Sudarshana B

AR3006

 Being located far from the city, the terrain of the site looks almost hidden into the landscape of Champaner. The rugged and undulating terrain of the abandoned quarry has left a trail of innumerable conditions in which the species continue to thrive and adapt to its ever changing topography. Building a herbarium in such terrain should address the existing conditions on the site. Therefore, the design aims to look at the herbarium itself as a built condition that aids to sustain the existing species and thereby restoring the biodiversity of the terrain. The building is raised 1.5m above the ground on gabion plinth filled with basalt stones, such that the base of the building exhibits the species of the herbarium as well as the gabion base helps to retain the existing conditions on the ground cover. The building basically has two circular earth bag walls which have been placed along the flow of the water in the terrain, around which the rest of the building emerges. This building encloses courtyards in order to connect the users to the species of plants that are examined in this herbarium. The sloping concrete roofs, directs the rain water to the landscape that drain the water to the existing water body via the water spouts. Overall, the user gets an experience to see the changing conditions of the landscape and how the building corresponds respectively.