A Center for Community & Culture

Community spaces play an important role in the success of a city and its inhabitants. They become the
foundation to which those living and visiting in the area come together and communicate. They offer
opportunities to embrace the history and culture of the area and bring the community together using
this common bond. This thesis focuses on embracing the history and culture of LUCKNOW City by
bringing a community together through the design of desirable spaces.

problem statement

How can inner city revitalization efforts embrace different cultures and promote desirable spaces in
LUCKNOW City, LUCKNOW ?

project typology

Beginning in the late 1800s, we have become dependent on the automobile which has contributed to
negative health both personally and for the environment. Designing more walkable cities and
communities to promote healthy living and returning the Earth to how it was before the automobile is
now becoming more crucial than ever. Encouraging the public to walk, build, live, and think sustainably
will benefit their personal health as well as the health of the place they live in. As a landscape architect,
the design of a city that enforces the public to live a more sustainable lifestyle, will increase the overall
health of the people and city and provide a healthy place to live for future generations.

Implementing sustainable living into LUCKNOW City and other cities, is important as it will give the city
the opportunity to continue to grow and extend the life of not only its inhabitants but of the city itself.
Protecting its resources, reducing waste, and ensuring better walkability all contribute to the success of
a sustainable city.

Sustainable living can be done in many ways and can benefit communities as a whole. By creating spaces
that accommodate for an entire community and giving the community a space in a centralized location
to accommodate for a large amount of their needs, rather than the use of automobiles, traveling
distances will lessen and the public will take advantage of what is close by. This in turn, is sustainable
and healthy for the city and the community.

research results & goals

Community design and the design of public spaces is an integral part of the success of a city. Designing
spaces that benefit the community as a whole and begins to create a place rather than just a space.
Using the history of community design and learning from its successes and faults, will help to promote
successful design throughout the world
 Multi-venue Performing arts Center(Center for Indian Arts and society)

Introduction to the project Center for Indian Arts and Society is a Multi-use space that is intended for
use by various types of the performing arts, including dance, music, theatre and social events. The
intended multiple use of the performing arts center in this sense differentiates them from single-
purpose concert halls, opera houses or theatres, although the actual use of single-purpose spaces for
other than their intended use is of course widespread. A cluster of performance spaces, under various
roofs, each possibly designed for a specific purpose such as symphonic music or chamber music or
theatre, but multi-purpose as a whole. This center shall act as a sole presenter for events using the
venues within the centre or host multiple events within its respective spaces for self-presenting
performing arts groups or events.

Facilities proposed

Concert halls and Auditorium

Theatre

Exhibition halls

Library

Museum

Forecourts

Restaurants

Arena

Archives

Purpose of the project

(need -substantiate), feasibility study if any India is a artistically gifted country boasting a 5,000-year-old
cultural and spiritual legacy. Art in India is an affair of engaging tradition and adaptation. A country with
such diverse art forms requires the state of the art facility to showcase its talents. Facilities in India for
events are very limited. Further to this it becomes more crucial to render the international audience a
complete artistic experience of Indian artistic Heritage and contemporary socio-expression.

Objectives
 To provide for an contemporary International iconic center which imparts to the world the rich legacy
of Indian performing and visual arts and Indian modernist socio-expression.

To establish a centre for the preservation and promotion of classical, traditional and contemporary
performing and visual arts.

To establish, equip and maintain schools, auditoria, libraries, archives, museums, studios, workshops
and other facilities necessary to fulfil the above objectives. To disseminate knowledge, promote
appreciation, provide training and sponsor or undertake scientific research in these fields with the
objective of further development by encouragement of innovation within India and by interaction with
the arts of other countries.

Finding peace in architectur

Description:

A study of how architecture can play a role of more than just a building form, by the analysis of
psychological effect of spaces and forms to reduce depression in the society.

Main target: women and youth, Secondary target: General public, especially non-affording class lower
middle class.

Background:

The overall prevalence of depressive disorders in Pakistan stands at a staggering 34%, with regions
reporting as high as 66% women and 25.5% men suffering from this noncommunicable disease. The
socio-economic factors of the country put a large population at the risk of developing depressive
disorders.

According to a survey conducting by WHO there is a rising trend of depression among the youth of the
country owing to the high unemployment, women are also at a high risk due to an overall suppressive
society and no facilities for pre/post natal stress.

Other reasons for depression involve genetic and environmental factors. Physical, sexual or emotional
abuse, certain medication; and personal conflicts/disputes with friends or family.

