A Metaphoric Amalgam of Nature and Culture

Project: Museum of Tribal Heritage, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Architects: Kamath Design Studio, New Delhi

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In the context of the Museum for Tribal Heritage, the ecology of the space and built form encompasses both nature and culture and it is in the metaphoric amalgam of the two and their visual balance that the building derives its architectural expression.

The prime generator of form for the architecture of the museum is the quality of the topography of the region; the rolling surfaces of the Malwa Plateau, cupping bodies of water large and small, the gigantic steps of the Vindhaya range, majestic scarps; flat topped hills dissected by several rivers and streams, through dense forests, alluvial basins and rocky gorges are the compositions that inspire the resolution of form and space.

The ensemble forms a backdrop and the base for the representation of the tribal habitat as it unfolds to the perceiver of the “Museum” both at the urban scale and within the folds of the architectural experience.

The building and its environment incorporate into its forms the complexities and nuances of the land inspired fractal of the “Green Roof Scape”.

The fish, linear yet supple is the inspiration and backbone to the tectonics, geometry and the functional resolution of the building as its parts integrate into a whole.