balakrishnan

Description

Mapping Pathramangalam’s Pottery Heritage Through a Community Learning Space
is an architectural proposal aimed at revitalizing the 300 + year old Kumbhara Pottery culture
of Pathramangalam, Velur Panchayat, Thrissur, Kerala. The village’s traditional Pottery
practice is gradually losing its visibility, continuity, and economic value due to declining
knowledge transfer, inadequate infrastructure,and environmental issues caused by fragmented
individual kilns.
The project reimagines Pottery not as a static heritage to be preserved, but as a living cultural
practice that can support learning, production, livelihood, and community development.
The proposed community learning environment brings together artisans,
students, artists, visitors, and the local community through a Pottery institute, shared
workshops and kiln facilities, heritage museum, artist village, exhibition and retail spaces,
and gathering areas.
The design is rooted in Pathramangalam’s community memory, local craftsmanship, materiality,
and the Panchabhootha journey of earth, water, air, fire, and space. Locally sourced clay,
Pottery , clay rings, and traditional construction knowledge are translated into architectural
elements. Through this integration, the project seeks to strengthen cultural continuity,
artisan livelihoods, shared knowledge, and the future of Pathramangalam as a living
centre of Pottery .


Drawings

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Roots to Resonance: Identity, Indusion and Shared Prosperity

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Author: Patil Prajakta Prakash
Site Location: Garadolli, Karnataka
Institute: Yashoda College of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Snehal Shedge

Description

Roots to Resonance is a cultural and community-oriented destination for the Siddi community of Garadolli, Karnataka, envisioned to promote equity, dignity, cultural continuity and shared prosperity. The project brings together community development and tourism to create opportunities for livelihood, learning, healthcare, cultural expression and social interaction.
The design grows from the existing landscape, climate and patterns of community life, preserving natural contours and mature trees while minimizing disturbance to the site. A central experiential axis connects the Sacred Tree, representing faith, with the Central Tower, representing Siddi identity, creating a sequence of spaces that gradually unfold through the site.
Open spaces, shaded pathways, courtyards and transitional areas become important social spaces, allowing movement between public, community and private experiences. The built forms are dispersed within the landscape, encouraging interaction while maintaining privacy and responding to the natural terrain and climate.
The project integrates a community hub, healthcare, learning and skill-development spaces, cultural areas, recreation and a resort. The resort creates livelihood opportunities through hospitality and cultural experiences, enabling the community to actively participate in and benefit from tourism.
By connecting people, place, culture and opportunity, the project uses architecture to strengthen community resilience while allowing visitors to experience Siddi culture with respect, participation and shared ownership.


Drawings

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Centre for Environmental Revival and Social Impact

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Author: Rakshi Perween
Site Location: Delhi
Institute: Faculty of Planning & Architecture
Poornima University
Advisor: Ar. Preethi Agarwal

Description

Transformation of Okhla Landfill – Centre for Environmental Revival and Social Impact is an architectural thesis that reimagines the Okhla landfill in Delhi as a public welfare landscape for environmental revival, learning, skill development, and community engagement. The project responds to the landfill’s environmental and social impacts by proposing a transition from a polluted urban void into a regenerative public destination. Its core concept, “Nexus,” represents the interconnected relationship between the Museum, Haat Bazaar, and Vocational Training Institute (VTI), bringing knowledge, culture, skills, and community interaction into one cohesive spatial network. The Museum guides visitors through a journey from Earth formation and geological processes to landfill formation, waste impact, segregation, and ultimately land regeneration. The VTI provides hands-on learning and upcycling opportunities, while the Haat Bazaar acts as a social and economic interface where crafted and recycled products can be exhibited and sold. The landscape integrates regenerated land, plantation, kitchen gardens, composting, biogas, water-sensitive systems, and open public spaces. Together, these elements transform waste into knowledge, skills, livelihood, and ecological value.

Drawings

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Sutra Vinayasa

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Author: Israth Kalburgi
Site Location: Belgaum
Institute: Dayananda Sagar College of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Veena C

Description

1. Revitalizing the Weaving Community

The proposed thesis, Sutra Vinayasa, aims to revive Belgaum’s traditional weaving industry by creating a socio-architectural habitat that integrates housing, workspaces, training facilities, and community spaces. The project strengthens the social, cultural, and economic life of artisans while preserving the city’s weaving heritage.

2. Live–Work Integration

The design follows a live–work concept where residential units and weaving workshops coexist within the same environment. This allows artisans to balance domestic life and production, reduces travel time, improves productivity, and creates a stronger relationship between work and community.

