Dissertation Finalreport PDF
Dissertation Finalreport PDF
SPACES
DISSERTATION
January 2019- June2019
Guided by Submitted by
Department of Architecture
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Art Driven Adaptive Reuse Of Abandoned Spaces
CERTIFICATE
dissertation submitted by
Lakshmi S
BACHELOR OF ARCHIECTURE
Guided by Submitted by
Dr . Santhoshkumar K.G Lakshmi S
Valued by
External examiner Internal examiner
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DECLARATION
TKM College of Engineering, is a record of an original work done by me, under the
TKMCE.
The information and given data in this report is authentic to the best of my knowledge and is
not submitted in any other university or institution for the award or any degree or
fellowship.
Lakshmi S
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I also thank my seniors who were helpful in sourcing out the relevant materials of
study based on their experience.
Finally, I express my sincere gratitude to my family members and parents for their constant
support, prayers and encouragement over the years. Above all, I bow my head before God
Almighty for his blessings showered upon me in all my difficulty.
Lakshmi S
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ABSTRACT
Kochi being the primary area of study, has many such abandoned buildings owing to
its rich cultural heritage of bygone British and Dutch eras. These buildings are very poorly
maintained and are becoming hubs of crime and anti-social activities .
While adaptive reuse helps provide an alternate function for the building, art driven
adaptive reuse helps to maintain its cultural integrity as well as make it enjoyable for all
sectors of the society through turning it into a community oriented space.
Also this dissertation provides a set of basic guidelines prepared based on the
conditions of selected sample building. These can be put to use for such an intervention in a
similar context. These guidelines help in creating a better practise of adaptive reuse in such
buildings which would have otherwise been left to the perils of time.
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Contents
DECLARATION ................................................................................................................. I
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................................. II
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................III
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1
1.1Aim .............................................................................................................................1
1.2 Objective ....................................................................................................................1
1.3 Scope ..........................................................................................................................2
1.4 Limitations .................................................................................................................2
1.5 Methodology of work ................................................................................................2
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE STUDY ................................................................................5
2.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................5
2.2 Types of buildings that fall into abandonment ..........................................................5
2.3 Technique to retrofit : Adaptive Reuse ......................................................................7
2.4 Merits ........................................................................................................................8
The ‘third place’ phenomenon .......................................................................................10
2.6 Matrix of potential buildings in Kochi.....................................................................11
2.7 Design parameters for art spaces .............................................................................12
CHAPTER 3 – CASE STUDIES .......................................................................................13
3.1 Parameters identified for conduct of case study. .....................................................13
3.2. Literature case study ...............................................................................................13
3.3. Live case study........................................................................................................31
4. Analysis..........................................................................................................................38
Live case study on sample building ...............................................................................40
ERNAKULAM TERMINUS RAILWAY STATION...................................................40
CHAPTER 4 INFERENCE AND CONCLUSION ...........................................................47
REFERENCE .....................................................................................................................48
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TABLE OF FIGURES
V
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
As times change the need and functionality of a space fall into disuse. Some of these buildings
whose function is no longer prevalent comes into abandonment .In most situations these are
either industrial buildings like factories, warehouses or political buildings and even
community buildings.
One of the best lifelines for these type of buildings include adaptive reuse. This dissertation
aims to provide an insight about how adaptive reuse reaffirms the presence of the building
within a community while remaining true to its function by the introduction of Art into play.
1.1Aim
The aim is to understand and analyse the role of art driven adaptive reuse in promoting a
community sense through advancements like biennale by finding out the various sectors of
society benefitted from this.
To apply the various techniques of retrofitting found from case study in a sample building
selected based on the criteria.
1.2 Objective
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8. To apply the techniques used into a sample building collected based on the criterias
mentioned
9. To give guidelines for adaptive reuse in the area of study.
1.3 Scope
The abandoned yet culturally significant buildings of Kochi in the Dutch and British era. The
scope extends to adaptively reusing any building that has a link to the past and needs to be
maintained for future generations
1.4 Limitations
>Physical limitations
>Regulatory constrains
Introduction
Data collection
Technical data
survey
impact analysis
guidelines to retrofit
Criteria for selection of sample building
1.Analysis of economic development
Artists income
Tourism
Local vendors
Homestay
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aim,objective, scope
introduction
brief description on adaptive
reuse
art driven adaptive reuse of abandoned
listing of abandoned
structures
Analysis
buildings
merits and
demerits application of
indian context people and suitable
sample building
case study sectors selected based on techniqus
international benefitted the given criteria adopted from
context case study
what to do and
what not to do
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2.1 Introduction
Urban planners see industrial ruins as potential sites for redevelopment into museums, art
galleries, or apartments.
tourists, artists and journalists see industrial ruins as beautiful yet tragic reminders of the past.
