Beyond the drawing board

Recently, a group of final-year students of Da Vinci School of Design and Architecture in Karapakkam, put their rarefied scholarly pursuits in abeyance and started exploring the city, as part of an urban study project.

They started with one of the oldest settlements in the city — George Town. They were led by their professor Aadhithya Nandhan, who conceptualised the project too.

“George Town is the jumping-off point for all settlements and trade activities that flourished in Tamil Nadu. Places like Gokhale Hall (YMIA Building) and Binny Building ooze history. Temples such as Kachaleshwar temple, Mallikeshwarar temple, Krishna temple and Chennakesava temple are around 400 to 700 years old. George Town is also a melting pot of cultures. Various communities have flourished here,” says Sanjana M.R., one of the student-organisers.

The team began a survey, studying the architecture and layouts of various houses. They also organised a heritage walk to create awareness about historically-significant buildings in the locality.

Layout maps of George Town have been placed at a few landmark spots in the neighbourhood — opposite the Armenian church, Krishna temple, Broadway bus terminus, Mint Street, NSC Bose Rd Junction and Walltax Road — to help people navigate their way through interconnecting streets.

“We also used wall graffiti as a medium of communication. Various Tamil dance forms were depicted. People can pose for a picture with a wall graffiti as backdrop. The idea is to make them think of the wall as their own, so that they feel inclined to protect it against vandalism,” says Sanjana.

The team also conducted an awareness programme at the Seven Wells market, explaining the need to maintain hygiene in the neighbourhood and how the market could be redesigned with the help of a working model.

In addition to keeping dustbins made of plastic bottles in the Seven Wells market, the students put up signages that point the way to various sections of the market.

Aadhithya Nandhan calls this a one-of-its-kind initiative in Chennai.

“I discovered a lack of interactive learning in urban planning. This model is aimed at letting students know that urban planning is not just about sheets and plans, but also public interaction. I believe it is the responsibility of an architect to make sure people are aware of their surroundings; this can lead to better preservation of buildings and heritage spaces,” he says.

The urban study project is not part of academics.

“We won’t be marked for this activity; it’s just for our better understanding of the city. We see it as an extra learning activity,” says Sanjana.

“We have plans to have more such events in the future,” says Aadhithya.

The group has carried out a similar initiative focussing on Besant Nagar.

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