3. Community-Oriented Planning

The settlement is planned around shared courtyards that function as social spaces for interaction, recreation, festivals, and collaborative weaving activities. These courtyards also enhance natural ventilation, daylight, and strengthen community bonding among residents.

4. Flexible and Incremental Housing

Housing units are designed as modular and expandable spaces inspired by Belapur Housing and Aranya Housing. Families can expand their homes vertically or horizontally as their economic conditions and household requirements change over time.

5. Hierarchy of Spaces

The master plan establishes a gradual transition from public spaces such as markets and galleries to semi-public courtyards, semi-private streets, and private residences. This hierarchy creates a balance between community interaction and personal privacy.

6. Contextual Architecture

The project adopts architectural forms and materials that are native to Belgaum, including laterite stone, exposed brick, lime plaster, timber, sloping tiled roofs, verandahs, and arched openings. These elements create buildings that are climatically responsive and culturally rooted for generations.

Drawings

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The Metamorphosis of Worli Koliwada

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Author: Srilekha Malladi
Site Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Institute: Dr. D.Y. Patil School of Architecture
Advisor: Amit Shirke

Description

The Metamorphosis of Worli Koliwada reimagines one of Mumbai’s oldest fishing villages as a resilient, community-driven waterfront. Caught between the pressures of redevelopment and the weight of heritage, the project proposes an alternative future, one that protects cultural memory while enabling growth.
The design unfolds through co-creation with the Koli community, embedding their lived routines, rituals, and occupations into spatial strategies. Instead of erasing the dense gullies, the project strengthens them through phased development: incremental housing upgrades, flexible public spaces, and resilient infrastructure. The seafront transforms into an amphitheatre and marketplace, where daily livelihood meets collective leisure. A folded plate roof inspired by fishing nets symbolises the dialogue between tradition and contemporary construction.
At its core, the thesis argues that urban design is not about replacing communities but amplifying them. By merging heritage, resilience, and equity, the project sets out a model for how Mumbai’s indigenous settlements can thrive amidst rapid urban change.

Drawings

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Architecture of the Sacred Commons: Water Landscape of Pamban Island

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Author: Kshitij Churi
Site Location: Pamban Island, Tamil Nadu
Institute: Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA)
Advisor: Aishwarya Padmanabhan

Description

Pamban Island’s sacred landscape is woven around its 64 teerthams- holy water bodies that once sustained both spiritual practice and ecological balance. These stepped tanks and wells are more than ritual sites; they are decentralized water systems capable of recharging aquifers, resisting seawater ingress in groundwater, and ensuring equitable access to water. Their neglect has led to cultural erosion, ecological vulnerability, and restricted access for communities.
This thesis reimagines the teerthams as active commons- spaces where the nature–culture link is re-established through water. By designing interventions rooted in the stepped tank typology, the project creates equitable spaces of access, ritual, and performance for three key users of the island: the local, the pilgrim, and the tourist. Through architectural insertions addressing the local, pilgrim and tourist, the proposal positions these sacred water structures as anchors of both cultural continuity and ecological resilience and the design becomes a medium to restore lost links between people and place, ecology and ritual, nature and culture.

Drawings

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The Community-centric Livelihood Hub

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Author: Parindra Sur
Site Location: Shantiniketan, West Bengal
Institute: Techno India University
Advisor: Sayan Chatterjee

Description

This thesis investigates the potential of architecture to serve as a catalyst for socio-economic development in rural India through the creation of a Community-centric Livelihood Hub in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. The study addresses the challenges faced by rural artisans—particularly in infrastructure, visibility, and sustainable livelihood—by proposing an architectural intervention that integrates traditional knowledge systems with contemporary sustainable design principles.

A mixed-method research approach was employed, combining site observations, stakeholder interviews, and literature review. Comparative case studies of Auroville (India) and METI School (Bangladesh) informed the design philosophy, highlighting models of participatory, environmentally responsive, and culturally rooted architecture.

The final design comprises multifunctional spaces including training centers, market areas, artisan residences, and community halls—organized around vernacular spatial principles and constructed using local, climate-resilient materials. Emphasis is placed on passive design strategies, community engagement, and the preservation of the local Baul and artisan culture.

By contextualizing architectural design within the framework of rural development and cultural continuity, this project contributes to a replicable model for sustainable rural transformation. It demonstrates how architecture can bridge the gap between tradition and innovation while empowering local communities.