“Where some people see ruins some see homes within painful process of transformation”
Buildings that were abandoned but not built too long ago was seen as modern ruins. They
deteriorated or crumbled or they became a place for social miscreants.
Historic buildings
Historic buildings give neighbourhood their distinctive character and at the same time provide
a tangible connection to the past.
However their history and that of their settings are often ignored and not honoured as part of
our cultural modifications .
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Industrial buildings
As cities become increasingly modern the process of manufacture moves away from the
city.This leads to old factories becoming abandoned
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Political buildings
These are buildings like palaces and buildings which cannot support visitors to and from the
site
During mid twentieth century the sudden increase in automobile and construction of major
highways and networks created an alternatives to traditional rail road transportation and made
it possible for people to live and work further away from the city core suburbs grew and
industries moved out of city leaving some of them to fall under dissuse.
People saw the poorly kept building as an opportunity to convert them into structures with
new function.
This was called gentrification from the initial stages .Today it is referred to as adaptive reuse.
This is different from retrofitting or facadism which is to alter the structure of façade of the
building.
Definition:
Adaptive reuse is defined as the process of reusing an old site or building for a new purpose
other than which it was built or intended for. It can be visualised as a compromise between
historic preservation and demolition. This process of reutilising a building allows culturally
and historically important building to be redeveloped and of modified purpose instead of
demolishing.
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By reusing an existing structure the energy required to create these spaces is lessened as is
the material waste that that comes from destroying the old sites and rebuilding using new
materials .
2.4 Merits
The most successful built heritage adaptive reuse projects are those that best respect and retain
the buildings heritage significance and add a contemporary layer that provide a value for
future .
>saves time
>environmental benefits
Since as long back as 1960s , renewal of SoHo in downtown of Manhattan to the 2009
opening of the Sharjah Art Foundation Spaces, artists and gallerists have long looked upon
neglected and abandoned structures and adapted them for their personal use such as studio,
exhibition, and performance spaces.
According to a report by Jennifer Tobias during her C-MAP visits to Mumbai, Delhi, Goa,
Bangalore, and Kochi similar art-driven adaptive reuse of nineteenth- and twentieth-century
architecture was noted. This makes one wonder about preservation of such structures in India,
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and what it signifies in a vast, diverse country experiencing rapid growth amid centuries of
architectural heritage.
In India, various public and private institutions address preservation, but there’s no national
mandate for relatively recent works. Nationally the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and
the Architecture Heritage Division of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
(INTACH) monitor sites that are more than one hundred years old.
At the city level, initiatives may vary. One of the most promising development is the 2006
creation of the Indian Heritage Cities Network (IHCN), which is affiliated with UNESCO
New Delhi.
This strengthens the need to connect to the past through built heritage without losing its
integrity and not just mere preservation through concepts like museums.
1. A property needs to be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires
minimal change to the main characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
2. The historic character of a property should be retained and protected . The removal of
historic materials or changing of features and spaces that characterize a property should
avoided.
3. Each property should be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use. Changes
that create a misguiding sense of historical development, such as adding features or
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4. Most properties might change over time; those changes that have acquired historic
significance in their own right needs to be retained and preserved.
6. Destroyed or diminishing historic features needs to be repaired rather than replaced. Where
the cause of severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new
feature most match the old in design, color, texture and other visual qualities and, where
possible, materials. Replacement of missing features should be substantiated by
documentary,physical,or photographic evidence.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction should not destroy historic
materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be distinguished from the old
and may be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the
historic integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction shall be undertaken in such a
manner that if it is removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic
propertand its environment would have to be unimpaired.
Renowned sociologist Ray Oldenburg pioneered the concept of a third place in his book the
great good place , published in 199 . Oldenburg delineates the third place as a local hub. A
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community centre or a home away from home but which mostly fulfils the function of being
a necessary zone, outside of one’s home and workplace for one’s expression connection and
growth it’s a place where people get together for no other purpose except the joy of being
there . The best third place are also free and /or inexpensive .
