Jadav Kamakshi Harish

IR2015

  Site: Amritavarshini Vav, also known as Panchkuva Stepwell located in the eastern part near Kalupur railway station just beside the Panchkuva Darwaja. Amritavarshini Vav is notable for its L-shaped plan and has a simple design. It has three storeys and is more than 50 feet deep. The arches have different curves at the two storeys. The vav is chosen to let people know about forgotten heritage. It is covered by different bazaars like revdi bazar, talpatri bazar, and cycle bazar. Between the vav and the gate, there is a colonial building where the main function of the program takes place. The program is to revitalize our lost handloom work. 

 Program:  Over the years, with growing textile industries in Ahmedabad, we have lost our old traditional methods of handloom like Batik work, Rogan work, and weaving. The project here aims towards revitalizing these rich traditional ways which inturn also caters to empowerment. Also, the local women who live nearby are interested in these traditional works. So they will be also taught about these methods so that they can show their hidden talent. It would also popularise traditional items.  Functions: Here, the main entrance is from the Panchkula gate and there are vendors found selling their items. While going towards the vav, one can see all the decorative traditional items are being sold like bags, pots, mattresses, earrings, necklaces and many more. The vav is only for the sarees designed by the locals which will be displayed. It plays the main role as it displays the old traditional designs which were lost a few years ago and also shows the hard work of the people working there. 
 Building:  The building consists of workshops where on the ground floor there will be rogan workshop and weaving workshop and batik workshop on the first floor. In the whole building, windows are kept on the north side for the north light which is diffused sunlight and does not create a sharp shadow. So all the equipment is kept on the north side only because this work needs full light. That much part is of double height so that the light also comes from the upper windows. There is no inner wall in the building instead of it partitions of sarees and threads are kept which attracts other people to look around at and how the women work there.The first floor has a batik workshop that needs more space because it contains long tables for block printing. The drying area is on the outer part of the stepwell which is kept open for letting sunlight on the cloth and a net is tied on that area so that it can be protected from the birds.