Drawings

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Kashmiriyat – A Center for Social Revival

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Author: Iqbal Aashiya Hussain Priyanka
Site Location: Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir
Institute: Sir JJ College of Architecture
Advisor: Dr. Vilas Ramteke

Description

A Cultural Center has long been an architectural design approach to curb the ignorance of social and cultural values of a region. For the region of Kashmir however, the problem is deeper. Kashmiri people have long been guardians of their cultural values and traditions, with a rich blend of civilizations from all over South-east and Central Asia. However, with recent disturbances, the people of Kashmir suffer through plights of depression, social alienation, stark unemployment, drug-use and so on. Once the crown jewel of the country, the closest place to heaven as people say, now finds itself covered under the dark clouds of a collective shared trauma. However, the true glory of Kashmir, Kashmiris and their Kashmiriyat is immortal, and this intervention intends to revive those values. The design intends to kindle the ability to experience healing – as it remains especial for those blessed enough to experience pain and suffering. Therefore, architecture’s inane quality to heal, rejuvenate and revive, births a solution to the plight of Kashmir and its Kashmiris.

Drawings

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From Mortal to Eternal: Spatializing the Ghat as a Ritual and Reflective Space

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Author: Ananya V
Site Location: Srirangapatna, Karnataka
Institute: School of Planning and Architecture, Mysore
Advisor: Ar. Srikanth K.S

Description

This thesis reimagines the sacred riverfront of Paschimavahini, one of the rare west-flowing stretches of the Kaveri. The site is historically significant as a traditional pilgrimage destination and a place where families perform post-death rituals and rites of passage connected to the cycle of life, death, and memory. It proposes an inclusive, multi-level ritual landscape that honors Hindu non-cremation death rituals such as shraddha, tarpana, pinda pradana, and asti visarjane. The project highlights the quieter yet important practices of remembrance, offering, and connection to ancestors.
The design presents the riverfront as a living ritual spine. It is not just a place for tourism or urban renewal but a sacred ecology where death, memory, and nature are intertwined. The architecture explores multi-level ritual experiences, from horizontal ghats to vertical structures like treehouse-inspired pavilions. These features symbolize the layered journey of the soul while engaging with the river’s edge, water, and vegetation in a sacred way.
In light of Paschimavahini’s cultural and spiritual significance, the proposal ensures the dignity of both human departure and natural cycles. The design emphasizes spatial fairness and inclusivity, providing equal access and respectful spaces for marginalized groups such as widows, poor families, and the elderly, who are often left out of death-related practices. Ultimately, this thesis reweaves death, nature, and memory into a sacred space. Here, ritual architecture goes beyond mere functionality to reflect tradition, ecology, and the dignity of departure.

Drawings

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Kasimedu Karai: A Harbour Front Interface for Coastal Life and Cultural Confluence

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Author: Niveditha G
Site Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Institute: MEASI Academy of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Reshma Banu

Description

Kasimedu, one of Chennai’s largest fishing harbours, is a vital economic and cultural hub for Tamil Nadu. Yet, its condition does not reflect its significance. Informal market activity spills into public spaces, causing congestion and unhygienic conditions. Community and recreational infrastructure is limited, and a social gap exists between local fishermen and visitors, with few opportunities for meaningful interaction or understanding of the community’s way of life.

The project reimagines the harbour as a Harbourfront Interface, promoting equitable access, cultural exchange and community participation. Zoning addresses all stakeholders, with a dedicated harbour zone near the coast left undisturbed for fishing activities, while markets and recreational areas are strategically planned to minimize fish odor. Recreational and cultural spaces allow visitors to experience local traditions, while bird nesting and watching areas provide habitats for migratory and local birds, integrating ecological sensitivity. A waste management system converts organic waste into plankton and fertilizer. Flea markets and handicraft spaces encourage sustainable local entrepreneurship.

By addressing spatial, social, and ecological inequities, the project bridges the gap between fishermen and the public, creating a resilient, inclusive waterfront that preserves heritage, sustains livelihoods, nurtures cultural exchange, and supports biodiversity.

Drawings

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Tribal Development at Kudampudar, Odisha

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Author: Nashra Hasan
Site Location: Kudampudar, Odisha
Institute: Axis Institute of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Abhishek Mishra

Description

The proposed thesis project is situated in Kudumpadar, Kundra block, Koraput district, Odisha, spanning across 50 acres of land. The vision of the project is to establish a Self-Sustaining Tribal Ecosystem rooted in harmonic coexistence with nature, integrating biophilic design principles and clustered hamlet-based planning. Inspired by traditional tribal settlement patterns, the master plan draws from the geometry of Kolam design, where grid patterns form the basis of sectoral division and cultural motifs influence building forms. Key facilities include housing clusters, educational spaces, a healthcare center, training and skill development zones, marketplaces with exhibition areas, and communal gathering spaces such as an open-air theatre. The architectural approach emphasizes the use of vernacular construction techniques and local materials, ensuring both cultural relevance and sustainability. The project aims to enhance the quality of life of tribal communities by addressing their social, cultural, and economic needs while simultaneously promoting eco-tourism and cultural exchange. By bridging traditional wisdom with contemporary planning strategies, the project seeks to serve as a model for inclusive tribal development and resilient rural ecosystems.

