INTRODUCTION
Architect: Charles Correa
Location: Panjim, Goa
Site area: 4 acres
The location for the site of Kala Academy sits
along the picturesque environs of Panjim.
The site is between the historic Mandovi
river, which adds up to the nice view one gets
from the site and Campal road, a wide tree-
lined road running through an old residential
area of Panjim.
The KALA ACADEMY provides 10,500 sq.m
of facilities for visiting artistes and troopes of
performers from other cities in India and
abroad, as well as for local Konkani and
Marathi theatre groups and musicians who
travel around many villages and towns of
Goa - and who constitute a vigorous and
essential part of its cultural traditions.
OBJECTIVE OF THE CASE
STUDY:-
Designed by Charles Correa it stands up
as a fine structure in which the architect
has used the site to it’s best use. Built to
be a center for performing arts, it is one of
the examples in which the local context
has weighed heavily in the architectural
expression of the building.
The study of the building will help in
understanding the basic planning and
layout of the two functional components,
an auditorium and an O.A.T
THE FACILITIES:-
•1000 seat auditorium
•2000 seat open air amphitheatre
•A special ‘Black Box’ for experimental
productions.
•Exhibition gallery for Painting and Sculpture.
•Classrooms for learning Indian Classical
•Dance, and Indian and European Classical
Music.
•Administration office.
•Workshop.
•Cafeteria.
•Library.
•Extensive promenade development along
the riverfront
SITE AND ITS SURROUNDINGS:-
•The immediate surroundings of Kala
Academy have a low built form, with most of
it as green belt like the Forest guest house,
nursery and children’s park in the adjoining
plot.
•Opposite side of the main road has a typical
urban built form with the military hospital and
old Goa Medical college building.
•At the other side of the site is MANDOVI
RIVER.
•The building acts as a transition space
between these two and one does not feel a
random change while approaching to the
beach side.
LOCATION PLAN OF KALA ACADEMY
DESIGN :-
•The building has been planned in a way to
use to it’s advantage the sea breeze hence
maintaining a comfortable environment
inside.
•The entrance space has been planned as
a funnel, so that the whole building in fact
acts as a large breezeway, connecting the
Campal road to the Mandovi river.
•The building has two main entrances one
from the front and other from the side.
•Local laterite stone has been used as the
external cladding material so that the
building blends well with the existing local
character.
•The front elevation has been played down
and the only external prominent design
element being used is the large pergola-
covered foyer.
•The combination of local laterite stone
goes well with the colored plastered
surfaces.
•Inspired by the vernacular Goan
Architecture, the use of various bright
colours has been done like pink, rust,
orange, green, yellow etc which one sees in
the minute details of construction like the
frames
Thefor the doors
exterior, and
use of windows.
local material
 SMALL
O.A.T.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

 Fibre-glass skylight

TRANSVERSE SECTION THROUGH

THE BUILDING

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

INTERNAL PLANNING:-

•The spaces have been carved out in a way

that a good circulation pattern can be
observed.
•The functions that account for a heavy flow of
traffic have been placed in a way to give the
visitor easy access.
•The auditorium and the open air
amphitheatre have more than one entry hence
large flow of traffic is easily managed. ENTRANCE FOYER WITH RECEPTION

•On entering the complex, the structure gives

a feeling of openness as the columnar
structure has been kept free standing and only
more private spaces have been enclosed by
the masonry walls.

Ground floor
MINI O.A.T. WITH ACCESS FROM FIRST
•The ground floor planning has been resolved
FLOOR
along the two large spaces, the first being the
indoor 1000 seat auditorium and the second cafeteria
being the 2000 seat open air amphitheatre.
•The transition spaces in-between have been
put as a foyer or a waiting lounge.
•Some more public functions like the Art
gallery, library have been placed on the
ground floor.
•A Mini-O.A.T. is there on the ground floor
which also has its access from the first floor. VIEW OF CAFETERIA FROM MINI-O.A.T.
•A Cafeteria is also there on the ground floor.
First floor Pergolas with beams
holding the bamboo
•The planning on the first floor incorporates an sticks
informal layout for the classrooms and the
administrative office.
•The administration office is open plan and low
height partitions are given.
•The practice rooms open to a corridor which
further grows into the large terraces on the first
floor.
•The front elevation is made more prominent by
the large pergola with the beams holding the
bamboo sticks. These were to act as support
for the green belt of climbers.
•The O.A.T. is accessed through the ramp
which starts from the foyer and goes straight
up.
Ramp for the access to O.A.T.

