B Athira

AD4001

The alternate reality of a city is a derivative of its intangible material. The urban periscope serves as an apparatus to provide a tangible perspective of its rather intangible history.  "Ahmedabad remains true to its past, its a city of orthogenetic change. "  Ahmedabad has been the transformation of an old city into a modern one and not a tale of two cities. It has always embraced its history, while envisioning its growth. And in this aspect of its emergence, the awareness to its intangible antecedents is important to define a course to its future. Hence, the urban periscope is envisioned as a facility for multiple urban development agencies, collaboration that looks towards the future development of the city in the orthogenetic way as it always has been.  The site sits in the core of old Ahmedabad, among the architectural ruptures that defined the emergence of the city since 15th century. The intervention aids to visualize the building as a periscope to narrate the unrealized story of emanation in Ahmadabad's old core. As literal as it sounds, the idea of a periscope puts forward multiple vantages capturing the essence of its surroundings at various perspective. The basis of such a narrative is in the dimensions that the context embodies. The building here is envisioned to be a wise narrator, who directs the attention to certain entities or characters, forcing one to introspect the rational and significance of the subject, rather than being just a storyteller. The concept proposes a dire need of visual emphasis on the subjects of concern than the periscope itself. This is rationalized by the age old technique of framing, with an intention to contain and focus the characters of importance. The idea further explores the potential of a trail, as the vehicle of its narration. Once unified, these ideas portray the narrator in its totality.