When we run a quick google search for the word ‘Dubai’, we are faced with a million results consisting of images of a bustling metropolis, represented solely by circuitous highways, innumerable glittering skyscrapers and a constant sense of speed and movement. Tourists throng in large numbers to this part of the world to witness and be part of this magical wonderland, be it by taking a selfie at the top floor of the Burj Khalifa or by driving through Sheikh Zayed Road in a Hummer limousine. These results, however, are unsettling, as they point towards the city being represented singularly as opposed to the reality of it being one of the most diverse cities in the world, with its own population making up but a small fraction of the city’s inhabitants. Our sensibilities, therefore, have been doctored through the years to imagine this Disney land like, stereotypical representation of the city, when the reality is as diverse, as the google images suggest sameness.
Before actually arriving here, I too fell victim to this ‘surreal façade’, contriving a glitzy, glamorous cityscape to be my future abode. However, my impression changed a few hours after landing here, when I took a metro ride from the airport and walked into the spectacle that is Meena bazaar. One glance at this old, dense, lived-in part of town, and I found myself thrust into the lap of reality. Being a commercial hub used by traders, mostly from varied parts of the Indian subcontinent, for the last fifty years at least, this area has seen an onslaught of commercial establishments, quaint little restaurants that serve indigenous gastronomical concoctions as well as religious and cultural arenas. Roads here have emerged organically with patterns of utilization, as opposed to being orchestrated; multi-use buildings function horizontally rather than vertically and large congregations of people go about their daily tasks, blissfully unexposed to the aforementioned projection of a touristic Dubai.
However, if this area lacks something, it is spaces that provide a moment of respite from the ruckus of human existence. The people who move around in these areas, residents and visitors alike, resort to peculiar spaces like building stoops and temple/mosque shoe stands to engage in social interaction, or just enjoy their solitude with a cup of tea and snacks in local flavour. This observation paved the way for a much larger architectural question, which is:
“How can people be given the ambient experience of a big meditative park space within the cacophony that exists within old, dense neighbourhoods.”
This would entail spaces and projects that aren’t meaninglessly dragged and dropped here from elsewhere, but rather respond to and celebrate the density, the commotion and the indigenous character of such neighbourhoods. These small-scale projects would be carefully placed at critical junctures on site to fulfil specific functions, seamlessly woven into the already rich and extant tapestry.
While this was extremely intriguing, it was quite a challenge to unravel, as there are not many precedents to spaces like these. Research was done to identify projects where designers have not just knocked down buildings or found an empty site to place park like conditions, but rather found moments of respite within dense environments. Through this research, a taxonomy of different possible conditions was developed and used as a sort of parti diagram to codify the thesis. These were surface treatments, insert conditions, interstitial space augmentation and disparate additions. Meena bazaar provided for some very characteristic spaces formed by the close and varied aggregation of old buildings, roads, pipes and trees, which allowed for the architecture to be designed to adapt to the constraints posed, and for the site to take centre stage. Through the course of the semester, a catalogue of different adaptive spaces took shape, designed specifically to cater to the requirements of the particular sites. Following this, each project in the catalogue was further delved into with a thorough material investigation, as a result of which issues such as ergonomics, comfort, temperature control, tactility, experience etc varied greatly from project to project. All of these were designed in more detail through sectional drawings to understand connections and the interaction of different materials.
To conclude, the aim of this thesis project was to create park like meditative spaces within the cacophony that exists in old, dense neighbourhoods without disturbing their innate culture and character. Varied sites in the neighbourhood of Meena Bazaar in Dubai were used as a petri dish to test projects that differed greatly from one another. Therefore, the overall aim was not to create a landmark project that put Dubai on the world map, but rather to design architecture that creates an impact on people, to such an extent that it amalgamates into their everyday lives.