Architect of the year
- Vol.86(4), April
- Mumbai Indian Institute of Architects 2021
- 37-39p.
Krushi Bhawan is a facility developed for Govern- ment of Odisha’s Department of Agriculture & Farm- ers’ Empowerment. It was originally planned as a purely administrative building; upon our suggestion, the spatial programme was revised to accommodate spaces for community engagement and learning. The ground floor has been designed as a free-flowing public space that opens out into a pla- za, whereas the terrace has been designed to house urban farming exhibits and for demonstration of best agricultural practices. The purely administra- tive spaces—which have restricted access—have been placed on the first, second and third floors. We collaborated with over 100 highly-skilled artisans to create a vibrant and contemporary nar- rative of traditional Odia craft depicting agricul- tural folklore and mythological stories, envisioned at an unprecedented architectural scale. The ma- terial palette employs locally-sourced laterite and khondalite stones. Dhokra (tribal cast metal craft) has been adapted to make light fixtures and metal screens that line the corridors. Bas-relief carvings in laterite along the Public Plaza depict ripe pad- dy crops illustrated in the Odia Pattachitra (cloth- based scroll paintings) style.