Contemporary Art Museum at Kalutara

• Name: Logapawan Jeyasiri
• Year: 2018
• Studio: Level III
• University: University of Moratuwa

Introduction and project background

Kalutara is a southern town in Sri Lanka. The urbanization has created a rigid effect in the social context. Urban building environment has been developing in the context hence cultural facts are been neglected in the social structure where it can become more solid. Lack of social interaction and interpretation has resulted a poor quality of life. Especially in the current urban building environment where the poor quality of building has resulted poor quality of public places. The cultural and social complexity are been connected with building and building environment. Especially the public spaces act as a connecting agent in the social context.

Art and literature are the mirror of the society where the they act as an interpreter of the social structure. The involvement of the people in these factors are crucial where they started to reflect in a depth manner of the life style. But today art has been affricated with elite communities where the elite people started to enjoy the literature. Where the local people stared to leave away form the appreciation of the art. Where they are been pushed toward the rigid life where the mushrooming of poorly planed urban environment has created a disaster in the life style. Especially the institutional afflictions and professional enrollment in the field is very important.

In this design we are thinking how architecture matters? How design can be a tool to address and evolve the social cultural complexity in the urban context. The creation of a technological frame work to cover the urban complexity.

The process of the design covers the knowledge capital (the artist), the social capital (people) and the cultural capital (social , and life style). Where in an elaborated form how they interact with each other and how they full fill the needs of the stakeholders I have been talking above. Where the social conditions and the spending capacities are been involved in the design.

The design addresses the artists creativity to provide an uninterrupted space for the creation process. The brief was developed in that aspects. Where the contemporary artists works on global influenced , cultural divers world which is advanced in technology in these days where their concepts and methods  are diverse. The spatial briefs are listed below

• Convertible exhibition space – Where the building interior will allow the user to experience the variable spatial possibilities and options. And address the creators creativity the same time.
• Outdoor artist space – Public out door artist area where it allows the artist to exhibit and the local public to interact with the artist and artwork. Where diverse possibilities are been addressed. Where the various kind of art works become objects in the built environment.

The façade of the building become an intermediate space as well where the building become a backdrop to the context as well.

Design and the planning approach.

Main focus of the building design is about its relation ship with the public. Where the external space was dedicated to becoming a public podium a. A comprehensive master plan was proposed which address the immediate context such as the Kalutara stupa , urban council building, street bazaar and town hall. The residential area are situated behind the site the activity path was diverted through the building environment.

In a general planning approach, the convertible spaces are been considered. As a planning strategy to allow the convertibility of spaces the I tried to design the spaces which can’t be converted or can’t be moved (Bathroom, stairs, services bays, etc). So the best possible way was to design and keep the service spaces aside. Where the entire floor slab become convertible in a mechanical track system covered in the permanent frame work.

In a zoning approach the super structure are been considered to be public place where the substructures have become private and semiprivate spaces.

The material which are employed in the design are steel, timber and concrete. Steel structure was used to create a simple sleek structure.