Carved into Contours

Project: Art & Innovation Hub at Agastya International Foundation, Guddivanka, Andhra Pradesh Architects: Mistry Architects, Karnataka With this project, the architects make an attempt to understand the ‘language of the land’ and built an ensemble that effortlessly merges with its context.

- Umeed Mistry, Tasneem Khan, Anand

The project is a part of the rural educational campus of Agastya International Foundation in Andhra Pradesh. The architecture of this building emanated from the understanding to bring together arts and science and allow the learning that happens when strict disciplines are broken and a natural leap frogging from one to the other becomes the norm rather than the exception. This idea is further strengthened from the belief that the attributes of the future are clearly stacked in favour of our creative community, if we pay heed to the idea of design thinking to solve many problems that escapes a fixated rationalist approach.

The architects explored on the re-adaptation, overlaying of structural determinants, costs and capturing the views of the valley. The ensemble was tucked into the contours further so that it effortlessly slips into the earth. The cut and fill process integrated the structure to the slopes, covering part of the building under the sweep of the earth, which was eventually covered with greenery, merging the structure to the surrounding landscape.