SAMODHA SUBASINGHE
CITY SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PROJECT 2011
Contemporary art was developed during 1945 with the end of Second World War. It paved the way for a new generation of artists to develop their own language with the aid of the modern movement. There were four elements of art which evolved from the modern movement to the contemporary stage. They were impressionism, cubism, minimalism, and abstraction.
Concept
The greatest achievement of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) is the creation of harmony amongst South Asian nations, each with its own strong and varied cultures.
In this regard, the composition of the four essences of contemporary art, each with its own strong ideologies will be symbolic of the efforts of SAARC. The concept that inspired the design of SMoCA (South asian Museum of Contemporary Art) is therefore a creation of COHESIVENESS THROUGH CHAOS.
Furthermore, it is appropriate that contemporary art be a communication medium that unites these different cultures and celebrates all South Asian cultures as equal.
Located in the business district of the capital of Sri Lanka, the site posseses a huge potential to be an area with public activity. It is essential for a project of this scale to grasp these potentials for it to be viable. Because of that this should come up as holistic idea for the entire area rather than concentrating on the site itself.
Master plan
• Use of the periphery of the lake front to create a lake front promenade, which allows the pedestrians to walk into the site at a lower level.
• This will be linked up with the pedestrian access that has been created on either side of the canal which also links up with the port activities.
• Converting the charmers’ granaries into Bazaar Street. It creates more permeability for the pedestrians to use these alley ways.
• Creating a festival square on the adjacent site and link it up with the entrance level.
• Allowing the public to walk through the building to interact rather than be an isolated object.
• Site has become a nodal point with the shape of the site and the activity that has been proposed in the master plan.
