BACKGROUND

There has been complete cultural negligence in India in the past few decades, with
the growth of Modern technology. With the influx of new modern equipments and
the craze with the western culture adoption, Indians are in the verge of losing their
own culture. The idea of adopting to the western culture is considered prestigious
and trendy among this generation as is advertised and promoted by global icons.
The lack in promoting and encouraging may not only lead to cultural extinction but
also affect cultural tourism to a greater extent.

First and foremost, the prevailing misconceptions about Indians and about other
state cultures need to be broken. Interest to learn, follow and adopt our culture will
boost our cultural value worldwide. Hence there is an immediate need to educate
about culture to us and our neighbors.

INTRODUCTION

• A socio-cultural hub is an organization, building or complex that promotes

culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community art
organizations, private facilities, government sponsored or activist run.

• It is a space designed where people gather to socialize, interact, retreat

themselves. It is that voids in the urban fabric which defines thee people’s lives,
their culture and their social life.

• In the current scenario of high density and pollution, hectic life people need a
Retreat, and they need a gateway to relax.

• Taking the hub underground will not only solve urban problems but also land
problems. The spaces that we require now are three-dimensional. They should
react not just in one direction but in all the three dimensions making it connect
all the levels. This can be achieved only when we go UNDERGROUND.

THESIS ABSTRACT
Community spaces play an important role in the success of a city and it’s
inhabitants. They become the foundation to which those living and visiting in the
area come together and communicate. They offer opportunities to embrace the
history and culture of the area and bring the community together using this
common bond. This thesis focuses on embracing the history and culture of
Mamallapuram by bringing a community together through the design of desirable
spaces.

AIM

To design a socio cultural centre that promotes culture and arts in the form of visual
and performing arts and provides intellectual services through seminars, meeting,
debate and discussions .It also provides community service through its residential
and catering facilities where people meet and mingle together
PROBLEM STATEMENT

How can inner city revitalization efforts embrace different cultures and promote
desirable spaces in Mamallapuram, chennai?

NEED OF PROJECT

 Mamallapuram attracts thousands of tourists every year from all over the world
because of the Heritage Status granted to it by UNESCO. So there is an urgent
requirement of cultural centre in the city which could depict the mythology &
the rich cultural heritage of the city for which it is famous for.
 Tourists or even the local people, who visit Mamallapuram, do not get a centre
where they could get the information about the culture, its heritage and
mythology etc.
 There should be a cultural cum interpretation centre in the city , from which
people can easily relate themselves and would also be able to learn & know the
various facts related to the cultural heritage & mythology of their city (specially
at one place).
 The structure would not only play a role of cultural centre for the city but would
generate the revenue , as there are a number of local people and tourists
visiting the city , thus adding to the economy of the city.

OBJECTIVE
 To identify the various cultural needs of the city in order to address them with
quality services in the best possible manner.
 To understand the changing modes of the aesthetics, in relation to the cultural
observance or practice, which can act as an important tool for the cultural &
heritage education for the community.
 The image of the city will be transformed with the layers of cultural & the religious
diversity added to the fabric of the city.
 To develop a effective spaces in the centre, so that people can easily relate
themselves to the city & its culture.
 Enhancing the stability and the firm establishments of the centre, thus enabling it
to be effective and positively accepted by the people of Varanasi.
 It would be a centre which would act as a venue for recreational, educational,
and functional.
 To understand how the cultural centre would become an urban part of the city

SCOPE
 Participative process that draws out taken-for-granted knowledge and the
future aspirations of a community through creative means in order to express,
preserve or enhance that community’s culture.
 The community arts are not only end products but provide a medium through
which community members engage in the joint identification and production of
images, symbols and other resources which index their visions and aspirations for
their community.
 participate in the making of “their own history, their own future, and their own
identity”. They highlight the benefits in terms of empowerment, community
identity and cohesion, and sense of community.
 Interpreting what makes up a local identity, and assessing what cultural
resources can be developed to improve social and economic well-being and
quality of life for members of a community
 Sustaining interest in the heritage, disseminating and teaching it the people
visiting there would not only promote the culture of the city but would also give
a globalised view to the city in upcoming days.
 To develop the facilities & the amenities at the centre, so that the people can
be served in most functional & aesthetical way & also to create a perfect mood
for the visitors, which could help them in relating their soul with the city.
 To generate revenue from the tourists visiting Mamallapuram
USER
Residents
 This user group will consist of outsiders coming from surroudning cities or even
further. This group will be able to enjoy and take advantage of the retail,
restaurant, and park/ open space in the area, as well as participate in
community events. They will be able to learn about the rich culture and history in
the area through the use of the community center and any public event taking
place, as well as through the community itself.

Business Professionals
 This user group will consist of local employees in the area working at the
surrounding retail, restaurant, commerical, and office spaces. This group will be
able to not only enjoy the large park space in their off hours, but will also be able
to take advantage of the retail in the South end.

Tourists
 This user group will consist of local residents both near the downtown corridor, as
well as in some of the surrounding neighborhoods. This group will be able to
enjoy the large park/open space on site, as well as the other parks surrounding
the site. They will also be able to use the resources in the area such as retail and
food that will largely be in the area to the South of the park in the downtown
retail corridor. The residents will also be able to take advantage of the
community center on site that will embrace the local culture by holding
community events, etc.

MAJOR PROJECT ELEMENTS

open spaces

 Open spaces play a large role in this design as they become the backbone to
embracing the culture and rich history in the area. There are multiple open
spaces surrounding the site, but adding a large space that will act as a central
hub for the community will be beneficial in creating a sense of community and
 place for the area. The large open space on site will provide adequate room for
community and public events, as well as for recreation and leisure. It will act as a
greenway from the residential part of Kansas City to the commercial and retail
district in the main downtown corridor.
 This multiuse space will embrace sustainability and will focus on the pedestrian
rather than the usually dominating vehicle.

community center
 Community centers are spaces that bring the community into one area and
provide numerous activities and events to keep the community involed with their
city and each other. Adding a community center on site and programming a
calendar of events for the space, will benefit those living in the area and those
visiting. Having amenities such as recreation spaces and meeting spaces, will
create a multi space for any community and public need and to further it’s
success.

streets
 The surrounding streets will act as vehicular connectors to the pedestrian spaces.
Washington Blvd on the North side will bring tourists and people from the
surrounding cities into the site, as well as 7th Street on the East side of the site.
The smaller streets on the site will be designed in a way to focus more on the
pedestrian and less on the vehicle while still giving an adequate amount of
vehicular circulation.

METHODOLOGY
 Library & Empirical study
 Site visit & information on local conditions.
 Data collection & Data Comparison/research work related to the project.
 Analyse & conclude(proposal).