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BHADLI VILLAGE AND VASANT VIDYALAYAFor Sunil Dalal and the People of Bhadli

MASTER PLANNING, REHABILITATION AND ARCHITECTURE

Gujarat, India [2001–2003]

Architecture becomes a vehicle for hope and reconciliation as a settlement is rebuilt through a deep dialogue with the village and the villagers following a devastating catastrophe.© Mapin Publishing

3534 Bhadli village and Vasant Vidyalaya •

© Mapin Publishing

4342 Bhadli village and Vasant Vidyalaya •

0125MTYPE C MODULE

TWO ROOM KITCHEN

0125MTYPE A MODULE

ONE ROOM KITCHEN

0125MTYPE B MODULE

ONE ROOM KITCHEN

0125MTYPE C MODULE

TWO ROOM KITCHEN

For the houses, it was important for us to play a catalytic role rather than to force

a top-down design approach. The most evident aftermath of the trauma was

insecurity and fear and restoring confidence became central to all our endeavours.

Some principles were laid out to ensure that the rebuilt houses perform well in

the eventuality of another earthquake. The plinths were composed of random

rubble and lined with an RCC plinth beam. The rubble mostly came from the

debris. Three tie-beams were placed: one each at the sill, the lintel and the

roof-base. The RCC members were braced with vertical steel bars in concrete

at L and T junctions. All fenestrations were lined with RCC on top and bottom to

avoid cracks in case of movement in the base. Sheer keys at critical junctions

prevented displacement.

We encouraged the villagers to rebuild their own homes. To support this

venture, the village reached an agreement with Sunil Dalal’s trust: The Pentagon

Charitable Foundation. The trust would only procure and supply materials

and the villages would provide the labour. Our reasons for advocating this

methodology were two-fold. The first being to counteract the depression and

listlessness that sets in after a major disaster. By helping the villagers to build

for themselves, we were able to mobilise them for an occupation, which gave

them a sense of purpose. The second was the lack of paid work available to the

Fig 7. Detailed wall section

strengthening the load bearing

structures.

Fig 8. Unit plans and elevations of

Type A, B and C.

Fig 9. Process of reconstruction of the

houses by the villagers themselves.

ROOM

KITCHEN VERANDAH

ROOM

KITCHEN

UNIT PLAN A UNIT PLAN B UNIT PLAN C

VERANDAH

ROOM 1

ROOF LEVELRCC BAND - M150

WINDOW LINTEL LEVELRCC BAND - M150

WINDOW ALL LEVELRCC BAND - M150

PLINTH LEVELRCC BAND - M150

BRICK MASONRY CM 1:5

KEY STONE @ 1000 C/C STAGGERED

THROUGH HEADER STONE @ 1500 C/C

PCC M100

H

H

NGL

TOR 10 REINF AT ALL CORNER JUNCTIONS INCASED IN RCC

ROOM 2

KITCHENVERANDAH

Fig 8

Fig 7

Fig 9

M

M

5

12

2

0.5

1

0

0

0125MTYPE A MODULE

ONE ROOM KITCHEN

0125MTYPE B MODULE

ONE ROOM KITCHEN

© Mapin Publishing

5352 Bhadli village and Vasant Vidyalaya •

In 2006, we went back to the project and saw the transformation the houses have

gone through. Many had expanded their homes by covering parts of terraces

and domestic courtyards while the kernel of the original community spaces has

remained integral to their life. By enabling the community to contribute to the

rebuilding of their own spaces, we ensured that the community is empowered

in the process. We visited the village again in 2016. It has now been more than a

decade and a half since the project has been completed, and as I look at recent

photographs from the village, my faith in this collective approach is reinforced.

The village received an award for the way they have managed their green cover.

Bhadli today exports bandhani fabric. One can see dish antennas, cars and

communication systems, including the internet. The village is now connected to

the world.

While we have done several community projects before and after Bhadli, some

core concerns raised here remain persistent in my practice. From designing for

the city in Colaba Woods to rebuilding shops for the flowersellers in the Nityanand

Ashram Temple Complex, from a centre for VOICE to an Anganwadi in a slum

in Worli; there is an engaging process that shapes my social projects and the

conversations enrich the architecture. In all our projects, we insist on sanitation

and fundamental human facilities for all the migrant workers who stay on-site, and

I think these projects enable me to be aware of and sympathetic to those we are

building for and those we are building with.

In my work, I don’t think images of inspirational views of the finished buildings

appear in my mind when I look at the site. I work within the story that unfolds. A

logical and sequential process follows involving understanding of context and

the challenges of each project on one hand, and working on architecture that is

contemporary and unique to the situation on the other. While there may be no

apparent similarities in my projects, a hidden thread that binds all of them is this

process. I realise that in projects such as Bhadli, which involve many stakeholders,

the best solutions are brought about where we, as architects, planners, designers

and professionals, approach the project as catalysts and not as brokers of change.

Fig 23. By 2016, Vasant Vidyalaya had

integrated into the village with the

local artwork adorning the walls and

the architecture connecting seamlessly

with the landscape.

Fig 23

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7978 Campus for Zensar Technologies •

Fig 11 Fig 12

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