Table 1
S Name Past use Period Present use Structural Defects Owners Addition
. condition hip Or
n alteration
o
1 Pepper house Pepper British mixed Good , minor Private Service
storage Structurally units
stable
2 Dutch warehouse Dutch Biennale Bad , major Major private no
warehouse venues damaged
3 unknown Spice Dutch Abandoned Good , stable minor private no
store
4 Unknown Rice British unknown Good , stable minor private no
storage
5 Shyam vital Tea British Tea godown Good , stable minor private no
and co. storage
6 V.Dasa Tea British Tea godown Good , stable minor private Minor
prabhu and addition
sons
7 Old kochi Railway British abandoned Partially major public no
railway stable
station
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Requirements
- Administration
- Guard room,
- Small amphitheatre
- Cafeteria
- Exhibition rooms.
- Sculpture garden
- Store room
Corridor:
- Corridors must be 8 to 9 feet in use.
- Keep corridors in same width if possible, otherwise bottlenecks may arise.
Gallery
An art gallery has a specific focus and is managed by a curator who has good knowledge
about the display or artefacts. These galleries are typically open to members of the public.to
encourage cultural education and enrichment
Height of building
- Less than 12 meters for covered exhibition space
- For any additional elements such as roof elements sky lights , vertical roof connection
etc. , the height must be less than 17 m
Open spaces
- A minimum of 30% is dedicated to open spaces and greenery.
- Structures used for plants ensuring soil permeability
Exhibits :
- Objects placed above 1 m will be seen only from below by most seated and short
viewers
- Railings at a maximum height of 915 mm
- Create colour contrast between items and background particularly when they’re
displayed at lower levels
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Typology
Reason for abandonment .
Community revitalization due to the new intervention.
Whether the intervention was successful on the levels of
Economic upliftment
Socio cultural harmony
Physical or infrastructural strengthening
INTRODUCTION
Flourmill Studios is a commercial development of 47 strata studios, with shared spaces and a
cafe, housed in the nineteenth-century Crago Flour Mill in Newtown, Sydney.
The flour mill is adjacent to the railway line and close to the station in an area with a
substantial industrial history. The development provides affordable studio spaces for small
creative businesses.
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The adaptive reuse seeks to amplify the building’s industrial qualities, using the flour mill’s
structure, fabric and remnant industrial artefacts to give the project a specific character, while
maintaining the existing overall plan structure and volumes.
The industrial aesthetic also informs the new architectural, landscape and graphic work,
which is designed to read as a new layer in the life of the building.
Crago Flour Mill operated from 1897 until 1984 and was added to and altered as milling
technologies changed. When the mill closed much of the machinery was removed, but the
main pulley shaft, some hoppers and wheel drives and a goods lift remained. From 1984 the
building was used for storage, a dance school and studios for artists and craftspeople. When
the developer purchased the mill, it was a run-down warren of spaces over four buildings,
with little access from one part to another, and no clear entrance. It did not comply with the
Building Code of Australia in many areas, particularly in terms of fire and safety. Crago Flour
Mill is listed on the local heritage inventory by Marrickville Council.
OPPORTUNITIES
The flour mill – with its structure of thick timber columns and beams, steel trusses and
remnant machinery – had the potential to become an engaging workplace attractive to the
target market – small creative businesses, who responded to the raw industrial aesthetic and
inner urban location.
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CHALLENGES
The principal challenge was to make the four buildings – with different structures, floor levels
and circulation – work as a coherent complex with appropriate access and fire egress. Care
was also needed to ensure that the addition of the lift tower did not adversely affect the
roofscape. There were public concerns about the changes of use and the potential loss a
creative facility. This was ameliorated in part through the new use also providing upgraded
small-scale facilities for creative industries.
The project sought to retain as much heritage fabric as possible, including substantial scars
that evoked previous alterations. The planning aimed to keep the mill plan legible within the
reuse, while rationalising circulation. The large, new entry courtyard, and street-level cafe
contribute to the streetscape and urban environment. The new circulation route starts with a
street-front entry leading to a central core containing lift, stair and amenities and the east-west
circulation spine, which connects the various parts and levels. This rationalised system
involved making openings at each level and creating internal hallways.
