Placemaking in Urban India

In India, with its rapidly growing cities and shrinking public spaces, placemaking is more relevant than ever. Traditional approaches to Urban Design often focused on single-use spaces—offices, malls, or residential complexes. <rt-red>We’re seeing a shift today towards mixed-use programmes, where a space serves multiple purposes and attracts different kinds of users throughout the day.<rt-red>

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At Studio Lotus, we've been rethinking briefs and pushing for our designs to not only serve their original purpose but also foster meaningful public engagement, wherever possible. Encouraging clients to embrace new approaches isn't always easy—it requires a fundamental perspective shift. But in our experience, the results can be profoundly rewarding. <rt-red>A mixed-use or more radical programme can completely transform a space, making it more inclusive, dynamic, and culturally relevant.<rt-red> Co-creating the redefined brief with the client to derive a joint vision that still fundamentally addresses the primary intent of their original brief and their commercial goals is a good way to ensure their buy-in.

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For instance, when we were asked to design the Biju Janata Dal Party Headquarters in Bhubaneswar, the brief called for a typical five-storey office building. But we saw an opportunity to make the space more inclusive. <rt-red>We proposed a humbler three-storey structure with an elevated public plinth, the frontage of which is visible to passersby on the street.<rt-red> It helps to cement the party’s intent of being ‘of the people’, and additional spaces like a cafeteria, library, and auditorium, turn the party office into a place where the public can engage with and feel a connection to the space and, by extension, the party.

Similarly, for the design of the Sunita Shekhawat Flagship Store and Museum of Meenakari Heritage in Jaipur, we recognised the opportunity to transcend the conventional luxury retail experience. The original plan was for the store to occupy the ground floor, but we suggested replacing it with a museum that celebrates the art of Meenakari. <rt-red>Not only does the inserted programme speak to the broader intent of what visitors come to Jaipur for, but it also creates a much richer experience for customers, letting them learn about the craft before seeing the jewellery. In effect, it shifts the focus from being a mere commercial transaction to something more meaningful.<rt-red>

In conclusion, effective placemaking is about looking at spaces differently and exploring how they can rise to more than just serving their basic function. <rt-red>By rethinking the brief and incorporating mixed-use programmes, we can create an inclusive built environment that has the potential to enrich lives and empower communities.<rt-red>