Vestiges of Madras

This project looks at speculative moments in Tamil architecture and reinstates remnants of an ancient civilization in a contemporary backdrop. The goal of this project is to create an expression that is unique to a city by reviving long-lost symbols that once used to be a part of the city. The process devises a socio-cultural model that encompasses an overall expression created from reflections of traditions, philosophy and literature. The model articulates a negotiation between the physical artefacts, the contemporary grid and the post-colonial architecture of the city inciting memory and interpretation on the onlookers. Architecture, in this project, is merely a medium to reinterpret aesthetic outcomes from history and to reference a contemporary building based on tools outside of the architectural expanse. The proposition includes a transit hub that attempts to manifest built tradition by introducing subtle references of the historic and cultural significance and also embracing the ornamental nature of Tamil architecture.

The past being ignored, the future being unknown and the need to adapt to the ever-changing urban trends, this project questions the existence of current urban trends and speculates a future that thrives in a controlled manner.