Monday, October 18, 2010

Site Characteristics and Adjacencies



Just as Rome was not built in a day, Delhi has evolved over a period of 400 years. It thus a rich historical background juxtaposed with modern elements due to its endeavor to be the capital of a developing nation. Over the years, Delhi has accumulated a variety of architecture, people and cultures. Due to this correlation, conditions arise where the Fabric of Old Delhi stands next to the elements of then newer architecture of modernized New Delhi.
One such condition is the Juxtaposition of the Chandni Chowk Market and its winding streets and small lot sizes along with the Old Delhi Railway station, with the new construction of the Chandni Chowk Metro station. There exists a relationship between the present and the past.
The Old Delhi Railway Station is only 300 m away from the Metro Station, but there lack a suitable way to connect the two to make it convenient for passengers to transit from one transportation system to the other. Since the two systems function at different scale, where the railway station services the regional scale, while the metro is the city scale, people transfer from one to the other frequently. The interesting correlation between the site characteristics and adjacencies can inform the design of the connection between the two. Other factors to acknowledge during the design process are the large population that uses the two stations, as well as the possible programmatic elements that would be suitable for such a connector. The design should be able to filter this population efficiently and effectively and also acknowledge the richness of the site.

1 comment:

  1. The connection between the Waterloo train station to the nearby Underground station in London has a similar connection issue. The distance is much smaller horizontally but the two stations are at different locations vertically. There has been some effort to ease the transition between the two but from what I remember, there is still a disconnect. I'm not sure if this example will help in any way but I thought that I should point it out. I am unfamiliar with the Dehli condition, but I have experienced the stations in London and have a source that is more familiar with the area and could perhaps give her insight on what works and what doesn't there if you are interested.

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