CRAFT TRAINING AND RETAIL CENTER: Craft and Narrative Architecture

Abstract

Craftwork is an integral part of communities around the world. The significance of craft is emphasized in the fact that it serves as an identity tool for multi-ethnic cultures around the world. The promotion and transference of craft skills within the communities promotes the individuality of any culture as well as provides opportunities for economic development. Craft is a medium through which architecture becomes relevant to a place as it narrates the cultural background of a community/region/country. Therefore, craft can be utilized as a means for architecture to interpret the cultural condition of the place, through its built environment. Accordingly, architecture can serve as a tool to propagate craftwork through narration of its processes and materiality to user; by the experiences which are generated through architectonics of space i.e. through composition of spaces, volumes, form, material as well as textures. The analysis of movement patterns, spatial elements, configurations, and facade articulation of traditional bazaar architecture generates the idea of crafting a spatial dialogue between craftsmen's and target market to create an experiential space which forms a journey for the target market to understand the process and skills projected by these craftsmen. In our context, charpai making, khussa making, brass work, pottery designs, stone crafts are traditional crafts which are acquired through informal apprenticeship system (Ustad- shagrid system). The built environments in which these crafts are taught and sold hinder the propagation and marketability of craft products to target market. Furthermore, the inadequacy of the education sector to develop craft skills and recognize the importance of crafts for these developments has devoid the major chunk of our population living in rural and urban areas to utilize these resources. This thesis aims to design and improve built environment of the spaces where these crafts are taught and sold through the use of architectonics quality of spaces so as to celebrate the cultural significance of craftsmanship as well extend the scope of craft for cultural and economic development