Architecture studio Serie Architects designed the Raj Sabhagruh, a 16,000-square-metre complex dedicated to Jainism in Dharampur, India recently. The building forms the centrepiece of the 100-hectare Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram monastery.
“The architecture that emerges can accommodate a wide range of uses and continues to evolve with the spiritual mission it serves,” said Serie Architects. “It acts as a backdrop where Ashram life can unfold, anchoring it as a place for the acquisition of knowledge and inner spiritual experience.”
The complex centres around a 54-metre-wide and 20-metre-tall concrete discourse hall with a capacity for 5,000 people. Four curved arches enclose the column-free space, which features wooden acoustic baffles arranged concentrically to evoke the ceilings of Maha-mandapa โ gathering halls in Jain temples.
Other facilities within the complex include a 1,000-square-metre museum, a 300-seater meditation hall, and classrooms. The building’s design draws inspiration from Jain temples, with gently curving and interlocking concrete walls clad in hand-laid and hand-cut brick.
The bricks, which total 800,000, were formed from white marble off-cuts sourced nearby in Makrana. “The rough cuts expose the crystalline structure of the marble, which refracts and disperses light in numerous luminous tones and hues across the building’s surfaces, changing with the sun’s movement throughout the day,” said Serie Architects.
The complex also features a large plaza, which incorporates a dining hall and a 5,000-seat open-air amphitheatre.
Key features of the Raj Sabhagruh include:
– 16,000 square metres of space
– 5,000-seat discourse hall
– 1,000-square-metre museum
– 300-seater meditation hall
– Classrooms
– Hand-laid and hand-cut brick cladding
– 800,000 bricks formed from white marble off-cuts
Image Courtesy: dezeen.com
