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As per the ambitious plans of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, The Black Taj, a mausoleum for himself in black marble, was to be built facing the magnificent white Taj Mahal, the mausoleum of the emperor’s beloved Mumtaz Mahal that stands on the South bank of river Yamuna. The two were imagined to be standing on either sides of the river.  But the Black Taj couldn’t see the light of day. This studio project attempts to interpret the unbuilt Black Taj of the past and realize it today. Aside from giving form to this grand project, the challenge of interpreting the past in the context of today, coupled with the aim to rejuvenate the land on the other side of Yamuna, add more dimensions to the brief. 

This project responds to the brief of the Architize architectural competition Taj – the incomplete story of love. It aims to build the Black Taj as a sewage treatment plant to restore the water quality of Yamuna river, while also being a Mausoleum of Dying Water Resources, a gesture of regret.

context of today, coupled with the aim to rejuvenate the land on the other side of Yamuna, add more dimensions to the brief.

This project responds to the brief of the Architize architectural competition Taj – the incomplete story of love. It aims to build the Black Taj as a sewage treatment plant to restore the water quality of Yamuna river, while also being a Mausoleum of Dying Water Resources, a gesture of regret.