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Drawings of project.
Figure 5 section 1
Figure 6 section 2
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ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
Cyclists room
4 self contained bathrooms
Carpets manufactured from recycled pet bottles
Thermally insulated roof
Openable windows for fresh air
Operable skylights and roof windows to increase natural entilation
Independent split system air conditioner
Solar panels on roof
Rainwater collected from roof to maintain landscape
Reuse of existing building materials and structures
DESIGN FEATURES
exteriors
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In common area
In studio
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INTRODUCTION
Sharjah Art Foundation’s new spaces are located in the Heart of Sharjah, a central area that
is regarded as a distinct urban representation of Sharjah’s built environment cultural identity.
SAF Art Spaces is an urban development project with an adaptive re-use approach. The
buildings dialogue with both the existing physicality of the urban fragment as well as its
history and past use in order to reactivate the area and invigorate the reception of
contemporary art, which is befitting within the culturally rich, multi-layered urban context.
PRESENT USE
The project offers five exhibition buildings, which provide a range of interiors to experience
art along with a variety of exterior spaces including courtyards, alleyways, open squares and
an inter-connected roofscape.
APPROACH
Without being spatially nor programmatically overly determined, each exhibition building
has a pronounced spatial quality, scale, and lighting characteristic, producing a spectrum of
more contextualised or more abstracted frameworks for exhibiting and perceiving art.
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In response to the urban context and courtyard typology, the design subtly transforms
introverted spaces that in the past supported private residential life around the courtyard into
more fluid spaces that make provision for a communal social and spatial experience around
contemporary art.
On a conceptual level and in an attempt to retain the place’s historic footprint, the project
reinterprets pre-existing or documented architectural traces within the plot and readapts
historic architectural elements and materiality to new uses and conditions.
The intention is to balance the creation of open, and fluid contemporary spaces with a
celebration of unique traditional urban characteristics.
The revived traditional aspects of the architecture include thick peripheral walls, meandering
alleys and reintegrated rooftops, which were once inhabited outdoor residential spaces. The
roof becomes an extension of the urban space providing not only plunging views into alleys,
courtyards, and exhibition spaces to intensify the perception of artwork but also provides
views across urban layers, with limited vistas of the Creek and Gulf beyond.
Artwork is to be encountered in exterior spaces against a reading of the immediate site, the
surrounding landmarks and furthermore the extended site with its historical layers. The result
is an integrated experience that transforms and contextualises readings of both artwork and
site.
DESIGN
Serving communities across the emirate, Sharjah Art Foundation’s principle venues are
located in the historical area of the city of Sharjah bordering its active creek and shipping
port. These venues are centred around three public squares:
Al Mureijah Square, Calligraphy Square and Arts Square. Additional offsite venues and
centres are situated in other neighbourhoods of the city and in more than six urban areas and
communities throughout the emirate.
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1 Al Mureijah Square
2 Calligraphy Square
The heritage buildings of
Calligraphy Square serve as
temporary exhibition space for the
Sharjah Biennial and other SAF
projects. This area is home to a
number of Sharjah’s art and
cultural institutions and initiatives
including the Calligraphy Museum,
the Calligraphy Biennial, Figure 12 Calligraphy square
Calligraphy Studios and the Sharjah
Heritage Museum.
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3 Art Square
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INTRODUCTION
The highline also known as the highline park is a 1.45 mile long linear park built in Manhattan
on an elevated section of a disused new York central railroad spur called the west side line .
The high line has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway and rails to trail park ,
inspired by the promenade plantee Paris. The 13mile long project eliminates 105 street level
railroad crossings and added 32 acres to Riverside Park. Besides becoming a green corridor
in a bustling city, it has become a source of tourist revenue and has helped better the
surrounding neighbourhoods . The highline proves that a site specific adaptive reuse approach
is a viable holistic approach that embraces both change and continuity .
