Lisa Therese

1005-D

 THE HURVA SYNAGOGUE PROJECT WAS ENVISAGED AS A TRIBUTE TO LOUIS KAHN’S CONTRIBUTION TO ARCHITECTURE AND THE SITE CHOOSEN WAS NEAR TAGORE HALL AND SANSKAR KENDRA, ALONG THE RIVERFRONT. THE DESIGN EVOLVED IMBIBING THE PHILOSOPHIES AND THOUGHT PROCESSES OF THE ARCHITECT, BUT IN A CHANGED CONTEXT. VARIOUS FACTORS LIKE THE MATERIALS, SPATIAL QUALITY, PROGRAM, RESPONSE TO SITE ETC WERE THOUGHT THROUGH AND THE STRUCTURAL SYTEM WAS DEVELOPED BASED ON THAT. SINCE KAHN'S PROPOSAL WAS SITED IN JERUSALEM, WHICH HAS A HISTORY OF THE HARDSHIPS THE JEWS FACED, HIS DESIGN WAS ALL ABOUT WRAPPING THE SANCTUARY SPACE WITH A LAYER OF PYLONS, PROTECTING IT AND CREATING AN INTROVERT BUILDING FOR THE ORTHODOX JEWS. BUT WHEN THE HURVA SYNAGOGUE IS TRANSLOCATED TO AHMEDABAD, IN WHICH JEWS ARE A MINORITY, AND GIVEN THE SITE FACING RIVERFRONT, THE PROJECT DEMANDS TO BE EXTROVERT IN NATURE, THE BASE OF THE PYLONS WERE IMAGINED AS A HEAVY MASS THAT BECOMES LIGHTER AT THE UPPER LEVELS, THE UMBRELLA STRUCTURE WAS IMAGINED AS A HUMONGOUS MASS SUPPORTED BY LIGHTER ELEMENTS THE 4 UMBRELLA STRUCTURES. SUPPORTED BY 4 COLUMNS EACH WERE PERCIEVED AS THESE HUMONGOUS STRUCTURE MADE OF BRICK, FLOATING ABOVE MAIN THE SANCTUARY SPACE. AS THE FUNNELLING SURFACES OF THE UMBRELLA WERE CANTELIVERING BY 5M FROM THE COLUMNS INCLINED AT AN ANGLE OF 450, A SECONDARY MATERIAL HAD TO BE INTRODUCED[R,C,C AND LATER STEEL] THAT CAN FORM A FRAME SYSTEM WITHIN THE UMBRELLA, SUPPORTING THE BRICKS. THE QUALITY OF THE SPACE BETWEEN THE UMBRELLA AND THE PYLON [CIRCULATION SPACE] WAS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR ON THE BASIS OF WHICH THE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM OF THE UMBRELLA EVOLVED. THE AMOUNT OF SUNLIGHT AND RAINWATER THAT CAME INSIDE WERE CONTROLLED AND DEALT WITH.