India based Abin Design Studio has designed and constructed a pavilion of canopies for a religious festival in West Kolkata. The design is based on the celebration of tribal life and the symbiotic relationship between the community and the forest. By highlighting the importance of the forest in their lives, the community hopes to raise awareness about conservation of the lands.
The pavilion was constructed with nineteen discs, each measuring ten feet in diameter. Once the discs were laid in a sixty foot circle, they were raised twenty feet, and supported by bamboo posts. Thirty-eight planes of undulating fabric were then introduced, which resulted in a “parametric canopy that surged like the tangled vegetation of a forest.”
The design also seeks to replicate the effect of witnessing shooting stars through the canopy of the trees of the Bengali countryside. This is achieved by placing LED droplights between the spaces of the fabric panels. Local artisans also handcrafted birds to create a more forest-like atmosphere and act as a platform to showcase local art. The bamboo structure is considered sustainable because it will be reused in future community events.
CREDITS:
Architects: Abin Design Studio
Location: Bansberia, West Bengal, India
Client: Kishor Sangha Community
Design Team: Abin Chaudhuri, Sayantan Chakraborty, Debkishor Das, Toton K. Mondal
Carpentry: Bilash Das
Area: 150 sqm
Project Year: 2015
Photographs: Sayantan Chakraborty, Abin Chaudhuri, Subhrajit G.Mitra
