The project is the renovation of an existing marketplace in an ethnic Bengali neighbourhood of South Delhi which has its origins in the early fifties of Post-Partition India housing displaced Bengalis from East Pakistan. The marketplace with its fish market attracts visitors to find ingredients specially sourced for Bengali cuisines. It is a confluence of commerce and culture, where relationships between shop owners and residents transform the use of their shop-fronts and narrow sidewalks into an active social space. The market’s access points and the internal spaces are not optimized. The exterior facade is deteriorated and lacks identity. The market redesign aspires to provide a comfortable social space and experience for visitors and residents alike. It includes spatial upgrades, reorganization, and cladding of the market facade. The architecture alludes to the Bengal terracotta temples with proportion and materiality within the context of a contemporary Indian market with a simplified geometry of the ‘Chala’ temple roofs.

Temples and markets have been quintessential for public gatherings in traditional Indian cities. The close proximity and axial relationship of the district marketplace and a temple complex creates an urban condition that brings together food, public space, and festivities within a 5-minute walking radius from residential zones. ‘Adda’, conversation, but more and ‘Para’, neighbourhood, but more define the structure of society in Kolkata. ‘Para’ epitomises the perfect combination of the physical concept of a neighbourhood with the psychological construct of a community. Similarly, ‘Adda’ combines the concept of conversation as a form of talk and a physical place in the community associated with it. The project retains the ephemeral quality of the streets while creating functional spaces around the market. The place-making component facilitates an already existing convivial and conversational culture, through a mix of ‘adda pods’, a micro-library, seating spaces around the market, and reactivated play areas for multi-generational use. The enhanced circulation around the shops imitates the character of “rowaks” (narrow platforms outside a Kolkata house), providing resting spaces to engage in the art of banter.

Architecture: AUR (Architecture Urbanism Research)
Urban Design & Landscape: PLUS (Public Landscape and Urbanism Studio)
Project Team: Aurgho Jyoti, Subhradip Roy, Ari Daman, Dhanya Rajagopal, Uzair Siddiqui