Case Study – 1

Living & Learning Design Centre (LLDC), Bhuj

Location : Ajrakhpur, District - Kutch, Gujarat

Introduction
The Living and Learning Design Centre (LLDC) is a pioneering new effort of the Shrujan Trust to
preserve, revitalize and promote the glorious craft heritage of Kutch. Dedicated to the
craftspeople of Kutch, LLDC is envisioned as a multi-dimensional crafts education and resource
centre. It is situated on a three-building, eight-acre campus in Ajrakhpur, Kutch.
LLDC aims to train, educate and support craftspersons to practise their traditional crafts for
contemporary markets so that they can earn a dignified and prosperous livelihood.

Origin
The idea for establishing an institution of this nature emerged soon after the earthquake of 2001.
The wide spread after effects of the quake were varied. First, the physical impact that destroyed
the built habitat across the region resulting in the loss of human lives, and means of livelihood.
The second, as is usual, once a natural calamity has passed – an extraordinary pouring in of help
– monetary, emotive, genuine and also otherwise. The tax sops offered to industry by the
government to set up shop almost immediately started to change the landscape. The indigenous
was under a serious threat. Native artistic skills were being lost to jobs offered by industry. A
dangerous trend that had begun to take shape slowly, ensuring that an entire generation and its
skill set would be lost. In the wake of this disaster, Shrujan, an NGO based in Kutch led by Chanda
Shroff, led the initiative to restore the livelihood of the people. They intervened at several levels,
building temporary shelters and workspaces for women to go to and work. A belief, that it was
only work, that would help them eventually lift their spirit and take pride in their enterprise.
The living and learning design Center (LLDC) was conceived as a project during this time. It was
meant to be a ‘place’ that would becomes a tactile and visual repository of the various crafts of
Kutch. Its primary role as a resource center for artisan’s doubles up as a public museum and place
for demonstrative, hands on learning.
The predominantly hot dry and arid landscape of Kutch, its people and cultural nuances formed
a rich backdrop to our intervention. There has been a tendency to preserve, emulate and
replicate the notion of what may be deemed vernacular, in this case Kuttchi. Our interactions
with the artisans, their craft and their aspirations led us to believe that inspite of being
geographically remote, their vision and outreach had gone beyond the boundaries of the region.
The milieu allowed for a wider exploration of the built.
Their pioneering spirit was an inspiration to create a contemporary environment that reflected
their artistic, frugal and industrious attitude.

Design strategy:
The site for the LLDC (Living & Learning Design Center) is located in Paddhar village, about 18kms
from Bhuj The 8 acre parcel of land with well-planted mango, chickoo and coconut palm trees.
There was also a large patch of land that was non-arable due to the presence of sub soil water, a
unique characteristic of the site.
The overall master plan has three main components, the museum, the crafts school and the
residential enclaves. The museum block was part of the first phase of work on site. Its strict
guidelines for conservation and preservation of textiles meant that the building had to be
inherently thermally stable so as to rely less on artificial means of conditioning. This concern was
followed right through the design of the buildings and became the core of the building design
strategy.
The architecture of the museum block is a series of large solid volumes, punctuated by conidial
skylights that cut out the elements and the dust. Along with this core, are the ancillary
passageways and shaded spaces for craft demonstrations and impromptu workshops that attach
to the core as porous appendages, allowing spontaneous and simultaneous experiences.
This archetype for a museum seeks to establish the primacy of place making over, manneristic
form making prevalent in public architecture today. A museum, in this context is thus a “ place”,
to experience, move through and habit in an informal way, making language and information
more tactile than textual in nature.
The vocabulary is purposefully simple and contemporary in nature, emblematic of the nature of
craft as industry and vice- versa today.
Sustainability issues and solutions: Economy of means and materials were to be the backbone
of this endeavor. Judicious use of materials and sustainable design strategies aimed at thermal
comfort were developed and integrated in the design of the campus.

Thermal barriers: Lime and fly ash bricks were manufactured on site using waste carbide lime
slurry, sand and fly ash to reduce cost and get the required strength and thermal stability
compared to any other material. Lime mortar was prepared on site by slaking lime in large ponds
and grinding it with sand and crushed brick. Gauged lime mortar was used in the masonry work
and natural lime plaster using traditional methods* was used in three coats in some areas.

Fenestrations: Meticulously details windows and cutouts on the west and south allow the winter
sun to warm the interiors while keeping out the summer sun. A simple strategy to ensure
ventilation without effecting thermal gain.

Stored rainwater cools the structure: Rainwater harvesting tanks were integrated in the design
of the foundations to collect about 7 lac liters of rain annually. The building plan attempts to
reduce thermal gain and creates shaded zones that are inherently cool and can depend on
passive cooling to reduce operating costs. Use of cooling pipes (radiant cooling) on terraces is
planned as a way of using insulating the roof from the heat, to attain stable temperatures through
out the year.

Grey water usage: Decentralized wastewater treatment system (DEWATS) is designed to handle
all the wastewater from the site including the process effluents from the printing and dyeing
workshops.

Program details and buildings: The museum comprises, four galleries including a temporary
exhibit area. The main gallery is devoted to the permanent collection of the ‘Design Center on
Wheels’ (DCOW) program run by the NGO Shrujan in Bhujodi. The collection includes 1150
exquisite demonstrative embroidery panels that have been painfully documented over the years.
The other galleries house traditional artifacts highlighting the textile arts related to everyday life
of the indigenous people of Kutch. The DCOW archive and conservation block within the museum
enclave forms its core. A library for visual and textual resources, instructional auditorium space
and conference room, classrooms for artisans and public orientation and information kiosks
outside the galleries, complete the ensemble.
The Crafts school is the other significant half of the institution. Working spaces for every art and
craft of Kutch makes it the single largest living and working craft environment in Kutch. The
architectural plan organizes activities along a central movement spine, reminiscent of the
covered ‘suq’ or covered markets of other arid desert regions of the world. It creates a climatically
appropriate gesture coupled with sustainable methods of building to define these working areas.
Complex interweaving of functions brings about interest and diversity of experience.
The crafts shop and museum shops are run by the artisans in training, to develop skills aimed at
marketing their craft in the right manner and learning to preserve what is essential to the survival
of the craft.
On-site housing for the master craftsmen, artisans, visiting academicians and scholars is the third
built component. Integrated along with the work environment, yet separate, the housing is
designed as a series of modular courts with dwelling units linked by internal streets. Artisans
enjoy living and working in the company of their apprentices and colleagues in an atmosphere of
creative synergies, mutual admiration and support. Individuals with diverse cultural and social
needs, food habits and patterns of life will be resident here.
Places for common dining, recreation and celebration of social events are an essential
component of the plan. Several un-built spaces, planted groves and spaces between buildings
become places for interaction, recreation and multiple uses. The three major building
components are organized loosely around a generous courtyard that allows people to congregate
in large numbers on occasions such as the annual product exhibit fair and even otherwise.

Evolution of Design:
Sections: