Social Longing
The pandemic has brought the world to a standstill and people are taking a hard look at their surroundings. With priorities shifting along with the situation, ways to pass time in a safer environment have become a need. Prioritization of physical health is key, but mental health is taking a hit as an after-effect of being isolated at home.
Not having a balanced lifestyle has been hitting people late into the lockdown. With everything going online and people getting used to these new lifestyles, the balance has now become a luxury. Inexpensive activities like going for a walk in the park, or hitting the theatres or restaurants in town, have all been deemed unsafe, leaving online books and movies on demand as the only choice.
These remedies are effective for a while, but over time, the frustration pushes people to get out of their prisons, abandoning all safety concerns to catch a quick breath outside. But such unsafe impulses of people to get back into the public with the pandemic still at large needs to be addressed.
How can architects provide safer alternatives for people to spend time in public spaces?
Trend to be
Theatres are an ancient form of entertainment that provided a venue for performances, conveying the visual and acoustic effect as an aura, through its ambiance. Its space visual is an extension of the drama while catering to the audiences with functional design. Open-air theatres are an outdoor variation used, through ages, for public shows and events, with a limited bracket of operation. The evolution of theatres into multiplexes has evolved into a social magnet where cities are incomplete without it.
But long durations of closed air can be a health hazard which can be dealt with by the precedent — The Open Air Theatre. Its climate response can be tricky, but this can be the best contender to ward off the lockdown sickness. Public spaces tend to attract crowds and their mismanagement can lead to difficult issues, physically as well as health-wise. Eradication of pandemics will take time, and safety precautions are key to ensuring that devastation is minimal.
Can the spatial design of theatre promote public safety, by sensitizing them towards safer ways of social gathering?
Brief of the competition
Entertainment is a competitive industry that tries to adapt to every obstacle that comes it’s way. It also relies on consumers to embrace these as a way to escape the limitations of today’s times. How will outdoor entertainment reinvent itself by drawing parallels from the past?
Brief: The challenge of the competition is to design an open-air theatre on a cliffside, for an occupancy of 500 people that can serve various activities like drama, cinema, or even concerts.
Space is a safer alternative as compared to recreation activities that take place indoors. But space, despite being able to bring people out into an open space, would have to tackle environmental factors like sun and ventilation. Space must offer comfort to all its visitors while following the rules of social distancing. The site is located along the slope of a cliff facing the sea.
This has to be used in the design, without disrupting the functionality of the spaces within. The seating and staging place is the main attraction of the place, but auxiliary spaces can be added to the project to improve the convenience and access of the audience and visitors.
Competition Objectives
- Concept — creativity must be used to design the ambiance of the theatre, blending it in the surrounding landscape
- Responsive — the design must respond to the sensitive location features without causing harm to the environment or the existing importance of the location
- Safety — the safety standards must ensure that the design helps to provide enough space to accommodate all visitors with social distancing guidelines
- Layout — comfortable seating and circulation around the theatre, with good visual access and soundscape
- Balance — the functional and visual aspects are equally important. Balance in design to avoid overwhelming the activity on-site while maintaining the engaging design in its absence.
Site
Goa being a heavy tourism-run place has attracted these people using its scenic beaches, beautiful cathedrals, and views. But aside from its scenic attractions, the local culture is rich with traditions, values, and art that is unique to the history and heritage of Goa.
The site is located at the Vagator beach in Goa. It is at a distance of 22kms from the capital of the city, Panaji. The beach is characterized by white sand contrasted by huge black rocks with palm trees all around. It is also a popular sunset spot among tourists.
The site is located along the slope of a cliff, overlooking the Vagator beach. The site is a popular scenic point in the city, with no built elements in its immediate surroundings. It offers an unencumbered view of the seaside without any disruptions from the locality around.
- Site area — 408 sqm
- No max. built-up area.
- Contour levels — As given in the CAD plan.
- Participants can assume their own design program and configurations for this design challenge.
- Coordinates — 15°35'22.6"N 73°44'03.4"E
Originally published at https://uni.xyz
