Mangrove Interpretation Centre
Culture Architecture I Alibag, Maharashtra
Client JSW Steel Ltd.
Area 8,500 Sq.ft
Status Ongoing
Team Shimul Javeri Kadri, Sarika Shetty, Nikita Shahdadpuri, Bhavin Patel
The design attempts to scoop into the earth with gallery spaces arranged underground, skirted by stairs and connectors on the periphery
JSW proposes to build an Interpretation centre for Mangroves, at the Dolvi site proposed for a Secondary Care Rural Community Hospital. To the west of the Hospital Cafe, is a small trapezoidal parcel apportioned as a garden and the attempt of the Mangrove Interpretation Centre is to scoop itself into this garden, to create an engaging story depicting the importance of Mangroves as a sequester of carbon, thus creating an inspiring platform for its awareness and share JSW's contribution towards its conservation.
Design narratives
The design attempts to scoop into the earth with gallery spaces arranged underground, skirted by stairs and connectors on the periphery that in-turn form experiential spaces, suffused with daylight via skylights in the roof.
Public engagement and architecture
The curatorial story brings in the visitor into a light filled Reception area at Plinth level, wherein the guest is oriented and via a lift/staircase, the visitor moves down two levels to reach the Mangrove Forest experience through a long dark corridor (Level -2).
From the Mangrove Forest experience, the visitors travel up their way through the JSW conservation story to reach the auditorium ( Dome Theatre ) at Level -1. From this level, one treads up through the Fauna and Flora exhibit, and terminates into an amphitheatre and garden courtyard at Level 0 with the Resource centre and back into the Reception to complete this looped story of experiencing Mangroves.