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(Source: highlinenewyork.com)
1847
In 1847, the city of new York authorized street level railroad tracks down manhattans
west side to ship freight . For safety the railroad hired men to ride horses and wave flags in
front of trains . however after so many accidents occurred that tenth avenue became known
as the death avenue
1934
as part of west side improvement project the highline opens to trains . it is designed to go
through the centre of blocks , rather than on the avenue , carrying goods to and from
manhattans largest industrial district
1999
Friends of the highline is founded by Joshua David and Robert Hammond , residents of
highline neighbourhood , to advocate for the highline preservation and reuse as public open
spaces and elevated greenway
2002 -2003
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The planning frameworks for highline preservation and reuse begins . a study suggested that
the project is economically rational and leads to an open ideas competition
City of new York and friends of highline select a design team – James corner field operations
a landscape architecture firm Diller scofidio + renfro and piet oudolf , plantig designer
2005- 2006
The city accepts ownership of the highline which is donated by csx transportation , in
November 2005
REASONS OF ABANDONMENT
The railways were built in 30’s and they were being used until the 80’s. It was abandoned for
almost 25 years until the re-treatment project began, during this period time one part of the
tracks were cut away.
The Highline project is designed by the architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro which is
an inter-disciplinary design office and we can see the effects of the uniting approach for the
landscape, functions and building materials in this project.
APPROACH
The aim of the project was reclaiming the abandoned railway structure in an attempt to
revitalize the neighborhood and create a public park.
The project was completed in 3 sections between the years 2009 and 2015. The final part of
the promenade is finished last year.
OBJECTIVE
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By the intervention of a new paving system they became able to merge the landscape with the
building materials and greenery became a substantial part of the experience.
They promoted the sense of duration by designing the experiences with various lengths of
times in the promenade.
They had a careful sense of dimension and scale while designing the physical environment.
By peeling up the pavement units, several functions were introduced for the users such as
benches, planters, work-spaces. By the use of 201 plant species the organic plants were
combined by the building materials in order to have a somehow wild, cultivated, intimate and
social spaces.
DESIGN
The winning proposal by James Corner Field Operations with Diller Scofidio + Renfro
includes over a dozen access points to the elevated park. Whichever entrance is activated, a
key component will attract users to spend time and explore the complete park. For instance,
enter a little past 14th St. and enjoy the sundeck and water feature; enter close to 23rd St. to
lounge on the open lawn and seating steps; or enter past 26th St. to enjoy the viewing area.
FEATURES
PAVEMENT
Inspired by the wild seeded landscape left after the line had been abandoned, the team created
a paving system that encourages natural growth which creates a ‘pathless’ landscape.
”Through a strategy of agri-tecture - part agriculture, part architecture –
the High Line surface is digitized into discrete units of paving and planting which are
assembled along the 1.5 miles into a variety of gradients from 100% paving to 100% soft,
richly vegetated biotopes,” (DS + Renfro.)
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This undefined and unobtrusive environment allows the public to meander and experience the
park as they wish.
SEATING
RAILWAY TRACKS
Before the new landscape could take form atop the High Line, every component of the
structure was tested and treated to ensure its structural strength. As each piece of rail was
removed, it was marked and mapped so that later, it could be returned to its original location
as an integrated planting piece.
LIGHTING
Energy-efficient LED lights gently illuminate the park’s pathways and allow the eyes to adjust
to the ambient light of the surrounding city sky.
Lights installed on the underside of the High Line illuminate the sidewalk below.
Figure 19 lighting
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LANDSCAPE
For the vast garden, soil was delivered and distributed to specific areas and more than one
hundred different species of plants, selected from nurseries along the East Coast, were planted
by a team of horticulturists to match the plans created by landscape architects
Figure 20 plantscaping
AFTERMATH
The promenade has initiated more than 30 new projects in the nearby neighbourhood,
including Renzo Piano’s new satellite for the Whitney Museum of American Art. The new
space will offer greening opportunities, alternative transportation options, and social benefits
to meet changing needs in urban environments. It is expected that the radical infrastructure
conversion will attract thousands from around the world in its opening season.
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Majority of warehouses in Kochi have been dysfunctional and only 3 warehouses have
been reused , these are the ones built during the British and Dutch period as biennale venues.
Pepper house , map project space ,aspinwall
a. Pepperhouse
INTRODUCTION
Pepper House is a waterfront heritage property located on the Kalvathi Road in between Fort
Kochi and Bazar Road.
The building consists of two historic ‘godowns’ (an Indian word for a dockside warehouse), one
facing the street and one overlooking the waterfront.
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These large, two-story buildings with Dutch style clay roofs are separated by a large courtyard
which would have once been used for storing goods waiting to be loaded onto ships in the harbour.
