Vagmi Shah

AR2014

Known as the golden city for its yellow sandstone buildings, the town of Jaisalmer in Thar desert faces a unique conundrum today. Impressive fortifications, palace complexes, temples and houses containing distinct culture, have attracted visitors from all over the world creating an enterprise for its residents in many ways. In the past few years, conventional expectations and demands of tourism have led to an increased pressure on Jaisalmer’s fragile ecology. Excessive use of water, inadequate drainage systems, increased generation of waste etc, along with changing climatic patterns has led to a dialectical situation between sustaining livelihood of the city and safeguarding its future as a heritage site.Growing number of tourists in the recent years has also brought about an apparent need for a visitor centre. Located at the base of the fort, this new facility aims to be more than just an exchange of information. The visitor centre will showcase the historical dimension of the city juxtaposed with its current cultural, economic and environmental issues in the light of the tourism industry. It will incentivize responsible tourism practices, as an agency to bring awareness among businesses and initiate dialogue amongst tourists and locals. 13 architects have been invited to design a thought-provoking experience through a visitor centre in the desert landscape of Jaisalmer and bring relevance to the past, present and future of the place.