Nocturnal Home
Architects: Arya Architects
Programmed as a habitat for wildlife, the building plan is a maze – a complex labyrinth that enables visitors to engage with animals in their secure enclosures. A complex pattern of circulation carves out the solid space as the architectural section enables layering of multiple habitats tucked within the landscape and terrain of the site. Built frugally, the formal and material articulations of the building respond to the demands of the publicness and privacy of the animal enclosures. The architecture ensures comfort and proximity for the humans and the wildlife that inhabits the building without the anxieties of the typical metal cage. An interesting arrangement of solids and voids enables sunlight to reach within with a varying intensity. Civic buildings designed for the zoological gardens in India are known to be insensitive to the needs of the fauna as well as uninspiring to the human visitors. For a unique typology, the Nocturnal Home project by Arya Architects takes on the spatial challenge and is able to create an engaging space for the encounter and therefore, it is a Commendation Project for The Merit List.
Images & Drawings: courtesy Arya Architects