Studio Saar’s latest completion, Third Space in Udaipur, India, is an unusual commission. A project for local not-for-profit organisation Dharohar, this is a building that combines many uses and purposes, conceived to offer several affordable resources to the Rajasthan city in one fell swoop.
Third Space is a place for learning, working with makers to create extra-curricular activities for the area supporting the preservation of crafts; it is a leisure centre offering a range of diverse, hands-on activities, such as a maker's space and Tinkering Lab; it hosts a performing arts and exhibition programme; it creates flexible space for people to gather, relax and spend time in its several cool, open-air courtyards; and it provides the community with a variety of areas for social wellbeing, retail and co-working to boot.
Take a tour of Third Space by Studio Saar
To define the brief, the Anglo-Indian studio, headed by Ananya Singhal and Jonny Buckland, worked closely with Dharohar – a philanthropic institution funded and managed by the Singhal family, owners of Secure Meters, an Indian multinational smart metering and energy management business, of which Singhal is joint managing director.
As a result, the design draws on the non-profit’s key principles of ‘openness, accessibility, and inclusivity’. Additionally, Singhal explains, ‘we wanted the building to be of its place, and fitting to the Indian vernacular’. The project’s intricate detail throughout, and features such as the inverted stepwell that connects the underground parking levels and the public plaza above, speak to that.
The centre is composed of a series of open and enclosed spaces held within a permeable volume wrapped in a perforated façade made of marble and steel –offcuts of the former material were used in the floor, and offcuts of the latter, in screen partitions inside.
More environmentally friendly gestures in the construction include the use of waste marble-rubble and lime mortar from nearby mines (Udaipur is known for its marble quarries) in the masonry walls and flooring; marble dust replacing 10 per cent of the cement, and 20 per cent of the sand/aggregate in the concrete mix; passive cooling systems throughout; and native trees and other plants at multiple levels, which help users connect to the outdoors while also contributing to the restoration of local wildlife and flora.
‘We want it to be a place where people are not afraid to come in and are curious to try things,’ says Singhal. ‘We want to inspire collaboration and introduce people with the same interests to each other.’
An exhibition by Studio Saar titled ‘Craft, Community, Connection’ will be on show at the Crafts Council Gallery in London, 7 – 15 June as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2024
A version of this article appears in the July 2024 issue of Wallpaper*,$ available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
-
David Cronenberg’s ‘The Shrouds’ is the film for our post-truth digital ageThe film director draws on his own experience of grief for this techno conspiracy thriller
-
Cambridge Audio's new earbuds offer premium performance without denting your pocketThe Cambridge Audio Melomania A100 earbuds demonstrate just how far affordable audio tech has come in the last decade
-
A European-style café opens next to London’s Saatchi GalleryDesigned by Dion & Arles, Cafe Linea serves fresh pâtisseries, global dishes and sparkling wines in a stunning Grade II-listed setting
-
Behind a carefully composed geometric brick façade, a New Delhi residence rises highAKDA’s design for this New Delhi residence explores new geometries and high densities
-
This Hyderabad live/work space is rooted in its leafy context, centred around an old neem treeIn Hyderabad, India, Soil & Soul Studio by Iki Builds is a blueprint for a conscious way of building, working and living
-
A night at Pierre Jeanneret’s house, Chandigarh’s best-kept secretPierre Jeanneret’s house in Chandigarh is a modernist monument, an important museum of architectural history, and a gem hidden in plain sight; architect, photographer and writer Nipun Prabhakar spent the night and reported back
-
This Ahmedabad house is enclosed within a curved concrete shellThis Ahmedabad house by Achyutam Designs is a homage to concrete and a celebration of the curve, a family house designed to flow into its surroundings
-
In New Delhi, a home designed to embrace light and landscapeA New Delhi house, Architecture Discipline’s Lighthouse, arranges a generous family residence and pool house around an expansive garden
-
Shalini Misra’s Delhi home is a seasonal sanctuary ‘made in India’Interior designer Shalini Misra’s retreat in the Indian capital champions modernist influences, Islamic ancestry and local craftsmanship
-
A triplex Mumbai penthouse contains sculptural staircases and expansive terracesEnso House is a multigenerational Mumbai penthouse by S+PS Architects that combines a reorganised interior programme with bespoke finishes and crafts
-
This ‘architourism’ trip explores India’s architectural history, from Mughal to modernismArchitourian is offering travellers a seven-night exploration of northern India’s architectural marvels, including Chandigarh, the city designed by Le Corbusier
