Khushboo Makwana

AR3006

Herbarium is a systematically arranged collection of dried plants compressed in paper in a physical form. RE-Thinking Herbarium to the next level where the specimens are digitally projected in the building and the concept of Herbarium as conserving dry specimens will no more be limited to physical form. There are 3 main ideas focused here: A. Merging the building plinth with existing ground. B. Magnifying glasses used as a means for digitizing the information into the building. C. The strong basalt gabion wall separating the process of Herbarium inside from the experience path outside the building. 
Magnifying glasses located at 5 chosen points on site locating specific conditions on site marked here in black circles showing the digitization of information into the building. Encountering the magnified images through the magnifying lens, one can get the experience of actual details taking place on the site through the lens into the building. To engage people with the idea, an experience path is created using the glass facade surrounding the building where one experiences different kind of blur effects while going through the path and along the path they encounter this digitized information in the form of magnifying lens. Hint of blur effect is shown on the top panorama of site. 
 The floor of the building has been shaped to merge with the existing basalt rock on the site. The basalt floor has been treated for the use of floor of the building. Parts where it had to be leveled or raised, rubble masonry and gabion blocks are used. The red part of the ground marked in the section is the existing ground of site. The black part of ground in the section denotes the filled up part for the straight plinth of the building using rubble masonry and gabion. 
 The walls are made of gabion which stands strong and separates the experience path from the process of herbarium inside the building, giving people a choice of choosing either of them. Also they can peep into either of the space while having a walk through one space. The passages between the walls are purposefully created leading them directly to the experience of digitized information at distinctive points.