Drawings

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A Cultural Centre for the Migrants of Champaner

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Author: Aishwarya Ramesh Kale
Site Location: Palghar, Maharashtra
Institute: Pillai HOC College of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Amit Mhatre

Description

“Before their legacy fades into silence, let architecture become the voice that safeguards a vanishing community.” Cultural centres act as inclusive platforms where people gather, interact, and share ideas bridging gaps between generations, communities, and backgrounds. These spaces become cultural landmarks that not only serve the local population but also attract visitors, offering a glimpse into the unique history, traditions, and values of the region. By enabling dialogue and collective engagement, such places nurture a sense of belonging and strengthen the social fabric of urban life.

This thesis centers around the Marathi-speaking Panchal community, aiming to recognize and preserve their craftsmanship, engineering achievements, and traditional wisdom passed down through generations. Despite their excellence in craftsmanship such as die-making and carpentry, the community’s identity remains largely confined to local business circles and neighbourhoods. Their historical journey, especially after migrating from Gujarat to Maharashtra, deserves broader acknowledgment and celebration.

Today, as lifestyles evolve and technology advances, younger generations are becoming increasingly disconnected from their heritage. Many are unaware of their ancestral professions, struggles, and cultural practices, leading to a gradual fading of community knowledge, pride and forgetting their roots. By integrating cultural identity with evolving architectural and economic contexts, this initiative ensures traditional craftsmanship not only survive but thrive—contributing meaningfully to India’s cultural and global economy.

Drawings

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A Garden of Stories: Placemaking in Three Acts

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Author: Shruti Jayaraman
Site Location: Imphal, Manipur
Institute: RV College of Architecture
Advisor: Anup Naik, Mehul Patel, Nagaraj Vastarey, U S Maiya

Description

In the everlasting essence of society, there is the oppressor and oppressee. Their ways of negotiating with each other are limited to space. This space then becomes contested and a memory etched into us for generation to come. Having seen both the oppressor and oppressee, space is still excluded from the conversations of powerplay, ethnic and religious multiplicity.
As long as space is treated as a neutral spectator (instead of as an active participant), she will always be subjected to forms of violence, dissent and be vulnerable to the acts of a power hungry man.
Space that is designed to account for the narratives of all, can facilitate and create agency for treating the past as memory(not as active dissent). In this thesis, Space tells the story of the tribals, women and children in the contested capital of Manipur – Imphal.

This explorative thesis claims the need to perceive space as an active participant and a custodian of legacy to make place for the oppressed in society. As architects we must place-make for them. This project is in the contested capital of Imphal and challenges the city’s current spatial quality, materiality, and design as oppressive forces.

Drawings

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Assumptions to Inclusion: Rethinking the Social Datum

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Author: Prathamesh Mahajan
Site Location: Mumbai
Institute: L.S.Raheja School of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Mridula Pillai

Description

Architecture is often described as a reflection of society. But what happens when that reflection is incomplete, shaped by assumptions of who belongs and who does not? This dissertation, Assumptions to Inclusion: Rethinking the Social Datum, explored how architecture can move beyond these presumptions to embrace equity and inclusion.

The study began with the idea of datum as a physical reference, but soon revealed its parallel in society: the social datum, invisible norms that dictate who is prioritized and who is overlooked. These norms often exclude the differently abled, neurodiverse individuals, non-normative identities, the elderly, and the economically marginalized. Seen users are typically accounted for in design, while unseen users remain unconsidered.

To confront this, the research used comics to narrate everyday struggles of diverse individuals in the city, grounding design in lived stories rather than abstractions. The chosen site, Watson’s Hotel and Kala Ghoda Chowk in Mumbai, was both symbolic and practical. Once marked by exclusion, it is reimagined as a civic space rooted in participation, memory, and belonging.

Design interventions, such as a stramp for equitable mobility, calm zones, un-gendered restrooms, and multi-sensory navigation, are not add-ons but embedded principles. Together, they form the Urban Living Room, a space that challenges assumptions and shifts the social datum toward equity.

Drawings

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