The fast-paced quotidian lifestyle of urban dwellers influenced by drastic consumerism has replaced craft, dawdle and leisure. Over the years, the centrally located Mananchira Park has been reduced from a critical urban node to an extension of the commercial programs around the core. Once an urban anchor, the Comtrust factory and its immediate surroundings have now been left at a state of abandonment, analogous to the loss of the culture of weaving in the city center. At present, the factory is a poignant reminder of its rich socio-cultural heritage.
To revitalise the factory and the urban core, the fundamental step forward would be to break open the existing barriers and establish critical connections. The vision is to foster the Mananchira complex as an urban living room, drawing in activities from the diverse programmatic milieu. Traditionally practiced as a craft, today weaving has become industrial in nature and slowly absent from the urban centers. At present, the factory is a poignant reminder of its rich socio-cultural heritage. To revitalise the factory and the urban core, the fundamental step forward would be to break open the existing barriers and establish critical connections.
The vision is to foster the Mananchira complex as an urban living room, drawing in activities fromthe diverse programmatic milieu. The factory consists of three distinct zones,evident through the facade as well as the former weaving programs. These three distinct zones create three distinct forms and make room for a triptych theme of intervention as follows:
The vision is to foster the Mananchira complex as an urban living room, drawing in activities fromthe diverse programmatic milieu. The factory consists of three distinct zones,evident through the facade as well as the former weaving programs. These three distinct zones create three distinct forms and make room for a triptych theme of intervention as follows:
1. Craft and Atelier
Art studios proposed in the yarn winding area of the factory in tandem with hand-on workshops, an art plaza and outdoor exhibition pavilions provide the public with a platform to experiment with the craft of cloth making up-close.
2. Space for demonstration and connections
The central axis ties together the central courtyard within the exposition area and the pedestrianized edge. The central courtyard is carved out of two bays to house a dense garden to further stimulate enriching dialogue.
3. Play and Health
The southern axis is structured to act as a recreation hub of the urban living room through integration and reflection of the characteristics of play from the adjacent Mananchira ground