Reasons for Selecting:

The main symptom of depression is that people are unable to participate in work or leisure activities and
become introvert and secluded. Due to a lack of activities, recreational areas and landscapes in the
country people are only dependant on restaurants and movie theatres to help get out depression. The
purpose of this project will be to provide such, individual and group, activities and spaces to relax and
relieve stress. Secondly the rate of increase in depression in Pakistan is alarming and if the situation is
not controlled through different measure will be the cause of depression in every third Pakistani.
Thirdly, depression is one of the leading cause of suicide in people; especially young adults.

Aims:

? To increase awareness about depression in people ? Make people understand that hopelessness and
lack of interest in life is the major symptom of depression which can be treated

? Increase the facilities, activities and indirect therapies to reduce depression in society

? Special consideration for females and the young in regards to depression

? Finding ways to help reduce the rise in depression in society by introducing activities that reduce
stress and provide a peaceful environment for the users.

? Understanding healing architecture. ? Study environmental psychology and how it can help in
developing healing spaces. ? Since the major purpose of this project is to reduce depression from the
society as a whole, the project will not be for the depressed but every one so depression can be
eliminate from the society.

Objectives:

? Finding the link between architecture and mental wellbeing of the people, who are in early stages of
depression and can be saved through indirect approaches.

? Understanding the role of senses in architecture ? Development of link between sensory architecture
and therapy

? Developing architecture that act as therapy for people, by understanding the role of senses

? Study of the types of activities and spaces that can be used to treat depression

? Create an area for the awareness of depression and consultation of the interested people, as a
secondary purpose.

? The main objective is to revive activity, communication, communal and interactive spaces for people
to help them from going into depression

? These will involve such spaces which soothe and calm people and also involve functions and human
interactive programs to relieve stress and frustrations.

Research Questions:

? Types of depressions?
? Percentages of depressed people?

? Causes of depression?

? Treatments used for depression?

? What is human psychology?

? What is environmental psychology?

? What is healing architecture?

? What is sensory architecture?

? How can understanding environmental psychology help in developing healing architecture?

? How does sensory architecture and involving the role of senses help in design?

? What activities are most suitable to develop a positive and confident attitude in people?

? What kind of spaces and environments help in reducing depression?

SITE:

Reports and statistics show that Lahore has the highest rate of depression, 53.4%. Hence, considering
the need for such a place in the city, the site will be in one of the corners of Lahore; which will be
approached privately or by fixed bus routes provided by the organization.

? Near LSE, Ring Road ? Raiwand Road

PROBABLE OUTCOME: a) Building Typology:

The project will be a healing amusement hub, which will consist of: ? Community/Activity Centre ?
Amusement Areas ? Stress relieving exercise areas ? Induced therapy units ? Spiritual and Meditation
Centres ? Consultation and Awareness Clinics ? Botanical and Flower gardens ? Hard and soft sitting
spaces ? Landscapes (hard and soft) ? Restaurants

Outcome:

? Encourage people to become active and go out to relax ? Heal people through design and spaces ?
Create a healthy environment ? Change in attitudes of people ? Introduction of mentally and physically
relaxing activities
 INSTITUTE FOR YOGIC SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION:
Yoga is a commonly known generic term for the physical, mental, and
spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India with a
view to attain a state of mental and physical peace life.
It is a methodical way to attain perfection, through the control of the
different elements of human nature- both physical and mental. The
Bachelor of Science in yoga education is a three-year course of
graduation. Post-graduate and doctorate courses are also included in the
university curriculum.
Yoga enables its students to acquire perfect control over physical body,
the mind and senses. It is the turning away of senses from the objective
universe and concentrating it on the mind within. By practicing yoga there
is perfection, peace and everlasting happiness which also help in
developing business and in daily life. As the demand for mental peace
and physical fitness has increased, people have become more aware to be
educated in yoga through professional institutions. There is a constant
increase of people practicing yoga; hence there is an increase in number
of students to pursue yogic education.
AIM:
The aim of the project is to design a yoga institution whose main objective
is to teach yoga in an academic curriculum to the students who seek to
come to learn different forms of yoga and their benefits and to revitalize
the essence of yogic awareness and compose
an environment that helps students develop an affinity with nature and
develop on the techniques of yoga to a higher level.
OBJECTIVE:
To design an institute on the concepts of yoga sutras by Patanjali.
Use of traditional and local materials and elements.
To create a barrier free accessible design environment.
Integration of open and semi-open spaces with courtyards.

SCOPE:
Study of ancient yoga sutras and forms of yoga which leads to the base
of the design.
The institute shall comprise of administration block, academic block,
hostels, and guest houses for invited dignitaries, staff quarters and
meditation blocks.

LIMITATIONS:
The project limits to academic and training blocks. The rest shall be
delt at the site level.
The design shall not go into the depths of the funding
The emphasis is on the improvement of the physical development of the
site.