The sixteen thousand square feet Pepper House complex is currently undergoing renovations and
will eventually house a courtyard cafe, gallery, studios for artist residencies and event spaces.
In the long-term Pepper House is intended as an evolving project to create a multi-purpose space
that will host and promote visual arts year round in Kochi.
Ground floor
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The structure consists of a central courtyard with storage spaces on all sides .the central
courtyard was used for the loading, unloading ,drying of pepper.it is a two floored structured
on three sides and a single floored on the third side. Laterite, wood, stone, glass etc. are used
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in the building. It has the traditional sloping roof with wooden rafters and Mangalore tiles .the
structure is supported with wooden and laterite columns.
The structure has two staircases one at the front wing and the other at the rear wing, it also
has a veranda on three sides and balcony on two sides. Features of the building include
wooden, semi-circular arches, wooden doors, white red combinations, roof tiles, wooden
columns, clearstory windows, wooden staircase.
Presently it has a mixed use ( library, design shop, café, biennale venue)and is under private
ownership. The structure has good structural stability and has only a few minor defects like
wooden flooring deterioration. Additional alterations include renovated roof, change of
flooring material, painted, added steel beams for extra stability.
Ground Floor
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Analysis
The entry from the street starts with a ramp rather than step which provides easy access for
wheelchair into the building The positioning of library and cafe helps people in spending
more time inside the building.
Pepper house used one of its godown as a design workshops were artist from all over the
world can come and conduct their work shops.
Planning around the courtyard gives cross ventilation and lighting to all exhibition halls.
The two stair ways brings ease in vertical circulation into the exhibition halls in two wings on
north and east
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First floor
analysis
Exhibition room in first floor is
used by residential artist for thier
artworks .
Exhibition halls one and two are
renovated recently by plastering
laterite wall with cement mixture.
Three and four are small halls
also used for workshops.
The wooden flooring and wooden
beams are partialy damaged due
to humid climate in monsoon.
Figure 29 first floor
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The old rustic look of the building is made by conscious plantscaping with climbers that
spread on the wall .
Figure 34 old wall texture and door Figure 35 new ramp and wide arched gateway
retained
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4. Analysis
Finding the common thread
The case studies were chosen on the basis that they were all linked to the industrial age and
were located in cities of crucial importance to development and trade. They are situated in
locations that a\were central to industrialisation but lost importance as technology advanced .
the three structures went through stages of abandonment where some informal efforts of
revival kept them occupied for a brief period of time , this seen in each case study as some
manifestation structural alterations or scars of renovation
Thus it can be concluded that people can relate much better with buildings that are well woven
with uran fabric rather than buildings that stickout as a sore thumb. Which is the case of most
modern buildings these days.
Observation
- sociocultural
- economic
- physical /infrastructural
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Table 2
From the analysis of case studies a sample building is selected from a similar area and
attempts are made to propose guidelines for retrofitting the building.
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The railway station is 110 years old and is located near the high court in ernakulam.it has
been in the dilapidated state since almost 6 decades. The following study is to provide a basis
for conversion of this ruin into an art and heritage interpretation centre .
History
History says that Rama Varma, the then Maharaja of Kochi (1895-1914), took the initiative
in establishing the rail line. He took up the matter with the British, who ultimately asked the
State to bear the expense of laying the rail lines.
In July 16, 1902, the first passenger train chugged its way to this station. The steam engine
with six bogies arrived from Shornur, through a metre-gauge track. The 62-mile track was
converted into broad gauge in 1935.
Financial constraints came in the way of the project and the king sold elephant accoutrements,
mainly caparisons which belonged to the Poornathrayeesa Temple, to fund the project.
Construction work by the Madras Railway authorities took place in 1899. Thus, it took half a
century for the first train to come to Kochi after the first train in India ran from Mumbai to
Thane in 1853. The rail link to Kochi played a vital role in its development as the business
hub of Kerala
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Location
The area near the Ram Mohan Palace was chosen because of its proximity to the Ernakulum
market. The nearby boat jetty made it convenient for people to travel to West Kochi and
Vypeen.
Significance of structure
Among those who arrived at the station were Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Sastri, Lord
Irwin and the Archbishop Joseph Attipetty.
The development of Kochi port threw up the need to extend the rail line up to Willingdon
Island for transporting bulk goods.
