New York-based studio Diana Kellogg Architects looked to symbols of femininity for its design of an oval-shaped all-girls school in India made from local sandstone.
Words by Francesca Perry
Here’s a story you don’t often hear. A client approaches an architecture practice to design a parking garage, and the practice ends up convincing the client to build a community centre instead.
Conceived by Abin Design Studio, Gallery House – located in the city of Bansberia in West Bengal, north-east India – comprises a ground-floor community hall with multipurpose room, lounge area and pantry above, topped by a roof terrace. Though relatively compact at 380 sq m, the building makes a statement both visually – elegant forms clad in intricate, diverse brickwork – and socially, dedicating itself to supporting the local community.
Abin Design Studio creates terracotta-brick community centre in Bansberia
Architecture studio Abin Design Studio has built a small, multifunctional community centre in the city of Bansberia in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Informed by terracotta temples found in West Bengal, the two-storey centre is designed to provide a variety of flexible spaces for the local community in Bansberia along with a dormitory for staff.
Abin Design Studio built a community centre in Bansberia
The owner wanted to build a garage but was convinced by Abin Design Studio founder Abin Chaudhuri, who is local to the area, to initially make a facility for the community on the upper floor. As work progressed he agreed to give the majority of the building over to community functions.