The building will be a symbol of how Dharavi could be redeveloped in a different way: no high-rise building, no masterplans coming from above our heads, but projects that can improve the quality of life in Dharavi. To us, developing Dharavi means taking into consideration what is already there. This must be done in a way that is economically sustainable. So the basic concept of the project is: 1) Develop don’t destroy, 2) make a small architectural landmark that will act as a statement showing that an alternative model of development in possible, 3) make it work within the economic dynamic of Dharavi. Dharavi is not a junkyard that can be bulldozed. The tabula rasa approach is not an option. As we know people live here, they work and play like everywhere in Mumbai. This is a normal neighborhood confronted with special challenges. Several parts of Dharavi don’t look different from so many other areas of Mumbai, which are not referred as slums. Any (re)development project should start by evaluating the strength and the potential of Dharavi and consider the people living there as the main users and stakeholders.
The building we designed should be a new facility for the community. In the initial phase we are considering the use of pallet racks system, which is a relatively cheap, fast, adaptable and modern way of building inside Dharavi.
The preliminary project proposes two different spaces: a large space on the ground floor for elderly residents (using the structure that has just been built) and a space for street children on the first floor. A tower provides vertical circulation. It also functions as a landmark for the area. The top of the tower is used to broadcast free internet wireless to New Transit Camp Nagar (and may be to the whole Dharavi), and diffuse Dharavi’s very own dharavi.organic wiki website. Two open spaces are planned: a patio on the backside of the plot and an open terrace on the roof.
Pallet racks system. Picture from Bangalore Jaaga Creative Common Ground
Look at the other pictures from Jaaga to understand more about the construction system.
The pallet racks system allows us to build the tower and the first floor in a flexible and adaptable way. A second floor can be easily added in the future. For the ground floor we are simply keeping the existing brick structure.
The project moves quickly and many things keep changing. These are just preliminary ideas for the buildings. We will continue working on them. We also aim at using inputs from other architects and builders coming to the URBZ office. If you are interested in helping this project in any way, please contact URBZ. What we need the most at the moment is funding. Anything would help. We can already go a long way with $20,000 to 30,000.
(text from URBZ web site)
