Framing the Ordinary

Set alongside the informal settlements of MBPT godowns is an architectural idea born through observation of the
ordinary. Architecture is more to do with making frames than painting pretty pictures, more a matter of accompanying
life than life itself. Thinking about my design project as frame-making is part of trying to make an identification for
the place and the people- an urban space that houses people’s needs, wants and things they don’t know they
need/want.
A 75 m long warehouse lies abandoned at the far end of the MBPT site. A peculiar space indeed, where a hundred
metres of barren strip to the left meets a four meter wide road densely populated with activities. For a large site with
so much vacant space, there is little to no open space for people to actually utilise. A strong need for a public space
thus arises, to inform activities in everyday life- of routine and leisure, of domestic and public.
Laid out as multiple spatial forms is an experience of frames curated for the user’s eye. Just like when a camera
captures in two dimensions, the architecture captured remains merely an object- when the user captures, architecture
becomes an experience. An experience of space, time, scale and depth. These multiple forms encase different
functions- like eateries, reading nooks, community clinic, conversation courts, laundry spaces, performance spaces,
shops etc- allow for a myriad of framing opportunities. Very evident in their existence, these frames function as doors,
windows, transitional spaces, walls, columnades and kunds.