It was built in bricks and since there was no electricity then, the platform was lit using
`petromax' lamps.
Decline of railway
The Ernakulam South station was set up in 1929 and the Harbour Terminus in 1943. Thus,
the Ernakulam Terminus station began to lose its prominence. It catered to passenger traffic
till the early sixties, when it became the Ernakulam Railway Goods station.
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Current state
The present state of the railway station is very much in ruins and seeks immediate action to
prevent it from further damage.
There was a proposal to convert the station into a hub for the suburban rail project, which did
not take off. Problems related to land acquisition have hampered the proposal to route the
goods-train traffic from Vallarpadam to Ernakulam through the station.
The proposal to convert the land into a parking area for cars coming to the High Court has
been hanging fire because of the fear that it will affect migratory birds which throng
Mangalavanam.
The railway station is in a state of ruin, and the rails are covered with weeds. A coat of paint
has long evaded the corrugated grills and the mud bricks.
The building itself was witness to the visits of many historic personalities.
Limitation
Financial constrains
Legal and technical difficulties
Rehabilitation of 21 families is the major challenge posed while rebuilding the old
railway station
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In Ernakulum terminus railway station the retrofitting of building with art driven adaptive
reuse is the best possible option considering the fact that:
Turning it into a busy railway hub might intervene with the integrity of mangalavanam
bird sanctuary nearby.
Tampering with existing structure would destroy the historic characteristics and
evidences of past .
Art driven adaptive reuse eliminates these factors and smartly retrofit the building for
the future use which benefit maximum variety of user groups.
Flourishment in tourism is another factor which generates income for maintenance .
Nearby markets and small scale vendors are benefitted from this.
The following are the possible interventions that can be done to achieve this :
Tracks
The tracks are to be integrated with planks as in the case of highline park to make it a
path for evening walk etc
Old rusted trackes should be removed and soft plantscaping can be done without
disturbing the existing plants
Structure
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Seating
Peel up technology .
Interiors
Painting lighter colors on the interiors to brighten Figure 46 interiors: suitablefor large gallery space
up the spaces and focus more on the art works and
installations.
Removing weeds , termites etc to avoid structural
damage
Using terracotta flooring for a natural and rustic
look . it can be accompanied by mild acid washes
if salt rises and forms a dusty layer .
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Exterior
Old engine parts found on the site which can be effectively converted into installations for
attracting people into the building.
4.2 Guidelines
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4.1 Inference
Anything in the designer’s power to prolong a buildings lifespan must be carried out.
The buildings that contain a sturdy and sound foundation and structural system are the
best suited ones for process of adaptive reuse .
A culturally significant building have been in their location for long time period and
thus have layers of local context and history added to them . They are centrally located
, have a sense of community , contain necessary services and are already constructed
.
These buildings need not be purely functional and can also have aesthetics in mind
A best suited trend in the growing retrofitting needs is the art driven adaptive reuse.
Through this dissertation the importance and scope of art driven adaptive reuse has
been tried to be understood .
The various sectors of society that have benefitted from this were identified.
Various international as well as Indian context has been studied which comes in this
respect.
And contributions from these case studies have been adopted to retrofit an abandoned
building identified under these parameters.
Avoid patterned floor or carpets in low lit areas
Sufficient lighting on the interior spaces to make it visible to all visitors
Light and colour must combined to produce a clearly delineated circulation route into
, through and out of every exhibition space.
4.2 Conclusion
The conclusions that are drawn from this study is that adaptive reuse is one of the best
techniques to retrofit a building without losing its integrity .
Several case studies done on this topic emphasise the need of art driven advancements in
creating community spaces , and the importance of it in shaping a creative city.
The various techniques used were finally adopted on a sample building which satisfies these
criteria to maximum extend .
And some guidelines were also formulated to carry this out in a meticulous manner .
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REFERENCE
2. https://post.at.moma.org/content_items/815-art-driven-adaptive-reuse-in-several-
indian-cities
5. www.nps.gov/tps/stadards/rehabilitatio/rehab/stad.htm
6. http://sharjahart.org/sharjah-art-foundation/about/sharjah-art-foundation-venues
7. https://www.firstpost.com/india/around-fort-kochi-and-mattanchery-part-1-century-
old-settlements-fight-to-retain-historical-legacy-3448748.html
8. http://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/pepper-house/
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