In Mumbai, a place where… art can shine
What is currently a dilapidated pumping station in Worli, is all set for an extreme makeover. The Love Grove Pumping Station will sport a new avatar in 16 months time, as the Mumbai Art and Craft Centre. Now artisans from all over the state can showcase their skills for an urban population. Linah Baliga reports……..Linah Baliga
In architectural lingo it is known as ‘adaptive reuse’ or ‘progressive conservation’. But in layman’s terms, it means that a series of old dilapidated buildings will be recycled to create the Mumbai Art and Craft Centre, at the Love Grove Pumping Station in Worli
Based on the concept of a typical Maratha wada, with a spacious courtyard, surrounded by protected living spaces, the existing site conditions formed a dramatic setting for the proposed Centre.
According to Harshad Bhatia, urban designer, an Art and Craft Centre for Mumbai should be reflective of the actual dwelling in Maharashtra.
“A wada concept seems to fit in. It is a house in Maharashtra, just like a haveli in Rajashtan,” says Bhatia.
A `wada’, according to Bhatia, used an eclectic mix of traditional and colonial architecture, and was a meeting point for the traditional families owning them.
“There were a series of small buildings in dilapidated condition at Love Grove and they had outlived the use for which they were built. When buildings are empty they tend to deteriorate faster,” says Brinda Somaya, managing director and principal architect, Somaya and Kalappa Consultants, appointed for the project.
So plans to change the overall use of three small buildings with varying footprints and height – for the Power House, the Castophine House and the store – took shape.
Also, there are two large chimneys alongside that were listed in the Grade II heritage structure category.
“There is a lot of history attached to the chimneys. They are iconic in where they stand, and they bring in a sense of place,” says Somaya.
Unlike a typical Maratha wada, with a spacious courtyard, surrounded by protective living spaces, for a Mumbai wada, a courtyard had to be created.
Elaborating on the concept of wadas, Somaya says, “In our designs we created and connected a courtyard to the three buildings to give a processional experience. The visual and physical integration of buildings with a courtyard enables people to relate and call it a Mumbai wada.”
The existing site conditions are appaling, and the smell of the place will be controlled by playing up vegetation in the area.
When queried if visitors will be caught in a time warp at the Centre, she says, “We don’t want people to think that we are taking them back in time. The challenge of adaptive reuse is to keep the spirit of the place and make it relevant for today.”