Second floor
Terrace access to the O.A.T.
•The second floor plan has some practice
rooms and is partially built.
•The terrace access to the O.A.T. has been
given from this level.
•In general the planning has been worked out
to make the building look spacious from inside
and at no point should the visitor find himself
enclosed in a box.
OPEN AIR THEATRE
PLAY OF LIGHT & COLOUR:-
•The natural lighting levels vary to a significant
degree inside so that each space has its own
ambience.
•The central foyer has a fiberglass skylight.
•People sit informally around the multilevel
sitting spaces created by the architect to make
the place look more lively.
FIBRE GLASS SKYLIGHT ABOVE THE
CENTRAL FOYER

ART OF ILLUSION:-
I
•The most fascinating thing in the treatment of
N
the interior walls has been the 3-D illusions
T
created by renowned Goan artist Mario
E
Miranda.
R
•A sense of excitement has been created by I
this and there’s feeling of something going on O
somewhere even during the absence of crowd. R
S
•A center for music and dance can be boring at
times and might seem dull at moments when

<<<<<
there’s no activity of major interest. But care
has been taken that the spirit at this venue
remains high. ILLUSIONS
<<<<< CREATED
•The artist has done an incredible job and it’s BY WALL
really hard to find what is real and what not. PAINTINGS
Like in the mural painted above the stair
continuing straight is real and the one turning to
the right is an illusion.
AUDITORIUM:-
•One of the main functional components of
Kala Academy is the 1000 seat air conditioned .
auditorium named after Dinanath Mangeshkar.
•It is located just adjacent to the two main
entries to the complex and is approached
through the main foyer.
•The plan of the auditorium is trapezoidal.
•It is one of the simplest types.
•The plan has two side aisles and two aisles in
the middle. •The aisles have a gradual slope.
•The aisle width in the middle is 1.0m and in •The distance between two adjacent rows is
the sides is 1.5m. 1.0m with a level difference of 10cm.

SECTION THROUGH THE AUDITORIUM SHOWING THE DIFFERENT

ACOUSTICAL TREATMENTS
 ACOUSTICS:-
• It allows for a variety of acoustical
conditions ranging from speech, plays to
orchestral arrangements.
• These variations are brought about by
manipulating areas of absorbent material
along the walls and ceilings of the
auditorium.
• To decrease the reverberation time in the
auditorium, curtains are pulled behind the
figures in the balconies- supplemented by
other drapes that move above the false
ceiling.
• The floor is covered by red tapestry.

 ENVIORNMENT CREATED INSIDE

• On the walls and ceiling are
painted with the illusion of an old Goan
theatre.
• When the show starts, the house-lights
dim gradually, with the illuminated figures
in the balconies fading last of all.
• At the interval, this process is reversed.
• At the end of the performance, just before
the balcony lights come on, spot lights
illuminate the ceiling behind the inner
box.
• On this surface is painted fragments of
the great jungles of Goa, an experience
to remind the audience that all they have
witnessed is mere illusion..
THE OAT
•The open air amphitheatre is generally used
for performances where the capacity needed
is higher.
•It accommodates 2000 patrons, under a
open roof.
•The theatre comes in handy where there’s a
need for audience to sit close to the stage so
that the need for heavy equipment for sound
can be minimized. PLAN OF OPEN-AIR THEATRE

•The space is more of a informal one which

is in a sharp contrast to the DM auditorium.
•The theatre gives a feeling of openness
which could be related to the old Goan
arenas.
•The steps are 3’-3” wide with a rise of 1’6”
between two rows.
•The seating is spread out on a wide angle,
and the view of the stage from the sides is a
VIEW OF O.A.T.
limited one.
•The height of the last rows is such that sight
lines are interfered by the stage proscenium. Entry from Entry through Back stage
terrace ramp entry

Terrace entry

<<< Separate entry to

terrace for O.A.T.
VIEW SHOWING ENTRIES TO THE
O.A.T. AT DIFFERENT LEVELS
The Black Box

•Besides the auditorium the complex also

houses a ‘Black Box’.
•It is a hall designed for music concerts and
amateur performances with a seating
capacity of 250.
•This can be used as a recording studio.
•Acoustic covering on the walls consists of The Black Box
wooden paneling.
•A space frame on the top holds the
fluorescent tubes.
•Seating is of temporary which can be PLAN SHOWING BLACK-BOX JUST
removed at the time of recordings. ADJACENT TO O.A.T.

<<<<< VIEW INSIDE THE BLACK- BOX DURING A

PERFORMANCE