Project
A Space for a Forgotten Word

Category
Best Design Project for Library

About the project
The Gond tribe, one of the largest tribes in the world, faces a two-headed conflict — an external one because of their region’s socio-political scenario, and an internal cultural one that puts their rich art and culture, including their ancient Gondi language, at risk of being forgotten.
The design is envisioned as an immersive experience into the landscape, revealing the structure and the concrete monoliths engraved with alphabets of Gondi, which strongly symbolize the presence, importance, and relevance of the tribal language.
The proposal is intended to invite users from many surrounding villages while acting as an international center of learning and a symbol of preservation for the ancient Gondi language and culture.
The library structure is not thought of as an institute that is given to the people, but a living organism that grows as per the needs of its users, growing and expanding in phases around the existing landscape.

Location
Bastar, Chhattisgarh, India

Project design year
2021

More project images
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rILtH3Jxdt5weZcEUOnjoYnKW3Bzl4eC?usp=sharing

Project video
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YWY8zCmwKq-ykQ991y4VoTiGxxQAmFdQ?usp=sharing

Applicants and authors of the project
Young architects based in New Delhi, Dhruv Shah, and Sneha Dhanuka have prior experiences of working in internationally acclaimed architecture offices, which include Studio Lotus, New Delhi and MPN and Partners, Hanoi. Their key interest areas in architecture lie in radical concepts, and a sustainable approach for building systems.