“How does one assign value? How does one arrive at a universal agreement on the meaning of aesthetics? Is it defined by the experience a space provides? Is it a re-creation of the accepted form? Is it the rejection of the norm?”
Location
Ahmedabad
Typology
Workplace Landscape
Site Area
1.32 Hectares
Set in a corporate campus in Ahmedabad, is a garden that defines aesthetics as a marriage of the rejection of the norm, while adapting long-accepted forms.
It borrows its language from the labyrinthine nature of Aram Bagh in Agra.
In a layout that does not define any single or linear path through which to walk, your journey starts where you stand; one begins to use larger natural markers as a guide.
The axial landscape is divided into courts of varying characters. It is cognizant of the controlled nature of the building.
The garden has become the personification of a ‘caretaker’ at various scales.
At a smaller scale, the herb & vegetable patch sustains the office kitchen; at a larger scale, the water body and court of lost trees have become spaces of refuge for smaller ecosystems.
While landscape and architecture are undeniably linked, in this context, the interaction is taken forward only to the extent of the landscape acknowledging the architecture.
The space is a conscious endeavor to create utilitarian landscapes that are visually pleasing. The garden has now become a space for conversation and recreation.
