AMRUTHAM - The Water Museum
IGBC competition "MEND THE MINED"

"IS THERE A NEED TO SACRIFICE HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT TO A STRONG ECONOMY?"
DESIGN BRIEF
Quarrying, a process to excavate minerals from a piece of land can leave a permanent scar on landscapes and ecosystems.The land once depleted of the resources is abandoned and left to rot. This project aims to study and understand the process of mining and maximize its efficiency. Also, how the exploited mining site can be sustain-ably rehabilitated and redeveloped to benefit the community.

SITE INTRODUCTION
Matoon Mines, a rock phosphate mine owned by Hindustan Zinc, Ltd. is located near Udaipur. The area forms a basin structure surrounded by high hills, the Udaisagar lake and three villages namely Kharbariya, Matoon and Lakadwas. It is devoid of any major river system and is drained by the seasonal river Jhamari and small seasonal nallas originating from hills. The mines have proved detrimental to the surrounding settlements and ecosystem alike. The major problem being the unbridled rising quantities of TDS in ground water and toxic chemicals in the atmosphere.

Water is the first parameter for development of a settlement but the communities of this proud state never mourned the unpredictability of rainfall. Rather they developed, celebrated and maintained such rainwater harvesting and collecting water bodies, which are thriving till date.


The aim of the project is to spread awareness among the mass about the importance of water and how crucial it is to preserve this valuable and precious resource. This can be achieved by creating a multi sensory experience to include a person’s complete body in the spatial experience, making it unique.

Master Plan
FORM EVOLUTION


"Architecture is not what is perceived by just the eyes, but what is experienced through the five senses. "
-Tadao Ando

Five Senses

Site Area : 18,160 SQ. M.
Ground Coverage : 6.2 %
Built Up Area : Ground Floor - 1125 SQ. M. Basement - 1810 SQ. M.
Site Circulation Area : 8550 SQ. M.
Total E.C.U. ‘s : 115
Site Plan

North Eastern Elevation


Activity Pattern

Energy Efficiency Catalysts


Ground Floor Plan w.r.t. Site

Section XX'


Ground Floor Plan

Basement Plan
Museum Area(in sqm)
​
1. Ticket Counter 16
2. Sensory Exhibition Area 165
3. History Exhibition Area 230
4. Current Condition Exhibition Area 195
5. Sensory Area 180
6. Audio- Visual Room 110
7. Water Purification demonstration 150
8. Exhibition for Celebration of Water 300
9. Souvenir Shop 135
10. Cafeteria 110
11. Bawri
12. Food Kiosks
Administration Area(in sqm)
​
13. Reception 70
14. Exhibition Area 55
15. Meeting/ Conference Room (x2) 30
16. Offices (x4) 18
17. Manager Room 20
18. Facilities 55
Circulation Pattern



Section AA'
ZONE-WISE SENSORY EXHIBITION

SEE - ZONE 2
​
Vision plays a vital role in experiencing a space. It stimulates the other senses of the body by absorbing visual qualities of a space.
To this end, the skylight has been provided at the entrance of the exhibition area, that transmits dappled sunlight and creates a surreal aqueous ambiance.
HEAR - ZONE 5
​
In the absence of visual and physical stimulus, the sense of hearing gets sharpened and becomes our primary of special inputs. To highlight this, a tour through a darken passage will be used to guide the visitor through an oral experience.

SMELL - ZONE 6
​
Our olfactory sense is most associated with reminisence. Fragrances and smells are strong activators of memories in humans. To showcase this, a special documentary aimed at evoking memories by utilising fragrances emitted from a series of channels in the auditorium will be screened.

TASTE - ZONE 7
​
The taste of water creates a stimuli in the humans which reflects the importance of osmotic sense in the gustatory system.
To this end, the user tastes the water filtered through a treatment process while taking a tour through the exhibition space.
FEEL - ZONE 8
​
The importance of feeling sensual experiences is often overlooked when accounting for user experiences. To remedy this oversight, a tactile tour is proposed in which a user can feel and physically interact with a shower of water and bawri to emulate different sensory experiences.


Cafeteria and Souvenir Shop
The museum is exited through the souvenir shop which includes the items made by the local village people. From there the visitor enters the cafeteria and then the bawri.

Bawri
The architecture around the water bodies has always celebrated the life of the community around. It’s a manifestation of the ideas, the needs, and the culture. It is a congregation space for relaxation.

Food court

Parking
50% of the parking provided is shaded with green roof in which solar panels are installed.
The parking provided is for-
No. of ECU’s for 2- wheelers : 30 units
No. of ECU’s for 4- wheelers : 75 units
No. of ECU’s for electric cars : 08 units